Tech Cast Now

"Scanner 911 is the best looking, most highly featured, easiest to use police scanner yet! Listen in while police, fire, and EMS crews work day & night."

"This is a neat program. I've owned a couple RF scanners over the last few years. I currently have a Radio Shack digital trunking scanner. A $300 investment and it takes a little geekiness to use it. This app gives you some of the fun and utility without the expense and hassle of setting up a real RF scanner.

 

The app is very well done. It gets the streaming data from RadioReference.com. You can actually listen free online, but this app is worth the $0.99 for the convenience. The interface is well designed and simple to use. The graphics are good and it also includes a nice recording feature that lets you record the active channel.

 

If you've never listened to a police scanner before it will sound like greek at first. As you listen you'll start to catch on. You may want to get a list '10-codes' and 'signal codes'. Search RadioReference.com or Google 'radio scanner' to find lots of info - 10-4! There are some limitations. Of course not every city is covered and not all stations are active all the time. Often larger police and public safety department will use multiple channels, some for dispatch and some for other things like tactical operations. I don't know if the streams are just the main channels for the covered cities or if multiple channels are mixed in. The static you hear is the same kind of stuff I hear on my real radio scanner.

 

The app failed the 'Recover from incoming call test'.  Not too big of a problem, but it would be nice if it restarted after a call."

Clean Installation Did the app install easily and cleanly? (assigned weight-5)

10

Easy Configuration Was initial configuration simple and easy to understand? (assigned weight-5)

10

Configuration Options Does app offer configuration options to allow customization? (assigned weight-5)

10

Learning Curve Is app easy to lean and use? (assigned weight-5)

8

Support Website Does the developer offer a comprehensive support site? (assigned weight-4)

5

Feature Set - Does the app have a full feature set for the purpose? (assigned weight-5)

10

Help - Does app have built in help that is really helpful? (Direct access in app, access via web, or none. (assigned weight-5)

10

Bugs - Does the app work as expected, without bugs (assigned weight-5)

10

Load Time - Does the app load quickly? ( ready to use in less than 10 seconds on 3GS) (assigned weight-3)

10

Controls Does app offer adequate controls for purpose? (assigned weight-5)

9

Regular Updates Does vendor appear to keep app up-to-date (updated or released in last 6 months=10,-1 per month after 6 unless reason update is not required)? (assigned weight-3)

10

Alternative Languages Does the app support alternate languages? (assigned weight-2)

1

Intuitive Interface Is the interface intuitive (icons, menus, and directional symbols) for average users and does it adhere to good iPhone design principles? (assigned weight-5)

10

Screen Layouts Are screen layouts logical and well-designed? (assigned weight-5)

10

Navigation Is the app navigation logical and easy to use? (assigned weight-4)

10

Readability Legible text and print size that is appropriate for the intended audience. Are fonts and interface elements easy to see and read? (assigned weight-5)

10

Recovery from Incoming Call Does the app recover after being interrupted by an incoming call or message? (to test interrupt app during operation ) (assigned weight-5)

1

Restart/Pause/Shutdown If applicable, does the app allow user to pause or shutdown and restart at a meaningful and logical point after previous use? If game, does it restart to place in level, or can you pause before closing app. (to test close and reopen app to see if it restarts to a meaningful point) (assigned weight-5)

5

Audio Quality Are the sound effects clear understandable and consistent in quality and volume? (assigned weight-3)

10

Audio Usefulness Are sounds and music relevant and appropriate? (assigned weight-3)

10

Graphics Quality Are the graphics of good quality and resolution; do images load within reasonable timeframe? (assigned weight-5)

10

Graphics Usefulness Are the graphics meaningful and useful? (assigned weight-5)

10