TransiCast

• Optimized stop queries: The amount of data of responses considerably reduced.


• Bug fixes released.

• Revised detours and service messages: Messages that agencies provide in web format (HTML) are presented in a web view.

• Agency, route and stop labels now indicate the availability of live next bus and train times through light gray color. Dark gray labels represent the availability of only stop and route information.


• The panel display now expands all upcoming departures within the display horizon. The previous format used vehicle shadows to indicate followers on a route/destination combination.


• Route color and direction arrows. Routes are displayed in the agency provided color, where available. Direction arrows now show the direction of route segments between stops.


• The system setting for 24 hour format is now used to control the format of scheduled departures


• Appropriate default input methods are now used in Settings.


• The next stop announcement volume level can be changed at any time now.


• Detours and messages can be called by route, where made available by the agency.

• Search Stops by address. Enter an address or landmark, and set an optional route filter. The search is bound by the map view. As an example, when the map view shows San Francisco, the search term "Embarcadero Station" will return stops around the Embarcadero Station in San Francisco. At My Location starts a search at the device location.

New Search Stops dialog

• We are excited to present TransiCast 3.0. As far as the display of fixed routes is concerned, we have never been happy with were we were at with TransiCast. TransiCast 3.0 introduces fixed routes for more than 100 cities and communities:


• Fixed routes. The basic screen of TransiCast 3.0, so far empty, now introduces the display of agencies and operators. Agency labels hover over their respective service areas. Zoom and pan the map view to uncover overlapping agency labels. A tap on an agency label loads the agencies routes. Select a route, and TransiCast loads and displays terminus stops, stop locations and the sequence of stops. Powerful Android™ devices also display the links between route stops.


• Next stop tracking. The next stop tracking feature has been revised. With the availability of stop sequences of a route, the next stop on the route is now guided by these sequences. Above, we describe the selection of a route through agency and route lists. As an alternative, the relevant route can be selected through a long tap on a vehicle departure label. Then, select Board from the application menu to start next stop tracking.


• Center and Refresh. Center and Refresh have traded places between application and View menues.



Detail Changes

• Appearance. A number of detail changes have been made to the basic appearance of the following display elements: Stop labels are framed, the Transit Data Server URL is only displayed when a server other than transicast.appspot.com is selected, the blue standard Android™ location dot with accuracy indication replaces the orange custom dot with location accuracy scale, and messages are displayed in a dark gray box.


• Back key. The responsiveness of the Back key has been improved. This has been a usability concern for some time now.


• Bug fixes. A number of bug fixes pushed out in this release.
• New app icon. TransiCast 3.0 has a new app icon:    
  
• TransiCast 3.0.1 adds support for large and x-large screens and the Gingerbread release of Android™.

• Bug fixes are the main purpose of this release.


• Search stops menu icon changed to signify the location-based nature of stop search.

• New setting: Announcements. The Announcements setting turns next stop and departure audible announcements messages on and off. These announcements are created with Android's Text-to-speech capability. It requires Android 1.6 or later.


• Rotating bus hourglass. Fluid rotation of the rotating bus hourglass.


• Bug fixes. A number of bug fixes pushed out in this release.

• Selected stop location in panel view. The panel view now displays the location of the selected stop.


• New setting: Departure countdown. The Countdown scheduled departures setting determines whether scheduled departurs are counted down like real-time departures, or displayed in absolute time.


• Refined departure refresh. Starting with TransiCast 2.4, departure and detour data are only queried when the refresh cycle has expired. This affects changes in screen orientation and other context changes, which previously triggered a refresh call.


• Bug fixes. A number of bug fixes pushed out in this release.

• Larger screen sizes. The release of TransiCast 2.3 affects the users of devices with larger screens, such as the Google Nexus One or the Motorola DROID. TransiCast 2.3 switches to using the native resolution of the larger screens, reducing clutter, which has been reported as a problem.


• Bug fixes. A number of bug fixes pushed out in this release.

• Sheared stop labels. Stop label overlap drives clutter, which has been a complaint. The stop locations on the map view are provided by the publishers of the original data, outside of TransiCast's control. In order to reduce stop label overlap, stop labels are now automatically sheared when stops are located in close geographical proximity. Depending on the original data, there will still be a degree of stop label overlap, but this new feature should help mitigate the issue.


• Filter and alarm setting messages. Navigation of filters and alarms has also been reported as confusing. TransiCast now displays supporting messages when filters and alarms are set as a result of the tapping of vehicle labels.


• Location based stop search. The application menu now provides quick access to the location based stop search. Using Search from the application menu (or by pressing the search button), the closest stops around the current location are searched. The Search menu shares the application menu with the Board and Deboard functions that control next stop tracking. These are still displayed in order to start or stop next stop tracking while a route is filtered.


• Tapped location dot. Another feature to make the use of TransiCast easier is the tapped location dot. It displays the location that was tapped on the map view when searching stops. The tapped location dot is also used to display the location of a location based stop search.


• Two departures displayed in dynamic app widget. The dynamic app widget now displays the next two departures within the display horizon.


• Bluetooth™ watch integration. Display departures, receive alarms and display the next stop on the route on a Bluetooth™ watch. This is based on the TransiCast dynamic app widget, and requires a third party app (OpenWatch) to connect the watch via Bluetooth™.


• Clear. The new menu item Clear located in the Views menu clears the current selection.


• Optimizations and bug fixes. A number of "behind the scenes" optimizations and bug fixes.

Bluetooth™ watch

• Revised dynamic app widget. TransiCast's dynamic app widget has been revised and slimmed down.


• Optimizations and bug fixes. A number of optimizations and bug fixes.

• Routes and Destinations. Where real time departure information is not available, TransiCast now displays routes and destinations for a stop. Routes and destinations are also displayed when the stop label is rotated. Introduced with TransiCast 2.0. The Transit Data Server must be set to http://transicast.appspot.com.


• Location Based Next Stop Tracking. Select a route, board a service vehicle, and TransiCast automatically displays the next stop, based on the device location. Introduced with TransiCast 2.0. The Transit Data Server must be set to http://transicast.appspot.com.


• Real Time Departures for Chicago and San Francisco. In addition to TriMet in Portland (Oregon) and BART in the San Francisco Bay Area, real time departures are now available for SFMTA in San Francisco and CTA Bus in Chicago. The Transit Data Server must be set to http://transicast.appspot.com.


• Stop Search Map Zoom Level. When the stops around the tapped location are presented in the map view, TransiCast now zooms one level further in. This helps reduce stop label overlap.


• Device Compatibility. Stop label orientation switching is automatically turned off if a device with incompatible sensors is detected.


• Abbreviated Destinations. Vehicle label destinations are abbreviated to only show the destination information following "... to ". This affects TriMet only.


• Status Icons. The detour icon is more aesthetically pleasing, and the "Filter on" icon has been retired.
• New app icon. TransiCast 2.0 has a new app icon:    

• Location Tracking using speed and direction. While Location Tracking in Where I am mode, the device speed and direction of travel are factored into the center location of stop queries. This improves the selection of upcoming stops.
• More stops. TransiCast now displays up to seven stops on the map view.
• Refresh menu item. The Center menu item has moved to the View menu. The new Refresh menu refreshes vehicle predictions and stops.
• Drawing speed improvements. TransiCast now runs even faster.
• Support for Android 2.0 "Eclair". TransiCast 1.4 uses the Android 2.0 "Eclair" SDK, while remaining compatible with Android 1.5 "Cupcake" and Anrdoid 1.6 "Donut".

© 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Joachim Pfeiffer