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HopStop Beams Directions to Your Cell Phone
US-centric: Send detailed directions for getting around the city from your browser directly to your cell phone with web site HopStop. This webapp has been around for a while (we even posted about it a few years back), but it continues to add more areas to its coverage of the urban landscape. Offering options like subway-only in conjunction with preferences like "More street walking/fewer transfers," HopStop covers how to get from a-to-b whether you're on foot, train, or bus. If you're an experienced user (it's not available in Los Angeles, so I'm not), let's hear how it's worked for you in the comments.
Tags: brief | cell phones | directions | maps | mobile phones | travel
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
kdyer
Posted 5:12 AM 5/4/08
Seems like a cool idea, but does not have anything for Portland, OR or Seattle. I could see this being helpful when printing directions using Mapquest, for example.
Thanks,
Kent
kdyer
teemo
Posted 7:33 AM 5/4/08
Use it several times a month in NYC, straight from a Blackberry. It's a godsend. Would be nice to have the cab ("Taxi Cost/Time") functionality in there though which only seems to be available in a browser proper.
teemo
greasypigstudios
Posted 7:52 AM 5/4/08
No Los Angeles??
greasypigstudios
MattHall
Posted 11:27 AM 5/4/08
I ran some tests in Chicago and it seemed to work pretty well, much better than the RTA's not-very-mobile mobile site. There are a couple of tweaks that would make it perfect:
* Make it understand intersections - right now it seems to need a street number, unlike Google Maps or the CTA website.
* Have your bookmarked locations work with the text message interface (a workaround is to save your favourite start points as text message templates).
[matthall.org.uk]
MattHall
TPIRman
Posted 2:25 AM 6/4/08
@MattHall: Intersections work in New York, so I bet they're working on that capability for other cities. (Hopefully!)
In my NYC experience, HopStop is great for subways, and decent for buses. When buses are included, I've found that Hopstop will sometimes confuse the matter by telling you to take short bus trips that are unnecessary (i.e., it would be easier and faster to walk). I've also found that the algorithm has a preference for express buses, such that it will cheerfully ask me to wait 20 minutes for an uptown express bus while uptown local buses are arriving in droves a couple blocks away. Usually it would be faster to just take the local.
Luckily, a bit of awareness about your surroundings is enough to fill in the few gaps in Hopstop's wisdom. And for NYC residents, there's also the MTA Trip Planner, which has gotten good reviews from friends of mine, as well.
TPIRman
frappe987
Posted 3:59 AM 6/4/08
I am not a phone chatter so I have Grandcentral and a Tmobile to go account, a $50 card will last me two months to give you an idea, on that note hopstop does not send to prepay accounts, I don't know why. I live in NYC and hopstop is fantastic but alas I must print my directions.
frappe987
SupLegolas
Posted 12:42 PM 5/4/08
I was running some directions through New York (City), and it seemed to work well, even thought it glitches sometimes, telling me to turn around even though the fastest way would be straight.
Otherwise, I enjoyed using HopStop (For what it's worth), and only tried it after reading this post! Keep up the good Work!
-Ian
SupLegolas