St. John Off The Beaten Track App for iPhone

Post by **Anthony** » Sun Jun 16, 2013 6:27 pm

This looks great -

iPhone: St. John Off the Beaten Track - Gerald Singer

iPad: St. John Off the Beaten Track - Gerald Singer

Post by **Anthony** » Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:16 am

Has anyone here bought one of these yet?

star2515 · Post by **star2515** » Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:42 am

I bought it last night after seeing your post. I haven't had a whole lot of time to look at it yet but at first glance it's great, a lot of detailed info much like the book, it will be nice to have all that info without having to carry the book around for our upcoming 3rd trip!! Only con so far is I would wish for more pics. Overall though I'd recommend it for sure!

Post by **Anthony** » Mon Jun 17, 2013 9:47 am

star2515 wrote: Only con so far is I would wish for more pics.

One of the challenges of travel apps is that they have to be "self contained" (well, many of them anyway), with all media (photos, video, etc.) in the app itself, because people either know they will have huge roaming fees if the app needs you to be online, or they will be in remote areas with no fast cell network and the app won't function - and then if the app is HUGE you won't buy it because it will fill up the memory on your device. So people who make these apps have to draw the line somewhere - how many pics can you include without bloating the app size, etc. I blame the phone companies!

visitstj · Post by **visitstj** » Mon Jun 17, 2013 1:22 pm

These is also an Android version on Google Play. https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... 5hcHAiXQ..

dreamshark · Post by **dreamshark** » Mon Jun 17, 2013 3:16 pm

Note that this is not a free app - it costs $2. Being an app addict I downloaded it anyway, but now I'm sorry. It has some nice features, particularly the interactive trail map, but it has a huge flaw that makes it pretty much useless, IMHO.

Although this appears to be a self-contained app it IS NOT! I was getting intermittent "server errors" when I tried to return to the home screen (not sure why, as I have a strong wireless connection where I am right now). But why was it even trying to access the Internet? I looked on the "About" screen and found this: "The app will function anywhere there is a cell phone signal or wifi... check with your carrier to see if your plan includes the Virgin Islands to avoid roaming charges..." So not only will the app fail to work if you try to open it without an internet connection it will (1) eat up your data minutes if you're out of wireless range and (2) potentially connect to the BVI towers and run up international roaming costs!

Unless they upgrade this app to include an offline mode, I would not recommend it. I don't even know why it needs Internet connectivity - it's mostly serving up static pages about beaches and trails taken directly from the book. But even if it were offering daily weather updates and trail conditions, there should be a way to disable that!

Post by **Anthony** » Mon Jun 17, 2013 7:29 pm

dreamshark - maybe it was/is trying to use location services (so you can see where you are on a trail, etc.)? That can be turned off (most likely) if so (at least I would think it could be turend off - I am talking about iOS only, I don't have any Android devices). This is interesting though - I don't have it on my phone yet but I do want to try it either way.

star2515 · Post by **star2515** » Mon Jun 17, 2013 11:14 pm

Simple test, I have it on my ipad so turned the wifi off and the app wouldn't work, it gave me an error bc no Internet connection. It is a little frustrating that it does seem to need wifi to work but I still like it as a travel version of the book, just know it does use data so if roaming that may be costly. Anyway, beyond that I like it for its great detailed beach and trail info and maps, however I like the StJohn app because it has more detailed in town info ( restaurant info, ferry schedule, jeep rental, ect) Off the Beaten Track doesn't include as well as beach and trail info. Both are good resources.

dreamshark · Post by **dreamshark** » Tue Jun 18, 2013 1:56 pm

star2515 wrote:Simple test, I have it on my ipad so turned the wifi off and the app wouldn't work, it gave me an error bc no Internet connection. It is a little frustrating that it does seem to need wifi to work but I still like it as a travel version of the book, just know it does use data so if roaming that may be costly. Anyway, beyond that I like it for its great detailed beach and trail info and maps, however I like the StJohn app because it has more detailed in town info ( restaurant info, ferry schedule, jeep rental, ect) Off the Beaten Track doesn't include as well as beach and trail info. Both are good resources.

I tested it the same way - putting my iPhone into Airplane Mode completely disables the app from working.

It could still be handy for consulting back at the villa with wi-fi. But not on the airplane on the way down, and I would probably not use it "in the field."

I have a very nice app called "WhatToDo-VI" from Treasure Island Maps that I'm pretty sure was free. It works both off and online. If I needed a map I'd probably pull that one up first. It's also got a lot of phone numbers for restaurants and such. And a quick beach guide too - not as detailed as "Off the Beaten Track" but still a decent summary of the high points of the different beaches. This one I definitely recommend.

star, is this the app you referred to as "the St. John app?"

jaybfloyd · Post by **jaybfloyd** » Tue Jun 18, 2013 3:03 pm

App for Android is free.

I'm not sure how it will work down there yet but I assume you can just turn off the GPS and still get all the other features except for the Trail map.

TrvlJohn · Post by **TrvlJohn** » Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:36 pm

In the iOS version, the only thing available without a signal is the large trail bandit map. It is a very high quality map and you can zoom in but you cannot tap on individual trails for info. That being said, I still think it is worth the $2. I have always like Gerald's book, but it too heavy to carry around in a backpack on the island so I tend to leave it at home.

I probably shouldn't admit this, but several years ago, I copied his whole website my dropbox and used that on St. John - when I needed to access the info from the website and didn't have service. I feel better now that I have given him $2 for essentially the same thing...

John

jwwj · Post by **jwwj** » Tue Jun 18, 2013 5:24 pm

Haven't tried this one but I do have "The St John App" and it works really well offline. It has a map showing the location of many of the beaches, facilities and a snorkel map. Also has links to restaurants and shops. It does have an online section but it isn't necessary to use the app.

Post by **Anthony** » Tue Jun 18, 2013 5:50 pm

The St. John App is something different - I met the author (last summer?) and he is a very cool guy and the app is very nice. I think (and I could be wrong about this) that Gerald Singer actually supplied some content for the St. John App.

You can get it here:

St John App

sombrero · Post by **sombrero** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 7:26 am

Most of the St. John Off the Beaten Track App is internet based and will function optimally only as long as there is cell phone or WiFi access to the Internet. I have chosen this option for the following reasons:

1 - It is the only way to allow for interactivity, such as the my location feature, which uses GPS.
2 -This option enables the information presented on the app to be completely current and up to date and
3 - to allow for the vast amount of information and photos contained in the app without it being so large that it will use up an inordinate amount of the available space on the user’s device.

There are times, however, when cell service is spotty. There are also places on the island, such as the lowlands in the vicinity of the Westin, where there is little to no cell service and there are places, such as some of the beaches on the north shore, where you may pick up BVI instead of USVI service (your cell provider will generally send a warning when you pick up an international signal)

In any of these situations, the app (or any other internet based function, Gmail, Safari, Facebook etc.) will not function properly unless the user can access a WiFi signal.

However, by and large, cell service and coverage on St. John is very good and normally the app will function properly when using cell phone connectivity instead of WiFi.

Nonetheless, I understand and apologize for the frustration of users who, when using the app in the field, encounter the problem of poor or no cell phone connectivity.

To ameliorate this potential problem, I am in the process of updating the app so that information that is not extremely time sensitive, such as trails, beaches, attractions and overlooks will be self contained. This update will be available shortly.

Sincerely,
Gerald Singer

Post by **Anthony** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 1:28 pm

Thanks to Gerald for clarifying the technical details of his new app. I hope that answers everyone's questions!

usvi-on-line