iOnRoad Augmented Driving
A major contribution to road safety?
Android App of the Week
Possibly the most - only? - useful augmented reality app I’ve come across, iOnRoad Augmented Driving uses your phone to provide a selection of handy driving advisories and warnings not unlike those provided by the latest Ford Focus.
The app uses your phone’s rear camera to scan traffic in front of you. It warns you of any potential collisions as well as keeping you informed of your speed and direction of travel.
Green is good
What's really handy, though, is that it keeps watching and running in the background so will warn you of any potential dangers even while your satnav app is running in the foreground to tell you where to drive.
The main safety function is a distance-to-the-car-head warning. When a car comes within range, the gap between is coloured green, then orange and then red the closer you get. Then a warning chime sounds.
iOnRoad's user-set speed warnings are handy
There is also an alarm when you stray out of your lane, and an option to set a maximum speed which, if you exceed, will prompt the app to wag a virtual finger at you. Though it’s not exactly a safety feature, I also like the handy compass, which shows your what bearing you are on.
The app can also read out text messages and e-mails while you are driving and operates a points system to rate your skill behind the wheel. Take a final snapshot when you park and the companion Car Locator app will add a GPS fix and Google Maps pin to help locate your motor.
Pick the info you want on screen (left). There's a separate app for locating your vehicle in large car parks (right)
The developers also host a web portal that you can use to keep track of your travels by logging in with your Google account, though this will naturally raise privacy issues for some users.
On the go, you can take snaps of interesting sights and events by just tapping the camera icon. If you want to take more than one shot you can set the camera to burst mode and you can make posting to Facebook fully automatic.
The online Log shows you were you were driving like a berk
iOnRoad is just out of beta for Android - an iOS version is “coming soon” - and currently free while the developer continues to polish off some the rough edges - GPS lock was sometimes a bit tardy on my HTC Desire HD - and is well worth a try. ®
Size 5.3MB
Apps2SD No
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COMMENTS
Alternatively.
PEOPLE COULD LEARN TO *&$^ING DRIVE!
Nurse - my pills....
Ok, let's get some perspective here
I fully agree that looking at something on your dash is a pretty bad idea, however...
...people use satnavs, they have kids in the back, they hear a noise behind them, they're distracted by someone powering towards them on a bike or in an Audi, there are loads of reasons someone might not be looking out the windscreen, and, while it might not be great to add to those, having an audio alert for that odd moment where you're not giving the road your full attention and someone starts breaking in front of you, then having an audio alert could really prevent accidents.
Also, why do we put up with people who roll out the tired old "but I'm a perfectly good driver without any gadgets, so what's the point" argument. Seriously, how many times when you've used that argument has someone walked up to you, put a gun to your head and forced you to buy the app? If you don't think you need it, don't get it. If you really don't think that a gadget of any type can assist in driving don't get it, but don't complain about it for pity's sake. I'm also going to assume that you don't need lighting because gaslamps will do? Got it.
I cannot but agree with the above posts:
Wouldn't you rather I was looking at the road ahead and making judgements about speed and distance than peering into a phone?
Ten out of ten for an interesting use of technology, but minus several million for good sense.
@DaveyDaveDave
I've seen lorries do this many a time. Nothing to do with how courteous you drive.
Anyone exiting the road should be over in the left in plenty of time. There are plenty of muppets in cars and vans who will carve across when they realise their exit is coming up. Forward thinking is not their strong suit.
To be courteous to them would involve knowing what they are doing before they think of it themselves.
There are many sensible lorry drivers out there, but also plenty of suicidally reckless ones who use their size to force their way out knowing you'll sharply break rather than become a bug on their bumper.
The main safety function is a distance-to-the-car-head warning.
I've got a pair of eyes and a brain to figure that out for me. What I need is an app that vaporizes articulated lorries which, altough there is nothing behind me, just have to get past and force their way into the safety zone I've left to the vehicle in front so they can just make thier exit, as happened last night. I have recently acquired a dashboard cam so for what good it'll do a video will soon be winging its way to the haulage company.
