BETA for People search / Finn folk

[Ronny Gydar]

Version 0.8 has been sent out

You all should now have gotten an email with version 0.8 now.

And I have already gotten good feedback...I had forgotten to translate a Norwegian word.
In the MENY-pivot-page, the heading left of the setup-section has the text "tilbakemelding"...which in the English version should have said "feedback". Will correct this in version 1.0.

I think I will do a full walk-through of the English and Norwegian texts before completing version 1.0...is so easy to miss spelling mistakes so forth when you code-and-write-texts in one go

 

[Ronny Gydar]

Crossing fingers for the app being approved by tomorrow. And we'll have it out by this weekend. If it is, I plan to have the free-day on Sunday. But we'l just have to wait and see if the app is approved the next day or two.

Made a little enhancement to the startup of the app also, which could make it slow at times, or for people with some specific setups. Its fixed in 1.0

Will notify all BETA-testers by email the day it is free, and will also post it here. So keep an eye on this thread

[07.05.2012] Seems like the testers at Microsoft is slower than normal...going on the second week. Hopefully they will test it this week...else I will contact support.

 

[Ronny Gydar]

I have now published the app to Marketplace (all countries), and will be visible in the next hours.

You'll find it here (might take a few hours to be visible):
http://windowsphone.com/s?appId=26b86fc9-ecda-df11-a844-00237de2db9e

NOTE!
The app will be FREE tomorrow (Sunday 13.05.2012) only, so grab it on Sunday if you want a 0.99 app for free

BETA-testers; I will inform you about the 1-day-special by e-mail so you do not forget to get the full-version for free...this one-day-special is after all for you BETA-testers...but anyone can jump on this free-app-special

 

[vemulasri]

Ronny,

Is this the correct link? seems like it is going to something else in the windows marketplace.

 

[Ronny Gydar]

Ronny,
Is this the correct link? seems like it is going to something else in the windows marketplace.

Yeah, there is something wrong/weird here, not sure what yet.

The link uses the correct applicationID, and on my phone I do get the app up in the Marketplace-app, but with no download-button, and a message that it is not available for my phone/region. And that is strange, since I just checked in AppHub now, it is published to absolutely every country available in Marketplace, and of course works on all WP7 Mango devices.

I will wait till tonight before contacting Microsoft support about this, then it will be close to 2 days since I published the approved app....and from what I understand it can take up to 24 hours, so I guess I will give them a little slack before I start complaining to support.

Will update here with info when I have some, and will of course then make the "one-day-special" some other date...so it is possible to actually get the app for free

 

[Ronny Gydar]

People search is now available in Marketplace

The app should now be visible in Marketplace.

The app will be FREE tomorrow (MONDAY 14. MAY).
This is so all the BETA-testers can get it free, but anyone who sees it in Marketplace will can jump on that deal

I have already updated the price to 0, but it can take quite a few hours before it is visible.
So if it states "0.99 USD", try again a little later.

I will set the price back to 0.99 on Tuesday, so grab it while you can

I have also made re-edited the BETA-video so it shows of the new version (you are all thanked at the end of it)
[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XJg0jjJTj0[/YT]

Direct-link to the published app in Marketplace:
http://windowsphone.com/s?appId=9d8b1804-9492-451c-b0d4-df3732a18457

 

[Ronny Gydar]

Version 1.2 of People Search / Finn Folk was sent to Microsoft for approval two days ago, hopefully it will be visible in Marketplace next week.

Main improvements are shown in this YouTube video: [YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pb5QqbQ96k[/YT]

In short: MUCH faster searching, share contact info with QR-codes and it now also search with Cyrillic characters.

See here for details:
Versionhistory

And version 1.3 is actually almost ready for submission too, so that will be sent to Microsoft as soon as Version 1.2 is approved by Microsoft.

 

[dtboos]

Thanks Ronny, still loving the app.

Just a quick question since I'm not a developer: Is there a way to send vCards, or contact files that are easily imported by other phones/systems with available windows phone dev resources? I'm sure some sort of contact export function will come in wp8, but this would be something I would find very useful. Right now as far as I understand, the only ways I've seen to send contact info is like it is in your app, where it send the information in a way where it still needs to be copy/pasted into somebody's address book.

Thanks for your continued support of this app!

 

[Ronny Gydar]

Is there a way to send vCards, or contact files that are easily imported by other phones/systems with available windows phone dev resources?

From what I have seen, there is no easy way to send contact-info from a Windows Phone that can be "auto-imported" in the other end by a WP/Android/iOS/etc.

One reason is because it is not possible to attach files to a email/sms with code in Windows Phone. And vCards are supposed to be sent as attachment as I understand it (I am by no means an expert on vCards though).

I just did a basic test here now, where I sent a vCard in the body of an SMS...hoping that the receiving Windows Phone would "understand" the body as a vCard. But in the other end it looked like a lot of text, and just the actual numbers got link-indication...just as any number in any sms.

I know there are WP apps that goes around this whole issue, and stores the vCard on their own web server, and then sends an url to that file by sms/email. Since urls will show as a clickable link on most modern phones, the recipients of such an SMS/email can click it, and the phone downloads the vCard file.

Thats is an creative solution, and requires that the developer has a web site 24/7 for this server-stuff. ...and I do have lots of server capacity due to Trine's Hangman and some other games I am working on (due to multi-player "stuff")...so this should really not be a big problem for me to fix in a future update.

I usually try to avoid anything that requires the user to save "personal info" on my servers, since that is never good...to be responsible for some of the users personal data. But I could make the vCard link expire after 1 day or something.

...but I know that I actually am a bit over-protective with privacy and security sometimes...but rather that than the oposite

...long rant as always...in short; vCard is possible, but not easy-peacy.

I have put this on my "future wish list"
Versionhistory

 

[Ronny Gydar]

And then version 1.3 was finished
[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMrqE89O2-8[/YT]
And before you wonder if that gigantic Lumia in the video is some kind of new Nokia Lumia 1000 tablet...or that I have incredibly small hands.

..this is my Nokia Lumia 800 next to the "phone" in the video

And here's a behind the scenes shot, where you see that it is actually a 21.5" Dell touch monitor running Window Phone emulator with Nokia Lumia skin in Windows 8.

But it looks kind'a cool in the video though? *



WILL SEND IN VERSION 1.3 AS SOON AS VERSION 1.2 HAS BEEN APPROVED

Since I can not send version 1.3 in until Microsoft has tested version 1.2, I might add one or two things more before I send it to Microsoft.

You will always find the latest info about what's coming here; Versionhistory

Hopefully it does not take too long before Microsoft test version 1.2 that I sent in last week

 

[Ronny Gydar]

Version 1.2 was approved on Thursday, and I sent in version 1.3 same day. Version 1.3 should in other words be out Wednesday/Thursday this week.

Working on version 1.4 as-we-speak

 

[Ronny Gydar]

Working on version 1.7, and today the "high contrast keyboard"-mode was finished. Is also more Metro'ish...sorry Modern UI'ish...which I know a lot of people like.

Screenshot of the new highcontrast-dial-pad

I am also working on the "speed-dial"-stuff, so one can map long press to all the digits and not just 1-key, which today is for voice mail, no pictures ready for that part yet.

I expect to send in this new version by the end of the week, so you all should have it next week.

I will post more info as I work on my facebook page, and also do some posts here too.

 

[Ronny Gydar]

...and now a sad story...



my mum (who this app after all was created for) actually managed to break her trusted Lumia 800.

Some stranger passed her on the sidewalk, and bumped so hard into her shoulder that she lost her phone that she was talking in. He did not even stop, just walked on by.

So right now my mum is using an old LG developer phone I got from Microsoft in the summer of 2010 (before the official launch of WP7)...she does not like it so much...I got a feeling she's gonna buy another Lumia...good for Nokia's economy I guess...maybe that guy was Elop?

No worries, this post does not mean I will start posting non-PeopleSearch-related stuff here...this was after all kind of related to People Search after all

Next post will be about the speed-dial-stuff I am also working on for version 1.7...

 

[Ronny Gydar]

ADDED MORE THAN PLANNED IN THIS RELEASE
I ended up doing a lot more than I planned, so there will be no version 1.7, but I went straight for version 2.0.



SENT TO MICROSOFT TODAY (11. DECEMBER 2012)
And version 2.0 has just been sent to Microsoft for testing.
Should be in Marketplace within a week.



WHAT'S NEW

• HIGH CONTRAST KEYBOARD MODE; Makes the keyboard easier to see in bright sunlight (new option in MENU).
• SPEED DIALING / PRESS-AND-HOLD FAVORITES; Put favorites to the dial keys 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 and 0, so you can call/text them with press'n'hold of a single button.
• 3 new custom-icon options (9 in total now).
• Dial pad use accent color as background on key press (so the app blends even more into your chosen theme).
• Added a 'Got it, don't show this anymore'-checkbox to the info-text that is shown in last used (so the app looks nicer when you have gotten the message
• Backup/restore now also covers speed dial and last used (this data is of course stored privately and is not shared or used in any way, other than making it easier for you to restore on a new phone).
• Tip about tap-number-to-clear++ is not shown if user taps once on it (then I assume you 'got it').
• Tuned the start-up animation so the LOADING-text is not shown on extremely fast devices. WP8 devices are so fast that the loading-animation just blinked.
• BUGFIX for issue that occurred when one-or-more contacts had a empty Display Name.
• Many other tweaks, minor bugfixes and enhancements.

As always you can see whats new and planned for the future here: Versionhistory



SPEED DIALING
Assign phone numbers to keys on the dial pad for long-press calling or texting.

HIGH CONTRAST DIALPAD
A new high contrast, and Modern UI friendly dialpad, that makes everything easier to see in bright light.

MORE ICON OPTIONS FOR THE CUSTOM TILES FEATURE
3 new icons that you can use as tile for the app.

IF YOU CAN'T WAIT, AND WANT THIS RIGHT NOW
If anyone want the app right now...just send me the LiveID you use on your phone from my contact page, and I'll send you an BETA-link.

his is not really an BETA, it is the exact same version that I sent to Microsoft today. You'll just get it one week before everyone else

Best regards
RONNY GYDAR

 

[Ronny Gydar]

Version 2.0 is now in Marketplace, and the app is also free on Sunday 16. - Monday 17. December....so now is the "most tactical" time to download it