The Geocache Navigator for Outdoors from Trimble

The Trimble Geocache Navigator is the first fully featured geocaching application for the mobile phone. It is linked directly to Geocaching.com's cache listings and provides you with real-time access to caches near your location. Using the GPS and wireless communications technologies, Geocache Navigator downloads the locations of all the hidden treasures, called geocaches, nearest to you, and then provides you a set of tools to find them. It enables you to enjoy a treasure hunt using GPS technology that hones your outdoor navigation and search skills and keeps you fit and alert. Now, anyone can go geocaching regardless of technical abilities or age. Trimble Geocache Navigator eliminates the need for GPS handsets. This innovative software turns your phone into a one-stop-shop that combines your phone's GPS capability and its wireless data network into a single geocaching tool. Choose a cache and you'll then see the program's well-designed navigation options. A tabbed interface lets you switch between a compass view, radar view, map view, and cache details. Start with the compass view, which tells you which direction you need to travel and how far away you are from your target. As you approach your geocache you can switch to the radar view, which is better for close proximity work. This view shows the cache at the center of the screen with your position marked by a moving arrow. The Map view lets you pull down street maps, topographical maps, or aerial maps of the area, while the Details tab shows you notes written by the person who originally hid the cache. Notes could contain hints about how the cache is hidden or offer interesting historical facts about the area you're visiting. After you've found a geocache, you can use Geocache Navigator to mark it as "found" in your online account. On a BlackBerry, this means calling up the pop-up menu of contextual commands and choosing Mark as Found, which automatically creates a list of caches you located. When you're back at your computer, you can view a list of all the caches you've found and leave notes for others to read. You can also do this from your smart phone, but it's easier on a larger screen. Geocache Navigator runs on a variety of phones and the company markets the service as a great alternative to expensive standalone outdoor GPS receivers.