Since the last release I’ve received a number of reports that the odometer had stopped remembering its value between sessions. This minor update should fix this issue.
Thanks to everyone who reported this issue.
Category: DigiHUD (Free)
About the free version of the app
DigiHUD (free) Release notes, v1.5.4 (29/07/2020)
This is an update that should address many of the crash reports received since the previous release went live. Issues were identified within the app lifecycle startup code that could cause a device to crash due to not requesting Location permission at the correct time.
As with all releases, if you experience problems with the app please send me a message with any information relating to what was happening at the time so I can try and improve the app.
DigiHUD (free) Release notes, v1.5.3.1 (05/07/2020)
This update fixes a crash in Window Mode, improves the screen layout slightly and removes the navigation bar for true full screen viewing. Unfortunately I’ve had to remove a feature too, so let’s address that first.
Background running removed
I’ve always wanted DigiHUD to be able to run in the background. For my own use it’s great I can start the app, reset the values and drop it in my pocket knowing that my walk will be recorded. It’s caused some confusion though, especially for people who don’t expect it to carry on running when they hit Home, but generally it’s been seen as a great feature.
Google have recently, and quite rightly, started to crack down on what apps can do with the device Location. Starting in Android 10 (P), apps that need to access the device Location in the background must specifically request permission and only to perform a function that the app relies upon for normal operation. In August this year all new Play Store apps will be reviewed by Google to ensure they have a very good reason to access Location in the background, and in November all existing apps will be reviewed. Any apps that can’t meet the new requirements will have to stop using background location or be removed from the Play Store.
Even if you can justify using it, Google are placing restrictions on the frequency that background location can be received, here’s a quote from their guidance (linked to below):
If background location access is essential for your app, keep in mind that Android preserves device battery life by setting background location limits on devices that run Android 8.0 (API level 26) and higher. On these versions of Android, if your app is running in the background, it can receive location updates only a few times each hour.
Google Developer documentation
For a speedometer app, this frequency of updates is as good as useless. The majority of DigiHUD users are using Android 8 or later. I’m not prepared to provide a feature that I know is not accurate as this would undermine confidence in the app and have a negative impact on it’s reputation, so this has unfortunately forced my hand and I’ve removed background running from the app. I’m very unhappy about having to make this change but have no other option.
Improved layout
There’s an improvement to the speed digit layout as I felt the speed wasn’t taking up as much space as it could (or deserved). The digits can now resize to fill the space available. There’s still more to do in the future with regards to layout.
Show two digits under 100
Driving as I do in the UK there aren’t many occasions when I need a speedometer that goes above 100 mph. Travelling in France it was fine as I was regularly driving above 100 kmh. So, for day to day driving it’s pointless the app showing me three speed digits, especially in portrait mode where the digits are small anyway. That’s why I’ve added a new setting “Always show three speed digits?“. It’s unchecked by default, but if you always want three speed digits then just check it.
True full screen view
The navigation bar will slide out of view after a second or two to give a true full screen view of the app (removing the annoying bright bar which is distracting in nighttime use. Tapping the screen will show the navigation bar again. Available on supported devices.
New wireless Hudly hits Kickstarter
I had an email from Eric Lee over at Hudly to let me know that the team at Hudly are working on a sleek new wireless model and it’s up on Kickstarter now.
Go check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ericshun/hudly-wireless-focus-on-the-road
DigiHUD looks great on it’s large 6.2″ display.
Hudly units are shipping
I received an email today from Hudly again thanking me for being a backer but also to say that backer’s units have now shipped.
I’m not sure how long it will take for my unit to make it’s way from the USA to the UK, hopefully not too long as I’m dying to get it installed and see first hand how well it works. I’ll probably have to pay import duty on it however.
I’m super excited to get my hands on Hudly, however I’m not sure yet if my Android LG G5 will be compatible with it as it uses MHL to connect Android devices. I’m sure I’ll be able to use my Galaxy SIII.
I’ll add a write-up on the unit to this blog after putting it through it’s paces.
Fancy getting Hudly?
You can get $50 off a Hudly until 17 May 2017 by using this link.
HUD mode in daytime
As anyone who has tried to use DigiHUD’s HUD mode in the day will confirm, it’s not really usable because it get’s washed out to the point where it becomes invisible. Add to this the slight double image caused by the laminated glass and it’s a non-starter.
In order to work well in the day, commercially available HUD units have particularly bright displays (generally brighter than smartphone or tablet screens) and also a piece of slightly reflective film which is stuck to the inside of the windscreen. The film removes the double image and also allows the display to be seen in bright light.
Recently I picked up a piece of film from that popular Internet auction site to see if it improves DigiHUD’s HUD experience.
Here it is in the day.
I’ve attached it up high on the screen because the rake of the glass would mean the film was a bit too much in my line of sight for comfort. I will at some point 3D-Print a holder for my phone to sit on the dashboard.
So for a few pounds it makes a world of difference to using HUD mode in the day.
Maximum values and precision
I saw a review of the free version of DigiHUD today that mentioned the maximum value of the trip counters. Here’s Ryan Scott’s review:
Really like this app and use it exclusively to accurately log mileage on my Dodge diesel to track mpg’s. I only give it 4 stars due to trip meters only reading in the thousands. I would consider paying for the pro version if the trip meters read higher.
I realised that it’s not in the description or the app itself what the maximum values are, for either the free or Pro version. It’s impossible to put everything that the app can do into the description because of the character limit.
Putting it all in the app itself is either too late (because it won’t be installed if you don’t know about some ‘killer feature’) or it just won’t be seen. Nobody wants to read a huge pile of text about what the app can do or how to use it, I get that, and apps should be intuitive and not need instruction manuals. You probably don’t want to see a huge window open when you start the app listing its features and giving instructions on how to use it.
Here’s a Pro screenshot showing how the values can be set to show greater precision and also the number of digits the trip counters can have. That’s a million miles/kilometres.
Trip counter showing optional leading zeros
It’s worth mentioning that the free version also shows some values to two decimal places when in landscape view.
Video of DigiHUD wanted
Do you have any video of how you use DigiHUD? Have you video’d something really cool you used DigiHUD for, like finding the top speed of a model aircraft or RC car?
I’d love to see them and also create an interesting short video for the Play Store listing.
Please email the address in the app listing, of fill in the Contact Form if you have something you want to share.
James.
Internal Vs external GPS receiver
I plan to get a video of two phones side by side in a car with one running the internal GPS receiver and the other running an external receiver but for now here’s a short video of the Pro version in a test mode, taken using screen capture.
It shows the difference in update speed very well but because it’s not in a car where you can see the road for reference it doesn’t give a good view of how the lag is reduced.
The test runs continuously from 0MPH to 121 and back to 0.
Garmin GLO Bluetooth GPS Receiver
One thing I’ve really been wanting to try for a while is just how well DigiHUD performs when using a better GPS receiver than the ones built into our devices, and today I got the chance to do just that.
As anyone who has used the app, or similar GPS location based apps will know, phones have very slow GPS location updates, which is shown by the slowness in updating the speed. Try accelerating and watch the app and your speedometer and you’ll see that the app is at least a second or more behind.
Generally the update rate will be somewhere around 1 per second (1Hz) for built-in GPS, and that means that no matter how fast and efficient the app is there’s going to be a noticeable delay between travelling at X mph and the app displaying it. This is partly why I’ve had no interest in writing a 0-60/0-100 timer. The accuracy just isn’t good enough for me to be happy with the results.
To verify the update rate I’ve written a basic test app that times GPS updates and shows the average updates per second and the number of updates for as long as I run the app. Interestingly, my LG G3 was 1.00/sec and my Samsung Galaxy S3 was 1.01/sec, after both received 365 updates.
Today I received a dedicated high accuracy, high(er) refresh rate, external Bluetooth GPS receiver from Amazon. Here’s the Amazon item if you’re interested.
I took a few quick snaps of the unit itself and the box, but not the included accessories: a USB to Mini USB lead and a Mini USB car power lead.
The GLO in it’s box.
Box detail, showing contents and GLONASS compatibility.
It’s not that big at 75mm x 40mm x 18mm, and weighs about 272g. There’s a USB connector on the side below the power button and the included cables have straight plugs unlike the angled one bundled with my Garmin SatNav.
The unit itself turned on.
Manual, and a penny to show how small the unit is
Underneath with it’s grippy feet.
Set-up for use with Android was painless following these excellent instructions and it was paired with my phone in seconds.
I installed ‘Bluetooth GPS’ from the Play store and configured it as the link above describes. The app can be started/stopped very simply from a widget. It also goes to sleep if the Bluetooth pairing stops.
I could now test it and found that it was averaging just over 7Hz after 1000 updates.
Test app
It’s extremely hot here tonight and I want to try this again when it’s cooler and also outside to see if this makes any difference, after all this unit is capable of 10Hz.
I was able to take the unit for a run out in the car earlier wondering how well DigiHUD Pro would cope with a higher refresh rate. I know the app moves a lot of images around on screen and can get quite memory hungry, especially the compass, even though I’ve tried very hard to manage memory as best I can.
Oh wow. Performance was like night and day! It was so much faster updating and the lag was gone. I was really pleased to see DigiHUD keeping up with the car speedo when accelerating and decelerating. When I slowed to a stop (even quickly), both speeds hit zero at the same time. I was actually shocked at how well my app performed. The graphical compass moved way more smoothly too. It really put a smile on my face!
So it’s early days with the Garmin GLO but from a couple of short tests I’m already blown away by it and will not want to go back to using the phone’s GPS sensor. No thank you! I’m also really pleased with how my app performed, it never missed a beat, although it has shown that I’ll need to change the way the satellite information is deciphered as it thought that GPS was unavailable.
I’ll be leaving a 5* rating on Amazon for the Garmin GLO.