UKC

North Wales Rock Climbing iPhone Guide now available from the App Store.

Written by Mark Reeves and published by theSend.co.uk, this app for iPhone is a select guide to much of the best climbing that North Wales has to offer.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/news.php?id=4259

In reply to UKC Gear:

Just downloaded the lite version for a look, think its well laid out and will be buying the full version very soon.

In reply to The Green Giant: If you do buy it and have any ideas for the development of user features you'd like to see, we are always keen to hear from the users to help develop an even better product. There are a few more features being developed for the app, and we hope to have the first update within a month or two.

Thanks for your interest.

In reply to UKC Gear: I really hope these things never totally replace guidebooks!!

There is nothing nicer than a bookshelf full of tatty, used guidebooks to flick through, to remember good times and get psyched for new visits. I don't think you get the same feel with an Iphone thingy.

Plus Guidebooks don't run out of battery and are cheaper than new Iphones when they inevitably get dropped...

Would be interested to see how many people you see at a crag using their iphones...

Good effort for writing it, NWR seems to have a lot of effort in it, so I guess you must have put in a lot of effort writing the crags for this guide that you didn't do for NWR.

Dunc

In reply to UKC Gear: Why just iPhone? Android have a 50% market share, Apple just 20%, so why does everyone cater for apple, but not android?

In reply to carrot_boy (North East Wales MC):
The normal reason is speed, iOS is much quicker to test for as there is only really 1 system while there are hundreds of different android builds. There was a study done looking at revenue generated from the different formats and iOS is a much better earner than Android despite the smaller market.

In reply to Duncan Campbell: Hi Duncan

I agree to a certain extent as personally don't see them replacing the book, but a full set of definitive guides to North Wales will cost nearly £300 when Gogarth South and NW Limestone come out!

The technology is new, and more and more people take smart phones climbing with them. However for instance the Slate guide is already out of date thanks mainly to Ian Lloyd-Jones, and I am already updating the routes in the app to cover those new additions when we offer a free update.

There are limitation to the platform, for instance, I don't think I'll ever put Lliwedd in the app, due to the limits to the topo size. But there are things you can do with a database driven guide on a phone that are impossible with a book.

In reply to the andriod market, we choose to launch on the iPhone market as owners have been shown to be more likely to pay for the apps. The android version is on its way, so we haven't forgotten about them, it was just a strategic decision when it came to launching the app.

I think Mkean is right about the single Platform as well, app development on the iPhone has a very good set of free generic tools, that make navigating apps more intuitive, simply because they have standardised buttons.

Anyway I should be working on the update. Thanks for your interest.

In reply to Mark Reeves: hi - if i was to buy the app, how would the update be offered - would it be a matter of checking the website every so often?
thx

Nice! Though I agree there's something nice about paper guidebooks, the tech geek in me likes the idea of an eGuide. Easier to take an iPhone on a long multipitch route, rather than a paper guide (though more expensive if you drop it). Select eGuides are also great if it's a once-off visit to an area.

There's an iPhone guide that was recently released for Mt Arapiles in Australia. See http://icragguides.com/ I haven't used it, though one of the interesting features shown on their video demo was the filtering options - grade ranges, starred routes and sun/shade. Though perhaps a 'stays dry in the rain' option would be more applicable to North Wales

In reply to Mark Reeves:

I've got the iPhone version - top stuff.

Will you be releasing a version designed for the iPad? Now that would be something...

In reply to auld al:

Hi Al, I'm Steve the app developer, the first update (and possibly second) are planned as App Updates via iTunes so they'll turn up in the App Store updates section, we'll announce them on the site and also on facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TheSendClimbingTopos further down the road we have plans to deliver update notifications straight to the phone so you'll know immediately that they're available to download.

In reply to turtlespit:

thanks!


search filters are also on the update list, at the moment this looks likely to go into the 2nd update as it's planned in as quite a big functionality update.

In reply to Mark Reeves: I'm not seeing any heights listed on any routes-surely this will dictate what length or type of rope you'll be wanting to take?

In reply to flapper:

Ideal for passing the time whilst the other half is trying on umpteen dresses.

Does it work on an ipad?

Could anyone comment, if they have seen it, on how multi pitch areas look on the ap?

In reply to Dixie Flatline: You would take an Ipad out cragging!?!?! Arent those things worth like £250???

In reply to Mark; yeah I guess you are right about the new route updates!! Still well done on writing it all...

In reply to Danzig:

This is the UK, 50m ropes is always the norm is isn't it? No comtinental sports routes here.... Unless there are some uber long slate pitches that have passed me by.

In reply to Duncan Campbell:

You might have an ipad in the car at Trem or you might just be browsing at home; a little like one of those old fashioned paper guides....

In reply to Duncan Campbell:
As opposed to an iphone worth £600...

In reply to JonC:



I've taken my ipad out bouldering and it's also good for single pitch, but I'd agree it's more suited to 'flick through at home' rather than dragging it up a multi-pitch - I'd be terrified of dropping it =:0

(I missed Dixie's reply about ipad earlier - sorry) I've got a designer looking at layouts for tablet devices at the moment, once it's all been tested and I'm happy with it all the guides on the database platform will get a refresh (including this one) so you'll then be able to sync the app across all of the devices in your itunes account.

f.

In reply to flapper:


No extra charge?

In reply to JonC:

no, it'll just be an app refresh to merge the two interfaces.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Or a camera....

In reply to Alan James - UKC:

like reporter Jason Murray found out covering the last Maverics surf contest for espn: http://www.maverickssurf.com/contest/0910contest.php

Cost of last minute airplane ticket to SFO: $245.
Fine for violating NOAA's idiotic policy against using jet-skis in the sanctuary: $500.
One hour of helicopter time to bring you the aerial perspective: $550.
Dropping some cameras and lenses into the ocean: $9,925.
Documenting the biggest waves ever ridden in a contest from air, land and sea: Priceless!


owch!

In reply to UKC Gear:

iphones,i pads at the crag ,why not check your stocks and shares on the ledge ...wonder what joe brown would say about all this.

In reply to colina:


No, that would be far too depressing in the current markets. There might be a wave of climbers untying and jumping to their deaths.

In reply to colina:
wonder what joe brown would say about all this.

"Maybe I should check my website displays well in Safari for iOS and then perhaps some sort of speedy delivery service is in order!"

.... Dear Joe Brown, please deliver a set of IMPS and some offsets to the slate quarries by express delivery.

Many thanks

A. Muppet (about 30ft up the Rainbow Slab)