tapbots posts

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Bad Apple, Developer, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Stupid and unjustified App Store rejection letter of the day

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Aug 28th, 2009

TUAW has covered the fine iPhone apps from Tapbots more than once. ConvertBot is a beautifully-designed and functional app to do a myriad of unit conversion calculations, while WeightBot is my personal favorite app for keeping track of my incredible ballooning body.

Tapbots posted an entry on their blog today stating that the most recent version of ConvertBot (1.4) had been rejected by Apple. What was Apple's reason for the rejection? As you can see in the graphic at the top of the page, the ConvertBot icon for time conversions looks very similar to the Phone app icon for recent calls. This is the same icon that has passed Apple's scrutiny in previous versions, so it is ridiculous for the company's eagle-eyed app inspectors to suddenly decide that the icon is unfit for iPhone consumption.

Mark Jardine of Tapbots noted "So what's the plan? I need to redo the icon, I suppose. But Convertbot icons were meant to use as little lines/shapes as possible to identify the category. I feel that our current icon represents time as simply as possible. So how can we make Time different? What if it's set at 9 o'clock instead of 3? Is that acceptable? The big problem here is the only way I can get that answer is by making the change, resubmitting the app, and waiting another week or 2 for Apple's verdict."

What gives, Apple? You release a couple of amazing apps to the world this week (Facebook, Spotify, TUAW, and Yelp), but you hold up the next release of an established app over an icon. I'm giving the App Store approval people the "idiots" tag on this post.

Tags: app store approval, AppStoreApproval, idiots, iphone, software, tapbots

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Odds and ends, Developer, iPhone, App Store

Convertbot updated to 1.1, adds more units to convert

by Mike Schramm (RSS feed) on Apr 21st, 2009

I haven't had much use for Tapbots' Weightbot, even though I actually am currently watching my weight, but I really appreciate the look and feel of the program -- it's one of the most polished apps on the App Store. And Convertbot is no different -- while the actual situations where I need to convert units are pretty few and far between, the app is just so intuitive and polished that you look for ways to use it, from the stylistic user interface to the little beeps and clinks that make the buttons feel as tactile as they can on the iPhone's touchscreen.

And now there's even more opportunities to use the app: with the newest version 1.1, out now in the App Store, you can convert more than 100 different units, everything from angles to lengths to cooking volumes to even speed, time, and work (I can't remember the last time I had to convert BTUs to Joules -- high school? -- but this app can do it).

At just 99 cents, it's definitely worth trying out, if you're a fan of quality iPhone apps at all. I kind of wish Tapbots would aim a little higher, but then again, this is kind of their thing: taking really simple apps and polishing the heck out of them until they shine way past their basic functions. It would be interesting, though, to see what they could do with a bigger concept.

Tags: app-store, convertbot, high-school, joules, polish, sounds, speed, tapbots, time, units, weightbot, work

Filed under: Software, iPhone, iPod touch

TUAW giveaway: WeightBot and ConvertBot

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Apr 12th, 2009

TUAW would like to help take away a bit of the sting of tax week by giving away something for free. That's why we've teamed with Tapbots to give ten lucky US readers licenses for WeightBot and ConvertBot.

Although you'll probably be a lot lighter after the IRS empties your wallet, you may want to lose some weight. That's where WeightBot comes in handy. It's a great-looking and very functional weight tracking app for iPhone that has been featured on TUAW in the past.

Should you decide to skip the country in order to avoid paying taxes [which we do not recommend --Ed.], you might find ConvertBot's ability to convert units of measure and currency to be a big help! If you're not one of the giveaway winners, these apps are available for US$0.99 (ConvertBot) and US$1.99 (WeightBot) respectively.

Tapbots has won accolades for their innovative design of iPhone apps, and we'd like to help them come out with another really cool app. To enter the giveaway, write a comment with your idea for the next Tapbots app.

Here are the rules and a link to the obligatory legal statement:

Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
To enter leave a comment with an idea for a new Tapbot iPhone app.
The comment must be left before Monday, April 13, 05:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time.
You may enter only once.
Ten winners will be selected in a random drawing.
Prize: One license each for ConvertBot and WeightBot (US$3 value)
Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Good luck!

Tags: giveaway, iphone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, tapbots

Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch, First Look

First Look: Convertbot

by Steven Sande (RSS feed) on Mar 26th, 2009

Last October, we posted about another iPhone app -- Weightbot -- written by Mark Jardine and Paul Haddad at Tapbots. Now the company has shipped their second app, an iPhone conversion calculator called Convertbot (iTunes link).

Like Weightbot, Convertbot is a classy-looking and extremely functional iPhone app. Every detail of the user interface shows obvious thought, resulting in an app that is easy to use and look at. As with Weightbot, Convertbot also features sound effects that provide an extra level of fun.

What can you convert with Convertbot? Temperature, time, volume, work, angles, area, currency, length, mass, power, pressure and speed. How do you do it? There's a rotating selector wheel on the Convertbot screen to choose the type of conversion (temperature, for example), and a button to select the units (degrees Fahrenheit, for instance). To enter the known unit, you tap the converter display to bring up a keypad for tapping in numbers. As you tap in the numbers, Convertbot is busily converting the units.

If you're an aspiring developer and want to see a well-designed app, or if you're an iPhone or iPod touch owner who just likes cool apps, check out this US$0.99 app. There are tons of conversion apps in the App Store, but Convertbot is just too nice to pass up.

See the gallery below for screenshots.

Gallery: Convertbot

I hear you knockin', but you can't come in...

Tags: app store, AppStore, conversion, convertbot, first look, FirstLook, iphone, software, tapbots

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