Published May 17, 2010
When we asked for your ideas for the forthcoming WBUR iPhone app, you responded overwhelmingly. Now, in cahoots with PRX, we’re busy putting the finishing touches on an app that you invented.
Join me here on Tuesday, May 25, at 12 noon, for a preview of what we’re cooking up. You can sign up for an e-mail reminder below:
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Meantime, here are the features you asked for that we’re delivering:
Oscar, others:
Is there a way you can have an alarm clock feature so you can set your alarm – either in the app or the other alarm clock already on the phone so it automatically turns wbur to wake you up just same way a clock radio works?? this would be pretty unique.
Yup. There will be a WBUR alarm clock, Oscar.
JP:
The base stuff that I’d like to see:
1) Push notifications on news briefs
2) Ability to stream WBURThings that I’d love to see:
3) News headlines
4) Archives that can be browsed
5) Archives that can be searched
6) A way to set up a playlist and play stories that you like
7) A way to bookmark where you are in stories that you’re playing in your playlist
8) Possibly a way to work with twitter or some other medium to communicate with the show.
Yup. We’ll be delivering all eight of those, JP.
Update: Alright, I got too excited. Playlist functionality is something we’re working on but will not be ready in time for 1.0!
Shane Curcuru, others:
Boston area map with discounts or local story locations would be great.
Shane, this is one of our favorite ideas, and we’ll deliver it on Day 1.
Giuseppe, many ditto’s:
You need to look at the landscape of existing apps and figure out what giant pain is not currently being solved. People don’t download and use apps that are marginally better. If you can’t find some giant pain(s), then save your money and invest it in programming.
Giuseppe’s comment resonated with us so powerfully that we jokingly dubbed our app Project Giuseppe. We think we have built something that will satisfy Giuseppe and the rest of our users.
Flycast will load WBUR (or whatever I’ve last played) – directly from launch. […] Do make the WBUR app a single-click play of favorite or ‘last up’.
Done. You’ll be able to listen in one tap, Gallaugher.
Mark Kriegsman, others:
Pause and Rewind the live stream! (Buffer up X minutes of audio and allow pause, rewind, and ‘return to live’ functions) Help us out with the driveway moments when we have to get out of the car anyway
You got it, Mark. We’ve built a TiVo-like radio player. You’ll love it.
Update: This, too, is an awesome feature we’re working on that won’t be ready in time for 1.0. Stay tuned.)
to help raise $, the ability to donate to the pledge drive via txt, or another method
We’re looking into this idea, Conor.
Ryan, countless others:
the only thing i would love is to have WBUR play in the background.
Perhaps the most requested feature! When iPhone OS 4.0 is released this summer, we’ll be able to deliver background audio streaming. (In the meantime, you can visit http://wbur.org in Mobile Safari and close the app — WBUR will keep streaming.)
Alan Capewell, others:
Not sure if mentioned yet, but simply: What’s on/playing now, by whom?
Yes, Alan, we aim to present this information very clearly.
Ryan:
Don’t forget about the iTouch!
The app will work on iPod Touch.
Paul T and many, many others
Make one for Droid.
Paul, believe me, we’re thinking about Android and other platforms. iPhone users represent the overwhelming majority of our mobile audience, so we developed for that platform first.
And One More Thing…
We’re building in one more feature that I am most excited about: We call it “On Assignment,” and you are the reporter. Submit breaking news and help us report stories with more depth than we could ever deliver without you. Join me May 25 on Hubbub for more details.