Aviation application news
I am happy to announce that MAJOR progress has been made on the Category and Platform (e.g. iPhone, iPad) filters. I still have some data to enter and a few design changes to make, but there are currently several beta testers kicking the tires of the new filters.
Assuming everything goes well over the next few days (and I don’t manage to break anything), the filters should be launched very soon.
I’m typing this post from my lawn chair outside the Walnut Creek , California Apple store where I am waiting for the iPad to go on sale tomorrow. OK, not really, I’m actually at home sitting on my couch with my feet up and an adult beverage at my side.
All kidding aside, a few people have emailed asking me if I am planning on buying an iPad. I am not planning on it (at least immediately), although when I saw the screen shots of ForeFlight Mobile 3 HD on the iPad I suddenly felt the urge to order one on the spot (talk about cool!). As tempting as I find the iPad, I already have an iPhone and several other PCs, so I just can’t put it into the need column right now. Although, I suspect that as more applications for the iPad are released, I will find its allure harder and harder to resist.
All this being said, I’ve already begun the work need to track and filter apps by platform (iPhone/iPod or iPad). I know I’ve mentioned it before but I’ve been working on a categorization scheme and filter (yeah I know, you’ll believe when you see it) and the plan is to launch the platform filter at the same time. While the database work is complete, I’ve had to bring in some technical assistance to help with the increasingly complex database structure and associated queries. So when will you see it? As soon as possible is all I will say.
If you are planning on purchasing an iPad, just keep in mind that the version of the iPad that has 3G connectivity and GPS won’t be released until late April. I suspect most aviators will be waiting for that version, I know I would.
So, are you getting an iPad?
It’s been almost two months since my last post and not only am I shocked, but also a bit embarrassed. The good news is that I’m still here and that I’m working on a database update which should be released in the next few days… really, I promise.
I’ve mentioned my plans to provide a category filter and I continue to work on it, but I am also going to be including the ability to filter the list by platform (e.g. iPhone/iPdod or iPad) and I’ve decided to combine all the work into one project. It’s going slow, but progress is being made.
Thanks for your patience and look for an update announcement here on the news feed within the next few days.
As of today, you can now follow AviatorApps on Twitter. Links to all news items (blog posts) will be automatically posted (tweeted) on Twitter, so now you’ve got one more option if you would like to keep up to date on AviatorApps news.
The account is relatively new so don’t expect much to be there now, but more is certainly to come in the days and weeks ahead. To follow AviatorApps, just click the link above or use the ”Follow Me” button to the right.
The AviatorApps news feed has gone mobile. If you view the site on your iPhone, you’ll now get a view optimized for the iPhones screen. You can even search the feed and post comments right from your iPhone. Enjoy!
Do you enjoy playing with your iPhone apps into the wee hours of the night? Are you willing to work for little to no pay whatsoever? Have you ever spent time in a Turkish prison?
If so, then I may have a job for you. Well, not a real job, but a job nonetheless. That’s right, I am looking for contributors; People willing to write app reviews and features to be posted here on the news feed.
What will you get in exchange for your efforts? Fame! A chance for notoriety! A ride in one of the Thunderbirds F-16s! It could happen! I can’t pay you anything but you’ll get full credit for your review, and I’ll gladly take you out for a burger and beer should we ever meet.
So if you fancy yourself as a writer, know how to take screen shots with your phone, and you think you can write an objective review, then feel free to contact me.
Since launching this site I’ve received several emails asking whether or not I will be adding apps for the Android mobile OS to the app list. The short answer is no, not in the immediate future.
The longer explanation is that I do not currently know of a way to establish a connection to or relationship with the Android Marketplace without the use of an Android phone. Yes, I know there is AndroidMarket.com, but the view it provides to outsiders coming in from non-Android devices (i.e. a PC) is limited to only a few “featured” applications. Currently, the only way to access all of the Android apps is from an Android mobile device, and unless you start buying a lot more apps through this site, spending $80 on another phone and data plan is out of the question. 
If you are interested in reading more on this topic, check out this TechCrunch article from November 15, 2009.
If you are an Android user and have comments, suggestions or ideas, you can either leave a comment below, or use the contact form to send them to me privately.
Happy New Year!
Where are the updates? What’s the latest with the site? What about that categorization filter?
Yes I know, I’ve been a bit absent lately… sorry about that. Year-end at my day job and the invasion of family for the holidays really sucked up all of my available time, but with 2010 now upon us (and the family gone) I am anxious to get back to work on the site as well as a few other projects.
So without wasting your time with more excuses, expect a long overdue update to the app list in the next few days. Once that’s done, I will once again turn my attention to the app categorization filter. I can’t give you an ETA for it yet, but I am making it my top priority for 2010.
Thank you for your continued support.
Brad
Good news; Last night’s problems have been resolved and everything appears to be functioning normally.
I also took this as an opportunity to tweak the sort function a bit by adding a secondary sort. Now when you sort the list by Price, Developer or Date Listed, the apps with similar results for those criteria will again by sorted by name. For example, if you sort the list by Price, all of the FREE apps will then be sorted by name. For this secondary soft I’ve fixed the sort direction as ascending, so while you may sort the list by Date Listed and choose the sort direction of descending, the batch of apps for a given date will then be sorted by name in ascending order. Clear as mud right?
My host experienced a power outage last night and they are bringing everything back online today. While things are slowly returning to normal, I’ve noticed that apps are missing from the list when it is sorted. Since they are still working on the issue, I am going wait a bit to see if the problem fixes itself once they have restorated all of their services.
Thanks for your patience… I’ll post an update as more information becomes available.
