08-31-2010, 09:50 PM
I've been off list for awhile and see that my thread has really taken off in a direction that I didn't expect!
The model railroading companies (NCE, in your (and my) case) are still required; the Wi-Throttle app cannot not work without a command station.
What is really cool about these devices (to circle back to the thread) is that they are a platform for some really bright ideas to be expressed. The vast, VAST majority of the apps that you can run on them are created by your average computer nerd, not Apple. Anybody with a good idea and the know-how can "manufacture" an application and distribute it. Entrepreneurial spirit in action!
In this case, the app was designed by a guy who also had an interest in model railroading - his interest now benefits the rest of us. This "tech" side of things is another way to get new folks interested in the hobby.
Last, the thing that has me most excited about this application is that now any visitor to my house who owns an iTouch or iPhone can, after downloading the app, run trains. This does two things:
- Turns spectators into particpants - participation is a much better way to get someone interested in something that just plain watching!
- That same person will leave with a DCC throttle. Everytime they see that app on their phone, it'll remind them of the great time they had running trains at my house!
Between the two, a new model railroader may be born, one that may buy an NCE command station that otherwise wouldn't have been sold. Great stuff.
Matt Goodman
Columbus, Ohio
MartyG Wrote:Apple seems to have apps for everything and now one for modelrailroading . If you can run your layout with an iphone than what happens to the modelrailroading companies.
The model railroading companies (NCE, in your (and my) case) are still required; the Wi-Throttle app cannot not work without a command station.
What is really cool about these devices (to circle back to the thread) is that they are a platform for some really bright ideas to be expressed. The vast, VAST majority of the apps that you can run on them are created by your average computer nerd, not Apple. Anybody with a good idea and the know-how can "manufacture" an application and distribute it. Entrepreneurial spirit in action!
In this case, the app was designed by a guy who also had an interest in model railroading - his interest now benefits the rest of us. This "tech" side of things is another way to get new folks interested in the hobby.
Last, the thing that has me most excited about this application is that now any visitor to my house who owns an iTouch or iPhone can, after downloading the app, run trains. This does two things:
- Turns spectators into particpants - participation is a much better way to get someone interested in something that just plain watching!
- That same person will leave with a DCC throttle. Everytime they see that app on their phone, it'll remind them of the great time they had running trains at my house!
Between the two, a new model railroader may be born, one that may buy an NCE command station that otherwise wouldn't have been sold. Great stuff.
Matt Goodman
Columbus, Ohio
Matt Goodman
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio