Google Maps
We've had a few queries surrounding the address lookup within Second Shootr, so I thought I'd take a moment to explain how it currently works and what we're doing in the future.
The agreement between Google and Apple isn't particularly useful to us developers. Google allows developers to display the maps, but to only perform address searches using latitude and longitude. Google won't allow developers to find an address on a map by entering an address (as you do in Second Shootr).
To get around this, we use a third party company to convert an address into a latitude and longitude so that Google can display a map with a pin on it in the correct place. Unfortunately, its hard to find a third party company who's good for worldwide addresses. This meant that our UK and USA users in particular weren't getting good results when using Second Shootr's lookup feature.
In version 1.1 of Second Shootr, we will be ditching our current third party and we'll instead be using an address lookup service that's running on our own websevers. This gives us greater control over how addresses are looked up and should result in much less errors and a more accurate Second Shootr!
We're still testing 1.1 at the moment, but evidence seems to lean towards this service being much more reliable, and faster too.
Long story short:
Map lookups won't suck in 1.1. Yay!
Come on! Its 2010. Where’s 1.1?
OK... so 1.1 should be out by now. But it isn't. We dropped the ball, sorry. We had one too many sherrys over Christmas and it got the better of us.
By way of apology, we've spent a tonne of extra cash and we're going to pack 1.1 with a few extra features.
So now, Second Shootr 1.1 will contain the following features:
- The ability for all pro photographers to use Second Shootr (not just limited to Wedding Photographers)
- Two sets of default client data.
- The ability to pull clients from your address book.
- The ability to re-order lists (order alphabetically/by date or time/manual ordering).
- The ability to edit the kit list.
- Vastly improved Google maps functionality (I'll explain more in a future blog post).
- The ability to send completed photographs to the bottom of the list.
- A 'time' option so that you can do more than one photographic job per day.
Plus a whole other bunch of bug fixes, including, but not limited to:
- Prompting the user before making a phone call. (No more accidental calls to clients).
- Speeding up the data input process by not asking you to choose the data type for default data.
As before, version 1.1 will be a free update to existing Second Shootr users. I'm not going to be silly and commit to another unachieveable date, but we're aiming for around February 2010.
So… what’s 1.1 gonna be all about then?
Second Shootr 1.0 was all about creating an iPhone application to help wedding photographers organise and plan wedding shoots. Now we're opening the application out to all professional photographers.
With 1.1, Second Shootr will enable you to have two types of client, a wedding client or an 'other'. So now, whether you're a portrait, wedding or event photographer (to name but a few!), Second Shootr will help you be on top of your game for every shoot.
Here's a deeper breakdown of how it all works:
- When you add a new client you choose between 'Wedding' and 'Other'.
- If you select 'Other', you will be just asked for one 'Name' (instead of asking you to enter a Bride & Groom name).
- You can now apply a time as well as a date to your clients (allowing for more than one shoot per day).
- Two sets of Default Client Data. One for wedding clients, another for other clients.
We've also included some key bugfixes in 1.1, so Second Shootr should run a bit smoother for you.
If you've already purchased the application, Second Shootr 1.1 will be a free update, hopefully available in around a month's time (depending on how long Apple takes to approve us). If you've not purchased Second Shootr yet, I'd encourage you to purchase it right now and the 1.1 update will appear in iTunes for free as soon as its available.
Second Shootr 1.1 – A sneak peek
You spoke, and we listened. Second Shootr version 1.1 is under development.
Whilst I'm not quite ready to blurt out all the details, here are some sneaky screenshots taken during testing. Make of them what you will! Once we are ready to tell the world, we'll let everyone know via email first, so if you haven't signed up to our email newsletter, you might want to pop over to our main website to sign up.
Second Shootr has landed!
Second Shootr is an iPhone/iPod Touch application for professional wedding photographers. It has just one goal: to help photographers do what they do best...take awesome photos! Second Shootr helps professional wedding photographers to organise the wedding day so that their minds are free to concentrate on capturing those lasting memories.
A brief run-down of Second Shootr's features:
- Store important client information - Names, addresses, phone numbers, websites etc.
- Store key details about the wedding itself - Ceremony/Reception locations, wedding theme etc.
- Capture and contact key members of the wedding party - Store contact details for the vicar, or the best man.
- Know where to be and at what time - Store key events and their location.
- Plan and tick-off your photos - plan those must-have photos, use photos from your iPhone camera or library as a reference and then tick them off when you're done.
- Remember all your kit, every time - check your kit out as you leave the studio, then check it back in when you're packing up.
- Remember everything you need to do before, during and after the wedding - Second Shootr will list your to-do items, just tick them off when done.
- Customise Second Shootr to your business requirements.
Second Shootr is available in the Apple App Store right now and is available for all models of iPhone and iPod Touch (as long as you're running OS 3.0).
If you'd like more information, as well as further screenshots and an instructional video, head to www.secondshootr.com or go straight to the app store to purchase it:
