Snocator iPhone App First Look

Nov 12, 2008  ·  02:23 PM  ·  permalink

After learning about it on Getoutdoors.com Outdoor Blog, I downloaded the Snocator iPhone application to take first look. Here are my first impressions:

At $5.99, Snocator is an "expensive" iPhone app, and it expires at the end of the 2008/09 ski season, so presumably you have to buy it again if you want to use it on subsequent seasons. That's a bit of a bummer, but hey, maybe it's totally worth it. And besides, Snocator's CEO has offered to refund your money if you're unsatisfied, so what have you got to lose?

Startup: The startup is pretty quick, although being told to "chill for a sec" rubs me the wrong way--I dunno, it's kind of overly familiar. Call me uptight, but I don't like uppity software.

Initial Screen: After the startup, the app correctly identified the closest resort to me and clicking on the logo took me to information for Eldora although that process took about 45 seconds, despite having both 3G and WiFi enabled.

Resort List: The resort list is pretty sweet--sortable by distance and new snow means no more interpreting snow reports manually before you leave in the morning. Since the listing is pretty user friendly, you can roll out of bed, hit the road right away and wait until you're actually conscious--say around Idaho Springs--before making the crucial decision to turn off for Winter Park or drive on to Summit or Eagle counties.

Resort Summary: The resort summary page appears to be relatively useful and does display up-to-date info (comparing to what the resort reports on its website). Although, with only a few resorts open in Colorado so far, it's not particularly taxing to keep the information accurate.

Resort Weather: The nice, easy-to-read weather display keeps it simple and displays the critical info, with options to look at more details. That's nice, and also valuable if you're trying to choose among different resorts.

Resort Info: The Resort Info screen is ok, but I think it will be tough to read when on the move, and it can't be zoomed. Also, the text is not interactive, i.e., you can't tap the URL to launch it in a browser, or tap the phone number to call the resort. So, this screen is only moderately useful.

Snow Report: Like the Resort Info screen, the Snow Report screen is too small for my taste and doesn't zoom. Ibn additional, the data display itself is confusing (to me at least) and hard to parse. E.g., "Prev Snow" lists a date followed by the accumulation which requires you to know what today is in order to interpret. I'd like to see this screen in bigger type, with better grouping and division of information. The iPhone weather widget, in my opinion, is the model for an effective weather display.

Resort Maps: The prospect of interactive, GPS-enabled resort maps are probably the most exciting feature of Snowcator, which is probably why the reality is so disappointing. Use the slideshow below to flip through some sample screenshots. The first three slides are the resort trail maps zoomed to their maximum resolution. These appear to simply be the PDFs available from any resort's website and, as you can see, the Vail map is completely unusable and the maps of Telluride and Winter Park are only marginally better. This may be a constrain of the iPhone but in that case, why bother?

Slides:

1. Vail trail map
2. Telluride trail map
3. Winter Park trail map
4. My location on GPS map
5. GPS map loading
6. Completed Winter Park GPS map

The last three slides are samples from Snocator's GPS maps. The first shows my location while the map loads, which, unfortunately, Snocator's GPS do A LOT. The next slide shows what you see when attempting to zoom or move a map--nothing. Snocator doesn't seem to cache or preload map data, which means changing anything adds lots of wait time, and in the mean time, you stare at that distracting background. There's a reason Google Maps uses a "quite" background on its maps. The last slide is the fully-loaded map of Winter Park. It's hard to tell how helpful this will be on the slopes without direct experience, so I will simply note that I'm doubtful.

Resort Cams: I've always though resort web cams were kind of gimmicky. It's nice to have them once in a while, but most of the time they don't provide any information--I'd rather see some clear photography. But nevertheless, it's pretty nifty to be able to look at a resort in real time on Snocator (although you could do the same using your browsers by going to thje resort website itself).

Final Notes: During the writing of this post, Snowcator crashed maybe six times. When you're using a constrained interface with potentially slow data pipes, crashiness is extra annoying. I also have doubts that Snocator will be usable at many resorts--since it's loading most of its data over WiFi or 3G (as opposed to loading it with the application) will the GPS maps work? I guess I'll find out. On the whole, Snocator seems to have gone for quantity over quality--lots of features (many of which I've completely glossed over), only a few of which contribute to the value of the application. If it was me, I'd start working on a free version with JUST snow reports and resort info, and I'd make that application rock. I love the idea of Snocator, but is it ready from prime-time?

If you've tried it and have anything to add, or disagree with me, leave a comment. Also, check out our Snow Hugger Flickr photostream where we will post more screenshots and updates over time.