By Graham K. Rogers

With the Formula One season opening this weekend at Melbourne, it is time to download the Soft-Pauer timing app for 2013. I have been using this for a couple of years. The app enables an enthusiast to follow progress of cars on the track using a live feed. Also available are timing screens, similar to those available to race personnel. In previous years, the app has been available ready to run for a relatively high price as far as most apps go. This year, the app is free, but the live race data comes through an in-app purchase.

Although the F1 2013 Timing App is little changed from earlier years and still has the main display screens, there are a number of differences with the data that some of these now display. The Race Screens for example have extra information concerning which tyres a driver has used, while there is also a feature with one timing screen that allows direct comparison between the data displayed and the best sector times for the session.

Just as I started looking at the app, there was an update to version 5.302. I am not wholly surprised as any early season download of such an app, especially with the changes to data access, is bound to reveal some problems (minor or otherwise). In this case, the information showed bug fixes and speed ups under low network conditions. As I have tried earlier versions on the iPhone using 3G and EDGE, there have been few major problems with the alternatives, but in past years wifi has sometimes paused (usually at a critical time of the race of course), so any way that this may be bettered is welcome.

The in-app purchase was $33.99 but there was no download. With the size of the free app (21 MB) almost the same as last year's paid purchase, I presume that this in-app purchase unlocks access to the servers. This slight separation of app and data also makes it clear that the reason for the high price is the data: and that is supplied by Formula One Management.

The free app downloads with a demo so new users can see how this might work in a real-time situation. The race used was last year's Australian GP at Melbourne. As ever turning the iPhone on its side gives the user different displays, including full-screen timing. In landscape mode, pressing an icon, adjacent to the circuit/timing screen selector, reveals buttons at the side for the four different sections of the app: Race, Information, News, and Settings. A similar arrow icon has the same function for the portait displays when these buttons are shown at the bottom of the screen (if not hidden).

I started running the app just before the racing weekend started, so initially did not have access to all information available in real race (or practice) conditions. Of particular interest to me are the timing screens with data now available to 3 decimal places; speed trap information for all drivers; and the new tyre information displays (these days critical to success). While looking at the driver lineup the second Force India driver was added, so data is being updated as the app is used.

Once I had purchased the access to the full services, some extra features (on top of the race data) became available and I was able to try out some of the race weekend features with the First Practice which was on Friday morning here. I do notice that colours used for the displays are brighter as are the icons within the Settings panel. There are also several more ways in which data can be displayed and used. While some data was not initially available in the (i) information panel, once the first two practice sessions had taken place, so the Latest Results and Standings sections became live (all drivers are currently on 0 points in Standings, but that will change).

The App can use 8 languages (including English) to display information on the pages. Changing from one to another is instant: all menus and information displays are shown in the new selected language right away. There are also three language for commentaries: English, French and German. I have not as yet been able to try this out, but it is worth remembering that the TV and the app may not be synchronised (about 5 seconds difference) and my experience with the Dorna Moto GP app last year made me turn this off. With Moto GP, the commentators are the same on TV and the App but the slight time difference made the TV output preferable. [A correction here now that I have run the app in real conditions: the commentary is not audible but text that overlays the maps. Again, personal choice here, for sure.]

There is also more integration with Twitter, which may suit some. In the past there has been a lot of information during the race available via Twitter, this could be of value especially as the feed may be viewed during the race.

On the iPad with its larger displays, the information sections appear as windows in the top left (in portrait mode) with the timing screen moved slightly to the right. With this a user will not miss any of the ongoing action, but it is not the tidiest way I have seen such extra data sections shown. Nevertheless, the iPad does display the data far more clearly with the iPhone screens becoming a bit busy. I usually have the timing screens working rather than the circuit display. On both the iPad and the iPhone, 2 of the timing screens (6 are available) have larger characters than the others. This is linked to the display of the circuit (bringing that into view makes the text smaller), but seems inconsistent. I would rather have smaller characters - these are quite visible - and a full display of data.

Minor niggles aside, this app (and the MotoGP equivalent from Dorna) has become an essential part of my Saturday and Sunday viewing of motor racing on TV. While commentators try to bring viewers up to date on the state of a race, the ability to monitor timing of cars, sector by sector, gives me an early heads-up to early fading or late charging that are essential ingredients to the excitement that those interested in such sports enjoy so much. The free download will give access to limited information, but the in-app data pack purchase for the season, is one of my essentials this year.

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs.