Cedar Point Mobile Site

^ - or it could be that Apple doesn't want you suing them because a third party app gave you bad directions.

If it gives you a bad distance to the middle of the green, who cares, if it gives you a bad turn of a cliff, well A you're a moron and B your family is probably going to sue.

I can see why they'd do it.

Are you being serious?

Yes - if I write an app that screws up and sends you to the wrong place or worse, even though its your fault for following the directions without thinking, Apple is still going to get crap for it. I'm not saying its right, but just think like a lawyer.

If they limit it to just legitimate companies who have experience writing said programs, there are less likely to be problems and Apple is kinda off the hook.

Yeah, sorry, but no. But glad to see you're enjoying the hell outta that Kool-Aid.

That's just... outrageous, man.

Really?

Have you looked at what lawyers have done to Cedar Point?

And you think they can't do the same with a phone?

I agree, its a nice benefit (for them) that Apple then limits you to 1 program and gets their cut, and no one can make free ones, but to think they are doing it purely for greed and not to CYA is just drinking from the other side of the same cup of Kool-aid.

Pass me some of that Pineapple Express Jugga! :-) I have to side with DJ here. If I tell you to jump off a building are you going to do it? I would love to see that litigation played out on Judge Judy....

Then explain to me, John, why every other cell provider has been doing exactly what Apple is obviously doing, and guess what? No one has driven off a cliff, and no one has been sued.

Its not like they're being abnormally greedy - Apple locking this down is smart business, and I applaud that. Its just that the iPhone has been touted as this uber-awesome thing where anyone can write awesome apps. Except the reality is that, contrary to popular opinion, the Jesus Phone is just another phone.

Your reaction paints the perfect picture of this skewed perception - those other companies are greedy, but Apple's just exercising due diligence with the exact same practices. Riiiiight.

^ - you'd be surprised.

There was a story (I think in the free press) last year about a woman following her GPS who made a turn onto train tracks and got stuck. Now, I will agree that cases like this are a waste of time and money and should be thrown out as soon as they are filed, but that doesn't mean there aren't lawyers out there who wouldn't try.

I don't think that at all. Those other phones don't have the ability to write apps (easily anyway). I think there's a bit of both, yes they can make extra money off it, but I wouldn't be surprised if there is more than a bit of their lawyers saying "Don't let Johnny CS Major start writing GPS apps in his basement."

Certainly, but to suggest this is Apple's reasoning for the GPS lock-down is plain ridiculous.

I should sue dj for wasting my time of having to read his posts ;)

That is the one thing my 6700 (HTC Apache) is missing - a GPS. The 6800 (HTC Titan) has it, but I don't feel exactly like signing a new contract yet. (Too bad Sprints SERO plan went away...)

Back when I lived only 40 min. away from CP and there was a webcam of the main parking lot, I would sometimes decide to make a quick trip there if it didn't look too crowded. Last year (pre-iPhone) on my way home from Knoebels, I actually stopped at a Panera to check the webcam on my laptop to see if I should continue on to CP.

I don't know how much I'd use the mobile site when I'm already at the park, unless it showed estimated wait times for rides. I know there would be some cost involved in implementing that, but man would it be useful. After all, I can't buy any high-priced souvenirs while waiting an hour for Dragster, but I sure can between my 15-minute waits on Raptor and Wicked Twister. Otherwise, I spend all this time walking from one end of the park to the other looking for a short line, not daring to stop at any stores because I don't want to waste time shopping. A happy and relaxed consumer is an open-walleted consumer. :) That's my take, anyway.

I probably would not use this type of web service for in-park access. What might convince me to change my mind would be posting ride wait times and whether a ride is currently operating or not. I might use this outside the park if I am near by if I could determine just how crowded the park is and decide whether or not to make a quidk trip to the park.

I think that most people who go to CP at least once or more each year probaly know where everything is located (I could be wrong of course). My opinion is that this would probably be useful for the minority of CP attendies who do not go often, bur only if they known that this site exists.

^What do you consider often? Because I'd say the majority of people only go once a year, maybe less. I would say often is a few times a year, and if the majority of people went a few times a year, then the majority of people would have season passes. I seriously doubt that is that case.

The bins are safe. I've stored close to $1,000 in the bins multiple times and been A-Okay.

As far as a Cedar Point mobile website....well this begs me to ask.

Can we setup a wireless ISP (long distance wireless service) at the peninsula, and than setup on the back of the ride wait sandwich, a mini-ITX computer that sends a signal to a server which updates the ride wait times online every 15 minutes?

Than build a couple digital LED signs that update as well.

Alright I will put the pipe down...I've been away for a while (I bought a boat!!)

Did snoopy ever re-appear?

I wonder if Tony and Tyler would ever be interested in a more semi-formal gathering of CP lovers in a round table discussion at one of the park restaurants to just discuss things. Off the record style :)

For under $25k I could do it. Specially with bholcomb....hes good with computers too.

Only if it somehow integrates streaming video....

...... And has my company logo slapped all over it! :)

Jay McKinney said:
I still stand by my original comment... If you want your clientelle to use your WIFI (related) site, it would be only prudent to provide more signal in park for it. Even my local Big Boy restaraunt has free WIFI....

Agree 100%, in fact when I went down for the week a couple months ago the WIFI didn't even work in the lobby either for the entire trip. And to top it off the computers in Starbucks couldn't keep a connection for more then 10 seconds or if they did IE would crash.

Seeing that I have a good background in the stuff I can assure you it isn't that hard to keep one access point and two public computers running properly.

To get on topic the new mobil website looks and works great on my Sprint Instinct. I love the food section by midway choice, it gives nice resturants choices but could give more options on other types of midway food stands like (elephant ears, fudge, snowcones, cotton candy).

The map part leaves alot to be desired. Phones like mine do not have a key pad unless you change screens, so I can only zoom in to 1 screen. And that one screen does not help much with a cartoon map that has no names on it to show where things are. If this is to be used in the park, more detail is needed. I know where almost everything is because I have been to Cp multiple times a year since 1966, Cp is like my back yard. But to the general public who uses this site, they may have never been to Cp and it would be very handy to use this website to get around the park instead of a cartoon map. I feel that a better map, and food section, with better detail is the most important thing to fix.

Love the webcams also, but I also would like wifi in Breakers Tower..

AIRTIMELUVR said:
Phones like mine do not have a key pad unless you change screens, so I can only zoom in to 1 screen.

This is the reason I made the suggestion that once they get this site all ironed out to consider making a more graphic intense secondary site for PDAs and smartphones.

I agree with Pete. I use the "today in the park" link constantly and find it very useful. I put a link to it on my mobile phone using your standard website but of course it is difficult to navigate in mobile IE.

The link should be on the main page for the mobile website.