Our trail guides for smart phones are now easier to use.
Ottawa software developer Tom Goldsmith has simplified the trail guide app’s user interface and added new functionality. He’s also rebranded the app from Thirty Trail to Pintales.
- Pintales eliminates the series of set up screens. Now when you open the app, nearby trails are displayed. Just select one to open the guide and get started.
- The screen design has a more user friendly layout.
- Each point of interest (POI) is displayed in a scrollable set of images at the bottom of main map. You can scroll through the POIs and the map will automatically shift to centre on that POI. Select the image or map icon to open the information for the POI.
- You can now zoom in on a selected image (photo or map) when you’ve opened it.
- Changes to the trail guide are automatically refreshed to your phone when the app is open.
- Pintales eliminates the series of set up screens. Now when you open the app, nearby trails are displayed. Just select one to open the guide and get started.
- The screen design has a more user friendly layout.
- Each point of interest (POI) is displayed in a scrollable set of images at the bottom of main map. You can scroll through the POIs and the map will automatically shift to centre on that POI. Select the image or map icon to open the information for the POI.
- You can now zoom in on a selected image (photo or map) when you’ve opened it.
- Changes to the trail guide are automatically refreshed to your phone when the app is open.
Tom has also made it easier for trail guide developers like Friends of the Carp Hills to create and modify an interpretive guide. Check out the Pintales web site for more information.
Get started.
If you already have the Thirty Trail app downloaded, then your Apple or Android phone will automatically update it to Pintales when it refreshes new app versions. The green Thirty Trails icon will be replaced with the black Pintales pushpin icon.
To install Pintales directly, go to the Pintales web site for links to the app in the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
Turn on your GPS, open the Pintales app, and nearby trails will be displayed. There are interpretive guides for Hidden Lake Park and for the Crazy Horse Trail. You can step through the trail guide from the comfort of your couch before walking the trail.
About the software developer, Tom Goldsmith.
Tom grew up on a small hobby farm near Fitzroy Harbour. His parents sold honey and maple syrup at the Carp Farmers’ Market. In his teens, he was a tour guide for a few years at the newly opened Diefenbunker Museum. Tom recalls that the tours were fully guided through all four floors of the bunker. Visitors were guaranteed a slightly different flavour of interpretative guidance depending on who they drew as a guide.
Tom created Pintales to assist environmental and historical organizations, particularly those with limited resources, reach an audience through their smartphones. “It’s free to download and explore the content, and free for content creators to upload their trails or tours. We are adding lots of interesting new content over the coming weeks and months.”