I have found BlogSome an acceptable service in the years I’ve used it. But it’s time to move on to a more robust blog host. This blog will remain online in an archived stated with comments disabled for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to export this blog along with comments, so I’ve manually moved over just the last few posts to the new location.

I encourage you to update your RSS readers and bookmarks for the new blog at http://blog.sidetree.com/ (also available at http://sidetree.blogspot.com/ )

Billboard has come a long way from its initial release in mid-2009, and today I’m pleased to announce an update to Side Tree Software’s popular iTunes add-on.

This release is mainly focused on bug fixes and performance improvements. iTunes 9.1 brought some changes in the way iTunes reports playlist information, and Billboard 1.0.5 has been updated to support these changes. But most importantly, you should now see better responsiveness than in the past while Billboard loads album art.

Special attention has been paid to improving the Kiosk (aka “Party”) mode. You can now disable playback controls while still allowing access to the iTunes Browser. This way people can add songs to your chosen playlist (”iTunes DJ” being the default) while still being prevented from messing around with playback. And in similar fashion, the Kiosk preferences now include the ability to choose which playlists your guests will see (or none at all if you want).

There are other numerous smaller fixes and tweaks to improve the overall experience as well, so go grab the latest version from the Billboard homepage! (Full changelog available there as well.)

Today I’m pleased to announce the first game from Side Tree Software; Tribbi.

Tribbi is a “falling blocks” game, with a twist. The goal of course is to clear out as many rows as possible. But, each time you clear rows, the board rotates 90 degrees left or right. In effect, each game is played against two alternating walls of the board.

As you progress through the levels, new pieces are unlocked for ever-varied gameplay. Additionally, the sound effects are spatially related to where the piece is on the board, for increased immersion.

Tribbi can be purchased for USD $10 from the product page. So, go try it out and leave some feedback in the comments!

Today I’m proud to announce the release of Billboard 1.0, an iTunes controller and status display (Intel/PowerPC, MacOS X 10.4 or better). Available to purchase for $19.95 (USD)

This release brings a number of bug fixes and improvements throughout.

Most of the focus in development of 1.0 went into the Browser, which now sports an alternate “Grid” view, in addition to now being resizable. Just grab that middle divider and drag to resize the Browser as you see fit! There’s also a new Single-Click option for the Browser, which should make interaction on touch screens easier.

There are a couple changes in the way Kiosk mode works. Most notably is the fact that it no longer relies on administrator authorization to enter/exit Kiosk mode. Instead, you’ll be asked to set up a Kiosk password. This is so that you can easily allow another person to enter/exit Kiosk mode without having to tell them your system password.

One minor feature in 1.0 which I particularly enjoy is the new Share feature in the Tunelink menus. I listen to a lot of internet radio, and I’m always Tunemarking songs that come up which I like. Frequently I want to share these discoveries with friends in a quick manner, by sending them a link. The Share feature allows me to quickly and easily post a link to the song at Facebook, Twitter or MySpace, or just copy the link for pasting into say, an ongoing IM.

Well, that pretty much covers the big overview of changes in 1.0, you’ll find the complete change log at the Billboard homepage.

I’d like to thank everyone who has sent in feedback in the run up to 1.0, a number of the bug fixes and improvements are thanks to input from users like you!

Today I’m announcing ImagePlay 0.8.1, a layered non-destructive image editor for MacOS X.

This release focuses on bug fixes and all ImagePlay users are encouraged to upgrade.

So go check it out and let me know what you think! Remember; during this public beta period you can pre-purchase ImagePlay 1.0 for USD $20, that’s 42% off the final price of $35!

If you used previous versions of ImagePlay, and you have questions, I’d encourage you to first see the FAQ section at the old ImagePlay website. If you still have questions, feel free to let me know via the Contact link at the bottom of SideTree.com

The changes in 0.8.1:

• NEW can add layers to a project from Project templates, as well as Layer templates
• UPDATE Purchase/Registration process should now be easier to understand
• FIX Various fixes and improvements to the Layer Attributes window
• FIX Possible project corruption when replacing layer’s surface or mask
• FIX Crash when deleting very last layer in the list
• FIX Various problems with saving/loading Layer Templates
• FIX Control board issues with new text layers
• FIX Issues with Project Browser
• FIX Layer previews not updating when changing surface/mask image

Today I’m announcing ImagePlay 0.8, a layered, non-destructive image editor. It’s been a good long while since the last release and a large number of things have changed, I’ll just highlight a few big things, in no particular order.

• Formalizes the transition to a closed-source shareware model for the application. The core engine, however, will always remains open source.
• The controls for the project are now integrated into each project window, as opposed to the former floating palette. Also, there’s now a dark “frame” around the project workspace. (see below screenshot)
  
• Effects previews are now shown within the project workspace, overlayed over other layers, so you can easily get an idea of how an effect will look on multiple layers. (see above screenshot)
• Undo/Redo! Need I say more, this is great to have.
• The Project Browser now includes List View, and support for Multiple Project folders (Local & Networked)
  
• A new file format for projects which will increase performance when loading/saving. Also features QuickLook support.
• Filter layers now have resize handles so you can easily and visually resize them.
• And much more!

So go check it out and let me know what you think! Remember; during this public beta period you can pre-purchase ImagePlay 1.0 for USD $20, that’s 42% off the final price of $35!

If you used previous versions of ImagePlay, and you have questions, I’d encourage you to first see the FAQ section at the old ImagePlay website. If you still have questions, feel free to let me know via the Contact link at the bottom of SideTree.com

This is just a quick update on the progress of Billboard’s development. There are a lot of minor improvements in the forthcoming 1.0 release, mostly thanks to feedback from users like you! There will also be a new optional Grid View, which is pictured below in its early stages.

1.0 should be out within the next month or two. Before 1.0 ships you still have time to pre-purchase it at the discounted price of $9.95! Afterwards Billboard will be $19.95. So if you’ve been testing out Billboard and you haven’t registered yet, click that Purchase button in the startup window and lock-in your discount.

Thank you, to everyone who has tested out Billboard and sent in great feedback.

Today I’m releasing Billboard 0.9.8, an iTunes controller and status display (for Intel and PowerPC Macs running Tiger or better)

This should be the last release before 1.0 (which should come out about two months from now) and it’s focused mostly on polishing things off, formalizing the trial terms, and fixing some bugs.

First I’ll talk about the trial terms and what they mean. The user has a 30 day trial period in which to try Billboard completely unrestricted. All features are enabled during this time. At the end of that 30 day period a few things happen: Fullscreen and Kiosk mode are disabled, random entries in the browser are blocked out, and album-art is replaced with an alternating ad*.

What’s new in 0.9.8? My favorite new feature of 0.9.8 is the improved album art quality. Both when dealing with high-res and low-res album art. Additionally, there are several minor updates to include support for iTunes 9 (and iTunes U). And clicking directly on the album art now displays a contextual menu for the current song. You’ll find the complete change log at the Billboard homepage.

And don’t forget; as a thank-you to everyone who has sent in feedback, you can pre-purchase Billboard 1.0 for USD $9.95 before it ships, that’s 50% off the final price of $19.95!

*A Word About Ads:
Of course, the hope is that no one will even experience the post-trial ads because they will have paid and registered for Billboard before their trial is over. But regardless, I’d like to assuage any concerns over privacy. The ad system does not send any personally identifying information to any servers. And only one ad is loaded per track. When possible, Billboard displays contextual ads, that is, ads which relate to the song you’re listening to. It does this by looking at the tags of the song, and cross referencing them against its own database of contextual ads. Again, I’d like to stress that no information about your listening habits is sent to any server in order to achieve this. As far as the ad server is concerned, it can’t tell the difference between an ad being pulled contextually, or one being chosen at random. If you have questions about any of this, feel free to leave a comment, or send feedback at the Contact page of SideTree.com.

Today I’m releasing Billboard 0.9.7, an iTunes controller and status display (for Intel and PowerPC Macs running Tiger or better)

This version introduces two big new features; Last 10 and Tunemarks. Both of these features are geared towards solving issues related to internet radio, but will work with any media playing in iTunes. Now when you ask the question; “What’s that song that just played while I was in the other room?” You can simply go to the Last 10 menu and see the last ten songs that played, along with helpful links for each of them. And if you’d like to keep a reference to a song for later purchase or reference, you can add it to your Tunemarks.

One feature which I’d like to highlight is the new behavior of the search field in the Browser. Previously, it served only to search your entire iTunes library. In Billboard 0.9.7 however, the search field is used mainly to filter the current list. Say you’re in the Radio listings, looking through the Eclectic section and you’d like to find all the rock stations. Now you can simply type “rock” into the search field, and there are all the stations whose title or description match. If you’d like to search your entire library, you can still do so from the Home, Search, or Playlists screens.

There are a number of other enhancements and fixes as well including animations for smoother transitions of interface elements, and detection of situations where iTunes requires user interaction. Other new features include customizing the toolbar, and an option to show the playtime even when the toolbar is hidden, among others.

You can access the current change log at the new Billboard homepage. Incidentally, you may notice the new website that Billboard is being hosted on. I’d like to assure everyone that this doesn’t reflect new ownership or developers, but a new home for the various applications and projects I’ve had scattered around the web. I’ll slowly be moving these projects to be under one digital canopy, at SideTree.com

As part of the move, currently registered users will see a dialog asking them to update their registration. All that should be required for most people is to simply click the Update button. If you experience any problems, please feel free to contact me via email (under the Help menu in Billboard) or via the Contact page at SideTree.com

And don’t forget; as a thank-you to everyone who has sent in feedback, during this public beta period you can pre-purchase Billboard 1.0 for USD $9.95, that’s 50% off the final price of $19.95!

Today I’m releasing Billboard 0.9.6, an iTunes controller and status display (for Intel and PowerPC Macs running Tiger or better)

This version brings all-new Shuffle and Repeat controls, as well as several bug fixes and improvements for Star Ratings, the Browser, the Control Bar, and transitions. The complete change log is available in the Links section in the upper right.

And don’t forget; as a thank-you to everyone who has sent in feedback, during this public beta period you can pre-purchase Billboard 1.0 for USD $9.95, that’s 50% off the final price of $19.95!