Break speed? Theres an app 4 that....

pretty funny.... had never heard of it....
so i am shooting and practicing like i do every sunday night and there's a usual group i see here and there... they're all taking turns breaking and running over to this thing on the rail and hollering out speeds... so my curiosity, i wander over and check em out... 'oh it's the break speed app' check it out....

well 2 minutes later my iphone was on the rail banging balls.... averaging 19-20.....
made the practice night kinda fun.........

thanks for the app paul and welcome to AZ community too...

i do agree i wish there was an archiving type function to keep track of stuff.... highest speed, average over time on each size table etc... but it's a WAY COOL start....
 
Thanks CueJunkiee,

It may be a few days before I have a chance to dig into the code and start putting in new features (the iPhone will get the new features first, as it is leading in sales at the moment.)

I haven't wanted to talk about the stuff we're working on, but I guess it won't hurt to throw out a few teasers, so...

We'll be improving the Break Recognition code a bit. It's extremely reliable now, but we've made improvements that are in the BlackBerry version today that should to go into the iPhone version.

Histrory will be a big thing in the next version. Not just your histroy, but we'll be keeping a database of breaks (provided you opt-in to this free service), which will allow you to compare your speeds against world-wide and national averages. We'll also give you the ability to track balls made and other stats, which you will be able to send to yourself via an email.

If you have a Facebook or Twitter account, you will have the option to post your speeds to those services.

We're going to add the ability to the iPhone version to "spot the cue ball", which will be handy if you're going for all-out precision while working on your break (see the FAQ on our site about this), and we'll also provide speeds in KPH for those folks that aren't in the US using MPH.

We're also looking for volunteers to help us translate our app to other languages, so if English isn't your native language, let us know. We will need at least three people to volunteer for each language before we can commit to one.

I know some of these features won't interest everybody, so I'm going to be VERY careful to avoid cluttering up the application. This is a break speed measuring tool first and foremost, and we're going to keep it that way. The interface will stay the same - simple screen taps and speed display. We'll slip these features into inconspicuous places so they won't get in the way.
 
Feature requests

In my last post, I laid out some of our future plans for Break Speed. But we're not too proud to ask for help. Other people have great ideas, too.

I do ask that you bear in mind that we want this app to stay focused on break speeds and break performance.

FEATURE REQUESTS

Features are going in based on popularity, so if you have a feature request post them here. Remember, they are based on popularity, so if somebody has already posted their request, then don't hesitate to post it again so we know you want it, too.

This also applies to features that I listed in my last post - feel free to request those so we can gauge the popularity of each one, which will allow us to prioritize which features go in first!
 
Samiel said:
Maybe you can add some of those other ideas to your TODO list! :p

I'm guessing my break is somewhere in the 15-18 MPH range! :p
Click to expand...

I actually created another app for the PC and Windows Mobile, but I never released it to the public. If I do, it will probably go out for free. It's just an app that explores the mathematics and required precision for pool players.

For example... (non-sciencey people, please avert your eyes.)

On a 9' table, with 4.5" pockets and 2.25" balls - if you place the cue-ball on the head spot, and an object ball on the foot spot, how precise do you need to be in order to shoot that ball into a corner pocket?

Setting aside physics (spin, contact induced throw, etc.), let's look at just the raw math of it. In order to make that shot, the contact area on the object ball is 1.93mm. However, because the cue-ball isn't directly in front of that contact area, it sees that contact area at an angle, which foreshortens the visible area to the cue-ball (which has a matching contact area size.) So from the perspective of the cue-ball's contact area, the object ball's contact area is only 1.32mm (32% smaller). In order for the cue-ball's contact area to hit the object ball's contact area correctly, the cue ball must travel down a channel that has a margin of error of only 0.123 degrees. That's a pretty precise shot!

How much harder would this shot be if we dropped the ball size to a snooker ball? Anybody? Okay, I'll tell you. :) The margin of error is 0.113 degrees, which is harder, but only by about 8%!

I don't want to divert this thread to a huge discussion about this stuff, so if you want to talk about it, please open a new thread.
 
Just bought mine for the Blackberry after the trial version ended. I love the program it works great! I'm breaking in the 20-22 mph zone right now.
 
I bought mine today and headed to my friends house to try it out, amazing. This App is awesome. Another friend came over and tried it also. I don't know how close it is to the actual speed, I don't have a radar gun, but it is a great App. We were sending the cue ball through air trying to nail it and beat each other, lol.

It would be cool in the settings tab if you could have a average speed of a certain number of breaks. Also if it could save your best speed & averages. I know it was mentioned but, you said to repeat what we wanted.

Great App,
Ron
 
In case anybody is interested, today we created a "Break Speed" Facebook group and a twitter account (twitter.com/BreakSpeed).

We'll be posting updates to the software and status updates on development of new versions as we develop them so you'll know what's coming.
 
Hi Pnettle!

I love to try this app on my android htc hero.
When will you releas this wonderful app on android??
very soon i hope:)
 
does the app adjust for where you break? how about a feature on the app that lets you pinpoint the exact spot youre breaking from that for a more accurate result.
 
Thunderball said:
Anybody else try it out? Fatboy, did you break that 15mph mark?
Click to expand...


havent tried it yet, i played for 2 hours yesterday, I was lucky to hit a rail I was so weak and sleepy. today is a different story, i'm foing to go mess around with it in a few hours and post what ever the results are no matter how bad they are. When I was going to the gym full time I could hit them pretty hard but still I doubt over 25-I just aint got it:(:(
 
Nice to hear your story about the app.

Since the iPhone overlords don't allow Porn on their device, this is the only application for it that has me interested.

I was wondering if the phone had some type of infrared beam that you were using to measure the speed of the ball, but measuring the sound is so simple once you explained what was being done.

Have a question about the measurments, how quiet does the surrounding area need to be? I would think 2-3 tables breaking/shooting in the same area may confuse the device.

pnettle said:
Hey y'all,

Thanks for the great comments on Break Speed!

-snip-

There's a lot more to tell (I only mentioned Allen Jr. and Mark Griffin, and I haven't even mentioned JR from Inside Pool), but I think this epic email has been epic enough for today. :)
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
pnettle-- This is a very cool app! I bought it yesterday for my BB Tour. Have yet to try it out on the table but will soon. Thanks! Sure it will be worth the 6 bux for sure.

Oh... one bug on the BB version i came across (nothing major)... when going to options, selecting the table size does not highlight. At first I just thought it was because I only had the trial. But after purchasing, it still did not highlight. What I found is that the option does get selected but just doesn't highlight. If I use the trackball to scroll between the Speed & Break Distance, table size does get selected then I can change the size from the pull-down. Hope this makes sense. :)


Abe - i4pool
 
Downloaded the app for my blackberry and tried it out in the basement last night. I am going to buy it, but I have had mixed results with it so far. I'm not sure if it is due to the bare concrete floor in my basement or what, but I only got two good speeds out of 9 breaks. For the first one, the phone was on the rail, and it registered the correct speed (I'm assuming. It was in the ballpark for sure). The next 7 breaks were all in the 40's and 50's, however, and it didn't seem to matter if I had the phone right on the rail or a few feet away. For the last one, I moved the phone 6 or 8 feet away and laid it on the seat of a chair, and that time I got a good speed.

Is there an ideal distance/location for the phone? I don't want to have to break 100 times to get 10 speeds, lol.

Aaron
 
Bought mine the other day for the iPhone and I love it, works great. My vote would be for some kind of a chart to track your history as well as other people history. Also, being able to manually enter the amount of balls you made and at each speed might be able to let you know the zone at which you're breaking with control or just breaking for power.
 
pnettle said:
In my last post, I laid out some of our future plans for Break Speed. But we're not too proud to ask for help. Other people have great ideas, too.

I do ask that you bear in mind that we want this app to stay focused on break speeds and break performance.

FEATURE REQUESTS

Features are going in based on popularity, so if you have a feature request post them here. Remember, they are based on popularity, so if somebody has already posted their request, then don't hesitate to post it again so we know you want it, too.
Click to expand...

I downloaded it today for my iPhone.. I love it!!

I would like History for me and my friends so we can keep track of fastest, slowest, average among ourselves, idividually, and within the group. Maybe about five-ten people so that we would choose who is breaking (button) and then record it, the next break would be person-2 .. etc.

Also would need a reset stats button.

I'm the only one within the group that has a smart phone,... otherwise , we would all just buy it individually.
 
I tried it tonight and broke 9 racks and my average speed was 17mph, I did get one strange reading though when I was breaking the balls full whack it came out @ 108mph. No fooling. Love the app though.

P.S

Can you figure out a way to use the sound on the iPod without using headphones.
 
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