Cyclemeter, Runmeter Fitness Apps Make Clever Use of iOS5 Notifications
Posted in: gps, Ios5, iPhone, Software and Operating Systems, Sports, Today's Chili
Runmeter uses notifications to give you regular readouts on your progress
It didn’t take long for a clever developer to hack the new iOS5 notification system. Abvio, maker of a clutch of fitness apps, has done some clever things with notifications that will let you leave you iPhone well alone whilst working out, but still be kept up to date.
Abvio’s Runmeter, Cyclemeter and Walkmeter apps have been updated to v6.0, and are ready for iOS 5. These apps all use GPS to track your runs, rides or speedy strolls (pro-tip: any app can be used to track any activity, so you only need buy one), and then do various things with the results. You can Tweet your ride, upload to online tracking site like Daily Mile or just save a log to your calendar.
The interface can be a little convoluted when setting up, but in the field it works just fine.
The notifications now let you pop up various info on the screen, meaning you can leave the iPhone sleeping, with the screen off and not draining the battery, and still get updates.
It works like this: You choose update intervals based on time and/or distance. You then choose what info is displayed. Thus, you could set a pop-up to show every five minutes with total distance, calories burned, or even your heart rate (you’ll need to hook up to an ANT+ sensor to get this). Or you can choose a readout to show up after a certain distance, telling you your current elevation, for example.
I use Cyclemeter, although as I use it on an iPad it’s not ideal unless I’m on a loaded trip. I am currently working on a handlebar mount for the iPad, though, which might make this a rather neat little feature.
This clever use of notifications makes me wonder what else could be done with them. The most obvious to me is turn-by-turn directions in a GPS app, which would be a real battery saver. Any other ideas? Leave ‘em in the comments.
Abvio Apps product page [Abvio. Thanks, Lori!]
Huge 6.0 Updates [Abvio Blog]
See Also:
Post a Comment