Marianne Schultz

the musings of a geeky girl

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App Developers: How to get your app reviewed (or, how not to irritate an app reviewer)

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Note: These are my own opinions and observations and this is not the official stance or guidance of any of the sites for which I write.

About half of my day job consists of keeping tabs on new iOS and Mac apps, including writing features or full reviews of ones that catch my eye. Now, there are hundreds of thousands apps in the App Store and I know that it’s hard for you developers to capture the attention of the blogosphere to get a bit of love for the most recent by-product of your sweat, blood and tears. To help you out (and to vent a little frustration about what happens far too often, frankly), I’m posting this guide on what to do and what not to do to when submitting your app for consideration for review on a major site.

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everythingiCafe: the Show “Fugazi”

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Chris Meinck and I recorded episode 28 of the everythingiCafe podcast earlier this week and it’s now available for download through iTunes or you can listen to it right here using the embedded audio player above (this player isn’t available on the iPhone or iPad, unfortunately).

We talked about iPhone 4S/5 rumors, the iPhone 4 as the most popular camera on Flickr, and Verizon’s move to eliminate unlimited data plans and institute tiered data plans in July.

In previous podcasts, Chris and I have had different points of view on the possible release timing of the iPhone 5. I had been betting on a release in June/July while Chris believes it will come out in September. At this rate, I’m thinking I’m going to lose that friendly wager since most rumors are pointing to a September release (or late August, most recently).

Our “Teh Awesome” recommendations can be found in the App Store here:

–  Parkmobile – pay for parking electronically in participating parking lots

–  Shazam – a neat song identification app

We record the podcast every week around 7:00 p.m. ET (we usually start a little later because someone takes a little longer to get ready 😉 ) on Tuesdays and you’re welcome to join us for the live broadcast at http://everythingicafe.com/live.

If you like the podcast, please subscribe in iTunes and rate it!

(Hint: If you don’t know what “fugazi” means, you need to watch the movie Donnie Brasco starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.)

Review: Treegloo case for the iPad 2

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Have you been looking around for a moleskine-style notebook case for your iPad 2? If so and Treegloo has been one of the cases on your list to consider, check out my video review of it.

I ordered this case in April and received it in early May and have been using it since then as my “travel” case for my iPad 2.
My review is kind of long (it’s thorough, I swear!) so if you’re not interested in watching the whole thing, you can skip through to my pros, cons, and conclusion starting at around 9 minutes and 24 seconds. Or, you can just read them right now:
Pros:
  • “Base models” fairly inexpensive (start at $35 plus shipping)
  • Handmade in USA using materials from USA
  • Wide range of customization options
  • Kinetic latch is unique and works well
  • Holds iPad snugly
  • Looks nice overall
Cons:
  • Not as neat and tightly made as Portenzo or DODOcase (corners, alignment)
  • Sleep/wake switch cut-out is very off
  • Hard to get to lock orientation/mute switch
Conclusion:
  • It’s a nice case overall but if you’re looking for very neat/tight construction go with Portenzo or DODOcase
  • I like it and have been using it without issue
  • Be patient when ordering – manufacturing takes time
You can order the cases at Treegloo’s site here: http://treegloo.com/
If you have any questions about the case, email me through my site’s Contact form.

everythingiCafe: the Show “Whilly Nilly”

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Chris Meinck and I recorded episode 27 of the everythingiCafe podcast last week and it’s now available for download via iTunes here, or you can use the integrated audio player above to listen to it right here (this doesn’t work on the iPad or iPhone, unfortunately).

We talked about iPad 3 and iPhone 5/4S rumors and Apple’s recent reversal on its in-app subscription pricing guidelines.
You can find my “Teh Awesome” recommendation in the App Store here:
The next episode will be recorded (and broadcast live at http://www.everythingicafe.com/live) tomorrow, June 21 at 7:00 p.m. ET. 
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