How To Redeem A Promo Code In iBookStore
Recently, Apple allowed authors with books published on their iBookStore to use promo codes. A stable and very popular feature for iOS developers who published their apps in AppStore, promo codes were unavailable for iBookStore until now. I confess I was a bit confused on how to use these promo codes, since there is no iBooks app on Mac OS. Usually, I was using my iTunes on the Mac to redeem the promo codes for apps in AppStore, but without a similar thing for ibooks, I just had to scratch my head a bit.
Fortunately, it proved to be a much simpler process than I thought. In fact, it has only 2 simple steps. Here we go:
Step 1: Find The Redeem Button
For that, you should open the iBooks app (on your iPhone or iPad). If you’re on the “Library” mode, browsing the ebooks you already bought, touch the “Store” button and make sure you’re on the Apple store and not on your local device. Once you get there, touch the first tab button in the navigation tab bar on the bottom of the screen. It is the one called “Featured”. Now scroll all the way down to the bottom, and voila: the “Redeem” button magically appears.
Step 2: Enter Your Promo Code
Now, after touching the “Redeem” button, you’ll be taken to a new screen, pretty much similar with the one below:
After you entered your promo code, you will (hopefully) get a message saying that your item is downloading. What iBooks does is that it automatically matches the product with your promo code, looks it up in the store and starts downloading it. In a few seconds, if you have a good internet connection, your book will be available in the Library. Here’s how your iPhone screen should look like after the entire process finished:
That’s it. 
Steve Jobs
This is a post I never really wanted to write. We all knew it’s gonna happen at some point. But as long as he was still alive, there was still a chance that his spark will continue to ignite something. And I diligently waited to see more and more sparks. Now Steve Jobs is dead. His physical presence is no longer on our plan. He’s gone.
But there are a few things I always wanted to write about him. While he was still alive, writing those things wasn’t “appropriate”. From cult to fanboyism, pick everything in between and you’ll understand the reactions. But, in a sad and human way (we all die, you know) now I can do this.
The Legacy
Steve Jobs didn’t create the iPod. Nor the iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro or the Apple TV. These are byproducts of his main product. They are just the consequences of a mindset. What was driving Apple so incredibly fast and high wasn’t a big line of products. Was the courage to do something different. Was the thrive for creativity. This is what Steve Jobs created. This is his main product.
When he got ill, the Apple stock plummeted. It wasn’t the iPhone who got cancer. It was Steve. Yet the company suffered. Because the real product created by Steve, a product that from now on will be studied, dissected and recomposed in millions of shapes and approaches, was the drive to change the world. And when somebody who promised to change your world will go away, you’ll be scared. That’s why people frightened when he got ill. Now, who’s gonna mesmerize me? Who’s gonna be so insane to create that unbelievable high expectation at each product launch, theatrically fulfilled each time with the famous “one more thing”? Who’s gonna fill my playground with new toys? That was the real concern.
Steve Jobs was playing a very subtle role in our minds. The role of creator. The maker of stuff. Also, the one who inspired others to do stuff. The man who re-arrange our reality in a better way. Every time we got reports about his health we weren’t worried about a glitch in the iPhone. I don’t think people were reading about his cancer and got really big concerns that their iPad battery life will now be shorter. It wasn’t about that. It was about their investment in Steve’s reality. A reality so different, yet so appealing compared to the one we’re used to, that we were all completely into it.
What Steve really sold to us wasn’t a line of products. It was the courage to change the world. This is his real legacy.
The Story
Also, one other thing that made Steve so important in our lives was his story. The story of a man who lost his company, but never lost his faith. And he came back as a crushing winner. We all need this. We all need to be reassured from time to time about this. The fear of loss is so deeply engrained in our souls, that every example of recovery is instantly framed and integrated. We all admired Steve for his comeback. In fact, without this comeback, I don’t really think Steve’s popularity would be so big. A linear path to success is boring. But one filled with huge roadblocks, magically transcended by pure will, well, that’s something we simply love.
His persistence in following his dream was almost pathological. If he wasn’t so fantastically successful, he would have been labelled as “obsessive-compulsive”. Many of us know that, because we’ve been labelled “obsessive-compulsive” while following our dreams. I for sure I know I’ve been there. Not only once.
But is this persistence that created the new world we’re enjoying now. I don’t think there was ever a company walking on an edge so thin between love and hate, like Apple did. If you don’t love Apple, you probably hate it. But that is the very proof that we’re dealing with something alive. With something able to rise above the dull and boring byproducts of consumerism.
The Man
I never met Steve in real life, so my opinion on this is formed by patches revealed by media and third-party stories. But what I got from this mix was that Steve wasn’t necessarily a nice man. On the contrary. “We don’t love Steve because he’s nice”, that was a very common line when it came to his personality. Nevertheless, he was not only respected, admired and listened, but, and the huge wave of reactions generated by his departure is enough proof, he was really loved. And I think he was loved because he was true to himself.
Being polite, nice and socially compliant will make you accepted. But it won’t make you successful. Most of the time, implementing your dream requires drastic measures. Your dream may even need a social earthquake to become true. You may have to shake out a few beliefs, to ditch some old patterns in this process. And you simply can’t do that by being nice.
On the other side, nobody will ever remember Steve as being “inappropriate” or rude. And, again, this comes form the same quality: being true to himself.
***
The legacy, the story, the man. I am honored and lucky to have been contemporary to this.
Mariner Promo Code – June 2011
As always, on each 1st of each month, I’m here like clockwork to give you your monthly dose of Apple apps awesomeness. In other words, it’s time for our regular Mariner Promo Code post. If you don’t know what this is, you either read this blog for the first time, either lived on planet Mars in the last 2 years. Because I’m running this promotion for more than 2 years now. And literally, thousands of people already took advantage of it. Let me give you the code first and then you will have a little explanation on how to use it:
orbit
In order to use it, you should go to Mariner eStore first. Start shopping around. Once you’re happy, enter the code above into the designated field of the shopping cart. Click “Apply†and voila, your shopping cart should be discounted now.
Just in case you didn’t get the code from the first time, here it is again:
orbit
Yes, it’s that simple. 
I know I could have written a much longer post detailing all the benefits, using some smart text anchors and a lot of vivid (if not downright upsetting) imagery with software boxes and so on. But I didn’t. Because I know my readers. If they want something, they will simply know that and will choose accordingly.
Happy shopping!
Mariner Promo Code – May 2011
If you’re like the vast majority of people, perhaps you’re celebrating Labor Day right now. By resting, that is, not by working, like other people. I won’t give names, but you know who they are
Well, good for you, because after you’ll get back home for this well deserved holiday, there will be something nice waiting for you. A promo code for Mariner Software, which will give you an instant 20% discount to any software you wanna buy from these guys. Oh, and this promo code is totally exclusive here, you won’t find it anywhere else on the net.
I’m running this promotion for more than 2 years now. And literally, thousands of people already took advantage of it. Let me give you the code first and then you will have a little explanation on how to use it:
solar
In order to use it, you should go to Mariner eStore first. Start shopping around. Once you’re happy, enter the code above into the designated field of the shopping cart. Click “Apply†and voila, your shopping cart should be discounted now.
Just in case you didn’t get the code from the first time, here it is again:
solar
Yes, it’s that simple. I know I could have written a much longer post detailing all the benefits, using some smart text anchors and a lot of vivid (if not downright upsetting) imagery with software boxes and so on. But I didn’t. Because I know my readers. If they want something, they will simply know that and will choose accordingly.
Happy shopping!
iAdd version 1.3 Live In AppStore
After only 5 days of waiting, iAdd version 1.3 is live in AppStore. As I already wrote, this version features a complete redesign of the iPad version and a lot of small usability improvements, as well as numerous bug fixes. If you don’t know what iAdd is, I will briefly tell you that it’s my iOS implementation of my own Assess – Decide – Do framework. If you want to know more about the framework, feel free to visit its (brand new) homepage at Assess-Decide-Do. And if you want to know more about iAdd, the app, of course, there’s a site for that too, iAdd.
They say an image is worth a thousand words, so, as I planned to write a few thousands words blog post today, I will only share a few screenshots.
Oh, and one more thing: the book that started all is now available on Kindle. That means you can read it on your iPhone, on your iPad, on your Mac, or even on your Android powered device. In short, pretty much everywhere. And, to make things even spicier, the Kindle version is only 9.99 USD, compared with the regular price of 27 USD. Here’s a screenshot of what the ebook looks like on my iPad, using the Kindle app for iPad.
You can get the Kindle version of Natural Productivity: Assess, Decide, Do for your Kindle by clicking here.
Mariner Promo Code – April 2011
No, it’s not an April fool. It’s for real and it’s a very useful thing: I’m going to give you the mariner promo code for April 2011. This promo code, which is exclusive to readers of DragosRoua.com will entitle you to an instant 30% discount to any software you get from Mariner Software. I’m running this promotion for more than 2 years now. And literally, thousands of people already took advantage of it. Let me give you the code first and then you will have a little explanation on how to use it:
uranus
In order to use it, you should go to Mariner eStore first. Start shopping around. Once you’re happy, enter the code above into the designated field of the shopping cart. Click “Apply” and voila, your shopping cart should be discounted now.
Just in case you didn’t get the code from the first time, here it is again:
uranus
Yes, it’s that simple. I know I could have written a much longer post detailing all the benefits, using some smart text anchors and a lot of vivid (if not downright upsetting) imagery with software boxes and so on. But I didn’t. Because I know my readers. If they want something, they will simply know that and will choose accordingly.
Happy shopping!
How An iPhone, An iPad And A Mac Are Shaping My Digital Life
As a digital nomad, I do spend a lot of time processing and evaluating information. But the “nomad†part of being a digital nomad means I do it mostly when I’m on the road. I do not have a fixed office space. I work in a variety of places, from shared offices to coffee shops (most of the time), my own home or even parks (when weather allows me, that is). I did have an office for more than 10 years, but got rid of it after selling my company, two years ago.
To make a long story short, due to the fact that I work pretty much everywhere, I realized that my digital life has certain particularities. I’m using only 3 devices: an iPhone, an iPad and a MacBookPro. Each of them has its own usage pattern and I find it increasingly interesting to try to understand them. Since I’m a digital value creator myself, I am also interested in other people digital habits, especially what type of activity is spread over what type of device. But more on that in the end. For now, let’s start with the iPhone.
iPhone Usage Patterns
I own an iPhone for about 3 years, since the initial version. Didn’t buy an iPhone 4 yet, mostly because I don’t have any FaceTime counter parts (at least that I am aware of) to make it worth. For development I can get along pretty ok with a 3GS. I can safely ignore the retina display and the speed, I’m ok with the 3GS and I will not get rid of it until the next iteration (iPhone 5, most likely).
Emergency Info Check
I keep a number of notifications alive, like new friendship requests from Facebook, replies form Twitter and PayPal (yeah, I do love those daily tiny alerts telling me that people are still buying my books or that I just received some affiliate payment). I try to keep the number of these notifications relatively low in order to preserve battery life.
I seldom answer emails on my iPhone. If I do, it means I place a really high priority on the person that sent that message (so if you get a “sent from my iPhone†signature in my email messages, be happy, I really value our relationship. Or the message was really burning, make your pick 
). I have only 3 main email accounts and I’m using the iPhone unified Inbox to scan them a few times a day. Especially at red lights (if I’m driving), or while exercising. I eliminate the vast majority of garbage and leave the rest for further processing.
I do answer Facebook friendship requests using my iPhone. The Facebook app in the iPhone is (now) pretty stable and relatively easy to use. I still hate the fact that I can’t unfriend somebody using it, but that’s it. I also answer emergency messages, sent using Facebook messaging system, if any.
I’m only responding to push notifications like direct messages an replies. From time to time I do some impulse tweeting. Lately, I drastically downshifted my Twitter presence.
iAdd
I manage my tasks and projects with my own iOS app, called iAdd. It’s a universal app, which means I can use it both on my iPhone and my iPad. On the iPhone I stay mostly in Do. Meaning I just see what’s the next task or event and process it (either reDecide it or mark it as Done). Every once in a while, especially since I’m hit with some sudden inspiration (which tends to happen at least once a day) I use it to quickly brainstorm some ideas in Assess. It’s not uncommon also to send the freshly brainstormed idea to my own email from within iAdd.
If you’re not familiar with the terms Assess, Decide or Do, I recommend you to have a look at the ebook which outlines the productivity framework on which iAdd is based.
StumbleUpon
I’m still an active user in StumbleUpon (you can friend / follow me here) which means I get a considerably high number of shares each day. Until SU launched they iPhone app it was a real chore to empty my StumbleUpon toolbar. Today I’m using their iPhone app. It’s fast and (again, now) pretty stable.
iPad Usage Patterns
I own an iPad for about six months and no, I do not have any regrets that I didn’t wait to get an iPad 2 directly. I’m very satisfied with my current 32G 3G. Ironically, the 3G part of it it’s something I didn’t use yet, to be honest, since I already have a data plan on my iPhone. I don’t see any reason to pay twice for the same service. Oh, and I’m also going to tell you upfront that the term “couch computing†is very appropriate for the iPad. Meaning I’m using it mostly on my couch. I’m pretty sure that the location is also shaping a lot of its usage patterns.
Since Facebook doesn’t have yet an iPad app (and third party apps are still pretty rough on the edges) I use it in Safari. I do all my Facebook activity (as sparse as it is nowadays) from within my iPad, in Safari. I interact, answer to event or app invitations (if anyone is looking interesting enough for me) and follow my friends activity.
I use my iPad for consuming timelines. I do like the official app for Twitter, especially the user interface paradigm. I do think they created something really valuable with those panes and I find it difficult to imagine other ways of consuming Twitter. I also engage in conversations or follow links, the webView implementation in Twitter client is relatively comfortable.
I do answer my emergency messages (which are not answered already on my iPhone, that is) using the iPad email app. I also use it to clean up if there are any leftovers from my previous iPhone sessions, or if I didn’t have the time to use my iPhone for email at all. So, if you get a signature like “sent using my iDevice†in my emails, do know that it was sent from my couch. If that matters for you, of course.
iAdd
Almost my entire assessing and deciding are taking place in the iPad. Meaning I do organize my entire activity using the iPad. This may be due to the fact that the Mac version of iAdd is still in its very early stage, but also to the fact that the iPad is simply a very suitable device for that kind of activity. Once the planning is done I just do a sync with Dropbox. Next morning I sync my iPhone with Dropbox too and voila, my day is literally at my fingertips.
MacBook Pro Usage Patterns
I’m using a Mac for more than 4 years now. One of the oldest posts on this blog is witnessing the very moment of my conversion from a 10 years long Linux citizen to what others may call “an Apple fanboyâ€. I don’t consider myself an Apple fanboy, I just use the most appropriate tools for my tasks. It just happen to be a 17 inch MacBook Pro.
I do all the heavy processing on my Mac. Meaning I follow conversations and I also try to keep a relatively organized Inbox. Gave up to Inbox zero, because it conflicts with my ADD framework.So I do keep messages in my Inbox, which is assimilated to my Assess realm. Every time a message will trigger an action, I will process it with iAdd and then delete the message. Basically, it means that if I don’t have any more messages in my inbox, I either finished every imaginable thing I may do with my life, or I’m dead. Again, if you want to know more about my happy separation from the “Inbox zero†concept, with all its pressures, go ahead and read my ebook.
Writing
All the articles for this blog (and every other activity related to writing, like presentations for conferences or courses) are written on the Mac. I created more than 2 years ago a blogging setup that makes me keep my blogging under a relaxed control, using MacJournal smart journals feature. Also, all the image processing is taking place on the Mac.
Coding
It goes without even saying that I code my projects on the Mac, although I admit I played a little bit with the idea of having a (very) striped down version of XCode (or anything like that) on my iPad. But I do realize this is pretty much impossible.
Twitter and Facebook
Every once in a while I fire up Firefox and leave two tabs open: one in Twitter and the other one in Facebook. But this is relatively uncommon since I do avoid any type of interaction when I’m working (writing or coding).
Conclusions
iPhone – emergency and impulse reactions
iPad – consuming information and planning (tasks, time, projects)
MacBook Pro – producing, evaluating and distributing digital value
***
What are your digital habits? Do you have / use more than one device to manage them? Please share your experience in the comments, I’m really looking forward to it.
Mariner Promo Code – March 2011
It’s been so much time since I started this promotion, that I sometimes ask myself how it’s still going on. How this thing may still be alive after more than two years? Oh, you don’t know what I’m talking about? Here we are:
More than two years ago I started a prom0tion action with one of the oldest Mac software producers, Mariner Software. At that time I was looking for ways to monetize my blog outside the classic display advertising. I decided to interact directly with potential customers and establish some sort of an exclusive promotion activities. This is how it started. The promotion I concluded with Mariner Software included an exclusive promo code, available only on my blog, which will give to any interested customer 30% discount off of any Mariner products. Each month we should generate a new promo code. For example, the promo code for the current month (March 2011) is
saturn
In order to use it, you should go to Mariner eStore first. Start shopping around. Once you’re happy, enter the code above into the designated field of the shopping cart. Click “Apply” and voila, your shopping cart should be discounted now.
Just in case you didn’t get the code from the first time, here it is again:
saturn
Yes, it’s that simple. I know I could have written a much longer post detailing all the benefits, using some smart text anchors and a lot of vivid (if not downright upsetting) imagery with software boxes and so on. But I didn’t. Because I know my readers. If they want something, they will simply know that and will choose accordingly.
Happy shopping!
Mariner Promo Code – February 2011
Last month I wrote a post about the longest promotion on the Internet, one that lasted more than 2 years. It’s something that happened on this very blog, and it’s about a promo code for Mariner products. If you don’t know what Mariner products are, suffice to say that they are fine pieces of Apple quality software. Among them; MacJournal, MacGourmet Deluxe, Story Mill, Coutour, Calc and Write. Some of those are must have, especially if you’re into the blogging business. For instance, I still use MacJournal to hold my blogging setup and I do this for more than 2 years now.
So, here I am with another exclusive promo code for quality Apple software. In case you don’t know what this promo does for you, here we are: it will give you an instant 30% discount to any Mariner software you want. Good, stable and verified Apple software. And you may want a lot of it since they’re in business for more than 20 years. Remember, 30% off of ANY Mariner software,. All you have to do is to go to their eStore and use this promo code, valid for all February 2011:
jupiter
Yes, it’s that simple. I know I could have written a much longer post detailing all the benefits, using some smart text anchors and a lot of vivid (if not downright upsetting) imagery with software boxes and so on. But I didn’t. Because I know my readers. If they want something, they will simply know that and will choose accordingly.
Happy shopping!
Taming Monkey Number One – First Update
I think it’s time to see how I did so far with my first monkey. For those of you who doesn’t know yet, I ditched my New Year resolutions and replaced them with a different approach: taming monkeys. Very shortly put, a monkey is an underdeveloped part of yourself, a goal frozen in its evolution, an internal form that mimics a human being but never gets the chance to really become one. If you want to know more about this whole weird thing, you can go ahead an read the introductory post and also the post in which I explain how to find your inner monkey.
Monkey Number One: A New App In The App Store
Ok, I already let you know that in the first month I just want to have a new app in the AppStore. It’s not just an app, it’s one that it’s been floating around in my universe for some time now, and, somehow, never made it to my focus. Without revealing too much about the scope of the app, and thus, spoiling your surprise, I will briefly give you an idea about what the app is supposed to do.
- It will have a local pre-filled database.
- It will save the data locally on the iPad (yes, it will be primarily an iPad app, will see later on if I’d make an iPhone version too).
- It will also give the user the chance to save the data remotely, making it public.
- It will also allow the user to use social media services, like Twitter or Facebook, for a variety of operations.
The reason I gave these details is because they’ll have an impact on the overall taming process. It’s a relatively complicated app and it requires at least an extra level of complexity given the fact that it will need to save data remotely, outside of the device.
Taming Status
Until now, I worked 7 days on the taming. The rest of the time I was doing regular stuff like writing on my blog, consulting, interacting on social media (if we’re talking about what I consider work) and I also managed to have a real life. Quite a full one. Two week-ends ago I went with my daughter at a friend house, in the mountains. One evening, I accepted an invitation to theater from somebody in my social network. I think I already told you that I do try to bring as much as I can in the real life from my digital life.
So I got pretty busy. But I did manage to do the following:
- bought the domain name
- configured a web site and a PHP framework for that domain name
- made the basic wireframe (pretty much a mind map)
- finished the local pre-filled database, all the required info is in the app
- created the database model on the iPad (I’ll use Core Data for storage)
- started to work on the basic database features on the device. Which means right now I can add and retrieve real data using the app interface. Not all the needed data is processed yet, but the most important parts of it are taken care of
It’s not much, but, at the same time, it’s a lot. I don’t know if this makes sense to you, but to me it’s something really different. It may look like it’s just a stub, but that stub it’s real. Until just two weeks ago, everything was just an idea. At most, it was a nice topic in a “iOS related†conversation. Something like “what would you say about and app that will do this and that?â€. Pretty fancy during the conversation, but completely vaporware.
So I guess right now I have a little bit more than nothing. Which is good. Anything more than nothing is good.
Taming Challenges
The biggest challenge so far it’s finding time for this. For some reason, it seems that my day is shortening at a very fast pace. I do suspect there are few tiny midgets that took over my watches. Every time I don’t look, they’re feeding themselves with my minutes. Otherwise I really couldn’t explain where my time flies. I feel really, really short on time.
Perhaps that goal of “still having a life while doing this†it’s starting to manifest too. That would be an explanation. I do want to still have a life, to enjoy my time with my children and friends, to relax, to exercise, you know, what normal people are doing. Obviously this is taking important chunks of time from my regular work routine. Fact is I’m finding extra time for this taming task really, really hard. I guess that’s the reason I worked only 7 days out of 17 so far.
Another interesting challenge is to keep the idea flow steady and the app features “cleanâ€. The moment I start writing some code, it’s like opening a high pressure water hose. New ideas are starting to emerge in minutes and I want to add this feature, and also this feature, and, of course, you gotta have this feature too. I know I can’t add them all. It’s not possible. Taming this monkey will require to have a MDP (minimum demo product) in the store. An MDP is something good enough to prove your model but without all the bells and whistles you want to put on it.
What seems to help me so far in keeping this under a certain control it’s my Assess – Decide – Do methodology. Every time I have an idea I stop, fire up my iAdd app on the iPad, add the idea, and then get back. I keep all new blurbs into a separated collection.
Next Steps
The first and most important step would be to sustainably create more chunks of time each day. As I can’t really get rid of any of my daily activities (including blogging, consulting, and, of course, having a life) the only solution would be to wake up early each morning. I am already a huge fan of becoming an early riser but I admit I didn’t do it very often, especially during the holidays. I wake up every morning around 7 AM and I can get along quite ok with this.
But getting at least two more hours every day will require to wake up at 5 AM each day, including week-ends. I still have 14 days to finish this. That will give me around 28 hours of work. I think it can be done in 28 hours. But I have to get those 28 hours first. So, waking up at 5 Am each day.
Another important step would be to exercise more. Nothing heavy, maybe some running or pushups. From my previous experience it’s very important to balance the brain strain with physical exercise. I can do it without it, but it seems that the least annoying consequence of this would be a low emotional vibe. Every time I had intense brain workouts without balancing them with some physical workouts too, I had strong feelings of pressure. You know, like sadness, lack of motivation and alike. Not good. But exercising helps releasing endorphins. And endorphins are good.
Side Benefits
The main benefit would be to tame the monkey, of course. To finish the idea. To have the app in the AppStore. But there already some side benefits. To be honest, I didn’t see them coming.
First one is that I feel more enthusiastic (and I want to remain like this, hence my intention to balance this extra effort with some daily workouts). The feeling of watching something growing under my eyes, seeing the app unfolding day by day, that is something that releases tons of endorphins. I don’t know if everybody feels that, but I do. I have an incredible feeling of excitement every time I bring something from the idea level on the material level. Making things happening is one of the most fulfilling activities for me and surely this monkey is giving me a lot of reasons to to be happy.
Another side benefit is a little, but noticeable improvement in my discipline. I won’t lie to you, I’m a pretty damn disciplined fellow. Some guys are telling me that my schedule could rival with one that is imposed in military camps. So I’m not a newbie in this area. And still, I do feel that some parts of my daily routines are getting improved. Specifically, its about the parts in which “I don’t know†what to do. Call them pastimes or relaxation hours. Until I started to tame this monkey, I did have some times during the day when I allowed myself to just drift away and do whatever I feel like. It was ok. But a little bit shallow. Now I feel that I should get more of each relaxation hour instead of just going with the flow and doing whatever happens to be available. As I told you, I already had a trip to the mountains, I saw a theater play and all this just in the last 10 days. I feel eager to try new ways to relax. Which is very good. I think.
***
Well, that’s it, That was my first update on taming my monkeys. As always, if you feel like sharing your own taming monkeys experiences, don’t be shy. Leave a comment and share.
iAdd Lite Available On The App Store
As of today, iAdd Lite, the free version of my productivity iPhone / iPad app, iAdd, is available worldwide in the AppStore. Here’s a quick iTunes link for the impatient:
iAdd Lite has all the features of the regular iAdd, including syncing with Dropbox. The only limitation is that you can have a maximum of 5 items in each realm. For instance, in Assess you can have, at any given time, a maximum of 5 tasks, 5 projects, 5 ideas and 5 events. Items which are containing items, like ideas or projects, are following the same pattern: they can have a maximum of 5 subtasks / details. Also, Collections can hold maximum 5 items (regardless of their type, being them tasks, projects, ideas or events) per single collection.
Managing Rejection
There is a very interesting situation related to this version of iAdd. I don’t know why, but this took way longer to be approved than any other versions I had so far. First of all, it seems that I got some pretty nasty reviewers because they rejected my app based on some ultra-orthodox user guide principles. Which, to my surprise, weren’t applied to the regular version. I guess it’s just luck. Or bad luck.
Also, I did have a number of crahses, some of them incredibly hard to spot, and very time consuming. So, to make a long story short, iAdd Lite was rejected 4 times before making it to the AppStore. The first submission was on November 9th 2010 (just one day before my birthday) but the app is live only now, on January 11th.
Being rejected is not a nice feeling. Having your app rejected is an order of magnitude lighter than in person rejection, but it’s still frustrating. It’s irritating to look in your inbox and see the infamous subject line coming from Apple: “Feedback regarding your application”. Usually, the expected subject line is: “Your application has changed state” and nothing else. Which means the app is processed for the AppStore.
But there is a very positive outcome of this rejection situation. The app is far more polished than it was initially. It was more thoroughly tested and it does contain fewer bugs than before. I dare saying that it contains fewer bugs than the commercial version of iAdd (but that will change pretty fast, as I have already ironed a bunch of them).
Now, if you just want to take the “Assess – Decide – Do” framework for a test-drive, you can go to iAdd Lite official page, where you will also find some additional resources. And remember, if you like it, you can buy the commercial version at any time, just with a touch of your finger.
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