Archive for category apps

Bonsai Album – suivez votre collection de bonsaï

Bonsai Album rend le suivi de votre collection de bonsaï ou de penjing bien plus simple. Suivez le développement de vos arbres tout au long de leur vie, sur votre Mac !

Bonsai Album

Que vous soyez un novice, un collectionneur ou un revendeur, Bonsai Album est l’outil idéal pour organiser la gestion de vos arbres, pots et notes.

Configuration requise : Mac tournant sous Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6.6), Lion (OS X 10.7.x), ou Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8.x)

Pas sûr que Bonsaï Album soit faite pour vous ? Essayez la version d’essai gratuite disponible en téléchargement ici.

*** OU ***

Mac App Store

La version téléchargée est d’abord en mode d’évaluation non enregistré, limitée à 3 bonsaïs, 3 pots, et 3 entrées de journal avec 3 photos chacun. Vous n’aurez droit qu’à une seule fenêtre de base de données et l’importation de bases de données est désactivée. En achetant une licence soit directement dans l’app ou soit via le Web Store vous débloquerez toutes les fonctionnalités.

Voici tout ce que vous pouvez faire avec Bonsai Album :

– Enregistrez les données de vos arbres, y compris leur âge, origine, style, espèce et dimensions.
– Choisissez parmi plus de 200 noms d’espèces (avec les noms communs ou botaniques) ou ajoutez de nouvelles espèces.
– Triez les arbres par nom ou espèce.
– Stockez les données des pots, ainsi que des photos.
– Suivez le façonnage, l’engraissage et tous les autres évènements pour chaque arbre et pot grâce à des entrées datées dans votre journal.
– Créez et modifiez des rappels dans votre journal relié à votre calendrier.
– Utilisez le champ de recherche pour effectuer une recherche rapide dans les listes des bonsaïs, pots et journaux.
– Ajoutez de multiples photos par arbre, pot et entrée dans votre journal.
– Ajoutez une légende à chaque photo .
– Sélectionnez les photos qui apparaitront sur la miniature principale de chaque arbre ou pot.
– Afficher les photos dans une galerie en plein écran ou en miniature.
– Réarrange photos avec une sélection multiple et la prise en charge du glisser-déplacer.
– Affichez l’historique pour chaque arbre ou pot, trié par date.
– Vérifiez les statistiques de votre collection.
– Enregistre les modifications automatiquement.
– Prise en charge des images Retina.
– Imprimez les listes des bonsaïs, pots ou journaux ou les informations d’un bonsaï, pot ou journal en particulier.
– Importation et exportation des bases de données par Wifi vers Bonsaï Album sur votre iPhone, iPad, ou iPod touch.
– Importation / exportation en format BDBI par Bonsaï Album (iOS).
– Prise en charge du format CSV pour importer / exporter votre base de données Bonsai Album vers et depuis les applications de tableur.
– Exportation du rapport HTML de Bonsaï. Visualisez votre collection sur le navigateur Web de votre ordinateur. Super pour suivre votre collection pour des besoins d’inventaire ou d’assurance.

Vous souhaitez suivre vos arbres de n’importe où ? Transférez votre base de données vers et depuis Bonsaï Album sur votre iPhone, iPad, ou iPod touch (disponible sur l’App Store iOS).

Veuillez noter que Bonsai Album ne contient pas de photos pré-téléchargées. Elle ne contient pas non plus d’informations sur les soins à apporter aux bonsaï. Elle ne permet que de suivre les informations et d’afficher les photos que vous aurez ajouté vous-même.

Consultez http://BonsaiAlbum.com pour plus d’informations sur Bonsai Album, y compris les coordonnées pour nous contactez pour poser des questions, demander des fonctionnalités ou signaler un problème. Rejoignez la page Facebook page pour parler de Bonsai Album avec d’autres fans.

盆栽アルバム – あなたの盆栽コレクションを記録しましょう

盆栽アルバムを使うと、盆栽・盆景コレクションの記録が簡単につけられます。お使いのMacからあなたの盆栽の育成を管理!

盆栽アルバム

これから盆栽を始める人にとっても、コレクターやディーラーにとっても、盆栽アルバムは木や鉢の情報、メモを整理するのに理想的なツールです。

システム必要条件: Mac Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6.6)。 Lion (OS X 10.7.x)、または Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8.x)

盆栽アルバムをチェックしてみますか?ここから無料の試用版をダウンロードしてお試しください。

*** または ***

Mac App Store

ダウンロードされるバージョンは未登録の試用モードで機能は3つ盆栽、3個の鉢、そして3つのログエントリに制限されます。また、一つのデータベースウィンドウのみが許可され、データベースのインポートは無効になっています。アプリ内またはWebストアを介してライセンスを購入すると、全機能がロック解除されます。

盆栽アルバムでは、以下のことが可能です:

– あなたの木についての詳細―樹齢、入手先、樹形、種、寸法等―の記録
– 200を超える種名(一般名と学名)からの選択、新たな種の追加
– 盆栽を名前または種により分類する。
– 鉢の詳細を写真と一緒に保存
– 日付入りのログエントリーで、全ての木と鉢について、樹形や肥料、その他のイベントを記録
– あなたのカレンダーとリンクしたログエントリーのリマインダーを作成・編集
– 検索フィールドを使用して盆栽、鉢、およびログ·リストを素早く検索する。
– 個々の木、鉢、ログエントリーに複数の写真を添付
– 各写真にテキストキャプションの付記
– それぞれの木、鉢について、メインサムネイルに表示される写真を選択
– フルサイズのギャラリービューまたはサムネイル形式で写真を表示。
– 写真を複数選択し、ドラッグアンドドロップで並べ替える。
– 日付でソートして、個々の木、鉢のログヒストリーを表示
– コレクションの統計データの洗い直し
– 変更を自動的に保存。
– Retinaグラフィックスサポート。
– 盆栽、鉢、またはログリスト、または特定の盆栽、鉢、またはログの情報を印刷する。
– WiFi経由でiPhone、iPad、またはiPod touchで盆栽アルバムデータベースのインポートとエクスポート。
– 盆栽アルバム(iOS) BDBI-形式インポート/エキスポート
– CSVフォーマット対応で、デスクトップのスプレッドシートアプリへの盆栽アルバムデータベースのインポート、アプリからのデータベースのエクスポート
– 盆栽レポートHTMLエキスポート。コンピュータのWebブラウザであなたのコレクションを表示。目録、保険のための記録として最適。

外出先から盆栽をチェック。iPhone、iPad、またはiPod touch(iOS App Storeで入手可能)の盆栽アルバムにデータベースを転送、またはiPhone、iPad、またはiPod touchの盆栽アルバムからデータベースを転送。

盆栽アルバムには、事前にアップロードされた写真は一枚もありませんし、盆栽の栽培方法等についての情報も含まれていませんのでご注意ください。アプリが記録していくのは、あなた自身が加えた情報と画像のみです。

盆栽アルバムについて、詳しくは http://BonsaiAlbum.com へ。質問、リクエストや問題の報告をするための連絡先も掲載しています。Facebookページに参加すると、他のファンと盆栽アルバムについて話ができます。

Bonsai Album for Mac – Now Available!

Bonsai Album for Mac is now available for direct download from my site. Bonsai Album makes keeping track of your bonsai or penjing collection easy. Track development of your trees throughout their lives, on your Mac!

Bonsai Album for Mac

Today I’m pleased to present my new Mac app, Bonsai Album. It brings the features of the iOS app to the Mac platform, with some nice additions including photo organization, enhanced search, and printing capabilities. If you’ve got a Mac with Retina display, you’ll also appreciate how Bonsai Album looks in glorious high-resolution.

Bonsai is an art and science with international appeal, a fact that was heavily reinforced after I released the iOS version of Bonsai Album in English back in 2011. Over the following seven months I received many emails and reviews from across the world requesting localization into other languages. Shortly thereafter I released multiple app updates providing support for an additional six of the most popular languages used by my customers. Like the iOS version, Bonsai Album for Mac has been localized into English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. To assist international visitors to this site, I’ll soon be adding a series of posts containing localized versions of the app description and screenshots.

To run Bonsai Album, you’ll need a Mac with either Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6.6), Lion (OS X 10.7.x), or Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8.x).

The download version initially runs in an unregistered trial mode, limited to 3 bonsai, 3 pots, and 3 logs, with 3 photos each. In this mode it also only allows a single database window, and database import is disabled. You may purchase a license either within the app or via the Web Store to unlock the app’s full functionality. After it’s unlocked, this version contains the same features as the forthcoming Mac App Store version, including an automatic software updating feature.

You can find more details including screenshots and the full list of features on the Bonsai Album for Mac page of my site.

What about the Mac App Store, you may ask? I submitted the app to Apple yesterday, so it’ll probably be another few weeks before approval. Meanwhile, feel free to download the trial version here and take the app for a spin while you wait.

I’d like to thank all the wonderful Beta testers who helped refine the app into its final form. I received a lot of great feedback over the last month that helped improve the app and allowed me to identify some issues I might otherwise have missed.

I’d also like to thank the open source community, including Andy Matuschak for the indispensable Sparkle updating system, Andy Kim and Matt Gallagher for LetsMove, Bit Stadium GmbH for HockeyApp, Gleb Dolgich for the fantastic CocoaFob, and FastSpring for their customer service and handy FastSpring Embedded Store. If you’re a Mac developer, I highly recommend you check out all of the above.

I hope bonsai fans around the world find Bonsai Album for Mac a useful and enjoyable tool for tracking your bonsai collections, and I welcome any feature suggestions or comments you may have. Enjoy!

Tags: , ,

Bonsai Album for Mac – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Bonsai Album for Mac - Now Available!

The following should address any questions or concerns you may have about Bonsai Album for Mac. I’ll be updating this post as new questions arise. Let me know if I’ve missed anything!

1. When will Bonsai Album be available? When will it hit the Mac App Store?

Bonsai Album for Mac is now available for download from my website here and from the Mac App Store. You can learn more about Bonsai Album for Mac here.

2. What Mac OS X operating system do I need to be able to run Bonsai Album for Mac?

The app works on Lion (OS X 10.7.x), through to Ventura (macOS 10.13).

3. I already have Bonsai Album on my iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Do I have to buy it again for the Mac?

Yes, if you would like to run Bonsai Album on your Mac, you’ll need to purchase it direct from my site, or from the Mac App Store. The Mac version includes some additional features over and above the iOS version, including photo organization, enhanced search, and printing capabilities. I first began work on Bonsai Album for Mac in 2012. While it does re-use some code from the iOS version, the app had to be substantially re-designed and re-written for the Mac platform. Unfortunately porting the app to the Mac wasn’t as simple as you might think!

4. I’m not sure if Bonsai Album for Mac will suit my needs. Is there a free trial version available?

Yes, it’s available for download from my website here. The app is initially in an unregistered trial mode, limited to 3 bonsai, 3 pots, and 3 logs, with 3 photos each. It will also only allow a single database window, and database import is disabled. That should be enough to give you some idea of whether the app will work for you. Purchasing a license either within the app or via my website unlocks full functionality. You may also purchase via the Mac App Store.

5. Will Bonsai Album for Mac be localized into my language soon?

Possibly. Bonsai Album is currently localized into English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. If there’s interest, I may also consider Simplified Chinese (盆景相册) or Traditional Chinese (盆景相冊). Let me know!

6. Is it possible to sort the bonsai by species, rather than name?

Click the Preferences… line on the Bonsai Album menu and select the “Sort bonsai by species” checkbox under Sort Options. Close the window and you’ll find all bonsai are now sorted by species. Repeat these steps to sort by name again.

7. What is the purpose of the Type field on the Log Info screen?

The type field is used by the app to determine what should be displayed in the Logs list for that log entry. For instance, selecting Bonsai will show the bonsai name selected in the Bonsai field, selecting Pot will show the Pot name in the Pot field, and Note will show a brief summary taken from the Notes field. Select either Bonsai, Pot, or Note in the Type field depending on what information that particular log entry is recording.

8. How do I re-order the photos on the Bonsai Info, Pot Info, or Log Info screens?

After the entry has been saved, double-click on it and then click on the All Photos section. This will show all the photos associated with the Bonsai, Pot, or Log. Click and hold the mouse button on the photo (or photos) you’d like to organize on the Info screen, and move the mouse to where you’d like the photos to be arranged. Release the mouse button when you’re done.

To move a photo into one of the primary photo slots on the Bonsai Info, Pot Info, or Log Info screens, arrange the photos in the All Photos section. The primary photo slots will now reflect the new order.

9. How do I add text captions to my photos? How can I hide them to take a closer look at the photo?

Double-click on the photo you’d like to add a caption to in the All Photos section of the Bonsai Info, Pot Info, or Log Info window. Click the word balloon icon at the top of the window, then in the text box that appears, type in the text caption you’d like to associate with that photo. Click on the photo to end editing the caption. The new or modified text caption will now be displayed. Note that only the first few lines of the caption will be superimposed over the photo. To hide the caption, click once on the photo. You can scroll between the photos by clicking the left and right arrow buttons, and zoom-in by resizing the photo window.

10. How do I capture sold, stolen or dead trees, broken pots, or other events?

The place for capturing these events is on the Log Info window. Create a new Log entry, click the Event field and type in the new Event (Sold, for instance). The new Event will be saved when you click the OK or Save button. It will then be available for use with this and other log entries. In the Bonsai field (or Pot field), select the corresponding tree (or pot). Set the Type field to Bonsai (or Pot). Set the date the Event occurred, and add any relevant photos or notes. Click Save, and the new dated Log entry will appear in the list. Now when you tap the Log History button on the Bonsai Info (or Pot Info) window, you’ll see the complete history of the tree (or pot).

11. I have a Bonsai Album database on my iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. How do I transfer it to Bonsai Album for Mac?

You’ll need all devices on the same local WiFi network as your Mac. Then follow these steps:

(1) Tap the Backup Database button on the Tools screen within the app on your device.
(2) Create a new database within Bonsai Album for Mac and save it to your Documents folder.
(3) Click the Import Database button in the document window toolbar within Bonsai Album for Mac. This is the button next to the printer button. The button has an arrow pointing to the right, away from the device icon. You can also select the Import from -> Bonsai Album Mobile App item in the File menu.
(4) The Import Database window will appear. You should see your device shown in the Devices section. If it isn’t there, double-check that you’ve selected Backup Database (or Export Database) on the Tools screen within Bonsai Album on your device. Check the Messages box in Bonsai Album for Mac for helpful information.
(5) Select the device you want to import from, then select Restore Complete Database in the Import Options section. You may also choose to Import Bonsai and Pots, Import Bonsai, or Import Pots.
(6) Once you’re satisfied with the selected device and import options, click the Import button.
(7) After the progress bar completes, an alert will appear indicating whether the import was successful. Click OK.
(8) The database in Bonsai Album for Mac should now match the database on your device.

Note that the above steps will completely replace the contents of the Bonsai Album database within Bonsai Album for Mac, unless you’ve chosen not to restore the complete database. In that case, you may see duplicate entries in your database after the import is complete.

12. I have a Bonsai Album database in Bonsai Album for Mac I’d like to transfer to Bonsai Album on my iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. How do I accomplish this?

The steps are similar to question 11 above, except you must select either Restore Database or Import Database on your device, and click the Export Database button in the document window toolbar within Bonsai Album for Mac. This is the toolbar button with the arrow pointing toward the device icon. When the export is complete, you should consult the pop-up alert on your device for further instructions.

13. I have an iPad, an iPhone, and a Mac. How do I keep the databases in sync between all of these devices?

Bonsai Album currently doesn’t have a simple means of keeping databases synchronized on separate devices. However, it is still possible to transfer the database between devices manually. You first need to backup the database from the device with the most current copy to your computer (or from your computer to the device). The steps for achieving this are shown above in questions 11 and 12. A good workflow is to use your Mac as a hub for the database, updating that after you’ve made changes on your device.

14. I have the Bonsai Album trial version and just bought the full version. How do I transfer my data from the trial version?

When you purchase the full version you’ll be provided with license details to unlock the app. The trial version and the full version are the same app – there is nothing further to download. All of your data will be accessible the next time you run the app.

If you’ve purchased via the Mac App Store, you’ll need to save the database from the trial version to somewhere you can easily locate (the Documents folder, or your desktop, for example), and load it within the Mac App Store version. The trial version of the app may then be deleted once you’ve transferred the database.

15. I have a whole spreadsheet of data I’d like to import into the app. How can I do that?

Provided your spreadsheet program can export to CSV format and allows you to specify comma separators and dates in a particular format, you should be able to import it into the app. Bonsai Album expects to receive CSV data according to the CSV template file, available in the Downloads section of this site.

16. Can you incorporate some new fields into the app? Can I change the names of any of the data fields?

Incorporating new fields may be possible, but keep in mind that any changes will also need to be made to the iOS app version, where screen real estate is very limited. I’ve tried to select fields that would be useful for most people using the app, and have tried to minimize clutter as much as possible. The Notes field may be used to log information that isn’t captured by any other field. Sorry, the names of the data fields cannot be changed.

17. What is the X icon in the toolbar used for?

The ‘X’ icon (next to the ‘+’ icon in the toolbar) is used to delete a particular bonsai, pot, or log. It has no effect until you select an item from the list. Clicking on one of the rows in the table will select that row and highlight it in a brown colour. To delete the highlighted bonsai, pot, or log, click the X icon in the toolbar. Alternatively you may select Remove Item from the Edit menu. Note that if a particular bonsai or pot is associated with any logs, an alert popup will appear asking if you still wish to delete the bonsai or pot. If there are no associated logs, the highlighted item will be deleted immediately.

18. How do I use the reminder feature?

First, pick a log entry or create a new one. Select Yes next to the Reminder field, and a popup will appear asking if you want to add a reminder to the calendar. Click Add and another window will appear where you can create a calendar entry. If there’s already an entry, it’ll allow you to edit it (or delete it). If Reminder is set to Yes, changing the date will also show a popup asking if you want to add/edit on the calendar. If you check your Mac’s calendar, the entry should be recorded against the date/time you set.

The idea is you set a future date, set Reminder to Yes, and the log entry will be highlighted on and after that date. The Reminders Due statistic is also updated. Once you’ve taken care of the task (fertilizing, repotting, etc), set Reminder back to No.

19. How do I use the bonsai report feature? How do I view the bonsai report?

The bonsai report shows a summary of your collection, followed by the data and photos for every bonsai, pot, and log entry in your collection. This report can be useful for inventory or insurance purposes, and may be printed from within your web browser.

Click the Export To -> HTML Report lines on the File menu.

(1) Select the Report Folder where you’d like to store the report and the corresponding photos.
(2) Enter a filename in the Report File field. Note that the photos will be stored in a sub-folder of the same name with a _photos suffix.
(3) Select whether you’d like to export a report with Small photos, Medium photos, or Large photos, then click the Export button.
(4) A progress bar window will appear, followed by a popup when the export is complete.

To view the report, locate the Report Folder you specified in (1) using the Mac Finder, and double-click on the Report File you specified in (2). On OS X Snow Leopard, your web browser will load the bonsai report.

On OS X Lion or OS X Mountain Lion, a warning will appear asking if you are sure you want to open the file. Since you have generated the file yourself using the app, click the Open button. Your web browser will then load the bonsai report. If you ever want to relocate the bonsai report, be sure to move the similarly-named folder with the _photos suffix. This will ensure the report file will still know where to find the photos.

20. I have questions, feature requests, or concerns that aren’t listed above. How can I contact you?

You can reach me via email (BonsaiAlbum@andrewnicolle.com), on the Bonsai Album Facebook page, or on Twitter (I’m @andrewnicolle). I can usually respond to queries within 24 hours. If you like Bonsai Album for Mac, please spread the word. Thanks!

Tags: , , ,

An update on Bonsai Album for Mac

Track your Bonsai tree collection on your Mac – Coming Soon!

If you’re into bonsai and you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you’re probably familiar with my bonsai app, Bonsai Album. Last year I announced I’d begun work on a Mac version, and I posted an early preview screenshot.

Since last year I’ve been busily working on the app, and now it’s almost feature-complete! The Mac version includes some additional features over and above the iOS version, like photo organization, printing, enhanced search capabilities, and support for Mac Retina displays. You’ll also be able to transfer data between the Mac and iOS versions over WiFi. The screenshot above shows the captioned photo display feature, similar to the iOS version.

The app is currently being localized into multiple languages, including English, Japanese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. All of these languages will be supported at launch.

Bonsai Album for Mac will be available for purchase directly via my website, as well as through the Mac App Store. There’ll also be a free trial version available for download, with similar limitations to the iOS Lite version.

I’m still working on a release date, but I anticipate it should be ready sometime in March, 2013. Beta-testing will commence shortly. If Bonsai Album for Mac sounds interesting, you might want to sign up to the mailing list below to be notified about the Beta-test and app launch.

I can’t wait to bring this exciting new app to bonsai fans around the world!


Tags: , , ,

Announcing Story Tracker for PC

Story Tracker for PC

Since the launch of the iOS version of Story Tracker in 2009, I’ve had requests for bringing the app to other platforms. Last year I released Story Tracker for Mac after a prolonged development cycle. The release on a desktop platform naturally led to questions about when a PC version might be coming along.

Wonder, no more! Today I’m announcing my plans for a Windows PC version of Story Tracker.

I’ve considered and discarded the idea in the past. I moved away from PC development over the last decade as I focused on my fiction writing and iOS app development efforts. As a result, my knowledge in this area is quite out of date. However, I consider my iOS and Mac development skills to be quite good, having launched and maintained several apps for sale since 2009. The existence of viable platforms for sale (the App Store, and later, the Mac App Store) meant all the messy details had been taken care of: license management, payment processing, handling updates, and most important of all, an audience.

Microsoft has recently launched their own online store for Windows 8 apps, but at this stage my impression is that it’s a bit of a mess, and Windows 8 itself isn’t doing as well as expected. For now, that means all the aforementioned messy details still exist on the PC platform. There’s also the matter of costly development tools and multiple operating systems to support. Until recently I believed development of a PC version of Story Tracker would be a costly and frustrating exercise. I no longer believe that to be the case.

The free Visual Studio Express 2012 for Windows Desktop product should meet most of my development needs, and as far as I can determine, it seems to have no limitations on commercial distribution of applications developed with it. This set of tools also covers targets from Windows XP through to Windows 8 desktop. If it turns out this edition of Visual Studio is a little too limited, there’s always the Pro version which isn’t prohibitively expensive.

Is there a market for a PC version of Story Tracker? That remains to be seen. However, I believe there is, if you consider the size of the PC market in comparison to that for Macs. While Mac sales seem to be on the rise in recent years, the Mac user base is still dwarfed by the huge numbers of PCs out there. While Macs are popular amongst writers and other creative folk, they still make up a comparatively small slice of the overall market.

How about the other thorny issues mentioned above? In my investigations in recent months, I’ve identified several services and packages that should address those concerns. The biggest one, payment processing, is well covered these days. I’m already using FastSpring to handle payment processing and license generation for direct sales of Story Tracker for Mac via my website. I’ve been very impressed with their service, and I think they’d make a great fit for direct sales of the PC version, too.

When can you expect to see Story Tracker for PC available for sale? I’m currently working on Bonsai Album for Mac, which I’m targeting for a spring 2013 release. Once that’s done, I’ll be diving into development on the PC version of Story Tracker in a big way. I’m hopeful it’ll be available for sale sometime later this year. I can’t pin down a more exact release date, since I expect there to be a steep learning curve, and I still have updates to work on for my other apps.

If you’re interested in learning more about Story Tracker for PC as development progresses, visit the Story Tracker Facebook page or sign up here to be notified via email when the app launches.

Tags: , , , ,

2012 Retrospective

As 2012 draws to a close, it’s time for another retrospective blog post!

Personally, I don’t have too many complaints about 2012. I accomplished some of my goals for the year, fell short in others, and learned a whole bunch. Work at the day job was interesting and challenging, yet I still managed to carve out time for my after-hours hobbies. I finally released my first Mac app, released a heap of updates for my iOS apps, learned even more about Bonsai than I’d hoped, and came to terms with some truths about my writing. I’m disappointed I didn’t accomplish some of my goals, but that just gives me something to strive for next year.

For many years I’ve drifted in and out of fiction writing, since my first efforts in 2003 where I changed from a mindset of writing for my own enjoyment to writing for publication. Over the past 4 years my efforts have dwindled to the point where I’m really just keeping stories in circulation, and not actively writing much new material. I spend most of my spare time working on apps these days, leaving little time for fiction writing.

Last year I took part in my first NaNoWriMo and learned a lot about the craft of novel-writing, despite not reaching the 50,000 word goal. What I ended up with was two-thirds of a novel and a decent outline for the rest. It was the longest single piece of fiction I’d ever written, and I was understandably chuffed and looking forward to finishing it in 2012. Due to apps eating my spare time, I never got around to it. As November approached, I again decided to participate in NaNoWriMo, and in keeping with the spirit of the thing, I planned to work on my 2nd novel. Unfortunately I didn’t get started until a few days into November, and progress was painfully slow. It took a further week before ideas started to gel, but by then I’d begun to get discouraged and felt little motivation to plow ahead for the rest of the month. It didn’t help that I still had some urgent app updates to work on, along with a strong desire to get started on a new Mac app.

So writing-wise, 2012 was a huge disappointment. That said, a few days before Christmas I received a nice email: an acceptance from an editor of a cool online fiction market for a short story I’d collaborated on with Samantha Henderson. We were both pleased our little tale found the perfect home. I look forward to announcing the story and venue closer to actual publication.

I’d planned to do a lot more reading this year, but this didn’t work out too well, as you can see from the extremely short list below:

Horns by Joe Hill
Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

All were fantastic reads, so I’m pleased that what little reading time I had was well-spent.

I made good use of my daily commutes. I found myself drifting away from the comics podcasts I’d typically listen to, instead switching to a regular dose of short fiction through a wonderful trio of podcasts: Escape Pod, Pseudopod, and PodCastle. It was like revisiting an old friend after a long absence, finding them to be just as delightful as you’d remembered. If you’re an avid genre fiction reader with time for podcasts, I recommend these three wholeheartedly. Not only do they showcase some excellent work, but they’re also free, operating on a donation model. Throw a few bucks their way, if you can. You’ll be helping to fund some of the best short fiction produced today.

No retrospective would be complete without some stats:

2012 Stats:

New apps released: 1
App updates released: 28 (includes Lite and Paid versions)
2012 Word count: 4,382
Stories written: 0 (novels still in progress!)
Total submissions: 3
Total acceptances: 1
Total rejections: 2
Waiting for response: 0
Books read: 3
Comics read: 42

My app plans for 2012 were fairly aggressive. I planned to release my first Mac app, Story Tracker for Mac, along with releasing a bunch of updates to my three existing iOS apps: Story Tracker, Artwork Tracker, and Bonsai Album. For the latter, I planned to localize the app into several languages.

The Mac app took longer than expected, but I finally released it for direct-sale and via the Mac App Store in September. You can read all about the trials and tribulations of Mac app development here and here. It’s already received some good reviews from AppStorm and AppModo. Having gained a good feel for Mac development, in mid-July I announced a Mac version of Bonsai Album. That’s coming along nicely. I’ve posted an early screenshot, and I’m on track to release the app in spring 2013.

From May through October, I localized Bonsai Album into six languages, including Japanese, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Portuguese. While it wasn’t a trivial exercise, the process was made much easier by using the app localization services of iCanLocalize and managing the translated strings using the superb Linguan app. Feedback from customers was fantastic, which was one of the key reasons behind my decision to bring the app to the Mac. If you’re curious about what localization can do for your app, consider this: over 60% of the sales of Bonsai Album come from outside the US, and over 40% are from non English-speaking countries. The app market is global, and your customers definitely appreciate localization efforts.

In addition to putting a lot of effort into the user interface on Story Tracker for Mac, I tried to improve my icon design skills. I found the Icon Resource videos to be quite useful, and spent many hours translating what I’d learned into designing icons in Inkscape. While it’s by no means perfect, I’m pleased with how the icon for Story Tracker for Mac turned out. I’ve come a long way from my first effort on the iOS version of Story Tracker! I took what I’d learned from the Mac icon and gave the iOS version a much needed update, too.

This year I attended a handful of monthly meetings of the Midwest Bonsai Society, along with the shows they run at the Chicago Botanic Garden. This year I visited 3 Bonsai shows, two of which were at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and one at Morton Arboretum. I attended more workshops than in years past (Satsuki Azalea, Kingsville Boxwood, Bring-Your-Own-Tree, and Ponderosa Pine) and added a new tree to my growing collection (a Brazilian Raintree). I especially enjoyed Andy Smith’s Ponderosa Pine workshop – he really has an eye for great material and knows how to bring out the best in any tree of this species. For the Bring-Your-Own-Tree workshop with visiting master, Peter Warren, I brought along my Bald Cypress, and got some great hands-on tips and styling advice. Peter Warren’s exhibit critique of the August show was interesting and informative, which you can see here. While looking for bonsai pots online, I came across Iker Bonsai Pottery and found some great hand-crafted work. I ordered a nice pot for my new Boxwood there. This is one of those aspects of the hobby I haven’t paid much attention to until now. It’s like a whole other hobby in itself!

Things were pretty quiet travel-wise this year. We made some short road trips to Michigan and spent some time in Milwaukee and Door County in Wisconsin. Closer to home, we stayed at the incredible Ravenstone Castle B&B in Harvard, Illinois.

As usual, my personal fitness varied throughout 2012. I was off to a strong start, keeping a regular routine until May or June when I began putting even more time into the apps. I returned to my regular workouts in late November and again learned why it’s always better to avoid long gaps between workouts.

Though I always seem to have trouble meeting my personal goals for the New Year, I just can’t help myself from coming up with more. So here I go for 2013…

I got a bit out of shape later in the year, so I want to try to avoid that in future. I intend to maintain my workouts in 2013, but most definitely do not plan to participate in any marathons or other extreme contests of strength or endurance!

For apps, it goes without saying I’ll need to work on updates for my existing apps. In particular, I have some cool stuff in mind for Story Tracker and Bonsai Album. Bonsai Album for Mac will be my first priority, though. I’d also like to come up with something new. The financial return from my huge time investment in apps is still very modest indeed, and it’d be great to come up with some app ideas that really take off.

I enjoy working on the app stuff, but would like to dedicate more time to writing in 2013. I also need to read more than a paltry handful of books! At this stage I can’t see myself participating in NaNoWriMo next year, since I have more than enough on my plate with two novels to finish. I also plan to write some new short stories and get some of my inventory out into circulation again. It’s going to be a tough juggling act, for sure.

Best wishes for 2013, and I hope you have a happy and productive New Year!

Tags: , , , ,

Bonsai Album v1.9 update now available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

The Bonsai Album v1.9 update is now available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Bonsai Album makes keeping track of your bonsai or penjing collection easy, whether you’re new to bonsai, a collector, a dealer, or even a bonsai master.

Bonsai Album

This update contains the following changes:

  • Bug fixes
  • The database can now be transferred directly from Bonsai Album Lite to the full version
  • Renamed the Bonsai Album DB format to BDBI and added a BDBI file-type association
  • Transfer the complete database between devices (iPad / iPhone / iPod) over WiFi via Bonsai Album BDBI-format support
    1. Select Backup Database on the first device.
    2. Enter the address into the web browser on the second device.
    3. Tap the “bonsaialbum.bdbi” link and wait for the file to download.
    4. Tap the Open in “Bonsai Album” button.
    5. Bonsai Album will load. Tap Restore to transfer the complete database.

If you’re enjoying the app, please take a moment to rate or review it on the App Store!

You can learn more about Bonsai Album at my website or on the Bonsai Album Facebook group.

Story Tracker v2.5 update now available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

Story Tracker v2.5 is now available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Story Tracker

This update contains the following changes:

  • Bug fixes
  • The database can now be transferred directly from Story Tracker Lite to the full version
  • Renamed the Story Tracker DB format to SDBI and added an SDBI file-type association
  • Transfer the complete database between devices (iPad / iPhone / iPod) over WiFi via Story Tracker SDBI-format support
    1. Select Backup Database on the first device.
    2. Enter the address into the web browser on the second device.
    3. Tap the “storytracker.sdbi” link and wait for the file to download.
    4. Tap the Open in “Story Tracker” button.
    5. Story Tracker will load. Tap Restore to transfer the complete database.

If you like what you see, please spare a moment to rate or review the app on the App Store!

You can learn more about Story Tracker at my website or on the Story Tracker Facebook group.

Story Tracker v2.4 update now available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

Story Tracker v2.4 is now available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Story Tracker

This update contains the following changes:

  • Fixed truncation bug affecting decimal number fields
  • Localized decimal numbers on info and statistics screens, and in CSV output
  • Improved data saving behavior
  • Prevent automatic screen-locking during database transfer over WiFi
  • Added iTunes File Sharing support
  • Bug fixes

Note: This update requires iOS 4.3 or higher! The original iPhone, iPhone 3G, and 1st or 2nd-gen iPod touch devices are no longer supported.

If you like what you see, please spare a moment to rate or review the app on the App Store!

You can learn more about Story Tracker at my website or on the Story Tracker Facebook group.

Tags: , , ,