Horror Stories? Yikes! Sounds like I may need "Mr. Pointy!" (<--allusion to Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Hopefully it isn't all THAT bad. The process is certainly not instantaneous though, and I expect that Apple has a significant backlog of paperwork, contracts, and accounts to create.

You may not be aware that the final (non-beta) developer tools were also just released on July 11, and we've been trying to download and install them. Since we had some open bug reports to Apple, we would prefer to be using the release tools.

Stuart and I have been coding on the project as if we would make that July 11 date, and we will just keep pressing forward until it is complete, aiming for as close to the iTunes store opening date of July 11 as llama-ly possible. To be included for July 11, though, you had to submit earlier than that. And by the time they told us the earlier date... we knew we had no real chance to meet that and have it be...um.. what's the word I'm searching for.. oh, yeah... good. I dare say that some of the folks who may have rushed it, could be actually regretting that decision now.

We do still have some work to do on the application, but so far, it is looking good to us, and we're not that far off. The energy in the project is really nice too. It is intense work, but also very fun for us.

We will need to take some screen shots for the store at some point, so we can try to post those for you all too. Understand that won't be as high a priority though, compared to finishing up the project, and submitting to the actual store. I'm just saying... ;-)

We'll get there.... I may not know the exact date we'll be posted yet, but at this point the project looks finite and doable, we're still moving fast, and that's always a cheerful stage of any project.

I trust Apple will be able to get our listing out there when the time comes. It will be an easier and smoother process for all the developers as they get the starting whim whams worked out.

Thanks also for following along with this project! We are really glad to have your interest and support for what we're trying to do here.

So... hopefully no real horror stories from me...(As Catherine does a quick backflip, deploys "Mr. Pointy" and creates an exploding cloud of dust from some kind of worrisome little thing.)

We just need the right weapon... oh...attitude :-)

Grrrr! Argh!

--Catherine--*

Hi there Nomad!

Thanks for the suggestions and for your sympathetic thoughts for Stuart and his family.

It was his Aunt Florence, his father's brother's wife, who passed away. She was older and a really sweet lady. Always very kind to us.

Getting Stuart out the door and on the train was even more of an adventure than usual because our car is in for service. I had to borrow my mom's car to get him on the next train South to get him there on time. But we did it! I got word that he made it to his mom's house.

On the iPhone. The very first version probably will not sync. It will be a standalone application. Think of it more like the early Newton and Palm releases. Much nicer, obviously! We want to get the basics right on the platform first.

The interface is a little different... to take advantage of how the iPhone does things. It stlll looks like Life Balance while being iPhone-y!

We've taken some screen shots, so when I do get a chance, I will try to post more about that.

You are right that how to do beta testing is sort of an unusual iPhone issue that is being worked out. I'm not sure if/how we'll be able to handle that.

As for how to help... you just did! Your message is very cheerful and you will never know just how much that helps us keep doing what we do here!

One other thing that really helps is to let us know if Life Balance is helping you to achieve some specific result -- or complete a special project --share some of those cool goals and accomplishments in your account profile here!!!

Examples might be things like "I regained enough time to take a vacation after 10 years without...", "I'm renovating a farmhouse...", "I manage a particular exotic lifestyle where I travel to my other house in Fiji every six months...", "I am going back to school...", "I am training for a marathon..." "I run a small business that does something fascinating and exciting..."

You know...Interesting and specific stuff like that... that YOU PROBABLY TAKE FOR GRANTED AS A LIFE BALANCE USER NOW...and often really ordinary things too are helpful. Just knowing that you use Life Balance if you are working in Real Estate, or a student, or a mom with kids... that stuff brings it down to earth, and makes it REAL to other people. So, when you celebrate a cool milestone... or just an everyday Life Balance "Aha! moment" let us know about it too!

Look for the "optional fun stuff" tab under "my account" -- could be a great place to do that. ;-)

Best wishes, and thanks again for the great energy and encouragement for the home stretch on this project!

--Catherine--*

Hi Catherine et al,
Just adding my support for the upcoming release of LB for iphone/touch.
Checking out the site regularly for updates and I know that I am being a pain, but like a naughty kid in the back of the car...are we nearly there yet?!