iPhone Cigar App ... need beta testers

So version 1.0.1 seems very stable, no crashes at all since the upgrade. Default caps is very nice, notes field is working well also. I did notice in the nc that the Carlos Torano is listed twice, once with the tilda. Couple other cigars that need adding for the list, nc Cohiba's, Cusano18's, SLR(Sait Louis Ray), Juan Lopez. CAO list needs vast expanding. I know this list isn't a super high priority, just FYI. I've continued to modify my list as needed.

[KenS]

Ok, general question for anybody following this thread:

It's clear that the NC database needs to be improved, but I don't plan to key in a massive amount of 'em, since the end user has the ability to add anything they need to their own database. That said, I do want a fairly representative list. So far in the comments on this thread, the ones mentioned are Padron, God of Fire, Rocky Patel, Gurkha & Macanudos.

To capture a reasonable set of "mainstream" cigars, what others really need to be in the default list? We already have A. Fuente & Opus X fairly well covered. The rest actually just came from what I was tracking in a spreadsheet from my own NC collection several months ago.

So, what are the "gotta have" brands? (and, does anybody already have a list of info about them? Maybe a spreadsheet that you've been keeping??). If anybody had that info in a spreadsheet, text file, or anything else, I could pretty easily upload it all into the database...

Thanks

[rrplasencia]

Originally Posted by KenS

Ok, general question for anybody following this thread:

It's clear that the NC database needs to be improved, but I don't plan to key in a massive amount of 'em, since the end user has the ability to add anything they need to their own database. That said, I do want a fairly representative list. So far in the comments on this thread, the ones mentioned are Padron, God of Fire, Rocky Patel, Gurkha & Macanudos.

To capture a reasonable set of "mainstream" cigars, what others really need to be in the default list? We already have A. Fuente & Opus X fairly well covered. The rest actually just came from what I was tracking in a spreadsheet from my own NC collection several months ago.

So, what are the "gotta have" brands? (and, does anybody already have a list of info about them? Maybe a spreadsheet that you've been keeping??). If anybody had that info in a spreadsheet, text file, or anything else, I could pretty easily upload it all into the database...

Thanks

Oliva, Tatauje, and VSG

[King James]

the Tatuaje line and a few other Pepins for sure.

Ken, did you get my PM w/ the info?

[tunes]

Casa Magna
La Flor Dominicana
La Aroma de Cuba (ASHTON)
La Gloria Cubana

to name a few...

[jovenhut]

Illusione
cruzado
la Rizquel (sic)

Ken,

I dont know that you want to take on the overhead of developing the database. It might simply be easier to let people have the ability to update your database and then publish new updates that are pushed to the phones monthly. I'd be more than happy to support the development of the Cuban side of the database.

[RHNewfie]

Originally Posted by Addiction

Ken,

I dont know that you want to take on the overhead of developing the database. It might simply be easier to let people have the ability to update your database and then publish new updates that are pushed to the phones monthly. I'd be more than happy to support the development of the Cuban side of the database.

Boy do I agree with you on this...

The tough part is managing duplicates, not overwriting users DB, maybe even malicious strings (don't know if this is an issue in iPhone software etc)

[alley00p]

Thoughts....

All Humidors - excellent idea!

Icon - I agree with the above, the Icon works great and symbolizes what we're trying to do with the app.

Box Code - I would agree that wrapper/binder/filler would be great for the NC's - Box code does nothing for the NC's I've bought; Definate need for BC in the CC section!

[KenS]

Originally Posted by RHNewfie

Boy do I agree with you on this...

The tough part is managing duplicates, not overwriting users DB, maybe even malicious strings (don't know if this is an issue in iPhone software etc)

This is exactly my worry. The website is currently setup for others to enter data, but for now I require somebody to request a userid and password. That way, I can track who is adding what, but I certainly can't control what somebody chooses to do with the access.

The best way would be a few volunteers that we trust, populate the basics, and leave the unique stuff for individuals to add to their own iPhone database. After all, not everybody needs a huge library of cigars. Maybe some only want/need the stuff that they are interested in.

[KenS]

Originally Posted by Addiction

Ken,

I dont know that you want to take on the overhead of developing the database. It might simply be easier to let people have the ability to update your database and then publish new updates that are pushed to the phones monthly. I'd be more than happy to support the development of the Cuban side of the database.

I think the Cuban side of the existing database is pretty complete (maybe 90 - 95% ?). What would be great is somebody verifying what is there, and identifying errors. Always a big manual chore.

I'm thinking through how to push out updates to the iPhone/iPod users now. The update mechanism for apps is easy, but the database part will be a little bit tricky, since people will likely have added some of their own to the reference side. Also, personal inventory is keyed to a unique identifier for each cigar, so I can't just change them around. It's an interesting puzzle for sure. We'll get there though

Ken,

Can't wait for this to launch. I've got tons of ideas, most of which are meaningless until I can touch the app lol.

[KenS]

Originally Posted by King James

the Tatuaje line and a few other Pepins for sure.
Ken, did you get my PM w/ the info?

Yep, I got your info, but had already compiled beta 2 for distribution. I'll try to get your device info into the code today and build a special version for you.

[KenS]

Originally Posted by Addiction

Ken,

Can't wait for this to launch. I've got tons of ideas, most of which are meaningless until I can touch the app lol.

Me too; trust me, I have more ideas than I have time to implement .

My guess is that Beta 3 will be the last, maybe early next week, and I'll plan to publish final by end of next week (but who knows how long Apple will take to review and make available).

Obviously all suggestions and ideas won't be implemented, but I feel very confident in the stability at this point. I will continue to refine based on feedback and release updates via the app store as appropriate.

This is certainly an interesting ride, and I thank you all again for the help and feedback. First time I've tried something like this, and it can quickly be all-consuming . But if interest continues, then I'll try to keep improving it to be as useful as possible (but I still have a day job ). I would guess that a few months from now, this app could be very different than it is today, as I learn more and fold in the feedback.

Kudos to you for taking this on. I've been following this thread with much interest (I'm buying an iPhone at the end of the month when my Verizon contract expires).

I just came across this http://www.pcworld.com/article/16114...ame_maker.html, which is a fun little read on app development similar to what you're going though.

I can guarantee I'll be buying your app when it's released!

[King James]

Originally Posted by KenS

Yep, I got your info, but had already compiled beta 2 for distribution. I'll try to get your device info into the code today and build a special version for you.

sounds good...can't wait

Ken, stability has been perfect in version 1.0.1. One idea I came across, is to allow editing of the wish list. So if you have a cigar in the wish list, and then you select wishlist from the my cigars page you can currently only select the cigar type, then the cigar brand, then see the cigar, no details page like you would get from the humidor list. I think it would be good to be able to get to that last step, allowing notes etc. So right now, my wishlist has 1 cigar in it, I click wishlist, Cuban, it takes me to the Brand screen that I added to the list, I click that, say cohiba, it takes me to the cigar family/type. Then I can't go any further. If I were in a humidor at this point, I could drill down, put a note in saying, trying this on 3/13/09, was great, or something like that. Anyway, one more thing to think about for a future release.

[KenS]

Originally Posted by promethius

Ken, stability has been perfect in version 1.0.1. One idea I came across, is to allow editing of the wish list. So if you have a cigar in the wish list, and then you select wishlist from the my cigars page you can currently only select the cigar type, then the cigar brand, then see the cigar, no details page like you would get from the humidor list. I think it would be good to be able to get to that last step, allowing notes etc. So right now, my wishlist has 1 cigar in it, I click wishlist, Cuban, it takes me to the Brand screen that I added to the list, I click that, say cohiba, it takes me to the cigar family/type. Then I can't go any further. If I were in a humidor at this point, I could drill down, put a note in saying, trying this on 3/13/09, was great, or something like that. Anyway, one more thing to think about for a future release.

Interesting, and there I went through a bunch of hoops to limit that drill down on the wishlist, figuring it wasn't relevant

I see your point though, and having it jump directly to the detail page, at least for recording notes would make some sense. Not drilling through the intemediate page though...

My brain is starting to hurt

[KenS]

Originally Posted by King James

sounds good...can't wait

Wait no more . Your app has been emailed to you. Let me know if it installs correctly. I added a couple dozen Gurkha's to the database before sending it, so now the total reference database is over 900 stogies. Lots more to go on the NC side, but I was testing some db stuff this time around.

You are running slightly different code as well. I changed the humidor view so the alignment works a little better. I'll post a comparison later to get people's feedback on the appearance. In the meantime, you should be set for testing. Let me know please...

[Sr Mike]

I got in on mine today, I am playing with it during my breaks. My first impression, seems simple to use and a nice selections to work with.