Updates
WhoNews v2.0 update
30/05/11 21:50
WhoNews v2.0 is under development with the new addition web services now tested and working. The new services check and aggregate all the podcasts of the Doctor Who Podcast Alliance, in addition a whole host of additional blogs. The next version of WhoNews will have the following categories News sites, podcasts, blogs and videos.
WhoNews will continue to be the most comprehensive Doctor Who news iPhone app, collating news and features from over 100+ sources and be the only Doctor Who news app to provide a dedicated iPad interface.
On completion of WhoNews v2.0, work will begin on the Android and Blackberry versions of the app.
Expect releases to come this summer.
WhoNews will continue to be the most comprehensive Doctor Who news iPhone app, collating news and features from over 100+ sources and be the only Doctor Who news app to provide a dedicated iPad interface.
On completion of WhoNews v2.0, work will begin on the Android and Blackberry versions of the app.
Expect releases to come this summer.
WhoNews 1.81 now at the App Store
25/02/11 21:10
WhoNews v1.81 is now available at the App Store. This version has the new WhoNews icon and logo and is likely to be the last update before v2.0 is released with extra features.
To celebrate the new look from today I’ll be dropping the price of WhoNews to an all time low of $1/£0.59 for one week so don’t miss this opportunity to grab it.
Cheers
Paul.
To celebrate the new look from today I’ll be dropping the price of WhoNews to an all time low of $1/£0.59 for one week so don’t miss this opportunity to grab it.
Cheers
Paul.
New look for WhoNews
20/02/11 10:40
WhoNews now has a new look. Version 1.81 which should be available to download very soon has a new set of hi-res icons to replace the old CyberRSS. This ties in with a new look for the website, I hope you all like it. As with all regenerations it takes a little time to get used too...
WhoNews price drop £1.19/$1.99
18/02/11 20:58
I’m announcing tonight another price drop on WhoNews to £1.19/$1.99
The are three reasons behind this. Firstly there are a number of other apps which are offering news on Doctor Who which are nowhere near as extensive as WhoNews in their coverage but are slightly cheaper. WhoNews has always been about providing the best service, the most comprehensive news resource for fans and providing regular app development.
Secondly the more WhoNews slides down the charts the less visible it is and consequently it runs the risk of disappearing in the thousands of apps in the App Store.
Finally I’ve learnt this week I’m likely to be losing my day job and whilst I hunt for another role, the little money WhoNews brings in each month helps fund the new server and pays something towards the bills each month.
Cheers
Paul.
The are three reasons behind this. Firstly there are a number of other apps which are offering news on Doctor Who which are nowhere near as extensive as WhoNews in their coverage but are slightly cheaper. WhoNews has always been about providing the best service, the most comprehensive news resource for fans and providing regular app development.
Secondly the more WhoNews slides down the charts the less visible it is and consequently it runs the risk of disappearing in the thousands of apps in the App Store.
Finally I’ve learnt this week I’m likely to be losing my day job and whilst I hunt for another role, the little money WhoNews brings in each month helps fund the new server and pays something towards the bills each month.
Cheers
Paul.
WhoNews v1.8 now at the App Store
09/02/11 07:34
Just a quick update to say v1.8 of WhoNews is now at the App Store for download and existing users can upgrade by visiting the App Store on their iPhone, iPad or Touch.
I hope you all enjoy the new features and find them useful. Let me know what you think.
Cheers
Paul
I hope you all enjoy the new features and find them useful. Let me know what you think.
Cheers
Paul
WhoNews v1.8 more for less
06/02/11 20:50
It has been a long wait but tonight I completed testing on version 1.8 of WhoNews and submitted it to the App Store for review, so it should be with you all within the week hopefully.
Version 1.8 brings a lot of behind the scenes enhancements and new features including:
Here is an appeal to my US fans and users, I need your help. The price comparison services in v1.8 are very focussed on the UK and I’d like to expand the same features to the US, so let me know which web based price comparison sites you use.
I’d like to thank you all for your patience and I hope it has been worth the wait.
Cheers
Paul.
Version 1.8 brings a lot of behind the scenes enhancements and new features including:
- All news transmitted between the server and the WhoNews app is now compressed. This results in much faster data transfer to the WhoNews app especially over slow data connections. Typically WhoNews downloads around 900 kilobytes of news on a refresh and this is now reduced to 140 kilobytes.
- Pull down news tables to refresh news articles.
- Full text search on news. A highly optimised search engine on the server is now available which allows WhoNews to search every feed in near real-time. This allows your to search over 30 websites from WhoNews.
- Full and free searching of DVDs, games, books, CDs, plus search on actors, sort by release date, best match or title. Tweet, Facebook or email individual links from stores of your choice.
- Inbuilt browser supports forward and back buttons for easier navigation.
- Hi-res iPhone 4 icons
Here is an appeal to my US fans and users, I need your help. The price comparison services in v1.8 are very focussed on the UK and I’d like to expand the same features to the US, so let me know which web based price comparison sites you use.
I’d like to thank you all for your patience and I hope it has been worth the wait.
Cheers
Paul.
A quick WhoNews update
18/01/11 19:35
It’s just over 3 weeks since my last post and I’d like to start by saying thanks to all those who have been kind enough to send their best wishes and support during this period.
It’s been a pretty tough time and I’ve just put everything on hold whilst looking after my dad after loosing his wife of nearly 47 years. All I can say is without the love and support my parents have constantly provided over the years, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Dad and I are over the worst part now and just starting to adjust to life without mum. My wife and family have been a great support during this time and I can’t thank them enough.
This week I’ll start getting back into developing WhoNews, preparing the v1.8 release which includes searching and direct access to the WhoNews feed engine, which in turn removes a download limit of 1MB of news in versions up to 1.7 and also introduces the compression of news on the fly between WhoNews and the server.
I’ll start posting on a more regular basis from now on.
Cheers
Paul.
It’s been a pretty tough time and I’ve just put everything on hold whilst looking after my dad after loosing his wife of nearly 47 years. All I can say is without the love and support my parents have constantly provided over the years, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Dad and I are over the worst part now and just starting to adjust to life without mum. My wife and family have been a great support during this time and I can’t thank them enough.
This week I’ll start getting back into developing WhoNews, preparing the v1.8 release which includes searching and direct access to the WhoNews feed engine, which in turn removes a download limit of 1MB of news in versions up to 1.7 and also introduces the compression of news on the fly between WhoNews and the server.
I’ll start posting on a more regular basis from now on.
Cheers
Paul.
Taking a break
27/12/10 20:02
This is just a courtesy post to let WhoNews users I won’t be responding as quickly to your emails as quickly as a I’d like and the next version will be delayed for some time.
This morning I received the news that my mum had passed away in her sleep. This wasn’t to be expect and I can only be grateful it was such a peaceful end. A times like these life stops momentary.
That’s all for now.
Paul.
This morning I received the news that my mum had passed away in her sleep. This wasn’t to be expect and I can only be grateful it was such a peaceful end. A times like these life stops momentary.
That’s all for now.
Paul.
FINAL DAY to download WhoNews
22/12/10 19:25
A dramatic title for this entry but Thursday 23rd is the Final day to download WhoNews and make a donation to Cure Leukaemia.
Tuesday’s downloads fell by over 50% to just 11 from Monday’s 24. I think Wednesday will be very similar. So this is it the final day to make a difference as the appeal draws to a close.
I’m off to do a final appeal on forums, facebook groups etc and if you’ve like to do the same I sure would appreciate the help.
Thanks to you all
Paul.
Tuesday’s downloads fell by over 50% to just 11 from Monday’s 24. I think Wednesday will be very similar. So this is it the final day to make a difference as the appeal draws to a close.
I’m off to do a final appeal on forums, facebook groups etc and if you’ve like to do the same I sure would appreciate the help.
Thanks to you all
Paul.
WhoNews Search
12/12/10 21:31
Firstly a little update on the WhoNews charity appeal for Cure Leukaemia. Since Thursday it has got off to a slow start with just 12 downloads in 3 days which is about £20, hopefully it will pick up a bit in the week with the press release I’ve put out and support from a few websites. Due to family commitments I haven’t had as much time to push the appeal as I would have liked.
Secondly tonight saw my first tests of the new WhoNews search facility to be included in v1.8 and I’ve thought I’d share the results with you. The current number of articles from all the 30+ websites totals just under 1000.
The WhoNews search page allows you to perform queries on the title and summary provided by each news article. Based on my initial tests on a iPhone 3GS over WIFI, from the point of pushing the search button, the results from the server are returned and displayed in around 1 sec.
The WhoNews server now has a highly optimised search engine which is updated every 15 minutes. The search server provides near-realtime performance for queries from WhoNews. This is coupled with a big change for v1.8 which is all data transmitted between the server and the WhoNews app is now compressed. This results in much faster data transfer to the WhoNews app especially over slow data connections. Typically WhoNews downloads around 900 kilobytes on a refresh and this is now reduced to 140 kilobytes.
The search facility is something which has been requested for sometime now and in the very near future I hope to provide you with a very powerful solution.
WhoNews v1.8 lays the foundations for the big changes coming in v2.0....
Cheers
Paul
Secondly tonight saw my first tests of the new WhoNews search facility to be included in v1.8 and I’ve thought I’d share the results with you. The current number of articles from all the 30+ websites totals just under 1000.
The WhoNews search page allows you to perform queries on the title and summary provided by each news article. Based on my initial tests on a iPhone 3GS over WIFI, from the point of pushing the search button, the results from the server are returned and displayed in around 1 sec.
The WhoNews server now has a highly optimised search engine which is updated every 15 minutes. The search server provides near-realtime performance for queries from WhoNews. This is coupled with a big change for v1.8 which is all data transmitted between the server and the WhoNews app is now compressed. This results in much faster data transfer to the WhoNews app especially over slow data connections. Typically WhoNews downloads around 900 kilobytes on a refresh and this is now reduced to 140 kilobytes.
The search facility is something which has been requested for sometime now and in the very near future I hope to provide you with a very powerful solution.
WhoNews v1.8 lays the foundations for the big changes coming in v2.0....
Cheers
Paul
