Hey there everybody! I just wanted to take a few minutes to update everyone on the status of various apps and things that I’m working on for WDWNT.
Let’s dive in!
Pushbullet
If you’re not familiar with the service, Pushbullet is really great. They have both an Android and iOS app and they allow for you to get phone or tablet notifications on your computer, as well as push links, notes, and files to your computer or devices from your other devices. Basically, they’re a hub for getting things from one device to another.
I use it all the time to send text messages from my Chrome browser to my friends and family.
WDWNT has a few cool features that implement Pushbullet. Our Now! site allows you to create an account and receive temporary attraction closure notifications and upcoming itinerary notifications sent through Pushbullet. It’s super simple to set up and I personally use it all the time!
Another cool feature we have is the ability to get push notifications of new blog posts. You can click the below image to sign up.
Pebble Watchapp
I got a Pebble watch for Christmas and I love this thing. I’ve never been a big watch person but having notifications from my phone show up on my wrist (and have them be actionable!) is pretty amazing.
I wrote a quick little “WDWNT Now!” watchapp that you can check out here: link
It includes many of the same features as our Now! site, including finding attractions that are near your current location. It looks like it won’t be available for iOS Pebble users for a while because a new version of the Pebble app is needed, but Android users can have at it.
Android
The official WDWNT Android app is coming along quite nicely! It includes content from the blog, the Now! site, our podcasts, Twitter, On the Air, and YouTube. The WDWNTunes Android app will be discontinued very soon as the WDWNT app will contain all of its features and updated looks.
Begin “Nerd Talk” for a second: I’ve learned a lot at work about dependency injection, SOLID design principles, and things like that so I’m incorporating them into the app (which only makes the process take longer). There are so many great Java libraries out there that make Android development a beautiful thing. End “Nerd Talk”
I’m very much looking forward to releasing this and getting some feedback!
iOS
Well, here we are. If it’s not apparent already I’m an Android user/fan. Personal opinions about iOS and whatnot aside, there’s still quite a bit of work to be done on this app. I’m using C# for the Now! site and this app (with the help of Xamarin) and to be honest, I’m having trouble getting going with it.
With the latest release of iOS, Apple is requiring many new things including new versions of OSX, Xcode, etc. Keeping up with an OS and mobile platform I’m not in love with is tough!
If there are any WDWNT readers out there who would like to help me with the iOS app, are familiar with C#, Xamarin, and source control, please let me know. You can email me at rob@wdwnt.com.
Now that the holidays are over and my family is (currently) healthy, I’ve got my work cut out for me. Please stay tuned as we have some great things lined up for you!
Thanks so much for your time!