PocketPedia: what a great little app!!!

[Pitta]

Hi!
I'm a new iPhone PocketPedia user and I took the time to register just to say how great it is this little App Store Gem.
Before discoverying this gem, I was e-mailing myself large pdf with the list of books I had already read, games I own, wish lists...not so pratical, not so cool (i LOVE the covers).
I realized only now that PockePedia is part of a greater suite of programs and now I'm considering buying the Book one (and a Mac, I'm out of Mac right now, but this is another story) even tough I prefer having my book list on the go when I'm in the bookshop.

Anyway I would like to thank the authors, PocketPedia is really good and I'm sure it will be better in time.

I have one small request (not sure if it is already in the works).
As an Italian user, I found almost impossibile to add Italian books given the search site options (Amazon) so I ended adding up the US-UK equivalent when possibile (Games and DVD are easier to find, they're more 'international').
I searched the site and, if I understood well, someone has developed plug ins for the OSX versions of the program that add other search engine (I read dvd.it for Italy, which is perfect, I mught suggest even ibs.it).
Is it possibile having this plug ins in the PocketPedia iPhone version?
With that, the program would be just perfect to me.
Oh, btw, I LOVE the 'shaking' iPhone suggestion!

Again, many thanks and sorry for my English.

Stefano

[Conor]

Hi Stefano,

Glad you are finding Pocketpedia useful. At the moment we have no plans to expand the search in Pocketpedia as it's hard to find sites that are as reliable and easy to access as Amazon. These qualities in a search engine make maintaining Pocketpedia much easier. As you mentioned our Mac Desktop Pedia users have created plug-ins that open access to Italian sources, including IBS for Bookpedia. I highly recommend a Mac as your next computer. Thank you for the suggestions.

[Pitta]

Thank you for the reply.
As the plug ins are already developed for the desktop version, are there any plans to port them to the pocket version (if possible) ?
I do not know if this is feasible, but it could like other apps, where you download the 'basic' one and then you can download additional 'data' within the app itself (I'm thinking about additional songs in Tap Tap revenge, or additional search engines in browsers).
I know that importing data from different ever changing websites it's not that easy, but I was thinking not new ones, only the ones that already exist (if the 'pocket' program use data as the desktop version, which I assume but I really do not know).

On a side note, if I sync the pocket version with the desktop one with the said plug ins included (and the already correctly populated library), will things work??? (I assume yes, but you never know).

Another suggestion (from a friend of mine that saw yesterday Pocketpedia, he doesn't have an iPhone, but he has a Mac and now is considering the full pedia suite) could be a library browsing like the cover one in iPod/iTunes when you turn the iPhone on the side...could be cool and attract more people

Again, many thanks the app it's already just great.

Stefano

[Conor]

Pocketpedia is harder to update than our Desktop applications, because updates have to go through the App Store and can take time. For that reason we want to keep Pocketpedia as reliable as possible, so that we are not forced to do constant updates when a plug-ins go out of date. With that in mind we have decided we would only include sites that have an official API. With sites like Amazon that provide an API there is a supported standard. Your idea that users could expand on Pocketpedia like they do with the Desktop Pedias via a plug-in architecture is a good idea, but probably very hard to implement on the iPhone, but we will keep the idea in mind for future updates.

Speaking of updates, on our to do list are both a cover flow type view when the iPhone is tilted and a backwards sync. At the moment the sync is only to Pocketpedia so if you purchased CDpedia you would then manage your movies with CDpedia and Pocketpedia would be to browse them on the go and add movies which later you would add to CDpedia and remove from Pocketpedia. Your currently library in Pocketpedia will not sync backwards to CDpedia.

Thank you for all the feedback, it helps us know how users would like Pocketpedia to evolve.

[Pitta]

I see, many thanks for the reply; now I see the problems involved in including already made plug ins in the pocket app.
Honestly, I think the app is just great and I do not think that optional download (after a big disclaimer) of more 'search engine' that eventually could not function any more any time would dectract from the PocketPedia appeal or rating, but I perfectly understand the point.
(I suppose the very same thing happens with the desktop plug ins...sometime the site you 'fetch' is renowed and the plug in must be remade).
The advantage to have the 'search engine plug ins' separated is that you manage the files (on your website), eventually uploading new versions as Tap Tap revolutions does with their songs, not the main App and consequently you wouldn't have to submit new versions to Apple.

I will look how iPhysics (a popoular iPhone game app that is about to surface on the App Store) will use user made levels (a constant in iPhysics already announced for the App Store) that can break o crash the app (it was typical when the game was avaible for jailbroken iPhones).
I simply think they will allow the download (after a big disclaimer) within the app, as Tap Tap revolution does with the additional songs you can play with the option to delete all donwloaded stuff.
There is always the iTunes backup in case of emergency (like the library corrupted somehow).

I understand (considering that probably Amazon covers the 80% of the needings of the PockePedia downloaders from USA, Germany, France and Japan) that it's not a core improvement from a dev standpoint; but thank you for the time you spent on this.

I'll look forward next versions of PockePedia (and desktop BookPedia, when I'll have a new Mac it will be mine )

Again, thank you.
Stefano

[dan55304]

Holy Great App Batman! I've used DVDPedia for many years. It's essential to organize my collection. Now that I'm getting older... what was I saying? Oh, when I go to the store I can't always remember what I own, especially when replacing VHS movies with DVDs. I've used DVDPedia to create a web site formated for my iPhone that I browse to stop me from purchasing even more duplicates. Anyway, what a very cool gift to the Pedia customer base! PockePedia sync'd to may DVDPedia flawlessly and very fast. Kudos to everyone involved and a great big thank you!

BTW, I registered just to post this thank you. That's how much I appreciate what you've done!

[Conor]

Thank you for all the kind words. We are also very excited about Pocketpedia and to hear Pocketpedia and Batman mentioned in the same sentence thrills us even more.

[Pitta]

Just in case I posted my wishlist on the appropriate forum.

http://www.bruji.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2720

Stefano.