The grips of winter won't win. Nope, can't stand it, but I refuse to be defeated by mother nature. This winter has been full of excitement, but the siren song of asphalt grows every day now.
This winter has been dedicated to riding, but in a slightly different way than in years past. I have been working on a new android application to use in the coming year. Google Latitude just didn't cut it for me on the trips last year. I wanted more.
The kind of riding I do gives me lots of time to think. A fair bit of those mental wanderings were spent on how to improve the Latitude experience and tailor such a tool to my needs.
I am proud to say that the first version is just about there. I have written an application that is lightweight and portable, but has many of the features that faded in and out of my consciousness. The tool is called Bubbler GPS, and it is just about to be relased.
For the last month, I have been fortunate to have recruited 13 fantastic people, from 6 countries and all walks of life, with a wide technical skill set to provide feedback on Bubbler GPS. I couldn't be happier with their findings.
Like Google Latitude and Spot devices, this application leverages SpotWalla.com to store trip data. I have added some twists however. No longer will users be limited by green and yellow flags with orange dots to communicate with their loved ones. No longer will trip documentation be a head scratching experience of "where did I stop for gas". The aim was to change all that, and I believe that with the extensive help and experience of the SpotWalla.com staff, and the pilot members, we are close to achieving that goal.
Bubbler GPS can document fuel stops, rest stops, meals, sightseeing, POI/bonus locations and even the occasional run-in with johnny law if you choose. There is still some refinement that needs to occur, but it is looking like March will be the official release on Google Play Store.
There will be 2 versions. Lite is intended for new users to gain familiarity with the basic functionality. It is full featured, but only supports being off line for 30 minutes when saving track and message information. The moderately priced pro version, will allow users to stay offline for 11 days of 20 hour a day travel.
Bubbler GPS has 4 guiding principles:
1. Security. I had been a professional data security consultant for 10 years. Those lessons were brought to this project. All transmissions are encrypted that may go over the internet, and absolutely no history is maintained in the application itself once it is transferred to SpotWalla.com.
2. Battery life. Apps that kill your phone in a few hours have no place in my world. Bubbler GPS was designed with the all day traveller in mind. Whether you do you traveling on 2 feet, 2/4/18 wheels, or you cross the waterways of the world, I had you in mind when this was built.
3. Useability. The intent is understand what travelers need, and provide a tool that can work for nearly all of them. It has enough details for the techies of the world, but comes ready to run right out of the box for those who have more to do than fiddle with their phone.
4. Support. While I cannot promise that I can answer every questions to each persons satisfaction, users can be guaranteed that I will respond quickly, and to the best of my ability.
Here's a small preview of what it can do:
We have set up a Facebook page, as well as a website at http://www.BubblerGPS.com so people interested can keep track of developments and release dates.
This is an exciting time, and I am looking forward to improving the travel experiences of users in 2013.
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