My driving principal while designing RECaf was to make the app “thumb-able.” That is, I wanted to be able to do as many tasks as possible with the phone in one hand, gesturing only with my thumb. This is getting harder with every new iPhone generation. Years ago, Jeff Hawkins, creator of the original Palm Pilot and then CEO of Handspring, commented on the one-hand-ability of the Treo line of smart phones. He was getting asked frequently why Handspring had adopted plastic RIM-style keyboards on its phones, rather than relying…

In case you didn’t see it last week: RECaf is available for download on the App Store. If you are interested in tracking your caffeine intake for health purposes (or just out of curiosity) I encourage you to give it a try. A free 14-day trial is available, which gives you access to every feature of RECaf, so you can see for yourself if it suits your needs. Why track your caffeine intake? Caffeine is a drug. While studies have debunked earlier conclusions regarding heart problems, high blood pressure,…

I’ve been talking myself out of building this app for three years. That’s how long I’ve been logging my caffeine intake with my iPhone and wishing there were a better way to do it. Over the years, I’ve tried just about all the caffeine apps. Most were outright terrible. Some had lots of promise but ended up withering on the vine as developers couldn’t afford to keep them up to date.[1] So why make this app now? And why should RECaf’s fate be…

I was recently asked on Twitter for practical examples of how I use Tally, made by Greg Pierce of Agile Tortoise. My response is way too long, even for the new 280-character limit, though, so I thought I’d write it up here. Note: This is not a paid endorsement. I know Greg, and I know he makes great apps. Which is why I downloaded Tally in the first place. But he has never asked me to promote anything of his. I just like talking about great products. Tally, for…

I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about the business side of Apple Watch development. After recording this week’s Release Notes episode, I wanted to further clarify my thinking on why I don’t think Apple Watch Kit Apps are a good place for me to be spending my time. Let me state up front that I’m not telling anyone else how to run a business. You do whatever you think is best for you. I just hope clarifying my thoughts will help contribute to the overall…