Advanced Map Live Wallpaper -- this is why we love open source

Remember how much we loved the live wallpaper that came with a recent Google Maps update? The developers at AndroidGamer just cranked things up a notch. This goes way beyond changing map layers and brings just about every type of map you can imagine to life on your home screen. AndrodiGamer goes one step further though. In their own words:

"It's battery and data friendly, and available now."

The way the map tiles are cached should really cut down on the data flowing in and out if you're concerned about data usage and the app itself shuts down whenever the homescreen is not visible. The app is still in Beta, but I've not seen any show stoppers and feel good about recommending it. Best of all, it's open source, and free. Warm fuzzy feeling time :)

Follow the break to see a few more screenshots as well as download links. Hit the source link to follow along with the development. [xda-developers] Thanks David!

(Note: Live wallpapers are still only for Android 2.1 and up. That hasn't changed.)

[Market Link]

too new for App Brain!

Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.

27 Comments

Not showing up with I scan the link or look for it in the market
Scan the QR code with Barcode Scanner, Goggles is trash at recognizing them compared to it.
Barcode Scanner doesn't provide any results in the market either. probably a faulty QR code?
Nope, worked for me. I chose open browser function and it sent me right to it
Barcode Scanner worked flawlessly. I want to try Goggles but I read that can not be uninstalled.
No problems scanning with Goggles here..why download another app when the functionality is already built into an included app?
Using it on my N1, it's one of the live wallpapers. Very cool (as with everything else with this phone).
The only fault I see on this device is when it's in the dock @ night, it doesn't update the day when the clock strikes midnight. And if this is the only fault it has, I can live with it. :)
Can't find it on my Moto DROID
found it just fine using barcode scanner on moto droid
I too found it fine using Barcode Scanner and have it up and running on my EVO.
pretty cool but pretty useless.....N1 Froyo
it will also show up if you search the market for map live wallpaper
Can't find it with search or barcode scanner on my wife's MOTO Droid
I downloaded this and all I have is like baby blue background. Using incredible, so maybe not sense friendly?
Thanks. Neat app. Recommend you all try the Live Wallpaper, Starfield. It's free, and it's my favorite right now! Very cool! Has settings.
It's pretty cool, I have it running on my EVO now but whats the difference between this and just taking a screenshot of Google Earth or something?
I don't get it. Does this thing have live traffic or not? I can't figure out how to get it to show traffic like in the pics above. Traffic is the only thing I'd want it for. I don't see anything moving in these maps. They all seem static. So what's "live" about this live wallpaper?
Hmmm. On mine, congestion shows up as solid green on the roads. Also, showing very little battery consumption. (Nexus One)
Completely locked up my EVO with no response from power button. Adb devices detected my phone but adb reboot failed. Forced to remove battery to restart. App struggled to refresh from sleep and would take almost a minute. Interesting app but if a brand new EVO struggles with it, what would happen with a hero.
Similar experience here with my EVO. After switching to this, the map would take forever to update, and then it would show the map for 10-15 seconds before it would try refreshing and it would show just the grid lines with no map for another 10 seconds. Didn't seem very intelligent about caching at all. So I switch away from it to my old background, but now all I get is some other stock wallpaper instead. Switching wallpapers stopped working completely and it was stuck on this stock one. I tried to power down my phone but it locked up requiring me to pull the battery out. After booting it back up everything is back to normal. Weird.
Can't get to this via search, QR code, or copying the direct link. What gives? Moto Droid.
Works like a champ on the INC.
I just posted the apk at the XDA forum link, for those of you not seeing it in the market.
This is VERY cool. Anyone only seeing the baby blue background just go to settings and choose a different map. It defaults to the "Ordnance Survey" map which does not display anything, for me at least. Speaking of maps, I LOVE the extra maps this provides! Some I never knew you could get. Any way to see these in a program? Google Maps does not show these extra ones like the VFR, IFR low and high maps. Is there a way to easily go to the current Live Wallpaper settings without choosing Wallpaper--Live wallpapers--choosing the wallpaper then settings?? They should put that where Notifications button is since that is easily seen with a simple swipe down. Why is there a button for that it is redundant. Some things in Android are just done stupidly.. :)
In stock Android there is -- just bringing up wallpaper settings has a shortcut to settings for your current live wallpaper. For some reason HTC removed this in Sense. :( They messed up the translucent settings overlay style, too.
Can someone tell me what the trick is to getting these apps. This is the second time that android central has posted a "look" at an app that does not show up in the app store for the Motorola Droid. The last time it was the Pixel Zombies wall paper. At one point the App showed up and in the notes the developer stated that they figured out how to make it show up for the Moto Droid. Could that be the issue here? Is anyone else not seeing this app yet?
I used this on my Moto Droid X during a car ride, I went 8 hours with full battery lol

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