It’s been a quick minute since I’ve had time to update my blog; we’ll just pretend I’ve been here the last four months, right?
Even though I’ve been a bit absent from my blog, that’s not to say I have nothing to show for the last four months, at least. Besides keeping busy with classes and my job, I’ve also been pursuing some new personal projects, both with a friend of mine, as well as a solo project, specifically pertaining to my iOS development. I was hoping to have something in the works to announce by the end of October, but my first plan didn’t pan out the way I hoped it would so I put the project on the back burner for a few months. For the last month I’ve been working on it again, and it’s almost ready so I’m finally able to confidently announce my new project…
PRT STATUS NOTIFICATIONS
As a student at WVU, I’m not immune to needing the PRT (and being let down when it’s out of service). When you rely upon it, you really just need to know immediately at any given point if something happens, so that you can plan ahead and adjust accordingly. I’ve found an app or two over the years on the App Store that allowed me to check the status on my phone, but it’s so inconvenient having to manually check them or log into Twitter to check the WVU DOT feed when I need to know now.
That’s why I’ve built PRT Status Notifications. Its primary functionality within the app is checking the status of the PRT. No clicking around or refreshing a feed, if you have an internet connection it will automatically update every time you open the app. But it doesn’t stop there. Should you choose to allow push notifications, you won’t even have to open the app to check. You’ll start to receive notifications with information such as affected stations, bus pickup locations, and estimated downtime in a single notification, and later be alerted when the system is confirmed back on a normal schedule.
If you have an Apple Watch, you’ll also be able to check the system status from your watch for the first time (that I’m aware of). Just like the iPhone app, the Apple Watch app will automatically refresh every time the app becomes visible, whether you open it from your home screen, dock, or it being the last-running app that comes up when you turn your wrist.
PRT Status Notifications is currently in invitation-based beta testing via Apple’s TestFlight system. If you’re interested in receiving an invitation to help provide feedback, please send an email to ‘prt-status-feedback (at) bryanstone.net’ with your name and email-address.
Watch for PRT Status Notifications to release on the App Store! Follow my blog and you’ll be the first to know when it drops. Happy February to all, until next time!
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