Apple Watch Apps compared for Freeriding

[aleks]

Aleks - thank you for working on this app

I think it would be great to have some customization for the fields that you see. Putting too many numbers might make them too small to read on the water.

At least there should be 2 or 3 different modes such as big air where you see jump info (together with time) or speed mode where you see top speed, distance etc. Different people care about different thing IMHO.

Thanks again!

That is an excelent point capewindhunter . It is very true that different people prefer to see different things and in different format. The best example of flexibility like that is Garmin standard activities/apps (on Garmin watches only) - you can choose different screens, layouts on those screens, and different data fields on each screen. Ideal watch app should be exactly like that. However, as far as I know, none of the existing Apple Watch kiteboarding apps offer ANY flexibility of what you see on the watch screen. I think it is because it takes A LOT of work to make a framework like that, but it has very little impact on the app adoption.

Same goes for the upcoming new WOO app. I wish I could make it as flexible as Garmin activities, but if I concentrate on that, I'll never finish the app . There is enormous amount of work to make screen layouts flexible and at the same time fit on different watch sizes. Hopefully later on I can add this feature, but definetly not in the first versions of the app.

For now I just try to create the best screen layout for an average user. I kite myself a lot (I am #5 on total jump height in the world on WOO at this moment ), so I know exactly what and how I want to see on the watch screen. It usually works for 80% of the kiters - I do welcome feedback, good or bad. Some people want to see different data, some prefer differen font sizes, but I believe that an average user will be happy with a layout I offer and meticulously craft for my own usage

However, I do believe in user's choice and planned to create more flexible layouts for a while know. I'll try to get back to it later on, but right now I'm concentrating on app's reliability and functionality. Meanwhile please feel free to send me your layout suggestions - I'll see what can be done to accomodate them. Thanks

[capewindhunter]

What you said makes a lot of sense. You kite a lot like you mentioned so you probably have good judgement on what could be good to include.

I think I’ll repeat the metrics someone else mentioned already since I agree with them and I mainly care about jumps while riding. This is the list IMHO:

Last jump height
Biggest jump height for the session
Current time

That’s all I think. I don’t have specific layouts to suggest. Less is more i think, especially when it comes to Apple watch screen and how much you can fit on it

All your effort working on this app is much appreciated!

[aleks]

I think I’ll repeat the metrics someone else mentioned already since I agree with them and I mainly care about jumps while riding. This is the list IMHO:

Last jump height
Biggest jump height for the session
Current time

Thank you! These data are all already on the primary screen (there is a secondary screen with a bunch of other data). Here is the list of fields I like to see on my primary screen. It might look like too much, but I use every single one of them :

- Current time
- Session elapsed time
- Last (Current) jump height - of course that is the most important field, so it is always in BIG font
- Last jump hang time - not needed as much, but very handy when you try to make a correlation between height and hang time.
- Max jump height for a session - you can technically remember that, but it is hard to remember anything after decimal point. I keep looking at it, even though I kinda know what it is during the session
- Current speed (from GPS). Not that important, but useful once in a while.
- Max speed during last 30 seconds. That is my own invention, and I find it very useful for checking your jump take off speed AFTER landing the jump (usually you reach maximum speed right before the take off). Also great for short speed runs (again, checking max speed AFTER the run, so not distracted by looking at the watch at high speed). This field I find more useful than the plain speed.

Yes, it is a chore to fit all these data on a watch screen, but I think it worked out pretty well - you guys will be the judge of course . I do have almost the same layout in my app on Garmin watches, and it works great. You can see some pictures in the app posting:

https://apps.garmin.com/en-NL/apps/53d9 ... 65bc6a144a

Even for Android watches I have a similar setup, but there I took a slighly different approach alternating GPS and WOO data (some pictures in the posting there, but a bit outdated now):

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... .wooscreen

Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think about the new app - I hope it will come out very soon

[Kitemenn]

I think I’ll repeat the metrics someone else mentioned already since I agree with them and I mainly care about jumps while riding. This is the list IMHO:

Last jump height
Biggest jump height for the session
Current time

Thank you! These data are all already on the primary screen (there is a secondary screen with a bunch of other data). Here is the list of fields I like to see on my primary screen. It might look like too much, but I use every single one of them :

- Current time
- Session elapsed time
- Last (Current) jump height - of course that is the most important field, so it is always in BIG font
- Last jump hang time - not needed as much, but very handy when you try to make a correlation between height and hang time.
- Max jump height for a session - you can technically remember that, but it is hard to remember anything after decimal point. I keep looking at it, even though I kinda know what it is during the session
- Current speed (from GPS). Not that important, but useful once in a while.
- Max speed during last 30 seconds. That is my own invention, and I find it very useful for checking your jump take off speed AFTER landing the jump (usually you reach maximum speed right before the take off). Also great for short speed runs (again, checking max speed AFTER the run, so not distracted by looking at the watch at high speed). This field I find more useful than the plain speed.

Yes, it is a chore to fit all these data on a watch screen, but I think it worked out pretty well - you guys will be the judge of course . I do have almost the same layout in my app on Garmin watches, and it works great. You can see some pictures in the app posting:

https://apps.garmin.com/en-NL/apps/53d9 ... 65bc6a144a

Even for Android watches I have a similar setup, but there I took a slighly different approach alternating GPS and WOO data (some pictures in the posting there, but a bit outdated now):

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... .wooscreen

Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think about the new app - I hope it will come out very soon

It's live and well worth the wait! Thanks Aleks great job incl watch GPS and adding min jump height notifications!

[aleks]

The new WOO app for Apple watch is out! Check it out

This is a first iteration of the new Apple Watch app - it is geared towards WOO users. The app includes saving your track to Apple Health Kit, so please give it all Health permission it asks for - they are needed to display heart rate and burnt calories (calories are for future releases) information during the session AND save your workout with GPS track to Apple Health and Fitness apps. For now, you can review your track in Fitness app - WOO app integration will come later.

Please let me know if you have any questions or feedback. There is a already a new version of the Watch app in development - more new exiting features are coming. Your suggestions can make it into the new app !

[aleks]

Here are a few screenshots from the watch and Fitness app with track:

IMG_0025.PNG (33.88 KiB) Viewed 1361 times

IMG_0031.PNG (86.76 KiB) Viewed 1361 times

[capewindhunter]

Here are a few screenshots from the watch and Fitness app with track:

IMG_0025.PNG

IMG_0031.PNG

IMG_0032 2.PNG

Looks awesome! I can’t wait to try it on the water! Visibility shouldn’t be an issue with bold letters and the cool highlight.
I like the integration to display the tracks. Good job

EDIT: I meant lack of visibility shouldn’t be an issue. This was one of the possible issues that I brought up earlier.

[aleks]

Looks awesome! I can’t wait to try it on the water! Visibility shouldn’t be an issue with bold letters and the cool highlight.
I like the integration to display the tracks. Good job

Thanks! About that highlight, or halo, as I call it. It has some functionality on its own

First of all, it is not there all the time. It appears only after a new jump - that is to indicate that the jump was actually captured and you are not looking at a previous jump. There is also a vibration for that, but it is easy to miss in a wetsuit.

After a minute, the halo disapears, but diring that minute it also shrinks to indicate that the jump becomes stale and you need a new one

Also, if you hit the new max height, the halo turns orange

[aleks]

Hi guys, did you have a chance to try the new Apple Watch WOO app? Any feedback (good or bad) would be appreciated

[Kitemenn]

Hi guys, did you have a chance to try the new Apple Watch WOO app? Any feedback (good or bad) would be appreciated

Tried it yesterday (although underneath my wetsuit). I liked it I could already connect my WOO with the watch at the car without it turning off after 5min. However starttime already started, can this be matched when you actually start recording the WOO (when it blinks red). Also can it stop or at least pauze when turning off the WOO. Now I didnt knew I had to stop the watch seperately (which was only at home good for my speed record but for the rest shouldnt be)

Loved you can set minimum height before it vibrates or captures/shows a jump.

One more point, is it possible to link the activity to kitesurfing instead of surfing in the Apple activity app (I know Adidas running can do it so should be possible)

Great work really like it!