With all the new features available in the newly released Aha Radio app, there are bound to be some that could use some additional explanation. So this will be the first in an on going series of posts dedicated to “getting to know” Aha Radio.
Hopefully by now you have found your way to the Manage Stations area (Hint: the triple hash button in the top-right corner). One of the stations you can add is called “My Feeds.”
When you first add the station you’ll get a pop-up notice offering some details. To put it simply, you can hand-pick podcasts, as well as other Aha users, and have all of their content added to a single channel. You will just have to pick some when you aren’t driving (or else you’ll end up with the blank station shown below).
Now let’s go about selecting content for the station. Perhaps you want to have a single channel for all your NPR shows. It’s easy to just touch on the little blue arrow on the side of any podcast or user shouts (while in ‘Walking Mode’) to reveal the additional options.
Adding the feed to your Feeds station is as easy as tapping the “Follow” button on the left (looks like a balloon with a “+” in it).
No need to bounce around to each NPR station, looking for the latest episodes. Once you add them to your “My Feeds” station they will all appear in order of time/date posted. You can just let them play.
Now whether you are in ‘Walking Mode’ (above left) or ‘Driving Mode’ (above right) you get a mix of all the content you want. And don’t forget that you can even follow other users, so you’ll be sure to notice (and hear) when they leave any new shouts.
Thanks for checking out the new app! Be sure to let us know what you think.
Have you ever noticed that radio hasn’t significantly changed over the years? Sure you have fancier displays and clearer sound, but you are still pretty much stuck with whatever the stations want to give you…and on the schedule they decide.
Satellite gives you the benefit of much more choice, but even with over a hundred stations, there still isn’t one optimized just for you or with content available on demand when you want it.
Before Aha, if you wanted to hear a traffic report about where you are you would have had to pick a channel and wait for a city-wide report to in most cases hear about traffic everywhere else but in front of you.
Or maybe you wanted to listen to the latest version of your favorite podcasts, and realized it had been two weeks since you had synched. (And what was the purpose of hourly update podcasts?)
Now with Aha you can have an instant personal traffic report, hear the very latest podcasts, and still be able to switch over for some personalized recommendations for lunch. And what about those times you just have to hear the latest from your high school or college friends on Facebook or the latest celebrity Tweets? (OK, probably never, but it is still entertaining.)
Since launching our first App last fall, we’ve been iterating on the user experience with a focus on driver safety and believe an audio, radio-like interface is the optimal approach. Aha Radio answers drivers’ important questions, such as “why do I all of a sudden see break lights in front of me?” and entertains them with everything from Facebook updates to their favorite podcasts.
With Aha Radio, the things you want to know while driving are read aloud and organized like pre-set, on-demand, radio stations, letting you listen in while keeping your eyes on the road.
Aha’s station line-up will keep growing every month, but right out of the gate we have over 50 stations including (you’ll have to again forgive the transition to marketing/sales speak here):
Nearby Traffic: Wondering what traffic is like two miles up the road, at the next exit or on an approaching highway? Nearby Traffic gives you an instant traffic report based on your current location. Aha creates this report using data from best-in-class third party traffic providers Inrix and Clear Channel, and from voice notes left by other drivers near you. Tap the microphone icon to share a 15-second “Shout” about the road you’re on and help other drivers nearby.
My Traffic: During your first-time set up, use Settings to tell Aha which roads you care about, such as your daily commute, then tap the My Traffic button to get an instant traffic report on those specific roads.
Facebook: Tempted to check Facebook while you’re in traffic? Unsafe! Tap your Facebook station and Aha will read aloud your friend’s status updates. Aha filters out game updates, media item posts, and long Web addresses so you can just hear what your friends are up to. You can even post an Aha voice note to your wall for friends to hear.
Community Stations, or “the new CB Radio”: Bored in traffic and want to let loose your inner Idol? Tune into the “Caraoke” station to hear your fellow drivers sing along to the radio, then tap the mic and leave your own song clip for the whole world to hear. Or, tune into the “Jokes,” “Rants,” or other community stations for a laugh.
Twitter Lists: Want to keep track of what sports stars, TV show actors, or other celebrities are tweeting? Just select their Twitter station in Aha and hear their latest updates read to you.
Hungry: Want to stop for a bite to eat? The “Hungry” channel tells you about restaurants you might like that are coming up ahead. Only want to hear about sushi restaurants with average Yelp reviews of four stars or more? Do your kids like specific chains? Aha pre-filters the results based on your preferences, prioritizes them based on proximity to you, and describes their location so you can tell where they are. Tap the phone or map icon to put in a call or get a route.
Podcasts: Aha Radio gives you one-touch access to the current version of popular podcasts like Fox News’ hourly updates and NPR’s “This American Life” so drivers can get instant access, without having to sync their device. See break lights up ahead while listening? With one touch, interrupt your podcast to get a live traffic report, then continue listening to the podcast where you left off.
Aha Radio gives you lots of choices, but most importantly it is tailored for you, and with an interface that’s designed to minimize distraction while you are behind the wheel.
Check out our new intro video to learn more, and have a safe and entertaining drive!
As you may recall, we recently offered you a little tease of some of the stuff on the horizon for Aha users. A lot of it is conceptual, but it still touches on the some of the feature ideas we are working on.
Well, we are getting closer to those previews and demos becoming reality, so be sure to stay tuned. We’ll be sure to tell you when you can get in and test drive the “new hotness.”
Hi everyone. Quick heads up that we noticed some connection issues early this morning. Apparently AT&T was unable to resolve the connection with us when users were booting the app.
Everything appears to be back in order now, so if you are still having problems please let us know (support@ahamobile.com) or twitter (twitter.com/ahamobile).
Some of you may have noticed over the weekend that the Bathroom search within Nearby had stop yielding results. We have some good and bad news regarding that.
First with the bad news. We are no longer leveraging SitOrSquat for bathroom results. We are currently evaluating the possibility of leveraging other bathroom data providers.
However, there is some good news you can fall back on. While you may not be able to obtain the same level of detail that was provided before, you can still locate a large number of bathrooms quickly and easily by accessing either the Coffee or Food options. It’s easy to create a broad search option within either of those two categories, and just toggle that search on if you are interested in finding a place to take care of your “business.”
In last week’s post about CES I mentioned that we were demo’ing an all-new app. I even offered a link to the “Coming Soon” so you could get an idea of some of the stuff we are adding.
And now I have a nifty video that captures some of the ideas and directions (believe it or not that pun was not intended) we are heading with our services.
And now that you are all revved up with video coolness, have some fun with this week’s top shouts!
Hello again everyone. In case you missed it yesterday, Aha is at CES this week, and is a finalist in the CES Mobile Apps Showdown. Robert has been presenting a preview demo of an all-new Aha app, with a lot of really cool possibilities (streaming podcasts anyone?).
If you are in Las Vegas for the event, you still have another chance to catch a demo. It will be during the Mobile Apps Showdown Finals tomorrow.
Saturday, 1/9 – 12:30 – Room 257 of the North Hall.
But since many of you aren’t lucky enough for a “work” trip to Vegas, we also have some details about the new app over on the Aha website. Either way…be sure to take a look and let us know what you think.
CES 2010 is just kicking off, but we’ve already got some exciting news to report. Aha has been selected as a finalist for the CES Mobile Apps Showdown.
Our CEO is at CES right now, and will be demo’ing our new app (Coming Soon!) during the Showdown. If you are at CES you should make sure you head over and check out Robert’s presentation!
Thursday, 1/7 – 2:10 – North Hall, “Living in Digital Times” Stage
Friday, 1/8 – 2:15 – North Hall, “Living in Digital Times” Stage
Saturday, 1/9 – 12:30 – Room 257 of the North Hall.
If, like me, you are not fortunate enough to be in Vegas for the event, check back here or keep an eye on twitter.com/AhaMobile for updates.
You may have thought that we at Aha only care about Festivus (it is, after all, for the rest of us), but we really embrace all choices for all of our users.
With all the new features available in the newly released Aha Radio app, there are bound to be some that could use some additional explanation. So this will be the first in an on going series of posts dedicated to “getting to know” Aha Radio.
You may have thought that we at Aha only care about