Month: June 2012

Categories
reviews

Rootn Tootn – a baby timer app without the cliched pinks and blues

A press release announcing the launch of Rootn Tootn went out today via PrMac:

London, United Kingdom – Wandle Software Limited is pleased to announce the birth of its latest app, Rootn Tootn, a quick and effective way to remind you when your baby needs feeding or changing – or as we like to say, your baby is rooting and tooting.

Especially in the first few weeks when you’re feeding around the clock, it’s easy to lose track of what needs to happen and when. The last thing you want is an app that insists on endless details just to get started. Rootn Tootn just has a single button to start or stop a timer. It automatically records all the details for your reference and sets a reminder for the next time. You can add notes if you like.

You can add as many reminders as you want and there are three different types. One records the duration of an event (feeding for example), one is a point in time (changing a diaper/nappy) and one is a left/right side reminder. Check out the blog for stories of how other people use them.

In addition to customising the timers and reminders, you can personalise how it looks by adding your own picture to the background. We think that Rootn Tootn offers a great balance between simplicity and features that you’ll use. Created using feedback from nursing mothers, we are confident that you’ll love it too.

Device Requirements:
* iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, 3/4G iPod touch and iPad
* Requires iOS 5.0 or later
* 1.4 MB

Pricing and Availability:
Rootn Tootn 1.0 is $1.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Health & Fitness category. Promo codes are available on request.

Categories
news

Wandle Summer 2012 Lineup

As of this week you can fill the dock on your iPhone or iPod touch completely with Wandle Software apps. I know that’s not significant in the big scheme of things but I like to think that it’s quite an achievement for a one-man shop that operates part-time.

From left-to-right, and in the order that they were released, there is Yummy, Yummy Browser (the “lite” version of Yummy), www.cut and, new this month, Rootn Tootn.

Categories
faq

About Rootn Tootn

The last time I released a new app was 2009. I’ve been busy, there have been plenty of updates since then, but a completely new, version 1.0 app is something special. Since that last release, the App Store has grown enormously. Just about every imaginable category has a number of competing app so I think it’s important to explain where Rootn Tootn, our new baby feed timer and reminder app, fits in and why you should consider buying it instead of one of its more established competitors.

After looking around the app store, I think you can put most competitors into one of two categories.

The first is what I’ll label “all-encompassing apps.” They record every last detail about your baby. Measurements for everything, eye colour, height, weight, inoculations, diaries, and… and… oh, and reminders.

Well, it all sounds great in principle but are you ever actually going to enter any of that information? Don’t all those extra options get in the way of the information that you really need?

So the guiding principle of Rootn Tootn is simplicity. You really only ever have to press a single button: to start the timer. It’s been designed to require as little of your time as possible. Let’s face it, time is at a premium, especially straight after birth.

Later I searched for a different term and came up with a bunch of other apps. They were very simple, had “baby” colours and confusing UIs.

I don’t believe that being a parent means you have to surrender to the cliches of pinks and blues, of cutsie clipart and baby language.

Rootn Tootn allows you to put your own pictures in the background and overlays your timers. Simple and clean. Honestly, would you rather see some clipart or a photograph of your own baby?

The confusing UIs were puzzling. Many are limited. Want a timer for anything other than feeding? Sorry. Have two babies, both on slightly different schedules? Nope.

In Rootn Tootn I think the simplicity belies a surprising depth. You can have as many timers as you like; you can have custom reminders; you can record the details (or not); you can add notes (or not); activities can have a duration (feeding) or just a frequency (changing a nappy/diaper).

So, back to the question posed in the first paragraph: why you should consider Rootn Tootn instead of one of its more established competitors? I think it offers a great balance between simplicity and features that you’ll actually use. It saves you time, it’s easy to use and it looks great. What more could you want?

Categories
news

Rootn Tootn Screencast

You’ve seen the description. You’ve seen some screenshots. But you’ve not seen Rootn Toon in action yet.

Categories
news

Announcing: Rootn Tootn

I’m very pleased to announce Wandle Software’s latest app, Rootn Tootn. Here’s the description from the App Store:

Rootn Tootn is a quick and effective way to remind you when your baby needs feeding or changing — or as we like to say, your baby is rooting and tooting…

Especially in the first few weeks when you’re feeding around the clock, it’s easy to lose track of what needs to happen and when. The last thing you want is an app that insists on endless details just to get started. Rootn Tootn just has a single button to start or stop a timer. It automatically records all the details for your reference and sets a reminder for the next time. You can add notes if you like.

You can add as many reminders as you want and there are three different types. One records the duration of an event (feeding for example), one is a point in time (changing a diaper/nappy) and one is a left/right side reminder. Check out the website for stories of how other people use them.

In addition to customising the timers and reminders, you can personalise how it looks by adding your own picture to the background.

Rootn Tootn offers a great balance between simplicity and features that you’ll use. Created using feedback from nursing mothers, we are always happy to hear how you’re using the app.

It was inspired by the birth of my son exactly six months ago today. You can get it on the iOS App Store for the introductory price of US$1.99, ¥170, €1.59, £1.49 or your local equivalent.

You can read more about it on the product page and, of course, there will be more more in this blog in the coming days.