Loading Profile...
Recent activity
Subscribe to this feed
dottedlinegirl replied on November 17, 2009 19:55 to the praise "Thoughts so far on "Gowalla for Mobile Web" (on Android)" in Gowalla:
I'm also happy to report that checking in via GMW does sometimes lead to picking up bonus Items-- not super useful at the moment since we can't pick up or drop Items yet from GMW, but it's nice to see that check-in activity does still count. I was quickly running out of Items to use for founding spots from the iPhone, but over the course of about 18 check-ins, I managed to pick up 2 bonus Items to add to my pack. (:-
dottedlinegirl replied on November 16, 2009 05:24 to the question "Why the cell phone number?" in Gowalla:
When you look at your friends' profiles (individually) on the app, there are faded-out (read: non-working) buttons to "Call" and "Text" that friend... so there might be a future option to share your phone number with your Gowalla friends. But at the moment, it doesn't seem that anyone on Gowalla can see or use the phone number associated with your account. -
dottedlinegirl replied on November 12, 2009 19:30 to the problem "Mobile Gowalla disappointing" in Gowalla:
Gowalla is actively working on expanding the Mobile Web experience (and, I think, creating a native app for Android)-- it's all coming soon! I know it's hard to wait (I'm on Android, too, but I hijack my boyfriend's iPhone whenever I can to check in and create spots and drop/trade items) but it's comforting to at least know that Gowalla will be playable on other hardware/platforms. There are so many games that are iPhone only, and those companies don't seem to consider developing for non-iPhones to be valuable.
I honestly do believe Gowalla sees the value in making their game available to everyone, but 1) they're a small company with only so many employees to throw at this task, and 2) it isn't readily obvious that to develop one product for multiple platforms (e.g. iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Pre, Nokia) is a LOT of work. In many respects, developing for a new environment in a new language is basically starting all over from scratch, so not only does it take a long time to code everything properly, but the original product (i.e., the iPhone app) still needs maintenance and updates.
You mention previously loving Gowalla when you had an iPhone, and, now having been able to play on an iPhone myself, I can totally see how frustrating it is to suddenly be so limited with what you can do on the Mobile Web version. But keep the faith and we Android users will have the full Gowalla experience for ourselves (I follow @gowalla on Twitter so that as soon as this is possible, I'll know).
In the meantime, part of what makes Gowalla so interesting is its community of active users, so hopefully (for now, at least) you won't dissuade your iPhone-using friends away from checking out the game (: -
dottedlinegirl replied on November 12, 2009 19:25 to the problem "Android-based Motorola Cliq not working with http://m.gowalla.com" in Gowalla:
I had this problem because I'd never checked in on Gowalla before (since I've never owned an iPhone). Have you tried clicking (or I guess pressing, since these are touchscreens) on the "Spots" tab? I found that the hanging problem only applied to the default-loading "Passport" tab but I could still go to "Spots" and check in.
Once I'd checked in for the first time, the "Passport" loaded without a problem. It's a bug, but Mobile Web *was* functional.
If none of the other tabs will load for you on your Cliq, though, it very well might be a hardware-specific problem (I use an HTC Hero). -
dottedlinegirl replied on November 10, 2009 23:37 to the idea "Identification of Street Team Elite members" in Gowalla:
Have you guys thought about adding a list of STE members to the wiki? http://www.bluwiki.com/go/Gowalla
You all could identify yourselves and add your (default) locations, and that way there would be a comprehensive list of who and where you all are... furthermore, non-STE members would have a more available resource for someone to contact re: nudging, editing, etc. -
A comment on the idea "Add community forum link to the Gowalla home page" in Gowalla:
actually, can I rescind my statement that I don't care about the Items feature? My interpretation of how to play Gowalla was all kinds of wrong... now I'm definitely looking forward to Item drop/pick-up implementation! – dottedlinegirl, on November 09, 2009 15:55 -
dottedlinegirl started following the idea "Add new way(s) to get more items" in Gowalla.
-
dottedlinegirl marked one of Dr. Barnabus Peddingferd's replies in Gowalla as useful. Dr. Barnabus Peddingferd replied to the idea "Get rid of the chains please". dottedlinegirl and 7 other people think it's one of the best replies.
-
dottedlinegirl started following the idea "Get rid of the chains please" in Gowalla.
-
dottedlinegirl started following the idea "Game within a game" in Gowalla.
-
dottedlinegirl started following the question "Nominate Spots for Deletion/Deactivation?" in Gowalla.
-
dottedlinegirl started following the idea "Adding something akin to Foursquare's "mayorships"" in Gowalla.
-
dottedlinegirl replied on November 07, 2009 23:36 to the idea "Add community forum link to the Gowalla home page" in Gowalla:
oh, I know, I put up an "early thoughts" sort of review of the mobile web version up today. I don't care all that much about the Items feature yet... and I know the mobile web version's lacking in functionality compared to what you iPhoners have, but honestly, I'm just grateful they released it. I've been dying for a chance to play with Gowalla ever since I found out about it a month ago. -
dottedlinegirl replied on November 07, 2009 23:17 to the idea "Add community forum link to the Gowalla home page" in Gowalla:
Hey, look at that! But actually, I don't know if I've ever noticed that before-- and if I have, I would have assumed it would have gone to an e-mail form submit. "Feedback" usually indicates 1x1 interaction, and I hate bugging companies with questions I'm sure they've already answered a billion times, which is why forums are so great (also Google).
If I remember correctly, I think what led me to the forum was a G. search on whether it was possible to create a spot via the website. I wasn't necessarily hankering for that particular web feature, just looking for alternatives while I wait for the Android app to be released (:
Gowalla has a terrific product. I'm usually much more of an observer than a participant, but I just really love what these guys doing and want to contribute however I can. -
dottedlinegirl shared an idea in Gowalla on November 07, 2009 22:22:
Add community forum link to the Gowalla home pagePlease put a link to the Gowalla forum on your home page-- e.g., in the top right corner along with Blog/Download/Settings/Sign Out. I'm honestly not even sure how I found the forum in the first place-- I think as a result through a Google search on a Gowalla-related question-- but I'm *so* glad now that I have. This is a terrific place to build up the Gowalla community-- be proud of it and link to it on gowalla.com! -
Lora L. Abe replied on November 07, 2009 21:51 to the question "Gowalla app on Android?" in Gowalla:
-
A comment on the question "Where is the Android App Download?" in Gowalla:
Have you tried clicking on the other tabs? The passport tab will hang until your account has at least one check-in.
http://getsatisfaction.com/gowalla/to... – Lora L. Abe, on November 07, 2009 21:48 -
Lora L. Abe gave praise in Gowalla on November 07, 2009 21:48:
Thoughts so far on "Gowalla for Mobile Web" (on Android)I actually tailored my errands today to how Gowalla-compatible they were because I was so anxious to use this on my HTC Hero (GSM/European version, unlocked and rooted). This is what I've noticed so far:
-Some have complained that it doesn't work because the Passport tab (default when you launch the site) "hangs" forever. I found that clicking on the other tabs shows Gowalla working, and the Passport tab refused to load anything until I'd checked in from my first location. I'm assuming this is because until that first check-in, there's really nothing for Passport *to* load (except pins). So since most people who are checking out Gowalla for Mobile Web are Android users and thus have not been able to check in anywhere up until now (unless they've used an iPhone earlier for their account), it wouldn't be surprising if a lot of people are thinking Gowalla isn't working, as the first thing these people are seeing is a forever-hanging Passport screen.
-The GPS receiver on my Hero is sloooooooow to find an initial satellite (it's not unbearably slow, but a marked difference from my Blackberry), so when I first launch GMW, it doesn't register my location unless my GPS has already connected. So I have to wait to connect, then refresh the page.
-Additionally (and this isn't a complaint, just an observation for other users to note), whenever I change location and want to refresh the "Spots" tab, I have to refresh the browser-- clicking on the tab again doesn't change anything.
-Also, if I leave the browser (with the Gowalla page loaded) running in the background, the GPS receiver stays on and connected, which can be a battery-draining bother. But it's either leave it running and risk killing the battery or be constantly shutting down the browser and reopening it and having to wait for GPS to connect again (see above: it takes a bit).
-In order to check in to a location, I have to be registered as under 1 km away. This is convenient, but a bit contrary to Gowalla's aim for precise check-ins and leaves open a LOT of room for faked check-ins.
-As noted in the official Gowalla blog entry about GMW, you can't create spots using this, which is kind of a bummer because as much as I love looking for new places other people have created, I see so many that are missing that I'd love everyone to check out. I know this is a feature to "be added in the days to come" and I'd assume it'll be in the native Android app Gowalla has in the works, so for now, I'm happy enough with this.
-Whereas on the website, you can see exactly who has checked in to a specific spot (and their actions/comments), on GMW, you can only see user/check-in numbers. If I'm using Gowalla to discover what's around me, it'd be cool to be able to see who's been checking in at these locations and what (if anything) they have to say about it.
I'm honestly just excited to finally be able to use Gowalla on my Hero, and this is a fantastic appetizer-sneak-preview to tide me over until the native app is released. Thanks, Gowalla team!
