My popular North American birds life list App, LifeList-Birds, has been updated. Identified as Version 1.1, this update contains the following changes, enhancements, and corrections:
- Performance improvement
- Your name, date, and time are automatically entered and can be edited
- GPS coordinates* are automatically recorded (*must have wireless and/or cellular connection)
- You can map your sighting position and save the map image in your iPhone/iPod touch Photo Album
- Modified “sighting entry” page
- Moved total-bird-sighted count from bottom of database table to floating footer
This update works on all iPhone and iPod touch devices with OS 3.1.3 or later. Version 1.1 is a free update to all original App purchasers.
In the version that I have on my iPod Touch, I cannot open the page of a bird that has already been identified as having been observed, i.e. that is identified with an x. When that is attempted the program closes.
It would be useful to be able to make additional comments when a bird of special interest has been observed on later occasions.
Some common birds are not included such as the Common Merganser. A useful option would be the ability to add a bird to the list and create a page for it.
First of all, Doug, thank you for your investment in LifeList-Birds. I really do appreciate your business.
In your comment you have raised several very important issues, please allow me to reply to each of them:
1. iPod touch version. Please make sure that you’ve updated the App to its most recent version = Ver. 1.1.
2. Cannot open a previously sighted bird entry. I am unable to duplicate this error, Doug. YES, you should be able to examine/edit all entries, both sighted and unsighted. As a test, I just purchased an iPod touch (2nd Gen model; I use an iPhone 3G with iOS 4.x for my development and testing) with OS 3.1.3. Then I downloaded the App and made a couple of bird sighting entires. I then closed the App and opened each of these previous entires. A couple of other users have reported similar issues, so I will continue to study this potential problem. Please refer to these two Apple support documents regarding backup and restore issues:
Phone and iPod touch: About backups – http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1766
iTunes: Backing up, updating, and restoring your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch software – http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1414
3. Missing Common Merganser. I can’t believe that I overlooked that bird. Thank you for the “heads-up.” I also think I forgot Rufous-Sided Towhee. Plus many international users have been requesting this same feature. At any rate, adding/deleting birds is one of my top update priorities. First, some background:
I have developed a database editing solution and it is currently being tested in another one of my Apps: LifeList-Sites. And it works! The problem is that I don’t want to accidentally corrupt the Bird database with a careless update. There are several hundred users of LifeList-Birds and I don’t want to destroy their life lists with a new database schema that could overwrite their current one. Yes I am working on a Version 2.0 update AND this update will be free to all current users of LifeList-Birds.
Again, Doug, thank you for your interest. An update for LifeList-Birds is scheduled for development, once I finish another iPad App.
Dave P.