Forums >Suggestions and Feature Requests>Seriously: You need a new Android app (or an update to the old one).
Well, again the problem isn't with RA or their web interface, and in fact, I've gone into great detail about why I LIKE running ahead for viewing my data, so I'm not sure what you're really after. I don't use the web interface on my phone, it's not formatted for mobile devices (unless there's a mobile version I don't know about), but really, using the RA site with my phone is not something that interests me.
This is the part that confuses me. If the problem isn't with RA, why are you on RA complaining that RA fixes the (your) problem?
He means that he likes RA and wants to use it, but can't because he doesn't want to input his runs manually. He's using another site that is linked to an Android app that actually works and automatically uploads his runs as they are completed. HandyRunner was designed to do this for RA, but it doesn't work anymore (unsurprising, since it hasn't been updated for 3 years and the Android platform has changed many times since then). Therefore, he's left with looking at his data on that other site, which isn't as good as RA.
I have a Garmin 310xt and a 910xt and upload my data from my Android Samsung Galaxy S3 using Uploader. I upload both to Garmin Connect and Running Ahead.
Ok, so here's the confusion. The OP doesn't have a GPS. His phone is his GPS. Handy Runner is an Android app that records GPS data (sans Garmin) while running and uploads it automagically and seamlessly to RA. Brilliant, right?. But this app is broken and doesn't work anymore. Other apps (like runkeeper) are good at reliably recording GPS data, but don't upload directly to RA because they have their own sites and ad revenue business models. Make sense?
Ok, understand now. There is also the Garmin Fit app (price $0.99) which I have that automatically uploads to Garmin Connect. Of course once the data is in Garmin Connect it can always be uploaded into Running Ahead. I actually had to use this once because I had forgotten my Garmin.
Out of curiosity, can the Garmin Fit app provide audio notifications at specific/custom mileage intervals? I currently use my Android phone as GPS, and I use CardioTrainer (free) as my tracking app, as it supports the audio interval cues that I need for burpee runs, but I end up having to manually enter my data into RA...
2014 goals:
1. Run a minimum of 1.5 miles every single day of the year
2. Run 1500 miles in 2014
3. Get my weekly mileage above 40
4. Brown belt in Shaolin Kempo
5. First Half (Oregon Wine Country HM?)
6. PRs: Sub-21 5k, Sub-45 10k, Sub-45 Spartan Sprint, Sub 1:55 HM (Oregon Wine Country HM)
I just looked through "Settings" but didn't notice anything for notifications. Surprising. It does have auto lap though. it does handle music, playlists, etc, etc. This is Build Version 1.7.
Thanks for looking!
Maybe I'll have to take a look at that RA API, and try my hand at creating a new RA-compatible app...
Good Bad & The Monkey
An interesting and pertinent read.
An important issue is that as we look across the fabric of America, a huge swath of people access the internet by mobile phone and have no other way to access the internet. They do not have access via laptops or desktops. This is especially true of populations from minority races and ethnicity, and with low socioeconomic status. If we want to reach individuals, we need to meet them where they are. Increasingly, this is the mobile market, whether apps or responsive websites.
I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.
Poor baby
Well, firstly, this is the "Suggestions and Feature Requests" section, in which I've posted a suggestion, is it not? Besides, there's nothing anywhere (except the snarky comments of RA forum members) that actually indicated that the Handy Runner app was not a product of RA. Also, as I stated elsewhere in the thread, RA is actively linking to and promoting the app in question, and as such, should have some level of interest in the matter. Furthermore, it's not just MY problem. If you read through the reviews of the App (as well as a few comments in this thread), there are other people having the same problems with the App. Regardless of who the app is produced/maintained by, it is at least partially responsible for a loss (or limitation) of user base for RA.
I completely agree with the OP. I like HandyRunner, when it works. It is extremely frustrating to get a phone call in the middle of a run and have the app completely stop working. I would love it if someone nerdier than me would create something better.
I know that Eric has resisted a freemium model for RA, apart from allowing donors to turn off the ads. But it might be worth asking the user community about their platform preferences for an app (to determine development priorities) AND get a sense of what, if anything, users might be willing to pay.
Personally I have no problem paying a reasonable amount for a useful, stable amd well-designed app, and I also have no doubt that anything Eric develops will meet those three requirements.
How many people here interface with RA without a problem using an iPhone?
If so, what app do you use?
Truly curious.
I've got a fever...
How many people here interface with RA without a problem using an iPhone? If so, what app do you use? Truly curious.
I use the Safari browser on my iPhone regularly to log my run data (just basics -- time of day, distance, time, what shoes I used). It's rather clunky to be honest -- the log entry screen is not particularly mobile-friendly. Absent an RA iPhone app, I'd love to see RA recognize that you're coming in via a phone and switch to a dead simple mobile-friendly version of the site (m.runningahead.com anyone?).
On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office. But you will wish that you'd spent more time running. Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.
So, since posting this thread originally, I have begun using Google MyTracks to track my runs and bike rides. It has worked very well for me. It also syncs with my Google Drive account, and I can export whatever format I need (gpx, kml, etc.). Since it automatically syncs with my google drive account, I can then access all those files from my PC and upload them to RA using the "Upload GPS data" module. It's not a perfect solution and I would still prefer an app with native RA integration, but this works well for me.