Current competition ends Feb 14th, prize US$200
Orsome in the News
No news is bad news...
It seems there have been some instances of advertisers within iPhone apps to use some sneaky method to allow your device to phone out to their companies without you tapping on their ads. This was only made possible if you were updated to a more recent version of the iPhone OS, and had an earlier version of a program serving content from the AdMob network. The guys out at AdMob have been very quick to discover and block this sort of thing, but it seems several people in the UK ended up will bills to premium numbers late in December which they noticed while playing Bubblewrap.
Orsome Software was only made aware of these issues this last week, and we've been in communications with the AdMob guys and been actively passing on what we know to ensure they have trapped these now. This fault was not only effecting our Applications, but any other developers that used the same libraries of code. It is a bit disturbing to see the stories in print suggesting Orsome was involved with these rogue advertisers. Perhaps we were quoted in these articles as we may have been the only developer that responded to the reporters questions on this issue, Who knows?
It certainly looks like this bad news was addressed even before we knew about it ourselves. So that was certainly good news to know these dodgy ads should no longer be appearing in our app now. In the event you have any new instances of your phone dialing out while playing our game, it would be most helpful if you could let us know, and ideally note the text of the advertisement you see, along with the number dialed and eMail them to support@admob.com. Those guys really have great controls in place to monitor what happening in this area.
Another week, Another winner
Huge prize to the USA
Well, last night saw the end of our second competition for the year, another US$500 goes out to a champion popper. I hope to get a picture of the winner for you soon, but in the meantime, we've started another game. This one runs through till Valentines day.
Nothing says "I Love You" like popping some bubblewrap together. Go find your special person and start popping some iPhone Bubblewrap now. Come Feb 14th, your score may get you a special gift from Orsome Software. We will gift the top scorer US$200 to buy your mate whatever you like.
Our developers have been busy, any day now you will all see an update appear through the AppStore for BubbleWrap and BubblePRO. The graphics have had a complete overhaul. I'm sure you'll love the fresh new look.
Bubblewrap goes bilingual
Update to Bubblewrap on its way
Our most popular app is about to have an update. It has a full set of new graphics and will also be localized for all the french speaking bubble poppers out there. ( a sidenote: In NZ, we spell localized with an 's' but I've localised it here for our american readers )
We are just in the process of making sure there are no bugs in there before we set it free to you all. One thing we would like to make sure of is that our translations are accurate. If there is a French user out there that would like to be a beta tester for us, send us a message on our support mailbox support@orsome.co.nz and we will get you a copy to test.
Even if you can't speak that lingo, we would be happy to have a few more people playing with this latest version to make sure all is well. The logic regarding the 2x bonus has changed a bit. For those loyal followers that bother reading this blog in its entirety, we have a tip for you. The chance of getting the 2x bonus points is increased the quicker you touch it after it gets inflated. See how you go with that. You might also like to have another play with BubblePRO, there is less than a week now before we give away another $500 cold hard US cash.
Happy New Year
Great start to a new decade
We just have made contact with our latest winner, and the first for the year. US$500 is going out to another Australian this time round. We'll let you know more about the winner shortly, but in the meantime, we've started another competition, and yes, we've another US$500 to hand out. Go get busy with BubblePRO.
Last chance to score big
Just two more days to win huge prize
We have only just paid out Suzie Vang from California for winning our previous BubblePRO competition with her score of 298. It was nice to hear the prize money comes at a good time for her as she is expecting a new baby in January, congratulations! She sent us this quote.
"I can't believe I actually won", is all I wanna scream out, especially to my lovely husband!
He didn't have faith in me but always asked me what's my high score so far...haha.
My advice to every bubblepro player is to pop, pop, and pop as fast as you can and you can be the top one day. Happy New Year ! - Suzie
Note: As we've mentioned before, previous winners are not eligible to win future prizes, so this is the one you want to take out. Have fun.
tvGuide Issues
End of year bug shows its ugly head.
We've just been made aware of a bug that will effect how the app downloads data these last few days of 2009. The end result is tvGuide will try to grab the data again every time the app launches, and then display the wrong results on screen.
We are working on a fix, but unfortunately this will not be available before the problem corrects itself Saturday, when the year rolls over. We're very sorry for the inconvience, but we just didn't see this one coming. Perhaps while you are waiting, you should just take a break and go grab BubblePro and have a play, we're giving away US$500 to the top scorer.
Orsome join Command GURU
We're headed to Italy
Orsome Developer, Peter Watling has been chosen to be one of the ten developers to head over to Venice to be part of the worlds first reality iPhone developer event. Aaron Hillegass, author of one the definitive Cocoa books for developers, will be leading the team to produce an exciting new app in one week.
You will be able to follow progress online here and we will post more details here when we know what Peter and the rest of the team are up to. Whats more, If you follow that link there is a chance for you to win a brand new iPhone. Should be fun week.
tvGuide in Australia
Changes to data feed
Many of the channels we previously made available for Australian cable tv users will not be displayed within tvGuide beyond this week. We are hoping to secure a more extensive data feed that goes way beyond our previous catalog of content, but for now those listings will not appear. Sorry for the inconvience but we are hoping to resume normal programming shortly. :-) Thanks for your patience.
Australian users still have all these Free to Air channels to choose from: 7TWO, ABC2, ABC3, Aurora, C31, Christian, Australia, Eurosport News, GO!, Imparja, NBN, Nine HD, SBS News, Seven Central and across the various states we have ABC, ABC2, Seven, Prime, Nine, TEN, SBS, SBS News, WIN, 31, Golden West and TDT where available.
Safety in the Summer
Update to WeatherNZ for the new season
Down this end of the world, the weather is improving. If you are out in the water this summer, you will want to make sure you are well informed of the conditions out there. Orsome has just submitted an update to the WeatherNZ app that adds recreational marine forecasts for all areas around NZ.
If you buy the app now, you will get this feature for free the moment the update ships. Even without this feature the coastal, surf and tidal areas of the existing app may be life savers for you now.
The update includes a few other improvements too.
There are changes to moon phases, sunrise/sunset times on the tides page and overall, data is updated more frequently.
As always, you can get this by browsing for WeatherNZ in the appStore.
It also features at the top of the list in the Weather category.
So to all the Kiwis out there, Have a fun and safe summer!
What's on the Telly
To answer the many eMails we get, here a a list of current lineup
Well, Its been a while since we published the list and just today we have added in a whole bunch of channels that were missing from our list. Most of them are for the Australian users, but do let us know if there is a favourite of yours we have missed.
In the UK, so far we have: 4Music, BBC1, BBC2, BBC3, BBC4, BBC7, BBC6 Music, BBC News, BBC Parliament, Radio 1, Radio1 Xtra, Radio2, Radio3, Radio4, CBBC, CBeebies, Channel 4, Dave, E4, Film4, Five, Five US, Fiver, FTN, Ideal World, More4, ITV1, ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, QVC, Sky News, Sky Sports, Sky Three, teachers.tv, TMF and Virgin1
As for Australia, You have all these Free to Air channels to choose from: 7TWO, ABC2, ABC3, Aurora, Christian, Australia, Eurosport News, GO!, Imparja, NBN, Nine HD, SBS News, Seven Central and across the various states we have ABC, ABC2, Seven, Prime, Nine, TEN, SBS, SBS News, WIN, 31, Golden West and TDT where available.
In New Zealand, we have TV One,TV 2,TV 3,C4,TVNZ 6,TVNZ 7,Prime,Alt TV,Animal Planet,Arts Channel, BBC World, CNBC, Cartoon Network,C & I,CNN, Discovery, Disney Channel,Documentary, E!, ESPN, Food Television, Fox News, History Channel, J2, Juice TV, Living Channel, MGM, MTV,Maori TV, Nat Geographic, Nickelodeon, Playhouse,Rialto, Rugby Channel,SKY 1,SKY Movies 1 & 2,SKY NewsSKY Sport 1,2 & 3,Shine,Star Plus Hindi, Stratos, Movie Greats, TCM, Trackside, UKTV and Vibe
Finally, for South Africa we currently have M-Net, Action, Series, Stars and the two movie channels.
Young 'Top of the Poppers'
Congratulations go out to our youngest winner.
Fourteen year old Nathan from Australia has made it to the leaderboard several times, and this week he was still holding the top spot when the competition closed Tuesday. He's just received his US$250 prize and tells us his Mum didn't believe he would actually win anything, but he sure has proved her wrong. Well done lad!
Like always, we start a new promotion as soon as the previous one finishes, so go and grab BubblePro, start popping and next time it may well be you taking away the cash.
As seen on TV
News app is featured on TV Commercial
A favourite, gets discovered
tvGuide updated again
Our tvGuide app is featured on the Staff Favourites list in New Zealand and Australia right now, so more of you are discovering how handy this reference app can be every day.
It's great timing as today another update is available. This new version lets you now search across all known channels for listings. No longer do you have to hunt thru to see what Channel/Day/Time your programmes are on, just tap the small magnifying glass and type part of the title to see what's out there. Its snappy too, due to the local SQL database stored right there on your phone.
If you haven't grabbed it before, now there is even more reason to buy it. If you are a curent user, go and get the free update now to version 2.7, We know it'll be a favourite of yours too.
We're feeling the love
Each app is best in class
We're chuffed to see our work has been so well received. These apps each hold the top spot in their respective categories, and the TVNZ app now holds the #1 download overall.
Even though they are doing well as they are, we're not resting. There are improvements in the pipeline to make them even better. Right now, there is an update awaiting approval to the tvGuide that will add a handy search function, and we are back into the WeatherNZ code too. Stay tuned for news.
New News app for New Zealand
Another app released today
After a very long gestation period, the TVNZ app has finally shipped. Our main developer, Peter, completed this work for TVNZ's digital marketing company, AIM Proximity, some time ago, and its an app we've been using daily ever since. We are sure you'll find it useful too.
There's a few screen shots we just grabbed. As you can see it lists the latest headlines for news and sports and lets you choose one of many categories to drill down through. Some stories have photo galleries that you can flick through too. The EPG and Weather pages are pretty handy for a quick overview, and the podcast area is pretty darned whizzy.
Its a free app, and its available worldwide on the appStore today. Click the link alongside here to get a copy installed on your device immediately. Now there is no excuse not to be up to date with current and world events.
Breaking News: Its only been out a few hours and its already rated at the #1 News app in NZ. Great stuff! Nice to see our tvGuide and WeatherNZ the #2 and #3 most popular paid apps in NZ still too.
Don't get caught short
MetroInfo adds much requested feature
MetroInfo has been out for close to a year now, and the most requested feature we've had has been to allow you to see the balance remaining on your handy dandy metro card.
Well we are glad to annouce another update to this app in the store today, and wouldn't you know it, There is a new tab across the bottom of the app that allows you to do just that. Enter the small number that appears on the reverse of your MetroCard onto the form and the balance will be updated whenever you view that page.
If you do live in Christchurch and you ever use the buses here, then this is one you want. Click the icon alongside to take you straight to the details on the AppStore.
Prize goes across the ditch
Something for a rainy day
"I never thought I could get anywhere near the scores I saw on the
leaderboard, but one rainy day at home with nothing to do, I decided to
give it a crack; little did I know, several hours later (yes I was popping
bubblewrap for hours on end) and with only about 15 minutes left in the
competition, I managed to get the high score. Now... what to spend the dosh
on?!"
- Guy, Australia RULES
There were a few Australians fighting over the prize this last month, and in a late run he took out the top spot. Congratulations again Guy. And for those that wonder how they get their money; most winners opt to receive their dollars via Paypal. Winners normally see the funds within hours of the competition closing.
Of the many thousands we have given away now, only one prize remains unclaimed. We have not been able to make contact as the winner submitted an invalid address. It will be waiting for that person should they contact us via eMail, And before you all start writing in, we will be able to verify the right player.
As always, a new competition is already underway, another US$250 is up for grabs. Enjoy!
Homegrown apps
New Site for New Zealand Developers
The NZ iPhone community has been a great supporter of Orsome Software's apps, and now a new section on www.nziphone.com has been launched to promote other iPhone developers from down under.
Go look at the new 'Homegrown' section on www.nziphone.com and check out the entry about Orsome's founder while you are there! :-)
Italy win!
New BubblePRO Champ
We have our first winner from Italy today. Capriccio has scored $US500 for getting 315 points in BubblePRO. I'm sure when the sun rises on that side of the world, we will hear back from our latest winner.
As before, a new competition starts as soon as the previous one ends. The current one runs just a couple of weeks this time and has a prize pool at US$250. Still not too shabby for a bit of Bubble poppin fun. Good luck to you all.
Wake up to Orsome
As seen on TV
Welcome to those of you that have discovered us after the mention on the Breakfast show this morning. Their Gadget Girl, Tee Twyford, pointed out our popular WeatherNZ App for those of you that want to be best informed about what the weather is doing around New Zealand. Follow this link to read the story, or Click here to get this app onto your own phone or iPod touch now.
And while you are at the AppStore, you should go grab BubblePro. We're going to give US$500 to whoever is at the top of the score board on Saturday, July 4th. We're making history here...
We have a winner
Congratulations Fraser...
We have had our first winner from Great Britain today, and what a week to take out the prize! We have eMailed him to let him know, but I'm guessing he's still asleep over that side of the world. He'll be waking up US$1000 richer. Way to go Fraser for getting 316 points in this latest competition.
We aren't stopping though, we've already begun a new game, and it'll run thru till independance day, July 4th. Its US$500 this time round... Go give your BubblePRO another go, and perhaps in a wee while, you'll get rich overnight too!
Orsome in San Fran, WWDC
California dreaming...
At the conference there is a video wall displaying thouands of app icons. The display is hooked up to the appStore. As an app gets sold it's icons bounces once. It was fun to try to spot BubbleWRAP on the page, and then watch it bounce like crazy every couple of seconds, It looks like there are more and more of you finding this app every day!
Boy, we're looking forward to buying some new toys when the new iPhone hits the stores. In the meantime, make sure you get out the BubblePRO and have a quick go while you're between sessions. We've got US$1000 to give away Friday lunchtime.
MyTrades not forgotten
Whats the buzz?
A new v1.1 update to MyTrades has just come thru that fixes a problem introduced with the new look tradeMe site.
If you haven't given it a go, Its a handy thing to see the progress on the status of your current auctions.
FIVE MILLION Downloads
BubbleWrap crosses another milestone
Its great so many of you are having fun with the classic BubbleWRAP app on the iPhone. Free downloads have now flown by the FIVE MILLION mark and its still the source of much fan mail here at Orsome Software.
Now if we have only charged 99c per copy... :-)
South African Idol
WeatherZA is the most popular App in SA
We love it that you guys are enjoying our latest app out there.
In less than a week, WeatherZA has made its way to the top selling app on the whole South African iTunes music store.
If you don't know what the fuss is all about, perhaps you should follow this link and get a copy of your own. It runs on any iPod Touch or iPhone.
The outlook for Thursday
WeatherNZ turns 1.5
If you haven't already grabbed it, you should check the updates area under the appStore and get the new revision to WeatherNZ.
It fixes that annoying problem that some of you spotted when changing your set of areas. It also adds to the list of marine areas shown, and improves the Snow area ready for the new season.
Hot on the heels of this version is another update that should be available to you soon. This will add in a screen showing the dates for the phases of the moon, which will be handy if you are a werewolf planning your next night out.
Bigger and Better
A thousand reasons why you want to play BubblePRO
We have just given away US$500 again, that's now $5000 worth of prizes that have been handed out. Congratulations go out to Ayarka from Denmark and Ashok from India who each take away $250 for scoring 307 points.
Well, It was a close game, and really anyone could win, and this time you'll be wanting to make sure its you! We've upped the prize as well to a whopping ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
You might call us crazy, plenty of people do, but here is your chance to benefit from our stupidity. :-)
Welcome South Africa
New Weather program hits the AppStore
Orsome Software, in collaboration with the SA Weather Service, are pleased to announce the release of a fantastic new App for those who want to accurately monitor the weather around South Africa.
SAWS provides truly accurate weather info, covering 7-day forecasts for over 100 towns ( every distinct catchment area in SA ) a rich set of over 1500 weather maps covering lightning strikes, temp, rainfall and even tracking of current storms across the country. Zoomable by country/province/region and covering today and tomorrow.
The app gives three months of unlimited access, but after this time a subscription is required to access maps and more detailed data. Click this link to buy, or search for WeatherZA in the app Store now.
We may have a Tie
Current competition is Neck and Neck
Our current competition in BubblePRO is due to finish tonight, and right now we have two players with the same score!
In the event we have a tie, the US$500 prize will be split. It hasn't happened in all the competitions we've had so far, and there is still a chance for someone to come in a blitz them both.
If you haven't got BubblePRO yet, Here is the link, and even if you have you should get it out and give it another quick go. Good luck to you all!
A close Shave
Some recent Developments
If you want have a wee bit of fun, you should try out uArt.
We've been working with AIM Proximity, one of the world's highest awarded Ad agencies out there, and we've developed something pretty cool for Gillette.
It lets you try out a few new looks on yourself, or your mates,
Go grab it and have a play, Its free!
Orsome Broadcast
Did you catch this podcast?
For those that like to hear celebrity interviews, :-) You could go grab the third episode from MacThePodcast where the host, Matthew JC Powell, speaks with Mark Webster and myself about all sorts of Orsome stuff.
Sweet Sixteen
Just incase you didn't read the story in the Wall St Journal
We were just sent a link to this report showing the 25 most popular apps available on the iPhone, and wouldn't you know it? BubbleWrap makes the list, just a peg above the likes of LucasFilm, Shazam, and Apple's Remote app, and only a little less market penetration that Facebook and Google.
Thanks to the FOUR MILLION of you out there that have discovered, and are enjoying this fun wee gem.
tvGuide improvements
Couple of extras for NZ'ers...
Welcome to those new users who have just discovered us after reading the entry in this months KiaOra magazine on an Air New Zealand flight. Just a quick note to let the you know we have added a few more channels into the selection available in tvGuide over here.
We now have Radio NZ listings ( both Concert and National ) and also the new Comedy Central listings for Sky's latest addition. Go tap 'Edit' and then hit the Add button to include these in your selection. Don't spend all day in front of the box though, there's a beautiful country right outside your door. :-)
Long time player, First time winner
Effort is rewarded
I'm very happy to win this competition!
Every evening after dinner I play BubblePro with my father for a while. We have played this game for about two months, and we have finally won! Kim van Es (14), Hong Kong
Great to be BubblePro world champions for two weeks!
Professional Bubble Man
Our first $1000 prize goes to Japan
Congratulations goes out to Yukio Ito, our most recent champion. This is what he has to say:
"I am very happy to participate and win the prize. My best score was already on the first day, reaching a record 322 points, but still kept playing every day, from 4 to 6 hours a day! And congratulations to all participants of this competition, to continue playing. Who believes always reaches."
So you heard the man, Go grab a copy yourself and get playing. A new competition is already underway, with another $200 going out to best score in the next two weeks. Have fun!
Valentines Treat
Has love gone to our heads?
A new BubblePRO competition has just kicked off.
And we are making the prize a whopping
ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
The game ends on Valentines day, February the 14th.
Nothing says "I Love you" like spending time with your special person and popping bubbles together, Can you think of anything more romantic?
Someone is going to win a grand... What would YOU do with it?
We know more than THREE MILLION of you have downloaded our free BubbleWrap program, so we know you'll like BubblePro. The game is similiar, but with online scoring that pays. Good Luck!
BubblePRO Hall of fame
Orsomes latest recipient
Last week Orsome gave away another US$500. This time It went to Luis Urbina from the USA, who played BubblePRO for hours every day to ensure he took out the top prize.
I believe he had some help from a friend to manage a score of 306, Well done!
A new competition is already underway, and will finish next week, top prize is $200 this time round, so give it a go. Right now, getting a score over 285 will get you onto the high score chart... Good luck!
Everyone's a Winner baby
The more you give, the more you receive...
We have just given away another US$500 in our popular BubblePRO competition. This week we send off the prize to Luis in America. Once we get a photo from him we'll setup a wall of fame for the 10 winners we've had to date.
Today Orsome Software was also a winner. We have been recognised by the www.iphonefootprint.com site, for "the contribution of individual developers and small companies who have deployed innovative and high quality applications in the App Store." Gee, Thanks guys.
Hello Sweden
tvGuide Arrival - Mamma Mia !
Orsome Software is pleased to be able to make our very popular tvGuide app available for the Swedish iPhone and touch users out there.
We have started with THIRTY of the
most popular channels, but if you find we have missed a favourite of yours, do eMail us to see if we can source it for you. Here is our initial lineup: Animal Planet, Comedy Central, DiscoveryHD, Disney, Eurosport, FamilyTV, Film4, Kanal5, Kanal9, NASN, Nickelodeon, Plus TV4, SVT 1, SVT 2, SVT B, TV3, TV4, TV6, TV8, TV400, SVT24, Kunskapskanalen, Fakta 4, ZTV, Discovery, Disc.Science, Disc.Travel, Disc.World, MTVE, NGC and Komedi TV4
UPDATE JAN 18: Just added in CANAL+ Action, Comedy, Drama, Film, First, Hits, Sport 1,2,extra, HD, Viasat Sport, Golf, Fotboll, Motor, SportHD and TV4 Sport.
It's the silly season for sure
and we're giving YOU the presents...
Apparently we're in the midst of a world-wide financial crisis, and after this promotion, I expect our accountant will be thinking it has caught up with Orsome Software too !
But we're not taking any notice of that, we're going to celebrate the end of a really great year by giving away a massive FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS (US) as the top prize in the BubblePro game, starting Christmas day. Whoo hoo!
We've done some work to address earlier bugs, and we're confident you all have an equal chance of taking out this prize.
We know you've all enjoyed our free BubbleWrap program, so you really should go to the AppStore now and grab BubblePro. Your popping skills may provide a timely windfall for you. Good Luck, and have a great 2009.
They're playing it here
BubbleWrap around the world...
Today we received these photos taken from an orphanage in Thailand. This group of children, that live near the River Hwai bridge, are amongst those from all over the world, that find BubbleWrap "strangely compelling". I'm not sure of the score they get, but I reckon this must be a case of many hands make light work.
I can't even see the iPhone under all those active fingers, but I'm told BubbleWrap gives them hours of fun, though it seems the screen is left a bit sticky. :-)
Up there with the best of 'em
iTunes top picks...
Apple have published their pick of the apps for 2008, and we are chuffed to see Bubblewrap has been given the honour of being named one of the 10 top free entertainment products of the year.
We figured it was one of the more popular ones out there once our download count passed the 1.5 million mark this last month. Based on some figures we have got on usage, we can tell you that on every second, of every hour, of every day, there are about 200 bubbles being popped. If people are using this as stress relief, its nice to know the world is becoming a happier / less stressed place because of this wee app :-)
Many of you have also discovered, you can put these popping skills to good use. If you want more of a challenge than BubbleWrap then maybe you should look at its commercial brother, BubblePro. We're still giving away 100's of dollars to those that top the high score chart in this app each week. It costs just 99c on the appStore, and then you're in with a chance to win, and our list of prize winners just keeps on growing. Go get it now, the top score today is 274, Can you beat that?
The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round.
Update to MetroInfo...
Another update has been submitted that improves the local bus program further. Based on some feedback we got from some of our Beta Testers/Early adopters, we have added in some distance information when viewing routes too.
If you know what service you require, its now much easier to find the closest one based on your current location.
This program is now just a dollar, and includes all the improvements outlined here, plus free updates on any releases we may add in the future. What are you waiting for? With this app it won't be the bus :-)
The surf is up
Hang 10, another update wave is due...
The snow season has all but ended, but summer is just around the corner. And to make sure you are prepared, the guys from surf.co.nz has now made available their content to the WeatherNZ app. The new 1.4 update includes this much requested data, at no additional cost.
The new area shows the latest wind and swell information at a glance, and a single tap to take you thru to the full site to see latest image, forecast data and loads more.
Go launch the appStore for your update, then go grab your board and hit the beaches. Don't forget your sunscreen now. :-)
Dont miss the bus
New app for locals
At Orsome, we love our local buses, but waiting at the stops can be a bit dull. To save us time, we've knocked up an app that lets you see just how long it will be before the bus gets to a particular stop. Its something we wanted for ourselves, so for starters, we're making it freely available because.. well, Just because we can. Right now this only works for those of us lucky enough to live in Christchurch, New Zealand, though this should work in a few other cities too that use this system, which we'll do if there is enough interest.
What this program does it use's the location aware features of the phone, to show you nearby bus stops, and exactly how long before the bus will show up, for each of the routes that pass thru that spot. This is not using the static timetables, but the real-time tracking systems installed in each bus.
UPDATE: It is up on the AppStore now, It's called 'MetroInfo' Enjoy!
The World is popping
New week, new prize
Every week we have been handing out dollars to the winners in the BubblePro competition. This week we've raised the pool to US$200 and its good to see now a few new flags popping up on the high score chart. Good luck to you all!
A change in the weather
New version of WeatherNZ ships
Version 1.3 of the weather app is out. I'm sure you'll like the improvements. We have also addressed the issue regarding the sunrise/set times for primary ports. It may take a few days for this change to filter thru as the program does cache a week of this data.
As always, send us any feedback regarding this update. We want this to be the best it can be.
Reclaiming the top spot
Its been a while since we had a brag
It was one of our first apps, but it still gives us a thrill to see it take out the #1 spot. Thanks for your ongoing support.
The new version is just awaiting approval from Apple and should address the niggles a few of you have had regarding using the app when you are offline. The recreational marine data will please a few more of you too. Hopefully, there won't be much more of a wait. Keep an eye on the appStore for the free update.
Another Orsome App nears release
We have something coming shortly for our USA users...
There are already a couple of players in the market providing TV listings for the USA, but we know you've been waiting for the real deal. We'll have the listings, the whole listings, and nothing but the listings...
This is not the update to the existing tvGuide app mentioned elsewhere, but a completely new program pulling data directly from the most accurate and complete commercial source available. Stay tuned for updates.
UPDATE: Sadly, we will no longer be releasing this product into the US market. Even though the app was complete, and in our view better than the competition in many ways, we have decided not to compete against those that have chosen to give away this costly data for free.
Here's Johnny
"They said it couldn't be done, but I had to burst their bubble!"
Johnny Marshall from the USA takes out the $500 prize in our first competition. Its a ridiculously high score I know, I've never had half of that myself, I believe you just tap like mental to get there, So, get popping again, a new competition has kicked off that will run just for four days this time. Go get busy.
Competition heating up
Just a couple more days before someone wins US$500
The first competition is really getting exciting now. For a while it looked like it was going to be a three way tie, but now we have a few people that have discovered the way to score big ! If you are quick enough to keep pop the last available button, you will get two points, and if you can keep up with the rate they keep coming back, you could possibly get two points every pop. I've not been able to do this myself, I'm wondering if those big scorers are having a friend watch half the screen or something. See if you can figure it out.
The New Pro game also rewards accuracy, with a bonus after enough consecutive clean pops. If you did the centre of an already popped bubble, you will lose a point. But I'm guessing you learnt that pretty quickly. There is still that random element to give you the 5x bubbles which means anyone can win. Good luck, and have fun!
We have had a few ask if this is a one off, and we can tell you all, that there will be a new competition next week and a new prize to go for.
A new home.
"Orsome Server has moved"
The main server has now shifted to a new site that should improve performance and reliability, plus pave the way for an exciting new development, that we'll announce soon. If you experience any issues in the next 24 Hrs, be assured someone is busy already fixing it. We aren't expecting any issues but just letting you know that stuff has changed under the hood.
tvGuide Improvements
"Our popular app is going on a big O.E."
A small update to the tvGuide app is making its way thru the system now. This release addresses a number of bugs several users experienced when first making and ordering their set of channels in v1.2. There were other fixes incorporated in this next version that should make scrolling a bit smoother too.
While we were in the code, we slipped in a couple of new features related to showing when a program is broadcast in HD, or if it is the final or premiere of a programme. It looks pretty sweet. Oh, and did I mention we support more channels now too? Despite how our Australian neighbours have treated us in the rugby recently, we've extended the app to support a wide range of channels for them, plus the most popular channels for the United Kingdom.
There is nothing stopping those in the UK and Aussie from grabbing the current version and seeing their favourite channels now, but I would recommend that you quit the program straight after adding in new channels, to let the app save the selection incase it crashes on you. This new version that fixes that, and brings these other improvements will be free, and should show up in this next week.
The outlook is mighty fine...
"Updated weather app adds polish and new features..."
Orsome Software has just gone 'Golden Master' on the next revision of their successful WeatherNZ application for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Now, in collaboration with www.snow.co.nz, we are able to provide up-to-date reports from all NZ slopes. Simply tap an item in the list and see all the available data, right at your fingertips.
This version adds in the urban areas missed on the initial release, adds new icons, and also gives you a number of other features, all with no upgrade cost. What a bargain!
Now you can see last reported temperature, wind speed and direction for any New Zealand urban area. This data comes straight from the MetService of NZ and is updated eight times a day, When you get this app loaded, make sure you try rotating the device. The Tide display looks 'O for Orsome' sideways, and now displays two days of tides at a time, with accurate sunrise/set times to boot.
It may take a few days for this to filter thru the system, so just keep an eye on your AppStore updates button for news of its release.
Weather, Weather, Everywhere...
"Our much anticipated, weather application has made it to the store"
WeatherNZ is the best way to get accurate weather information on your phone or touch. With up to date data, fresh from NZ's own MetService, you can now see the same feed of information that goes into our papers and to local TV. Tide data supplied by LINZ is great for anyone working or playing around the coastline, or for the rest of us that just like to see wizzy cool charts. Check out the Sitation maps too, updated several times a day.
Available by searching for 'WeatherNZ' on the appStore now.
PS: Due to a fault at my end, Greymouth, Hamilton, Levin and Hokitika are not present on this first release of our app. This will be addressed in a free update that will ship shortly.
Monitor your TradeMe Auctions
"How cool is this!"
Look out for a new app called 'MyTrades' soon. It allows you to set a list of people whose TradeMe auctions you wish to monitor. Its not a full on client for the whole site. More of a tool for sellers to check how their sales are going.
What is very cool is you can click on any item to see more details from the listing, and if you want you tap a button and the view flips over and it takes you right onto the full TradeMe web page, so you can respond to any questions or check out more details on the bidders.
This program should appear soon, exclusively on the New Zealand, iTunes App Store.
