iPhone Motorcycle App Thread

Anybody with an iPod Touch using a mobile wifil hotspot? I've got a 4th gen Touch, does all the app stuff but is wifi only. I'm considering getting this Verizon wifi hotspot to enable use of the Touch where no wifi, but 3g, is available. Just wondering if any of the ADV inmates are using this. TIA.

Just to add to the app mix, check out the Blurb app, for those ride reports. Still photos, videos, captioning, pretty cool app. Oh, and Tapatalk for your ADVrider addiction.

If your itouch is jailbroken then there are some Apps to tether your itouch to a phone. I have mine tethered to my blackberry. You also might just consider getting a iphone.

It works but, from ease-of-use, financial and a space-saving perspectives, it makes more sense to grab an iPhone. You need to spend $100 anyway to get the radio, so for a few bucks more you can have the whole enchilada. You won't have to worry about powering extra gear and you can always whip out the phone from your jacket pocket at a gas station/stoplight/moose crossing without powering the mifi up. If you want to use additional devices (e.g. your laptop) you can get a tethering plan from your carrier. Unfortunately, the iPod touch isn't really well suited to going long.

Daniel

Well, I already bought the iPod Touch and work provides me with a ShitBerry, so I have no costs at all with the Touch. I'm a cheap bastard but LOVE the Touch (and your App, Greatest Road.... very well done). I suppose with the MiFi radio I have to buy the radio unit then sign on to some screw job plan, so I am still debating this. I don't pull it out at moose stops (usually busy with cameras, at best) and really would only have the Touch along on a tour/ trip where I'm motel-ing it. Rallies, etc., usually have WiFi spots and there is always the ubiquitous Starbucks, etc.

But Jesus, an iPhone plan is a LOT of money for a cheap bastard with a free ShitBerry plan. Wish I could make my ShitBerry into a wifi hotspot for the Touch!

Any more info on how to do this? I have a BBerry, work pays the plan. What's involved in jailbreaking? Sounds illegal

Sorry about jumping subjects from iPhone to iPad but....has anyone figured out how to use an iPad together with Garmin Roadtrip to design routes and tracks on an iPad then move them to a Garmin GPS, specifically the 276c?

Ok, I've been doing a bit of digging on this one.

First off, jailbreaking is a way of circumventing the limitations on apps that Apple puts on its iOS devices. It allows you to do two things, primarily:

- install apps that won't pass Apple's guidelines, including apps that access certain features/parts of the phone (e.g. tethering outside of the carrier's offerings) and apps that belong in Jo momma or Toxic Britney

- install apps that are cracked and stolen

Jailbreaking is legal in the US thanks to a court decision.

It's not hard to do, but it's a pain in the butt. You'll get limited support from the cowboy apps, and almost none from Apple. Plus, upgrading to the latest release from Apple may or may not turn your iPod touch into a brick, and some legit apps will not work on jailbroken phones (intentionally, by the developer).

I'm not 100% sure if there are some features of jailbroken phones that will stop Greatest Road from working somehow. We see that only 5% of phones are jailbroken and, with the app being free for a limited time, there's less incentive for people to steal it. (and, by the way, thanks for the kudos on Greatest Road. We appreciate it)

Which apps do you use to make this happen?

The only setup I found was using iBluever (http://www.if0rce.com/en/ibluever/ ) and it seems hacky and unreliable. This guy could only keep a connection for 3 minutes and eventually dropped it and went iPhone (though you could probably also go with Android): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKRC4-CHFGo

SO, all that said, I think your only choices are:

1. Use the Verizon MiFi, or
2. Convince your work to switch you to iPhone or Android. Maybe if you pick up the cost of the phone itself they'll give in to the tide ;-).

Daniel

Not true, you will just lose your jailbreak.

Is that true with all updates? I haven't jailbroken in a while, but I thought that some of the updates caused problems and some didn't.

I don't want to turn this thread into a jailbreak thread. You can PM me and I will send you a few links on jailbreaking and the way I tethered my Itouch and Ipad. Jail break is legal. There are a lot of apps that Apple does not approve. Some of the Google Apps until recently were only available via jail break. This was because of the feud between Apple and Google (and a law suit). I do use iBluever and it has worked well for me. I do find wifi hotspots are almost everywhere (at least in the Pacific NW), so I have don't used the tether a lot.

I've seen a few comments/posts on the various weather/weather radar apps available.... most like them. But, when I search for them from the App Store, SO many of the previously-popular ones (Weather Underground, WeatherBug, AccuWeather, etc.) have really recent entries under "Reviews" talking about how recent versions are constantly crashing or just plain slow.

I realize that quite a lot of App reviews are simply people airing grievances or otherwise just complaining, but the shear number of negative comments on most of the previously-popular weather Apps is compelling.

So...

Can anybody point me to a (relatively) realtime weather/weather radar app that's reliable? I don't mind paying a few bucks for something that works... just HATE to spend a dime on an App and have it either keep crashing or have data so old as to be useless while traveling.

The Weather Channel app works great for me.

Have you upgraded it through the App Store recently? The last 10 reviews (most-recent is dated yesterday, May 10th, 2011) mention crashing and other problems.

Yeah, I get updates as soon as they come out. No crashing at all.

Hmmm... gonna give the free version a try, then. Nothing to loose. Thanks!

And it's free so who cares if it crashes. Try it and decide for yourself.

I like MyRadar, seems to work well.

Good call on MyRadar Seems to work well... at least in my area.

Liking what I see so far on the free version of the Weather Channel, too. Its "map" function seems to load and zoom in/out faster than MyRadar. Hopefully, between both, I can keep an eye on brewing weather while riding on my upcoming road trip.

Thanks for the quick input, guys... I appreciate it!

Excellent thread, thanks for starting it !

For those of you who happen to visit Singapore (riding or not), check out iMerlion. It's an app directory of all apps Singapore related. Perfect to find your way around, and make the best of your visit with your iPhone. Most of these apps are free.

For the Singapore riders, Weather Lah is a must have to check the latest on rain forecast before taking off (Free)

Ride tracking/logging apps are the ones I feel we miss the most - anyone stumbled upon some new ones lately ?