Music app for bikers

[wysper]

I don't ride with music, but this is a great idea.
Would probably use it myself...... if I had a smart phone LOL

[The End]

Some comments on the app (used it for about 2 hours in total)



Inconsistencies with removing headphones - Sometimes the app will stop playing the music when headphones are removed, others it just keeps playing the song on full volume (not ideal).

Suggestions:

• Would be great to have a widget to place on the home screen - would end up using this as my default music player if this feature was present.
• Would also be nice to be able to hide the app icon in the notification tray
• The ability to read out text messages when they arrive instead of at the end of a song

Not sure how feasible the above are, but it is a great app so far and has been working well during the commute!

[Bassmatt]

I used this today while on the tractor, I thought it was really good.
I have two suggestions/requests;
1. When the app is running it should stop the phones message notification sound. On my phone you get about half a second of silence then the message sound then another half second of silence. this tends to ruin the music a bit and if the message is going to be read out at the end of the song anyway...
2. Give the chick who reads the messages a sedative. The speech is just a little too quick. I found it was ok for short messages but anything with two or three different bits of information and i found it just didnt get a chance to sink in and I actually had to stop what I was doing and read the message.

[Erelyes]

Suggestion; there are touchscreen capable gloves etc on the market now. Is it possible to set it up so that you can tap the screen once to pause/unpause; and tap screen twice to skip current track?

Way cool. iPhone one please

Y'know, Android is kinda made for this open sourcey type stuff.... you should switch phones

[skippa1]

Suggestion; there are touchscreen capable gloves etc on the market now. Is it possible to set it up so that you can tap the screen once to pause/unpause; and tap screen twice to skip current track?




Y'know, Android is kinda made for this open sourcey type stuff.... you should switch phones

I had an S3, it was awesome except for the fact it wouldn't make calls very well. A basic phone function. Supplied by work so I guess I am stuck with the iPhone at the moment.

[Jizah]

Cool app, just want to add. If the text message is from an unknown number, it reads the phone number out as "plus 6 hundred and 42 billion, 167 thousand" etc etc. Not sure if that matters, just thought I would point it out.

[Tazz]

I had an S3, it was awesome except for the fact it wouldn't make calls very well. A basic phone function. Supplied by work so I guess I am stuck with the iPhone at the moment.

You wot? Phone Calls with a cellphone? You're living in the past mate =P

[maraudingkiwi]

Thanks everyone. Some really good suggestions and feedback here, let's see...

Also thought about some additions to the application/service like feeds for traffic issues in the local area, or serious weather warnings for the region.

Yep this is definitely in the works

Didn't run the battery low, so no update on whether it works with my phone, but will let you know.

That't be great, thanks!

As for the alarm, I use an alarm clock app (extreme alarm clock or some such). Rather than fark around making it suit 100's of different phone alarm setups, maybe just tailor it to the most popular alarm app and if people want to use the feature, they just need to nab that specific app?
I don't really know if many would find it handy or if it would be worth your time, but food for thought as they say.

Supporting a few popular ones would be more feasible. I'd probably start with the stock android alarm app and see how that goes. Thinking about it more, it might just be a matter of turning down the "alarm" volume channel from the app - that should handle all alarm apps in one fell swoop...

Inconsistencies with removing headphones - Sometimes the app will stop playing the music when headphones are removed, others it just keeps playing the song on full volume (not ideal).

Yeah this should be working properly... did you notice anything special about the times when it mute properly vs. when it wouldn't? E.g. was the app in the foreground when it worked (or vice versa)? Also what model of phone do you have?

Suggestions:

Would be great to have a widget to place on the home screen - would end up using this as my default music player if this feature was present.
Would also be nice to be able to hide the app icon in the notification tray
The ability to read out text messages when they arrive instead of at the end of a song

Not sure how feasible the above are, but it is a great app so far and has been working well during the commute!

Awesome suggestions, I've added them all to the backlog. The ability to read out text messages (or any type of notification) as they arrive is the next big upgrade to make - this is going to be needed for severe weather and traffic congestion warnings too...

1. When the app is running it should stop the phones message notification sound. On my phone you get about half a second of silence then the message sound then another half second of silence. this tends to ruin the music a bit and if the message is going to be read out at the end of the song anyway...

Yeah good spotting, actually this was something that was a bit of pain to add and is Google's recommendation for any apps that play audio for a reasonable length of time. What it's supposed to do is lower the music volume to 20% of the original level while the other app's notification is playing. What I can do is increase this amount.

2. Give the chick who reads the messages a sedative. The speech is just a little too quick. I found it was ok for short messages but anything with two or three different bits of information and i found it just didnt get a chance to sink in and I actually had to stop what I was doing and read the message.

Haha nice. Do you reckon longer pauses in between back-to-back messages would help, or just a slower rate of speech overall? Neither should be too difficult. More than likely I'll add a speech rate option to settings.

Cool app, just want to add. If the text message is from an unknown number, it reads the phone number out as "plus 6 hundred and 42 billion, 167 thousand" etc etc. Not sure if that matters, just thought I would point it out.

Yeah good point. It should say like "oh-two-one" instead of "zero twenty-one" etc. Will add this in the next update.

[The End]

Yeah this should be working properly... did you notice anything special about the times when it mute properly vs. when it wouldn't? E.g. was the app in the foreground when it worked (or vice versa)? Also what model of phone do you have?

The only times I have noticed it happening is when the app is running in the background (is present in the notification tray) and I am on my homescreen with the screen off - essentially if the phone is in my pocket and the headphones get knocked out it starts playing on the phone's built in speaker. GTI9100 running custom 4.2.2 ROM.

Something else I noticed today, if you received more than one text message during a song, it does not read them out in the right order. IE if I got messages from a contact like this:

Message 1: 123abc
Message 2: 456def
Message 3: 789ghi

it would read them out as Message3: 789ghi, followed by Message 2: 456def, followed by Message 1: 123abc


EDIT:

Just tested the headphone removal issue -
If I have the app open and the screen on and remove headphones, it stops the music
If I have the app open in the background with the screen on and I remove the headphones, it stops the music.

If I have the app open and lock the phone/screen off the phone and remove the headphones, the music stops playing.
\

[The End]

Another suggestion: Remember where music last left off during playback. IE: If I stop the songs, remember where I last was in the queue.

[nzmikey]

I like the App so far ... will keep it on my phone & wait for updates as they come through ..

Works on the HTC ONE ( as one would expect )

GO KIWI !!

[R650R]

I'm not a music person but something good on a biker app would be:
Auto sense severe acceleration and disable GPS function for next few hours, disable emergency calls so your phone doesn't dial the plod when you crouch down on the tank.
MP3 diagnosis of engine health based on recording made when you first got bike to eliminate those 'new' noises that crop up.

[maraudingkiwi]

@The End Thanks for investigating that further, did you manage to find a way to get it to consistently play on speakers after unplugging your headphones?
I've also added a fix for text notifications playing in the wrong order - this will be out in the next update (hopefully this weekend if I get enough time...).

I like the App so far ... will keep it on my phone & wait for updates as they come through ..

Works on the HTC ONE ( as one would expect )

GO KIWI !!

Sweet as, glad to hear it works all good on an HTC One

@R650R Not sure I get why you'd want to disable GPS after sensing hard acceleration, what's your idea here? As for diagnosing engine problems from a recording, that'd be fricken awesome...

[vifferman]

Don't got no android.

I have my N8 in my jacket pocket, and my Sena SMH10 on/in my helmet. Takes care of music, phone, navigation, and talking with the pillion. If I need more gadgetry, I can put the SM10 in my tankbag or jacket pocket, and plug summat into it (like the walkman), then we can both listen to that, and both talk on our own phones, or to each other, or to other people with bluetooth systems.

[maraudingkiwi]

A new version is out which includes some of the features/fixes brought up here. Highlights:

- SMS/Calls: Spoken phone numbers now sound more natural
- SMS/Calls: New messages/calls are now read from oldest to newest
- SMS: Added "speak only recent" option (enabled by default)
- Announcement speech rate is now configurable
- Increased music volume during short notifications from other apps
- Increased text contrast in media library and play queue to improve readability
- Now showing album and song counts in media library

As always, keen to hear feedback. Cheers