iphone | 511 Contra Costa

Tag: iphone

Mobile Phone Apps for Cyclists

Posted on

Are you an avid cyclist and tech geek? Check out these apps for your ride and let us know what you think works best!
For iPHONE

  • Cychosis: This is a cycling journal that records your performance and training. Unfortunately you have to enter your ride details manually because the app doesn’t track using GPS, but that also means that your battery isn’t drained as much. ($3.99)
  • B.iCycle: This app is good for road and mountain biking. One bonus of this app is that there’s an auto-pause detection capability that helps you preserve battery life. (One of Apple’s Top 10 apps of 2009). ($9.99)
  • Trails: A GPS app that imports and exports bike routes you can share with your friends. The app even allows you to use other functions (like playing music) while not interrupting the mapping. ($3.99)
  • CycleMeter: This app is something like a cycle computer, showing your speed, distance, and trip time. Basically, you first enter the circumference of your wheels into the app, and it counts the revolutions of your wheels as you ride using a small plastic tag placed on one spoke which hits the fork with every revolution. Then you attach your earbud cables down the fork and secure the microphone next to this point. Voila! (Also works with iPod Touch.) ($4.99)
  • BrakeLights: Turn your iPhone into a brake light! Just strap it onto your back or backpack, screen pointing outwards. The app uses the accelerometer to detect when you slow down and flashes a red light on the screen. ($0.99)
  • Gear Calculator: Calculate gear ratios using your bike’s measurements (the app has 200+ preset tire sizes or you can enter your own bike measurements). If you want to make your own bike or fix up an old one, this apps lets you test out configurations. The Skid Patch Analyzer even lets you visualize tire’s wear spots and choose optimal gearing. ($4.99)
  • Speed: This speedometer uses the iPhone’s GPS to work out your speed (without the wires of the CycleMeter). ($0.99)


Photo Credit: trails.lamouroux.de, fixiefiend.com Continue reading “Mobile Phone Apps for Cyclists”

Monitor Bay Area Air Quality With Our iSmog iPhone Application

Posted on

511 Contra Costa is proud to announce the release of its very first iPhone app – iSmog!

iSmog displays air quality information for the San Francisco Bay Area. With just a tap of the screen, users will see an easy-to-understand map of environmental quality in the Bay Area’s five air basins, built using data provided by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). With this information, commuters can make more informed choices about environmentally friendly transportation options, and members of sensitive groups will be better able to stay abreast of information that can be, literally, life-or-death.

Push notification alerts users with allergies or other environmental sensitivities when the air contains unhealthy levels of contaminants including ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and two sizes of particulate matter, all precursors of ozone. Notifications can be customized by level of sensitivity and by geographic area.

Read more about iSmog here: https://511contracosta.org/ismog/

ismog1_frameismog2_frameismog3_frame