Check out my app: GasBot

DarkTLRrider said:

Hey Chris I have a question. If I pay for the app and then say I have my phone replaced or have to do a factory reset, would I have to pay for the app again when I download it?

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Not at all. The license is bound to your phone number so if you got the new phone in, slip your SIM card in and download GasBot it'll work just as it did on your old phone!

Ageless Stranger said:

A great way to help thwart piracy, you register the app you just paid for and spread the serial around the web, and then suddenly someone else tries to activate with the serial number you paid for. Before you know it, you get a call from the developer calling you a jerk. I like it

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Haha, it's even better than that. There's no serial to worry about and if you ever need support, you easily know your user id.

Not to mention you'd have to go through the trouble of changing your phone number every 2 weeks in order to circumvent buying the license.

DarkTLRrider said:

Thanks that was the only thing keeping me from buying it. Also I have seen a ton of suggestions for your app. Some suggesting to do some complicated algorithms to figure out if it is worth driving the extra 10 miles to get the cheaper gas was worth it. I am more in favor of about what you have now is as complex as I would want it. If we ever get true navigation it would be cool to use that to find the gas station though. That being said maybe you should think about a standard version and a Pro or advanced version. You could charge more for the more advanced one, and people that won't find the extra features valuable could stick with the basic version.

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Only thing there is I'd have to charge for both of them as I have to pay the data licensing fees. Either way, don't worry, if I implement some more advanced features, I'll make it so that you can turn them on and off as you see fit. You won't be forced into working around a bunch of complex and convoluted features to get to the core data.

Just an update for you guys, version 1.0 is coming along well. So far here are the new features...

Pulling the GPS coordinates has been moved from the point where you start the app, to the point where you tap the By Location button. Right now the start of the app has a small (1 or 2 seconds) where it's checking for updates available, and then you'll see the home screen. This should be good for those who search by address alot. That way you don't have to wait for the GPS receiver to get a fix.

I've also added a setting in the settings menu to allow you to change the timeout on the GPS. As of right now the system polls the GPS receiver and waits 20 seconds. If it hasn't returned any coordinates in that time, it'll ask for the network location or pull the last known location (if your network loc is turned off). With this new system you can set it to wait less or go longer in an attempt to get a more accurate position.

Beyond that, there is now the option to map all stations in your result set. This will bring you to the map view and show all of the stations with their logos as pins.

The standard map view (when you open up the more info about a station and tap the map button) will look the same, except instead of seeing the gas pump to signify the station, it's a pin with their logo.

I'm also going to be adding the data logging feature where you can log your odometer, date, price of fuel, etc. and it will allow you to track your MPG. This will open up a lot of future functionality where you can get different reports based on that data as well as possibly export the data in a CSV format to submit into an accounting application that tracks mileage. (This would be used mostly by corporate fleets).

Woohoo! I just got off the phone with my main data provider and they're giving me a break of $2 off the licensing fees until Christmas so I guess we have a little GasBot Christmas sale!!!

Until December 25th GasBot will be $5 instead of $7.

I've set it up on the site already so you should see the new price when going into PayPal. http://www.gasbot.net/GetGasbotLicense

kkozuch1 said:

Hi, i did have a question on the reliability of the data that is provided. I found the cheapest gas around me that said on gasbot it was 1.43, but when i got to the station it was 1.63. in gasbot it said it was last reported about an hour before if not less. So who reports the data in the system, is in the gas station it self? If it was they could just be reporting lower to get you to come to that station.

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Was it a grocery store gas station or something? The data gets collected from credit card transactions. So no one actually reports it. The one problem I've seen with the data is that sometimes there are stations that have big rewards programs, so someone could save up some rewards and get a bunch off per gallon, and then that gets put into the system. Sorry about that man. Usually you can tell if you know that that station has a rewards program and they're a good deal cheaper than everyone else on the list.

kkozuch1 said:

Yeah i looked for that first but i didn't see any rewards program on that station and i know there was not a gas with wash price. It was a citgo station, but it may have been someone who had something else that was separate or something. In gasbot is it reported by that last person that got gas? or how does the system choose what credit card to take the price from?

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I wish I knew, that's all handled by the data providers. All I know is that they get pricing from credit/gas card transactions and that they won't report a station if it hasn't been updated within the last 4 days.

justjimjpc said:

Wondering about the latest update from the Apps Market... I ran GasBot and it said I needed to update, however the listing in the MarketPlace says two week trial. I have paid some time back for a year's use and wonder if this has reset that ... my understanding is my registration should be recognized from my phone number ... Chris please update us on this matter.

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Hey, yeah if you paid for the app then your license is still valid. You won't have to pay for the app again. You can ignore the trial text if you've already paid. I just have to add that otherwise I get a bunch of people bitching much like you see in the comments (although they bitch regardless of what text I put on there.)

UPDATE: GasBot 1.0 has been released!

In the new version it will wait to pull the GPS coordinates after you've clicked the By Location button. This way if you use stored addresses more often than not, you won't have to wait for it to get the GPS fix before entering the app like you did before.

There's also a new setting in the Settings screen that allows you to set the GPS timeout. This gives you the ability to essentially set it to 0 which is in effect just using network/cell tower location. Or you can adjust it up to a minute to allow the GPS time to get a clear fix on your current location.

There's also a new Map All Stations button on the station listing screen that allows you to see where all of the stations are around you using their logos as pins. The new logo pins are on the single station maps as well.

I'm currently working on the data logging features and am going to push those out with the next release.

justjimjpc said:

Thanks Chris, Keep up the good work .... I went this pass weekend on a trip with friends (iPhoners) and I used Gasbot to Find GasStations for Gas as well as and emergency restroom need ... I couldnt help but smirk at my friends and their iPhones and dazzling them with Gasbot but also doing multitaking magic emails, im and mapping all at the same time .... their iphones need a bit if Viagra or Cialis

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Haha that's awesome man. I love sticking it to the iPhonies with all of the great things the G1 and its software can do!