Blogging My Life...Wanted to let you guys know that we release a new iPhone or iPod Touch app named the iPhone Parking Meter.
It has several features, including a timer countdown, camera snap shots, location notes, GPS tracker, vibration alert (only when app is open), SMS Alert (3rd party fees may apply), some neat graphics and, of course, Maps & Directions integration. Let me explain that if the app is not open, it will not vibrate or yell at you, a limitation of the iPhone App SDK (for good reason).
Here is a walk through:
Set the meter by clicking on "set meter." On this page, you set how much time you have on your meter and you can enter a location note. At the same time, if you allow it and if you have location services on, it will locate your location (as best as possible) and mark it.
When you hit "set meter" it will bring you to this page, which shows you the time remaining and blinks green and red (red means your over).
Note, the "View Map" words will link you to the Maps application, with the destination point being set at the coordinate defined when you clicked the set timer.
We did add reminders in, with some limitations. You can set an email reminder or a on phone reminder. If your phone supports SMS to emails, like yournumber@txt.att.net, then you can use that but clearly, text messages may cost money...
We also added an on app alert that will vibrate and play a sound, but it only will work when the application is open. Apple doesn't allow you to trigger alerts when your not in that application. I assume they dont allow it because it can cause issues with other applications and give a hacker a way into your phone - somehow.
Finally, what I mostly always do is snap a picture of where I parked or jot it down. Snapping a picture of a street sign or a parking garage sign, always helps me locate my car, especially if I go away for a few days.
The application is not yet on the iTunes App store, but we submitted it a few days ago. So if you want to be notified when it goes live, go to iPhone Parking Meter page and fill in your email address.
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Comments
Very nice. I especially like the graphics. I assume that when Apple rolls in the ability for Push Alerts (they have been promising it, and it might hit later this week), that you will include this capability. Can you overlay a timestamp on images so that you can prove a "cheating meter", via using an image right after you started, and one when it runs out of time? Or is this another SDK limitation?
By the way, how will the email alert go out if the app is closed? Does it just send an alert to a RustyBrick server to send out the email at the correct time?
Posted by: Sam I Am | September 8, 2008 11:32 AM
very cool app, once I get an iphone that is.
Posted by: Dan | September 8, 2008 11:33 AM
Sam,
I assume so too on the Push.
No need for time stamp.
One of the servers we operate sends an email after you plug in your info.
Posted by: Barry Schwartz | September 8, 2008 11:44 AM
Awesome idea...now if you can only pay for additional time electronically, that would be even better :.)
Posted by: Todd Mintz | September 8, 2008 11:54 AM
the idea wasn't mine. we got it from my brother in israel and also a user of the iphone siddur.
Posted by: Barry Schwartz | September 8, 2008 12:17 PM
That's a really cool idea, Barry! Now if only you had an Android version (oh and if we could already get Android phones... details...) :-)
Posted by: John | September 8, 2008 2:12 PM
I thought that the approval process would be quicker. Can you blog about the delay? By my count, it is 9 days.
Posted by: Nickel&Dime | September 17, 2008 9:28 PM
It had an issue with Apple, we had to make a change and resubmit. It will take more time...
Posted by: Barry Schwartz | September 17, 2008 9:36 PM
How about a blackberry version?
Posted by: eliot | November 28, 2008 7:22 PM