Month: December 2013

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Yummy 2.7.7

Last, but by no means least, in my programme to update all Wandle apps for iOS 7 is Yummy.

Yummy 2.7.7 Date List

I’ll be the first to admit that it has taken a long time to arrive. Yummy is a deceptively large and complex app, and the fact that it was originally written for iPhone OS 2 in 2008 has not helped matters. This means that this update has had much more work “under the hood” that you can’t see than changes that you can see.

That’s not to say that there’s no Good Stuff. The “edit bookmark” screen has seen another facelift — moving the tabs to the top rather than the bottom of the screen, adding a character count for the notes.

In bullet points:

  • Updates for iOS7
  • Enhanced edit screen
  • Notes character count
  • Removed “shake to refresh” function
  • Bug fixes
  • Note: the earliest supported iOS version is now 6.0.

I am currently evaluating the possibility of an update that is a better iOS 7 citizen, including background updates. This will likely involve dropping support for iOS 6 and below.

Keep an eye out for the new version on Twitter and, of course, your device.

Update (2 January 2014): Apple approved the update in almost record time and it’s not wending its way to the App Store.

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www.cut version 3.2.1

I’m pleased to announce www.cut version 3.2.1, which I like to call the Ted Rogers release. (Actually, I just made that up.) In fact it’s a very small update with just a couple of changes:

  • Fix for uCut.it
  • Improved visual feedback when shortening URLs

For the first bullet-point, it seems that uCut.it changed hands since I used it last and they managed to change the API — the mechanism apps use to communicate — in the process. This update allows uCut.it to work again.

The second it, well, part of the peril of developing on a fast WiFi network and using a decent 3G connection most of the time when I use it out and about. Shortening a URL typically requires a single network request so on a good connection it takes almost no time. So I didn’t put up any visual feedback that anything was happening. Eventually — and this would typically be a fraction of a second normally — the shortened URL or an error would appear. But when dealing with a poor network there was no indication that anything was happening. This version now shows an activity indicator so it’s clear that something is happening, even if that something is taking a while for some reason.

Unfortunately it’s unlikely to make it onto the App Store before the iTunes Connect shutdown (and therefore Christmas), but hopefully it will be available shortly after it opens again.

Update: Oddly, the shutdown was suspended on the 24th just long enough for the update to be approved just in time for Christmas.

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Coming soon: Rootn Tootn 2.0

I have just submitted a new version of Rootn Tootn to Apple for review. Due to the Christmas holidays the update won’t make it onto your phone until next year but I thought it was worth letting you know what’s coming!

Rootn Tootn 2.0 - Statistics Screen
Rootn Tootn 2.0 – Statistics Screen

It started out as a quick and simple update mostly to bring it in line for iOS 7 but it ended up being a lot more than that.

In terms of its aesthetics, it was already pretty close to being ready — since it already contained a lot of translucency — but I wanted to make it a good citizen and really make it fit in. To the left you can see what the new timer statistics screen looks like.

Now the toolbars and navigation bars use the new iOS 7-style semi-translucent look and the timers have an enhanced blur effect. I also increased the contrast between the background and the text making it easier to see all your details even when very dark images.

To make the app easier and faster to use I moved around some of the screens. In general, things that are used often are emphasised and the order of information is more logical. A simple example is the statistics screen which now has a drill down to the underlying data (rather than being at the same level).

Along the same lines are a few helpful shortcuts. The one you’ll likely use the most is tapping and holding the button to stop a timer brings you directly to the notes screen. This means you can add a comment without having to first go through the “history” screen. I always find that it’s these small details that make all the difference.

It will be a free update for all existing users.

I’ll release more details shortly before launch. Stay tuned!

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Smart App Banner 1.0

Two things to note about our Smart App Banner WordPress plugin:

  • Thanks to Borisa Djuraskovic it has been translated into Serbo-Croatian
  • I’ve bumped the version number up to 1.0. It has not needed updating in a year and has been downloaded over two thousand times (more than any other Smart App Banner plugin for WordPress last time I looked) so I think it should be considered stable, making the 0.x.x version number potentially misleading

The first item required some leg-work to make the plugin support language files but, with that done, it should be easy to support new languages. If you’d like to add a new language, the distribution now includes a “pot” file. Basically you just take the first lines (labelled “msgid”) and put the translation in the next line (“msgstr”). If you send the completed file to me, I can do the rest.

Otherwise it’s not an essential update but there’s not reason not to take a copy when WordPress next nags you to update your site. We always welcome five star reviews, of course!