Music app for bikers

[maraudingkiwi]

Hey guys, this is a follow-up to the poll asking whether you listen to music from your Android/iDevice while riding.

The results were pretty positive, so I went ahead with this idea of a new music app for bikers that reads out information in between songs. The first version has just been released - currently it will read out new text messages, missed calls, the time and your phone battery. Of course there's lots of potential for other useful info while you're riding, like weather/wind warnings, traffic congestion, etc. These are in development but I'm interested to hear other ideas as well.

To use it you can literally just open it and hit the play button - it'll shuffle all the music on your phone and give you notifications from time to time or when new messages come in.

If you have an Android phone, give it a go and let me know what you reckon. Feedback is welcome - the more detailed the better.

To get it just look up "Radiodrive" in the play store on your phone or go here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kiwiandroiddev.radiodrive

It's a free app on Android for now - an iPhone version will depend on how this one goes. It's also exclusive to NZ at this stage (keen to have it totally "developed in NZ"...)

Cheers, Matt

Disclaimer: I'm not encouraging anyone that doesn't already listen to music while riding to try this app. Obviously there may be extra risk involved and if you choose to do so it's probably best to keep the volume reasonably low.

Screenshots:

https://lh3.ggpht.com/h5PRqtppS4sa5AAS7B5znJkjQH0cBh1ECK0tws_Wt-Ojl8DPvcAxdcO46KYOm3LLFhuI=h900
https://lh3.ggpht.com/3Yp2YFfyLYA44fGa0xwIbY6_9zqZN5itzcrIjMgg6wUcZDsfT0 PW0i63Jkbwa-54KLQQ=h900

[Tazz]

Awesome idea man. Will nab it now and give it a crack starting from tonight =)

Could you get it to disable any alarms you have set that require you to touch the screen to disable too and just turn it into a wee voice thing or something if possible?
Just for those of us too dumb to remember to turn recurring ones off haha

[FLUB]

Looks like a good idea and I wish you luck. Unfortunately I have an older version of Android so can't try it.

[The End]

This looks really cool! Downloading it now and will give it a go and report results :)

Why do you have it set to be exclusive to New Zealand only?

[rustyrobot]

Thanks Matt. This looks really good. I like how customisable it is, and the interface is very intuitive. The design is clean and simple. I'll have more if a play with it this week and give some further feedback. Hoping I can exclude some music folders.

Now the problem is going to be battery life. Been thinking about getting one of thise 10k MaH back-up batteries for rides. I think that riding rurally drains battery especially quick as phone searches for signal and switches between network types.

[Tazz]

Looks like a good idea and I wish you luck. Unfortunately I have an older version of Android so can't try it.

Bugger, me too =(

[maraudingkiwi]

Thanks everyone. Yeah this version is just for Android 4.0 and up. Supporting 2.3 (gingerbread) is a bit of extra work but seems to be something I should look into.

@rustyrobot Yeah battery life is definitely a problem. The app does have a feature to auto-pause when the battery gets low, although testing it today on my LG Optimius One it isn't 100% reliable. The battery issue is only made worse by turning on GPS, which is unfortunate because a lot of cool features will need that.

@Tazz I'll look into disabling alarms, not sure if it's possible though. Haha I can imagine having your alarm going off in your ears while riding would be a bit of a hazard...

[skippa1]

Way cool. iPhone one please

[russd7]

Now the problem is going to be battery life. Been thinking about getting one of thise 10k MaH back-up batteries for rides. I think that riding rurally drains battery especially quick as phone searches for signal and switches between network types.

welcome to my world:laugh: real simple fix tho, couple of options, those back up batteries are great and you can slip em in to your pocket with ya phone, but it is also extremely easy to fit an accessory plug on a bike, on my zzr i have one on a wire fitted under the seat and on the wing i mounted one in the front compartment box and am about to mount one in one of the rear compartments for SWMBO

never a problem, only a solution waiting to be found :sunny:

[rustyrobot]

it is also extremely easy to fit an accessory plug on a bike, on my zzr i have one on a wire fitted under the seat and on the wing i mounted one in the front compartment box and am about to mount one in one of the rear compartments for SWMBO


Yeah, I had considered that but am a little hesitant about being "wired to the bike". Not least because I can imagine myself forgetting, jumping off and wrenching some cord from somewhere. How do you find this?

Personally I blame Thomas Edison for ruining the career of Nikolai Tesla and his potential cordless energy source/device.

On topic: Just used the music player while mowing the lawns and it was great to get the time updates. No one sent me a text though - Nigel NoMates. 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.

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

[tigertim20]

interesting concept. might give this a go!

[russd7]

Yeah, I had considered that but am a little hesitant about being "wired to the bike". Not least because I can imagine myself forgetting, jumping off and wrenching some cord from somewhere. How do you find this?

Personally I blame Thomas Edison for ruining the career of Nikolai Tesla and his potential cordless energy source/device.

On topic: Just used the music player while mowing the lawns and it was great to get the time updates. No one sent me a text though - Nigel NoMates. 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.

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

when i was using head phones with my MP3 i had the player in tank bag, now with bluetooth off phone if i need to charge again i just put phone in tank bag and no wires to me anyway.
might have to get one o those android things so i can try this out, it looks good

[Tazz]

Thanks everyone. Yeah this version is just for Android 4.0 and up. Supporting 2.3 (gingerbread) is a bit of extra work but seems to be something I should look into.

@rustyrobot Yeah battery life is definitely a problem. The app does have a feature to auto-pause when the battery gets low, although testing it today on my LG Optimius One it isn't 100% reliable. The battery issue is only made worse by turning on GPS, which is unfortunate because a lot of cool features will need that.

@Tazz I'll look into disabling alarms, not sure if it's possible though. Haha I can imagine having your alarm going off in your ears while riding would be a bit of a hazard...

Probably easier for us to upgrade me thinks. Been meaning to reset my phone to fix a few things anyway.

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.


Yeah, I had considered that but am a little hesitant about being "wired to the bike". Not least because I can imagine myself forgetting, jumping off and wrenching some cord from somewhere. How do you find this?

I don't like the idea of that either, however you could either have your spare battery on the charger (probably only handy for 'adventure' riders?), orrrrr, have wireless/bluetooth headphones/helmet setup ;)

Spare battery is probably the easiest and cheapest route if you don't mind pulling over to swap it and are organized enough to always have the spare charged. I'm going to give wireless a go at some stage though personally.

[FLUB]

I have a Galaxy Note that I use on the bike and in the car all the time to play music using Bluetooth. Battery lifetime is not an issue because the most power hungry part of smartphones (apart from calls) is that nice big bright display, which will be off to save power.

[pete376403]

Yeah, I had considered that but am a little hesitant about being "wired to the bike". Not least because I can imagine myself forgetting, jumping off and wrenching some cord from somewhere. How do you find this?

Personally I blame Thomas Edison for ruining the career of Nikolai Tesla and his potential cordless energy source/device.

On topic: Just used the music player while mowing the lawns and it was great to get the time updates. No one sent me a text though - Nigel NoMates. 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.

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

The magnetic connector as used in MacBooks would be good. I suppose Apple have the idea completely locked up with patents.

[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. :no:

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

[The End]

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


As always, keen to hear feedback. Cheers


This has now replaced my previous music player (Shuttle), would still love a widget on the home screen but a shortcut to the app will do for now! :)

As for the headphone removal issues; it seems sporadic, sometimes it happens and others it doesn't - I can't recreate the exact circumstances which is frustrating for you I bet.

My only other suggestion would be to remember where you last were in the queue if you stop using the app. If I have say 30 songs in the queue and stop the app on song 15, to be able to start off again from there would be great.

Happy to report that the app works fine on my i9100 with 4.4 :)

[Juniper]

Will wait for iPhone app to come out!! (and me to get a better iPhone)

[rustyrobot]

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...


I always put my phone in silent mode before listening, and that way you don't get any notification interruptions. Of course I guess that means you might miss calls. A curse on Google's stupid decision not to have separate notification and call ringer settings in ice Cream Sandwich. :angry2:

[The End]

I always put my phone in silent mode before listening, and that way you don't get any notification interruptions. Of course I guess that means you might miss calls. A curse on Google's stupid decision not to have separate notification and call ringer settings in ice Cream Sandwich. :angry2:

I prefer to hear the notification myself, lets me know I have a message waiting to be read out.

[maraudingkiwi]

A new version is out. Major additions in this update are:

- A home screen widget with player controls
- Local weather announcements including wind speed and direction
- Lock-screen player controls and current song/album
- Hardware media buttons now supported (e.g. bluetooth and headphone controls)

Keen to hear any feedback or issues you come across, send me a PM, post to this thread or use the Send Feedback option in-app.

Preview:

https://lh4.ggpht.com/F2SJU2tK2B4lRr7X5CDIZdaDkUrvOkr7lbGF-dtgZDbxUC820Q4c2u3TDyStAKWhgA=h900

https://lh6.ggpht.com/DNoahOT8TfNcHD9_yvY0II1l3B486YnhUP3TASIcR9LcXJnuOn Px4So6E17jQQm7jic=h900

[Katman]

I firmly believe that listening to music when riding is a bad idea.

It removes one of your senses for evaluating information around you, and the noise happening right inside your ears greatly intrudes on the ability to process the information that your eyes are giving you.

In short, it partially shuts your brain down.

[avgas]

The magnetic connector as used in MacBooks would be good. I suppose Apple have the idea completely locked up with patents.
Not entirely - see these guys...
http://littlebits.cc

[Tazz]

Not entirely - see these guys...
http://littlebits.cc

Wireless charging has been about a while too. Don't know much aboot it though.


I firmly believe that listening to music when riding is a bad idea.

It removes one of your senses for evaluating information around you, and the noise happening right inside your ears greatly intrudes on the ability to process the information that your eyes are giving you.

In short, it partially shuts your brain down.

Nah, it fully depends on the person I reckon. It's a multi tasking thing. Some people can write a letter on a completely unrelated subject while speaking directly to someone or someone on the phone, others can't.
If you feel it distracts you so much it affects your riding, it no doubt does that, to you and others, but some people will have no problem with it.

Either that or you just have your music too loud when you've tried it :P

[Katman]

Nah, it fully depends on the person I reckon.

Then you reckon wrong.

[Bikemad]

good grief kackman......we better ban deaf people from driving then.......coz they have no hearing at all to help them to process the information that their eyes are giving them.........

[Katman]

good grief kackman......we better ban deaf people from driving then.......coz they have no hearing at all to help them to process the information that their eyes are giving them.........

Deaf people don't usually have music playing only millimetres away from their eardrums.

It's the intrusive nature of the music being 'inside your head' that makes it a distraction and reduces the concentration you apply to what you are doing.

[Tazz]

Then you reckon wrong.

Fair enough. Agree to disagree I guess. Watch your chewing and walking :P

[Juniper]

Fair enough. Agree to disagree I guess. Watch your chewing and walking :P


Agree. I love my music. It actually helps me zone in on my riding.

[Katman]

Agree. I love my music. It actually helps me zone in on my riding.

And zone out on what's happening around you.

[Juniper]

And zone out on what's happening around you.

No, because riding is not only you, the bike, the road but everything around you as well. So for me zoning in on my riding is zoning in on everything included in it.

[tigertim20]

Then you reckon wrong.
not necessarily

Deaf people don't usually have music playing only millimetres away from their eardrums.

It's the intrusive nature of the music being 'inside your head' that makes it a distraction and reduces the concentration you apply to what you are doing.
that assumes everyone blasts music at full noise.

there exists no study that can conclusively conclude that music is bad for concentration, and there have been numerous studies on the effects of listening to music before and during various tasks.
The only thing the studies can really agree on is A) it depends on the individual and B) it depends on the type if music being listened to.

But hey, if YOU find it distracting, then fine, dont listen to it!

[Katman]

there exists no study that can conclusively conclude that music is bad for concentration

It's not music itself that is the distraction.

It's the fact that it's happening only millimetres from your eardrums.

Have you ever seen pedestrians step straight out onto the road without looking, and then noticed the ipod speakers stuck in their ears?

[tigertim20]

It's not music itself that is the distraction.

It's the fact that it's happening only millimetres from your eardrums.

Have you ever seen pedestrians step straight out onto the road without looking, and then noticed the ipod speakers stuck in their ears?
you missed the part about 'it depends on the person'?
:brick:

[The End]

Back to the topic of the app...

Since the last update I've noticed some quite random freezes with the app. Sometimes mid song or even a the end of one, it will just stop and any attempt to pause/play/skip/use the app interface will freeze it up and it will force close.

I'm not sure if this is related to the unofficial 4.4 port I am using or if it is the app itself though, as I have experienced other music players such as Shuttle freezing on previous builds of 4.4.

Sorry I cannot be of more help. I'm loving this app, it's now my default music player and the widget is fantastic :)

[Juniper]

It's not music itself that is the distraction.

It's the fact that it's happening only millimetres from your eardrums.

Have you ever seen pedestrians step straight out onto the road without looking, and then noticed the ipod speakers stuck in their ears?

So I'm sweet then cause mine comes out of my helmet!

Sorry The End what OS are you on?

[Bassmatt]

Back to the topic of the app...

Since the last update I've noticed some quite random freezes with the app. Sometimes mid song or even a the end of one, it will just stop and any attempt to pause/play/skip/use the app interface will freeze it up and it will force close.

I'm not sure if this is related to the unofficial 4.4 port I am using or if it is the app itself though, as I have experienced other music players such as Shuttle freezing on previous builds of 4.4.

Sorry I cannot be of more help. I'm loving this app, it's now my default music player and the widget is fantastic :)

I'm getting this a bit too and I'm using 4.1.

[maraudingkiwi]

Quote Originally Posted by The End View Post
Back to the topic of the app...

Since the last update I've noticed some quite random freezes with the app. Sometimes mid song or even a the end of one, it will just stop and any attempt to pause/play/skip/use the app interface will freeze it up and it will force close.

I'm not sure if this is related to the unofficial 4.4 port I am using or if it is the app itself though, as I have experienced other music players such as Shuttle freezing on previous builds of 4.4.

Sorry I cannot be of more help. I'm loving this app, it's now my default music player and the widget is fantastic
I'm getting this a bit too and I'm using 4.1.

Yeah I've run into this a few times also - unfortunately it's always when I'm out and away from a PC where it could be debugged a lot easier, haha. Haven't been able to reproduce it reliably so far but I'm looking into it.

Glad to hear you like the widget!

[The End]

Yeah I've run into this a few times also - unfortunately it's always when I'm out and away from a PC where it could be debugged a lot easier, haha. Haven't been able to reproduce it reliably so far but I'm looking into it.

Glad to hear you like the widget!

I was just messing around with it now. Once it froze up, I had to force stop the app. I then re-opened it and tried to play the song it froze on and it would instantly freeze up again. Another way it froze was, if after force stopping the app, I opened the app again, chose a new song and let it play and within a few seconds skipped to another one.

Not sure if this helps sort it out or not, but hopefully it's nothing major :)

[The End]

Something else to think about - Is it possible to get the app to work with the built in equalizer? I've noticed when playing around the with stock "DSP manager" app, whenever I change the settings in it, RadioDrive doesn't pick them up and there is no difference to the sound. In other music player apps (Apollo, Google Play Music, Shuttle) they are all affected by the equalizer's settings.

It's not that much of a hassle if it can't be done, would just be one of those small things that make a difference :)

[Bassmatt]

Still loving the app even with the freezes.
A "nice to have" if possible would be a way to search for music files rather than having to scroll through evrything when looking for an album or artist who is toward the end of the alphabet.
I 've only got around 10 gb of music on my phone at the moment and that involves quite alot of scrolling to find what I want, I'd hate to have to do it with 30 or 40 gb worth.

[tigertim20]

I downloaded and tried this today. great work, I think I will continue to use it.
a couple suggestions / requests though.

I really only want to use it mostly for hearing messages. I dont care about the weather or the time. is it possible to either change how long it is between the time and weather updates, or toggle between having them and not having them at all?

second suggestion, just for a laugh, what about voice options? I recall on some GPS's (I dont own one but a friend does) you could get different voices reading out your directions, like darth vader and the like. any possibility of something like that?

otherwise, great app!

[The End]

I really only want to use it mostly for hearing messages. I dont care about the weather or the time. is it possible to either change how long it is between the time and weather updates, or toggle between having them and not having them at all?



You can change that in the settings menu of the app:

http://i.imgur.com/2pa53Ow.png

[zeocen]

I don't know if this could even work, but would it be possible to tie it into Spotify somehow? Like, recognising when a song finishes and pausing for the notifications, etc? I stream all my music through Spotify but would really like to have an app like this going on as well!

[tigertim20]

cheers the end, that was easy! now i just need my mesages to be read in katy perrys voice and Im sorted :lol:

[The End]

I don't know if this could even work, but would it be possible to tie it into Spotify somehow? Like, recognising when a song finishes and pausing for the notifications, etc? I stream all my music through Spotify but would really like to have an app like this going on as well!

The only thing I can suggest is what I used previous to RadioDrive. I prefer RadioDrive myself but this one gets the job done to a lesser extent: SMS Listen (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shoushuo.android.smslisten)

[avgas]

works good. handy timing too with the death of winamp (may she rest in peace)
keep up the good work (and don't sell out to AOL :shifty:)

[avgas]

Wireless charging has been about a while too. Don't know much aboot it though.
Think "Low Powered Induction Cooktop"
Basically works off the same principle as a transformer. Power in one end, goes round in circles and forces another circuit near by to also force the power to go round in circles.

Heh - reminds me of the beehive.

[maraudingkiwi]

Hi guys,

I've just released a new version of this app. The major addition this time is support for real-time announcements - something a number of you requested. This means you can hear who sent a text the moment it's received, rather than waiting until the end of a song.

I've also included a new "Speed Alerts" announcement type to make use of this new feature. Basically all it does is read out your current vehicle speed when it passes certain limits (currently hard-coded to 55, 70, 80 and 100 km/h). It's still in early development; I've tested it around town and it's quite useful not having to look down at your speedo to know if you're over the limit. Thanks to Joe for this idea (I don't know your KB nickname, sorry bud...)

One other notable improvement - announcements can now be skipped mid-way by pressing the Next song button...

If you have an Android give it a go and let me know what you think.

Link to app on Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kiwiandroiddev.radiodrive&referrer=utm_source%3Dkb%26utm_campaign%3D194)

Cheers, Matt

https://lh5.ggpht.com/EkR9QMSKeUwb8Di9aH5sjfGAZYejVne3IJhnkjF9ZzIQ5hD432 S-LBmDn2997HGXsEl8=h900

[Joemac]

Will go for a long ride this weekend and check out the update. It's been working really well to date.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

[Mushu]

Dammit, I need a new music app, not happy with the one I'm using but your one isn't compatible with my phone, probably cos it's too old. (Motorola defy xt, not sure what version of Android it's got)

[avgas]

cheers matt - have put the latest version on my new phone. Huge fan - handy app even just for listening to music and not needing to look at a clock all the time.

[Big Dog]

Then you reckon wrong.

For a change I have to disagree with you. I believe everyone is different and should evaluate the situation for themselves. For me no music = mind wanders an often have "far canal, where did that come from" moments.
Music at an appropriate volume, that does not block engine or traffic noises, keeps me on point.
Same in the car.
Not loud music. Background.

Loud music is what affects your aural senses in traffic.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[maraudingkiwi]

Hi Mushu, yep the app needs at least android 4.0 to run, looks like your defy runs gingerbread (2.3). Pretty much any new android phone these days will be on 4.0+ except maybe some $99 Huaweis...

[Joemac]

I went to the Hurunui run this weekend, and it performed flawlessly. I thought I would get sick of Betty telling me my speed all the time, but I found that when I didn't have it on, I missed her.

[Swampsta]

Love the App, I know Speed alerts are in beta - but if you could select what speed it alerts you may bet better? -
Also - anyway to save playlists?

I would purchase this app - if you had a price on it -

[tigertim20]

I would also have paid for this app, find it quite handy!

I would also like to be able to save playlists, that would probably be my only complaint now is that I have to modify them each time!

[Tazz]

Nice one man. Will check it out next week. I actually use this as the main player on my phone. Although as mentioned above the playlist thing is a slight pain, it is completely bearable considering all the positives.

Cheers for sharing your efforts!

[maraudingkiwi]

@joemac Haha classic. Glad to hear it worked all right.

@swapsta yep you'll be able to customise your speeds in the next version.

Playlist support is something I've had on the backlog for a while, just been waiting for there to be a demand for it. Guess I have no excuses now...

Charging for it is a tricky one because the plan is to open it to 3rd party extensions, I.e. so you can download custom announcements from other developers from the play store. The trick is to do that without alienating anyone... Still thinking about it. Thanks for the support.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Tazz]

Just setup a paypal account for donations for your efforts or something and see what happens man ;)

[rustyrobot]

Just setup a paypal account for donations for your efforts or something and see what happens man ;)

+1 to this! and to playlist support. Noticed it was a hassle having to reset them but hadn't thought about requesting a solution :-)

Using this as my standard music player.:niceone:

[St_Gabriel]

Any more thoughts on an iOS version?

[Murray]

For a change I have to disagree with you. I believe everyone is different and should evaluate the situation for themselves. For me no music = mind wanders an often have "far canal, where did that come from" moments.
Music at an appropriate volume, that does not block engine or traffic noises, keeps me on point.
Same in the car.
Not loud music. Background.

Loud music is what affects your aural senses in traffic.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

totally agree and backed up by some dickhead women cutting in on me today on motorway and not quiet bike and reasonably loud horns but hello when I go past her to give the KB wave she's got plugs in her ears and obviously couldnt hear a damn thing. riding bikes is dangerous enough without loosing your listening ability

[Big Dog]

totally agree and backed up by some dickhead women cutting in on me today on motorway and not quiet bike and reasonably loud horns but hello when I go past her to give the KB wave she's got plugs in her ears and obviously couldnt hear a damn thing. riding bikes is dangerous enough without loosing your listening ability

On the way home on grids I had some #whiteboyproblems. My Bluetooth coms went flat 30 seconds into ride. Due for next charge Monday but forgot to take into account the extra riding earlier in the week. The first 20 mins of ride were reasonably normal but the next 20 minutes were so distracted I had to stop and gather myself. Surprising what you start thinking about when you are by yourself.

I am sure some will tell me to HTFU, but it is a real issue for me and has been for a long time. I can't do repetitive tasks accurately without music either. Studying is hard to possible without either music or books on tape.

Result of a significant head injury that left me unable to read because of the scramble of thoughts fighting to be at the front.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mushu]

Hi Mushu, yep the app needs at least android 4.0 to run, looks like your defy runs gingerbread (2.3). Pretty much any new android phone these days will be on 4.0+ except maybe some $99 Huaweis...

Well, I lost my phone yesterday, so I went out and bought a Galaxy S3 and have already downloaded the app, I'll report back in a couple of days with what I think.

[numbersixteen16]

Nice work, just about to finish a diploma in software development and hope to develop these sorts of useful applications

[maraudingkiwi]

Just setup a paypal account for donations for your efforts or something and see what happens man ;)

Haha sweet. I might just do that :-)

I haven't forgotten about an iOS version. We'll see what happens once v1.0 is out for Android...

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[maraudingkiwi]

Nice work, just about to finish a diploma in software development and hope to develop these sorts of useful applications

Awesome, go hard mate. Mobile app development is where it's at at the moment.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Slicksta]

Looks good wouldn't mind a windows phone version if its easy to port.

[Mongolian]

Is there anyway to get the app to pickup my music that's on my sd card on my s4? As this is where my Google Music app keeps it.

[ckai]

Charging for it is a tricky one because the plan is to open it to 3rd party extensions, I.e. so you can download custom announcements from other developers from the play store. The trick is to do that without alienating anyone... Still thinking about it. Thanks for the support.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

So how will you make you're millions? haha. Nice looking app mate. Just downloaded it now. I don't listen to while on the motorbike but I thrash the shit out of my buds while working around the house etc. I had Tasker set up to read texts and announce callers but it doesn't like the Z1 too much so I've given up on it. This will make things simpler. Any plans to announce callers as they come in?

Oh, if only the widget was semi-transparent or full transparent :) I'm starting to appreciate my wallpapers a lot more and all the apps they have, at least, semi-transparent widgets to keep things clean (Walkman app is one of them).

I'll give it a thrash this week and see how we get on. Might be cool mountain biking with an hearing the alert that I've hit 55 km/h :D


Is there anyway to get the app to pickup my music that's on my sd card on my s4? As this is where my Google Music app keeps it.


Does it not automatically do it? I only have music on my card for my Z1 and it just shows. Plays fine too.

[Mongolian]

Does it not automatically do it? I only have music on my card for my Z1 and it just shows. Plays fine too.

No doesn't seem too possibly it's due to the way the s4 addresses the ad card. Pics up music on the on board storage fine

[Big Dog]

No doesn't seem too possibly it's due to the way the s4 addresses the ad card. Pics up music on the on board storage fine

Androids can be a bit funny like that. Fix is usually just to un mount the card, mint the card and the open the app. Sometimes not because of SD card running slightly different
Format. If so back up your files to desktop. Format SD card from phone. Restore files, un mount and re mount.

Some phones you need to import your music files via their bespoke apps.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[russd7]

so far really enjoying this app, awesome work dude:niceone:

[MarkH]

Installed app, seems pretty good even for just listening to music while not riding.
I like it!

[maraudingkiwi]

@ckai

Any plans to announce callers as they come in? Yep this will be easy to add now


Oh, if only the widget was semi-transparent or full transparent I'm starting to appreciate my wallpapers a lot more and all the apps they have, at least, semi-transparent widgets to keep things clean (Walkman app is one of them).
That's a good design point, I'm sure most people would appreciate seeing more of their wallpaper. Noted :)


Might be cool mountain biking with an hearing the alert that I've hit 55 km/h
Hah that would be cool. Just need to add one for 88 mph now...

@russd7 and MarkH

Thanks for the feedback, glad to hear it! Feel free to rate it on the Play store as well if you've downloaded it *nudge nudge*

[Big Dog]

I am unable to test your product due to being on a primitive iPhone. Alas that is what work supplies. I miss my android. Far better platform for those wiling to trade a little stability for better apps and functionality. Especially being I find this thing less stable. Perhaps I ask too much of it.


You may have already covered this off, but as someone who listens to music everyday on the bike from my phone the most valuable feature would be to suppress all alerts while music is playing except those you choose to allow.

When riding I only really want call and text alerts. Maybe some of the ones you talk about your app adding, but not facebook updates, tapatalk forum posts, new mail items etc.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[maraudingkiwi]

You may have already covered this off, but as someone who listens to music everyday on the bike from my phone the most valuable feature would be to suppress all alerts while music is playing except those you choose to allow.

When riding I only really want call and text alerts. Maybe some of the ones you talk about your app adding, but not facebook updates, tapatalk forum posts, new mail items etc.

The app already supports this, you can select only the alerts you want e.g. in your case by removing everything except text and call alerts

Now if you wanted to re-enable the other alerts types when you've finished your ride and are listening to music while working outside (for example), currently you'd have to go into the app and manually re-add them...

What'd be cool is having different "alert profiles" - different sets of alerts that are automatically selected depending on what you're doing. So if you're riding or driving you'd only hear text, call, and speed alerts; if you were walking or sitting you'd hear all types of alerts except speed, and so on. Android has pretty good support for detecting this sort of thing if the user allows it so it shouldn't be too difficult. Idea for a future version... :)

[Big Dog]

That would be the ducks nuts. Might even tempt me into buying my own Android to replace my work phone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MarkH]

@ckai
Thanks for the feedback, glad to hear it! Feel free to rate it on the Play store as well if you've downloaded it *nudge nudge*

Already done - 5 stars.
I really like this app.

[ckai]

Hah that would be cool. Just need to add one for 88 mph now...

haha that's a very good point. Sometimes the sparks and crazy shit freak me out before the jump.



What'd be cool is having different "alert profiles" - different sets of alerts that are automatically selected depending on what you're doing. So if you're riding or driving you'd only hear text, call, and speed alerts; if you were walking or sitting you'd hear all types of alerts except speed, and so on. Android has pretty good support for detecting this sort of thing if the user allows it so it shouldn't be too difficult. Idea for a future version... :)

This would actually be bloody cool.

Thrashed the shit out of this over the last week. Got a shock the first time the "mistress" started telling me the weather. Noticed a few things in my travels:

- On our headunit, the artist info doesn't get transmitted but the album and track name does
- On the lockscreen, it doesn't show the album art or artist name. Just the track name.

They're pretty irrelevant for the target market and the purpose of the app, but might be good to know for the more "polished" aspect of it.

Would be cool to have either a 110 km/h warning or a user defined one. I actually find the speed notifications quite handy and unobtrusive. It means I don't need to "speedo stare" and I can actually pay attention to driving/riding. Having that top limit would make it even more better. At least it doesn't keep nagging ya when you go over :)

Now off to rate...

[Hurley]

I came across this app by accident, while looking in another part of KB.
Have downloaded it and am really impressed so far. Will use it on the bike when I get a chance.
Its now the only music player I use on my phone.
One added bonus is now when my wife is driving and I'm in the co pilots seat having a beer or two, I can put the head phones in so I don't have to listen to that crap she calls music and I can have her on about what speed she's doing.

[maraudingkiwi]

@MarkH Thanks for the rating, much appreciated!

@ckai So your headunit is acting as bluetooth speakers for your android phone and displays some track data too? Awesome to hear that works as I haven't tested anything like that (my headunit is an old piece of crap with just an aux in port)

Out of interest, if you use another music player (e.g. Google Play Music) with your headunit does it display artist info then?

As for the lockscreen, it *should* display the trackname on top and album underneath as a subtitle, with previous, play/pause and next buttons under that. At least it does on my phone (running kitkat), ultimately it's up to the ROM you're running as to what's displayed. What device and android version are you running?

Yep customisable speeds are definitely in the pipeline. Glad to hear the alerts aren't annoying. Actually they could be even less annoying, currently if you hover around one of the preset speeds, the alert will be played repeatedly (albeit after a few seconds delay). I'm going to add a fix for this so alerts will only be repeated if your speed changes significantly and then back again.

And thanks for the detailed feedback, keep it coming! :)

@Hurley

Awesome, glad to hear it


One added bonus is now when my wife is driving and I'm in the co pilots seat having a beer or two, I can put the head phones in so I don't have to listen to that crap she calls music and I can have her on about what speed she's doing.

Haha got a chuckle out of this...

[maraudingkiwi]

@ckai Oops. just re-read your old post saying you had a Z1 :)

[ckai]

@ckai So your headunit is acting as bluetooth speakers for your android phone and displays some track data too? Awesome to hear that works as I haven't tested anything like that (my headunit is an old piece of crap with just an aux in port)

Out of interest, if you use another music player (e.g. Google Play Music) with your headunit does it display artist info then?

As for the lockscreen, it *should* display the trackname on top and album underneath as a subtitle, with previous, play/pause and next buttons under that. At least it does on my phone (running kitkat), ultimately it's up to the ROM you're running as to what's displayed. What device and android version are you running?

Yep customisable speeds are definitely in the pipeline. Glad to hear the alerts aren't annoying. Actually they could be even less annoying, currently if you hover around one of the preset speeds, the alert will be played repeatedly (albeit after a few seconds delay). I'm going to add a fix for this so alerts will only be repeated if your speed changes significantly and then back again.

And thanks for the detailed feedback, keep it coming! :)

Yeah I'm on a Z1 with the buggy stock version of Kitkat (which there is a update for but Telecom are a bit slow with these things).

The headunit is a JVC bluetooth handsfree job. Both Google Play Music and the stock Walkman app show the info fine. Your app just shows "Unknown Artist" but with the track and album show on the screen sweet.

With lockscreen, I must have not been paying attention because it's only the album art that doesn't show. Buggered if I know why I thought more info showed. Dragging down the notification panel it shows less (see screenshots).

Like I said, kinda irrelevant to the overall use of the app but hey, if it's an easy fix it's a nice thing.

It' funny when you say about constant speed alerts. I did have this very slightly when sitting on a speed, but it still wasn't enough to want to turn it off. That was for a 30 minute trip so maybe different for a longer haul.

You done any testing with navigation commands? I keep forgetting to have a look.

296609296608296610296611

[Mushu]

Been using the app for a couple of weeks and really have no complaints, I thought the speed alerts would be annoying but they don't bother me at all even when it's going off often as I tend to travel about 55 most of the time it doesn't worry me. Perhaps a volume control so you could make it louder in relation to the music would be nice sometimes (some music seems to drown it out a bit when listening at a low volume).

The only other suggestions I can think of would be the ability to make and switch between playlists would be nice (if this exists let me know I may just not have found it). And the ability to play the alerts without music, I often wear my headphones without listening to music because they function quite well as ear plugs or listen to the radio.

I'm impressed with it. It's easy to use, I love the speed alerts (I can guarantee I'm speeding less) and doesn't eat my data downloading album covers and shit.

All in all, better than everything else I've found for playing music while riding, now I have to get a decent car stereo so I can use it there too.

[yevjenko]

Used it for the first time today. Really liked it, nice work. play store rating on it's way

Can I make a suggestion - don't preload all the music into the playlist on 1st startup. I didn't realise that tab was a playlist - I just thought it was all my music. took me a while to realise that deleting the entries on that tab would not delete all my music (in my defence I hadn't had coffee yet). Or maybe a different icon would work?

and +1 for customisable speed alerts

[Jizah]

Long shot, anyone using xposed framework able to get this going? Wondering if this is the reason why I just get force closes upon opening the app.

[Joemac]

Long shot, anyone using xposed framework able to get this going? Wondering if this is the reason why I just get force closes upon opening the app.

Exposed framework?

[Tazz]

Long shot, anyone using xposed framework able to get this going? Wondering if this is the reason why I just get force closes upon opening the app.

Oh yeah, forgot to post about this. That last update has killed it for me. It would crash if I tried to open the menu, then it just started crashing anytime I try and launch it. I think I sent a report through, just did another though.

[Jizah]

Exposed framework?

http://repo.xposed.info/module/de.robv.android.xposed.installer

[Mushu]

working fine on my phone after update (Android 4.3, Galaxy S3 currently running factory telecom firmware). I had a tinker with the custom speed alerts, seem to work perfectly but haven't had a chance to thoroughly test as I currently find myself without a bike. Very happy, just hoping I can still receive updates after I change my firmware to cyanogenmod and change my address to Australia in Google play.

[maraudingkiwi]

Hi Tazz, ran into something similar myself.. I haven't tracked down the cause yet but what worked for me was clearing app data. You can do this from settings > apps > radio drive then go force close, clear app data. Let me know if that works...

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[maraudingkiwi]

Hi Mushu, there's nothing stopping it from being run on rooted phones with custom firmwares, that should be all good. (Use CyanogenMod myself :-)

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[The Pastor]

Ios! Ios! Ios!

[Tazz]

Cheers man. That did it :) Still not up to play with these danfangled phones. I had only turned it on and off :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[maraudingkiwi]

Haha awesome :-)

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[maraudingkiwi]

Hey everyone,

A new version (1.0.0) of this app is now completely rolled out and includes a number of requested changes. Highlights in this update:

- Support for loading and saving your playlists (by popular request)
- Speed Alerts - speeds now editable, MPH support added
- Speed alerts - "spam protection" option added - suppresses alerts when you're hovering at the preset speeds
- SMS - messages can now be read in real-time (also by request!)
- Support for third-party announcements added
- Gmail addon announcement can be downloaded from Google Play (Go to Add Announcement -> Get more...)
- In-app dontate option added under Settings

Known issues:
- for KitKat: saved playlists may not immediately appear in the Load Playlist popup
- If updated from 0.9.4 and an "unfortunately this app has stopped" popup appears when opening, clear RadioDrive's app data from settings -> apps. Currently looking into a more permanent fix for this...

I'm keen to hear all of your feedback - shoot me a PM or post in this thread (I check frequently)

View app on Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kiwiandroiddev.radiodrive&referrer=utm_source%3Dkb%26utm_campaign%3D100)

Cheers, Matt

http://i62.tinypic.com/6xsubk.jpghttp://i59.tinypic.com/10p7rl5.jpg

[Tazz]

Sheeet all she needs now is a radar detector function and a cupholder :niceone: Cheers for the efforts.

[Big Dog]

Sheeet all she needs now is a radar detector function and a cupholder :niceone: Cheers for the efforts.

What no diagnostics? No fuel map manager?

Just joking. Looks awesome. Wish I still had an android.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[Mushu]

Hi Mushu, there's nothing stopping it from being run on rooted phones with custom firmwares, that should be all good. (Use CyanogenMod myself :-)

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Yea I figured as much, I'm just wondering if I'll be able to reinstall it after I change the firmware because I'll also be changing my region in Google play to Australia at the same time and I thought you had made it only avaliable in NZ.

Also I should say thanks, I've been riding my dad's old Z650 since I got here and the speedo on it is useless so the speed alerts have probably saved me at least a couple of conversations with the local constabulary. (Not only speeding tickets, I'm still on my L's and the zed isn't LAMS approved)

[ckai]

Yea I figured as much, I'm just wondering if I'll be able to reinstall it after I change the firmware because I'll also be changing my region in Google play to Australia at the same time and I thought you had made it only avaliable in NZ.


That's actually an interesting point. Personally, I would have thought all your apps are linked to your account, so if you change the region, you've already downloaded it so it'll stay in your My Apps 'folder'. Obviously it comes down to how Google do the region restrictions though. Not hard to get an apk though ah? ;)

[Big Dog]

Or you back up your existing apk to SD before you mod your phone. Restore your apps to the new rom.
I used to do that every time I wanted to change anything. Saves a lot of faffing about if you restore from rom rather than depend on links. Especially useful when an app is removed from market.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[Mushu]

Or you back up your existing apk to SD before you mod your phone. Restore your apps to the new rom.
I used to do that every time I wanted to change anything. Saves a lot of faffing about if you restore from rom rather than depend on links. Especially useful when an app is removed from market.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.
That sounds like a good plan, I'll have to look into that, I haven't messed around with Android roms yet so I'm not sure what I'm doing at this stage, gonna have to trawl some forums for instructions. Still not even sure about getting cyanogenmod without bricking my phone.

[Big Dog]

That sounds like a good plan, I'll have to look into that, I haven't messed around with Android roms yet so I'm not sure what I'm doing at this stage, gonna have to trawl some forums for instructions. Still not even sure about getting cyanogenmod without bricking my phone.

Search android assistant. Use that to back up your app or apps. Use any installer on the other side.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[The Pastor]

when is the ios version coming out?

[The Pastor]

when is the ios version coming out?

[Tazz]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v192/Trigun2004/Nagger.jpg

[Big Dog]

In app lifecycle terms 2 weeks is about a year. Hardly nagging.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[The End]

Most likely due the fact I installed a custom ROM, but the voice over has gone from being a nice sounding female voice to a very robot low quality sounding male ish voice. Is this something to do with the app by any chance? I reinstalled Google Speech to Text to try and fix it but haven't had a change in voice over.

[Joemac]

Most likely due the fact I installed a custom ROM, but the voice over has gone from being a nice sounding female voice to a very robot low quality sounding male ish voice. Is this something to do with the app by any chance? I reinstalled Google Speech to Text to try and fix it but haven't had a change in voice over.

Have you checked the "speech rate" settings in --> announcements --> settings?

[maraudingkiwi]

You might be able to configure the TTS engine and change the voice by going to settings > accessibility > TTS output. Failing that you could download a better tts engine from the play store. INOVA is a good one (albeit a large download).

[The End]

You might be able to configure the TTS engine and change the voice by going to settings > accessibility > TTS output. Failing that you could download a better tts engine from the play store. INOVA is a good one (albeit a large download).


Ah yes that has fixed it. Brilliant thank you :)

[Bassmatt]

Hi there. still loving the app, but..... is there any way to turn off real time announcements permanently? I never get txts that are so important that I can't wait for the song to finish and it seems to default to "on" everytime I use it. Its only a minor annoyance but a fix would be nice.
The other thing I "need" is gapless playback. What are the chances of you implementing this? I'd pay for this feature. :Punk:
Cheers

[The End]

Hi there. still loving the app, but..... is there any way to turn off real time announcements permanently? I never get txts that are so important that I can't wait for the song to finish and it seems to default to "on" everytime I use it. Its only a minor annoyance but a fix would be nice.
The other thing I "need" is gapless playback. What are the chances of you implementing this? I'd pay for this feature. :Punk:
Cheers


I̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶p̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶?̶ ̶T̶u̶r̶n̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶?̶

Nvm just read that is bugged.


@OP, when/are you going to open this app up internationally on Google Play? I'm sure you'd get a lot of downloads!


http://i.imgur.com/3zGvT9S.png

[maraudingkiwi]

The setting should be stored, if not it's a bug. I'll have a look into it when I get a chance.

As for gapless playback, noted :)

@TheEnd It's been available worldwide on the Play Store for a while now. It hasn't really taken off in terms of downloads like another app I've made - the reason being (probably) that I haven't done any marketing for it and it's not something that users would think to search for, at least by name. So it's really reliant on word-of-mouth to spread at present.

Also I like the background on your screenshot - custom theme?


I̶s̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶o̶p̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶e̶?̶ ̶T̶u̶r̶n̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶?̶

Nvm just read that is bugged.


@OP, when/are you going to open this app up internationally on Google Play? I'm sure you'd get a lot of downloads!


http://i.imgur.com/3zGvT9S.png

[The Pastor]

The setting should be stored, if not it's a bug. I'll have a look into it when I get a chance.

As for gapless playback, noted :)

@TheEnd It's been available worldwide on the Play Store for a while now. It hasn't really taken off in terms of downloads like another app I've made - the reason being (probably) that I haven't done any marketing for it and it's not something that users would think to search for, at least by name. So it's really reliant on word-of-mouth to spread at present.

Also I like the background on your screenshot - custom theme?

any chance of the ios version? <3

[Rondemole]

just downloaded this, great idea looking forward to try it out! will spread the word on the forums over here, id imagine it will be well received! :yes:

[The End]

Also I like the background on your screenshot - custom theme?

I'm running a custom ROM on my GS2 called "Resurrection Remix"

[Big Dog]

Slight dredge here.
Finally got sick enough of my free iPhone to pay for a new Android.
App installing now.
[Oh how I have missed Android]

[Big Dog]

Hey guys, this is a follow-up to the poll asking whether you listen to music from your Android/iDevice while riding....
Thanks heaps for an awesome app.

I thought you might appreciate some feedback based on the last 1000kms.

My setup for comparitive results:
Output is to a BT Interphone (bluetooth helmet speakers and boom).
Cellphone is a Samsung Galaxy S5 lte.
Generally speaking I do an app kill before starting journeys but not always.
As of halfway through my tests I have an application that kills WiFi When blutooth is connected to my helmet.
Data remains enabled at this point because I want to be able to use Google maps on occasion, I have yet to test using your app with google maps running.

Battery:
I turned off speed and time notices, and lengthened the time between notices for the weather, becasue it used more battery than I can spare with an hour long ride each way. With all notices at the default one way was 47% of my battery. Without speed and time notices this is now only 17% of my battery. With only one weather report per hour and another app turning off wifi when I am connected to my helmet BT unit I now use less than 10% of my battery each way.
By way of comparison my 18 month old iPhone 4 with no advanced notices used 15-25% battery each way.

Audio:
Works well, better than my iPhone and about the same but faster Music Player wise as my Defy with it's custom tunewiki player.
Very little hesitation when pressing play except when it has been paused for a very long time, like Monday after leaving it paused since friday, even then very acceptable level of hesitation.

One of the drawbacks to using a bluetooth speaker set over a wired set is the second or two of feedback / hissing / crackling when you start playing music or when changing song if you are not using gapless playback. This was significantly less noticeable with your app than the default or upgrade music players that come with the S5, and miraculous compared to the iPhone.

Logic:
Shuffling is far more random than the iPhone default music player, something I always hated about the iPhone was its lack of true random playback:headbang:


Comparing apples with androids:
The only thing my iPhone did better was it paused music when you disconnected headphones or the bluetooth, I have not tried your app with headphones but the Bluetooth unit disconnecting doesn't stop the music.
Like when you walk into a busy open plan office and disconnect your bt and suddenly you are blaring inappropriate Music... :weep:

My bad.

I am not complaining, the only thing I would put on a wish list for this app - It would be nice to have it stop / pause on disconnect / change of output profile.

Overall thanks again for an awesome app. I don't often pay for apps... usually go without before I'll pay because of the plethora of good apps for free, but on this occasion I can see myself paying for this app if it cost to keep using it so I have made a donation for what I would expect to pay for an application of this standard.

[Big Dog]

Had a couple of thoughts on the way home tonight:
another nice to have would be for the user to be able to set a power level below which geographical notices turn off. Like how the default is to stop the music at 14% .
another nice to have. with Google maps etc you can change the poll interval to trade accuracy for battery conservancy.


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[russd7]

actually found this app real handy last weekend after my speedo stopped working, i had that little voice telling me i was going such an such speed.

[Big Dog]

Update. Tested fairly thoroughly with Google maps today.

Very nice.
Most music players the levels are way off making directions indistinct. This app was fairly close.
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[jonnyk5614]

Used this extensively on my Northland road trip last week and love it.

I love the way it receives texts - it tells you straight away but waits till the end of the song to read them. For my cheap RJays helmet and chinese bluetooth setup, I need to be doing 85kph to hear spoken word so the way I get a minute to get to a "hearing speed" is really useful.

I love the speed readouts.

The weather is a great touch on a roadtrip..... Music performs as required :)

Battery not a concern as my phone is 3 years old, shit and therefore always plugged in.


Things I'd like?

I often use spotify. Now I realise you can't truly integrate spotify but google maps manages to talk to me over spotify so would it be possible to have a mode where the app provides all the alerts while I listed to spotify the same way google maps does?

Also, not having FM radio on the bike, if you are going to read the weather, how about the news? Must be a BBC News feed you could read the top 3 stories from once an hour or something?


Thanks very much - this app is awesome :D