NextBuses 1.5 on the Way…

I have been waiting for the iPad OS version to catchup with the 4 release, now that it has; I have developed NextBuses into a universal App. It will now have it’s own layout making use of all that glorious space on the iPad.

There have been a number of UI enhancements. Namely the ability to toggle the main screen on the iPhone between full map, split & list views of your nearest stops. Price of the App will remain the same at 59p and the update is free for all existing users. Here’s some screen shots…

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Digital Media Nirvana

A few people have been asking about my success with recent tech purchases, namely AppleTV and how I have gone about setting various things up. My goal has been to reach a level of digital nirvana, whereby everything is organised, accessible from all devices anywhere in the house & easy to take on the road

It has been quite a journey, I am not quite there yet, but I am close. Maybe some of this will be of use to you in your own quest to an astral plain of digital enlightenment & I am keen to hear others suggestions, tips & tricks. Before we begin, here’s an overview of the network & hardware. Continue reading

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Journey Planner API Back Online

TfL have re-enabled access to the Journey Planner XML API. A sincere thanks to all involved at Transport for London & the London Datastore.

To developers out there, DO NOT expect this to remain exactly as it is! I can assure you the way this is accessed is going to change. From the top down TfL are 100% committed to open data (this saga could not have gone any higher). After concerns have been addressed & resolved we are all working out how best to make these services available long term for everyone. TfL wants your involvement in this process.

When it comes to the journey planner, TfL’s primary objective is always ensure the website planner is online (some peoples jobs depend on it). If the API has to be pulled for load reasons or some idiot does something stupid; I’ll be the first one to support such a decision. So a word of warning, don’t screw this up for everyone. If you don’t know what a session key is, the difference between a HTTP POST & GET request or how to XML parse you have no business using the API. During severe load times (i.e during a strike period) the journey planner can be serving 1.5 million journey solutions an hour. Server infrastructure, security, technical & management expertise needed to ensure this remains running is not cheap. Respect it.

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TfL Kill Two of My Apps

UPDATE: Access to the Journey Planner has now been re-enabled, more details here.

On Monday 18th Oct TfL turned off their journey planner XML API. I have been using this successfully for more than 6 months for both London Bus (now called London Travel Deluxe) and London Tube Deluxe Pro for iPad. TfL are well aware of the success & reach my applications have achieved; sometimes I’ll even get a friendly heads up as to status changes coming up to ensure things keep running smoothly (99.98% uptime). Continue reading

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London Bus becomes ‘London Travel Deluxe’

Version 3.1 of London Bus, or should I say ‘London Travel Deluxe’ has been released & is in the app store. It has been mentioned a few times the app should be renamed to reflect the fact that you can journey plan using the Tube, Bus, Rail, Coach, DLR, Tram & River services. In fact you can journey plan from & to more than 2,400 rail stations in England, Scotland & Wales.

The key feature in version 3.1 is the ability to in-app purchase 16 official maps I have licensed from TfL. Rail maps included are:

  • Official London Underground map
  • Oyster rail services in London (zones map)
  • All in carriage maps (10 maps)
  • Overground
  • Tramlink
  • DLR
  • DLR Rail connections

After download, all maps are stored locally and can be viewed offline (no internet connection is required). Using the maps you can:

  • Easily find stations
  • Journey plan from & to (just tap the station name)
  • Look up timetables

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Nearly there…Tube Deluxe ‘Pro’

Tube Deluxe Pro IconI am in the final stages of testing for an iPad version of Tube Deluxe, many people have been asking after this. In the end I felt the iPad was better served by separate application with a lot of work poured into it. I have also done something I said I’d never do, and that’s merge Tube Deluxe & London Bus. The iPad app essentially combines the best of both into one.

Features:

  • 16 High-Resolution Official Maps
  • Real-Time Journey Planning
  • Plan History
  • Status Updates
  • Push Notifications
  • 700+ Bus Routes
  • 2,400+ Stations
  • 12,000 + Bus Stops
  • Timetables
  • Departures
  • Locate Stops

Coming to an iPad near you soon :-} In the meantime here’s some screenshots…

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Cycle Deluxe 1.1 on the way…

The next version of Cycle Deluxe has been submitted to Apple for approval. A key feature in this release is the ability to quickly tell the app you are either ‘taking’ or ‘returning’ a bicycle. This switches the RED & GREEN pin colours. So, provided you tell the app what you want, simply look for GREEN or PURPLE pins close to where you are.

The screen shot here, currently shows the selection for ‘taking’ a bicycle.

For users on iOS4, you have the option to tell the app you are ‘About to ride, time me!’. This presents a screen of all the tariff levels, just tick the levels you want to be notified at, quit the app & start riding (even if you restart your iPhone or iPod Touch these are remembered). Cycle Deluxe will warn you 5 minutes (more for longer hire times) before your reach the end of each tariff boundary & tell you what the next one will will cost. You also have the option of choosing from a range of alert sounds.

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London Cycle Deluxe

A new app is on the way :] Many people have been asking me if I would write an app for the newly launched Barclay’s Cycle Hire scheme. At first I didn’t think I’d be able to offer or add much more to what was already out there. But the ideas came and since I signed up for the scheme, well, I wanted to write something that I’d use myself. Continue reading

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Presselite: Cease & Desist

I have instructed my lawyers to send a cease & desist letter to Presselite regarding their blatant copying of my London Tube Deluxe icon. They now have this, as do Apple.

UPDATE 11 Aug 2010: Presselite have now changed their icons for London Tube & London Bus. I am guessing their London Tube for iPad icon will change soon too.

UPDATE 16 Aug 2010: The ‘London Tube for iPad’ icon has now also been changed by Presselite. Let’s hope this is the final run in I ever have with this company.

Posted in apple, ipad, iPhone, iPod Touch | 20 Comments

Presselite 102: Claim ‘Original’

Presselite reached new levels of desperation over the weekend. Now that have stolen my icon and applied it across 3 of their applications (London Tube, London Bus & London Tube for iPad). They are now telling everyone in the app descriptions that together with the copied icon their apps are the ‘Original’ versions. For example: Continue reading

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