TrailRunner route planning for iPod and phones

Navigation on an iPod? Nearly

22 August 2006 10:01 GMT / By Chris Hall

Everyone wants to "cash in" on iPod's domination of the personal audio market and TrailRunner aims to get to those who use their iPod whilst running.

The basic premise of the software is to plan a route of where you want to run, stick that in your iPod, and then run it. Yes, that's it. Because you can plan on a map, you know how far you are running. Images on the iPod screen can then give you junction by junction directions as images.

The software also supports a range of "NanoMaps" which, yes, work on the iPod nano, but also on other small screen devices, such as the Motorola V3 Razr. Of course, this means you then have to paw your phone with your sweaty mits whilst running.

So what's the catch? Firstly, this is just images of your route, rather like using one of the many free route planners on the Internet, but you can stick it on the iPod and a range of other devices. It doesn't know where you are, so if you get lost, you can possibly work out where you didn't turn and backtrack.

However, there are some neat features under the bonnet. You can save your routes, then mix and match. You can rate your run routes, then put together a "greatest hits" of runs to create a super route. You can share routes and import and export and so on.

Currently the software is pre-release, and the company suggests you might like to donate 21 euros, however the long-term aim is going to be shareware.

Here's another catch - its only availble for MacOS, so 8 out of 10 cats won't be able to use it.

If you are interested, and you might not be, more information can be found at trailrunnerx.com.

Full tags

Sports Fitness, Running, Sports Fitness equipment, Trailrunner, Audio accessories, Audio