Markus

Some may have noticed I've been rather silent of late, which no doubt will have pleased some people

After nearly 15 years at Hi Resolution I left in February to start a new job at Kobo, as QA Analyst for the iPlatform (iPhone/iPad) team. I am again working with my good friend Jim, who is team lead of the aforementioned iPlatform team, and it's great.

The reason for the silence has been due to the serious amount of work that has been put in to get an iPad application ready for the US launch of the iPad tomorrow (April 3rd). It has been a real baptism of fire for sure. Firstly learning how an Agile environment works, along with learning how QA works.
I had managed the test programme at Hi Resolution, but it wasn't what I'd call a true QA position, as I was primarily support, and so I've had to adapt and learn, but I wanted a challenge and it's been that.

It is also nice to work in an office again, as for the last few years I have had the luxury of working from home, but you do tend to get cabin fever

The culmination of this immense effort is that we have received official confirmation that our iPad application is "Ready for Sale" in the App Store, and here is a link to it (It's the US store, so you'd need a US account, it'll be worldwide soon though)

Some of the team are off to the US tomorrow to pick up some iPad's so we'll see the app running on a real device for the first time, rather than in the SDK's simulator app.

ChefDude

nice looking app. can you change the reading font and size?

JackClark

Good for you Marcus! Hope the App does well.

Markus

Glad you like the look of it.

Yes you can, If you look at the second shot (the one with the big green bookmark - there are other colors and styles too) you'll see menus at the top and bottom (you tap the center of the screen to see them) bottom menu, the Aa icon presents the font size and type options. We have not got a lot of options there, but there are enough to choose from.


Thanks. It's got six five star ratings at present, which is good.

The chaps will, no doubt, be putting it on their iPads when they pick them up and hopefully a bit of marketing will happen with them showing it off, probably doing a side-by-side comparison of us vs iBooks.

Markus

Well, she runs on iPad! here is a video proving it too

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

Well done on the new job Mark, I hadn't noticed you were any quieter Now, where's my freebie?

Markus

Thanks Sal. The frequency has lowered but the volume is the same!

If I happen upon a free code I will let you know, bit due to agency pricing coupons and freebies might not come up that often

ScoobyWon't

Mr Sharkus,

What are iPads actually for?

I can play tunes on my iPod and my laptop does computer stuff. I'm not sure what the iPad does that those two do not do, although your hard work does look impressive.

Am I missing a HUGE point?

Markus

Just thought I would chime in again with my first post from the iPad.

It's not too bad to use in landscape mode and. Given. That. I have small hands I can type almost as though I am on an ordinary keyboard. Portrait mode is ok but a little more difficult to use, but to be honest landscape is where its at when surfing

I am only just getting a chance to play with it as I've been using it properly all day long as it has been the first time that QA has had to run our app on a device and, as was to be expected we need to tweak a few things as there are just some things a simulator cannot replicate that hardware can.

Once I have had a play I will, when i have time , create a little write up on the iPad

Markus

Evening there sir

You raise a very good point indeed. My personal take is that it is Apple's foray into the ereader market, which seems to be taking off along with ebooks, which is a good thing seeing as I am working for an ebook supplier!

I think it is also a toe in tbe water to tbe tablet market. Apple knows that the normal tablet market isn't exactly thriving and that they don't want to try and enter a market where they won't make a big dent as they have with the iPod and iPhone. If all goes well I would expect them to release a proper tablet Mac sometime in June next year.

I've nit read any books, well not full books, on the ipad yet, but i will get round to it at some point but from the testing we have donem it does make a good reader. A good example here is my wife, she is not a reader but I handed her the iPad when i got home and showed her where our app was and she launched it, opened a book and flicked through it and said she would actually quite happily read on it, and this I think is the whole point of it

It'll wad books and di everything and iPod can, and when the 3G version appears you will be able to do all of this when on the move, provided of course you have cell coverage

Will I be buying one? Right now, no. Partly because I have access to one/some more or less whenever I want and this will include the 3G version as we will get some when they are released, but also partly because I don't need one. I do read quite a bit so it would make sense but it is too close to my iPhone for me to need one (i never said I don't *want* one though). There is also the cost factor, it isn't cheap and there is no way i am paying for data on an iPhone and iPad at the same time. If I could tether the iphone via Bluetooth to the iPad and utilize the iPhones cell connection then it might be more tempted but only slightly

ChefDude

they don't come with a spell checker?

Markus

Cheeky sod They have the same function as the iPhone, but I'm sometimes too lazy to proof read what I write.

ScoobyWon't

I thought you were pissed when you typed your response

Markus

Alas not last night, though one has consumed an amount nearly in comparison to lake ontario over the past couple of weeks, mainly reward beers for the effort the teams have put in to get the app released.

ScoobyWon't

So nearly as much in two weeks as you managed in one night at the Muppet BBQ. Can you get Absynthe over there?

Markus

Dunno, not looked for it Another late'ish one last night, looks like tonight will be more of the same, but that's ok, co-workers leaving do, so more booze no doubt

Rex93

Hi Marcus,

congratulations and good luck with the job change.

if you get a bit more time, pop in to www.southeastscoobies.co.uk and say hello to a lot of the old guys.

Ron

Markus

Ron,
I shall pop over and say hello. I keep meaning to pop up and say hi on the Sussex scoobies site as well.

When we finay get back over to the uk I am planning on popping along to a meet to say hello in person

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

Top man

Thought you had been a bit quiet of late you geek

great news about the new job, sounds right up your street working hands on with kit you know and love, bloody busman's holiday for you

Got Kobo on the iphone as it is now and works a treat

thanks for the free iPad you sent over, looks wonderful

(shhhh dont tell Sally )

Markus

It's been a busy week, released v1.0.1 on Friday night, was approved on Monday, we then hotfixed it and submitted 1.0.2 which was released last night, phew!

Glad you like the iPhone app, iPad version much better, mainly due to a decent screen size. I was happily reading on the train home tonight without any trouble whereas the iPhone is just a tiny bit small.

I am really enjoying the job. The team I work with are a great bunch and the company as a whole is very vibrant.

Markus

It's been a busy week, released v1.0.1 on Friday night, was approved on Monday, we then hotfixed it and submitted 1.0.2 which was released last night, phew!

Glad you like the iPhone app, iPad version much better, mainly due to a decent screen size. I was happily reading on the train home tonight without any trouble whereas the iPhone is just a tiny bit small.

I am really enjoying the job. The team I work with are a great bunch and the company as a whole is very vibrant.

Dedrater

Good thread and good job Markus

Markus

The end of another busy week! We're moving offices over the weekend, so working on [REDACTED] and packing was interesting, especially since most of the dev team have buggered off to San Fran for a long weekend as they are at iPad Dev Camp. Seems they don't require their QA, sniff, sniff

Markus

Mmm, Kobo eReader

SwissTony

iTrader: (19)

I notice the bent paperclip. Is that the official Kobo reset tool

Markus

Indeed it is. I do have the fancy Apple paperclip replacement somewhere though

You'll notice the iPad in the top right, shying away from the new boy