( - android only for now, iphone under development - )
disclaimer: the radio aporee ::: app available on the android market is provided "as is".
use at your own risk.
privacy statement: this app (and related website) contains no virus or trojan or any hidden functions. it doesn't track you down nor
does it collect data about you. in fact you don't need to provide any personal information in order to use the app. we respect your privacy.
what is it about?
the radio aporee ::: app is basically a browser for the aporee soundmap, a streaming player for the continuous
radio aporee stream and the interface for the miniatures for mobiles, a platform for sound/art and radio plays in public space, for the mobile
listener. read more below. several artists and goups are currently engaged in creating new pieces. if you are interested in making your own, let me know.
how to install?
just go to the android market (should be installed on your mobile) and search for radio aporee. hit install
and follow the instructions. (alternatively you can download the app directly from here.) it will notice you about
some permissions needed by the app (network, location, sdcard,
the first two are obvious, the latter is needed for storing preferences on the phone).
what else?
without a network the app is more or less useless. all sounds are on the aporee server (however, in walk mode you can
synchronize sounds to the phone's memory card, see below), without a connection you won't
see a map nor hear a sound. be aware that your provider may charge you for data traffic, if you don't have a flatrate or data plan.
also, slow connections may be a show stopper since sometimes the soundfiles can be big.
when you start the app, it will try to get a location from the network or GPS, and then connect to aporee.org. that may take
a while, be patient. if all works, you'll see a map from the area around you, with red dots indicating available
recordings (if there are any in your area at all...). if you hit the dot, it loads the sound (be patient!), starts to play and shows
you also some info about the sound.
options
android phones have an options and a back button. if there are options, the app tells you in a bar at the bottom of the
screen. the back button of the phone brings you to the previous screen or exits the app.
(within the aporee app, it's only used in the settings screen, all other navigation happens in-app.)
you may recognize the following symbols (depending on your phone, instead of these icons text labels may be shown):
miniatures for mobiles: enters walk(man) mode, see detailed description below.
radio: starts the radio aporee streaming player. plays a nonstop random selection
of all contributions to the radio aporee ::: maps
search: a search for the radio aporee ::: maps sound database. use "-" to exclude expressions,
e.g. rain -train finds weather rather than transportation...
latest sounds: shows the latest 10 contributions to the aporee soundmap.
tracking: sets tracking of your position. it sends your cordinates to the server,
along with your name and a title (if set, see settings). this creates a unique sound/track, either for the aporee soundmap or
the miniature for mobile you actually listening to. these tracks will be archived and can be replayed later, thus reproducing
your sonic experience during your walk for other listeners.
settings: the personal settings screen. if you want, set your name or email address here,
it will be associated with the sound/tracks you create while walking around. see walk mode below. if you always want to send your
location to the server while walking, you can set it here, also your prefered language (english or german).
map / satellite view: choose between different map views.
synchronize: copies the sounds for a miniature for mobiles to your phone's memory
card, deletes unused ones. in a later version of the app, this will perhaps be the base for an offline listening mode.
miniatures for mobiles / walk mode
this is probably the most exciting thing... when you enter walk mode, it shows you the available miniatures for mobiles
in your area. if there's nothing around, it always lets you enter the radio aporee soundscapes. while walking,
it tries to pull and play the sound next to your position. if another sound becomes the nearest one, it crossfades
with the previous one and so on, continuously and as you approach. try that in an area where are many recordings,
it's a great listening experience. doesn't work yet in the sahara or siberia... depending where you are, it of course
may happen that the next sound is 250km away, i'm sorry... good reason to go out recording and upload to radio aporee.
miniatures for mobiles behave a bit different. they have more complex transition modes, depending on the piece and the
author's preferences. sounds may play only once, remember where you've left them, fade or not, have a restriced range and so on.
that way it's possible to create elaborated sound/art works with many layers and design patterns. for the mobile listener it's an
intriguing listening experience, to dig into the sonic complexity of the surrounding world, for the author a powerful tool for
creating location-bound sound/art works in public space.
known bugs etc.
forget complaints about unprecise GPS-locations or sounds played at the "wrong" place. this happens, esp. in subways,
under bridges and in your bathroom... relax...
when loading a miniature with a lot of sounds, say > 100 (that is: not so mini...), loading can be slow and your phone may
issue a warning, offering the option to wait or cancel. of course we wait!...
as you may know already, computers crash and phones loose their connections. that's built-in and part of the system. so, if things
hang or produce strange results, try restarting the app. if that doesn't help, restart your phone. if all fails, let me know about, i'll check...
...
so far for now. please be aware that i'm not a software developer nor company, so don't expect a professional "product". radio aporee
is an experimental project in progress... let me know if it works for you!
