One really nice thing that a lot of people have done is to call and tell us that we’ve been mentioned in a magazine.
We’ve gotten a lot of mentions and writeups over the last 12 years - I’ve got several shelves of a bookcase dedicated to magazines in which we’ve been written up - but it’s always a thrill to go into a bookstore and find our name in print.
So many thanks to whoever called today and told Marc that eWallet was mentioned in the January 2010 issue of Consumer Reports. And thanks to the person who told us earlier in the week that we’d been included in an NPR segement. And to everyone else who’s gone out of their way to tell us about seeing or hearing our name somewhere, thank you too! We really appreciate it!
Although most of the people who have upgraded to eWallet 7 on Windows PCare having no trouble at all, there are a few folks running into bugs. A few of these bugs are really frustrating and we’re not taking this lightly. We’ve got developers working non-stop on these and we hope to have an update in the near future.
Most of the people who are running into trouble are already working with Kevin, Lee, and myself on getting the issues ironed out but I wanted to just take a minute to explain why you are seeing bugs! Understanding the developer end of things may not make everything better, but it might help give some insight into what is going on.
I’m also going to mention a few of the bugs we’ve seen at the end of this post. One reminder, however…please send us email if you need support. We just can’t do it here in the blog comments!
That said…read on if you want the full story!
So what is so different about eWallet 7 on Windows PC? The underlying challenge is this…with eWallet 7 we literally rewrote every single piece of the eWallet program. The program you were all using before was over 10 years old and while the original code base was strong, it had some issues. None of that is left in eWallet 7. It’s a brand new application.
But why did you change it? First, it was rigid, meaning it was exceptionally hard for us to do things that people felt “should be easy to implement.” We needed flexibility so we could remain relevant going forward.
Second, it saw a lot of add-ons over the years. eWallet 6 was a LOT different (feature-wise) from eWallet 1. At some point, all that adding on takes its toll and makes it really expensive (in time and money) to improve the application.
Third, the user interface needed a major face lift. I know a lot of our long term users didn’t mind it (I kind of liked it!) BUT many old customers felt we weren’t keeping up with the times (and said so!) and for new customers it made it hard for us to compete (once they TRIED the apps they chose us, but in a screenshot to screenshot comparison it was tough for us!) Just sprucing up the old version wasn’t an option (see the first and second points!)
Didn’t you test this thing?
Did we ever! We had over 100 people actively using eWallet for around two months straight. In addition, we’ve been using eWallet 7 in-house even longer than that! Plus we did all our usual automated and manual testing that we do with every release. So yes - we tested this - A LOT!
So how did bugs get through?
Remember the part about rewriting the entire application? When you do that, no matter how carefully you test, it is impossible to find all the bugs. With Windows PCs there are literally an infinite number of installation and configuration combinations. There is NO WAY to test every condition. You test as many as you can and catch as much as you can, but you’ll never catch everything. It’s a mathematical impossibility.
Even now, with people helping us work on the bugs that have come up, many of these we can’t even replicate in-house. It is exceptionally difficult BUT we’re working on it and we will work these out. Believe it or not, the last version of eWallet had its problems - we worked through them and the same will be true here. We’ll do everything we can to help you in the meantime.
In the end it’s what we had to do… We knew we’d be facing challenges like this when we went into this. We had a 7.0.1 update release on the calendar prior to eWallet even going out. If we didn’t do this overhaul now, however, there would have been costs down the road. We had to bite the bullet and make it happen - it took a long time, a ton of work, and we’re working through some challenges now, but in the long run eWallet will be a better app for it and will be poised to serve you for the next decade.
So what is a customer to do? First, let support know what you saw by sending them an email. LOTS of people want eWallet 7 so we are getting slammed by questions, orders, and requests but we WILL answer you. If you don’t email us, however, we won’t know what is happening.
Second, if you’ve got one of the uglybugs and you decide you want to use eWallet 6 for now, that’s fine - just say so in the email and we’ll send you what you need.
Finally - talk to us! We really do want to make things right and we’ll do everything in our power to do so - so let us know what YOU need and we’ll work with you.
Sincerely, Marc
PS: Here are some things we know folks are seeing right now -Windows 7 Explorer Crashes: Can’t replicate this in-house but we’re working with some customers to figure out what is happening.
BSOD: Holy crap! A couple of people have seen really bad crashes - again, for the life of us we can’t replicate this but we’re working with some folks and will get this ironed out as well. The strange thing here is that we quite literally aren’t touching anything in Windows that should allow this! It’s nuts but we’ll figure it out!
Blank Text: Can’t see the text? We found that some customers using particularly high DPI settings are running into this. We have a solution we’re testing so hopefully we can get it into the next build.
Error 1010 On Sync: If something goes wonky during install (maybe from other programs running or something like that) it might damage your sync partnership. If that happens just delete the partnership from sync setup and re-add it. You should be all set!
These are a few that I wanted to mention just because they are the most likely to make you nuts if you get them! As I said - most people aren’t having any problems - seriously, we’ve got thousands of people using eWallet 7 now and only a handful see these - these bugs suck - we know - but odds are you won’t see them…and again…IF YOU DO, PLEASE EMAIL US! We can’t do support on the blog. It just isn’t setup for that!
Happy Monday! The eWallet 7 release is going GREAT. We couldn’t be happier with the response to this new version of eWallet. Thanks to everyone for the amazing feedback, the purchases, and the kind words! It was a LOT of work getting here and seeing how much people like it is just great. Thanks! (If this is the first you’ve heard of the release of eWallet 7, definitely check out the post here that gives all the details!)
And I’d like to repeat something: a special “THANK YOU” to everyone who has gone to iTunes and either added a positive review or updated a review!Wereallyappreciate that!!! iTunes reviews really are very important and we’ve never seen reviews as a customers “job.” As a result, every review is an amazing favor so thank you to everyone for your support!
We released eWallet 7.0.1 last week- it’s an update that fixes a problem folks with non-English Windows installations ran into as well as an issue with unlocking the BlackBerry version. Sorry to everyone who ran into these but thanks to everyone who supplied us with the info we needed to fix them!
Re: SUPPORT ON THE BLOG I just want to repeat something I’ve posted in comments. Although I do my best to answer any questions or concerns the come up in the comments, we really can’t provide tech support here. We do, however, offer email support with real people personally answering every email AND phone support with real people answering the phones. If you have a problem WE WILL HELP YOU! The one caveat is that we’re running a little behind due to the massive amount of interest in eWallet 7 so it may take us an extra day or so, but everyone will get a reply!
Before I close out this blog I’ll hit a few of the FAQs that are coming up…so read on after jump for the rest of the story…
I can’t believe I have to pay to keep my iPhone sync working!YOU DON’T! We’re still trying to improve the upgrade wording and site descriptions but you do not have to pay anything to keep synching with your iPhone. If you do NOT want to upgrade to eWallet 7, you can download this minor update to eWallet 6 for free (assuming you already own eWallet 6) and keep syncing
I get “Error 1010” in the Sync Log after I sync. Not a lot of people are seeing this but it’s pretty darn annoying if you do so I figured I’d post an solution. I’d suggest is removing the partnership with the iPhone by clicking on the Setup button in the Synchronize group of the Home ribbon, and then re- adding it. It may be that during the upgrade the partneship was somehow damaged. As I said, not all that common but we’re still looking into why this is happening so we can stop it completely.
Why am I hitting bugs? Didn’t you test this?
Yes! We tested this a LOT and we did a large Beta for months AND we used it inhouse for months. Here is the thing though - eWallet is a very complex program and we just rewrote the ENTIRE program from the ground up. I’d be insane to suggest we could do this without there being a couple bugs. Now, we aren’t one of those companies who run “paid beta tests”, so we caught the majority of the issues and most people aren’t having any trouble at all- really - with the HUGE response we’ve gotten very few people are having trouble.
BUT that doesn’t mean no one will see a bug - so if you see a bug, please email us or call us! We WILL help you, and if you’ve found a bug we will attack it to find a solution for you! Most importantly, we’re VERY sorry that anyone is hitting bugs - we HATE bugs - but as I said, realistically, a release of this complexity would be nearly impossible to get out without a few bugs (unless we spent another 12 months doing QA which really doesn’t help anyone!)
Do you have an Android version? We are seriously considering writing Android versions of our products but no final decisions have been made. We’ll certainly let everyone know if that changes!
Will I have to pay for the full Mac version if I buy today?
First, please don’t buy this just to get the Mac preview - it really is a preview and not a full version. I assure you that there will be some issues - the point of the preview is just to let people see what we’re working on in a cooler way than simple screenshots.
That said, at this stage, we are unsure if the Mac release will be part of a free update or a paid upgrade. Either way, if it is part of an upgrade it will be at a discounted upgrade price - not an extra full price purchase. And regardless, if you purchased within 45 days of the release, it will be a free upgrade.
How about ListPro for iPhone?
Not really an eWallet question but lots of people are asking so I’ll answer! ListPro for iPhone is currently in developement and is undergoing early beta testing. We don’t have a release date scheduled for it but we hope it will be out sometime early next year.
When will ListPro for Mac be out?
Unfortunately we don’t have plans to do ListPro for Mac right now. Feel free to email us if you think we’re nuts, however! We’ll add your vote. :)
So there you go - the latest update - and thank you again to everyone. Whether you purchased the software, posted a positive review, or emailed us with a problem - every bit of this is helping us and we appreciate you support!
Hey, everyone! The response to eWallet 7 is overwhelming. Thank you to everyone for your excitement about this new version of our flagship product! (If this is the first you’ve heard of the release of eWallet 7, definitely check out the post here that gives all the details!)
And I’d like to repeat something: a special “THANK YOU” to everyone who has gone to iTunes and either added a positive review or updated a review!Wereallyappreciate that!!! Honestly - I can’t thank you enough - around here we DO NOT feel that posting positive reviews as a customers “job”, so we see every positive review as a kindness - thank you again!
On to the updates! The biggst update is this:
We fixed the BlackBerry unlock issue and the eWallet Crash for Non-English Windows Installations!
If you download the latest version from our site you’ll get the fix! Again - VERY sorry for the trouble there - like I said - rewrite an application from the ground up and you’re going to hit some snags.
If you want the rest of the details (some of which are repeats that I want to keep around for new visitors to the blog), read on after the jump!
“I updated iPhone. Do I have to update Windows PC?”NO! Just because you updated your iPhone version to eWallet 7, you are not required to upgrade your desktop version. We hope you will, but if you don’t want to, you can download a special version of eWallet 6 (eWallet 6.2) here that will let you keep using the older version with eWallet 7 on your phone. NOTE: If you installed eWallet 7 - please uninstall it before installing this special build of eWallet 6.
“eWallet on Windows PC Crashes When I Start It!” We’ve resolved this problem and we’re very sorry to those who ran into it. You can download the latest version from our site to fix this!
“My BlackBerry Unlock Codes Don’t Work!”
We’ve resolved this problem and we’re very sorry to those who ran into it. You can download the latest version from our site to fix this!
“Sync Isn’t Working After I Upgrade” We aren’t seeing a lot of this, but certain events on the PC can cause problems with the sync partnership. A really simple solution to this is to just delete the sync partnership from Sync Setup and then add it again. Not the most graceful solution but if you want something quick and easy that’s the route to go!
“When Will Support Call/Email Me Back?”
As soon as they can. To give you some perspective of what we’re dealing with - since the release of eWallet 7 wedoubled our one day sales record. Yeah - things are a little busy here. :) We are working as quickly as we can and we will contact everyone - unfortunately it may take a couple of days. In the meantime, please watch the blog! I’ll post updates like this to help folks that are running into common issues so you don’t have to wait!
“When will the full Mac version be out?” As before, we have not set a date. We are continuing to work on it and will let everyone know when there is more news we can share. Please note that the 30 day preview is limited simply because unlimited use is part of the complete eWallet package - not because eWallet will be out in 30 days. Again - we’re working as fast as we can on the Mac version but we haven’t set a release date.
“Where do I send Mac comments/requests/bug reports?” Send them to info@iliumsoft.com with the subject heading of “Mac Report”. We’ll take all of these, put them into a mailbox, and go through each and every one once we get past the release! Thanks!
“Where do I get the Palm OS/U3 version of eWallet 7?”
Unfortunately we’ve had to discontinue support for both of these platforms. The demand for these versions was so low that it just wasn’t financially possible to keep producing upgrades for them. We’re very sorry that we can’t offer solutions for these platforms at this time.
“When Will I Get an Upgrade Email?” We’ll send out upgrade emails starting next week. The entire process takes 5-7 days (we have a LOT of people to contact!) If after that time you still haven’t heard from us, please drop us a line!
That’s it for this update! If there is more new information I’ll post again tomorrow!
Hey, everyone! As I mentioned in a previous post, this is the biggest release we have ever undertaken and it is extremely exciting. The response we’re getting from customers is phenomenal. Thank you to everyone for your kind words and support! (If this is the first you’ve heard of the release of eWallet 7, definitely check out the post here that gives all the details!)
And a special “THANK YOU” to everyone who has gone to iTunes and either added a positive review or updated a review!Wereallyappreciate that!!! Honestly - I can’t thank you enough - around here we DO NOT feel that posting positive reviews as a customers “job”, so we see every positive review as a kindness - thank you again!
Needless to say, a release of this type is bound to have some hiccups and this one is no different. The following are issues we are currently working on or frequently asked questions. For all the details, read on after the jump!
“I updated iPhone. Do I have to update Windows PC?”NO! Just because you updated your iPhone version to eWallet 7, you are not required to upgrade your desktop version. We hope you will, but if you don’t want to, you can download a special version of eWallet 6 (eWallet 6.2) here that will let you keep using the older version with eWallet 7 on your phone. NOTE: If you installed eWallet 7 - please uninstall it before installing this special build of eWallet 6.
“eWallet on Windows PC Crashes When I Start It!” We’ve discovered that some customers that are using non-English versions of Windows are running into this problem. We’re working on it right now and we’ll keep you updated on the progress. We are very sorry for any trouble this is causing and we hope to have an update soon! This problem is resolved!! We are testing the installers now and hopefully we can have this out by morning!“My BlackBerry Unlock Codes Don’t Work!”
This one is fixed and we’re in the process of rolling out a new version of eWallet for BlackBerry this morning. You can get it here when it is released (I’d suggest sometime after 3:00PM ET. UPDATE: Since we fixed the foreign language issue, we’re relasing this update along with that one in a single release tomorrow morning!“When Will Support Call/Email Me Back?”
As soon as they can. To give you some perspective of what we’re dealing with - since the release of eWallet 7 wedoubled our one day sales record. Yeah - things are a little busy here. :) We are working as quickly as we can and we will contact everyone - unfortunately it may take a couple of days. In the meantime, please watch the blog! I’ll post updates like this to help folks that are running into common issues so you don’t have to wait!
“When will the full Mac version be out?” As before, we have not set a date. We are continuing to work on it and will let everyone know when there is more news we can share. Please note that the 30 day preview is limited simply because unlimited use is part of the complete eWallet package - not because eWallet will be out in 30 days. Again - we’re working as fast as we can on the Mac version but we haven’t set a release date.
“Where do I send Mac comments/requests/bug reports?” Send them to info@iliumsoft.com with the subject heading of “Mac Report”. We’ll take all of these, put them into a mailbox, and go through each and every one once we get past the release! Thanks!
“Where do I get the Palm OS/U3 version of eWallet 7?”
Unfortunately we’ve had to discontinue support for both of these platforms. The demand for these versions was so low that it just wasn’t financially possible to keep producing upgrades for them. We’re very sorry that we can’t offer solutions for these platforms at this time.
That’s it for this update - I’ll post another one tomorrow as I compile more comments, requests, and questions and have new information.
We are extremely excited to announce that eWallet 7 has just been released. Not only does eWallet 7 include a completely revamped Windows PC version, a working preview of eWallet for Mac, and a host of new features, we’re working to create a new approach to selling mobile software.
Also - if you’re just coming back to the blog, make sure to read the update at the bottom of the post!
For the full story on eWallet 7, read on after the jump…
Software is for People, Not Devices I love the new features in eWallet 7, but I’m going to start with something that I think is the biggest news. With the release of eWallet 7 we’re reshaping the idea of how people buy mobile software. For years there has been an idea that you buy software for your mobile device. This doesn’t make sense to us. People aren’t buying the software for the device. The software is for the person. That’s why with eWallet 7 we’ve completely re-imagined how you buy the product.
Now, for $19.95, you can use eWallet on any device we support. No extra versions. No extra purchases. When you buy eWallet it’s for you - not your device. This is true even for iPhone users (see the information here for details on how this works for iPhone.)
And for our existing customers, upgrading just got better (and cheaper!) For just $10.00 you can use the latest version of eWallet on your Windows PC, Windows Mobile device, or BlackBerry, and get full access to the Mac Preview.
A New Desktop Version The next big news is that we’ve rewritten eWallet for Windows PC from the ground up. With eWallet 7, the Windows PC version is easier to use than ever before, offers more options for customization, brings you some great new features, and looks amazing. We even included a way to get the Old School eWallet feel for folks who aren’t ready for a big change!
eWallet for Mac Preview
With eWallet 7 we’re also releasing a special 30 day preview of eWallet for Mac. It doesn’t include everything, but this special preview edition is ready for you to try. We even built a special tool into the iPhone version that lets you manually transfer files from your iPhone to your Mac so you can try it with your own wallets!
And if you’re an owner of the complete eWallet package, use your eWallet registration codes to unlock the Mac Preview for unlimited use!
Image Synching and More…
And that’s not all…eWallet 7 adds a number of other new features as well, including synching for inserted background images. Now, you can create an amazing wallet on your desktop complete with background images and sync it over to your iPhone or Windows Mobile device where you’ll get the same, great looking wallet!
What Do You Need to Do?
We’ll be sending out upgrade notifications over the next week with all the information you need to get eWallet 7. If you purchased within the last 90 days, we’ll upgrade you to the full eWallet package at no charge. If you purchased before that time, it’s just $10.00 to upgrade the entire package.
iPhone customers will get the upgrade to eWallet 7 for free, but please be aware that if you purchased the desktop version more than 90 days ago, you will need to pay for the upgrade if you wish to use the eWallet 7 Windows PC version.
And if you use the iPhone and DON’T WANT TO UPGRADE your desktop software, we have a special version of eWallet 6 that you can use. Read all about it here!RELEASE UPDATE 12-1-09
As you can probably tell this is a HUGE release. We’ve changed more things in more places than we ever have in any release of our software ever. We aren’t surprised to hit a few bumps along the way. SO here is what I can offer as far as how things are going!
People Love It! OK, I couldn’t resist mentioning this - in part as a pat-on-the-back to all the folks who have busted their tails on this project here at Ilum Software. Thank you to EVERYONE OUT THERE who has been emailing and posting compliments about this release. It’s great to hear so many positive comments!
Non-English Windows Installs: It looks like some folks running non-English installs of Windows are getting errors when they run eWallet 7. We are working on this as we speak and getting very close to discovering why this is happening!
BlackBerry Unlock Codes: We’ve also had some folks hitting snags when they try to register their BlackBerry version. Again - we’re working on this and will keep you updated.
Support Calls and Emails: We WILL respond to everyone, but right now Lee and Kevin are absolutely swamped - mostly good stuff but still swamped all the same - we apologize for the delays but at this stage we’re going as fast as we can. SO we’ll try to post on the biggest issues here on the blog and will try to get through all the request for support before the week is out. Sorry for the wait and thanks for your patience!
iTunes Reviews: We totally understand the frustration a lot of folks felt over the trouble with the iPhone update and we’re really sorry for the grief it caused. Even though we provided a fix, I imagine that not all of that has disappated - HOWEVER - if you feel so inclined to either provide us with a positive review OR improve a negative one, we would REALLY appreciate it. We’d really like folks to know that when something goes wrong we don’t just sit back and ignore it - I really hate asking for reviews but in this case we’d really appreciate the support if you feel so inclined. Thanks!
And that’s it for now! We’ll keep you updated as we go. It’s an exciting time here and I think as the year progresses you’ll find that this is just he beginning!
Happy Monday! The eWallet 7 release is going GREAT. We couldn’t be happier with the response to this new version of eWallet. Thanks to everyone for the amazing feedback, the purchases, and the kind words! It was a LOT of work getting here and seeing how much people like it is just great. Thanks! (If this is the first you’ve heard of the release of eWallet 7, definitely check out the post 
“I updated iPhone. Do I have to update Windows PC?” NO! Just because you updated your iPhone version to eWallet 7, you are not required to upgrade your desktop version. We hope you will, but if you don’t want to, you can download a special version of eWallet 6 (eWallet 6.2) 