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Moving entries from one device to another in Chronicle

It's possible to move entries written on one device in Chronicle to another device using the backup and import feature.  This lets you write things on your iPhone and later transfer them to your iPad, for example.

There are two ways to move the entries: one is by using iTunes File Sharing, and the other is by using Dropbox.

One way: Using iTunes File Sharing

When you connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer you can open the iTunes application on your computer and browse the contents of the Chronicle folder.  If you've created any .backup files, you can see them (and save them to your computer).

Here's how you would move some entries from your iPhone to your iPad using iTunes File Sharing:

• Create a .backup file on your iPhone by tapping the settings gear and tapping "Backup and Import"
• Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes
• Browse Chronicle's folder on your iPhone using these steps (click to see steps)
• Save the .backup file to your PC or Mac
• Next, connect your iPad to your computer (you can disconnect your iPhone)
• Browse your iPad and view the Chronicle folder
• Drag-and-drop or add the .backup you saved in the step above to your iPad
• Next, open Chronicle on your iPad and tap the settings gear
• Tap "Backup and Import" and select the .backup you copied
• Tap the Import button

Put simply, you're copying the .backup file from your iPhone to your iPad and then importing it.

 

Another way: Using Dropbox

If you have Chronicle on your iPhone and iPad configured to use your Dropbox account you can easily move .backup files from one device to the other.  It's important to configure each app to use the same sub-folder of your Dropbox account (so both copies of the app "see" the same folder).  For example, you might have a Dropbox folder named 'chronicle' that both copies of the app are configured to use and store backups in.

• Create a .backup on your iPhone by tapping settings > "backup and import" > "backup"
• Grab your iPad and tap settings > "backup and import" > "import"
• The .backup file you created in the first step (from the iPhone) should appear in the listing on your iPad
• Tap to select the appropriate .backup file and then tap "Import"

 

This is much easier to do because the app can handle moving the .backup to and from each device via Dropbox.  When your copy of Chronicle is configured to use Dropbox, every .backup file you create is automatically uploaded to Dropbox.  Likewise, when you browse for .backup files to import on your device, you see ones that are present physically on your device as well as any that are in your Dropbox folder.  The app is able to download the files from Dropbox without you having to do anything.

Create backups of your writing

Apple recently approved the latest updates to Chapters and Chronicle for iPad.  These releases have a few noticeable improvements and fixes but the focus of my efforts was on letting you create backups of everything you've written.

After you create a backup file within the app, you can copy it to your computer and keep it as safe as you want.

If you ever lose your iPad or experience some data loss you can simply import the backup file.  Your photos will be there, in the same spot you last saw them, along with everything you wrote.

This same feature will be available for the iPhone version in a few days (most likely).

The three apps were designed to play well with each other, so there's no reason you couldn't write on your iPhone and import those backup files onto your iPad (or do the reverse).  

You could also import your entire Chronicle journal into Chapters.    

I'm curious to hear any feedback you have regarding this feature.  It was a substantial effort.

Update 9/21/10 - All updates approved; you can move your writing around between your devices.

iPhone app sales

At this point, I have 15 iPhone (and 1 iPad) apps available in the App
Store. Sales have been fairly steady since January. The beginning of
the year was great, in fact, due to being mentioned in Bon Appetit
magazine, having a Staff Favorite app, and, presumably, a greater
abundance of iPhone OS devices after Christmas.

I have free apps, educational apps, games, kids apps, business,
finance, and health and fitness apps. A diversified portfolio.

The weekly sales follow a pattern: Sunday and Monday are the best
sales days. Tuesday through Thursday see steady declines. Friday and
Saturday are the worst.

Last Friday, for reasons I can't explain (ie, no holidays, etc), was
about 35% lower than I expected. I was anxious to see how Saturday
would fare. Luckily, Saturday was a bit higher than usual, so it
served to offset the bad Friday.

One reason I like having more than a handful of apps is protection
against big sales swings. When I had five apps I would regularly see
40-70% variations in my sales figures. Sometimes a user would post a
scathing review--usually due to not reading the app description--and
scare off potential buyers. The app developer has little recourse
(oddly I get my most complimentary "reviews" through customer emails,
but only I see those).

Summer iPhone apps

LoveMySkin, my mole tracking app, was released last year just in time
for summer...in Australia. Now it's coming for us in the northern
hemisphere and will usher in long days of laying in the sun. If
you're going to do that, please keep an eye on your moles.

Counting money on iPad makes cents

The post title is perhaps cringeworthy, but it's very true. The
surface is the perfect canvas for all kinds of great educational
games.

MakeChange is an iPad app that lets you practice counting money, which is to say that it's also a way for kids to practice math problems.  Hopefully some schools will be able to have at least one iPad per classroom.  It could be a great way for teachers to walk through various scenarios before letting the kids play.  Right now, most classes use money worksheets that depict the outlines of coins.  Students write the quantity of each coin needed to obtain the sum.

With MakeChange, you slide coins below the line to be counted.  You can tap a coin to see the reverse side if you don't recognize it (or just for fun).  You can repeat a problem until you get it right, or move on to a new one.  

If you answer correctly but miss an opportunity to make the sum with fewer coins, the app will show you the alternative way to reach the total.

Learn the amino acids, do better on the MCAT and other tests

The AminoBuddy app is now available at the App Store. It's great for students that need to learn the amino acids so they can do better on chemistry and biochemistry tests, as well as standardized tests such as the MCAT.

My wife had to learn all of these before med school and again during med school.  She had a fat stack of cards.  You can have all of that and more in your pocket.

The app comes with nine flashcard decks that you can review several different ways.  Resize the fonts, switch things so that you see the back side of the card first, enable answering so you can provide a yes/no for each card.  View amino acids by Lewis structure or carbon skeleton.  Check out the ball and stick models, learn the short abbreviations, get familiar with the side chains.

The app is built on the Touchcards 2 engine.

iPhone journal app update

Chronicle has been available on the App Store for 3 days now.  It doesn't have any reviews yet, but I have heard from a couple customers already who use it to write a diary.  I hope many find and use it.

I remember buying a set of 3 black Moleskine cahiers a few years ago.  They're smaller than a normal notebook and more flexible, ideal for keeping in your back pocket.  That was my thinking.

The problem was that I often forgot to take them with me.  Or I'd forget my pen and have to ask the person behind the Barnes and Noble Starbucks counter for one.  I like to flip through magazines and write down ideas or links to look at later.

Three things I always have with me: keys, wallet, and phone.  If you think about it, there's really not enough room to take any more with you (such as a cahier) unless you're toting a bag.

That's one reason something like Chronicle is ideal.  You'll always have your phone, so writing is a matter of opening the app.  

A great secondary advantage: you can search your writings to find ideas you wrote down a long time ago.  

Maybe you were reading Kiplinger's in December and heard about a free tax advice hotline they were going to set up for tax season.  Instead of flipping back through your notebook, you type "tax" or "hotline" and the appropriate entry appears, with context around it.

iPhone journal writing prompts

My iPhone journal app, Chronicle, will be available at the App Store within the next few hours.  It's a great way to write, wherever you may be.  You can always export your journal to Google Docs (then print it, save it as a PDF, share it, etc). 

Some may opt to fill the pages with events as they happen.  If your days aren't as eventful as you might hope, you can still practice writing by using writing prompts.  A prompt is suggestion.  Pick from a list of topics and write. 

Some to think about:

• A superpower I'd like to have is...
• The thing I liked most about my childhood...
• One thing I'd like to change about the place I work is...
• The thing I want to improve about myself is...
• In five years I want to be ...
• The proudest day of my life was when ...
• The best date I ever had was ...
• The most embarrassing moment in my life...
• In an apocalyptic future I'd run off to the woods (or city) because...
• The best way to study something is to ...
• If you could live in another century, it'd be ...
• The next place I'll travel will be...
• A time people admired me was ...
• Have you seen a ghost or alien?  Tell me about it...
• You have one year to live.  What do you do?
• You sold your business for $5M.  What would you do next?
• What's your favorite movie?  What do you like about it?
• A historical event you'd like to witness is...
• Your favorite memory of your parents
• Your favorite experience with your spouse

Feel free to leave more in the comments.  Try writing with Chronicle on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

 

Announcing Math Legend - Practice math on your iPhone

Apple has been amazing with their App Store approval process lately,
so the week or two I used to take to prepare things after a submission
has been cut down to about a day or two.

Math Legend should be instantly familiar to anyone that's seen Guitar
Hero. It's a game for math practice you can play on your iPhone or
iPod Touch. A variety of speed and difficulty settings make it easy
for anyone to start playing and improving their math skills.

Tap the correct answer as it passes over the fret board at the bottom
of the screen. If you tap at just the right moment, you get max
points and bigger effects. If you miss an answer or don't know it,
don't worry. Math Legend will let you know what the correct answer is
and you'll soon get another chance at getting it right.

Play speed rounds with your friends, or help your young one learn
math. Use the scores in the hall of fame to track progress,
strengths, and improvements.

Touchcards 2 featured in iTunes Staff Favorites section

As I write this, I'm booking a ticket to Cupertino so I can hand out a few hugs. 

I put a lot of work into Touchcards 2 and have more things planned (mainly making import a little easier).  There's also an update in the offing that should be approved in a couple days for easier font sizing.

iPhone app for kids

As the iPhone Mom says, "The iTunes App Store is like a giant box of chocolates offering a little something for everyone".  There are many kids games for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and now there's another: Playscape Matching.  More on this interactive matching game coming soon.

Update If you have an iPad, you can learn to do math and count money with MakeChange.

Today's tasks have a home and moving your todos

Screenshots of the updates in the latest (hopefully approved soon)
YouDo update. When you scroll away from today's task list, you will
see a home icon pop up. If you wander far from home, use this button
to get back in a single tap.

Also, you can tap and hold a task to move it around to other days.
This is helpful if you forget or are unable to cross an item off your
todo list one day and want to move it to the current day.