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I would like to see the iPhone app continuously track me.
I would really like to see my location updated automatically when I have the program running on my iphone as I travel. Also, you should really have a gadget or widget or map that we could put on our websites and blogs that would let people know what we are doing. If you had all of that I would use Brightkite all day.
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Inappropriate?Rob, it is very important to us that checkins are initiated by the user. For security and privacy reasons we want the user to always be in control of their location info.
http://getsatisfaction.com/brightkite...
We have a couple of widgets that some of our users built up on our blog:
http://blog.brightkite.com/?s=widgets
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Inappropriate?but right now the iphone doesn't make that possible. apps don't run in the background. brightkite can't singlehandedly overcome the way the phone's designed.
i do hope that future iphone firmware changes that, tho, as there are multiple apps which i want to run in the background -
Inappropriate?I'm a software developer. There is no reason why you couldn't have an "auto check in" feature and let it be disabled by default and let the user enable it if they want it.
As it is right now the iPhone version already has a "find me" button that constantly updates your location on your screen when left on. I know because I do this (AND listen to music at the same time groovinkim). All you would have to do to make this work is to have this "auto check in" feature check you into brightkite at a user specified time interval.
All it would take is a check box in the settings that would say "auto check in". If that is enabled it would then enable a time interval setting.
Easy and check ins are still initiated with the users consent.
I’m still not convinced
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This is one of the best points
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i unfortunately can't use the iphone app because i'm on the old firmware and can't upgrade to the new firmware. (my laptop got destroyed by the guy i'm dating's attempt to be sweet and pack me soup for lunch. he packed it in a container that doesn't seal shut :/)
what i was referring to specifically, tho, was that it sounded like you meant you wanted it to update without having to open the brightkite app? that to my knowledge is not possible, since iphone won't let the app run in the background. but it sounds like i might've misunderstood and what you mean is that you're okay with having to manually open the app, but just want the app itself to automatically check you in when you open it? if so, i agree that could be a useful setting. only problem is that i'm often in a location where there are multiple places i could be checking in from, and they're nearly on top of each other. (ie a really small urban store next to another really small store). in my experience thus far, gps apps have had a tough time differentiating
as for what i was referring to about doing things in the background: i was referring specifically to apps. the ipod will run in the background while you do other things, which is great. however, other apps can't run in the background while you do other things. for example, i really am fond of both the pandora and the last.fm app. but you can't use the last.fm app while simultaneously browsing the web (at least, not on the old firmware that i'm on currently. it'd be rad if that changed.). -
Completely agree Rob, Loopt does this. When I am interested in using BrightKite...like when I'm out downtown... I don't want to have to keep checking in everywhere. I'd rather just leave it on and let it track me so my friends to find me. Also, the iPhone app really needs a maps view of friends, so when I am downtown, I could see real time if any of my friends are close.
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Map views will be available in the app in the future, can't give you an ETA though.
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Inappropriate?p.s. also, this isn't a solution to the widget request, but there is one form of a widget you could use: have brightkite post your location to twitter and use one of the twitter widgets
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