If ever there was a stand to own that compliments the beauty of the iPad itself, this has to be it.
The Compass from Twelve South looks stunning and would by my own personal choice of stand, it’s so superior to the white plastic docks you see (including Apple’s own)
It’s available from http://www.twelvesouth.com/products/compass/ for $39.99 but there’s no signs of a UK reseller at the moment
v1.3.1 was released earlier today to fix some small iPad display issues but that's it, development on this App is now at an end.
I'm now just a week or so away from releasing my next App and one that's had numerous delays due to other life commitments and issues on the graphical side but it will be good to have a second App to talk about and I'll be pleased once it's released.
I'm currently finishing off some graphics after having to give myself a crash course in Photoshop recently – I'd much rather stick to development but needs must at times.
shrinkURL v1.3.1 as always is available in the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
ShrinkURL v1.3 has hit the App Store today with the following new features;
I decided to bring the App back to life and put some of the functionality into it that I had initially intended when first developing it back in August 2009.
Because the App is free I’ve also taken the opportunity to implement iAds too but my thoughts on that will be delayed for a future post.
One thing that really needs improving in the App Store for developers is the user review section.
There are flaws in the whole process, some of which have begun to be addressed in iOS4, for example the controversial feature of forcing a user to rate an App upon deletion (which can only be a good thing) but there is still room for improvement in many more areas. As i see it there are two frustrating areas that really do need to be improved that will not only benefit the developer but also the user.
Firstly, a developer cannot give direct support through the App store to a user who has downloaded one of their applications. I've seen many reviews left for Apps (some for my own) that simply state 'the App doesn't work' and there is no way for me as the developer to contact that user directly to resolve the issue. The vast majority, if not all developers of any software want the user to enjoy their application and removing any misunderstanding of how an App works is crucial to this.
A review cannot be 'contested' in the App Store by the developer too, therefore false or incorrect statements on an App that can have a detrimental impact on future downloads/purchases cannot be rectified. Even if the developer could resolve an issue with the user directly and then allow that user to modify their own review comments would be a big step forward and would likely give a more accurate set of App reviews.
Secondly, I don't see the need for country specific App Reviews. As an example, my App shrinkURL has some exceptionally good reviews in the U.S. App Store, many more in fact than in the U.K. but a user outside of the U.S. will never see these reviews to assist them in deciding if downloading the App is worthwhile. Why should they be separated out by Country?
Also, as a developer I cannot see a consolidated list of all my Apps reviews, yes iTunes Connect allows you to see them but only if you go through each individual country and do a manually check – a real painful task at the best of times, this is flawed further by the fact that iTunes Connect only shows reviews for the current version and not all versions of the App since release.
I know Apple are continually improving the whole developer toolset and it's supporting processes but I'd like to think that these two points are on the roadmap for overhaul.
To quote a Morrissey song, 'You Knew I Couldn't Last.'
I finally gave in and purchased an iPad this week. I'm normally first in line with anything new Steve Jobs gives us but for this particular device I'd held back.
I was unsure where an iPad would fit in my life and whether I could justify it alongside my MacBook Pro and iPhone. The one thing that really stood out when I asked myself the question was the ability for me to do development on the device and it would be pretty difficult if I just used the iPad Simulator in Xcode. The Simulator is very different to running on real hardware in my experience, with some particular issues I've encountered including;
But once I'd convinced myself of the requirement, getting a hold of one in the UK proved difficult.
Struggling to find any in the Apple retail stores and up to 10 day lead times online, I (reluctantly) resorted to eBay but was pleasantly surprised to get in touch with a great guy who had a 16Gb WiFi going for sale which he'd purchased over in the US only a few weeks prior. Alongside this, the iPad will replace my Wife's NetBook too and she will enjoy the browsing experience so much more. Just a few hours play with it has already made me realise what a fantastic device the iPad really is and I am so looking forward to using and developing for it in the months ahead.
Have I justified the purchase yet?
A little bit late at posting this, however shrinkURL v1.2 was approved and released to the App Store recently. No new changes except for iPad compatibility.
It’s not a huge task in converting an iPhone App (at least certainly not in the case of shrinkURL) to be universal but there are some pitfalls and a distinct lack of documentation knocking around on the subject.
I’m looking at posting about some of those pitfalls and things to watch out for in an upcoming post.
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