It works.

Ill try to give this app a fair shake here.

The pros: it fills a much needed role. Having this app makes getting from any point in Japan to any other point pretty much a breeze- if you know how best to employ it. Take for instance, it tells you your arrival and departure gates. Thats really helpful even if you already have tickets- because finding the right gate in 6 minutes between trains can be a nightmare in a new terminal for even a native Japanese speaker. (I did that twice today, thus this review.)

Its also easy to use and hasnt been wrong yet: Ive used it a LOT: all over Tokyo, to Osaka, Kyoto, Fukui, Nagaizumi, and around Shizuoka.

The cons: the app is flaky. Sometimes, the app will reboot itself or just plain quit. Other times, if you have a poor internet connection, nonsense HTML code will populate the fields making you wonder if your phone has lost its mind.

Second complaint: it costs money. Now, lets be fair here. Sure, you can get the same information online for free… but its still from Hitachi Systems. So, its not like theyre ripping you off for nothing. They *did* design the database system and are offering it for your use. They could charge you for the internet use, too. So be fair. Also, while I dont like paying $25 and while most Apps with this kind of functionality are cheaper or free, this seems like a sensible price. Web servers arent free- and this one has to be updated with the correct timetables regularly. So, a subscription is the most sensible way for Hitachi Systems to upkeep their servers.

So, I guess my biggest complaint is that I dont like paying a professional quality fee for a less than professional quality product. If they cleaned up the App, Id be rightly happy with it.

Now- what Id like to see added: currently, this App (and the website) spits out the train line name. But it doesnt tell you the line final destination. Thats unfortunate because when you purchase shinkansen tickets at the automatic counter, you have to pick the trains based on destination. THAT would be a LOT easier if the database listed the destination.

Davie williams about HYPERDIA by VOICE, v1.3.3