Testing Testing one two one two Ahem 'Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud....

Tomorrow is the big day, the storywalk player will be tested live in the wilds of Dulverton town, with a group of eager story-walkers who are not truly aware of the challenges crossed to reach this point. 

But surely you already have a storywalk player Mr Jelley? 

Well yes and no, the current formats are really awkward as anyone who has tried will testify. Apple is the easiest of them but still there are several steps and in the case of Android multiple apps required to just put the walk and player in your phone, never mind the walking. So I have been madly working in the background on a browser based player with the smartest coder this side of The Stop Line. (With a little help from Somerset Art Week and LARC funding)

'I can do that through a browser' Martin said after I had explained what my storywalks technically do, just one little URL and you could be away! Wow what a concept, it wouldn't matter if you are Android or Apple, Windows phone or Blackberry, just a single click and magic. But you know when things are easier said than done, well this is one of them, and I know for a fact that Martin didn't realise how tricky this little project was going to be, or whether it was really possible at all.

So what made this so difficult?

Well, firstly my walks take place in hidden valleys and secret locations where there is no mobile reception for miles (literally) wooded valleys and secluded combes in the heart of Exmoor where the walker must work without a connection. But these locations all have sky, they all have satellites and therefore GPS reception, location capabilities. Easy ay, but alas no, every step seemed dogged with technical difficulties, all of which have (hopefully) been solved. But not without a lot of help especially from the Geek community themselves, (Bristol Hack Night where the guys helped shed some light on the dark arts required!)

So this afternoon I will be stepping out in Dulverton, to do the first proper trial run of the storywalks player, I have a fully charged 3G iPad ready to roll. It will have to remain live for about 15 miles of drive before we even get to the first zone, so this is a proper field test.

Wish me luck!

Why don't you join me on the first public testing and launch of the storywalks player tomorrow, meet 10am Tantivy Dulverton. Bring your smart phone or 3G iPad and become part of my test programme.