PDX Bus 6.1 ready!

Apple has approved a new version that fixes many small bugs and adds a couple of small features - this is a recommended upgrade for all users. 

- Now caches arrival times, so users can still see arrivals with no network (especially for iPod touch, as requested on this blog below).

- Night Visibility Flasher can now flash the LED. 

- Added Twitter style "Pull to Refresh" feature to arrivals. 

- Added a quick locate toolbar item to the first screen. 

- Fixed many small bugs, including issues discovered with Apple's latest tools.

Update now! 

iOS5 update: PDX Bus alarms do work in iOS5 after all

I was wrong - I thought PDX Bus had a bug in iOS5 that was stopping the alarms from working...

You actually have to configure the device to allow notifications for each app, even local notifications. It was off by default for me, but it may not be for you...

So, when you upgrade to iOS5, please check the notification settings for PDX Bus to ensure they are on.

(From the settings app, choose Notifications then PDX Bus, see picture below)

There's a bug!

OK, there are probably several bugs :-) but one in particular needs fixing - PDX Bus sometimes leave the GPS on even when it is not being used.  This will drain the battery pretty fast.  I've sent a fix to Apple and am waiting for approval.

Here's how to make this happen:

- Go to the "Locate nearby stops" screen

- Notice how there is a little purple arrow at the top next to the battery indicator - this means the GPS is being used.

- If you quit the app at this point the arrow will stay up there as the GPS is still on.

- This will drain the battery faster than normal.

Workaround:

- Don't quit the app from the "Locate nearby stops" screen - go back to the main screen.  A new version of PDX Bus is on the way...

PDX Bus 6.0 is ready for download

PDX Bus 6.0 has been approved and is in the store - the source has been posted too.  I've been working on this version for a while, mostly trying to get the location services part to work.

• Updated PGE Park to JELD-WEN Field on the map. Go Timbers!
• Added 'commuter bookmarks' - any bookmark can be configured to automatically display
  on your morning or evening commute.
• Added a proximity alarm to alert you when you get close to a stop (iOS 4.0 and above).
• Added an arrival alarm to alert you when a bus or train is getting close (iOS 4.0 and above).
• Added 'Plan trip from here' option to arrival screen.
• Arrivals have an arrow to expand the rows to include extra menu items for each stop.
• Locate by route now allows multiple route selection.
• Updated network error processing.
• Added in-app settings which are the same as the Settings app settings.
• Updated many user interface elements, including: reverse button on trip planner.
• Bug fixes - now loads on iOS5.

Have fun with it!

PDX Bus 5.2 was approved very quickly by Apple!

I was surprised to find that PDX Bus version 5.2 was approved by Apple in just two days!  I think this is a record - I was expecting it until next week.  The arrivals screen now looks a little different in this new version (see left).

Here's what's new:

User requested changes (requests from this blog or twitter!):

• Arrival screen now shows  the scheduled time in addition to the estimated time (so you can tell if a bus is running late or early).   The arrival time screen has been adjusted to make space for this (e.g. arrivals are not shown to the nearest second and a button has been removed).
• The find stop by location feature has been updated to be more flexible and have more options (such as showing the nearest routes and going straight to a map).
• The "busy" screen has been updated to show what stop is being downloaded.
• Added a very large font Bus Line identifier screen. This is intended as an alternative to the large-print book provided to partially sighted travelers to let the operator know which bus they need to board.

Other updates:

• Updated the rail map to include Bike & Ride Info.
• Added a Facebook Fan Page.
• Added a few more retina graphics (toolbar icons).
• Several bug fixes and new settings (to work around a continuous refresh issue).
• Phone will not go to sleep while showing the Night Visibility Flashing Light (user is warned). 

PDX Bus 5.1 is out now!

PDX Bus version 5.1 is out now.  I put this out quickly to fix a bug, but it also has some new features:

• PDX Bus now uses TriMet's new location services API - this means that the "Stop Location Database" is no longer necessary as TriMet servers can tell you which stops are close to your current location.  This saves memory on the device and means the stops are always up to date.
• I fixed a bug with bookmarks (found by a user who left a comment on this blog!).  It was not possible to add a stop ID to a bookmark if you entered the ID number.
• I added new hi-res graphics for the iPhone 4.   Some of the icons are different but they look very crisp on the retina display.  Other devices have the old graphics.

Here is a picture of the new hi-res icons:

PDX Bus version 5.0 is ready!

PDX Bus version 5.0 is now ready.  Lots of new improvements (mostly trip planner stuff) plus MAX colors, searching for stops and new colors.

Here is a list of what I've been up to:

• Trips can now be bookmarked and then re-planned with a single touch. Check out the bookmark icon in the toolbar on the trip screen. Tip: bookmark a trip from the Current Location to your home and call it "Take me home!"
• The Trip planner user interface has a new more intuitive flow, and the map has a previous/next button to step through the trip.
• Trips are automatically saved to a new "Recent Trips" screen and can be viewed later without a network connection.
• Trips can be texted to other cell phone users directly from inside PDX Bus (requires an iPhone with iOS 4.0).
• Trips can be added as events to the calendar (iOS 4.0 required).
• Trips planned using the GPS now show the location's name instead of 'Current Location'.
• Added 'Search rail stations' screen.
• Rail arrivals include a colored circle to indicate the line.
• Stops can be sorted alphabetically.
• Recent stops now have their own screen.
• Added up/down arrows to the rider alerts and fixed fonts sizes.
• Settings now update instantly in iOS4; added Color Themes and made it blue by default.

Have fun!