Tag: update

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Rootn Tootn version 1.1

I have just submitted the first feature update of Rootn Tootn to Apple for review. Hopefully it will be available for download from the App Store in the next week or so.

The theme for version 1.1 is “stuff that I didn’t have time for last time.” In addition to a lot of small tweaks, there are three big features: statistics, data export and accessibility.

Version 1.0 allowed you to record and view lots of information but there was no way to see it all in context. With this update you will be able to see some statistics, showing what happened on average over the last week and for all time.

This is what it looks like:

Rootn Tootn Statistics screen

At the top there’s a graph showing averages for each day of the last week. The bars show the number of events (feeds, changes); the line shows the average duration. Press and hold on a day to see the actual numbers.

Below the graph are text summaries of the average number of events and the average duration per day for all time and just for the last week. I thought that these would be the most interesting and useful statistics but, of course, you might have other ideas of things you’d like to see.

This brings me to the second feature: data export. You can export all the data that Rootn Tootn records as simple CSV (comma separated variable) files that can be imported into most text editing and spreadsheet apps, or even Dropbox so you can open in a “full” application on your Mac or PC.

While I’m sure that you can think of other benefits, the two main ones I see are: you can analyse the figures in arbitrary ways that I can’t imagine. And secondly, I don’t want you to feel that Rootn Tootn is holding your data hostage. If you want to get extract it and use it elsewhere, you should be able to do so.

The final thing is something I’m not sure I should describe as a “feature,” but is pretty neat nevertheless: accessibility. That’s the name that Apple use to describe the feature, but what does it really mean? In short, it means that partially sighted people can work with apps just as well as those with perfect eyesight. It works by “speaking” the user interface. You can read more about how it works in general here.

What I would say is that I have good (albeit corrected) eyesight so I’m not completely confident that I have correctly made every part of the app fully accessible. Please let me know if you find an area that needs work.

So that’s Rootn Tootn 1.1: easier to use, better visualisation of your data and the ability to export it.

Update: Apple approved it on 30 October.

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Yummy 2.7.2

In my rush to get Yummy 2.7.1 out I missed a couple of things: one feature and one bug. I fixed that in 2.7.2 and added a small bonus.

The bug I have already written about on Twitter. Basically, if you are still running iOS 5 but do not have Twitter enabled then Yummy is liable to crash when you open a bookmark or the web preview screen. While Apple approve the real fix, if you enable Twitter support (even if you don’t use it) you can work around the problem.

Secondly, in using the new iOS 6 share sheets, I accidentally removed the “Open in Safari” option. In 2.7.2 that’s back. As is a new option, allowing you to open links in Google’s Chrome, too.

With luck this will hit the App Store some time in the next week.

Update (12 October 2012): Yummy 2.7.2. was approved last night and it available for download now.

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Yummy 2.7.1

I have just submitted an update to Yummy to Apple for review. Hopefully it should make it to the App Store some time in the next week. As with the recent updates to Rootn Tootn and www.cut, this revision is all about supporting iOS 6 and the new screen size on the iPhone 5 and fifth generation iPod touch.

The changes for Yummy were both more difficult and more extensive, much bigger than you might expect given the 0.0.1 version number increment. The “harder” I’m sure you don’t care about but the “more extensive” I hope you do. The most visible change is that the three little buttons at the bottom of the bookmark and web preview screens are gone, replaced with the iOS 6 standard “Activity View.” It looks like the attached picture.

Yummy 2.7.1 share sheet

The options available will depend on your device, but it should be the same or better than before.

(A quick aside to answer a question that I’ve been asked a few times now: no, I can’t add Yummy to the Activity view of other applications.)

Yummy 2.7 allowed you to use the new, built-in-to-iOS post-to-Twitter functionality. Yummy 2.7.1 extends that to the new post-to-Facebook dialog. You’ll find that the “Log into Facebook” button is no longer in the Settings screen. Instead you’ll need to configure the system-wide Facebook settings.

If you’re not running iOS 6 yet, things will mostly work as before.

However, there may be some Yummy users who will not be able to take advantage of these new features.

In order to build in any iOS 6 functionality I had to use the most up-to-date developer tools from Apple. This has meant dropping support for devices running versions of iOS less than 4.3. In practice this means all original iPhones, all iPhone 3G’s (not the 3GS which does support iOS 6) and their equivalent iPod touches. As I said last month, I am sorry if this affects you but there is nothing I can do if I am to keep Yummy current. Of course, version 2.7 won’t suddenly stop working.

The other casualty is Facebook support in devices that are not running iOS 6. This was a decision made more out of practicality than necessity. The post-to-Facebook functionality has taken a disproportionate amount of time to maintain compared with its utility or usage. By switching to the built-in functionality I can spend more time on more unique and useful features. The main device that this affects is the original iPad, though there may be others.

All software involves trade-offs but I think Yummy 2.7.1 will be a big improvement for the vast majority of users. I hope you like it.

Update 1 October, 2012: Apple just approved the update. It should be available on the App Store shortly.

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Rootn Tootn 1.0.1

I have just submitted the first maintenance release for Rootn Tootn since its arrival on the App Store in June. This is a very minor update, mainly designed so that it works optimally on the new iPhone and the latest iPod touches.

Rootn Tootn home screen on the iPhone 5

As you can see, Rootn Tootn 1.0.1 will use the full screen of these new devices, allowing you to either add more reminders that you can see on one screen or see more of your pictures.

If you upgrade to an iPhone 5, you’ll probably find that your old picture isn’t quite big enough and you’ll get a dark grey bar at the bottom of each screen. If you just select the picture again it will re-size it correctly for your new device.

In addition to support for the new devices, I have also added a couple of minor bug fixes and one small feature. I very much doubt you’ll notice the fixes — a far as I know, no serious defects made it into the released version — but the feature is nice. In version one, you had to press the small, green plus sign to add a new reminder. In 1.0.1 you can press anywhere in the “Add new reminder” button.

Hopefully it will make it into the App Store before the iPhone 5 hits the shelves or at least very shortly afterwards. Fingers crossed.

Update: It made it onto the App Store on the 20th September.

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www.cut 3.1.1

A minor new release of www.cut is with Apple for review and should be in the App Store shortly.

If you recall, version 3.1 added the ability to find the title of a link before you post it to Twitter or Facebook. Version 3.1.1 refines that ability, trimming excess spaces and converting weird HTML characters into something that’s readable by humans.

Apple say that they’re review 94% of app updates in five business days so hopefully you’ll have it before the end of the week.

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Yummy 2.7.0

I have just sent an update to Apple for review. It’s not one of the bigger releases ever but there’s some nice new stuff that I thought was well worth releasing:

  • Built in web browser
  • Use iOS native Twitter functionality when present and configured
  • Improved “Get title” reliability and correctness
  • Refer to “Pocket” rather than “Read It Later”
  • Restore iOS 3.1.3 support

The main new feature is the web browser. It’s limited in some respects but for people who are frustrated that it’s not possible to put a “Add to Delicious” button directly in Safari (if you want this functionality, please ask Apple) it may be a convenient option.

 

You can find the option in the middle of the main menu screen.

The Twitter functionality is not so much new functionality as a change. Yummy will use iOS5’s built-in Twitter client rather than its own if it’s present and configured. The advantage is that you can now post to multiple Twitter accounts and you only have to configure your Twitter settings once. If you’re still using an older version of iOS you won’t notice anything different.

Finally, I have restored the ability to run Yummy on iOS 3.1.3 which was accidentally removed in the last version. This is just a temporary reprieve, though. Apple’s most recent developer tools no longer support anything older than iOS 4.3 which means that soon I will have no choice but to set that as the minimum version supported by Yummy.

Still, this is a great new release to run on your five year old phone!