Square Wheel Software

Next Read 2.1 Submitted

2009-08-08T12:40:00.004-04:00

No major new features included in this update - but it is absolutely required to update your copy of Next Read to this version. Without updating, Next Read will no longer be able to search Amazon, starting on August 15th. Amazon has slightly changed their API and, as a result, Next Read needed to be refreshed.

Also, this version requires 3.0. So that means that if you have not yet upgraded, now is the time to do so. There are a lot of new features in 3.0 that we want to take advantage of, so the decision was made to go with it.

Please email us if you have any questions. The new version should be up on the app store this week.

Next Read, with Ads, now on the iTunes store

2009-02-21T14:24:00.007-05:00

The Free! (with Ads) version of Next Read is now available on the iTunes store. Basically, the way this works is that we have taken Next Read in its entirety and added a space on each of the main tabs for an ad. Most of the time, these ads will be from AdMob (75% roughly). Sometimes, you will see a banner from us. Clicking on the banner will bring up some other sponsors.

Right now, there are no other sponsors. We are selling 4 spaces via BuySellAds.com. You can see our listing here.. If you don't know anything about BuySellAds.com and you run a website or sell a product or service on the web, you are missing something great. They provide a marketplace where advertisers and publishers can easily get together. The site is easy to use and the folks that run it are super responsive and easy to work with. Check them out.

So, on the free version of Next Read. We are going to try this out for a couple months and see how it goes. There is no guarantee that the free version will live on forever. We may decide that its not worth it and take it down. So if free is something you are into, go get it!

Right now, the paid version is still 99¢, and will probably remain that way for a couple weeks. An increase in price is likely after that.

Announcing a pricing change - and 2.0.1

2009-02-17T11:03:00.003-05:00

There will be a pricing change to Next Read soon. A free, ad-supported version of Next Read will be out in a couple weeks. The feature set is exactly the same - no modifications at all. The only addition is a small banner ad placed on each page. Once the free version is available, the no ad version will be going up in price to $2.99. So, if you are allergic to ads and want in on the $0.99 price, get it now.

Also, 2.0.1 is now available on the iTunes store. It took a little longer than originally planned due to an initial rejection. Sometimes the folks at Apple doing the reviews are really picky and ask that you get things perfect. Which is excellent because you essentially get another set of eyes for free. It is odd, however, when you get told that a certain feature will "confuse users" and then you look around at other apps on the App Store and see that confusion abounds. Different reviewers have different standards I suppose.

iphonefootprint.com ranks Next Read best of 2008

2009-02-05T15:59:00.002-05:00

I was just forwarded a link to iphonefootprint where Next Read was listed in their "Excellence Awards 2008". Go check out their site for a list of some other fantastic apps.

Next Read 2.0.1 already in the pipeline!

2009-02-04T09:47:00.002-05:00

Several people have mailed in questions about removing books from the suggested list. Turns out that the method of doing that (Zeroing the score) is very confusing. So we addressed that by adding back the Edit button to that list (and also fixing the crash when deleting a book with the swipe method).

We also fixed an issue with the Refresh button found in the Book Detail. It was a little over zealous with the refreshing - it would clear sources and list membership as well.

Thank you to everyone who helped identify these issues. The upgrade should be available on Monday at the latest.

Next Read 2.0 now available.

2009-02-01T19:50:00.001-05:00

Enjoy. Please let us know if you encounter any issues.

Next Read 2.0 submitted to Apple for approval

2009-01-18T14:01:00.002-05:00

Here is the official "change list" for the release. We will update the product page once the release is approved.

* Lists - Now Next Read is not just for books suggested to you. Add lists to keep all those books you have been checking out organized.

* Shake Search - Not sure what to search for? Just go into the search screen and shake your phone. Next Read will take a look at all the books on your lists and look for something similar.

* Notes - Now you can take Notes on each book in your list.

* Import Amazon Wishlists- Have a public wishlist on Amazon you would like to pull into Next Read? No problem - enter your email address and pull down the list. You can optionally save it so that you can browse it offline later.

* Share lists with friends over WiFi - Next time your cousin Ed asks you for some good ideas on what to read next, just tell him to fire up his copy of Next Read - you can zap a list right over to him.

* Email lists - Have a friend without Next Read, or perhaps you would like to print your list? Next Read now supports the ability to email a nicely formatted version of any of your lists.

* Quick Add - What happens when you hear about a book when you don't have an internet connection or when you don't have time to launch a search? With Quick Add, problem solved. Enter a title and author combination or just an ISBN into Next Read. The Book Detail page now has a "Refresh" button so you can pull down all the important details later.

* Listmania integration - From any book - you can now look for Listmania lists that contain that book. This makes it even easier to find new books you might be interested in. Find a list you really like? Click Save and you will always have it.

* Better Amazon page support - No more leaving Next Read to read the product details from Amazon. Next Read now launches an inline browser window so you can get the facts without going too far.

* Performance enhancements and bug fixes.

Coming in February - Next Read 2.0

2009-01-10T11:35:00.003-05:00

In early February, we will be launching Next Read 2.0. We have taken many of the suggestions and tips sent into us and rolled them all into what we feel is a pretty impressive upgrade. Here are some of the highlights of Next Read 2.0.

Lists

Next Read 2.0 will introduce the ability to save and browse book lists. Not only will you be able to manage the books suggested to you, you will also be able to keep book lists. How do book lists get added? Glad you asked. Next Read 2.0 will also introduce the ability to browse Amazons Listmania lists. This means from any book, you can browse all the Listmania lists that a particular book belongs to. Once you find a list you like, save it. Then you can browse it later. The list is separate from your suggested list, so you can add books from your lists at your own pace. You can also import book lists from Amazon. Simply supply an email address, and that users public wishlist will be imported. Finally, and most exciting, you will be able to share your lists with friends, family, and strangers over WiFi. Find a list you like - send it to your coworkers.

Notes

Each book in your list now has a section where you can take notes on that book. This is a free-form area where you can type whatever you want about a book.

Quick-Add

Many people have asked for the ability to add a book without searching. Believe it or not, some books can't be found on Amazon! Or, in some cases, folks just want to add quickly without having to think too much. For these people, we added quick-add. Now just supply a title and author or an ISBN number. The book will get added to your list. Later, you can "refresh" the book to pull in any extra available information from Amazon.

Reviews and Product Page now open within Next Read

The product page for a book now opens within Next Read. No more exiting the app to get some more information. Both the reviews and product page windows have been updated with back and forward buttons to make browsing a little easier once on these screens.

Sort by Author

The Title view in the suggested list has been replaced with Author.

Screenshots

We have posted a few screenshots of the new features. We will be updating that page with some more screenshots in the coming days.

Next Read 1.1.1 Released

2009-01-06T11:19:00.003-05:00

We think we have resolved the issue with connectivity errors over 3G/Edge and have released a patch with the fix. If anyone still runs into this issue - let us know.

Next Read rated 8/10 at AppCraver

2009-01-02T10:25:00.000-05:00

Another good review for Next Read.

Next Read rated 4/5 at AppVee

2008-12-30T22:33:00.000-05:00

AppVee has posted a nice video review of Next Read. Check it out.

Next Read works over Edge/3G

2008-12-30T10:04:00.000-05:00

There are a couple reviews on the iTunes store that indicate that some people are running into a rare situation where Next Read reports that they are not connected to the internet - even though they have Edge or 3G connections. Next Read absolutely works over Edge and 3G, so no worries there.

We are not sure what causes this, but would like to learn more. If you run into this situation, please let us know. We want to track this down. In the mean time, you can usually remedy the situation by just opening Safari and browsing to a website then returning to Next Read.

Edit: Looks like this situation is not unique to us. There is an Apple Support Discussion Thread about this very topic.

While we are on the topic. This is one of the many issues with the iTunes app store. People are using the review system as a sounding board when they run into issues. Sure, Apple provides a handy little link back to the developers website, but how many people actually click on that link? It doesn't do anyone any good to have crash reports muddying up an app's reviews. There are plenty of cases of that throughout the store. What ends up happening is that the review system loses credit and people start ignoring it. And don't even get me started on the "review on delete" 2.2 feature.

So how to fix it? One way would be to provide the user a way to "Submit an Issue" right from the store. Or how about just letting developers contact the people that write reviews? What if someone writes a really great review and we just want to get in touch with them to provide some free stuff? Or how about simply letting developers respond to reviews? How many apps have you seen on the store where the developer has to add, in the description of their app, "If you are encountering this crash..."? Thats just wrong. That information does not belong in the app description. Unfortunately, the developer has no place else to put it where it will get noticed.

The current system is broken. So, that leaves us in a situation where we have to post a blog entry and hope that people running into this issue take the time to visit our website. So, if thats you, cheers. Thanks for taking the time.

Next Read featured app over at iphoneapppodcast.com

2008-12-29T10:25:00.000-05:00

Jerad over at iphoneapppodcast.com has reviewed Next Read and has put it up as a featured app on his website. If you haven't already checked out his podcast, you are missing a great resource for new apps. The Next Read video review can be found here.

Version 1.1 released! Buy one get TWO free!

2008-12-23T10:32:00.001-05:00

Next Read version 1.1 has been released. It contains some bug fixes and a couple little feature adds. Most notable is the addition of ability to view your book list by Source.

To celebrate the holidays - we are going to do a, buy 1 get 2 free, promotion. Send us your iTunes provided receipt showing proof of purchase for any date between 12/22 and 1/5 - and we will forward along TWO free promo codes. Give them to your family members and friends - they will love you even more :)

You can email the proof of purchase to promo@squarewheelsoft.com.

Next Read 1.0 Released

2008-12-18T15:53:00.000-05:00

Here is our press release announcing Next Read 1.0.

Square Wheel Software releases Next Read for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Now available on the iTunes Application Store, Next Read for the iPhone and iPod Touch is an elegant and easy-to-use application for avid readers.

Westford MA - December 18, 2008 - Square Wheel Software is proud to announce the release of Next Read, the company's first in a series of software applications. Next Read allows users to build and manage their lists of desired books - perfect for the avid reader who is constantly trying to manage an ever-growing list of books to buy.

Next Read uses an ingenious scoring system that allows users to automatically rank order their book lists. Each time a book is added to the list, the user specifies where they heard about the book by selecting from a customizable recommendation menu. Each recommendation source is weighted (magazine = 1, book review = 2, friend = 3, and so on), and the set of possible recommendation sources is completely customizable to maximize user control of the resulting list.

Next Read leverages search results and book detail from Amazon.com, the leading online book seller. Using Amazon permits Next Read to provide the user with the most accurate information currently available for each book. For each book list entry, convenient links let the user to go directly to Amazon to view reviews, purchase the book, or add it to a wish list.

About Square Wheel Software

Square Wheel Software, located in Westford, MA, focuses on providing iPhone and iPod Touch users with useful utilities to help them with everyday tasks.

iTunes Application Store Link:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=299379727&mt=8