Trip Tracker for WM5.0

[jobrazy]

Hi guys,

You know it has been some time - more than 15 months - since we were promised a 5.0 upgrade. Since Iambic took over - they announced "weeks" and it would be released - that was more than 6 months ago.
Somehow I had hoped that Iambic was more responsive than the two peaks people who NEVER responded, but it seems I was wrong.

TRIP TRACKER IS A GREAT APPLICATION - BUT - w/o 5.0 compatibility - it's a putz!

So - this leads me to wonder a) are you even working on it and b) if not - will you at least tell us??

Some responsible party from Iambic should answer this.

:cry: :down:

[Lifter59]

I posted the same question several weeks ago and received the same poor brush off answer that everyone who has inquired about the status of the software updates gets. We will get to it - coming soon - you just wait and see.....

I am sure we will see the product at "some" point in time but I am already questioning whether Iambic will be responsive to bug fixes, feature requests and any new compatibility issues.

It is probably time to start petitioning a few of the other more responsive software development companies if they might consider developing a product to take the place of trip tracker and/or BillRate. At the current pace of delivery we will be looking for the product to support WM 9.0......

[adriano]

Hi,

yes, we are working on it. We just released today Health & Diet manager, and now the next in the pipeline is triptracker.

Please note that before releasing these titles we migrate them to WM5 and 6 support, test them, enhance them here and there. This is why it takes some time.

Again, sorry for the delay.

Regards,

- Adriano

[jimoden]

Great News :D :D

[subseaguy]

Hi,

yes, we are working on it. We just released today Health & Diet manager, and now the next in the pipeline is triptracker.

Please note that before releasing these titles we migrate them to WM5 and 6 support, test them, enhance them here and there. This is why it takes some time.

Again, sorry for the delay.

Regards,

- Adriano

The above was the statement in March. Since then, per the Iambic website the following has been released (not counting SmartPhone, Palm, and Treo):

» 04-28-2007 - Agendus for Windows version 4.3 has been released
» 04-28-2007 - Agendus for Windows Mobile version 1.03 has been released
» 04-07-2007 - We are happy to announce the availability of Agendus for Windows Mobile version 1.02
» 03-21-2007 - Health & Diet Manager for Windows Mobile version 2.61 has been released
:mad: Next in Pipeline Occurs Here
» 03-09-2007 - Health & Diet Manager for Windows Mobile Pocket PC has been released

Not sure what "next in the pipeline" means but it clearly doesn't mean "next" and not convinced it means "in the pipeline" either.

I'm ready for these guys to stop pissin' on my leg and telling me it's raining so I can either wait with some hope or move on to another product, even if it's not as good.

[iant54]

Add:

» 05-10-2007 - Agendus for Windows Mobile version 1.04 has been released

[Lifter59]

Add:

» 05-10-2007 - Agendus for Windows Mobile version 1.04 has been released

This is where I get the feeling that Iambic seems to believe that we don't know what "gullible" really means. I can't even remember the last time a software vendor was this indifferent to the requests of their customers. At least I know what to expect from technical support and from product management when (and IF) the new version of Trip Tracker is ever released. With our luck it will be bundled into something sorry like Agendus so we have to buy the dog to get the jewel......:mad::mad::mad:

[iant54]

I had the same idea a couple of days ago, and scanned the Agendus for Windows Mobile page to see whether they'd somehow dropped Trip Tracker into the program.

But, no - it seems to have vanished without trace ....

[Marie Lucie]

Hello,
Around the 23rd of March, they told us it would be released within 2 months. This means one or two weeks more of patience. This is theory. Of course, we were already told a lot of things and nothing came, I know. Did you notice that now they use the wm6 argument to justify more delay ?
I'm surprised to see that iambic does not consider us as clients. Quite strange. Normally a company that wants to win money and to sell its products should be more communicative with its customers. I'm a high level EU public procurement officer, more particularly in IT and this, since many years. I've never seen such a behaviour from a company.
By the way, I would also like to be one of the beta tester for this application.

[Lifter59]

Hello,
Around the 23rd of March, they told us it would be released within 2 months. This means one or two weeks more of patience. This is theory. Of course, we were already told a lot of things and nothing came, I know. Did you notice that now they use the wm6 argument to justify more delay ?
I'm surprised to see that iambic does not consider us as clients. Quite strange. Normally a company that wants to win money and to sell its products should be more communicative with its customers. I'm a high level EU public procurement officer, more particularly in IT and this, since many years. I've never seen such a behaviour from a company.
By the way, I would also like to be one of the beta tester for this application.

The actions by Iambic seem even more irrational when you think that the business case to buy the source code for the Trip Tracker and BillRate was the additional revenue it would produce from the existing customer base. I hope the executive leadership at Iambic reads through some of these forum posts sometimes and gets an understanding of what they put at risk by the behavior of their rather inept employees. They should certainly be aware of how brutal and effective the opinions of the user community can be at impacting a companies revenues - especially a company that does 99% of their business on the web and through sales of downloaded software. I am no longer willing to wait to see if these clowns get their act together as I now believe that they will deliver a sub-par product and, if the current approach to communication and response is an indicator of future behavior, it will be years before they get it right. I have started to request that other software developers who have very successful products look into developing something like TripTracker and pointing them to these forums to show that they would be meeting a very real demand for software. Until then, we get to wait......:sour::sour::sour:

[iant54]

The only problem to all this - we're all wanting a program which did what Trip Tracker did NOW, not in three to four month's time!

Come on, iambic, give us the truth! Maybe you're nearly there, or you're still programming it, or you haven't even started!

[adriano]

Hi,

we are reading through this thread as well as other threads asking about the status of TripTracker and BillRate... and we are also reading and considering all the suggestions, disappointment due to delays, etc.

Truth to be told, as always it comes down to time and resources. We truly wish to have been faster in making these great titles available to you sooner, and we were hoping to release other titles faster, but unfortunately that didn't happen.

All this said, BillRate is scheduled for release sometime this week, and as far as TripTracker, we are working on it, but we'd rather not set expectations on when exactly it will be released yet.

Again, thank you for your patience. We truly appreciate it.

Sincerely,

- Adriano

[jobrazy]

If anyone finds - or as someone posted - is working on an application which has the features (or a basic subset)of Trip Tracker and hopefully more - and works with Wm5.0 please let me know as well.

I am sick of waiting for this lame company to get off their collective arses, and THINK for a change. I actulaly believe they are incapable of delivering on their promise (read lie) of delivering Trip Tracker wm5.0 - cvertainly not in a timley manner!

It makes me sick.
:cry: :down:

[subseaguy]

:sour: :down: :down: :down: :down: In truely not keeping with the "next in the hopper" timeline, :mad: iambic has released yet another marginally usefull application (Warden Security for Palm OS and Windows Mobile Pocket PC!) that I am sure they received hundred of thousands of request for, before releasing TripTracker (re: my posting of 09 May). Thanks for the excuses Adriano. I am sure you are following the company line but I am not buying it. Besides, if you were to give a date, quarter, or even year, I would not be likely to believe it anyway based on history. Let's be honest. If you want a business question answered, follow the money. If there are limited resources, then TripTracker has clearly fallen to a very low priority, probably because profit margin is not as high as anticipated when TwoPeaks was purchased or NPV value is fairly low or both. Sounds to me that someone did not do a good job at "due dilligence" prior to the acquisition. Iambic clearly does not consider it to be a 'flagship" application like Agendus (which I quit using). Also supporting the low priority is the removal of the TripTracker section of the forum. So Iambic.. where does this really leave us? While you put us off, crawfish on promises, make excuses, and refuse to be honest with us as to the real status of TripTracker we are without an application we really liked, were highly loyal to, and for some of us, really depended on it. At least now it is crystal clear what and who we are dealing with... a company that can't and won't be honest with a segment of its customers. :sour: :sour:

Alpha Mike Foxtrot

[Lifter59]

Well gee,

Iambic has finally published the "value-added" and "improved" version of BillRate....

And we already see the following issues -
Won't sync with ActivSync 4.5 - it's only been available for months and it would SEEM plausible that a developer MIGHT test with the latest version...
The application supposedly works with Vista, but since 99% of the business world doesn't actually USE Vista yet - who cares?
There seems to be an issue entering exact start and stop times into the timesheet - well some employers insist/require that level of accuracy. If we depend on it to get paid, using an application that won't support it is kinda foolish.
My BIGGEST concern is that there is code in BillRate that will be leveraged into building the mythical TripTracker - (sync and calendar come to mind). Now if it doesn't work for BillRate I have NO confidence in its functionality for TripTracker. I will be watching VERY closely how quickly and effectively the developers deal with these issues and release fixes as this will set the benchmark for what we can expect.

I HOPE that Iambic's management is aware of this attention and REALLY take this seriously. Although I (and thousands of others) anxiously await the "someday" release of TripTracker, if it takes weeks and months to address issues, I for one will not be interested in loading and running the product as I will be convinced that it will be buggy, marginally functional and have a very strong potential to destroy the one thing I can't lose - my calendar.

So, the spotlight is on even brighter Iambic - we hope you'll do fine - just don't screw up......:sour::sour::sour:

[Marie Lucie]

Just can't believe it ! Thanks for the info. I'm near to take the killing decision : find another solution or stop travelling. Don't know ...

[paulfanner]

Earlier this month, I received an email from Iambic:

"We have noticed that you have not been active on our discussion forums for quite some time now, and we miss you! We are constantly on the look for feedback and suggestions around our products and services, and our forums are a great place where you can share your thoughts with other fellow members as well as get in touch and discuss them directly with us."

As I am only interested in TripTracker and Iambic has singularly failed to produce this product or even responded to requests to be involved in beta testing it, it is hardly surprising that I have not been active in these forums! I have just about given up hope of ever seeing a useable TripTracker and share the concerns expressed concerning BillRate - I'm actively looking for a useable alternative.

[Lifter59]

Hi James,

the duration dialog in the current (windows) release behaves a bit unfriendly. You can change the duration via the "enter exact start and times" area as long as you don't modify the values of the couple of fields above.

We'll correct the problem in the next update.

- Adriano

Ummmm - What???

Adriano - can I make a suggestion? You and your developers should read through the support forums of SBSH.net (They develop and SUPPORT Pocket Breeze) as well as webis.net (They develop and SUPPORT Pocket Informant as well as the former Two Peaks product Flex Wallet). When bugs that affect the basic operation of their product releases are encountered they are very specific about how they are fixing a problem, actively solicit testing help from their client base and are VERY open about when the fix should be delivered. You guys should give the approach a try - you might be surprised what it gets you (increased support from your customers, loyalty based on your honesty, etc.). NOBODY wants to hear "next update" from a company with your track record for "timely releases and updates". You might as well say "someday".

Also, just what does the work around "don't modify the values of the couple of fields above" really mean anyway?? which fields? Where? Would you mind documenting that with screen shots? Give me a break you guys - how long have you been developing code - a couple months?

This is what I was afraid of - and it gives me ever waning hope of seeing a VIABLE TripTracker release prior to Q2 2008.:down::(:mad::up::(:mad::confused:

[geosta]

I should start this off with this disclaimer:

I'm a long time user of Trip Tracker and have been very disappointed with iambic's delivery on this issue.

This will probably get deleted and me kicked off this board, but its ok, I'm not planning on buying any of iambic's software anyway.

For those that are looking for an alternative, SPB Software House has just released Traveller v1. Its not as good as Trip Tracker was, but the important point is that they are actively looking for users input into the features of the next version. See the discussion in the thread below and add your own ideas:

http://www.spbclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8054


Cheers. :)

and FYI: In no way am I connected with SPB Software House, I'm connected with software companies that listen to their users and more importantly, their potential users.

[jimoden]

I should start this off with this disclaimer:

I'm a long time user of Trip Tracker and have been very disappointed with iambic's delivery on this issue.

This will probably get deleted and me kicked off this board, but its ok, I'm not planning on buying any of iambic's software anyway.

For those that are looking for an alternative, SPB Software House has just released Traveller v1. Its not as good as Trip Tracker was, but the important point is that they are actively looking for users input into the features of the next version. See the discussion in the thread below and add your own ideas:

http://www.spbclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8054


and FYI: In no way am I connected with SPB Software House, I'm connected with software companies that listen to their users and more importantly, their potential users.



Thanks for the info goesta, I tried the above software but at the moment it is fairly usless as it misses a few key elements for people who really travel a lot.

Hey iambic where are we with Trip Tracker, how does one get on the beta program.

Cheers,
Jim

Cheers. :)

[UlrichSch]

Since it does not appear that a WM 5 version of Trip Tracker will be released soon we must look for alternatives. One of them is Spb Traveller, as mentioned above. Essentially rather nice, but hotel stays and a few other things are missing. Maybe in a later version. Not my choice in the state it is in now.

Another alternative is EZGo, about which you find more here:
http://www.isimus.com/ezgo/

Not bad either, and I think better than Spb Traveller. A few things are missing: less flexible, less configurable than Trip Tracker. There are less categories for the events. It is for Pocket PC only, no desktop counterpart. On the other side there are a few things Trip Tracker does not have and never had.

Does anybody know something else?

Of course what I would prefer most would be a working version of Trip Tracker. It may simply be a habit, but I liked this most. And then Iambic could finally stop bothering me with mails complaining that I have not posted in the forum for soooo long time. Well, is there anything worth talking about?

[subseaguy]

UlrichSch

I have been using MobiMate for the past year or so (http://www.mobimate.com/smartphone_business.shtml?filename=smartphone.jpg) . It's a pretty good solution. In most ways it exceed the capabilities of TripTracker. It is also available in multiple platforms. Only drawback is it is an annual service. But with that service comes flight tables and other online data. It also has a desktop and mobile version. I make about 15-20 international trips/year and have found it pretty good. Might want to give it a try and let these guys pound sand.

[UlrichSch]

Dear Subseaguy,

I tried this also a while ago. It has many useful features. I just wonder what exactly you get for the annual payment - the program, or the access to the database?

[bvmswami]

adriano :confused: when can we download beta trip tracker wm5? :mad: you've been saying "2 months" back in march! :sour: Iambic has released billright, when can we (I) be a beta tester for trip tracker wm5? I also need from you my old licence key for the old version in the meantime. I bought it in 2004, pl send it to me.
bvms@pamho.net
thanks
:cry:
yours martin Law

[richracicot]

adriano :confused: when can we download beta trip tracker wm5? :mad: you've been saying "2 months" back in march! :sour: Iambic has released billright, when can we (I) be a beta tester for trip tracker wm5? I also need from you my old licence key for the old version in the meantime. I bought it in 2004, pl send it to me.
bvms@pamho.net
thanks
:cry:
yours martin Law

I don't think Adriano comes here anymore. Heat may be too much... You might want to try asking at one of the topics that he does read.

[adriano]

Hi,

actually I do come here, read all your comments / feedback, and get rather sad and unhappy as of how the whole story around TripTracker went down.

Unfortunately out of the former TwoPeaks titles (which we have all enhanced, and made available for wm smartphone prior to re-releasing them) TripTracker and PerfectHome are still in the pipeline.

Why this and why so long for these last 2 titles? Because of reasons outside our control, which I don't feel like sharing and you wouldn't enjoy reading anyway... all this said, we are getting closer to the TripTracker re-release.

I'm going to hold off giving you estimates to avoid creating false expectations.

Sincerely,

- Adriano

[richracicot]

Haven't seen you since May! Glad you still come by. So I guess your comments mean I won't have Trip Tracker for a trip at the end of Aug?
-rich

[subseaguy]

Adriano,

:mad: Sorry... but after this amount of time with delay after delay after delay, with no pretense of a real reason, "beyond our control" just don't cut it.:down: That's pretty slimy business practice.

subseaguy

[Lifter59]

Hi,

actually I do come here, read all your comments / feedback, and get rather sad and unhappy as of how the whole story around TripTracker went down.

Unfortunately out of the former TwoPeaks titles (which we have all enhanced, and made available for wm smartphone prior to re-releasing them) TripTracker and PerfectHome are still in the pipeline.

Why this and why so long for these last 2 titles? Because of reasons outside our control, which I don't feel like sharing and you wouldn't enjoy reading anyway... all this said, we are getting closer to the TripTracker re-release.

I'm going to hold off giving you estimates to avoid creating false expectations.

Sincerely,

- Adriano

Adriano:

Personally, I am offended and insulted by your comments.:mad::mad::mad:

For MONTHS I (and others on this forum) have been pleading with you to be honest and up front about where things stood with TripTracker. You have chosen to be neither. I have given you references to your competitors who have been honest and forthcoming about the challenges, problems, issues, etc. with getting their products developed. The overwhelming response has been positive for these developers because they have treated their customers with respect and given them credit for being intelligent and understanding. You have chosen to be misleading at best and downright deceptive on most occasions. While there may be issues outside of your control - how you managed them and addressed them with your customers was completely INSIDE of your control; so why don't you step up to the plate and be straight with us for ONCE??:weird:

While you may actually get TripTracker delivered at some point, the truth is that most of the customer base that has been following this chain of events will view you and Iambic with a VERY wary eye. We have seen little or no support for BillRate (just look at how many questions and problems from the customer base go unanswered), no point releases containing any fixes and no inkling as to when fixes will be made available.

If history is a predictor of the future (which I believe it is), I expect that TripTracker will be buggy, there will be more response from the users as to how to deal with issues than from you, very slow if not non-existent support from your developer staff in fixing the product and we will be stuck with a marginally useful tool that many of us used to depend on to get through our work week.

That being said, I hope you don't intend to make all of us who have been waiting for many, many months pay for an upgrade when you have yet to demonstrate that you can produce a stable, functional product outside of Agendus. Oh, and if you think I am inclined to purchase ANY of your other software titles - think again! You have a LONG way to go to convince me that my $$ would be well spent with you.

I will ask again, PLEASE be honest and up-front with us regarding the status of the release. Give it a try - being honest is a real sign of integrity, something I look for in a company that I am willing to give my money to. Not only that, but when you tell the truth, you only have one story to remember and you sleep better at night as well.

So, that being said - what are the issues with TripTracker and when will we see the product released?

The ball is once again - in your court. Let's see how you play it this time.:sour::sour::sour:

[Lifter59]

Adriano:

Personally, I am offended and insulted by your comments.:mad::mad::mad:

For MONTHS I (and others on this forum) have been pleading with you to be honest and up front about where things stood with TripTracker. You have chosen to be neither. I have given you references to your competitors who have been honest and forthcoming about the challenges, problems, issues, etc. with getting their products developed. The overwhelming response has been positive for these developers because they have treated their customers with respect and given them credit for being intelligent and understanding. You have chosen to be misleading at best and downright deceptive on most occasions. While there may be issues outside of your control - how you managed them and addressed them with your customers was completely INSIDE of your control; so why don't you step up to the plate and be straight with us for ONCE??:weird:

While you may actually get TripTracker delivered at some point, the truth is that most of the customer base that has been following this chain of events will view you and Iambic with a VERY wary eye. We have seen little or no support for BillRate (just look at how many questions and problems from the customer base go unanswered), no point releases containing any fixes and no inkling as to when fixes will be made available.

If history is a predictor of the future (which I believe it is), I expect that TripTracker will be buggy, there will be more response from the users as to how to deal with issues than from you, very slow if not non-existent support from your developer staff in fixing the product and we will be stuck with a marginally useful tool that many of us used to depend on to get through our work week.

That being said, I hope you don't intend to make all of us who have been waiting for many, many months pay for an upgrade when you have yet to demonstrate that you can produce a stable, functional product outside of Agendus. Oh, and if you think I am inclined to purchase ANY of your other software titles - think again! You have a LONG way to go to convince me that my $$ would be well spent with you.

I will ask again, PLEASE be honest and up-front with us regarding the status of the release. Give it a try - being honest is a real sign of integrity, something I look for in a company that I am willing to give my money to. Not only that, but when you tell the truth, you only have one story to remember and you sleep better at night as well.

So, that being said - what are the issues with TripTracker and when will we see the product released?

The ball is once again - in your court. Let's see how you play it this time.:sour::sour::sour:

Well, it has been several weeks since I last requested SOME sort of realistic update from Iambic/Adriano on the availability of TripTracker as well as the first update/fixes for BillRate that will make it even marginally effective for many of us to use.

To date, there has been nothing provided - zip, zero, nada, null set, blank page, empty stare, dead silence, no reply, goose egg, nil, zilch - not even a get lost message. There has been the same level of response to the questions posed for BillRate.:mad:

I am now convinced that Iambic will never release a meaningful version of TripTracker and that the two best options available are 1. They sell the code to somebody who can actually write code and make it work or 2. Hope that another vendor can come up with a usable alternative that we can purchase and support.

It is quite obvious to me that Iambic lacks the ability to be honest with their customers and to successfully develop and deliver meaningful applications other than Agendus.:sour:

Too bad really. I am sure the business case to purchase the Two Peaks software source library was heavily dependent on getting these apps to work. I wonder what the ROI/Payback timeline looks like now?:confused:

[subseaguy]

Hi,

yes, we are working on it. We just released today Health & Diet manager, and now the next in the pipeline is triptracker.

Please note that before releasing these titles we migrate them to WM5 and 6 support, test them, enhance them here and there. This is why it takes some time.

Again, sorry for the delay.

Regards,

- Adriano


Adriano,

Back in March you said TripTracker was "in the pipeline":confused: . Must be a pretty long pipeline. Could you please answer, in a direct and professional manner, the following:

1. Why was the TripTracker category taken of the forum?
2. Is TripTracker to be a stand-alone program or part of Agendus for WM5/Outlook?

If you can answer these questions honestly:rolleyes: , I think we will know where we stand and can put this to bed.

[subseaguy]

All,

The following is an exchange between myself and Adriano on another forum.

Good Luck... the WM5 version of "TripTracker" has been promised since Two Peaks was acquired by Iambic. The last committment was nearly 6months ago. This sounds like the same excuses we have been given, "working on it", "in the pipeline", "it takes a lot of time", etc.). With all respect to Adriano, he either is not in the loop Iambic's product priorities or intentions or is being less than up front.

subseaguy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry to disappoint your expectations. I'm very much in the loop -- I wouldn't worry about this.

As far as the specific question on this thread -- asking if and when we would make a version of Agendus compatible with UIQ3 phones -- as I mentioned on another thread, it will be available in a week or so. The outlook is first week of October.

Regards,

- Adriano--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adriano,

I find no satisfaction in suggesting you are either out of the loop or being somewhat coy with your responses. I meant no insult, but am only basing my opinion on past promises and lack of delivery which at the end of the day, is what business is all about. It's a shame you can't be as forthcoming with TripTracker users in terms of timeline as you are with UIQ3 phone users. So applying a little logic here:

1. True: You are in the loop, so you can tell the UIQ3 users a date for the Agendus release.
2. True: You have made a number of statements about the release of TripTracker which were incorrect.
2. True: Since you are in the loop you do know the status of TripTracker.

Am I missing something?

subseaguy--------------------------------------------------------------------------

that is correct.

More info about the TripTracker roadmap and expected release will be made available at the end of this week.

Now, can you please stop steering threads related to UIQ over to TripTracker?

- Adriano

[adriano]

thanks subseaguy for summarizing this. As I mentioned, I'll have more info on availability of TripTracker for windows mobile 5 and above by the end of the week, likely it's going to be Friday, late.

Since I believe pretty much everything that could have been said about this has been said, I'm closing the thread.

If anyone has additional (constructive) feedback, feel free to post in the appropriate forum.

Regards,

- Adriano

[adriano]

Hi,

thank you for your patience and feedback. New TripTracker dedicated forum and more info on its developments are available at this link (http://support.iambic.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=147).

Regards,

- Adriano