My Submission: GCab

[afonseca]

Hello everyone, I'd like to share my submission with the group. It's
called GCab and it's an application that allows you to call a cab from
your Android powered phone. I've got several screenshots up and a
description of the program if you want to check it out.

I'd love to hear what everyone thinks of the idea and any comments/
suggestions you may have either here or on the site.

http://www.albertoandmiye.com/android


Thanks!

[j]

Useful app. I believe Dan U also has a Taxi app. If many taxi
companies start providing a web service to call a taxi you and Dan's
apps can really take off.

[afonseca]

Thanks, actually I think that is one of the main differences between
our apps. The GCab client on the phone connects to the GCab server
which essentially implements the web service for cab companies so they
don't have to. They can just subscribe to our service and see customer
requests in their area and dispatch cabs to them just as if they'd
called in.

> > Thanks!- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Dan U.]

Actually, that isn't a difference. All the cabbies have to do is sign
up for an account.

[afonseca]

Yea, I guess we both implement a web service in that regard. I think
the main difference then is GCab is a web service targeted at cab
companies vs. individual cab drivers. Looks like two different design
approaches to the same "problem".

> > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[PowerGUI]

I have also design an app about taxi service,but
I have not submit that entry for busy work,
so you all should fell lucky for reducing a STRONG
Competitor.hahaha

Regards
PowerGUI
--------------------------------------------------------
http://www.dotphone.org/english/

[jim.renkel]

I hope I'm not being a wet rag here, but ...

This is a quote from the " Android Software Development Kit License
Agreement" (found at http://code.google.com/android/download.html,
which is where you downloaded the SDK from):

8.1.1 If you use the Android Maps API (described in the
SDK by the Package name "com.google.android.maps"),
the terms of your binding legal agreement with Google
include this License Agreement, the Google Maps API
Terms of Service and the Google Maps Terms of Service.
You must read and agree to those Terms of Service
before you use the Android Maps API.

8.1.2 If you use the Android Maps API to retrieve
map or satellite image data from Google, you must include
the following copyright notice in your application or
service in a manner that is reasonably available to users:

"Copyright Notice: Data: (c)2007 TeleAtlas, AND,
Europa Technologies, Kingway, Map Data Sciences
Pty Ltd, PSMA, ZENRIN, Geocentre, MapLink/TeleAtlas;
Imagery: (c)2007 DigitalGlobe, EarthSat, Sanborn,
NYGIS, Scankort, TerraMetrics, MassGIS
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Digital Earth
Technology."

This is a quote from the "Google Maps API Terms of Service" (found at
http://code.google.com/apis/maps/terms.html):

1.4 Appropriate Conduct and Prohibited Uses. The Service
may be used only for services that are generally accessible
to consumers without charge.

In addition, except where you have been specifically
licensed by Google to do so, You may not use the Service
with any products, systems, or applications installed or
otherwise connected to or in communication with vehicles
for or in connection with: (a) real time route guidance
(including without limitation, turn-by-turn route guidance
and other routing that is enabled through the use of a
sensor); (b) any systems or functions for automatic or
autonomous control of vehicle behavior; or (c) dispatch,
fleet management or similar applications.

I think I very carefully crafted my applications to avoid these
restrictions, but only time will tell.

What I think will be an interesting question is "Will Google, et al,
give specific licenses for otherwise restricted applications, and, if
so, under what terms?"

Jim Renkel

[Dan U.]

Unless I screwed up unintentionally, I have the map copyright in my
submissions.

As for the maps terms of service, I'm thinking (c) might apply to my
app, but depends on definition of dispatch. If it requires a central
dispatcher to be involved, then no. Also, since at this point the app
is not in use in a vehicle, I don't see the problem. Obviously a
production release would need to work through licensing issues. I
guess I'm in the same position as you Jim, maybe my application will
be disqualified due to this, but only time will tell.

So that seems to open up a whole new can of worms though. If I email a
friend to pick me up and they use a map application to find me, then
drive to pick me up, aren't they violating this? Or does this actually
have something to do with the earlier text about not charging
consumers? If it does, would that mean it's acceptable to release a
taxi-cab hailing app that was completely free to everyone involved?

Thanks for pointing that stuff out though.

On Apr 26, 6:42 pm, "jim.renkel" <ja...@renkel.name> wrote:
> I hope I'm not being a wet rag here, but ...
>
> This is a quote from the " Android Software Development Kit License

> Agreement" (found athttp://code.google.com/android/download.html,

> which is where you downloaded the SDK from):
>
> 8.1.1 If you use the Android Maps API (described in the
> SDK by the Package name "com.google.android.maps"),
> the terms of your binding legal agreement with Google
> include this License Agreement, the Google Maps API
> Terms of Service and the Google Maps Terms of Service.
> You must read and agree to those Terms of Service
> before you use the Android Maps API.
>
> 8.1.2 If you use the Android Maps API to retrieve
> map or satellite image data from Google, you must include
> the following copyright notice in your application or
> service in a manner that is reasonably available to users:
>
> "Copyright Notice: Data: (c)2007 TeleAtlas, AND,
> Europa Technologies, Kingway, Map Data Sciences
> Pty Ltd, PSMA, ZENRIN, Geocentre, MapLink/TeleAtlas;
> Imagery: (c)2007 DigitalGlobe, EarthSat, Sanborn,
> NYGIS, Scankort, TerraMetrics, MassGIS
> Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Digital Earth
> Technology."
>

> This is a quote from the "Google Maps API Terms of Service" (found athttp://code.google.com/apis/maps/terms.html):

[Kevin]

+1 there. I had been working on a cab related app for a little while
myself.

Site and app look nice.

[afonseca]

Very interesting points, I guess we'll find out soon enough how strict
the judging will be regarding any unresolved licensing issues and
assumptions made by developers. For GCab the intention would be to
formalize a licensing agreement with Google to allow for provision (c)
regarding dispatching. I don't expect they'd require us to have all
this worked out ahead of time considering the platform is still in
development and many developers like myself are individuals without
corporate legal resources.

I think if the judges feel that a particular application has merit
showcasing the Android platform and potentially commercially viable
they would not only fund the further development (prize money) but
also encourage collaboration with regards to these types of licensing
issues.

Ultimately, I think the point of the competition from Google’s
perspective is to find the next “killer” applications that will
showcase the Android platform and not about using legal technicalities
to disqualify applications. Come to think of it, given the diverse
backgrounds of the judges I’m not sure if they’d even be familiar with
these sorts of issues unless they read the licensing agreements for
all the API’s and technologies that Android encompasses.

So I’m still keeping my fingers crossed for GCab. :)

[Dan U.]

I hope your right. I guess if they were to DQ my submission for this,
I couldn't really argue. Glad I submitted multiple applications.

[Muthu Ramadoss]

Any disqualification will be done before the applications get to the judges. Dan Morrill has clarified only obvious violations have been disqualified in the testing round. So if your application have reached the judges, I'll not be worried about disqualification.

--
take care,
Muthu Ramadoss.

http://mobeegal.in
find stuff closer.

[Hielko]

He also stated that applications that are a candidate for an award
will get a closer look, but I assume that small stuff like not putting
a copyright notice in your app when you use the maps api won't be a
problem.

On Apr 27, 10:32 am, "Muthu Ramadoss" <muthu.ramad...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> find stuff closer.- Hide quoted text -

[Kevin Galligan]

I'd really not spend any time thinking about this, were I you. The
idea here is to get a group of really good ideas for the new phone
platform, and get a pile of smart people working on the new phone
platform (and generate a lot of press and good will, yada yada). I'd
be shocked if they were going to pick your app for a top 50, but
pulled it because you didn't have a copyright notice on your
non-public, first round sumission. As mentioned by somebody else,
none of the tech judges are going to have any clue about the
copyrights or whatever on the individual apis. Google is looking for
cool ideas.

Besides, its already submitted. There's not much you could do now anyway ;)

I'm far more concerned about my bugs and partially completed features
than whatever copyrights and/or patents I may be clip clopping all
over.

[afonseca]

So I'm curious how many people submitted a taxi cab related
application to the competition. At least a couple of other people
thought of the idea or started working on something it seems. Other
than Dan's application and GCab are there any others that made it in
on time?

[Kevin Galligan]

Hope you get some reassurance. Personally, I'm crossing my fingers
that I don't see anything close to my stuff. I'll lose sleep.

[tberthel]

Yours is the best Cab program I have seen. So, I wouldn't worry.

On Apr 28, 7:38 am, "Kevin Galligan" <kgalli...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hope you get some reassurance. Personally, I'm crossing my fingers
> that I don't see anything close to my stuff. I'll lose sleep.
>

[James]

You can potentially expand your Gcab application to include everyone,
not just cab companies. In our current energy crisis, people can share
their ride to work with total strangers, or even people they loosely
know, to share the cost of transportation.

I developed a Pay Your Way Hitchhiking cell phone concept, and the
series of events that would make this possible.

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/jamesbdunn?p=239

Basically, you have developed the basic tools to make this possible,
except for the security feature needed to prevent abuse. Which I
suspect the camera on the cell phone could implement the needed
security.

Essentially, the concept is that if you are wanting to go from A to B,
you start the Gtransport application. You enter where you want to go
either directly, from a favorites, or a lookup. Then you post how
much you will pay for the trip and when you need to travel. The
application posts your offer and participating users who want to share
a ride, and participating cab drivers, see your offer.

That's the rudiment, but the much more detailed version is posted at

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/jamesbdunn?p=239

Which also includes security, how money is made by the software
provider, ... with additional features like carrying packages without
a passenger, supporting other industries, ....


James







On Apr 19, 9:45 pm, afonseca <xafons...@acm.org> wrote:
>
> http://www.albertoandmiye.com/android