MetrO on BlackBerry 10

R. Singh reports that the latest BlackBerry 10 system update (10.2.1.537) allowed him to install and use the Android version of MetrO, just like any other Android application.

Of course, this version is still the same preview I released many many months ago. I'm really sorry I could not "finish" it but I just don't have the time to do the job.

Please note that I can in no way provide any kind of support for MetrO on BlackBerry 10.

MetrO for Android (0.3.0)

I keep working on MetrO for Android and a new version (0.3.0) is now available with a few new features and other improvements, including:

• Geolocation: in the more than 50 cities where we have geographic coordinates, you can now search a route from/to your current position (set the focus on the origin or arrival text field and press the compass-like button).

• Speed optimizations, particularly on the opening of a city file (faster by about 30%) and on finding a route from/to a street address (10x faster, at least).

• Preferences: you can set the maximum distance to search for stops around your position or a street address and choose to display the quickest route or the one with the least number of connections first in the results.

• Street addresses that have been previously located are now suggested when typing a few characters (in the same way it works for stops).

• The "shake" detection feature (to reset the screen) has been removed because it proved too sensitive (according to Vincent's and my own experience ;-).

Download MetrO for Android!

Please keep reporting any issue your may encounter with this release, preferably by mail (my address is now displayed preeminently in the app).

MetrO for Android (0.2.0)

I have discovered that the recent (preview) release of MetrO for Android contained a major bug, that made it ignore the route operating times in most cases. Consequently, a new release (0.2.0) is now available and I urge all early adopters to install it as soon as possible.

In addition to the afore mentioned issue, this version fixes other problems:

• The crash that occured (sometimes) on a city deletion (as reported by "Uncle Mark") should not happen anymore.
• Changing the device orientation is now handled more completely.
• When updating the currently opened city, it should now be actually refreshed.
• The shake movement detection is still being improved...

And there is a new feature, although it has not been tested extensively: in the more than 50 cities that include geographic coordinates (those with an "X" mark in this list), you can now query a route from/to a street address. Just enter the address instead of a stop name, the app will ask if it should try to locate it and, if you confirm, you'll get your door-to-door advice. Of course, locating an address requires an Internet connection but the app keeps the 20 last used to make it easier and faster to use with your favorite places.

Download MetrO for Android now!

Please keep reporting any issue your may encounter with this release, preferably by mail (my address is now displayed preeminently in the app).

MetrO for Android: preview

It has been a long time since I first wrote about a version of MetrO for Android. I did not think then that it would take more than one year to achieve something and I apologize to all of you who expressed their frustration.

Today, I am very happy to announce that you will finally have something to install on your Android phones. It is really not much (hence the "preview" in the title and its "0.1" release number) but it will at least let you find your way in the more than 400 transportation networks we currently cover.

Installation

MetrO for Android should work on any phone with a system version equal or greater than 1.6 ("Donut"). It is optimized only for "regular" screen sizes (320x480 pixels) at the moment but should not have any problem with other sizes and densities (otherwise, please let me know).

To install the app and since it is not yet ready for the Android Market, you will first have to enable "third-party app installation" in the "developper" settings on your phone (for instructions, see here, for example). You can then download the application package here and install it manually on your device.

How to use

If you have used MetrO on other platforms, you should not be surprised: being no design wizard, I have just reproduced the same interface you already know.

On the first launch, you will see the city list panel and you will be invited to connect to the Internet to load the current list.

After you have installed some cities, they will appear in the list with a green robot icon, whereas the other available cities ares shown with a lightning icon (they will require an Internet connection to be loaded). Whenever possible, the files will be saved on the memory card.

The buttons let you switch between the complete list and a list of the cities present on your device, while the last one ("Update all") checks for updates on all the files you have already installed.

Besides other options available on a long press (discover them for yourself), you can download (if necessary) and open a city by simply pressing on its name.

The main screen, where you can find a route in the selected city, will now appear. Note that the last city you have opened will be automatically loaded when you restart the app.

You should now see the familiar text fields where you can enter your starting point and your destination. After you type 3 letters, a list of suggested matches will be shown, where you can select the stop or POI you are looking for.

Press the "Go" button and your route(s) will appear:

Among the features that are available in this release, the day and time button lets you change ... the day and time of your planned trip. There is also a hidden trick: shaking your phone will reset the contents of the screen (it may need some tweaking, though).

Now, if you open the menu, you will notice that there is still some work to do. The only option that is presently active is the one ("Cities") that gets you back to the list of cities, where you will be able to load a new one or check for updates.

What remains to do

The app is available only in English right now. I will add other languages when it is sufficiently advanced.

Obviously, the options that are grayed out in the current version will become active in time: access to the lists of stops, transportation routes, POIs, detailed information, a few preferences...

In addition, I will have to implement the geolocation and search by street address features, that will let you find a route from/to any place without knowing the stop names (in more than 50 cities, now).

Please comment

If you try out this preview release, do not hesitate to post your comments and/or issues or, better, to send me a mail.

I hope to come back soon with updates and new features!

Update (08/07/2011): a new release has been published.

MetrO for Android

We have been receiving a lot of queries about a version of MetrO for Android in the last few months and it may be time we elaborate on the "under evaluation" status that appears on our website.

First, don't worry, not only have we heard your (loud) message but I have been using an Android phone (for about one year) and I strongly believe in its future: we will port MetrO to the Google platform!

Unfortunately, there is only the two of us (with daytime jobs) to maintain our existing versions of the program AND to keep our city data up to date. The latter takes me more than 3/4 of my free time, since there are so few people helping us with the task, and what would be the use of the program with obsolete information?

As some of you may know, our iPhone version is far from beeing complete and I struggle to find some time to bring it to the same level as our other versions. As a direct consequence, I have tried to focus as much as possible on the iPhone first and keep Android for a later time.

Given the rising success of Android phones in the market and the demand you generate, I will try to adjust my focus in the near future: I expect to deliver a new iPhone version soon (now under testing) and I will begin working on Android right after that, maybe before the end of the month, if everything goes fine.

But, please, don't get too excited, there is a lot to do before you see MetrO on the Android Market and it may take a few months, even for a "raw" version!

I think that's all we can tell on the subject today, now please stop sending us mails about it (you may comment here instead).

And help us updating our city data so we have more time for the development!

Update (July 31st, 2011): a preview version is now available. See details here.