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 iPhone 1.0.1

Frank has released a new version of MetrO for iPhone (1.0.1) to the AppStore, delivering a few minor improvements over the previous one.

Donwload MetrO for iPhone ^{[iTunes link]}

MetrO for iPhone 1.0.0

Frank has published a new version of MetrO for iPhone (1.0.0), with a new embedded feature to rate and comment the app, various improvements on the localization for some languages and a few minor bug fixes.

Donwload MetrO for iPhone ^{[iTunes link]}

MetrO for iPhone 0.9.9

Frank has published a new version of MetrO for iPhone (0.9.9) last Thursday. The main change this time is the addition of several languages for the user interface.

Donwload MetrO for iPhone ^{[iTunes link]}

MetrO 6.0.2

A new release of the MetrO application package for PalmOS, Windows Mobile and Symbian is now available. This version 6.0.2 adds 4 new cities (Casablanca, Gibraltar, Hangzhou and Poitiers) and changes on many more.

Check the details here and download the new version from our home page.

MetrO for iPhone 0.9.8

A new version of MetrO for iPhone (0.9.8) has been released a few days ago, which adds translations of the interface in a few more languages and, more importantly, improves its compatibility with the new iOS 6 system and the iPhone 5 as well as with the iPad.

Donwload MetrO for iPhone ^{[iTunes link]}

MetrO 6.0.1

A new release of the MetrO application for PalmOS, Windows Mobile and Symbian is now available. This version 6.0.1 adds 1 new city (La Rochelle, France) and changes on many more.

Check the details here and download the new version from our home page.

Please note that the program for PalmOS and Windows Mobile will probably not evolve anymore. However, we will keep on delivering the full packages from time to time to provide convenient access to the city files.

MetrO 6.0.0

For those among you who still use MetrO on PalmOS, Windows Mobile or Symbian devices (users of other platforms automatically enjoy more frequent updates on city files), version 6.0.0 has been released, with 2 new cities (Carpi in Italy and Suzhou in China) and changes on many more.

Check the details here and download the new version from our home page.

Please note that the program for PalmOS and Windows Mobile will probably not evolve anymore. However, we will keep on delivering the full packages from time to time to provide convenient access to the city files.

MetrO 5.9.9

For all users who still use MetrO on PalmOS, Windows Mobile or Symbian devices (users of other platforms automatically enjoy more frequent updates on city files), version 5.9.9 has been released, with 2 new cities and changes on many more.

Check the details here and download the new version from our home page.

MetrO among "best travel apps"

Michael from EasyToBook, the Amsterdam-based hotel reservation site, features MetrO in his selection of the best travel apps for smartphones.

Happy New Year!

Another year has gone and MetrO is still alive. For example, in the past months, we have released versions of the app for Bada, Symbian QT and Android. And, of course, we have tried to improve our data for the transportation networks of many cities around the world (450 on last count).

For 2012, I hope to have more time to spend on developing the Android app, which is still in its early stages. The same is true, to a lesser degree, of the iPhone version.

We also have a wish: we would like more of you helping us keep our data up to date. The software has always been (for 12 years) a collective work and we need your contributions to keep it relevant!

Happy 2012 to everyone!

MetrO 5.9.8

For those among you who use MetrO on PalmOS, Windows Mobile or Symbian devices (users of other platforms automatically enjoy more frequent updates), version 5.9.8 has just been released, with 2 new cities and changes on many more.

In addition, the versions of the app for Symbian^3, S60v5 and Bada have been improved.

Check the details here and download the new version from our home page.

MetrO 5.9.6

For those among you who use the app on PalmOS, Windows Mobile or Symbian devices (users of other platforms enjoy more frequent updates) version 5.9.6 of MetrO has just been released, with major changes on a dozen cities and 30 others modified in less important ways.

In addition, the new releases for Symbian^3, S60v5 and Maemo are now out of "beta" status.

Check the details here and download the new version from our home page.

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 5.9.5

Version 5.9.5 of MetrO has just been released, with 4 new cities and a number of updates for our existing databases.

In addition, MetrO for the Symbian^3 and S60v5 systems has been significantly improved and a beta version is now available for Maemo.

Check the details here and download the new version from our home page.

MetrO for iPhone 0.9.7

A new version of MetrO for iPhone (0.9.7) has just been released, which adds translations of the interface in Spanish, Italian (thanks to P. Hernández) and Swedish (thanks to K.M. Karlsson and S. Varney).

Donwload MetrO for iPhone^{[iTunes link]}.

New languages for MetrO on iPhone

Thanks to Patricio Hernández, MetrO for iPhone will soon be available in Spanish and Italian, in addition to the existing translations in English, French and German.

Because these days I try to spend as much time as I can on Android (I swear I make progress), I will not be able to add the remaining missing features to the iPhone version any time soon. Therefore, it makes sense to translate the program in its current state.

If you are interested in having the app in your own language (besides the 5 above), here is what you can do: download the strings file (it is plain text), translate the text it contains and send me the result (akaiv[at]yahoo[dot]fr).

I will submit the new version of the app to Apple on Sunday evening (Paris time). If you send me a translation before, it should make it in the coming release...

MetrO 5.9.4

Version 5.9.4 of MetrO has just been released, with one new city (Reading, PA, USA) and a number of updates for our existing databases.

Check the details here and download the new version from our home page.

Users of MetrO for BlackBerry and iPhone should note that the updated cities are available directly from within the program (just go to the "Cities" list).