Apparently we’ve got some store problems (and it affects more than just eWallet for BlackBerry folks). Our crack team of emergency technicians are on the job, and hopefully we’ll have everything sorted out soon! In the meantime, if you have had problems, drop us an email at support@iliumsoft.com or call us after 9:30AM ET at 888-632-5388. If you email us, you can help us expidiate responses for this problem by using the subject “Purchase Problems.”
Just to assure everyone: if you purchased the software you WILL get what you’ve paid for. Again, contact us and we’ll jump on it right away. Also, if you tried to purchase again and are worried you might get double billed, we’re checking for this as well so you should NOT get billed twice.
Strange, it’s like someone is TRYING to stop us from releasing eWallet for BlackBerry…hmmm…
Update: The site problems have now all been resolved – thank very much for your patience and we’re very sorry for any trouble you may have had.
When we asked for your comments on ListPro for iPhone, I was thrilled with the response we received. You guys gave us a wealth of fantastic ideas and insight. Based on those comments, our own experience in the iPhone market, and quite a bit of heavy thought, we have a tentative plan. Note that this is in no way a guarantee of what we will do, but rather an estimate of what we hope to accomplish.
So if you want the inside scoop on ListPro for iPhone, read on after the jump!
ListPro Reader
My plan right now is to have us develop something I’m tentatively calling the ListPro Reader. At the very least, the ListPro Reader will let you publish your favorite ListPro lists to your iPhone and read them there. Other features we MIGHT include in the first release include:
Ability to check checkboxes
Sort
Filter
Search
These additional functions all depend on how much time it takes to make them happen. I also have a few more tricks up my sleeve but at this point I need to keep those a little closer to the vest.
Release Date
Sorry, folks. I just can’t say exactly when it will be out. All I can tell you is that we ARE working on it, and the second it is available you’ll hear it from me in a BIG way.
Should You Wait For It?
You know, I can’t give you advice on this one. I just don’t have an exact release date. I won’t take it personally if you feel that you need to find an interim solution. :) We fully understand that people need a solution to their listmaking needs on iPhone.
Full-Featured ListPro for iPhone
In all honesty, this will depend a LOT on how well folks like the reader and how much interest it generates. As a HARDCORE ListPro users and an iPhone user as well, I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want full featured ListPro on my iPhone. Unfortunately, in the end I have to make the best decision for the company. If it looks like the iPhone market isn’t going to embrace ListPro, we might not be ABLE to do more than the Reader.
If, on the other hand, people show a strong interest I’d like to look at a full featured ListPro for iPhone. Most likely, we’d do a slightly advanced version of the Reader for pay, and then slowly add new features over time.
ListPro for Mac
We don’t have specific plans for this right now, but if the Reader gets popular I could definitely see a Mac version in the future.
I swear I wrote about Release Dates here once before, but based on some of the comments and questions, I feel like I need to address the topic again. My personal feeling is that unless a product is completely finished and ready for release, software and release dates just don’t mix.
Read on after the jump to learn more about my philosophy on Release Dates…
Although we make heavy use of release dates in-house to help us to manage our time, I HATE publishing release dates and typically, we do not do it. The ONLY reason we did it for the eWallet for iPhone with sync is that we wanted to make it extremely clear to people that didn’t know us, that we were serious about getting sync out. And we did it - 8 days late, but we did it! Lots of folks have had bad luck with software developers who don’t come through and we wanted a way to reassure people. As for eWallet on Mac, I knew how eager folks were to get it so I made a guess at when I thought it would be out, but it was always that - a guess.
Here is the thing about Software and Release Dates; unless the software is already written, they just don’t go together. Writing software isn’t like assembling cars where you know how long it takes to do it. You don’t just put the pieces together and it works. Software, especially our productivity software, is insanely complex. Every interaction can cause reactions throughout the program. Throw in an operating system that we have little control over (this is essentially true on ALL platforms) and you add a whole new dimension. Throw in hardware and now you expand the complexity exponentially.
And when a piece of software is done - it’s not done. If you test it in-house and run it through beta testers, you never know what will crop up. That great “Do It Now Button” you designed? Suddenly you discover that no one even knows how to use it. Without warning you are going back to the drawing board and significantly redesigning the underlying code. Or maybe you find a bug that acts like the loose string on the knitted sweater. The more you pull, the more everything unravels.
Don’t get me wrong - we have AMAZING developers here. It’s just that there are always unforeseen difficulties.
Oh - and the biggest danger - you publish a release date and then STICK to it and fire off a product that doesn’t work right! Do that and you just make everyone miserable - you are better off not releasing at all.
So that’s why you typically don’t see release dates in this blog. You probably already noticed that eWallet with Search just appeared out of the blue, and Kings Corners showed up without warning. We just hate to make a promise that we either can’t keep, or that we’d have to cut corners to keep.
In the end, I’m happy to let you know about what we are working on, but don’t look for release dates. The whole eWallet sync thing was an exception to a rule we’ve had for years here at Ilium Software - and one we follow for a very good reason!
Good news, everyone! eWallet for iPhone with search is out! You can get the update from the AppStore today! I think you’ll like it a lot. It works like a charm. It also includes a few tweaks and fixes. Here is the full list:
Which mobile platform is the best? It’s a war that rages on and on. Vocal supporters of every desktop and mobile platform mount vigorous assaults in defense of their favored system. And yet, I think that’s not the right approach.
Read on after the jump for my take on the debate about “Which Device is the Best?”
This is the first of a series of posts designed to answer a long list of questions folks asked in my last blog post. I started to write it as one post but the thing got so dang long it was getting silly. If I don’t answer your question or address your favored topic today, don’t worry…I’ll get to it over the next couple of days!
Windows VS iPhone VS BlackBerry VS Palm
There is a reason we support a lot of platforms - they all have their advantages. Sure, from the manufacturer’s points of view the platforms are going head to head, but for the consumer we should be asking a different question altogether. I want to start by making a few comments on the big platforms we support.
Windows Mobile: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the power of Windows Mobile. It gives me so much freedom that other platforms don’t. Every time I go to a Microsoft event I literally beg them to market the platform better. It is such an excellent solution for so many people, and most of them don’t even know about it!
iPhone: I LOVE my iPhone. I’ve never found a device that was so simple to use. It is limiting in many ways, but it does what it does simply, elegantly, and in a way that is entirely intuitive. Plus, what iPhone has done for mobile software is beyond anything any other platform has done. Look at the latest ad copy for the iPhone - it is ALL about 3rd party software. Bravo!
BlackBerry: I don’t use BlackBerry regularly but the clear focus of this device is beautiful. My friends who use these devices love the hard and fast stability of this platform. And like the iPhone, it knows what it is supposed to do and does it well.
Palm: And Palm? Look, Palm isn’t my favorite platform - I’ll admit - but the bloody OS is still around with no upgrades for YEARS. You can’t argue with that sort of success. It’s a platform that is everything a lot of folks could possibly want. Smooth. Simple. Stable. Straightforward. This is a design that has stood the test of time. I really do hope Palm pulls it out of the fire over the next couple of years because they’ve got a good thing that deserves saving.
It’s the same with desktop platforms. Each has its advantages.
In the end, I don’t think it makes any sense to argue over “the best” operating system. The real question is what is “the best operating system FOR YOU.” We each have our needs and the beauty of the current mobile market is that there is something out there for everyone.
The Software Developer Point of View
As a product manager, it isn’t important to me which platform is “the best”. Each has a role to play in the market and people for whom it is the best option. What really matters to me as Product Manager, is whether or not the platform will sell enough software to provide us with a strong, steady profit over the long term without eating development time we need for a more profitable platform.
Yep, it’s an ugly way of looking at things but if we’re going to support ANY platforms we have to make choices that keep us in business. It doesn’t matter how much we love a particular platform or how passionate a group of people are about their platform. It isn’t a judgement about the quality of the platform - it’s simply a question of making good business decisions so that ten years from now we’re still out there keeping your important information secure.
Kings Corners for iPhone is now available in the AppStore! I’m extremely excited about this, and the best part for you is that it’s only 99 Cents! If you want the official marketing pitch, we’ve got a web page here. Or if you just want to buy it now, go here! In this post I’m just going to tell you my own thoughts on the game.
So if you want the candid scoop on our new game, read on after the jump!
A Blast from the Past!
Those of you who’ve been around awhile might say, “Kings Corners? That sounds familiar.” Well, you’re right! Kings Corners was part of a game pack we used to sell called Game Bag One. It was the second program we came out with after InScribe back in 1997. Kings Corners was the most popular game in the collection (and a personal favorite of mine), so we dusted it off and brought it back for the iPhone!
What Is Kings Corners?
Fun! But I’ll talk about that next! The game is based off a solitaire classic called Kings in the Corners. The idea is to get all the face cards down on the table without running out of slots to place cards in. If you want more details on the play the best thing to do is just play it!
Why do I like it? For one thing this game is insanely fun and addictive. It’s simple and straight-forward, but man does it suck you in! One thing I especially like is that you can snap off a game in just a few minutes. A lot of the games on my phone are fun but they demand that I commit a decent amount of time to actually get through a game. Kings Corners is my game-of-choice for waiting in lines or waiting for the doctor or that sort of “2-Minutes-to-Burn” situations.
Other Questions I Know You’ll Ask Because You Always Do!
First, we are working on a Mac version of eWallet. It just isn’t done yet. We’ll keep you updated.
Second, this has no impact on our ListPro for iPhone work. We have different people doing different jobs, and there’s only so many people you can jam onto one project. The ListPro thing isn’t a result of needing people to throw at the project. If you haven’t already, you can read about that over here.
So, Go Get It Already!
So, go get your copy of Kings Corners already! The game is incredibly fun and right now the price is definitely right. And if you don’t like it, send me an email and I’ll personally apologize for leading you astray! That’s how confident I am that you’ll have fun!!
Apparently we’ve got some store problems (and it affects more than just eWallet for BlackBerry folks). Our crack team of emergency technicians are on the job, and hopefully we’ll have everything sorted out soon! In the meantime, if you have had problems, drop us an email at support@iliumsoft.com or call us after 9:30AM ET at 888-632-5388. If you email us, you can help us expidiate responses for this problem by using the subject “Purchase Problems.”
