This post reviews ETA, an app for iPhone and iPod Touch that allows you to quickly see how long it would take to walk or drive to your favorite locations.
I really like apps that boil down complex information and make it easy to digest. ETA is one of these apps. Developed by a company called Eastwood, ETA lets you build a list of your most-frequently-traveled-to locations. The app then displays how long it would take, from your current location, to drive or walk to each of them. Let’s take a closer look at ETA and see how it combines useful information in a simple, easy to use package to help you know how long it would take to get to your destination.
Design – ETA has a flat design that feels right at home in iOS 7. It uses solid colors, clean lines, and intuitive iconography. These features make it very easy to pop ETA open and use it for the first time. Often when I drive somewhere it’s either early morning or in the evening and it’s pretty dark outside. ETA’s dark color scheme is something I appreciate in these situations as it doesn’t blind you with a bright screen in low light. Its pastel color scheme leans heavily on aqua and red colors and has an appealing retro feel to it. In short, the app’s design makes for a pleasant and easy experience.
Features – Some apps are great because they bristle with features, options, and settings. ETA takes a different approach – simplicity – while still retaining its functionality. This is an app that knows what its purpose is and focuses solely on that purpose: telling you how long it will take to get where you need to go.
The first time you open ETA, it will display your current location but the rest of its location list will be blank. You’ll need to add the rest of your frequently used locations. Doing this is made intuitive and easy by hitting the aqua “+” button at the bottom of the screen.
After hitting the “+” button, you’ll be given the option to save your current location or search for a different one.
Choosing search takes you to a smart search field where you can enter an address. As your address is entered, ETA reads it and guesses what location you’re searching for, much like other apps like Apple’s Maps or Google Maps.
Tapping on the correct location brings you to a page with a map view and a Save Location button.
Tapping this button will allow you to enter a custom name for the location (e.g. Work, Home, Mom & Dad’s, etc.).
Tapping Done on the keyboard will add the location to your list.
As you build your list of locations in ETA, you’ll notice that the current drive time appears next to them in a red bubble. The drive time is live updating, which is what makes the app so useful. Anywhere you are, you can quickly pop open ETA and see how long it will take you to get to anywhere on your list. This saves you from having to search for your next destination every time you’re heading somewhere in Apple’s Maps app or Goggle Maps.
In addition to driving time, ETA also includes information on walking time. To see how long it would take to walk to any of your favorite locations, simply swipe one of them from left to right. The red bubble will flip around and reveal an aqua bubble listing walking time. This is very handy if several of the locations you frequent are located close to one another and you walk between them.
Tapping on any location in your list reveals some more helpful information and options including the address of that location, a Directions button which you tap to exit ETA and enter the maps app of your choice (Apple’s Maps app or Google Maps), and an Edit button to change the listed name of a location.
ETA’s settings pane, accessible by tapping the gear icon in the top right of the app, is very simple, which is a good thing. It shows your current location at the top of the screen. The settings pane also includes three toggles. The first toggle is for Text Display Mode. Turning this on changes the list to a longer-form overview of your drive times and locations. The second toggle is for Right Handed mode, which inverts the location of the app’s buttons. The third and final toggle is Use Google Maps, which allows you to use the Google Maps app instead of Apple’s Maps app when getting locations from ETA. Other than these simple options, the settings pane includes some helpful tips for using the app and information on ETA’s developer, Eastwood.
Pros – ETA’s genius is in its simplicity. It’s an app that you can open up, get the information you’re looking for, and get on your way. This makes it very easy to find driving or walking times for where you’re heading next. ETA’s design makes it both appealing to look at and intuitive to use. The app has a great balance of simplicity and features, including just enough information to make it incredibly useful but not so much as to bog it down with unnecessary options, features, or information.
Cons – There are a few things I’ve noticed that could be improved about ETA to make it even better. The first one is a biggie. In the current version of the app you’re not able to reorder your locations. I like to have things organized, and it just makes sense to me to list my most frequently used locations at the top of the list. Currently, if I think of a new location that I want to add at the top of the list I actually have to delete every single location below it, add it, and then re-add all the locations back in. Fortunately, the developer says that this issue will be fixed in the app’s next update. It would also be nice if ETA integrated with other apps more fully, perhaps providing push notifications for when you’d need to leave to get to the next meeting on your calendar or warning you of a longer drive time due to traffic congestion.
Conclusion – ETA is a great, simple app that provides you with the information you need, when you need it, to get to your next destination on time. The app is still new, so it’s likely that it will only improve over time. If you’re looking for an easy way to see how long it will take you to get to your most frequently visited locations, check out ETA. It’s currently available for iPhone and iPod Touch and is on sale on the App Store for $1.99. After the sale is over, the price will jump up to $2.99 so if ETA looks appealing to you make sure you grab it soon!
