OutFront 2.2 for iphone adds support for ANT+ power devices, zones and more
Every once and while we are able to bring news of some great new features and today is one such occasion. With the latest update of OutFront for iPhone now available to download from the App Store we are pleased to say that cyclists using ANT+ enabled power devices can throw away their old head units and replace them with their OutFront.
Map My Tracks OutFront 2.2 extends the range of ANT+ enabled devices that it is compatible with and adds power in the mix, as well as heart rate, cadence and speed to give cyclists a full set of metrics to monitor and broadcast live on the web.
As the iPhone doesn’t come bundled with its own ANT+ sensors you’ll need to use third-party hardware like the Wahoo Fitness sensors that makes the bridge between the devices on the bike and the iPhone. Once set up they make monitoring the extra data a breeze. If you have not already looked into using heart rate, cadence or power in your workouts then now is a good time to start.
Also bundled into this version of the app are some new features for all users to benefit from. They include:
- Distribution zones for speed, heart rate, cadence and power
- Extended support for ANT+ enabled power devices
- Custom primary display option
- OS map option for user in Britain
- Various iOS5 updates to improve the app
Distribution zones
Available on all speed, heart rate, cadence and power data the distribution zones show your workout intensity.
To view the zones first open all the workout data then tap the side arrow on speed, cadence, heart rate or power data cell and choose distribution.
ANT+ compatibility
ANT+ power devices has been added to the family of third-party hardware that OutFront is compatible with. To connect with ANT+ enabled devices first get hold of the Wahoo Fitness sensors then through the setting pages connect each one to the app. Once it’s done the app stores the connect so you don’t have to do it again.
iOS5 users have the added benefit of the ANT+ sensors continuing to work while the app is running in the background. That’s new to iOS5 so if you are not running that version please remember to keep the app active. It’s fine to out the phone to sleep but make sure the app is not in the background.
Custom primary display
We know it’s handy to be able to scroll through the workout stats during an activity. It’s been possible to do this on the secondary data bar for a while so we added a scroll to the primary display as well. You can set the default to suit your workout in the setting section and then scroll through to other data during the activity.
OS map option
Our users in Britain will be able to switch to OS map tiles. That’s handy when off-road and the detail on the other map options is not as detailed as you’d like. It you’re not in the UK you won’t have that option but you can still switch between street and satellite maps.
Various other fixes and improvements are also included in this release so if you haven’t yet upgraded please do so now. The update is free to existing users.
We hope you like the new features and as ever, please let us know what you think of the update.
Download or update Map My Tracks OutFront for iPhone from the App Store.
Follow the Cracknell Walters E2E tandem record attempt live on Map My Tracks
Starting this Saturday at 03:00 James Cracknell and Jerone Walters will attempt to break the Land's End to John O'Groats tandem record of 50 hours 14 minutes and 25 seconds. Their progress during the attempt is being tracked live online by Map My Tracks and is also available to follow through the Map My Tracks OutFront iPhone app.
During the event online spectators around the world can follow the rider’s progress as they attempt to break not only the End to End record but also the 12 hour, 24 hour and 1000 miles records.
The Rocket 2 E2E event tracker features live statistics highlighting the riders’ progress with minute by minute updates, tweets and comments by supporters. As with any activity on Map My Tracks the event can be followed live on the Map My Tracks mobile apps.
If you’d prefer to follow their progress by mobile then you can keep up to date with the progress each group by downloading the Map My Tracks OutFront iPhone app. With this app the riders’ progress can be followed live. Here’s how to get set up to follow their progress from an iPhone.
Follow the Rocket 2 E2E record attempt live on an iPhone
First download Map My Tracks OutFront from the App Store and create a free user account via the app.
Then tap ‘Activities’ then tap the cog icon in the bottom right corner.
Then in the search bar type and search for ‘rocket2’.
This will display a column of all the rider’s activities. To save the column tap the cog in the top right.
Then finally tap ‘Add to Wall’ to include this on the Activity Wall in the app.
Once added tap back twice and you’ll have a new option to quickly browse all the Rocket2 tagged activities.
From here you can follow the progress of the rider live on the iPhone.
To get started and set up download Map My Tracks OutFront from the App Store.
Extended support for Garmin devices
Regular readers of our blog will know that we have recently added more ways to keep all your miles in one place. We're keeping that theme going by extending the range of Garmin devices that can directly upload activity data to Map My Tracks.
Garmin’s Edge 800, Edge 500 have been added to the devices supported through the Garmin Communicator plugin. For those of you not familiar with the Garmin Comminicator plugin it lets our service read files directly from the devices. This means that there is no need to export the raw files from a Garmin device to then upload to Map My Tracks. Now when a Garmin Edge is connected to your computer the files can be uploaded to your Map My Tracks profile within a few clicks.
Another great addition to the upload process through the Communicator plugin is that it’s now possible to select more than one activity at a time. It’s now a breeze to upload your full history of workouts from your Garmin device. It’s a great way to start out on Map My Tracks as once all the activities are uploaded they are available to review, share and analyze in more detail.
Using the Garmin upload
Uploading activities through the Communicator plugin is easy.
Step 1. Install the Garmin Communicator Plugin
Download and install this Internet browser plugin to transfer data from your device to Map My Tracks. Download Garmin Communicator Plugin
Step 2. Upload activities
1. Login to Map My Tracks or sign up for a free account.
2. Go to My profile > Upload activities > Garmin activity.
3. Connect your device to the computer with a USB cable or use the ANT+ wireless connection.
4. Once connected the Communicator will detect your device. Once detected click ‘Select device’.
5. Select the activities you want to upload and click ‘Select activity’.
6. Add extra information to the activity then click ‘Upload activity’.
7. The activity will take a moment to upload to your account.
Once uploaded the activities are online to replay, share or analyse.
We hope you enjoy using this new feature on Map My Tracks. Our thanks go out to all the people that have helped to improve this feature. The sample files and test upload were invaluable.
Keep all your miles in check on Map My Tracks
Hot on the heels of adding compatibility for more file formats we're delighted to announce that workouts and training sessions done without GPS devices can be logged on Map My Tracks. This means that all the miles and calories burned done without a digital device can be logged on Map My Tracks.
This is a great addition to Map My Tracks and one that we’re really pleased to add. Now there is no need to worry if you didn’t have your mobile phone with you when out training. Simply keep a note of the distance and duration and add it to your profile.
All the stats become part of your profile for you to review.
As ever, we hope you like the new feature and hope it helps to keep you motivated.
Upload TCX, FIT, CRS and SRM files to Map My Tracks
We love it when we can bring our users good news and especially when it can help to save some time. Today we have extended the range of file formats that can be uploaded to Map My Tracks which means that there is now no need to convert everything to a GPX file before it can be added to Map My Tracks.
TCX, FIT, CRS and SRM have been added to the existing GPX file formats supported on Map My Tracks. Files can be manually uploaded through the site or by using the Map My Tracks email dropbox that all users have. Either way, the activities are uploaded and added to your profile.
Uploading files is easy. You can upload files from My Activities, by email to your dropbox or through the profile section. First choose the file upload option.
Then attached the file, set the activity type, let everyone know how you got on and tag it if needed.
As with all activities you can choose who can see it. Public activities mean everyone can see how you got on but if want to keep it private then set it to for your eyes only.
We’ve added these file types by popular request so if you’d like us to add other file types then email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and let us know. Send us some sample files and we’ll do our best to add them into the mix of supported files.
Hope you enjoy the new feature.
Tribesports added to OutFront’s sharing options
The latest update of Map My Tracks OutFront for iPhone is now available to download from the App Store and includes a mix of new features and improvements to existing ones.
Among many updates is a new sharing option with Tribesports. This is in addition to sharing with Facebook and Twitter and of course Map My Tracks. This means that Tribesports users can now use their iphone to log their activities with Map My Tracks OutFront and sync them directly to their Tribesports profile.
To set up sharing with Tribesports go to the app’s Settings > Sharing settings > Tribesports. Enter your Tribesports username and password. Tribesports sharing is only available in the pro app.
Other updates made in the latest release include:
- Cadence / footpod sensor support.
- Heart rate, cadence and power data available on track review.
- Tribesports activity sharing.
- Improved elevation accuracy.
- Sea kayaking, kayaking and stand up paddle boarding activities.
- Improved Dutch language.
- Various features optimized and improved.
Find out more about OutFront or download it from the App Store.
Analyse SRM power data on Map My Tracks
SRM have long been considered the gold standard of power meters that provides cyclists with additional data about their performance. They're popular amongst pro and elite cyclist around the world - so much so that most of the UCI World Tour cycling teams ride with SRM power meters - including Team Sky to which Map My Tracks are official suppliers.
We’re thrilled to announce that we have now added support to import, read and analyze SRM data files here on Map My Tracks. Power, cadence, speed, elevation, heart rate and pace are available to analyze and just like any other activity the data can be examined in detail for any ascent, descent or time period throughout the session.
Uploading an SRM file is simple
First connect the SRM PowerControl unit with your computer to download the data. The files are saved in the directory you have designated but the default directory is: C:\Program Files\SRM Training System\_DATA.SRM.
Then either email the files to your personal Map My Tracks email dropbox or use the upload options in your profile to add the SRM file to your profile. There are also upload options in the My Activities section. As with all activities a public one is available for everyone to see and private ones are for your eyes only. If you’re part of a team on Map My Tracks the public activities will be added to the team for team members to review.
Analyzing SRM data
Once uploaded the SRM data is available to analyze within your profile or training room.
To help better analyze the data each data type can be switched on or off.
Any segment of the activity can be examined in more detail. Simply click into the chart and choose the period to examine in more detail.
View the data on any device
As with all activities on Map My Tracks they can be reviewed via desktop, tablet and mobile browsers. The forthcoming update of the Map My Tracks iPhone app, OutFront, can also be used to review, analyze and share SRM data files.
This is just the start of what we have planned for SRM data files. We’ll be modifying the dropbox to let you upload SRM files by email as well as increasing the range reports on the data.
As ever, we’d love to hear from you to find out what you’d like to see added. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy using the new tools.
Follow the Cisco Riders live in the Ride Across Britain
A team a riders from Cisco will be taking to the saddle over the next nine days as part of the Ride Across Britain 2011 cycling event starting from John O'Groats and finishing at Land's End. By riding this event Cisco aims to raise £50,000 fundraising for ParalympicsGB.
Their progress will tracked live by Map My Tracks and available for spectators to follow on the Cisco Rider hub here on Map My Tracks. Online spectators can follow the progress of the riders live each day, provide encouragement through Twitter and Facebook and support their activity by donation through Just Giving.
The Cisco Riders Hub features a range of statistics highlighting the achievements by each rider and just like a standard Map My Tracks Hub any rider joining them for the day can also include their progress by using one of the Map My Tracks apps and tagging their activity with ‘ciscoriders’.
For those not able to stay in front of your PC during the event they can keep up to date with the progress of riders by downloading the Map My Tracks OutFront iPhone app. With this app each rider’s progress can be followed live. Here’s how to get set up to follow their progress with OutFront.
Follow the Cisco Riders live on an iPhone
First download Map My Tracks OutFront from the App Store and create a free user account via the app.
Then tap ‘Activities’ then tap the cog icon in the bottom right corner.
Then in the search bar type and search for ‘ciscoriders’.
This will display a column of all the rider’s activities. To save the column tap the cog in the top right.
Then finally tap ‘Add to Wall’ to include this on the Activity Wall in the app. Once saved to the Activity Wall it’s easy to keep track of each rider and follow their progress live on the iPhone.
Download Map My Tracks OutFront from the App Store to get started.
Facebook sharing and a temporary fix
If you're having trouble sharing your activities from OutFront to your Facebook profile then this tip might help.
We’ve notice a bug in the app doesn’t save the settings correctly when you first connect the app with Facebook. The bug will be fixed in the next release but while Apple is reviewing the update the steps below will let you work around the problem.
Step 1. Open app and tap ‘Settings’ then ‘Sharing settings’.
Step 2. Tap ‘Connect with Facebook’ and log into Facebook. Once the Facebook login is complete tap on ‘Settings’ to return to the main settings page.
So far this is normal behavior but the bug is stopping the changes from being saved so we need to force the page to save the changes. If you do not see a ‘Save’ button in the top right corner you will need to adjust another setting to force this onscreen. To do this follow the next steps.
Step 3. Tap the weight settings then make an adjustment on the weight and then tap ‘Settings’ to return to the main page. This will force the ‘Save’ button to appear in the top corner.
Step 4. Tap ‘Save’ to store the changes to the settings. This will also save the Facebook sharing settings as well.
We sorry we didn’t spot this problem in the app but by following these simple steps you can successfully save the Facebook sharing option and then be able to post your activities on Facebook.
The next release will have a fix for this. If you continue to have trouble please email support [at] mapmytracks.com where we can provide direct assistance.
Introducing the Map My Tracks Endurance iPhone app
With the cycle sportive season in full swing we are delighted to announce the launch of Map My Tracks Endurance app for iPhone®.
Endurance is the perfect companion on long distance rides or runs when you want share your progress live online for others to follow.
Map My Tracks Endurance is a light-weight, low-power app that is designed to make long distance live tracking possible with an iPhone. Capable of tracking live for over 24 hours on one charge, Map My Tracks Endurance reduces the battery drain that can be experienced from other iPhone tracking apps. With this app it’s easy for friends, family or sponsors to follow your progress online throughout long distance events like sportives, gran fondos or marathons.
As with our other iPhone apps, Endurance seamlessly connects with your MapMyTracks.com profile to let spectators follow your progress online from around the world. And just like OutFront, when multiple riders use the same tag their activities can be followed live on an event hub. With the Map My Tracks Endurance app sports event organisers have a viable live tracking solution that all their participants can use.
The app will get its first outing in the the Ride Across Britain where the team of riders from Cisco will be using Map My Tracks Endurance throughout the nine day event. Their progress will be followed live on the Cisco Riders event hub on MapMyTracks.com by sponsors, friends and Cisco work colleagues around the world.
Map My Tracks Endurance is free to download from the App Store and is compatible with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS & iPhone 4 and as usual unlimited live tracking is available to all Map My Tracks account holders.
Using Endurance
Endurance couldn’t be simpler to use when out riding or running. Once logged into the app set the update frequency, add a tag, then tap start. It’s that simple.
Endurance has been designed with long distance live tracking in mind. In order to extend the battery life the app is optimised to use GPS only when needed. More frequent updates use more power and in turn reduces the overall tracking time. So adjust the update frequency to suit the activity session. In tests carried out on an iPhone 4 at two minute updates the battery life was extended to over 10 hours.
As Map My Tracks Endurance is a light-weight tracking app is does not provide a breakdown of your performance within the app (for that we suggest you use OutFront). However, since each activity is live there is full breakdown of the activity stats online in your profile.
