Cruise Moab was a great first step for Roam - it was primarily a mission of listening and learning, and getting to know some new folks in the off-road community. It was also a total blast to take our 80 out there and see what it could do (spoiler: its much more capable than its drivers are brave).

Of course, we used Roam to record our adventures! We recorded a total of three trips with Roam and the app performed admirably. I was really encouraged by how the app seamlessly switched to offline maps as we wandered in and out of cell service. The battery efficient GPS tracking was really impressive--the phone didn't even get warm and recorded an entire day of exploring without a very noticeable battery impact. Both of these were features that I stressed getting right over the last few months and it really paid off.

I also learned a few things about the app that will be addressed in a forthcoming app update (in a few days) -

  • If the phone is plugged in and recording, keep the screen on! The map is incredibly useful as a glanceable tool for navigation.
  • Allow for larger media uploads - initially we only accepted 100mb uploads but I immediately found that limiting, wanting to upload much longer videos.
  • Several other small issues that I am fixing such as better error handling around offline mode, map styling in offline mode, etc.

You only learn these things by actually using the app. Fortunately, we have lots of trips and rides planned in the Colorado region over the next few months. I'm also looking forward to hearing feedback from our new Roamers - we got our first few external testers as Cruise Moab and really looking forward to growing our community going forward.

We have to give a huge shoutout to the organizers and participants at Cruise Moab. This was an excellently run event. Family friendly, respectful of trails. The food, events, swag--everything was awesome. We can't wait to bring Roam to Cruise Moab again next year as a vendor.

Happy Trails!