Phone/Tablet app?

[richk]

Phone/Tablet app?

If there were a PMTS app that could be downloaded to your phone or tablet, what functions would you want it to have? Who might want to use it and how?

Let's keep this thread for brainstorming, knowing full well that there are downsides and complexities to any idea, but reserving those discussions for separate threads, further down the road. So, this thread should be for:

1. Any idea, concept, or specific function you would like to have the app help with
2. Any embellishment, no matter how small, of a proposed idea, concept, or function
3. Any observation that describes what you like about a proposed idea, concept, or function

After there is a substantial collection of ideas, we can begin assembling them into a coherent package. For now, let the wild and crazy ideas (as well as the simple and practical ones!) flow!

Richk

[HighAngles]

What is the end goal here (true intent)?

[Matt]

Drill repository, organized in the essentials categories. Written description of each drill, drill videos from essentials and other DVDs. Perhaps some audio instructions for some drills. Like the instructions for the TFR it is quite a lot of details so it might help to have some audio cues, "face the zipper down hill", "place the pole tip straight out from the boots"... etc.

[richk]

What is the end goal here (true intent)?

For me, a resource that complements the already available instructional material.

I imagine it to provide more specific information than the books/DVDs. "Here is the problem I'm having" "ok, do this drill and here is how"

For HSS, more impact across broad geographic areas. E.g. Recall the recent thread about instruction on the East Coast of the US or consider our many world-wide forum members who can't make it to CO. Also, potentially a supplemental revenue stream.

[am-i-ghetto]

You can already use the camera feature of your phone to take pictures of the tear out cards in ACBES 1 & 2.
That works pretty well if getting the data in your pocket is the goal.

[jbotti]

I use Evernote to store all of my notes from lessons with Harald, Diana or Camps. I usually will look through my notes a few times while I am on the lift. I also use it to make notes to myself about what I need to be working on and all the keys that I notice while skiing. It's a great and easy to use app available on pretty much all smart phones.

Max has also sent me files of great skiing that I keep on my I Phone. This is great for establishing a mental picture while I am on the slopes.

I don't think we are far from being able to download specific PMTS drills demontsrated by Harald that we can keep on our phones.

[Smackboy1]

Yeah, an app that does what he's ^^^ doing would be great!

Right now all my PMTS stuff is scattered across different media/devices back at the condo i.e. PC/tablet with my personal lesson notes on OneNote, the DVDs loaded on my PC/tablet, hardcopy of the Essentials book. What would be great is an organizational tool similar to Evernote that could sync across multiple platforms where all my PMTS stuff would be easily accessed in one app. Wish list of features would include:

- All the drills in summary index card form (like in ACBAES) with photos and links to the video demo
- Hyperlink from the index card to the full text explanation from the books
- Ability to annotate with my own inputted notes
- Ability to annotate with voice memo, or self shot video, or import video clips
- Indexed and searchable

I think indexing would be tremendously useful. I am only working on one thing at a time e.g. weighted release, and it would be really useful for me to be able to click once and pull up everything across all the books, DVDs, Youtube videos, lesson notes, videos clips, even saved forum threads relating to that topic.

Finally, seeing as we're brainstorming, how about if my smartphone would alert when there is another PMTS skier within 100M of my position by playing bluegrass tunes at full volume.

[richk]

Some great ideas so far. just to be clear, I didn't intend to keep the scope too narrow, think ePMTS in its broadest sense, as the posters have been doing.

I like the idea of shooting some video with the phone, then shooting it off to PMTS coaches for a drill suggestion, with a link to demo of the drill, a list of external cues, and common mistakes that are made while doing it. Kind of like a micro-private lesson.

[newskier]

There are a couple of things that does not cost much to implement.

1. publish mp4 video with chapter list so user can jump to any drill easily
2. publish the books in eBook format.

[arothafel]

The Ultimate: (in my opinion)

There are a couple of Goggles with built-in HD video recorders. Way more convenient than GoPro.

So... imagine taking a private lesson with Harald and being able to record the whole thing. Harald’s individualized MA for your particular skiing. Harald’s demonstrations of drills for YOU. Even following Harald in a free skiing run.

Then just load it up to your mobile device and playback on the chairlift. It would be like taking Harald with you. Now that’s gold!

[richk]

Anyone have thoughts on how to take advantage of the built-in gizmos of an iPhone, like GPS or accelerometer

[dan.boisvert]

If you could use the accelerometer to calculate how many g's we're holding in a turn, we could start a contest.

[richk]

I was actually thinking of using that info to provide real-time feedback about turn quality. E.g. Skid detection, "pop" up to release detection.

What other desirable or dysfunctional movements might be detectable?

Those features might be of interest to a serious PMTS student. How about someone new to pmts? Would the needs be different? Is there a minimum viable set of features for a newbie?

[dan.boisvert]

I'm not sure the GPS and accelerometer are ideal for realtime turn feedback. I think I'd end up trying to modify my turns to suit the feedback, which would be accelerometer-based, and not movement-based.

I think a really useful aspect to this is the video one, though. Right now, to post a video for MA, there's a bunch of friction involved. You've got to record it on a camera, remember to pull it off onto a computer when you get home, reformat/crop it, upload to youtube, log into the forum, and start a new thread with your video embedded. If you could reduce that friction to pushing a button to record, another button to stop, maybe give a preview and crop feature, and then an "upload for MA" button, it could reduce the friction significantly. If you made it that easy, I think a lot more people would post video--both newbies and more experienced people.

Is the camera quality good enough for useful MA video? If the forum got overrun with MA requests, you could probably turn MA into a revenue stream, too. I think it would be pretty awesome to be able to have an app on my phone where I pay $X per MA request, it records & uploads the video for me, and I get the MA on the app where I can refer to it easily the next time I'm out.

[Max_501]

Is the camera quality good enough for useful MA video?

Not really. But perhaps we'll see better lenses in future smartphones.