Hi all,
I just finished writing the first version of TubeRun for Android. TubeRun is a London transport app that aims to present the most important data that TfL offers in a single app. My motivation for writing it was the low quality of similar apps found in the market. Typically they offer only a single important feature (eg a journey planner, a good map, bus departures) but they omit the others forcing you to install multiple apps which seldom work in a straightforward manner. In TubeRun, expect to find everything that matters so that you won't have to have 4 different similar apps installed. Features include:
-A Journey Planner that uses the TfL API for up-to-date travel plans
-Live Bus, Underground, Overground, DLR and Rail Departures
-Nearby Tube lines, Bus routes, Cycle Hire stations (with live bike/dock availability data), Rail stations, Oyster ticket shops
-Oyster Balance
-Underground Refund Claims
-The real Tube Map
-Favorites
-Current and Weekend Status Updates
-Fast ICS-inspired interface that doesn't rediscover the wheel
New: The source code of the app is available on GitHub.
I plan to add more features, and I am posting this to request your feedback on what I should add/improve next.
TubeRun is by no means perfect, however I think that it works really well already. Please, let me know your thoughts on it so that I am able to effectively improve it. My current list of TODOs for the future is as follows:
Improve the UI of the main screen (icons are the way to go). (v1.2)
Add a station chooser that uses auto complete and the current user location to void scrolling. (v1.2)
Add the ability to deactivate the backgrounds (my photography skills are not up to the task) (v1.2)
Suggest National Rail stations in the Journey Planner. (v1.2.2)
Add support for oyster accounts with multiple cards enabled. (v1.2.2)
Add tube stations status. (v.1.2.4)
In the nearby tube stations map, add the ability to show departures when clicking a station.(v.1.2.6)
Show nearby oyster ticket shops.(v.1.2.6)
Show nearby rail stations(v.1.2.6)
Fix the title for manually-entered bus stops in departures.(v.1.2.7)
Migrate to the official TfL API for tube departures.(v.1.2.7)
Add national rail departure data.(v.1.2.7)
Overhaul the departures station selector(v.1.2.7)
Add the option to download the tube map that also depicts rail services.(v.1.2.8)
Migrate to the new Google Maps v2 API.(v.1.3.0)
Make favourites sorted by current distance.(v.1.3.1)
Add nearest bus stop in favorites
Show tube/bus departure times directly inside the journey planner
Integrate data about maximum journey time (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14872.aspx)
Support push notifications for travel disruptions
Support advanced journey planner options
Add widgets.
You may lobby for your favorite feature here and I will do my best to implement it. If you are willing to contribute with code, just PM me.
PS. If you like the app don't forget to rate it. The more people that use it, the better the chances of keeping me motivated.
Download link: Android Market
Video presentation (it's old, the app looks more Holo-ish now):
ChangeLog:
---v.1.3.2---
*Journey planner suggestions improvements.
*Minor sliding menu UI updates.
*Better support for the Galaxy S4.
---v.1.3.1---
*Favorites are now sorted automatically by distance
*Bug fixes
---v.1.3.0---
*New, hi-resolution, application icon.
*Migrated to the Google Maps v2 API. Significant performance improvements in Map views.
---v.1.2.8---
Added: added a tube map with rail lines.
New: you can delete the stored tube map by a long press in the Map section button.
Fixes: bus stop selection bug in departures.
---v.1.2.7---
Added: Overground and Rail departures
Added: Departures section overhaul
Added: Official TfL Tube departures API
---v.1.2.6---
Added: Overground support in the Journey Planner
Added: Nearby rail stations
Added: Nearby oyster ticket shops
---v.1.2.5---
Added: New sliding menu implementation
Added: Android 4.2 support
Fixes: Oyster functionality
---v.1.2.4---
Added: service messages appear on (tube/bus) departures
Added: favorites now expand on click (for seeing more than the next 3 departures)
Fixes: bus departures are now sorted by time
---v.1.2.3---
Added: JellyBean support
Fixes: Accepts postcodes without spaces
---v.1.2.2---
Added: Support for oyster accounts with multiple cards
Added: National Rail stations in the Journey Planner
---v.1.2.1---
Fixes: Journey planner suggestions background in Gingerbread
---v.1.2----
Improved: UI
Added: Content Provider (type in the Google search box for quick access to departures and to the journey planner).
Added: Autocomplete textboxes.
Added: Official TfL bus departures API.
Fixes: countless small fixes here and there.
---v.1.1.0----
Added: Nearby Bus lines
Added: Nearby Tube/Bus/Cycle Hire data on a map
Fixes: Claim submission, favorites ordering
---v.1.0.0----
First version.
wow love u work matey just awsome and tyvm just keep going with ur work and ty again
Good job bro! If I'm ever going to London again I'll take this with me ^^
Great app, shame I just moved out of London though! Would have used this otherwise.
referring this app to all of my friends. you need more downloads. App is fantastic, you just need to improve the main menu layout and give it a more ICS style feel.
Well done mate, I use it everyday
fantastic app, will pass it on to all my mates. love it when someone sets themselves a challenge and sails over the bar.
keep it up
WOW what a potential app. I would like to make a few suggestions
1. UI, this needs a rehaul? Im currently using Tube Chaser https://play.google.com/store/apps/...wxLDEsImNvbS5hbmR5Ym90dGluZy50dWJlY2hhc2VyIl0.
and it looks very well polished. You can also set it up so that it takes you to a certain menu when you launch the app. So it could take you straight to Favourites or near by stations
2. Widgets. This is what Tube chaser was missing. The first Tube app I had was London Tube Status https://play.google.com/store/apps/...s#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDIxMiwicHRjLnRmbHN0YXR1cyJd
The widgets worked very well.
But I have to say this is a very comprehensive app but needs a cleaner look, ease of use and widgets.
Well done
Hi guys,
Thanks a lot for your kind words. I did put a lot of my spare time into this, and seeing it lagging in the area of 50-100 downloads is indeed demotivational.
ermacwins said:
WOW what a potential app. I would like to make a few suggestions
1. UI, this needs a rehaul? Im currently using Tube Chaser https://play.google.com/store/apps/...wxLDEsImNvbS5hbmR5Ym90dGluZy50dWJlY2hhc2VyIl0.
and it looks very well polished. You can also set it up so that it takes you to a certain menu when you launch the app. So it could take you straight to Favourites or near by stations
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, Tube Chaser had by far the cleanest UI. I went for the ICS+background images layout which I personally like a lot (and it required quite a lot of effort to make it 'work'). What I do lack are some nice icons for the main screen, which I guess is what turns a lot of people off on the first look. As I am not a designer (I more or less suck at photoshop), I didn't want to use some 'not quite right' icons. So I went with labeled buttons. If any of you has a suggestion for a good (+free) ICS icon pack let me know.
What I want to implement for the next version is a quick picker for stations that relies on autocomplete/location and use it thoughout the app. The current version requires quite a lot of scrolling.
As for the "take me to a specific screen", it's indeed nice. However, I think this workflow (quick information peeks) is better satisfied with widgets (see below)
ermacwins said:
2. Widgets. This is what Tube chaser was missing. The first Tube app I had was London Tube Status https://play.google.com/store/apps/...s#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDIxMiwicHRjLnRmbHN0YXR1cyJd
The widgets worked very well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you ellaborate a bit more on the wigdets that you need? I personally dislike widgets that require me to 'interact' with them in order to se what's new. For example, I don't think that "departures" widgets is a good idea as they will require me to always hit "refresh" to see what's new. If that's the case, I pretty much prefer to launch the app, hit favorites and stay in the clean interface of the app. I thought about doing it for oyster balance, yet I prefer the current implementation that just requires me to launch the main app. Quering servers on the background periodically or getting your location (thus depleting your battery) is something I want to avoid.
Hey,
I have just downloaded your app and I must say! I really like it. I spend a lot of time in london for meetings etc... and so this will come in very useful!
I didn't want to use some 'not quite right' icons. So I went with labeled buttons. If any of you has a suggestion for a good (+free) ICS icon pack let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do they have to be ICS icons? You know you can find nice icons on loads of icon sites
What I want to implement for the next version is a quick picker for stations that relies on autocomplete/location and use it thoughout the app. The current version requires quite a lot of scrolling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good idea
As for the "take me to a specific screen", it's indeed nice. However, I think this workflow (quick information peeks) is better satisfied with widgets (see below)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take me to specific screen would be handy as when I use it on tubechaser, where ever I am, I would like to see nearest stations first. Its worth having I think
Can you ellaborate a bit more on the wigdets that you need? I personally dislike widgets that require me to 'interact' with them in order to se what's new. For example, I don't think that "departures" widgets is a good idea as they will require me to always hit "refresh" to see what's new. If that's the case, I pretty much prefer to launch the app, hit favorites and stay in the clean interface of the app. I thought about doing it for oyster balance, yet I prefer the current implementation that just requires me to launch the main app. Quering servers on the background periodically or getting your location (thus depleting your battery) is something I want to avoid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only thing I dont like about tubechaser is that it doesnt have departure widgets. Isnt this one of the benefits of Android, having widgets?
When I use Train Times UK for C2C times https://play.google.com/store/apps/...EsImNvbS5jcm93b3JjLm5hdGlvbmFscmFpbC5saXZlIl0.
I only use the widgets and never the app. All I need to do is hit refresh on my homescreen and that is it. Im sure you can have that the widget doesnt always update unless manually done on the screen?
I've just downloaded this and love its features. On first impressions, it looks like it's going to become my new main Tube app! The only criticisms I have with it are:
1. To reiterate what others have said about the UI on the front page - I think that some nicer looking buttons wouldn't go amiss;
2. I have two Oyster cards linked to my online account, the first of which was lost a long time ago and has a zero balance. Until there's the option to choose which card to show in the app (or TfL let you delete old cards off of their online service), the Oyster balance feature could be useless to a lot of people.
Great work though, really nice app overall.
Thanks for all the feedback guys! I am now able to start filling up my list of ToDos. Here are my current priorities:
Improve the UI of the main screen (icons are the way to go).
Add a station chooser that uses auto complete and the current user location to void scrolling.
Add support for oyster accounts with multiple cards enabled.
Add widgets.
I will add this to the first post and try to keep it updated. If your favorite feature is not quite high up, maybe I will change my mind if more people ask for it.
I have two Oyster cards linked to my online account, the first of which was lost a long time ago and has a zero balance. Until there's the option to choose which card to show in the app (or TfL let you delete old cards off of their online service), the Oyster balance feature could be useless to a lot of people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, I am aware of this and I added it to my todos. For the time being, I am pretty sure that you can erase cards from your online profile. The option may be burried somewhere but I remember doing it a couple of months ago and then fixing a relevant bug in the app.
papajohn said:
For the time being, I am pretty sure that you can erase cards from your online profile. The option may be burried somewhere but I remember doing it a couple of months ago and then fixing a relevant bug in the app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the heads up, I'll have another look on the Oyster site. Now if only there were an app to stop me losing cards altogether...
simick said:
Now if only there were an app to stop me losing cards altogether...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pocket.apk or wallet.apk
i mostly use buses and not all bus stops are available yet (app's saying so). on the bus time table not only how many minutes left but also an arrival time information would be nice. and to be honest background photos distract me. i'm telling this to you as a user, who has tried many these kind of apps and to help you to understand what a user wants from a bus tracking app.
1 said:
i mostly use buses and not all bus stops are available yet (app's saying so).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using the 'Bus stop locations' dataset released by TfL here. It may be slightly out of date (eg released last year) but I wasn't aware of any stops/lines missing. Thanks for bringing this up. I will update the description to mention this. Are these missing stops available in other apps?
1 said:
on the bus time table not only how many minutes left but also an arrival time information would be nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure that I understand you here. Do you mean "the next bus arrives in 13.49" instead of "in three minutes"? Or maybe "buses on route 49 arrive normally every 12 minutes"? As for the second dataset (sceduled bus frequency), I do not know if it is available somewhere (and I do not think it is particullarly useful given that live information is available).
[/QUOTE]
1 said:
and to be honest background photos distract me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, others have told me that one before (while others quite like them). If more people feel strong against them I will deactivate them. For the time being, I think that they give a unique touch to the app.
Maybe adding a background configuration in the settings to allow users to chose either blank or image background. On/Off toggle basically. I'm about to try this app, judging by the video it seems packed with features so I'm looking forward to having it. The oyster card thing looks good, I don't want to waste time checking at the station all the time or hoping I have enough.
The buses section doesn't work very well. Maybe a compass would help to understand which way is which. I guess we can use the journey planner if we are stuck somewhere. On my road the local bus is only shown as one direction. The tube part is good though, haven't tried the oyster card thing yet.
I use BusCount for bus information, it's pretty good, maybe you would want to look at that to see how they get all the information. Just a suggestion since it's spot on.
RED_ said:
Maybe adding a background configuration in the settings to allow users to chose either blank or image background. On/Off toggle basically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's update my todos.
RED_ said:
On my road the local bus is only shown as one direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you give me the route number so that I check what goes wrong?
papajohn said:
Let's update my todos.
Can you give me the route number so that I check what goes wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bus number is 462. It shows two buttons but both say "Departures not available. This is Tfl service so be patient". I presume that means it's a problem on their system. It works for other bus routes.
Hello everyone!
We have released pressureNET 2.1 and are excited to hear your feedback. The app is mostly only useful on devices with barometers, such as the Nexus 4, Nexus 10, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy SIII and Xoom, but all Android 3.0+ devices can run it. We've built a worldwide network of atmospheric pressure measurements and have collected more than 8 million so far. We hope to use the data in order to improve short-term, local weather prediction. If you check out our blog below, you can see a teaser of the incredible resolution we have for events like Hurricane Sandy.
The new update brings important bugfixes and a new UI along with the announcement that we're going to be releasing a fantastic tool within a few days that lets you view all of the data on the web.
You can download pressureNET from Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.cumulonimbus.barometernetwork
And see the source code for the app at https://github.com/JacobSheehy/pressureNET and for the server https://github.com/JacobSheehy/pressureNETServer
And if you're looking for more details, check out our blog entry at www.cumulonimbus.ca/pressurenet-2-1/
Thanks and have a nice day!
We have just released our first Data Visualization tool for pressureNET. This is also open source (github.com/JacobSheehy/pressureNETAnalysis) and it lets you view the data that we're collecting.
Until now, it was very difficult for our users to know what kind and what quality of data we were gathering. Now you can go to http://pndv.cumulonimbus.ca and view our archive over the last year. The page shows a couple of datepickers and a google map as controls: move the map around, change the dates and watch the graph load. You'll see a plot of all atmospheric pressure measurements we've collected during the timeframe you specified and within the latitude/longitude grid visible on your map selection.
We are working now with atmospheric scientists to make use of this data in the best way we can. Our primary goal is to improve the state of weather prediction for everyone, especially smartphone users .
Enjoy! And if you have feedback, please let me know. We are working every day (especially during the holidays, since this is all done in our free time) to build the best products we can. Thanks again for your time.
Another quick update for the XDA community: We were recently featured in Wired Magazine!
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/01/android-weather-prediction/
Introduction
After four years of work in my spare free time, I finally made my app ready for the public. It's a navigation app for hikers and bikers. I used it already during more than 12.000 kms of biking with my wife on our tandem. Now I want to share it with you. See it in action on You Tube!
Video
Features
Online and offline maps
Fast map display with arbitrary rotation and zoom
Track recording
Display of arbritrary number of GPX routes
Start and end flags on routes allow planning of day trips along long routes
Widgets show infos about tracks and routes (e.g., altitude profile)
Navigation to a given target or along a route with turn indication
Navigation instructions can be displayed on a compatible smart watch (e.g., Meta Watch Frame)
Voice navigation available for routes (off route indication and upcoming turns)
Extensive help explains all features
Offline maps can be created from various sources (scanned maps, GeoTIFFs, Windows map software, ...)
Installation instructions
Download the app from the Google Play Store.
Changelog
See the Google Play Store entry for the changes.
FAQ
None received so far.
Bug reports and new feature requests
Please use the issue tracker.
Thanks To/Credits
My wife for supporting the project despite the many hours I spent on it (and not with her)
My father-in-law for giving valuable feedback as the first tester
XDA:DevDB Information
Geo Discoverer, App for all devices (see above for details)
Contributors
grueni75
Version Information
Status: Stable
Created 2014-12-29
Last Updated 2015-02-26
Reserved
Public available
Beta phase is over! Everybody can now download the app from the Play Store.
Application "DockBox" gives its users possibility to see each other's locations on a map. The user has a map in front of the eyes such as Google maps that displays others who use this application. You can click on any of them, get information about him/her, send a wink virtually give the gift and much more...
Other aim of "DockBox" application is marking and writing reviews of clubs, coffee houses, restaurants and other places of entertainment. Absolutely all have those moments in life when the body and soul need some quality rest. One would want to spend time with friends or go on a date but would be hesitant which place to choose so it would be warm and cozy, or with a great service. All the entertainment places are registered on the map and users can see their location, write and read reviews, recommend certain places and get all the necessary information regarding the cost of entry, opening hours, kitchen specialties, etc. Likewise, one can coordinate meetings and events by just pointing to a place without giving its name, or directing to it.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.olegtronics.dockboxer
XDA:DevDB Information
DockBox, App for all devices (see above for details)
Contributors
olegoil, olegoil
Source Code: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.olegtronics.dockboxer
Version Information
Status: Stable
Current Stable Version: 1.11
Stable Release Date: 2015-02-01
Created 2015-02-04
Last Updated 2015-02-04
As i'm sure others were, I was disappointed to see AppChat go away. I've been working on a much larger scale idea, but figured this could be a good starting point.
talk pseudo is an anonymous chat app that creates rooms based on the apps installed on your device, location, device information, and your interest. While most chat apps (and social media in general) require a login or sign up, I wanted to try a new approach. Everything is anonymous. For each room, you are given a randomly generated ID (and color). These identifiers are also periodically regenerated. While I can't make any guarantees towards the long term direction, I can assure you that the platform of anonymity will ALWAYS be here (looking at the like of yik yak, which started forcing profiles/usernames). While in a given room, you are able to chat as well as optionally attach images to your message.
With talk pseudo you can also add custom rooms, tailored towards your own personal interest. You can add your favorite artist from Spotify, favorite bar from Foursquare, tv shows, or websites and subreddits. All of the rooms can also be toggled. So if you'd like to hide location based rooms, simply select to hide them in the settings. Along with that, if you select to hide location rooms for example, you will also no longer be prompted for location permissions. Everything permission/data wise is used on an AS NEEDED basis.
Available Rooms:
- Apps installed on device
- Device information (model, brand, etc)
- Location information (city, street, etc)
- Network information (Provider, timezone, etc)
- Nearby Foursquare places
- What's trending
- Twitter trends
- Foursquare trending places
- pseudo trending
Available Custom Rooms:
- Spotify
- Foursquare places
- TV Shows
- Reddit / Subreddits
- Websites
An extra feature that I saw people were requesting from AppChat was an "app search" functionality, allowing you to find discussions on apps before you were to buy one for example. talk pseudo has a built in app search, that leverages the created app based rooms. I found this to be the best approach, as this guarantees that there are users for that given app already. But keep in mind, this means not ALL apps will be available, though the list will continue to grow as time goes on.
Please also keep in mind this is in a very early state. I do have a rather large long term plan for features, but I am also looking for as much feedback as I can get. I've found that community driven apps tend to have great outcomes, and i'd love for talk pseudo to take that approach.
That app is now live on Google Play. I will also be publishing talk pseudo to a few other Android app stores here soon. If you do not have the Play Store on your device, I can also get a link up to a direct download. Along those same lines, that app uses but does not require Play Services. Everything should have graceful fallbacks in the event Play Services is not on the device!
Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.gopseudo.talkpseudo (or search talk pseudo)
Screenshots: http://imgur.com/a/CGJ0S
Already some feedback! There will be another build that goes up later tonight that will fix the icons used in the App Shortcuts!
v1.0.0.2 has been pushed up to address some issues when declining location permissions, as well as fix the icons used on the App Shortcuts! Should be live within the next hour or so!
V1.0.0.7 has now gone live!
Changelog:
- Reduced app size
- Can now open apps, websites, and subreddits links from within a room
- Improved Foursquare search
- Improved rooms sorting
- Intro notice
YikYak has returned the option to remain anonymous actually.
Edit: If this takes off, I'm set, lol.
Sent from my KIW-L24 using Tapatalk
Soapy! said:
YikYak has returned the option to remain anonymous actually.
Edit: If this takes off, I'm set, lol.
Sent from my KIW-L24 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah Yik Yak has added anonymous post back, but I personally don't trust it will stay that way. I give it 6 months or so before they try and pivot back.
V1.0.0.8 has been pushed out. Just a smaller update this time
Changelog:
- Improved app load times
- Improved room syncing
v1.0.0.9 is live
- Few minor bug fixes
- UI adjustments in chat rooms
v1.0.0.11 is live!
Includes a few minor bug fixes, as well as preparations for the full pseudo launch!
--
v1.1.6
- Bug Fixes
- Improved device support