Mobile

Ingress is a game that requires a data connection, GPS data and the screen to be on. As a result of this battery consumption is high. Earlier today I took the Sony Xperia Z3 out in the rain and played for two solid hours non stop walking from portal to portal and the battery was at 50 percent. This is excellent compared to other devices.   The phone is also waterproof to a depth of one meter therefore the rain we had this afternoon was no hindrance to game play. Every so often I had to wipe the screen as the touch screen stopped functioning as well as it should due to the signals it was getting from the rain.

Today was a warm day. With a group of people we went to Leysin for a hike. Here are some pictures from the event. [flickr-gallery mode=“photoset” photoset=“72157628177774925”]

Today I went exploring the French Jura in the hope of capturing some of the Autumnal colours. I drove an hour into the Jura and arrived at this place. They say that it’s a one hour walk but it took me less than that to cover. There is information along the path for children to learn about features of Gorges and how they’re formed. What I found more interesting was a sign for the Tram Jurasienne railway line. In June there is a race along the path where the railway line once passed. Like Julia Bradbury in her British Railway walks I walked over a viaduct and along some lines until I arrived at a tunnel. I enjoyed that documentary series and as a result I would like to follow the line further. It will require some research. So far I see that it was the first Jurassic tram. I also know that the race with the same name is 29 km long. What I don’t know is where it starts and where it ends. I also don’t know how much of the path is walkable. That is part of the time. More information Some more information Aerial view of the line [flickr-gallery mode=“photoset” photoset=“72157628003227616”]

An Autumn walk at the foot of the Jura. It was earlier today as I was doing the later shift. [flickr-gallery mode=“photoset” photoset=“72157627857326021”]

Feedly is an application that takes google reader’s feeds and displays them in a more appealing manner. The browsing experience is more enjoyable as a result. The first item is displays on a splash page as ou see on the left. Flick to the right and you get a list of articles. This list fits articles to fill the screen. You must flick to the right to get to the next article. Click on the article and the text goes full screen. You can  then bookmark articles, like them or share. Sharing is the standard tweet, mail, copy url, open in browser and mobilize. Feedly navigation is done via the bottom left corner of the screen as you see in the image to the right. Click on this and you get a list of feeds you have subscribed to. This is the google reader list. Reading of feeds can be either by individual rss feed or by category. The number of unread posts is visible to the right. Active feeds can be read individually.   One of the most interesting features of feedly is it’s ability to auto-generate smart lists of interesting blog posts according to popularity/buzz, whether they were saved for later, essentials, latest and more. Buzz allows you to see which of the posts are most interesting according to popularity within the RSS feeds you and your contacts are subscribed to. There is no ability to comment on articles at this moment in time and integration into google buzz is not possible yet. As a result you can quickly skim through articles but should you want to offer an opinion you will have to resort to another app. Everything that Feedly offered to it’s users on computers and laptops is now available to it’s users via the mobile application. As a result your user experience will be the same across both platforms. With the iPhone version of this product you can read all articles while on the move, on trains in cars, or when waiting for a queue to move forward.

Transport Tycoon, the popular game, is now available as a portable application file. This means that you can install it on a USB key and play the game from anywhere. This comes alongside the openTTD which is an open source movement to keep the game around for us to enjoy. The aim of the game is to create a transport empire using, trains, trucks, buses, planes and boats. As you build more networks so you gain more money and your services can expand. It is a management game to help you see the hours away in your free time.

Traxx.fm is a music station I’ve been familiar with for over a year but only recently downloaded and used as an iPhone app. It was developed by a friend in Geneva. The fitness centre where I go uses traxx.fm for background music. The advantage of this online live streaming option is that you have 20 themes and the playlists are compiled from a number of sources. As a result there is a wealth of music to be discovered without the drawback of over-exuberant presenters. There are also no commercials. If you pay for the HD version you are helping to fund them. The reason I like the app is that it offers what last.fm used to offer to its users before being bought by AOL, continuous music you could start listening to and enjoy for the next three hours or more.

I went to the car show today and despite the crowds I was able to test the blackberry torch. You can see the results here. [flickr-gallery mode=“photoset” photoset=“72157626208238848”]

Charles Sharkey - 14th of Jul, 2020

FlightRadar24 also access to a smartphone, computer, or tablet with an internet connection.

Flight radar 24 is an iphone app that allows you to see where aircraft are on google maps. It shows the callsign, registration, altitude and a lot more. It is a fun app for plane spotters. [caption id=“attachment_1326” align=“aligncenter” width=“200” caption=“Planes approaching Geneva airport”][/caption] Sit on a city roof or at the top of a mountain and as you see a plane fly above you you will know where it’s coming from and where it’s going. Next time I have to pick someone up at the airport I will be using the flight tracker to know exactly where the plane is. Boredom will be of a different type. [caption id=“attachment_1327” align=“aligncenter” width=“200” caption=“Flight information”][/caption] The information about what the plane is doing is quite complete. The only thing missing would be a live radio feed of the ATC communications.