Robert.Hodgen.me

I’ve been working on a quick update to add a gradient background to all event cells and a “events in this list” count to the top of each list. The gradient background keeps the light is current and the dark is archived style. However the update adds a little visual interest to the app. This can be enabled or disabled from the Settings for better performance on older devices. The “events in this list” is exactly what it says, a count of events at the top of each list. Scroll to the top of any event list and you’ll see a “Events in this list: 4″ signaling that there are 4 events in the list. This becomes helpful when you’ve got a ton of events. This count updates live and shows the same value as the Directory item’s count. (more…)

Mussedo has been finished for more or less two months now. However I haven’t had much time to do the finishing touches and get a separate iTunes Connect account for Sysios. Since Mussedo has been “completed” for about two months now I just needed to submit the binary to Apple. In a week or so it should be accepted and go on sale for $6.99.

Previously I mentioned I was working on a iPad version of Mussedo (Mussedo HD) but it doesn’t look like I’ll release it at the same time I launch Mussedo for iPhone. The reason for this is syncing between the two. I’d much rather have a way built into the App to sync between multiple devices. This is where I’m stopping for now. At some point I may build a sync mechanism into Mussedo but at the moment I’m sticking with the (single) iPhone version.

Before I mentioned Mussedo when I announced the launch of Sysios. I’ve done a little work and I’m considering launching an iPad version of Mussedo along with the iPhone and iPod touch version.

I wanted to see how long it would take to convert Mussedo for iPhone over to iPad. Initially I thought it would take weeks, but after an hour I had something that was 50% or more complete. After about 5-hours (or an evening of coding) it’s about 80-90% complete.

Because the iPad and iPhone use more or less the same APIs it’s an easy conversion.

From now on all my future mobile applications will be launched and sold under Sysios, a new company I’m starting.

The main goal is to distribute my applications under one name and through one channel, I will slowly move my existing Apps over to Sysios as I find time and as I create and launch new Apps.

The launch product for Sysios Systems is Mussedo, a todo manager I’ve been wanting to write for the last two years and something I’ve been working on for the last six months. Mussedo is my take on todo management for iOS devices and should be in the App Store soon.

O'Reilly Best iPhone Apps

Swap It, my iPhone App for swapping pasteboards (clipboards) using Bluetooth has been featured on O’Reilly’s Best iPhone Apps site and named Best App for Beaming Text and Photos.

It is an honor to see Swap It rated as a Top Pick by a well known site and media outlet such as O’Reilly.

Read O’Reilly’s Best iPhone Apps post of Swap It here.
Swap It’s official website.
Get Swap It in the iTunes Store.

So Apple has decided to feature my latest application for iPhone and iPod touch, Swap It. This is the second time Apple has featured software that I’ve written, albit this is the first time in iTunes.

Swap It Featured in iTunes

It is currently under the New and Noteworthy category, which is highlighted on the App Store page in iTunes. It’s also visible about half way down on the iPhone’s App Store app under Featured.

For anyone who’s reading my blog but hasn’t yet heard of Swap It, read more about it at SwapItApp.com. Swap It is my take on pasteboard sharing for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Like I previously mentioned, Swap It was approved by Apple earlier and it just went live in the App Store a few minutes ago. Be sure to check it out in the App Store http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=333177120&mt=8. It costs 99-cents and I hope you’ll check it out, and should you purchase it that you’ll enjoy it.

Swap It Icon

For the last several months I’ve been working on my next iPhone app for iPhone and iPod touch, Swap It. Swap It is an App that lets you swap or share your iPhone’s pasteboard (clipboard) with another user of Swap It.

Swap It is scheduled for release on October 12, 2009 (tomorrow). Look for it in the iTunes App Store.

TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) featured my iPhone and iPod touch application Calcutipr in their recent series of posts for WWDC Demos. While I was in San Francisco for Apple’s 2009 WWDC I went by and gave a demo for a blogger from TUAW, who was asking developers to come by and give demonstrations of their apps. I took advantage of this opportunity to get the word out about my app.

I can’t claim TUAW’s post as a review of Calcutipr, it more or less just mentioned it while sending a shout out to all tip calculators in the App Store. My app shared the post with another tip app, Gratuitous. You can read TUAW’s post on tip calculators here.

It seems like most comments on blogs or in App Store reviews I read of tip calculators almost always get the “I don’t need one” response. While I cannot say these comments/reviews are constructive, they have nothing to do with individual applications, I do understand where these commentators are coming from, I simply offer my app as an option. I must admit I do not always use my own app, sometimes it can be easier to do math in your head, sometimes its not.