Gadgets by TWKM Blog

The latest update to the Gateway Gadget adds three of the most-requested features to the app.

 Saved Searches

When viewing the Verse of the Day or a search result, you can now save the verse or search query for quick recall. You can save searches in custom-named folders and view them again later from the search view.

 Email Sharing

In addition to sharing the Verse of the Day or Reading Plan via Facebook or Twitter, you can now share what you’re reading by email right from within the app.

 Change Reading Plan Dates

It is now easier than ever to change the date of Reading Plans. Whether you want to catch up on previous days or jump ahead, just tap the calendar icon to quickly choose a new date.

The update is live on the App Store now, and free for existing Gateway Gadget users. Enjoy!

I’m currently working on updates to the Gateway Gadget to bring some of the most-requested features to you.

Email sharing, saved searches, and past and future-dated Reading Plans will be coming in the next update!

Last week my latest iPhone app, Minecraft Compass, went live on the App Store.

Minecraft has become a huge phenomenon. Since the creator, Markus Persson, started developing the game a little over two years ago it has sold over 3.8 million copies. And it isn’t even done yet!

I’m among the many who have been taken by Minecraft’s open world exploring, crafting, and building mechanics. It is always interesting, always random, and you can shape the entire game around you like a digital Lego set. You can learn more about Minecraft at their site.

I created the Minecraft Compass app as an homage to the game. Mimicking an in-game item, the app allows you to set a location in the real-world and have the compass point back to that location. This can be helpful if you want to find your way back to your car in the mall parking lot, for example. Just set the location when you are at your car and follow the compass back to it when you’re done shopping.

Check out the app now on the App Store. I plan on adding some requested features in the future, including displaying how far you are from your destination and the ability to save multiple locations to your device. An Android version is also in the works! As always, if you have any feedback or feature suggestions, please get in touch.

I want to finish this post by thanking the awesome people on the www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft subreddit for their overwhelming response to my announcement of the app. I was worried for a bit there that my website would crash as a result of all of the people who came to the site to check out the app.

Thanks, and enjoy!

Update: Some versions listed in the Default Versions setting option are not available for the Verse of The Day, but they are available for Reading Plans. For this reason I have decided to leave the affected versions in the setting option, and created more detailed messaging for when a Default Version is unable to be displayed for any reason. 

EN - New International Version (1984) and EN - New Living Translation are both options available for the Default Version setting, but do not currently work for the Verse of The Day.

Unfortunately some versions were listed in the Gateway Gadget as being available for the Verse of The Day and Reading Plans, when they are actually not provided by www.biblegateway.com in the format needed for the app.

Three versions have been affected so far:

• EN - New International Version (1984)
• EN - New Living Translation
• ES - Castilian

If you notice that any other versions do not work for you from within the Gateway Gadget, please use the link provided on the error page to let me know so I can remove it from the settings.

I am truly sorry for the miscommunication on which versions were available from Bible Gateway for the iPhone app. If you have comments, questions, or feedback, please get in touch with me.

Thanks,

Troy

A new social sharing option is now available in the Gateway Gadget to allow you to share the Verse of the Day and Reading Plans with your friends and family on Facebook.

Just touch the Facebook or Twitter button to share what you are reading from right within the app. We are also working on an option to share by email, so keep an eye out for that as well!

P.S. This is the new ‘Open Original’ button, allowing you to view the original mobile version of the reading plan or verse of the day on BibleGateway.com. 

I am nearly done an update to the Gateway Gadget which will automatically update languages, versions, and reading plans on your device each time you open the app. You will no longer have to download a whole new version of the app from the App Store each time Bible Gateway adds a new version or reading plan!
I realize it has been a while since the reading plans and versions have been updated, and I apologize for that. The upcoming update will totally circumvent the long process of updating the app, waiting for Apple to approve the update, and you downloading the app.

This will leave me more time to focus on new functionality for future versions.

I’ll post an update on Twitter when the update has been sent to Apple, and back here on the blog when it is available. 

- tM

Troy

I’ve just released an updated version of The Budgeteer budgeting app for iPhone to Apple for their review. This update is mainly bug fixes and minor feature updates. Here is everything that has been changed:

• Bug fix. 
• New add button in list items view allows you to create an item, enter it’s name, price, tax, etc. and immediately mark it as ‘Need It’ or ‘Got It’, rather than using the Quick Add Input. 
• When creating a new list using the Quick Add Input, you will automatically be taken to the new list, allowing you to start entering items with 1 less touch. 
• New icon.

UPDATE 2011-03-23: This has now been confirmed as fixed by Bible Gateway. Thanks for your patience.

BibleGateway.com is currently presenting the Reading Plans RSS feeds incorrectly.

The Gateway Gadget for iPhone uses these feeds to present you with the Reading Plans, so you may notice that the options you’ve chosen in the Settings area is not what you see in the Reading Plan view.

Bible Gateway has been notified of this, so hopefully they have it fixed shortly. In the meantime you can use the “Open Original” button to view the plan in a browser view, but you may have to change the version once the page loads.

We will update this blog when more info is available. Thanks for your patience.

You’ve worked hard to manage your spending by carefully crafting budgets, shopping wisely, and showing self-restraint, but try as you might there are still times when you blow the budget while you’re out shopping. Budgeting is half of the battle, the other half is staying within that budget.

Luckily, there is a superhero available to help you out! Enter The Budgeteer. He is a mysterious masked marvel who is only a touch away, ready to help keep you on track when it matters most; while you are out spending your hard-earned money.

Download The Budgeteer iPhone and iPod Touch app now to put him to work for you. Create lists, enter the items you need or have acquired, and enter their prices and whether or not taxes should be added to stay informed as you shop. The Budgeteer works hard to calculate taxes, add up your purchases, and let you know how close or far you are from exceeding your budget. The Budgeteer will show you how much of your budget is remaining, how much is spent, and he won’t try to take the control away from you.

You know where you want to shop, you know how much you want to spend, and if you do go over budget, you know whether or not that is manageable or unacceptable. The Budgeteer will not bother you by telling you peanut butter is ten cents cheaper on the other side of the city, or prevent you from purchasing items that are not in your budget.

He will keep you informed. He will do the hard work without demanding too much from you. Basically, The Budgeteer is a hero in your pocket. He’ll let you know before you get to the checkout how much you will spend.

The Budgeteer has just been released for iPhone and iPod Touch and I am very excited to introduce him to you! Download the app now to stay informed and take control of your spending.

You can learn more about The Budgeteer at the Gadgets by TWKM site.

The Gateway Gadget for iPhone and iPod Touch has been updated to include support for the Common English Bible (New Testament) version which was recently added to BibleGateway.com.

You can learn more about the CEB version at BibleGateway.com.