Submitted by Victor Tsaran on
Category:
Description of App:
There are hundreds of gps apps. Do we really need one more?
Ariadne GPS is more than a simple gps app.
Besides offering you the possibility to know your position and to get information about the street, the number, etc. it also lets you explore the map of what's around you.
What do we mean by saying "explore"? You'll deal with a talking map. If you have VoiceOver activated on your device, you will be able to know the street names and numbers that are around you by touching them.
Just put your finger on the screen of your device, when showing the map and moving it you will be told the info's about the street you're touching.
Your position is on the center of the screen. What's in front of you is on the top half of the screen and things behind you are on the bottom half of the screen.
You can also explore a different region than the one around you by telling the app the street and the city.
You can ask for information about your position at any time, also activating a function, called monitor, that will give you this info periodically (Please read the note below).
This app has also got some other useful features that might help when walking or traveling by bus, train etc.
If you add your favourite points to the app database, you can be alerted when you get closer than a certain distance to one of them.
This app is completely accessible using VoiceOver and gives you access to information that are normally unavailable to people using the speech synthesizer and can be therefore especially useful to blind and partially sighted people.
Note: The features of Ariadne GPS are based on the location services and on the Maps server for what concerns the information about the position. This information may not be accurate, due to the location accuracy, which is generally below fifteen metres but in some cases can be few tens of metres and to the Maps service, which might be unresponsive at certain times (Ariadne GPS will tell you if this is the case). The aim of Ariadne GPS is to give you an idea of your position and what is around you. Please do not completely rely on it.
Please note that the use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
For more info and suggestions please visit http://www.ariadnegps.eu
Apple Watch Support:
Version:
Free or Paid:
Device(s) App Was Tested On:
iOS Version:
Accessibility Comments:
I've played with this app for about an hour and all the functionality seems to be accessible. The developer of this app claims Voiceover support as well.
16 Comments
Starting out I had some
Submitted by Tom on
Starting out I had some difficulties navigating the app. Recently the devloper posted a couple of podcasts which provide more information.
If those podcasts exist, can
Submitted by KE7ZUM on
If those podcasts exist, can you pleas provide a link to it? I'm thinking of buying this app in the near future. this would help all of us.
Thanks.
Link to podcasts
Submitted by KD on
http://www.ariadnegps.eu/podcasts/
Version 3.0
Submitted by AnonyMouse on
Major Update!
What's New in Version 3.0
Overall look of the app and the UI have been redesigned;
New tab bar has been added;
Settings have been moved into the app interface;
Favorites can be shared via email (import / export) as inApp Purchase;
Multiple favorites can be selected for deleting or sharing;
App can run in background;
User Interface
"Home" tab:
The Start Monitor button has been moved to the top of the screen, between the Where Am I and Favorites buttons;
Current Address and Nearest Favorite have been swapped
Some of the informational indicators have been turned into icons:
A. Speed, Horizontal Accuracy, Altitude (new), Vertical Accuracy (New)
B. Network Availability, Positioning System, Server Responsiveness
The sounds for direction of movement and for point to favorite with the compass have been changed;
"Favorites list" tab:
An Edit button has been added to allow for the deleting and sharing of multiple favorites or of the entire database;
The ability to share favorites has been added in the detail view;
"Settings" tab:
Settings items have been reorganized into different sections;
In the monitor section, a toggle to start/stop announcing when the closest favorite changes has been added;
In the Favorites Section, the ability to listen to the chosen sound in real time has been added;
A toggle to force Ariadne GPS to use the compass when determining a favorite direction (instead of the direction of movement) has been added;
In the iOS Device section, a button to run the app in the background has been added;
Minor bug fixes.
Version 3.1
Submitted by AnonyMouse on
This new update fix the issues with the map not working on IOS 6.
What's New in Version 3.1
Improved iOS 6 support;
Fixed an issue on favorites import;
Fixed an issue on favorites search;
Minor bug fixes.
Version 4.0 released
Submitted by David Goodwin on
What's New in Version 4.0New features in version 4.0: 1. "Custom favorites":It is now possible to give each favorite different values for what concerns distance, sounds, vibration, alert repeats, etc.; 2. "Preset profiles":You can quickly apply a preset profile to a favorite or reset the default values. The preset profiles are: on foot, bike, bus, train, default (taken from the General settings); 3. "Active favorites":You can now choose which favorites in your archive to monitor. Only active favorites will fire notifications; 4. "Favorite list filter": You can show three different sets of favorites by using three buttons on the top of the favorites list:a. "All", complete list;b. "Customized", all favorite for which the settings were modified;c. "active", all favorites that were activated and are being monitored; 5. "Actions on the search results":It is now possible to apply different actions, such as Activation, Customization, Sharing, Deletion to all of the favorites in a search result; 6. "Favorite button":When you activate some favorites or you track one of them, you can switch between the closest favorite, the closest active favorite and the tracked one and read the distance and angle for each ones. This can be done through the favorite detail button on the home screen.In all three cases there are two other functions you can do using this button that are contextual the shown favorite.a. "Favorite detail" (For VO users: double tap, second long);b. "Edit detail" (For VO users: double tap, flick on any direction on the second); 7. "Quick save a new favorite":You can now quickly add a new favorite by simply doing a long tap on the Add button on the home screen (For VO users, double tap, the second long). This will save the point without the need to open the Add favorite screen; 8. "Update location":This button has been added to the Add favorite screen and Edit favorite screen and allows you to update the coordinate of the point stored (e.g. in edit you can update a previous bad quality value); 9. "New search in Explore area":You can now do a new search in Explore area without going back to the home screen; 10. "Distance between two favorites":By activating the editing mode for the list of favorites and selecting only two points, you can read the distance between the two by using the action button. This distance is the distance as the crow flies; 11. "State label in the Favorite detail":In the favorite detail screen you can see the state for each favorite using the new label on the top, which reports the states:a. tracked;b. active;c. customized.This label will appear only if the favorite has at least one of these state enabled. 12. Swedish localization introduced;13. Portuguese localization improved;14. Minor bug fixes and features. PLEASE NOTE: the favorites archive structure has been updated. Everything should work fine and your favorites will be updated to the new version of the database. It is nevertheless strongly recommended that you make a copy of your previous archive by exporting you favorites before updating. If you don't know how to do this please visit the faq section on the website.
Version 4.0.1
Submitted by AnonyMouse on
What's New in Version 4.0.11. Translation improvements;2. Small accessibility issue fixed;3. Keyboard Done button label changed in Edit view;4. Minor bug fixes.
What's new on Ariadne GPS version 4.1.1
Submitted by Marco on
Updated on
Oct 12/ 2013
version
4.1.1
remember this small update is for the new release of iOS7
What's New in Version 4.1.1
A bug was fixed that prevented the app from starting on iOS 5
What's new on Ariadne version 4.1.2
Submitted by Marco on
Updated
Oct. 21, 2013
version
4.1.2
What's New in Version 4.1.2
Turkish localization
Version 4.1.3
Submitted by AnonyMouse on
What's New in Version 4.1.3Significant improvements on the maps;Bug fixes.
Version 4.2
Submitted by AnonyMouse on
Check out the NEW Sound Feedback. This is pretty slick. Just love it.
What's New in Version 4.2
Pinch gesture to zoom on the map;
new sounds were introduced on the map (highway, streets, parks);
restored gesture to center a point on the map;
reduced sensitivity when map rotation is active;
minor bug fix.
Ariadne new update
Submitted by Marco on
updated
January 9 2014
Version
4.2.1
What's New in Version 4.2.1
Information on the point at the center of the map;
iOS 5 map issue was fixed;
iOS 7 ui improvements;
small bug fixes;
Commenting on its unique features
Submitted by Deborah Armstrong on
Now that there are so many other navigation apps, I believe users might be overlooking some of Ariadne's more unique features.
First, the manual is well worth reading. The newest one is here:
http://www.ariadnegps.eu/app/ariadne_manual.html
Curiously, I could not find it linked from their website but had to google for it. This manual is comprehensive, and the best way to fully utilize the app is to read a section and then try it out. Do this over a period of days, and you will be a master of all its features.
For me, two things make it particularly useful. First, if I don't have an internet connection I can still use it. I can still tell where any Favorite is located in relation to my current location. I can learn that the fitness center is ten yards away at five o'clock and that the grocery store is nine miles away at seven o'clock. It works with both my iPOD Touch using an external GPS and my iPHONE with its built-in GPS.
Second, each favorite can be individually customized. Most customizations are part of the Favorites center, an in-app purchase which is worth the money. You can set a Favorite's triggering distance. For example, it can tell you when the library is 200 yards away, the bank is 100 yards away and not trigger on your home until you are only ten yards away. This makes it flexible for pedestrian, public transportation and highway driving.
In customizing a favorite, you can also set which sound will play when it's triggered. There are presets that include the distance and sound, so you can simply apply the "train" preset to all stops you've marked as favorites during a rail journey. You can also activate a favorite, or de-activate it. When it's inactive, it's still there in the Favorites list but it will not fire automatically.
Any location can be a Favorite, regardless of whether it's geocoded or not. That is unlike some apps whose points of interest are address-dependent: you can set the restroom at a public park as a Favorite, and on the large college campus where I work, I've set many of the fountains as favorites. This way when I pass a fountain, I know exactly where I am.
And if I get lost and I am in front of a different fountain, and I want to get back to the fountain by the cafeteria, I can ask Ariadne to tell me exactly where I am located in reference to any other favorite.
Many other features, like the ability to explore the map with your finger, the automatic monitoring of your location while you walk or ride and the ability to search for different points of interest from google maps are also quite useful, but they have been discussed in other forum and app directory posts.
There is one other unique feature to Favorites I'd like to discuss. You don't want to type a novel while you are out walking or while the bus is passing a transfer station. So Ariadne has features that accommodate the need for speed.
Ariadne lets you long press on the Add to Favorites button to quickly add one. You won't get the screen to enter details; the favorite will simply be created. If the internet is available, the address will automatically be its description. If not, you still have the coordinates.
If you create a favorite in the usual way, by tapping on the "Add To Favorites" button and you enter something quick like "stairs", you can return later to edit that favorite, possibly expanding its description to indicate where the stairs lead. If you create some favorites with the long press (using VO it's double-tap and hold) and you need to add addresses later, that's also easy to do. And if the internet was available, and the address is wrong, or you want something other than the address as its description, that too is easy to edit.
The campus where I work is 112 acres and they all geocode to the same address. So each time I create a favorite on campus, the college address is filled in as part of the description. I simply rotor over to Edit, select all, and press Delete. Then I type in or ask Siri to enter a new description. The address will still be part of the Favorite, if for some reason I need it. And if Siri jumbles my description, I can fix it later without a hassle.
I really like that I can create these Favorites on the fly and later, edit them at my desk with air conditioning, a quiet environment and a Braille display!
If I have one complaint, it's that I can't back these favorites up. With Seeing Assistant Move, I can export a copy to Dropbox. But with Move I don't have the customization of individual points.
Thanks for the reminder about Ariadne GPS + user manuals
Submitted by Esther on
Hi Deborah,
Thanks for reminding us all about the features of the Ariadne GPS and supplying detailed tips about using the favorites. I'd just like to mention that the user manual can be found from the main web page for the app, and that there is also a Japanese version of the user manual that can be accessed that way. The list of 9 items at the start of each of the site's web pages for the app contains links to main web pages, including ones for audio and video podcasts for release 3 (links 5 and 6), the user manual (link 7), FAQ (link 8), and contact info (link 9). If you select the user manual link and use it to navigate to that page, setting the rotor to links and displaying the links chooser options (VO-u, then type "man") will show link entries for "Ariadne GPS Manual v. 2.0 (updated August 9th, 2013)" and "Ariadne Manual v. 1.0.2 – Japanese Version". There is a typo, because, in fact, the current manual named in that link is really Version 4.0, updated on August 9th, 2013, at the URL you listed in your post for the newest manual:
http://www.ariadnegps.eu/app/ariadne_manual.html
The Japanese version of the newest user manual is at the URL:
http://www.ariadnegps.eu/app/ariadne_manual_J_102.html
So they could correct the version number written in the text for the linked user manual on the site's user manual web page:
http://www.ariadnegps.eu/user-manual/
However, when you select the links under the heading for User Manual on that web page, which is described as being available in English and Japanese, you do, in fact, reach the most current versions of the English and Japanese user manuals.
HTH
Esther
COnsidering this app
Submitted by Chris Wright on
Hi.
I've been hearing a lot of good things about this app. However, I don't know if I want to spend more money on GPS apps. What's the difference between this and BlindSquare? Is this just another turn by turn direction app like Google maps with environment annnouncements like BlindSquare? If so, I will continue to use BlindSquare and something like Google Maps. I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth it to buy this.
Version 4.3
Submitted by Michael Hansen on
Ariadne GPS version 4.3 is now available: