This week I have been playing with the “new kid on the block”, the Android version of Trapster. While running Trapster on the G1, I began to realize… this is going to give all the other phone users “Android Envy.”
With exclusive features like the Trapmap compass and our virtual radar paired with display options such as satellite view & traffic view, it might be time to turn in your cool shiny smart phone and grab one of the new devices sporting the open source OS of the future: Android.
1. Multiple Map Views
Since you are such a huge Google fanboy, you ran out and bought the Google Phone. And I bet you even love using Google Maps for its awesome features. So we incorporated some of these features by offering the ability to view the Trapmap in different views: map, satellite, and traffic. To change your map display, click the menu and select “settings.”
Map View: This is the default view for Trapster, showing you a virtual representation of the streets, landmarks, and cities across the globe. This comes in handy when you need to quickly plan a route, since all major streets and highways really pop off the screen with easy to see colors.
Satellite View: Easily my favorite viewing mode. This view gives you a bird’s eye view of any location using real satellite imagery. This really shows its worth when you are scoping out the Trapmap, because you will see the actual places where “Police Often Hide,” instead of a representation on a 2D map.
Traffic View: The threat of traffic tickets, bumper to bumper traffic, and some morning show radio DJ telling you about the latest celebrity to end up in rehab… don’t you love commuting to work? Trapster has you covered with our traffic view, since it will help you out by displaying the speed traps and traffic conditions on the highway. Real-time traffic conditions will be displayed over the highway as color coded lines. Each color represents how fast the traffic is moving:
Green: more than 50 miles per hour
Yellow: 25 – 50 miles per hour
Red: less than 25 miles per hour
Gray: no data currently available
2. Virtual Radar
Trapster is always improving its ability to scan the road for coppers, and we have given the Android version a real weapon in the ongoing battle between driver and law enforcement. The virtual radar will scan the road ahead while narrowing and elongating based on the speed and direction of travel. Your radar perimeter will also completely surround your vehicle when you come to a stop, so you are covered in all directions and at all speeds.
3. Trapster has your back!
Android has the ability to run multiple apps at the same time. Now this is something that is lacking on other devices <cough>iPhone<cough>. Once Trapster is loaded up, you have the ability to use other applications, make a call, listen to music, etc. all while still getting voice alerts from Trapster!
All applications are created equal
Android does not differentiate between the phone’s core applications and third-party applications. They can all be built to have equal access to a phone’s capabilities providing users with a broad spectrum of applications and services. With devices built on the Android Platform, users are able to fully tailor the phone to their interests. They can swap out the phone’s homescreen, the style of the dialer, or any of the applications. They can even instruct their phones to use their favorite photo viewing application to handle the viewing of all photos. – Android.com
More info on Android’s cool features: official site
Portions of this page are modifications based on work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 2.5 Attribution License.
