This is Tech

Many thanks to Gizmodo editor Mark Wilson for writing this article about rampant cloning on the iPhone App Store.  There is not much we can do about it, but it is nice to know that people notice that not all the apps on the store are original.

Mark interviewed me for the article, which features TouchType and Private-I as examples of apps that have been copied.

After keeping this under my hat for the last month, I received word this evening from Apple that HiveBrain’s new iPhone app will be hitting the US App Store in the next 24 hours. [Update, SMS Touch launched this morning and is available here.

To put it simply, SMS Touch enables iPhone users to compose SMS messages using Apple’s wider landscape keyboard.  This is something that people have been asking for since I launched TouchType back in October.  There were a number of challenges associated with making this work, the biggest being that it is not possible to send the body of a text message into Apple’s SMS application.

The work around involves routing text messages through Apple’s email program.  Take a look at the video demonstration below for an idea of how it works.

I evaluated several alternatives, but eventually chose this approach because it allows iPhone users to send SMS messages and receive replies without incurring SMS fees.  iPhone users already have unlimited email messages, so there is no reason we iPhone users should have to pay to communicate with people that only have SMS.

I hope people enjoy the app  Please feel free to send any feedback to feedback@thisistech.com.

Big news for ThisisTech this week.  We have gone legit and become a full fledged company.  I wouldn’t be a very good attorney if I didn’t practice what I preach and create a proper entity.

HiveBrain Software will house all development activities related to ThisisTech and my growing stable of iPhone apps.  Lots of interesting stuff to come.  Stay tuned.

Click Here to see all of the HiveBrain Apps on the App Store.

Last night I launched a free version of TouchType on the iTunes App Store.  TouchType Lite includes all the core features of the original TouchType application, except spell check and Twitter integration.  If the $0.99 price tag on TouchType has prevented you from giving it a try, now is your chance to try the free version before you spring for the $0.99 original version.

I have some intersting news regarding an upcoming app that I should be able to share soon.  Thanks to everyone that sends feedback.  If you have any comments or questions about the apps please feel free to send me an email at support@thisistech, or if you have submissions that you would like to see posted on this site, please send email to submissions@thisiste.com.

Many thanks to my dear friend Justin Lee for sending me graphic photos of a concept that we have talked about for years.  Yesterday, Justin reduced this idea to practice, and the result is a montecristo-style savory and sweet Krispy Kreme breakfast sandwich.  My apologies to readers who come to this site for technology news.  This feature is decidedly not tech, but the picture was too good not to share.

Salty-sweet perfected….a Large Grade A egg is scrambled to perfection and placed gingerly upon a flash pan-toasted Krispy Kreme signature glazed doughnut. Topped with shaved black forest ham and a generous helping of Tillamook chedder, this sandwich served warm will surely please the most fickle of breakfast connoisseurs. Garnished with seasonal berries.

For the full recipe, read on: (more…)

Image by Cristiano Betta via Flickr

It is close to 2am, and I just submitted one new app and one update to Apple for review.  These next releases should be fairly exciting.  The first is an update for TouchType, which includes a number of minor improvements including an integrated subject line, adjustable font sizes and build in support for Twitter.

I find the second application more interesting.  It is a companion of sorts to TouchType and will provided a whole different benefit to the user.  More information to come as we move closer to approval from Apple.

And now………..sleep.

People who follow technology in Seattle know that John Cook is the man to read for all the latest on Seattle start-ups.  John and fellow Seattle PI technology reporter Todd Bishop recently moved over to the Puget Sound Business Journal (a big win for the PSBJ).  Their new technology news site went live yesterday and has the same great content we have come to expect from John and Todd when they were at the PI. 

I was fortunate enough to sit down with John at the WSGR Seattle Office 10th Year Anniversary Party and talk about iPhone app development.  John wrote an article and posted video about it for his new site, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

If you haven’t seen the new site, I encourage you to take a look and add it to your RSS reader.  Seriously, John is the eyes and ears of the venture-backed technoloy community in the North West.  It is good to have him writing again.

Last night the first update to TouchType went live on the iTunes App Store.  This update includes save and load functions, which enable users to save text for reuse in subsequent email messages.

The most significant upgrade, however, is the incorporation of a full-featured spell check function.  I am really proud of this addition.  It works in 86 languages and is implemented in a manner that does not strain the device’s resources.  Many thanks to the individuals who helped beta test this new version.

Support:  Please feel free to email me at support@thisistech.com if you have any support related questions or comments.

If you would like to contact me for any other reason, you can reach me at submissions@thisistech.com

If you like TouchType, check out Private-I.  Private-I helps users recover their lost or stolen iPhone using its built-in GPS tracking function.  Also, if you are in the US, you can find Direct Line, which helps users automatically navigate phone-trees when dialing customer service numbers.

I invite you to explore www.thisistech.com.  This site covers a variety of legal and technology issues.

New screenshots below:

Thanks to everyone that has sent positive feedback about TouchType. The app is now ranked #17 in the US App Store, and has made solid showings in countries around the world.

This post is to announce some updates to the application that I am hoping will be approved by Apple within the next couple weeks and go live as a free update:

1) The next version of TouchType will include the ability to send text to Apple’s Notes program and will include the ability to save snippets of text for reuse.

2) I am also working on better support for non-Latin based keyboards. In the next version the plan is for users to be able to toggle through a number of keyboard types.

BETA TEST OPPORTUNITIES:

It is difficult to beta test programs for the iPhone, but for my next iPhone program, I am working on a system that will allow for better feedback, particularly in other countries. The upside for beta-testers is that the app wouldn’t cost the testers anything, plus a chance to see what is coming out early. If you are interested in beta testing my next app, please send me an email at beta@thisistech .com. Please let me know which country you are in, since a major goal of the next test will be identifying international issues early. I won’t spam you, but may contact with information my upcoming products that need testing.

My third iPhone application launched last night on the iTunes App Store.  Touch Type is an app I wrote to enable the use of Apple’s wider landscape keyboard for drafting email messages on the iPhone.

If anyone has support questions or otherwise would like to contact me, feel free to drop me a line at support@thisistech.com.

Thanks to everyone who has sent feedback.  Excerpt from the TechCrunch review below:

TouchType Makes iPhone Email Better With Landscape Mode

22 Comments

by Michael Arrington on October 8, 2008

For whatever reason, Apple decided not to allow “landscape mode” on iPhone email. If you want to turn the phone when the web browser is open and get the larger keyboard that makes two thumb typing realistic, no problem. But the email app is portrait only.

Now a new iPhone application called TouchType (iTunes link) fixes the problem. Open the application and you get a landscape mode keypad. type an email, hit the send button and it auto-populates the email application. Type in the email addresses and you’re all set.

The application, which costs $.99, comes from the same developer, Mike Schneider, who created Direct Line (easy phone tree navigation) and Private-I (loJack for your iPhone). I like how this guy thinks.

I’m adding this to my must have iPhone apps list.