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And Then There Was Lite…

Joachim Bondo — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:25:52 +0000

Previously, there wasn’t any way of trying Deep Green without having to purchase it. I can appreciate users wouldn’t necessarily just want to do that, although $7.99 US is cheap for an application of Deep Green’s caliber. And only very recently did I provide you with videos to ease the buying decision, let alone a website that would imply the quality I stand for.

By downloading Deep Green Lite, you can now get a feel for its big brother. In fact, they’re exactly the same – with just one exception: Lite won’t restore your previous game at application relaunch. So if you answer a phone call during a game, for example, you won’t be able to resume it, because Deep Green Lite will have terminated.

Luckily, getting the full enjoyment is only a few taps away: Game Info > Help > About:

Tapping the Buy Deep Green button will take you to the comforting shelves of the App Store. So to all of you with a need to kick the tires first, have a go at it.

The Best Chess App for iPhone Keeps Getting Better

Joachim Bondo — Sun, 10 May 2009 22:10:37 +0000

Deep Green 1.1 was just approved by Apple. It’s been four months under its way. That’s a long time. And it feels even longer. Perhaps because I’ve been doing a lot of other things while creating the best Deep Green yet. More on that soon.

Version 1.1 offers the following improvements over 1.0:

Built-in Help
Application Settings:
- Rich, analog-type sounds¹
- Callout notification for check, stalemate, and checkmate
- Vibration on check, stalemate, and checkmate²
- Board coordinates
- Board auto-rotation
- Prevent device from going to sleep
Added piece animations for check, stalemate, and checkmate
Improved animations for captures and move suggestions
More comfortable auto-playback speed in Playback mode
Display of Engine Strength next to player name in Game Info
Animations when swapping colors in Game Info
Quick-link for sending e-mail to Support
Other minor improvements and bug fixes

I’ll be writing about several of these enhancements in greater detail in separate blog posts. For now, check out the videos on Deep Green’s product page.

¹) Sound is only available on first generation iPod touch when using headset or external speakers. The device must be unmuted.

²) Vibration must be enabled on the iPhone (Settings > Sound) for the currently active Silent/Ring state. Vibration is not available on iPod touch.

Hello, world!

Joachim Bondo — Sun, 10 May 2009 19:37:52 +0000

I’ve been reading blogs since 2004. I remember this because that’s when I went back to using a Mac. Now, five years later, I’m ripe for my own blog. Just before they become obsolete, taken over by some new, exciting technology, I reckon.

So why this billionth blog? Mostly for my own sake. I need somewhere to put my thoughts on the code I write, on user interface and design. That’s what I feel strongly about. I’ll be discussing my iPhone applications, perhaps others’ as well.

I’ll strive to make the content both entertaining and thought provoking, so you might want to check back. You may even take it so far as to subscribe to it. Like now.