How I use Catch for Android to keep track of business write-offs (and other stuff)
Catch is a neat little app for Android (and iPhone, iPad) that I've been using lately to keep track of receipts that I can later write-off as business expenses. Because nothing annoys me more than having a stuffed pocket full of receipts that may-or-may-not ever make it to the 'shoebox' or wherever the hell you're supposed to keep these things.
The app itself is actually a feature-rich note taking solution - with a simple interface for writing text notes, saving audio recordings, and snapping photos. Plus, it's got the added benefit of 'tags' to help you organize it all.
The 'snapping photos' feature is the way I save these business related receipts. And to think of it - it could probably be done without Catch - but the nice thing is - with Catch everything is timestamped, I can tag it, and also enter a description at the time a particular photo was taken (cause the tax man likes details).
And of course, later on my desktop I can open up a spreadsheet (or accounting software), login to Catch.com and formally save and enter the details of the expense to the records.
The Nintendophone is coming... Q4 2011
Steve Jobs was never concerned about Microsoft. Android has been a thorn in his side. But the company he fears the most? Nintendo. And with Nintendo’s new mobile strategy, you’re about to find out why.
In a surprise move, Nintendo has unofficially announced they are entering the mobile market. Yes, the Nintendophone is coming...
And sooner anyone could have anticipated: Q4 2011; just in time for the holiday season.
How I earned a $2k bonus with Goalscape
Contrary to the title, Goalscape didn't earn me the bonus - but it was essential in managing the project. Here's how...
My client recently sent me a cool $2,000 USD for completing a project and meeting a tight deadline.
The project objective was to convert a finished iPhone app design to the Android platform. Making sure that every screen and possible action in the app was conceptualized and customized for Android.
The app consisted of 36 user scenarios that all combined to showcase the final product. It was my job to take each one of these scenarios and recreate them for the Android. While for the most part the UI for both of these platforms can be quite similar, it is the the UX that is more significantly different. Particularly given that Android devices have a hardware back button; which gives users a little more physical control of app navigation.
Anyway, it was a big project. Wtih a tight deadline. And a cash incentive for getting it done on time. A perfect opportunity to deploy Goalscape.
High Resolution Android Phones for App Designers
Visualizing a mobile app is easier when you can see exactly what the app will look like on a real device. So when I present app design concepts for Mekadroid clients, I use a high resolution phone 'shell' to help provide a realistic preview.
But where to find the newest Android phones in high resolution? Product pages are typically limited to a low res, compressed image that will not look any good blown up to the 1:1 resolution your app is designed to run at.
So recently I posted this very question to ui.StackExchange and basically answered it after some more digging. HTC was nice enough to hook me up with a high res front facing shot of their newest device, the T-Mobile G2.
