September 2008

Answering questions...

September 9, 2008 by Marc

Morning everyone! Today I’m going to answer a few of the specific questions that have come up. Not all of these are related to iPhone sync, but they are things we have either heard a lot or that we think should get answered.

Getting Sync Help (and the Blog)

It’s great to see so many people taking an interest in the blog. The one problem we have at the moment is that we simply can’t provide support to people through the blog comments. If you have problems, you are still welcome to post here and there is a chance another reader can offer advice, but if you want a response from us please contact technical support. Logistically, it just isn’t possible to provide good support through a blog.

“Wow! There are a lot of problems!”

Actually, there aren’t. What we have are a lot of problems getting posted here because people would like some help. Another thing we have right now is about 1000X the normal number of people using the software for the first simultaneously. Usually we have a limited group each day who have fired up the software for the first time. Right now though - EVERYONE is firing it up for the first time. As a result we are getting a lot more questions than usual.

In reality (and looking at the numbers for downloads/sales/etc.) the vast majority of users don’t have any trouble at all. We are getting far more “It worked great! Thanks!” emails than problems. Now, that isn’t to say having a problem doesn’t suck - it does. But fortunately most folks are having a great experience.

Will you add FTP/Net sync to the iPhone?

I hope to at some point. No set schedule for releasing this, though.

When an update wipes out my data on the iPhone, that’s Ilium’s fault!

I won’t blame anyone for being angry if this happens, but seriously, we have zero control over this. The entire installation/update/etc. process is handled 100% by Apple. There is no special code we can include, no settings we can change, and no system we can tweak to affect this. I REALLY wish we could. Fortunately, with sync out, it will be easier to back up wallets now if Apple does zap your data.

Does AutoPass work on the iPhone?

No. This feature has only ever been available for Windows PCs using a helpful plug-in offered by MS in Internet Explorer. We are looking at ways to add this to mobile device, but at this time it is only available on the desktop.

Will my background images sync?

No. Background images do not sync. This isn’t something eWallet has ever offered ALTHOUGH we are working on adding this for a future release. You can still add backgrounds on the device or on the desktop, but the images do not sync yet.

What are those extra backgrounds and icons for?

The extra backgrounds are all included on the iPhone already. The extra icons are for Windows devices. We have put some things in place that should allow us to offer additional icons for the iPhone in the future, but at this time they are a Windows only feature.

Where is the BlackBerry version? Did you abandon it for iPhone?

Nope. We are working very hard with WebIS to get the BlackBerry version out. As I’ve mentioned before, there were some problems that we had to resolve. We will continue to push forward on that project.

When will the Mac version be out?

We are shooting for the end of this year. That’s our target date.

When will ListPro for iPhone be out?

I don’t have a release date scheduled for ListPro at this time, but we are working on it.

Why are people still seeing problems with sync? Did you test for these?

Absolutely. We did insane amounts of testing. The challenge with any sync release (and we saw this with out other platforms as well when they first went out) is that there are a near infinite varieties of environments people will be using this in. For instance, we’ve already discovered that when set up certain ways, Zone Alarm, Windows Firewall, and Norton Anti-virus can cause sync problems. This isn’t something we would typically warn folks about because it depends completely on having the “perfect storm” of settings/environment. Many people will sync just fine even with these in place.

Not only that, but it’s one thing when you have dozens of people working with a product. You will find a LOT of problems that you can fix and resolve doing that. Send that same product out to thousands (nearly 3000 people downloaded it in the first few hours it was out) and now you’re going to find out things you never dreamed of.

And a lot of what we are seeing aren’t “bugs” but simply finding out what advice we need to give folks as they setup sync. In some cases we can tweak the code to handle certain scenarios better, but in a lot of cases it will come down to finding better ways to provide the instructions to avoid the issues.

Why do I have to start sync on both sides? Why do I need this partnership?

Security and ease of use. First off, the partnership allows you to establish sync and then easily perform secure synchronizations in the future without going through a lot of verifications. So by building a partnership between eWallet on desktop and eWallet on iPhone, you create a trusted network. Now some applications just say “pick a device to sync with” and show a picture of a computer. You click. You sync. That’s handy, but it means that one of the following things are happening:

Your computer is constantly broadcasting that it is ready to sync. Not only is this a waste of resources, it’s extremely insecure. You don’t want a constant “sync with me” message shouting from a secure info manager every time you use it (or even when you aren’t using it!)

Your computer isn’t verifying who it is synching with. Unless a clear, secure partnership is in place, you might not be synching with who you think you are. Just firing off the data and hoping the right person picks it up is terribly insecure.

So yes, it’s an extra step, but frankly I designed it in a way that would make ME feel safe with my own data when I sync. In the long run, I feel that this is a better design choice than sacrificing security for ease of use.

And so…

Again, we’re really happy so many people are getting the new version. The response has been fantastic as have the comments. To those of you having problems, we’re sorry you’ve run into trouble and we hope that you’ll contact our support folks. We brought in extra help to make sure that anyone who is having trouble can get the help they need in a timely fashion.

eWallet Sync Troubleshooting

September 8, 2008 by Marc

Hey everyone! As I announced, eWallet sync is out and it’s going really well. For most folks it’s a simple process and is working like a charm. Of course as one would expect with the number of folks we have upgrading right now, some people are running into some problems. Fortunately, most of these are pretty easily fixed.

So if you’re one of the folks who are having some trouble, read on. I’ve got some easy fixes, and if you’re still having trouble let us know via our support lines! We’ll get you up and running.

Quick And Easy Problem Solving!

Before I go into details on various issues, let me give you the top ways we’ve helped people solve their problems so far!

1. Make Sure You Run Sync on the Device: If you want to synchronize, you need to start sync on both the device AND on the desktop. A lot of times folks have hit sync on the desktop but not in eWallet on the device. We do it this way for security reasons I’ll address in a future post. You can find detailed step-by-step instructions for doing this under Help->eWallet Tutorials on the desktop or in the Help file that installs with the desktop software.
2. Make Sure You’ve Installed eWallet 6.1.2 on the Desktop and Device: You need the very latest version of eWallet in both places to make sync work. The iPhone update will show up under updates in the App Store. You can download the latest desktop version of eWallet here. It’s a free upgrade if you own eWallet 6.0+ (it will auto-register when you install it) and $9.95 if you are adding it on or upgrading ( get it at the discounted price here if you already own 5.0 or less or are adding on.)
3. Create a Partnership With the Phone: Before you can start synching you have to create a partnership in eWallet between your phone and the desktop version. You only have to do this the first time you sync. After that you just sync. There are a number of reasons for doing it this way, security in particular, but I’ll talk about that in a later post. For now, if you have trouble setting up the partnership, check out the step-by-step instructions in eWallet on the desktop (Help->eWallet Tutorials) or the help doc on the desktop for detailed instructions.
4. Reinstall Bonjour: We’ve found that some folks need to reinstall Bonjour. You can get Bonjour here. It may ask you if you want to do a repair installation. If so, say yes!
5. Delete and Re-create the Partnership: Stop any wallets from synching with the iPhone using Setup under Synchronize on the desktop. Then, still in setup, remove the phone from the list of sync locations. Now recreate the partnership with the phone.
6. Close eWallet on Both Sides and Try Again: A simple one but you’d be surprised at how often this fixes things!

This may or may not solve the problems you are having, but so far we’ve found that one of these resolves most of the issues folks are having. Of course if you’re still having trouble you can always contact us. That’s what we’re here for.

Specific Questions and Problems

I called/sent an email! When will you get back to me?

We hope that no one will wait more than one business day for a reply. The response to this new release has been TREMENDOUS. We’ve got folks working non-stop here just fulfilling desktop add-on phone orders (yep - we still get a lot of orders by phone!) So if you don’t get a response right away, know that we’re plugging away and hope to get back to you as soon as we can!

If you want to speed up response/solution time, make sure to include the following info:

• Version of Windows you are running (and is it running on a Mac)
• If Vista, are you using UAC
• Are you on a commercial/work network, or a home network
• Are you using AdHoc wifi to connect
• Is your phone Jailbroken.

Why don’t my pictures and custom icons sync?

Unfortunately, eWallet hasn’t ever done image synching and iPhone is no exception. The original reason (for Windows Mobile/Palm) was sync speed and device memory. These aren’t issues with the iPhone so we are working on this for a future release.

It keeps saying the wallet doesn’t exist and asks if I want to create it!

This one is a puzzler and we’re working on it. We haven’t seen it here nor have our beta testers. We’re trying to replicate it and if you’ve seen this problem, please email us. We’d love any additional input folks have! In at least one case, trying some of the Quick and Easy steps solved the problem but I’m afraid it didn’t tell us why someone might run into it. The good news (to anyone who hasn’t seen it) is that the problem is pretty rare. The bad news is that this makes it tricky to diagnose!

UPDATE 9-10-8: Matt, one of our developers here, figured out why this happens! He is working on it as we speak! We’ll keep you updated!

Ahh! I updated but my wallets are gone!

In theory, Apple should be handling the updates in a way that this won’t happen. This is one ball that is firmly in the Apple court though. The good news is that normally this doesn’t happen. IF it does happen, try restoring your device. iTunes is supposed to be backing up even the data files when you sync to iTunes.

It can’t find my iPhone but I’m connected!

Again, for some folks the Quick and Easy steps did the trick but for a couple it didn’t. One of the most common secondary problems is a network using subnets. In simple terms, it’s like driving in the Express lane on a highway with a Local/Express split. You’re both going the same speed on the same road in the same direction but there is a wall between you. Another common problem is that the Firewall is blocking the connection. To see if this is the issue, try turning off the Firewall (temporarily) just to see if that makes any difference. (It will be good for support to know you tried this if you’re still having trouble!)

Oh - And one thing one of our posters here reminded me (Thanks M!). Although I don’t usually give ANY Firewall settings advice, he mentioned that in the Vista built-in settings there is an Exceptions tab where you can check to allow eWallet through! Might help folks with this problem!

OK! I’m going back to help with answering emails. Hopefully this will help some of the people who have run into challenges. If not, let us know!

It's Out!

September 8, 2008 by Marc

In case you hadn’t already heard the news, eWallet iPhone sync is out! It went out yesterday evening. Thanks to everyone here who worked so hard to make this happen, and thank you to all of you out there who stuck with us and gave us your support along the way. It’s great to hit the “finish line!”

So, on to the other sync topics!

First let me extend my congratulations to Adrian,  who noticed and posted about the release a few minutes before we even got the notification from Apple! He can officially shout “FIRST!”

Second, I’m thrilled to say that sync is working great. With a few exceptions folks are not having any trouble at all. If you’re having problems absolutely contact us. I’ll let you know that we’re getting a LOT of calls/emails right now as people rush to get the new version and upgrade their desktop versions, but we’ll do our absolute best to get back to you quickly.

Third, here is how to fix the most common problem we’ve seen. Make sure you have eWallet 6.1.2 on your desktop. Just download and install the latest version from this page or using this direct link. You don’t need unlock codes if you’re already using a full/unlocked version of eWallet 6.0+ on your desktop. It will auto-register. This has solved the majority of issues we’ve seen.

Fourth, I’ve made a note of all the other questions folks have had and I’ll reply later today. Needless to say things are a little hectic this morning, but I’ll definitely get to all of your concerns. I just need a couple hours to sort through the couple hundred emails and blog comments. :)

Fifth, we’re emailing everyone who has registered! We’re in the process of sending those out so everyone should get a notification along with the appropriate link for the latest desktop version update.

Thanks again everyone! I hope you like it and feel free to contact us if you have any questions!

Marc Tassin

My Release Philosophy

September 5, 2008 by Marc

I know everyone is waiting with bated breath for the release of the sync component for iPhone. I’ve heard the grumbling and I don’t blame people for being impatient. And what I talk about here isn’t meant to make you feel happy or wash away frustrations. I just want to address these concerns, especially for folks new to dealing with Ilium Software, so you understand the way we do things.

I’m also writing this because when we first created this blog, we told you that we’d give you a little insight into what happens behind the scenes at Ilium Software. The things I talk about here really highlight the sort of decisions and challenges we face everyday. So if you’re interested, read on after the jump!

So let’s talk about releasing software. Here is my philosophy…

First and foremost, I will never release an application that isn’t ready. Period. If that means releasing it a week, two weeks, or even a month late, then that’s what I’ll do. I hate to do it. It screws things up here when we release past our deadline, it is frustrating for folks waiting for it, but quality is the number one most important issue when it comes to our software.

Of course that leads to the question of “then why did you release eWallet without sync?” I’ve actually addressed this a few times - same answer. While some folks can’t even use eWallet without sync, a lot of folks are perfectly happy with a device only solution. So, for those people, eWallet without sync was everything they needed and we could give that to them on day one. And the application we released is, in my opinion, the best in class. Sync for iPhone is a “new feature” and not a requirement for eWallet to be a fantastic product on its own.

Second, I hate giving release dates and generally I don’t. In fact up until this iPhone release, we have never given release dates for anything. And after this release I doubt you’ll see release dates given for other products. We’re not stopping because of this release, but for the same reason we never posted release dates in the past: software releases aren’t like building a car. You can’t predict exactly how long it will take to put all the parts together. Unforeseen problems come up. Glitches happen.

So why did we give a release date for this and the original release? Well for the initial release, we gave a date because Apple said “It will be out on this date!” Seemed safe to us. Ah well. Live and learn. And for the sync release, we wanted to assure our loyal customers that we really were going to release a sync component. We wanted to assure folks that sync wasn’t just a cool idea we had but something we were working on.

And boy, did we work on it. As I’ve said before, not only did we work on this thing constantly, putting in many extra hours to get it done, we even brought in contractors. We take our promises very seriously. Did we get it out to customers by the end of August as we’d predicted? Sadly we didn’t. I’m really sorry about that and it frustrates me. At the same time, the entire project was complete by August 27th and considering the challenges we faced along the way (we killed three computers during development - we must have overworked them!) I’m really pleased at the speed with which the team here got the work done. (My thanks to all of them!)

Third, whatever we do should treat the customer right. We gave out a LOT of free desktop software to thank folks for buying early (just ask Kevin, Lee, and Don who had to fulfil all of those requests!) We effectively halved our potential revenue as a way to show our customers that they always come first. Did we take a major hit? Absolutely. Do we think it was worth it? Without a doubt. This is how we’ve done business since day one and I like to think that this is part of the reason we’re still here 11+ years later. Now for some folks, it isn’t enough. I understand and respect that, but at least I know we did all that we could to help out the folks who supported us.

I’ll close by saying I don’t blame folks for being frustrated. I know this software is important to a lot of people. I also know that for some folks, sync makes the difference between eWallet being useful or memory filler on their phone. I also want to make clear that I don’t blame Apple. After the initial release we knew just what to expect from Apple. So does that mean it’s our fault? You bet. In fact as Product Manager I take full responsibility for a late release.

But at the same time, while I’m sorry for the wait, I wouldn’t have done it any different. The end result is a fantastic product we’re all very proud of, and one that we really believe is going to make folks lives easier. Releasing the stand alone version first made a lot of people really happy. Releasing the sync component a little bit late means we’re releasing the best software we could build that will work properly the first time you use it.

In the end, folks that purchase eWallet will have the best product in its class, that works every time they use it, with the best support in the industry to back it up.

This may not be the post you've been waiting for

September 4, 2008 by Julie

Warning: this post is completely non-Apple related. It’s just me and my little contest hat again. I thought now would be a good time to offer a happy little diversion to you. Take a break from clicking your mouse and refreshing the eWallet page on the App Store - hurry, before you get carpal tunnel!

It’s now time to reach into my hat and see who the monthly blog contest winner is for August. It looks like the lucky winner this time is David, for commenting on the post It’s Syncing! It’s Syncing! Congratulations! Now, there were quite a few Davids commenting on that post, so to preemptively clear up any outcries of “Which one? Was it me?” the David that was chosen left his comment on August 24th at 11:23am. So, “David at 11:23am” - I just sent you an email explaining how to get your prize. If you don’t receive it, reply to this post and let me know.

To everyone else, thanks so much for staying tuned and leaving your thoughts and comments. We hit the over-100 comment mark on two posts in August, which I think is just amazing. Keep coming back and keep on responding, because I’ll drag the hat out again in less than a month and you’ll have another chance to win.

You may now return to anxiously awaiting news from the App Store. Just watch out for that carpal tunnel!

Apple Really Does Review Apps!

September 4, 2008 by Marc

For a while now, there has been a lot of speculation about just what the Apple AppStore review process consists of. Do they actually run the applications? Is it simply a rubber stamp? Is there any sort of criteria for acceptance or rejection? As a developer with a product in the AppStore I can confirm that the review process is very real and frankly this is a good thing!

The reason I bring this up is that besides having to prove export approval, Apple asked us for a copy of the desktop portion of eWallet so that they could review the synchronization process. Never that I know of have we had a distributor specifically tell us that they were going to test sync. Maybe they did, but I’m not convinced of that. I’m fairly certain the review process for most device software stores is much looser.

Now this process means some waiting to get apps OK’d by Apple, but in the end I believe that people will come to appreciate Apple’s careful approach to this. It will save hours of frustration for consumers who often have to “beta test” applications that don’t actually work as advertised.

So in the meantime, we’re waiting patiently. The Apple black box isn’t quite so black anymore (more of a dark grey) so we know what is happening and where we are in the process.

And in the end, I think the extra time folks have to wait to see an app go live will prove to be a long term benefit for everyone involved.