This page covers generic issues such as minimal phone requirements and installation. If you are looking for information on specific function within the app, please check the "Online Help" page.
Q: What is RailBandit?
A: RailBandit is a Java (J2ME) application that runs on your phone, handheld or PDA and displays
schedule information on upcoming trains. If your phone is equipped with a GPS, you also can track yourself
while on the train and find out if you're running on time or your train is delayed. |
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Getting StartedRailBandit is a commercial product. You must purchase the program by registering it before you start using it. RailBandit is subscription-based, which means that you will have access to current schedules for the period of your subscription, and when that period expires, you can extend it. In order to register, you will need to have your unique license number. This number is shown in a special screen within the application. So to get started:
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Q: How does it work?
A: Once you install the application to your phone (handheld, PDA), it first will ask you to select which train lines you are going to use and download them from our server.
This is a quick one-time operation: you will be asked to do this only when you run the application for the very first time.
Once the schedule is downloaded and stored on your phone, you're ready to use the program. |
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Q: What are the minimal phone requirements?A: Java ME MIDP-2.0, CLDC-1.1. The minimum available memory per J2ME application should be 256K or more. Suggested total minimum device memory is 512K. |
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Q: How can I find out if my phone can run RailBandit?
A: If you are not sure whether your phone supports Java, go to websites like phonescoop.com
where you can enter your phone model and see all the phone specs. Phonescoop.com (you can also try
club-java.com) gives you details on Java support for your phone on the bottom of the page. For example, for Nokia 6103, is gives: |
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Q: What about schedule changes?
A: When a new schedule becomes available (this happens some time before it becomes effective) we prepare new schedule files and post them to our server. As a user,
you can subscribe to our RSS feeds and receive notifications about new schedules by e-mail or otherwise.
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Q: What are the advantages of using this method over an "all-over-the-web" approach?
A: Cost, speed, reliability and ease of use. Train schedules don't change daily - it simply would be impractical. Why pay for downloading the same information over and over each time you need it, if you can store it locally and the size of this information is tiny by today's standards? Because no exchange is required between your phone and a server, RailBandit is far more reliable than web-based applications: no need to worry about your connection or whether the server is up and running. It's all in your hands. The search is much faster and the user interface is much simpler because no server is involved.
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Metro North schedules on BlackBerry. With RailBandit you can plan trips involving up to two connections, up to two weeks ahead. |
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A: Yes. Many people, after learning about RailBandit, ask us this question. Version 2.2 released in September 2009 has information on train delays from certain railroads. The following picture shows elements of the "Live Updates" interface displaying the train delays on Nokia Series 40 phone.
We plan to offer the same functionality for more railroads as it becomes available. Currently supported railroads that provide full or partial information on alerts and train delays are:
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A: There are lots of ways to install it on a mobile phone. You can use Infrared, Bluetooth, Serial/USB cable or OTA for the installation.
If you don't have a data plan, download the non-web version your computer from this link. Then transfer the jar/cod file to your phone using Infrared, Bluetooth or a data cable.
If you do have a data plan, point your phone to railbandit.com/wap and download the application.
Our server will detect the device you are using, and redirect you to
the appropriate link, so BlackBerry owners will be presented with a
link to "RailBandit - BlackBerry" download, while everyone else will be directed to "RailBandit - regular".
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A: This site is not intended to serve as a tutorial on installing Java applications to your phone: there are simply too many phones out there, and we cannot provide directions for all of them. Some brief guidance to get you started is below.
First, make sure that your phone can run RailBandit.
Option 1: Download over-the-air
If you can browse the Internet from your phone, you can simply point to
railbandit.com/wap and download the application.
If you don't have a cable, have never connected your phone to a computer and don't
have an Internet plan for your phone, it still may be the easiest (in terms of effort and time spent) option to get such a plan and download the application directly to your phone. (It should cost between $5 or $10 per month, but you can turn it off at any time.)
Some mobile providers won't charge you any additional monthly fee, but will charge based on the volume of downloads; for example 1 cent per Kilobyte. Given the size of the RailBandit application, such a download will cost you about $1.00.
Option 2: Use a Serial/USB Cable
Alternatively, find out your phone model and how it can be connected to a computer.
Most phones can be connected via a serial or USB cable. Use your favorite web search engine or your phone manual to find exactly which cable you need. Also find out if you can connect via Bluetooth or Infrared. If you decide on the cable,
it's usually available from your phone manufacturer, but can also be purchased online on sites such as ebay.com for much less.
Depending on your phone manufacturer and model, and also on your computer (Mac or PC) you might also need special software (usually available for free) running on your computer to install Java applications to your phone. For example, if you have a Windows PC and Nokia phone, you will need the Nokia Application Installer provided as part of Nokia PC Suite. If you have a Motorola phone, install Motorola Midway Tool provided by Motorola. Owners of BlackBerry phones need BlackBerry Desktop Manager, and so on.
Visit your phone manufacturer's website, ask your mobile provider - the information is out there available for those who seek it.
Option 3: Bluetooth
Many new phones have Bluetooth. In order to use it for file exchange with a computer, your computer also has to be Bluetooth enabled. The software
suites (such as Nokia PC Suite) mentioned above also support Bluetooth, and make installation of Java applications to your phone easier. The following link contains generic instructions on connecting a PC and a mobile phone using Bluetooth.
A. Yes. In order to run the application on Windows Mobile PPC, you need to have a special program called "Midlet manager" that can launch J2ME Midlets.
Some Windows Mobile devices have midlet manager (such as Esmertec JBed) already
pre-installed. In other cases, you will have to install it yourself.
There are different "Midlet managers" made by different companies. We know about Titan, a midlet manager that works with Sprint Windows Mobile devices and used by some of our users. The following PDF document provides a detailed description on installing the program using Titan on Sprint Pocket PC device.
Other popular midlet managers are Esmertec JBed and TAO Intent (discontinued).
Which manager works best on your phone however is something that only you
can find out by experimenting - it depends on a particular device you are using.
We suggest searching the Internet first, and talking to your mobile provider.
They might be able to suggest a particular program.
Here is a good
description of the available options.
A: For $7.50 you get registration that entitles you to software and schedule updates for six months. It gives you the right to use the program on one phone. If you decide to get a new phone, we'll provide you with one additional registration free of charge within
the six month period, but not sooner than one month after the purchase.
You also can extend your subscription for one month for each new user you refer. Please read about the referrals below.
A: No. You are allowed to use the program on one phone at a time, but you can get the program installed on a second phone free of charge during your subscription. Use this link to transfer the license to a new phone.
A: Because schedules are changing, and we continually make sure you have access to
the current information. Extracting schedule information is often a time-consuming and difficult task that
also must be done on a timely basis.
In our case, we stand behind our promise: if you paid for 6 months, you will get the 6 month of up-to-date schedules.
And we will do everything we can to make you happy with the product and keep you as a subscriber.
A: When a new person that was referred by you registers, he/she should click "From another person" inside "How did you find about us?" section. A new line will pop up inside the registration form where this new user should enter either your full name or your license key (your license is shown inside the "About" screen within the application).
Your license key is completely safe to share (you can post it online on your site if you like). Please note that if your license key does not contain "(p)" at the end when program is registered, the person should use your full name, not the license key.
A: Very much the same way as when you registered - by using the license number shown in the Register/About screen and filling out the Registration form. A couple of weeks before your current registration expires, the application will start showing you a message about the expiring license. Your subscription will not expire until six months after the purchase. The warning is given simply as a reminder.
A: For listing of all available schedules, click here.
A: If you are interested in making RailBandit work with a train line in your area, please e-mail us. With a few changes (mostly related to different holidays) the application can also work in Canada and other countries. However, at this time, outside the U.S. we cannot guarantee that all schedule changes will be updated on time.