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Sunday, September 30, 2007

i-MetrO for Netvibes

I don't know whether it's due to the change in the Netvibes "ecosystem" or to the update I requested lately while trying to improve compatibility with the iPhone but the link to our i-MetrO widget has a new url...

I guess that if you want to keep your version up to date, you will have to remove the old one and install the new widget on your Netvibes page.

Melbourne

D. Pickett reports the extension of one of the railway lines in Melbourne (Australia), with 2 new stops.

Madrid

N. Knapp relayed an information about the Madrid (Spain) metro: the southern part of line 1 will operate later in the night (same times as the rest of the route).

Salzburg

Our data for Salzburg (Austria) required an extensive update but nobody seemed prepared to help us. I finally found a few spare hours for the job (and now it's 3 AM...).

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Beijing

According to various sources, the new subway line 5 should open on October 7th in Beijing (China). L. Freund provided the corresponding information for our database.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Toulouse

After the recent major changes on the network in Toulouse (France), M. Dulerm has provided a few other updates for some bus services.

New York (works)

Our special "works" database for New York (USA) has been updated with the latest advisories from the MTA. Download the new database here or with our online update services.

Attention Palm users: this database MUST NOT be installed in main memory on Palm devices - it has to be DIRECTLY installed on a memory card - and will be recognized only by the latest version (5.6.0) of the program.

Next update planned on or around Friday, October 5.

Geneva

R. Pache reports a few minor service changes in the Geneva (Switzerland) bus network.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Baltimore

The light rail system in Baltimore (USA) has evolved with a redesigned red line service. Information received from Hymie!

Los Angeles

J. Lee reports the opening of a new station on the Orange County line, for our Los Angeles (USA) database.

Online service interruption

After the latest update for Paris and because of an error I made in the process, our online MetrO download services have been unavailable for the last couple of days. They are now running normally again.
My apologies for the inconvenience and thanks to Jérôme for the notice.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Trenčín

P. Absolon prepared a database for yet another city in Slovakia: Trenčín.

Paris (works)

Starting today, the subway station Exelmans (on line 9) is closed in Paris (France) and next week-end, the service on line 5 will be shortened. Download the updated "temporary" files:
  • Paris-travaux (complete rail network)
  • Paris-full-travaux (inner city subway, bus and RER networks). To use this one on a Palm device, you must get the new version (5.6.0) of the program and directly install the file on a memory card.

Next update planned on (or around) September 30.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

i-MetrO

A new version of i-MetrO is now online, with two new major features:
  • The service now remembers the last city you selected and will open it directly on your next call. Of course, there is an option to return to the selection page and change the city.
  • For cities where we have coordinates, a new icon next to the route title lets you open a schematic display of the calculated route on a map.

Our work on the iPhone compatibility is still in progress. This new version hopefully solves the previously reported problem with text entry - please post a comment if it does - and the Netvibes version is just waiting for a refresh from the Netvibes team to get the same fix.

Copenhagen

C. Hindsgaul reports important changes on the "S-tog" network in Copenhagen (Denmark) as well as the extension of the M2 Metro line to the airport next week.

Žilina

The trolleybus network in Žilina (Slovakia) has changed and P. Absolon provided the new data for our file.

Friday, September 21, 2007

New York (works)

Our special "works" database for New York (USA) has been updated with the latest advisories from the MTA. Download the new database here or with our online update services.

Attention Palm users: this database MUST NOT be installed in main memory on Palm devices - it has to be DIRECTLY installed on a memory card - and will be recognized only by the latest version (5.6.0) of the program.

Next update planned on or around Friday, September 28.

Leuven

D. Loomans has provided additions for our Leuven (Belgium) database with several bus lines and some places of interest.

Rotterdam

The transportation network in Rotterdam (Netherlands) has changed since our last update and a few errors needed a fix. I have updated our database while adding coordinates for the stops, which will allow for "street address routing" in i-MetrO (to be deployed online in the coming hours).

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Liechtenstein

Preparing a future trip there, P. Absolon created a database for the Liechtenstein. I guess this is our first file completely covering a whole country ;-)

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Vysoké Tatry

P. Absolon prepared the data for the small transportation network of Vysoké Tatry (Slovakia). It is also the occasion for some clean-up on the Poprad database - which included part of this network-, before it is more seriously updated.

Mac Installer for MetrO discontinued

We are sorry to announce that our Mac installer for MetrO (for Windows Mobile) is diconstinued because the program we used has not been updated for a long time and is not supported by recent versions of MacOS X.

Mac users who want to install MetrO on their Windows PocketPC or smartphone should follow the manual installation steps described in the installation guide, based on a manual copy of the cab files to their devices.

Monday, September 17, 2007

PocketGear "kills" all freewares...

PocketGear, which used to be a decent directory for Windows Mobile software, has unveiled its new web site recently. What they did not tell anyone - including those directly interested - is that they decided to remove all freewares from their listings.

The reason is simple, as writes the Developer Relations Manager after an inquiry: "It is possible that we will allow freeware listings in the future, but at this time our efforts must be on those products that generate sales for PocketGear".

I think this is a pretty dumb move: will users go where they will find only commercial software or will they prefer some other place where they will find the software they are looking for, whatever its license model? If you think, as I do, the latter is more likely and although it is no developer paradise either, Handango is clearly taking the lead in this market...

That's a subject we would really like to hear your comments about!

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Valenciennes

The tram line in Valenciennes (France) has been extended (yet another french tram growing!) at the end of last month and L. Freund has just got the information.

Haifa

A. Lottem noticed that the operating times in our database for the subway line in Haifa (Israel) were wrong. He also provided reference web sites for people interested in getting more information.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

PalmOS & "large" files

Users are beginning to use the new capacity of MetrO 5.6.0 to load our largest databases (such as "Paris-full" or "NewYork-works) on their Palm device and the first issues are arising.

First, you should remember that the program will "see" the MetrO files only if they are in the right place on a memory card. Check the installation guide for details.

Second, the system will load a large chunk of data only if there is sufficient room in memory. And here is a real problem, since we are talking about "dynamic memory" (used to run programs) as opposed to plain free RAM (what's available on the Palm), and some devices have not much of that kind. For example the m5xx will not be able to load the "Paris-full" database (although the "NewYork-works" one seems to get through).

Brest

As every year around the same time, C. Guyon from Bibus (the local transit company) sent us the updated bus network data for Brest (France).

Piešťany

After a pause, P. Absolon has prepared the data for yet another city in Slovakia, Piešťany, and its bus network.

L'viv

F. Wilhelm came back from a trip to L'viv (Ukraine) with data for the local tram network, to which he added a trolleybus line reaching the airport.

Friday, September 14, 2007

New York (works)

Our special "works" database for New York (USA) has been updated with the latest advisories from the MTA. Download the new database here or with our online update services.

Attention Palm users: this database can not be installed in main memory on Palm devices - it must be installed on a memory card - and will be recognized only by the latest version (5.6.0) of the program.

Next update planned on or around Friday, September 21.

Paris (works)

Station "La Motte Picquet - Grenelle" has reopened on subway line 6 in Paris (France). Download the updated "temporary" files:
  • Paris-travaux (complete rail network)
  • Paris-full-travaux (inner city subway, bus and RER networks). To use this one on a Palm device, you must get the new version (5.6.0) of the program and install the file on a memory card.

Next update planned on (or around) September 23.

Clermont Ferrand

The network in Clermont Ferrand (France) has changed after one of the tram routes has been significantly extended (2007 appears to be the year of the tram in France). The new data has been provided by P. Mazeau.

Rhein-Ruhr

F. Willelm mentioned a station name change in the Rhein-Ruhr (Germany) S-Bahn network affecting our corresponding file as well as the database for Düsseldorf.

London night bus

N. Ledger reports a route change on one of the night bus lines in London (UK).

MetrO 5.6.0

The new version of MetrO is now available, with a few new cities, some important updates on existing cities and interesting new features on the program (including easier installation for Windows Mobile & Symbian devices).

See our home page for details and downloads.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Paris (works)

The disruptions on the RER C line in Paris (France) are finished and station Montgallet is closing today for renovation works. Download the updated "temporary" files:
  • Paris-travaux (complete rail network)
  • Paris-full-travaux (inner city subway, bus and RER networks). To use this one on a Palm device, you must get the new beta version of the program and install the file on a memory card.
Next update planned on (or around) September 14.

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Toulouse & the Rugby World Cup

On an idea (and data) from M.D., we have built a special database for Toulouse (France), which will host 4 matches of the Rugby World Cup and will set up a special shuttle service for the occasion. The database also contains a few explanations and a dedicated POI ("Rugby World Cup Stadium").

Download the special file here.

New York (works)

After the latest evolution on the program for PalmOS, I am trying to resume the delivery of our special "works" database for New York (USA).

Download the new database here or with our online update services.

Attention Palm users: as I explained before, this database can not be installed in main memory on Palm devices, it must be installed on a memory card. Additionally, you will need the new version of the program (in english only and still in beta status).

Next update planned on or around Friday, September 14.

Friday, September 07, 2007

Brest

M. Pouliquen reports some changes on the bus network in Brest (France).

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Halberstadt

L. Freund has found a small tram network in Halberstadt (Germany) and we have built its database.

Monday, September 03, 2007

MetrO for PalmOS

I am currently experimenting with a version of MetrO for PalmOS that would allow to use "large" databases such as the one for Paris Métro + Bus (or its "works" counterpart), which, until now, can be used only on Windows Mobile or Symbian devices.

There is a catch, though: the databases will only install on a memory card - the OS will never accept these "invalid" files in main memory.

As a bonus, this enhancement might allow me to resume the delivery of the New York "works" database, which I recently stopped providing because of how complex it had become to handle. We'll see about that with the next bunch of MTA service advisories on Friday.

For those who can't wait and want to try the Paris databases, a beta version is available on PalmAttitude forums (sorry, that's in french only).

Paris (works)

The special "works" version of our Paris (France) database has been updated with several disruptions for repair or renovation works:
  • The RATP/SNCF interconnection is suspended on the RER A after 22:30 until Sep. 6; service to/from Poissy and Cergy starts/ends at St Lazare.
  • The RER C service between Bd Victor and Versailles/St Quentin en Yvelines will be suspended next week-end.
  • Station Richard Lenoir is closed until Nov. 13.
  • Station Opéra is closed on line 3 (service on lines 7 & 8 is not affected) until Nov. 21.
  • The renovation works planning has been updated for the coming weeks.

Download the updated "temporary" files:

Next update planned on September 10.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Moscow

Subway line 10 in Moscow (Russia) has been extended and now connects to line 9.

Brest

The last service of the "Bus des Plages" ("beaches bus") in Brest (France) will run today and the line will be deactivated in our database until next summer.

Prague

I have received an almost anonymous mail with new data for the Prague (Czech Republic) network. It appears there is an important update in the tram services.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Nürnberg

L. Freund has added the R-Bahn (Reginal Railway) lines to our database for Nürenberg / Nuremberg (Germany).

Torino

After his first trial, G. Tomatis has assembled the data for most bus lines in Torino (Italy).

Dublin

G. Santhosh provided information for a few bus lines to add to our database for Dublin (Ireland).

Lyon

After a quiet month of August, it becomes obvious that the holidays have ended... We start with some service updates on the Lyon (France) bus network. The information was provided by L. Freund.

New York

After Will reported an issue with our New York (USA) database - the LIRR Port Washington line was wrongly preferred over the subway - I checked and adjusted the services frequency on all the railway lines.