For everyone waiting on the Android app, it’s here! The app is free in the Android Market (and it will be in the Amazon Appstore for Android very soon). The app has all the essentials: it will find cemeteries that are close to you and you can collect and upload photos to your heart’s content. The Android camera is speedier than the iPhone’s, so mapping out a cemetery is even more efficient.Getting this out to you took us a little longer than we wanted it to, but that’s because Android devices vary so widely. We tested it on all the devices we could possibly get our hands on. The app only works with phones that have true GPS systems. At the bottom of this post is a list of the phones we know it will work on, as well as those we know it won’t. If your phone isn’t on either the Yes or No lists, we either weren’t able to test it or we couldn’t get a straight answer from the producers’ product help desk (phones we know of but aren’t sure about are in the Maybe list). If you download the app and you find that it doesn’t work on your phone, please contact our support team and tell us what went wrong, what type of phone you have, and what version of the Android OS your phone uses. Then we can either fix the problem with your phone or, if your phone does not use true GPS, add it to the appropriate list. Please also let us know if it does work if your phone isn’t already on the Yes list: we’d love to add it.
Once you’ve downloaded the app and it’s working for you, remember that the same photo-collecting rules apply:
- Avoid casting partial shadows on the stone. The dark shadow against the light stone can make it unreadable.
- Clear everything that is covering the headstone information. Move flowers and such away from the stone. You can always put them back. Just in case grass clippings or dirt are on the stone, you may want to bring a soft brush of some sort to clean the stone. (Don’t scrub stones or use anything abrasive; you may damage the stone.)
- Include all the headstone’s information in the photo frame—even if the words seem to small on the preview. Remember, there is a zoom function on the website now, so even small words can be magnified. It’s more important to get all the information available.
- Try to take photos in the mornings or evenings. Direct sunlight can make collecting photos problematic. It’s not always feasible to avoid the sun, but if you have a choice, choose a time with more indirect sunlight.
The most important rule? Have some fun while you’re at it. I’ve never enjoyed visiting cemeteries as much as I do now that I can help others while I’m there. (That’s saying something, because I’ve always loved visiting cemeteries). Though I may say things like “we’re hard at work testing this” or something similar, that’s not entirely true. Testing is the best part, and we have fun doing it.
Yes, it works
HTC
HTC Sensation™ 4G.
Droid Incredible 2
HTC Thunderbolt
G2 by HTC
HTC EVO™ 4G
HTC Aria
HTC Incredible
Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Indulge
Samsung Galaxy Prevail
Samsung Epic™ 4G
Samsung Fascinate
Motorola
Droid 2
Droid X
CLIQ 2
Citrus
i1
Kyocera
Echo
Zio
Sony Ericsson
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LG
Revolution
Ally
Optimus C
Optimus M
Optimus U
Vortex
T-Mobile
Garminfone
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Anything but the Garminfone
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No, it doesn’t work
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