Douwe Osinga's Blog: Manly Ferry App

Monday, May 3, 2010

When I switched from the iPhone to Android there were many things to like (the bigger screen, multi tasking, IM, over the air sync), but there were also things I missed. One of them was the excellent Trip View app. Trip View lets you indicate trips that you often make (within Sydney I believe) and then clicking that trip immediately gets you when the next connection on that trip is. Much easier to use from a phone than a full blown public transport planner and especially handy if you depend on a ferry for your daily commute like me.

There was no such thing for Android. Android however has a nice SDK, so I decided to roll my own. And make it simpler. Mostly because I am lazy of course, but when you think about it, most commuters have only one question when they reach for that app: when is the next ferry (train, bus). So that's what my app tells you. There are no routes to find, it always just tells you when the next ferry to or from Manly is.

To or from? Ah, yes, that's the clever bit. These modern phones know where they are, so my little app just checks the location. If you are closer to Manly, it tells you when the next ferry from Manly is, if you are closer to Sydney CBD, it tells you when the next ferry to Manly is.

Unfortunately I haven't found a way to link to Android Apps, but AppBrain has so for now this will have to do: http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.douweosinga.nextmanlyferry

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