A Phone App for The Uncommunicative

I don't talk much on my phone and I don't care much for texting either. For some reason my wife would like to hear from me when I'm on the road, or to at least know I'm not dead. I've created this app for my phone so that when I trigger the app she receives an update of my location. I used the MIT App Inventor suite because it was pretty easy to learn and I can build something quickly. Here are the blocks from App Inventor. If I can figure out how to share files on some cloud storage without compromising it some of this stuff will be available for download in the near future. Update: Check the lower right side of the blog.

I used the map function from OpenStreetMap. Yes that link takes you where it implies when you hover over it. I think they're worth a taste. It's open source so no API Key is needed. I have other mapping function apps using Google Maps and Bing Maps, but I don't care for everything they throw in when you present a map. The app here is pretty simple. It uses your phone location when you get your GPS coordinates, creates a link, and texts it to your selected recipient. The recipient can tap the link and it will bring up the map showing your location. Sure you can already do this on most phones by adding location but I prefer to control the map display with my own app through the supplied link.

It's still got some quirks, but it's functional. I used it this weekend for updates on my trip to and from the high country recently, and it passed.