BostInnovation introduces us to NextTrain T Tracker, an iPhone app that lets you find the nearest T stop if you find yourself in some unfamiliar neighborhood. Basically, you turn on the phone's camera, point it somewhere and a compass pops up to point you to the nearest T stop.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!
Ad:
Comments
Hmm...
By eeka
Wed, 12/01/2010 - 8:31am
Cool, but it's a paid app. The standard maps app has a feature where you push the button and it shows you where you are on a map, then you look around for the closest bus stop or train stop icon. Or you can ask for directions from current location to an address via public transportation. Already free and built in.
it's $1
By humberto
Wed, 12/01/2010 - 9:43am
why go through all that trouble if you can pay $1 for it. when you say paid you make it sound like you have to pay a lot. it's the cheapest it could be.
kind of...
By johnmcboston
Wed, 12/01/2010 - 10:30am
The Maps application will show you a bus stop, but in the Maps app, it's not clickable to show you what bus number stops there, so you could head to the stop and wait hours or days for a bus. :) for 99 cents, the integrated app doesn't look too bad, but you have to think about how often you're someplace you don't usually go and need to find a bus.
To see when the bus comes
By eekanotloggedin
Wed, 12/01/2010 - 7:16pm
Do a "get directions" from current location to wherever via public transit. It will show you how to walk to the bus stop and give you the bus number and the next several times it comes
"But it's a paid app"
By joe c
Wed, 12/01/2010 - 6:29pm
Dude ... seriously? Don't you think the programmers working on these apps deserve some money for all their work? It's LESS THAN A DOLLAR. Effing freetards.
I'm with eeka, there's a
By cowsandmilk
Wed, 12/01/2010 - 9:57pm
I'm with eeka, there's a built-in app on your iPhone that seems more useful. When I want to go somewhere, Maps frequently tells me about buses that get me there more directly than taking the subway. This thing just tells you where the nearest station is in a weird, unfamiliar interface.
Except for that one time!
By eeka
Thu, 12/02/2010 - 9:25am
Last week I asked it for directions from Fenway Community Health Center to my house right near Roxbury Crossing. It's about a mile and I usually just walk (through the fens, across Northeastern campus, down the trail from Ruggles to RX), but was feeling icky and thought I'd see if it had any suggestions other than taking 2387492379 buses a few blocks each or going into downtown and back out.
It told me to walk half a mile to Ruggles, take the train a few blocks to Roxbury Crossing, then walk home. When I asked it for more routes, it suggested buses between Ruggles and RX instead.
So basically it wanted me to walk home via my normal route, except for going down into the subway and paying and waiting to cut my walking down by a couple blocks.
This was actually one instance in which the MBTA website had more sensible routes. I did just end up walking though, since there's not any great way to make this trip.
47 bus?
By Ron Newman
Thu, 12/02/2010 - 1:25pm
If you asked me off the top of my head, I would have said take the 47 bus to Ruggles, then transfer to the Orange Line or another bus. Neither the T website nor the app suggested this?
Reading comprehension much?
By eeka
Thu, 12/02/2010 - 9:18am
Was I suggesting that I plan to steal it, or that they should give it to me for free? Or that all free apps involve programmers having worked for free?
No, I was stating that as a member of this here free market economy, I don't plan to purchase the thing. I have the layout of Boston and the MBTA pretty much in my head, and on the infrequent occasions that I'm out in the burbs taking the T, the built-in map application that I've already paid for as part of the phone/software works just fine for telling me where and when there will be a bus.
Cool
By Kaz
Wed, 12/01/2010 - 10:27am
There have been a few of these types of "augmented reality" apps where they put an overlay on the camera feed on-screen for local information. I honestly wish there were more apps like this (imagine Yelp data that comes up when you point your phone at the restaurant you're standing in front of).
However, if you can't figure out where to closest subway station is without this app...well...you might be better off just calling a cab anyways.
Yelp on Android has something
By mfinnigan
Wed, 12/01/2010 - 11:46am
Yelp on Android has something like that, they call it Monocle. It really just shows you restaurants where you point your camera, so if you're already in front of a restaurant, you presumably already know the name :-) - but it's clickable so you can bring up their actual info, reviews, etc.
How does this work?
By Ron Newman
Wed, 12/01/2010 - 9:01pm
You point the camera at some random building and this app knows where you are, without GPS? How can it do that?
I'm fairly confident it uses
By cowsandmilk
Wed, 12/01/2010 - 9:54pm
I'm fairly confident it uses the GPS and compass.
It uses GPS
By Kaz
Thu, 12/02/2010 - 12:19am
First it determines your location based on your GPS coordinates.
Then it determines what's around you by calculating the difference between your coordinates and the local subway/bus stop coordinates. In doing so, it can also easily figure out compass direction from your position to the transit stop based on the two sets of latitude and longitude.
It then figures out which way you're facing from the internal compass (iPhone 3GS & 4) or from a small change in coordinates like taking 2 steps (iPhone 3G which has no internal compass). From there, it just puts a graphic on screen based on the direction you're facing, the direction to the stop, and the distance.