TouchCab 1.7 is released
Saturday, 04 February, 2012
Finally !!!
Go get it.
Allright, this is the real thing for Lenz users. With the Lenz 23151 interface and TouchCab on your iPhone or iPod, you will get a completely new experience with the Lenz system.
But there is good news for ECoS users too. When you get interrupted (e.g. by a phone call) or whenever you launch TouchCab from a background suspension, you will now experience a really fast reconnect sequence where you regain control of your locomotive almost immediately, while TouchCab silently updates the command station status. No more waiting for the reload while your freight train is slowly crawling out that blind siding …
In general, this is the best version yet (but then it should be, shouldn’t it?).
The code has been improved overall, using the iOS much better than previous versions, the result being a lightweight app that does not use as much memory as before. It’s easier to maintain too, as my programming skills are honed and I travel around and learn to use the programming framework efficiently. Nice and fun it is.
Have fun - and as always: please let me know if you see anything strange.
PS: TouchCab Free 1.7 is still pending approval and will be available in a few days.
Go get it.
Allright, this is the real thing for Lenz users. With the Lenz 23151 interface and TouchCab on your iPhone or iPod, you will get a completely new experience with the Lenz system.
But there is good news for ECoS users too. When you get interrupted (e.g. by a phone call) or whenever you launch TouchCab from a background suspension, you will now experience a really fast reconnect sequence where you regain control of your locomotive almost immediately, while TouchCab silently updates the command station status. No more waiting for the reload while your freight train is slowly crawling out that blind siding …
In general, this is the best version yet (but then it should be, shouldn’t it?).
The code has been improved overall, using the iOS much better than previous versions, the result being a lightweight app that does not use as much memory as before. It’s easier to maintain too, as my programming skills are honed and I travel around and learn to use the programming framework efficiently. Nice and fun it is.
Have fun - and as always: please let me know if you see anything strange.
PS: TouchCab Free 1.7 is still pending approval and will be available in a few days.
1.7 is final
Sunday, 29 January, 2012
TouchCab 1.7 has now been submitted to Apple for approval.
Usually the approval process takes about a week …
Lenz users should wait until this version before trying TouchCab with the Lenz 23151 Interface.
Usually the approval process takes about a week …
Lenz users should wait until this version before trying TouchCab with the Lenz 23151 Interface.
1.7 RC1
Friday, 20 January, 2012
TouchCab 1.7 Release Candidate 1 has been sent to beta testers.
Last call before releasing to iTunes ...
Last call before releasing to iTunes ...
Happy New Year
Sunday, 01 January, 2012
A year ago I wrote that 2011 looked to be a spectacular year for TouchCab.
Well, it sure took its sweet time and to the casual viewer there may not be much to show for it, but in many ways I think it has been spectacular.
The highlight is of course the Lenz interface, which, when it arrived on the market, caught me totally off-guard. I thought I was almost ready, but boy was I wrong there.
If you’re a Lenz user who has been waiting for a long time to run your layout with TouchCab and you’ve bought the paid version and you’re very disappointed right now, I don’t blame you at all. Compared to the free version, TouchCab v1.6 for Lenz certainly doesn’t give you your money’s worth.
But if you’re patient for just a little bit longer, this will change, and I think you’re in for a real treat.
From a software perspective, the Lenz system is very different from the ECoS family, and it has taken me some time to fully grasp the implications of this difference. This is why it has taken a while longer to get version 1.7 ready, because I kept finding new and better ways - the right ways if you like - to adapt TouchCab to the Lenz system and the way it operates.
Along the way I have been rescheduling, so some features that were meant to appear later in version 1.7.5 will be included in version 1.7.
This in turn means that it has taken a longer time to get it done, but I think it’s well worth the effort.
At the time of writing, I am working on TouchCab version 1.7 beta 2, which will be released for testing shortly, and this should be the last build before releasing to iTunes … unless we find some bugs that need fixing.
If you want to see version TouchCab 1.7 in action, you may want to attend the Big E Railroad Hobby Show in Springfield, Massachusetts at the end of January, where TouchCab will be demo’ed at the Lenz booth.
Since the Lenz interface came out I’ve seen sales double on the average and certain weeks even triple. For most of December, TouchCab and TouchCab Free have been on and off the ”What’s Hot” list in the utilities section of iTunes DK. Sure, Denmark is a small market, but hey - a place in the top 120 hottest apps in the App Store is pretty good by any standard, don’t you think?
So all you new users out there, let your voice be heard and let me know what you think. Join the forum or send mails to support, no matter how small the issue may be. If anything bothers you, chances are it bothers other people too, and if you don’t tell me, I can’t fix it for you.
Now, what’s in the pipeline for 2012?
Well, the previously announced roadmap stands:
v1.7: Lenz/XpressNet (estimated early 2012)
v1.7.5: Extra features for Lenz (estimated April 2012)
V1.8: Märklin CS2 (estimated July/August 2012)
V2.0: Track plans, iPad and Mac (estimated late 2012)
I think what’s going to happen is that after v1.8 I will start working on a public beta of the Mac track plan app, so I can get some feedback while I keep working on it. I do have a very old in-house version of Tower lying around on the hard disk somewhere, but I don’t know if it’s too rusty by now. We’ll see.
The Märklin CS2 command station is right here in the labs waiting for prime time, so at least until version 1.8 the roadmap should be fairly stable.
As always, Real Life™ may interfere and I am working with new systems, the details of which I am learning as I go. So if I just manage to get version 1.8 out the door in 2012, I think there’s a real chance of another great year for TouchCab.
Here’s hoping for a smooth ride for all …
Happy new year everyone.
Well, it sure took its sweet time and to the casual viewer there may not be much to show for it, but in many ways I think it has been spectacular.
The highlight is of course the Lenz interface, which, when it arrived on the market, caught me totally off-guard. I thought I was almost ready, but boy was I wrong there.
If you’re a Lenz user who has been waiting for a long time to run your layout with TouchCab and you’ve bought the paid version and you’re very disappointed right now, I don’t blame you at all. Compared to the free version, TouchCab v1.6 for Lenz certainly doesn’t give you your money’s worth.
But if you’re patient for just a little bit longer, this will change, and I think you’re in for a real treat.
From a software perspective, the Lenz system is very different from the ECoS family, and it has taken me some time to fully grasp the implications of this difference. This is why it has taken a while longer to get version 1.7 ready, because I kept finding new and better ways - the right ways if you like - to adapt TouchCab to the Lenz system and the way it operates.
Along the way I have been rescheduling, so some features that were meant to appear later in version 1.7.5 will be included in version 1.7.
This in turn means that it has taken a longer time to get it done, but I think it’s well worth the effort.
At the time of writing, I am working on TouchCab version 1.7 beta 2, which will be released for testing shortly, and this should be the last build before releasing to iTunes … unless we find some bugs that need fixing.
If you want to see version TouchCab 1.7 in action, you may want to attend the Big E Railroad Hobby Show in Springfield, Massachusetts at the end of January, where TouchCab will be demo’ed at the Lenz booth.
Since the Lenz interface came out I’ve seen sales double on the average and certain weeks even triple. For most of December, TouchCab and TouchCab Free have been on and off the ”What’s Hot” list in the utilities section of iTunes DK. Sure, Denmark is a small market, but hey - a place in the top 120 hottest apps in the App Store is pretty good by any standard, don’t you think?
So all you new users out there, let your voice be heard and let me know what you think. Join the forum or send mails to support, no matter how small the issue may be. If anything bothers you, chances are it bothers other people too, and if you don’t tell me, I can’t fix it for you.
Now, what’s in the pipeline for 2012?
Well, the previously announced roadmap stands:
v1.7: Lenz/XpressNet (estimated early 2012)
v1.7.5: Extra features for Lenz (estimated April 2012)
V1.8: Märklin CS2 (estimated July/August 2012)
V2.0: Track plans, iPad and Mac (estimated late 2012)
I think what’s going to happen is that after v1.8 I will start working on a public beta of the Mac track plan app, so I can get some feedback while I keep working on it. I do have a very old in-house version of Tower lying around on the hard disk somewhere, but I don’t know if it’s too rusty by now. We’ll see.
The Märklin CS2 command station is right here in the labs waiting for prime time, so at least until version 1.8 the roadmap should be fairly stable.
As always, Real Life™ may interfere and I am working with new systems, the details of which I am learning as I go. So if I just manage to get version 1.8 out the door in 2012, I think there’s a real chance of another great year for TouchCab.
Here’s hoping for a smooth ride for all …
Happy new year everyone.