iPhone App: TN Traffic Advisor
Introduction
Despite the fact that no one likes rush hours; many people are still forced to hit the streets at these times. But rush hour is a blessing because at least it’s something you know about beforehand. The real problem is with things like emergency road repairs or accidents that obviously have no timings (well unless you’re psychic of course). Good news is iPod, iPhone and iPad users are in luck as the “Tennessee Traffic Advisor” app will make your road experience a lot smoother and headache free.
Release And Compatibility
Developed by Tyler Hall and released on the 31st of August 2010; it is safe to bluntly state that TN Traffic Advisor is the most accurate traffic app available for iDevices in the state of Tennessee. And no, I do not date the author’s daughter nor was he my childhood best friend but simply because the app fetches its data directly from the Tennessee Department of Transportation which ensures, not just that it’s accurate, but up to date as well.
Features
Firstly, you can use the app in two different views. One is the map view which basically is –yes you got it – a map, displaying accidents, traffic cams and different warning messages represented as special signs along the road. Tapping those signs will give you more information about them. For example, if it’s an accident it may give you details about what actually happened. A final point with regards to the map view is that it uses the built in GPS to automatically zoom in on your current location. If the map looks quite confusing to you with all the different signs and graphics, you can choose to only display accident signs for example. Alternatively, any combination of accident, camera, construction, traffic speed and general warnings message signs can be toggled on or off for map display. If you find the map display distracting or are not fond of it for any other reason; fear not, as the List View comes to your rescue. The list view simply “lists” nearby (using the GPS) accidents or generally traffic information but does not plot anything on maps. With one tap it allows you to navigate to the next accident / piece of traffic information available. This is helpful if you want to take a quick look and ensure that your journey is clear of road problems.
Applying the Concept
This app is the first app that we can really describe as a “full” traffic app. Most other apps are traffic cam apps which do not really do the trick. People want something that will ultimately confirm whether the road is clear or not. So if I’m driving through, I’d check for any and all warning messages, accidents, etc. THEN maybe I’ll take a look at the traffic cam to confirm. Another strong point to this app is that it actually allows me to predict the FUTURE of the road, unlike “cam” apps. It describes the accident and the estimated time it’ll take to get cleared helping me predict whether the road will be clear or not by the time I get to it.
Ranting Time…
I kept thinking a lot about what to put in this section. I honestly don’t have any “negative” points against it. Even the price is a snatch comparing to the tremendous effort, time and fuel it saves you (see the next section for price). However, I do have a couple of realistic (and unrealistic) suggestions. The realistic one: how about I keep the app on during driving and then when it detects an accident in a certain radius it speaks out “Accident Detected!” or something along those lines. That will save me having to keep looking at the phone or map and would allow me to concentrate on driving; only turning to the app when something is up. On to the unrealistic suggestion: why not have a traffic app that powerful for all the states or even other countries? That would be fantastic. I mean, what’s the percentage of the TN people of the world population? And how many of those would use this app? Comparing to the world population, this app is beneficial to quite a small number of people. Now why is this unrealistic? Many reasons for that. For example, the huge difference between the traffic systems across different states and ultimately different countries. Based on that, the second reason would be the amount of resources needed. Well, perhaps one day this could be achieved.
Wrapping it Up
OK now I’m jealous of all the Tennessee people around. You live in TN? Anyway, if you want to save some time and return home before your kids come back from school to prepare lunch, the TN Traffic Advisor is your best bet. Besides, some chaos lovers may use it quite differently. They can hunt down accidents and go see what’s happening there. Or, it could be beneficial to reporters as well. The latest version at the time of writing this is 1.0 and the app size is approximately 0.6 MB. It’s available in the app store for $0.99. Click here to go there now.
