Friday, 6 January 2012

Adding Music to RunDouble

A common question we get at RunDouble is "How do I add music to the app".

Use RunDouble to play music from your phone

RunDouble uses the music stored on your phone, that is available in the Android Music player. It will also use any playlists you have created in the Android Music player. Other players, such as Google Music, often store playlists in different locations, and RunDouble is not able to read these playlists, however, it can use the music, so long as it is stored on the phone or SD card.

First of all, you have to get the music onto your phone. This varies from phone to phone, so you should consult with your device manufacturer, or phone manual. There are typically two ways you can do this:
  1. Remove the SD card, and put it in a card-reader. Then copy the music onto it. 
  2. Plug the phone in to your PC, using a USB cable. Sometimes this will automatically mount a drive, or Android will give you the option to mount it as a drive (depending on version). Copy the music to the drive.
No put the SD card back in, or unplug the phone. Open your music player and make sure you can play music.

Now, go into RunDouble. Click the "Edit Playlists" button at the bottom of the screen. The tabs at the top show Albums, Artists, Songs and Playlists. Using the first three tabs, browse for the tracks you want to add to your running playlist. Now, add them to a playlist:
  1. Tap and hold a track.
  2. Select "Add to playlist"
  3. Either choose and existing playlists, or tap "New" to create a new one.
  4. If a new playlist, enter the name, and press "Save"
  5. Continue to add songs to the playlists. 
You can also add whole albums and artists to a playlist at a time.

Now return to the RunDouble main screen. You should see your new playlist listed in the drop-down. Select it.

Using an external player

If you prefer to use a player such as DoubleTwist, Last FM, or Pandora Radio, then RunDouble will work in conjunction with these music apps. Simply open up your desired music app, either before, or immediately after starting your run, and start the music playing.

RunDouble sends a signal to music apps, requesting them to pause, or dip the volume during the announcements. Most recently updated music apps will honour this request.

Sunday, 11 September 2011

Website Now Launched.

For a few weeks now we've been trialling the beta version of the new website, which allows you to see more detail about your runs, and also gives you the ability to share more of those details when you tweet or share your workout details on Facebook.

http://www.rundouble.com/

The site includes a table of statistics for each stage/interval, along with a  map of your run (we will also be adding the ability to publish statistics WITHOUT the map).

The launch of the website marks the beginning of a brand new cloud service for RunDouble. In the future you can expect to see:

  • Follow other users, and see their updates
  • Add comments to other users runs.
  • A new service allowing you to create your own workout plans.
  • Share and upload workout plans to your phone. 
In the very near future, users will be able to generate their own content for the site, and we could see a dramatic rise in the number of workout plans available to users of the app, offering choice to the user. 

Look out for the new features coming soon. 

Martin Long
RunDouble

http://www.rundouble.com/

Friday, 5 August 2011

Map capability added.

Today we released a new version of RunDouble, adding these new features:

  • Mapping of all new runs completed (these can be viewed on-phone, and soon shared on the web)
  • Half-way notifications to tell you when to turn around.
  • Option to shuffle selected playlist, when using the internal player. 
This is a relatively major release and hopefully adds to the experience of existing and new users. 

We will be holding back on feature releases now, and focussing on building the web services to further enhance the platform. New releases until then will be to fix bugs.

Martin Long
RunDouble

Monday, 1 August 2011

Introducing RunDouble C25K and more!

Press Release

Introducing the RunDouble, the new running app for Android. Combining timed and distance based interval prompting, set to the users' choice of music, with accurate distance and pace tracking, RunDouble provides the novice runner with the tools to complete the Couch to 5K programme, and go on to bigger and better things. Whether that be improving pace on the 5K or even training for the 10K distance, and beyond, there is a plan to suit everyone. 

What's more, the first two weeks of each plan are completely free, allowing runners to try before they buy. However, at less than the cost of a bottle of Gatorade, upgrading to the full plan is not going to break the bank. In fact, all 3 sets of plans can be purchased for less than the cost of a single trip to the gym. 

With new features are being added every week, the list is already very rich: 
  • Regular pace updates
  • Pace alarm (target pace)
  • Open ended runs
  • Couch to 5K plan
  • Bridge to 10K and Ease into 10K
  • 5K improver plan (and more to come)
  • Play a standard Android playlist, or use another music player (Pandora, Last.fm, Spotify, Google Music etc)
Also in the pipeline is a cloud service, allowing users to publish and examine their runs, along with the ability to create and share their own plans. 

I hope you will try RunDouble, and agree that it has a great deal to offer.


Thank you

Martin Long
RunDouble