The HiTech eZine » Accessories

Trucker App for iPhone & iPod Touch

Dennis Dearborne — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:43:05 +0000

Ahhh…. the ubiquitous iPhone! It is, indeed, everywhere nowadays.

No! This isn’t going to be yet another one of those iPhone evaluations, urging to you to buy… buy… buy! But, consider this dear reader, the days of the computer, as we know it, has a limited lifespan. Technology marches onward with newer hardware, newer applications, newer form factors, and newer operating systems (we will one day be bidding even the mighty Microsoft a fond “buh-bye”). We are already seeing the Netbook oozing its way into the Laptop sales real estate. Laptops are certainly a move forward in portability, but they are just too big! And one day soon, we will be thinking that the Netbook is also (excepting for its screen size) “too big”.

Enter the Smart Phone! Slowly but surely it’s becoming more competent as a Computing Platform! A far cry from being only a phone with, say, an “extra” like a built in camera.

Smart Phones have some amazing capabilities now. You need to be thinking of them more as ultra-miniaturized computers. Capabilities now include Music, a fairly high resolution Camera/Video Camera, Voice Recorder, Videos, Movies, Photo Albums, Text Editor, Voice recognition, Things to Do Lists, Address Books, and Contact Lists. They also have built in connectivity options like WIFI and Bluetooth. With the current Data Plans you have capabilities of E-mail, “Tweeting”, Instant Messaging, Texting, and Internet Browsing. All of these capabilities used to be things that fell under the purview of COMPUTERS! Now you hold it in the palm of your hand! And your iPhone does even more when you add apps from the App Store.

Apple, via the iTunes Store, has provided yet one more feature to the mix. Application Software! Thousands and Thousands of Applications now exist that can be purchased (most of them for the meager price of $.99), from the iTunes Store. And access to the store is just a simple icon click away! This article, however, is an evaluation of only ONE of those thousands of available Apps for your iPhone. Specifically…. The Very First iPhone application for Truckers!

The First Trucker App on iTunes – The Premier iPhone Trucker App featuring a vast Drivers Resource Page area where you can find information on everything a truck driver might need for his/her job or life on the road.

The creators of the Trucker App are husband and wife team of Aubery “Allen” and Donna Smith. What better way to introduce you to the Trucker tool than Allen’s own words contained in the Application’s intro.

“Welcome to the official iPhone user site – Trucker. As you know, Trucker is the first and premier trucking application for the iPhone. Packed with important features and links related to the trucking industry, Trucker truly is a revolutionary Apple iPhone Application!
Providing links to Government sites and vital trucking resources, Trucker also includes many features established to make the trucking life a little easier and a lot more fun! This first of its kind trucking app has the ability to have content added at any time. Literally, every time you open the Trucker App, there could be new and fresh content, unlike many standard applications which simply remain the same. This application is for you… all the drivers. We urge you to become an active part in the continual development of the Trucker Application.

For example: Have a cool photo that you would like to share? Then e-mail us your photo in .jpg format and we will share it with millions – right on the Trucker App! Have a favorite YouTube video? Send us the URL, and we will review it and post it to the application for everyone to see.

This truly is an interactive trucker application, and it’s just the beginning!”

After the Trucker App has been purchased from the iTunes App Store (again, this remarkable tool is only 99 cents!) and installed on your iPhone (or iPod Touch) your screen will look similar to the photo above. The Trucker App icon will appear, and it will also visually indicate the quantity of any “pending actions” that you might wish to invoke. This dynamic icon will allow you to see if there have been any “new items” posted (News stories, media clips, or Twitter items) without requiring you to even launch the app!

Once you launch the Trucker App you will be able to witness the very Dynamic nature of the application. The “out the windshield view” photograph will change often, as well as any applicable text messages. All areas of the application, invoked by the simple use icons at the bottom of the Home Screen, are equally Dynamic in their individual and ever changing content!

But before I described those areas, let’s look at what Allen calls the “Bloodline of the Trucker Application”, the User Site Resource Page. A simple “click” and you are whisked away to the most useful areas of the application.

NOTE: The very first time that I used the Trucker App, I completely missed reading the Text, directly below the Home Screen Picture, telling me to “click” there. If you “miss” clicking there, then like myself, you will miss out on absolutely the most useful area of the application!

The new screen is presented to you with convenient links to take you to their individual resource sections, without requiring scrolling down to “find them”. Much of the application’s operations are very predictably “browser like” in their behaviors. It’s my feeling that some real attention was paid to the overall design of the application to keep it intuitive and easy to use. Keep in mind that the entire application is Dynamic in nature and can be improved or expanded upon at any time. Also keep in mind that Allen and Donna are listening to Truckers inputs. They genuinely want this to be an application that addresses the needs of truckers.

OFFICIAL LINKS - for example: FMCSA Rules and Regs, Hours of Service Regs, OOIDA, ATA

DOT LISTING – DOT Listings for Each State

TRUCKER SERVICES – Links for finding things like: Lowest fuel prices, Driving Directions, Mileage, Truck Stops, Repair Facilities, Weather, Scales, Truck Washes, Clearances, Load Boards, Motels with Truck Parking, and one of my personal Favorites… A Walmart Locator, With Driving Directions! NOTE: The Walmart Locator, Donna tells me, was recently included after a trucker (Twitter name @markinark) submitted the idea to her.

SECURITY AND EMERGENCY – some examples: TSA, Homeland Security, FEMA, Red Cross

THE DAC REPORT – “Everything You Need to Know About The DAC REPORT – Including a handy link to take you to a location where you can sign the petition to “Stop False DAC Reporting”!

PDF INFORMATION – PDF documents on: HAZMAT Routing, Routes for RadioActive Materials, Driver Qualifications Guidelines, Truck Driving Schools, and info for the CDL Waiver

TRUCKERS HELPING TRUCKERS – Some useful links to other truckers with valued information they’re willing to share with their fellow truckers

U.S. TIME ZONES – ’nuff said?

Most other iPhone applications present a “Done” button selection that quits the app. In the Trucker application, selecting “Done” takes you back to the last section that you accessed.

The ICONS at the bottom of the Home Screen include links to:

NEWS – News stories from various Internet sources

EVENTS – Coming Trucking Related Events

MEDIA – Some informative and even some entertaining Media Links: Music Videos, Video Clips, Pictures, etc.

TWITTER – This selection allows you to view the Latest Tweets from @Truckerapp. The Tweets include a link which can then direct you to the Headline, or optionally, to the full expanded story

Needless to say, as a trucker myself, I love this application. Virtually all of the information that the app provides is available on the Internet, but ONLY after very exhaustive Searches and/or bookmarking! For only $.99 I have purchased a tool that consolidates everything of interest to me (from a trucker perspective) in ONE remarkably easy to use tool, in only ONE location, on only ONE device! FIVE STARS! Allen and Donna – “mission accomplished”! Thank you both, for all that you do!

Allen Smith has been an advocate for bettering the success and careers of truck drivers and CDL students. He has exposed many trucking industry myths and scams within the industry and in doing so has coined the slogan, “Raising the Standards of the Trucking Industry”.

The iPhone Trucking Application “Trucker” was Allen’s vision to coordinate and organize the most important categories and features, all in one place, so that truck drivers can conveniently have all their needed information, links and vital resources available to them at the touch of a button….right on their phone.

ASKTHETRUCKER
Welcome to our interactive AskTheTrucker Blog for Truckers and Students! Here, you will be able to ask Allen questions and interact with one another concerning topics related to “Trucking.” I will be offering articles here also, for your reading enjoyment and enrichment. Post comments, ask questions…….interact!

Allen is a 30 year trucking veteran whose goal and passion is to aid those in the trucking industry, whether they be students or new truck drivers. Allen enjoys writing, flying, playing the guitar, and talking to those interested in raising the standards of the trucking industry.

Allen is the original author of “The Truth About Trucking” e-book and Audio CD’s, which have saved thousands from the scams within the trucking industry…truck driving schools and trucking companies.

Allen also hosts the website GuaranteeMove.com designed to eliminate the horrors within the Moving Industry. No stone is left unturned in his book, “How to Guarantee a Perfect Move” As far as we know, there is not another book like this available to the general public.

Finally, there is the website AubreyAllenSmith.com which briefly describes Allen and who he is; his goals, motivations, and his passions.

On this website are links to many of Allen’s newest websites which are the home of his latest books,

“So You’ve Got Your CDL…Now What?” and “The Best Truck Driving Jobs- A State by State Guide”

For those who would like a review of all 3 of Allen’s Books which have helped thousands succeed in trucking, please visit:

http://www.truthabouttrucking.com/3BookSpecial/index.html

Donna Smith, a medical lab researcher

http://bettertruckerhealth.blogspot.com

A Blog addressing health issues of the Average American, specifically targeting the Over The Road trucker.

About Me

Twitter: @max4health My husband Allen and I have been on a journey during the last 3 years to help truck drivers succeed in an industry filled with scams and deceit. Our 2 main websites: http://www.truthabouttrucking.com and www.AskTheTrucker.com has aided thousands of students and truck drivers become successful in an industry that has a very high turnover and even failure rate. During my time with Allen on this quest, I began my own research concerning the health of truck drivers. Being in the field of research, I wanted to help Allen and other truck drivers relieve and eliminate the many ailments that truck drivers face, including: joint pain, obesity, diabetes, and arthritis…among a few.

iPhones Overheating After OS3.0 Upgrade?

Dennis Dearborne — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:04:13 +0000

Users Reporting Problems With iPhone 3GS, and iPod Touch, since upgrading software to OS 3.0

Apple sold over one million iPhone 3GS units in three days. Of course there are bound to be some problems.

Recently, a discolored overheated iPhone 3GS was discovered and blogged about on blogs like Gizmodo, Engadget, and PCWorld. I’m not 100% sure, but I think that the overheating problem might be being caused by the iPhone OS 3.0 software update and it isn’t affecting the iPhone 3GS only, it’s affecting other iPhone and iPod Touch devices as well. After updating my iPod Touch to 3.0 I did notice that it got warmer whenever I plugged it in to charge it or when playing a game. I just did a quick Google search, and it looks like I’m not the only one who has experienced this. I expect Apple to fix this in their next iPhone update (which will I hope will be coming soon!).

A White iPhone 3GS that has overheated, will discolor the plastic on the back to either pink or brown, due to the device running very hot.

There is an error message that can appear onscreen when the operating temperature has become too hot. This is a result of a built in safety mechanism that protects the components of the device. If this message appears, you should turn the device off, move it to a cooler environment, and allow it to cool before resuming use.

Note: When this message appears, the iPhone may still be able to make emergency calls.

Apple has replied, “Conditions and activities that may activate the Temperature warning message: leaving the phone in direct sunlight for extended amounts of time or using certain applications in hot conditions or direct sunlight for a long time”. An Apple proposed overheating scenario is; using GPS tracking in a car on a sunny day or listening to music while in direct sunlight.
Apple recommends Keeping your iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS within acceptable operating temperatures

“Operate iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in a place where the temperature is between 0º and 35º C (32º to 95º F)”. 95º F! Has anyone from Apple been in Dallas in the Summer? “Low- or high-temperature conditions might temporarily shorten battery life or cause the device to temporarily stop working properly”.

Store your iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS (or iPod Touch) in a place where the temperature is between -20º and 45º C (-4º to 113º F). Don’t leave the device in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range.

If the interior temperature of the device exceeds normal operating temperatures, you may experience the following as it attempts to regulate its temperature:

* The device stops charging
* Display dims
* Weak cellular signal
“Apple Admits iPhone Overheating Issues — Sort of”

The fact that none of these alleged overheating iPhone users have posted a picture of the warning screen tells me there’s not really an overheating issue. It’s just people feeling the phone get mildly warm, overreacting, or intentionally trying to cause a scandal. Leaving your phone (no matter the brand) in a 113º car is obviously a bad idea, and is no indication of a failure on the part of the hardware.

It’s been noticed one big difference between the 3GS and the original iPhone. The new one is A LOT lighter and seems thinner. To me this means a couple things that might be happening: 1) the faster processor obviously can generate more heat and, 2) The new case is noticeably thinner so more heat is felt by touching it.

It’s been noticed that using the GPS and some other higher intensity apps that the phone gets warm. But so does the original iPhone. It gets very warm! But then the original wasn’t used in a car on the dash with the GPS on. It doesn’t have a GPS

I think, basically, the phones reach the same operating temperatures but the thinner case, and a higher speed processor, is the main reason it feels hotter to the touch.

These reported overheating scenarios are “all over the map”. IMHO I just can’t draw any firm conclussions from all the reported “problems”. Are YOU experiencing any problems with overheating since the software upgrade to Version 3.0? I’m not! How has your iPhone OS 3.0 upgrade experience been so far? Do you have overheating problems because of iPhone OS 3.0?

Turbo3000D establishing “test data” for full review (above)

Dennis Dearborne — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:05:59 +0000

**TEST CONDITIONS UPDATE (BELOW). Now include NON-APU vs APU equipped mpg figures. And, a new “Base Mileage” number to compare the Turbo3000D test results against.

PRE-APU mpg was 5.918 mpg. POST-APU is 6.097 mpg — this is my new updated “Base Mileage” for the Turbo3000D test results**

I initially intended to publish only a “bottom line” evaluation of this device. However, I have since reconsidered my approach. I’m now thinking that I would like to do “progress reports” on a per “fill up” kind of basis (go to bottom of this post). That “bottom line” evaluation, to be fair to the “test”, wouldn’t happen for a few months yet!

My over all mileage data for the past 7 years (See immediately below) includes; hot weather, cold weather; heavy loads, light loads; up-wind, down-wind; Non-APU and APU equipped; flat land driving vs mountainous. You get the drift! My total mileage over ALL conditions for almost 1 million miles of ownership of this truck.

AVERAGED MILEAGE, SINCE JUNE 2002 TO DATE = 5.96mpg (includes Non-APU and APU equipped)

Next, I propose, that I give you my overall mileage from 915,900 miles until mileage at install of the Turbo3000D (at 135,140 miles on the odometer after it “flipped over” at 1,000,000 miles) will also be given. This will then be called the “Base mpg” to represent all miles PRE-install of the Turbo 3000D. I will then give you mpg figures for all miles AFTER install. I’ll update the mpg figures for you with every “fill up” so that you can compare what I’m getting against that “Base mpg”.

AVERAGED MILEAGE from 915,900 miles on 5/23/07 until installation of Turbo3000D at 135,140 miles on 6/6/09 = 6.097 mpg. This is my “Base MPG”.

Don’t focus too much on the initially reported mpg figures for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we need to give a good month or so until the truck’s computer “adjusts” to the effects of the Turbo3000D. And, secondly, my initial miles (after install) have been some HARD miles! Very heavy loads, and lots of mountainous routes. But, I think, after a couple of months of mpg reports that it should be settling down to something approaching “average operating conditions”. Let’s just see what happens. I think this methodology will be more representative of how YOU would evaluate the “results” of whether you had wasted your money, or if the Turbo3000D is going to pay for itself.

See FULL Review for continuing test results

NOTE: I haven’t been to my house (on the beach in Wilmington, NC) since January. I’ll be there until probably 6/29 so there won’t be any updated mileage on this post until I get back out on the road again. Back out on the road in the morning…. so the “test stats” will start “flowing” again really soon.

FOOTNOTE: I’ve neglected to mention what kind of truck I’m running AND what type of power plant. I have a 1999 Freightliner Classic XL with a Detroit 60. Transmission is Super 10. Truck is Yellow (Old Yeller!) with Vietnam Service Medals Graphic above Visor — Just in case you see me coming at you out on the road!

Dennis