Any news on Android app?

[IBELEAF]

It's great that Nissan released Apple app, but where is time frame for releasing for Android? After all Android is taking over the market...


http://blogs.computerworld.com/17752/android_beats_iphone_q4_market_share_nokia_microsoft_lag

 

[DeaneG]

There'll be a glitch in Android market share when Verizon kicks in. But I think Android is a great choice for technically capable users.

The way I think of it: would you rather have the fastest developing intelligent computing infrastructure on the planet behind your phone, or iTunes?.

 

[IBELEAF]

not trying to stir the dust, but I've been iPhone route twice, recently with iPad and while I understand why it's successful it lacks in so many aspects and that's where Android picks up.

 

[mikek]

Perhaps a poll?

How many have an iphone?
How many have an android phone?
How many have an other smart phone?
How many will get a smart phone so that they can get the Leaf app?
How many aren't interested in any stupid app?

 

[walterbays]

I don't like the way Apple treats their customers. They make great products - so good that most people would continue to shop with Apple, given a free choice. But "most" isn't nearly enough for them. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/technology/02apple.html?src=me&ref=technology

 

[IBELEAF]

Perhaps a poll?

How many have an iphone?
How many have an android phone?
How many have an other smart phone?
How many will get a smart phone so that they can get the Leaf app?
How many aren't interested in any stupid app?

I was thinking about poll too, but figured we had enough polls already

 

[lc96]

Have Palm Pre and love webos, but I will need a new phone this year and was planning on Android due to the potential Leaf app.

 

[walterbays]

was planning on Android due to the potential Leaf app.

Potential? When I made my reservation one question was whether I had or was planning to get a smart phone? I checked yes. The next question was whether it was iPhone or Android?

Okay, not exactly a promise... More like a 4 to 7 months type promise

 

[lonndoggie]

was planning on Android due to the potential Leaf app.

Potential? When I made my reservation one question was whether I had or was planning to get a smart phone? I checked yes. The next question was whether it was iPhone or Android?

Okay, not exactly a promise... More like a 4 to 7 months type promise

Also not exactly a promise, but when Nissan tweeted that their iPhone app was available in the app store, I replied "What about Android?" I got a reply immediately: "It's coming!"

...to which I replied "Probably before I get my Leaf".

I think I'd be happy to get my Leaf first, however.

 

[walterbays]

Another few months have gone by, and Android is now outselling iPhone by a more than 2 to 1 margin, http://www.newsfactor.com/news/Android-Assault-on-iPhone-Continues/story.xhtml?story_id=11000ATG9B3W

Meanwhile Nissan's smart phone app is still iPhone only, as is Blink network's app, as is carstations.com public charger map, as is Plugshare's EVSE sharing app. Thousands of developers seem to port their apps between platforms in a few weeks with no problem, and many of them get little or no income from their work. I wonder why all the LEAF related apps can't manage to cope.

PS - I think they should support Blackberry and W7 too.

PPS - If porting is too hard for them they should forget the smart phone app and just produce a decent mobile HTML site that will work everywhere.

 

[lettcco]

I have the sprint EVO so yeah I am on the same boat. But if the Nissan App is going to be as lame as the website (which I could access via phone's web), I wouldn't even bother. What I really want are the charging location apps, such as chargepoint or plugshare. Already wrote email/notice to express interest/concern, hopefully they will something soon.

 

[sdbmania]

I'd like the android app. I recently replaced my HTC hero with the evo shift and I really like having the keyboard.

I am curious as to why it is taking so long...

 

[garygid]

Perhaps they have not started the Android app yet?

 

[ElectricVehicle]

Obligatory: me too me too! Need Android App!

 

[sdbonez]

guys, even the iphone app is lame. yes, you can see the state of charge, you can precool..but at least for me, the novelty has worn off and I don't use the app anymore now that I know my car.

It's now as useful to me as the solar panel on the spoiler...

 

[lemketron]

Have Palm Pre and love webos, but I will need a new phone this year and was planning on Android due to the potential Leaf app.

I have the LEAF app on my iPod touch but it doesn't really seem to do all that much; in fact, the only thing I actually use it for is checking the charge level (I don't pre-heat or pre-cool the car, and have my charge timer set to auto-charge to 80% from 12am to 12am).

I found that it was easy enough to save a bookmark on my Palm Pre 2 to the Nissan web page, where I simply enter my password, tap login, tap "View Leaf Status", and then hit the "refresh" icon to get status from the car. Oddly enough, the iOS app usually requires you to re-login, and always requires you to manually "refresh" to get status, so the overall process really isn't much different. This approach would probably work for Android users as well.

Anyway, here's the URL; save it as a launchable bookmark in your phone's Launcher for easy access:
https://www.nissanusa.com/owners/login

On a related note, did someone report back that they had figured out the API to interact with the nissanusa web site? If so, we should be able to create a webOS app easy enough...

 

[davewill]

This approach would probably work for Android users as well.

Anyway, here's the URL; save it as a launchable bookmark in your phone's Launcher for easy access:
https://www.nissanusa.com/owners/login

It does. I'm unconvinced that an Android app would do much differently. The mobile web site looks and works exactly like the "My Vehicles" tab on the regular site. You can pulldown "LEAF Status" and you get the SOC, miles guesstimation, "Start Charging" button and climate control buttons. You can't launch the CarWings popup with the stats and route planning, but I don't know that the "i" app does, either.

 

[walterbays]

I'm unconvinced that an Android app would do much differently. The mobile web site looks and works exactly like the "My Vehicles" tab on the regular site.

Thanks lemketron and Dave.

So of five LEAF related portals, Carwings is the most accessible since it works on any computer and any smart phone. Unfortunately nobody has yet delivered charging location maps that are accessible when you need them - in your car - except to the minority of drivers who use iPhones.

Second place for accessibility goes to Blink Network which has no smart phone apps, but does have a web site which works with mobile browsers on any smart phone.

Third place, and moving up fast, is Chargepoint whose Android app just went into beta.

Fourth place is Carstations.com which can guide you to a charging station only with an iPhone, or if you stop at an Internet cafe to use a laptop or desktop computer to access the web site.

Fifth place is Plugshare. Sadly, since its sharing concept depends on wide accessibility, it can be used only via an iPhone. There is not even any web interface you can use from a computer in your office.

Also-ran is Google's charging map, which I'd expect to be among the most widely accessible. But I've read that the quality of data leaves much to be desired.

Here are my rankings, which I hope quickly become outdated.

Carwings

• full functionality on iPhone
• full (non-mobile) functionality on computer
• full functionality on mobile web
• no apps for Android, Blackberry, W7

blinknetwork.com

• charging location map not yet available
• no apps for any smart phone, BUT...
• full access to EVSE via computer
• full access to EVSE via mobile web

chargepoint.net

• full functionality on iPhone
• full (non-mobile) functionality on computer
• viewable but unusable on mobile web
• Android app in beta
• no apps for Blackberry, W7

carstations.com

• full functionality on iPhone
• full (non-mobile) functionality on computer
• viewable but unusable on mobile web
• no apps for Android, Blackberry, W7

plugshare.com

• full functionality on iPhone
• inaccessible via computer
• inaccessible via mobile web
• no apps for Android, Blackberry, W7

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

The Carwings Leaf page does not work on the BlackBerry browser. You can log in, and display it, but none of the Refresh or Climate Control buttons do anything.

I ended up writing my own web page that spoofs the same signals to the server.

Next up: Direct telematics. Screw the stupid Nissan site.. talk to the car directly!

 

[lemketron]

I ended up writing my own web page that spoofs the same signals to the server.

Uh-oh... How often does your web page hit the server anyway?

I just tried to hit the Nissan owners login URL, and got the following response:

Error 500: Executing action [index] of controller [com.nissanusa.owners.LoginController] caused exception: org.springframework.transaction.TransactionSystemException: Could not commit Hibernate transaction; nested exception is org.hibernate.TransactionException: JDBC commit failed
Servlet: grails
URI: /owners/grails/login.dispatch
Exception Message: ORA-00018: maximum number of sessions exceeded 
Caused by: ORA-00018: maximum number of sessions exceeded 
Class: LoginController

In any case, can someone document the API for talking to the site, like on the LEAF wiki perhaps?