Interesting Thing About the Icon!

[Sulley]

I just noticed something really funny about the icon for AGiPH app. It has little circles for each function contained in Agendus, e.g. tasks, contacts, etc. The funny thing is the biggest circle is a clock, representing scheduling (or calendaring, depending on what you want to call it) and that's the one thing that is totally missing (in reality and in future plans at this point).

I know it's the standard Agendus icon, but it's just funny that the biggest circle is the calendaring functions and there aren't any on the iPhone version.

I'm not trying to continually stab at the development team personally (especially Adriano), but iambic, as a company, has to come up with a solution for this problem ASAP. Leaving us in the dark is enough to make me look for another solution, and if one comes up before there is a plan for Agendus, I'm gone. I've waited over a year for Agendus to show up on the iPhone at all and, when it does arrive, it's not the Agendus I know at all.

I'd love to know if we're going to get endless silence about this from the company. The PDA247 interview with Adriano just continues a lack of an answer. It puts me in the place of having to keep looking for a way to get out of my Palm version of Agendus on the iPhone. I want it to be Agendus, but if they don't make some kind of plan public, I have no choice but to keep looking for other solutions. :sour: I don't want to leave Agendus, but if there is a program that works well with tasks and handles at least limited calendaring, I'll be there and Agendus will be in my past.

[michael]

Actually it's not a "standard Agendus icon" each Agendus flavor has a different configuration of images in the icon. Yes you could say the clock represents a calendar, but not necessarily. It represents "time", and Task Management is part of Time Management.

As far as silence, we've not been silent. If you were to follow us on Twitter (not sure if you do or not) we've mentioned it there some and there have been a couple of reviews from people about it, which were authorized by us.

There's not a whole lot to say at this point in time, except that implementing a calendar in AGiPH is an upmost top priority. That said, AGiPH is not our only project, and we must continue to maintain our other titles/platforms as well. We would appreciate continued patience.

[Sulley]

Actually it's not a "standard Agendus icon" each Agendus flavor has a different configuration of images in the icon. Yes you could say the clock represents a calendar, but not necessarily. It represents "time", and Task Management is part of Time Management.

As far as silence, we've not been silent. If you were to follow us on Twitter (not sure if you do or not) we've mentioned it there some and there have been a couple of reviews from people about it, which were authorized by us.

There's not a whole lot to say at this point in time, except that implementing a calendar in AGiPH is an upmost top priority. That said, AGiPH is not our only project, and we must continue to maintain our other titles/platforms as well. We would appreciate continued patience.

Michael,

It's obvious that this forum is not the place where things happen. I'm not a Twitterer and your presence there has never been mentioned to me.

I'm not on here to start a war with the development team or to argue over details about icons. I think I'll just shut up, look for possible alternatives, and hopefully, iambic will do what they always have -- made good products.

I honestly, like the many people who wrote reviews on the App Store, don't think the product is being honestly represented in it's description and for what we paid, it's a laugh. I made a mistake by buying it without a thorough review because I said, "iambic hasn't made a horrible product that I've seen and when initial releases had issues, they were quickly fixed." That was obviously a mistake on my part. This is a product that should be priced as FREE right now, since there are other task management apps that do as much, if not more, than AGiPH and are free or under $3.

I'm honestly just frustrated with the product that iambic decided to release for it's first try. It's just bad. Nothing against the development team, but I think you jumped the gun a LOT. This is basically beta software. A simple outline of task management system is what it is right now.

As I said, you won't hear from me anymore. If the development team is not active in here, and Alli is the only person who makes regular appearances (nothing against Alli, but as a forum moderator, not a developer, the comments can sometimes be only frustrating), it's a waste of typing.

One more comment, you might use your iPhone mailing list to provide the best methods to hear from you at iambic about AGiPH and to provide users with the best way to communicate with your development staff (since this obviously isn't it). If you communicate the most on Twitter, then tell us. I hate being in the dark, but I'm not going to check every social network on the internet to find the best source of information about your products. Like I've said before, I just learned of this forum (about the iPhone version of Agendus) once the app was released and it's existed for a year. My previous e-mails to sales got me answers of either "No information is available" and finally a link to the iambic website iPhone page about six weeks ago (and the mailing list).

I'm outta here...I hope AGiPH ends up being the product it should have been by now. For heck's sake, there are 21,000,000 iPhones out there (not to mention the iPod Touches, that can also use it). Another 500,000 are running out the door this weekend with the 3G S release. I think this product would have been a top priority once Apple opened up the App Store. It's hard to believe it took a year to get an incomplete product like v1.0 (and yes, I know v1.01 is pending release, but it's not a big jump).

[michael]

Thanks. Actually there should be links to our Twitter and Facebook pages.

[adriano]

Sulley --

RE: Agendus for iPhone logo / home screen icon: I could tell you the whole story of what happened with it, why it ended up as it is, and I'm sure it would make for a fun read. But it wouldn't address your question anyway :)

RE: Calendar plans: when/if/etc. figured to post up a sticky to address the questions which many former Agendus Palm / WM users are bring up these days -> http://support.iambic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38041

I'm outta here...I hope AGiPH ends up being the product it should have been by now.

Sad see you leaving. A few days ago I recall we had pleasant exchanges of post replies / threads. Have been busy underwater for 48 hours and looks like something went terribly wrong.

- Adriano

[Sulley]

Sad see you leaving. A few days ago I recall we had pleasant exchanges of post replies / threads. Have been busy underwater for 48 hours and looks like something went terribly wrong.

Adriano,

Well, to be honest, Michael happened. I started this thread and Michael replied (with message #2). As you could tell from my reply to his message, I felt a LOT of negative (and defensive) feelings expressed there. First, he explained how I was wrong about icon. Second, he told me that iambic hasn't been quiet, but that I've been looking for comments in the wrong place. Third, he reminded me that AGiPH isn't your only project, so why do I matter. To be clear, those are just the way I read his statements to me and what ticked me off. I felt insulted for actually caring about whether AGiPH would be a product that would go somewhere instead of dying in the App Store. Heaven forbid a customer actually care that a product they've used for a long while continues to thrive!

I actually went to the iambic thread on Twitter, although I usually don't use it, and it didn't say ANYTHING more about the state of things about calendaring, other than posting the PDA247 interview (already available on the website) and another review. It wasn't the amazing fount of wisdom that he made it out to be.

If people like you are representative of the people who participate in this forum, I'm staying. You already addressed some of my concerns over whether a calendaring system of any kind would be implemented and gave an idea of timeline with your sticky note posted recently. I don't know what the chain of command is there, or what position you have, but you are far more approachable and understandable of frustrations that users are having who have used Agendus on Palm or WM and now see the condition AGiPH is in. I don't know where Michael fits in, but he doesn't give off a good vibe (and isn't a good ambassador in text messages). There was another message from him previously that was negative as well, but I brushed that one off. This one just rubbed me the wrong way and basically made me feel like I wasn't welcome.

I've enjoyed talking with you and am willing to ignore certain people, but when you've had interactions with only three people (one iambic employee has been great -- you, another has been lousy -- Michael, and Alli is limited to being a go-between, with no way of making responses, so that's a neutral). This is obviously not a very active forum, but a few people have made comments supporting my thoughts.

I've been so emphatic about AGiPH because I have been waiting for it for a year (so I can get rid of my darn Palm) and when it does come out, I can't even put an appointment in it. And obviously, it's got a LOT of growing to do to even put it on par with the first Palm versions. I'm not slamming the developers, because I know everything is important to the users, but once you let the iPhone version out, you knew you were opening up the gates for user frustration and the like. The staff should be understanding of the user's feelings (especially the ones who have actually bought the app and aren't just commenting on what would be missing if they did buy it) and you have been incredibly understanding and responsive to comments. Employees shouldn't be defensive of criticisms made by people like me. They aren't personal attacks on any person at iambic, but rather iambic as a whole. There's a big difference.

Thanks for your comments because it will make me stay around, despite what happened earlier today in the thread. I'm glad you can understand where I'm coming from and why I'm frustrated with this app I've loved for many, many years just isn't up to snuff on the platform I want it on the most. I use my iPhone 3+ hours a day (excluding phone use) and the Palm only for updating Agendus (a few minutes a day), so it's obvious why I want the iPhone version to be the functional equivilent of Agendus for Palm v13. I know it won't be at first. You've given me a lot of happiness knowing that a scheduling solution is coming in short-order and it will more than satisfy my small need for it (although it is essential in order to ditch the Palm).

Thanks for salvaging my concern about Agendus and how well it does on the iPhone platform. It made me feel understood as a long-time customer of iambic (almost since the start).

Have a great weekend!

P.S. Did you get your 3G S yet?!? If you tried, I hope you had good luck. I still can't justify the expense, especially with what I'm reading in the reviews that the battery life isn't noticably longer (which was a big pull). I'm 99% sure I'll be waiting for next year's release.

[michael]

Wow! Certainly didn't mean to offend you with my first post here. It was not my intent. Honestly I was a bit offended with your first post about our icon, so maybe my shortness was my unconscious reaction.

Regarding the redirection to the other sites, I was attempting to show you the best place to find upudates on our product line and other announcements, as these two media formats are the way things are heading, not as much on forums as it used to be...and that's all I was doing.

Again, I was just trying to help, didn't mean to be offensive or insulting. Sorry you interpreted it that way. Nevertheless, at least Adriano has been helpful for you, which is the only thing that matters.

[Sulley]

Michael,

As I just said in my last post, I am not attacking any person at imabic, but iambic as a whole, which is a big difference. My comments to Adriano, did mention you specifically, but I felt attacked as well. I don't expect that in replies from employees of companies who I buy products from regularly, support, and encourage others to use as well. Your message to me just did not come across in a positive manner at all and seemed quite argumentative. I didn't think it was appropriate.

Please realize that I am a very frustrated, long-time customer of Agendus and iambic and I wasn't liking what I saw with AGiPH. I want AGiPH to be the best-selling product in its category on the App Store. I'd love to see that soon, but I realize it will take some time. Putting a sort of unclear description on the App Store description that didn't make it clear that calendaring in any fashion wasn't included rubbed a lot of people the wrong way from the start. I downloaded the app based on my trust in iambic's history, but was surprised by it's bare-bones appearance with v1.0.

You then metioned that the iPhone version isn't the only priority iambic has and it just threw me over the edge. I understand that you have other platforms to work on, but when you do an intial platform release, unless a fire happens somewhere else that must be addressed, you work on stablizing and addressing customer concerns on that platform for a bit of time. Adriano seems to have a different opinion as to how long things take to happen inside iambic for some reason and gave reassurances (not just today, but several times) that issues were going to be addressed in a timely manner.

Let's just take this as a situation where typing isn't always the best medium of communication between two people. I've had it happen many times in the development and testing realms where people clashed just because one person didn't take a message the way the sender intended it.

I don't see any reason why we can't work together in the future during the development of Agendus on the iPhone platform. It's a closed issue in my book. I hope you feel the same.

Have a great weekend!

[adriano]

Sulley,

finally getting around following up here with a few short and sweet quickies:

- first off: Michael's comments at #2 -- I'm sure he had the best intentions when following-up with you. What came out in writing might ended up sounding otherwise to you, unfortunately that's what at times happen with things in writing. Might sound in a way totally different from what the writer had in mind.

- iambic in a whole vs single persons: you might think we are a whole lot of ppl here... but that's not exactly the case. We are a few passionate individuals. And this said, the pricing decision, the when we release it, what we put in, what we leave out, when we get around doing what, etc. that comes down to someone called Adriano, while the testing, following the betas, following these forums and helping support comes down to someone else called Michael :)

- with passion there is also frustration -- frustration of not being able to get done everything we'd like to, of things not going the way we'd like to, or ending up burning more time than initially planned, etc. etc. I'm sure you know how it is. And this frustration at times ends up translating into harsh posts or comments we should keep for ourselves :)

- lack of info / different social networks / forums / mailing lists: as much as possible we try to spread out the info in all relevant social networks and other meanigful channels. And I'm not a fan of this need of keeping updated a whole lot of stuff all around, but that's the way it is these days. Unfortunately if we do "being around and active on the net" part, we are not doing other things just as important.

- iPhone 3Gs... nope didn't get it yet... so far I'm enjoing my refreshed 3G with its happy OS 3... and probably a month or so down the road I'll break the bank and send my contribution over to Infinite Loop.

Thanks for reading! Was planning for a short post... ended up way too long for my standards already.

- Adriano

[Sulley]

Adriano,


I had already sent Michael a message to "bury the hatchet", so to speak. I blamed it on exactly what you did: the very fact that saying things in messages like this isn't always the best way to communicate. It can very easily end up with the recipient "hearing" something in a way the sender didn't mean at all. It's a problem that happens a LOT.

I appreciate your clarification on all of the internals at iambic. It explains a lot. It's hard to understand how things work a lot of times when companies don't ever want to be honest about the size and scope of their "insides". It definitely puts things into perspective, and also why Michael would be so defensive, about some of my comments (since he's doing all of the coding).

I was glad to see your sticky note on Friday. I think it made a lot of people feel better about some calendaring solution coming in a reasonable time-frame. I saw Alli had left a message about a program called CompanionLink (which allows for syncing between even the Palm Desktop and Google), so moving existing data will be simpler. You might point people to that product when calendaring does get integrated. It sounds like it should work great and prevent people from having to re-enter all existing data (but I may still do it manually because I want to make sure it ends up in AGiPH correctly, so that I can rely on it). I don't want the GIGO principle to apply and me getting incorrect repeating, etc. Me getting things done every month centers on Agendus for Palm right now and the when things get transferred to the iPhone, I need to know they will work the same.

Oh, and BTW, I just read that Apple moved a million 3GS phones over the weekend (twice the expectations that I had read). They were able to get a lot of work done in "stealth" since the case wasn't changing, just the insides, so they could have all of that inventory completed without it being seen. I don't know what stock is like now in stores (after the weekend), but I'm sure AT&T stores won't actually have stock for at least a few weeks. Probably by the time you get around to picking yours up, you should be able to walk in and get the color/memory config you want without a problem. I'm sure Apple stores will have that luxury within a day or two (or you could just order it on-line from Apple or AT&T).

I'm loving having audio in my Bluetooth headset (for playing games and the like in public) via A2DP. I can't believe they didn't enable that before. I'm waiting on more apps to take advantage of the 3.0 OS features, though, then things will get fun. There's a lot of little things that I notice as I am using apps, whether or not they've been updated for 3.0 or not, that the 3.0 OS adds (e.g. cut/paste in all of the coolest little places). It's something that should have been there a while ago, but when they finally did it, they did a great job on it. Just FYI, I'm a PC person, but I know the next computer I get will be a Mac running OS X (or OS XI by then) and Windows 7. I liked the price drops announced at WWDC. Let 'em keep coming.

Take care...crack the whip on Michael a little. I think we'd all like the equivelent to the Palm Agendus v13 by next week on the iPhone. I'm only kidding...really! Michael, I didn't know you were a one-man coding show. I would have been far more understanding knowing that. Have a great week! Talk to you soon, I'm sure, probably after v1.01 actually goes live.