Log In | Register
Skip to main content
Topic: Another possible I-Pod aplication? (Read 4 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.
Another possible I-Pod aplication?
Yahoo Message Number: 110418
Banks is now selling a GPS size dash monitor/computer. It can display information about a vehicle in thousands of different formats.
It can also be used for other application...just like an iPod http://www.bankspower.com/banksiq

Since The OBDII bus supplies most of the needed information, some enterprising software designer could build a similar application to run on an iPod. It would require a cable or maybe a it could use Bluetooth. I'm assuming the iPod has or will have adequate computing power to do this. An iPad is a little too big for this useage.
 I'm envisioning an iPod sized device replacing the LD's GPS, ScanGauge and backup camera, while adding all of the Bank's monitor's capability. Other applications could be added to include phone, audio, SPOT and radio controls.
It would go a long way toward cleaning the technological messes that many of our dashes have disintegrated into.
 I have previously dislike devices that combine too many things into one piece of equipment. If one part of it burns out or breaks, the whole thing has to go or you end up once again with separate components. You also get stuck with a static technology.
With an iPod, it's all software that can be updated or changed as needed. Love the potential flexibility.
Since the applications are software, they can be re-installed in a new iPod in case it gets damaged. A damaged iPod would be a lot cheaper to replace than replacing most any other added dash component.
 I may have to get one of these toys. Last week, I had a chance to play with an iPod with the bird guide and was very impressed.
We carry a library of different guidebooks and it would be nice to have them all on an iPod. We almost never have the right book with us when we are out exploring in the Jeep. This could change that.

Larry
2001 MB
* Not to be confused with Larry W (3000 of my posts are actually from expert Larry W due to Yahoo transition mis-step)
Re: Another possible I-Pod aplication?
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110420
On Feb 24, 2010, at 8:03 PM, Larry wrote:

Quote
Banks is now selling a GPS size dash monitor/computer. It can display information about a vehicle in thousands of different formats.
It can also be used for other application...just like an iPod http://www.bankspower.com/banksiq
WOW! It makes the Scanguage obsolete. Plus it has an e-reader so you could read while driving.
I would call and ask how much, but I might order one and it's not in the budget.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Don & Dorothy
Sold our LD in June of 2023

Our boring always non-PC travel blog
Traveling Dorothy
Re: Another possible I-Pod aplication?
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110421
"With an iPod, it's all software that can be updated or changed as needed."
 You hit the nail on the head, Larry. The iPod Touch hardware is just a window into the software, which can do almost anything you can think of.
 There's no OBDII app yet, but I suspect it's just a matter of time. Meanwhile, there are automotive apps such as Dynolicious...

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dynolicious/id286208729?mt=8>
 ...which uses the iPod or iPhone's built-in accelerometer to measure things like 0-60 acceleration, quarter-mile time (auto-triggering on vehicle start in both cases), horsepower, lateral Gs, and so on. It saves a history, and can average several runs.

Or gMeter:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gmeter/id286743881?mt=8>
 ...with similar functions plus a few others thrown in. Mind, I haven't used these apps myself--I'm just summarizing the descriptions--but there's no reason to think they can't do what they claim.
 Heck, there are even CPR apps that use the iPod's accelerometer to time and measure the force of your chest compressions! You put the iPod between your hands and the victim's chest, and it gives you feedback on how you're doing.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocketcpr/id334738473?mt=8>
 Well, here's my candidate for a new app. As you know, the iPod Touch (and iPhone) can be used as a very sensitive level. Well, what I'd like to see is an app that not only helps you level your rig, but tells you exactly how many Lynx leveling blocks you need under each wheel. All you'd have to do is tell it how long your wheelbase was, and then lay the device in a flat place. The app would calculate, based on tilt angles, exactly how many inches each wheel needed to be raised, and show you the result in the form of a simple diagram.
 This could be a great promotional giveaway for Lynx, and it certainly would be handy for us RVers who use Lynx blocks (and there are a lot of us!).

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Another possible I-Pod application?
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110427
Well Andy,

Check out this iTune app.
 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rv-companion/id329195954?mt=8

It has a leveler similar to what you are suggesting and many more RV related items.

This is assuming that you haven't already seen this app.

Craig McGray

"Lurker"

Andy said;  here's my candidate for a new app. As you know, the iPod Touch (and iPhone) can be used as a very sensitive level. Well, what I'd like to see is an app that not only helps you level your rig, but tells you exactly how many Lynx leveling blocks you need under each wheel. All you'd have to do is tell it how long your wheelbase was, and then lay the device in a flat place. The app would calculate, based on tilt angles, exactly how many inches each wheel needed to be raised, and show you the result in the form of a simple diagram.
 This could be a great promotional giveaway for Lynx, and it certainly would be handy for us RVers who use Lynx blocks (and there are a lot of us!).

Andy Baird http://www.andybairhttp://www.andybaird.com/travels/> d.com/travels/

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Another possible iPod application?
Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110432
"Check out this iTune app...It has a leveler similar to what you are suggesting and many more RV related items."
 Wow, cool! Last time I checked the App Store for RVing related items, there was hardly anything. But with thousands of apps being added every week, great new stuff is always popping up. This'll teach me to check more often! :-)
 "RV Companion" looks useful. There's a free version (presumably ad-supported) and a $4.99 version; they both appear to have the same features: trip log, leveler, checklists, etc. I'll report back on how well the apps work--I just downloaded both versions. Here are the links, for anyone else who's interested:

RV Companion Free:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rv-companion-free/id329195089?mt=8>

RV Companion ($4.99):
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rv-companion/id329195954?mt=8>

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Another possible iPod application?
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110434
"Since the applications are software, they can be re-installed in a new iPod in case it gets damaged. A damaged iPod would be a lot cheaper to replace than replacing most any other added dash component."
 And since everything on it is always backed up on your computer, as soon as you plug in the replacement, all your applications and so on will be installed automatically. You don't have to do anything--just plug it in and all your software will be restored.
 Moreover, if you have multiple devices--say, an iPod for you and an iPhone for your wife--they can share the same apps. You don't have to buy multiple copies. (This applies to the forthcoming iPad as well: it will automatically load and run all your current iPod apps.)

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Another possible iPod application?
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110435
"[the Banks iQ] lists for $598. Dealers advertise it for $539."
 Which would buy you *two* iPods Touch, plus fifty or sixty useful software apps, at today's prices. ;-)
 Now, that's not really fair, because the iPod Touch can't do what the Banks iQ can do--yet. But the potential is there, and as Larry said, the software is what does the job. Considering that you can buy an ODB II readout device, complete with case, pushbuttons and LCD screen, for as little as thirty bucks, it's safe to say that Banks could have created an ODB II *cable* for the iPod Touch/iPhone for twenty bucks, and then written the software to provide the same capabilities as their $600 iQ device.

You know what this reminds me of? The "Birdsong Identiflyer":

http://tinyurl.com/yf75j8m>
 This $30 gadget is handholdable (barely) and fits in a large overcoat pocket (barely). It accepts a card that has pictures of ten birds, and lets you hear each bird's song by pressing a button. Additional cards--with ten birds each--cost ten bucks apiece. That's a dollar a bird, and all you get is its picture, its name and its song.
 Contrast that with the iBird Explorer Western, which I use on my iPod Touch:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ibird-explorer-western/id299569075?mt=8>
 For ten dollars it gives me 828 birds--and for each bird, iBird Explorer provides its name, song, multiple pictures, multiple photos, a map of its range, a description of its habits, identifying marks, lists of similar-looking birds and similar-sounding birdsongs. And best of all, it has a superbly well thought out feature that lets me zero in on an unknown bird's identity by choosing its size, colors, beak shape, etc. All this for slightly more than a penny per bird.
 Of course you can say this comparison is unfair because I'm not including the $185 I paid for the iPod Touch. True, but I also use it for literally a hundred other things--it's a general-purpose tool, as Larry said. And even if I had bought the iPod solely for birding, the total cost with iBird Explorer would have been $195... whereas to match that number of birds with the Birdsong Identiflyer would cost well over $800! That's if I could get 828 birds for the Identiflyer, which of course I can't--they only offer six or seven different ten-bird cards.
 The point I'm making here is the same as Larry's: the day of the single-purpose device is past. "Birdsong Identiflyer" was a really cool idea twenty years ago, but now it's a turkey. The future belongs to devices like the iPod and iPad, and to inexpensive software like iBird Explorer. Banks built a device that looks to the past. No doubt it does its jobs well, but the value it offers is poor. Banks would have done better to look to the future and build a $20 ODB II cable for the iPod Touch/iPhone, plus a $10-$20 software ap. They could have sold a lot more than they're going to sell iQ devices!

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Another possible I-Pod aplication? (Banks)
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 110438
The Banks device appears to be for diesel applications only.

Terry Tanner Los Angeles
Terry Apple
2013 RB 27 Baby Blue Bentley
Re: Another possible iPod application?
Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 113125
So, Andy, what is the verdict on the "RV Companion" app for the iPod Touch? Just bought a 32GB iPod Touch and am itching to know whether or not the leveling function of this app is worth getting.

Cindy 09 Silver FD - Sylvia

Why not? Life is short....live each day fully.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Another possible iPod application?
Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 113129
"what is the verdict on the 'RV Companion' app for the [iPhone and] iPod Touch? Just bought a 32GB iPod Touch and am itching to know whether or not the leveling function of this app is worth getting."
 The app is available in a free version, so it won't cost you anything to try it. As for its level... well, it works, but you have to have a level surface upon which to place your iPhone/iPod Touch. I find I do better with the levels mounted in my cab (dashboard and door), per Lazy Daze's recommendation.
 RV Companion is an example of a "Jack of all trades" application that combines a number of useful functions. By the time I discovered it, I already had apps that covered the same territory, so although I have it, I don't use it much. But for someone just starting out, it's worth a try.
 Another app that I recommend for new iPhone/iPod Touch owners is AppBox Pro, which bills itself as the Swiss Army knife of apps--and with dozens of useful functions, it really is. I won't even attempt to list all that it does, but you'll definitely get your 99 cents' worth out of this one! More important, it can save you from having to buy a whole slew of other apps.

http://tinyurl.com/2fagu87>

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Another possible iPod application?
Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 113148
Thanks Andy.

Cindy 09 Silver FD - Sylvia

Why not? Life is short....live each day fully.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Another possible I-Pod aplication?
Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 113150
There are iPhone/iPod Touch apps that can leverage OBD2 data.
 Check out Rev by DevToaster.  http://www.devtoaster.com/products/rev/
 PLX Devices makes the interface, it's basically an OBD2 reader with wifi that allows your device to read the vehicle data.
 http://www.plxkiwi.com/kiwiwifi/hardware.html

So basically for the interface + software it's under 200 bucks.  Still a far better deal than that Banks device.  Proprietary devices... yuck.