What the "tech world" needs is a perfect travel application -- I found one --and it is almost perfect!
I've just started using the Android application called "My Tracks" and I'm highly impressed by it. It clearly is better and easier to use than any of the typical pedometer applications --and way better than the traditional separate pedometer. It keeps track of my distance and altitude and automatically saves it (as a ".kml file") "to the cloud" so I can refer and find it at any time. I also like the way it allows me to "replay" my trip by showing a view from Google Earth as I travel --almost as if I have a personal drone above me as I hike or travel. My Tracks has the potential of being able to do everything a person would want if it could make just a few things easier to do. If so, I think My Tracks would "kill" all other competition!
Here are the small improvements that I think My Tracks needs to become that perfect application:
1. Cross-Platform Replay: The "replay" feature works very well on the android phone, and I can find the "track" in my Google Docs. However It is cumbersome for other people to be able to play it --and awkward to play on Google Earth on our computer. I have to download the kml file, open Google Earth, then find and open the file using Google Earth -- then I have to set the magnification --and even then it doesn't display the same as on the android device.
How should cross platform replay work easily?
2. Photo Integration: While on a trip, hike, run, our tour and "recording" using "My Tracks" many users will take photos. After the trip, we'll stop recording on My Tracks, and save the file. Then we'll edit the photos we took. We need a way to integrate the photos we took with the track we made. Yes, it can be done by posting photos on Google Earth, and then running the track --but the photos don't easily open.
How should photo integration work easily?
I've just started using the Android application called "My Tracks" and I'm highly impressed by it. It clearly is better and easier to use than any of the typical pedometer applications --and way better than the traditional separate pedometer. It keeps track of my distance and altitude and automatically saves it (as a ".kml file") "to the cloud" so I can refer and find it at any time. I also like the way it allows me to "replay" my trip by showing a view from Google Earth as I travel --almost as if I have a personal drone above me as I hike or travel. My Tracks has the potential of being able to do everything a person would want if it could make just a few things easier to do. If so, I think My Tracks would "kill" all other competition!
Here are the small improvements that I think My Tracks needs to become that perfect application:
1. Cross-Platform Replay: The "replay" feature works very well on the android phone, and I can find the "track" in my Google Docs. However It is cumbersome for other people to be able to play it --and awkward to play on Google Earth on our computer. I have to download the kml file, open Google Earth, then find and open the file using Google Earth -- then I have to set the magnification --and even then it doesn't display the same as on the android device.
How should cross platform replay work easily?
- User should be able to share the kml file link using Google+, email or Drive.
- User's friends should be able to simply click on the shared link and view and play a track the same way it can be viewed on the android device -- a screen that shows the track moving.
- It would be nice if it were a web-based application, so the user doesn't have to download Google Earth to play the track -- similar to the way Google Maps works.
2. Photo Integration: While on a trip, hike, run, our tour and "recording" using "My Tracks" many users will take photos. After the trip, we'll stop recording on My Tracks, and save the file. Then we'll edit the photos we took. We need a way to integrate the photos we took with the track we made. Yes, it can be done by posting photos on Google Earth, and then running the track --but the photos don't easily open.
How should photo integration work easily?
- Photos are already geotagged and are obviously all along the track just made -- so it seems like it would be easy for "my tracks" to correlate photos with the track.
- User could put the "my tracks" into a the same folder as the photos --or click on an option in My Tracks to select a folder that contains the photos. My tracks would then place the photos along the track
- When playing the track, photo icons would be displayed along the track, allowing the viewer the option of clicking on the photos. Another option would be to have the photos automatically pop up for a second or two as the track is being played.
