WIRED Mentions Widgets

Widgets app icon on colorful backgroundIt was getting late, on this first Saturday night after Thanksgiving. Not feeling well, possibly catching a cold, I decided to do something less mentally taxing. That basically meant doing work that could be done from my iPad. Snuggled under a warm blanket, I decided to check on my SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Would people find “Photics” if they searched for the words “Dashboard Replacement” online? In running this experiment, I found an interesting article from WIRED.

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Widgets – Version 1.8 Update

Contact Emoji – Solar ExplosionWow, that was rough! The Widgets app had a really nasty issue. The app would freeze on startup. If you had too many contacts – boom! The fix was not easy. The “Contacts” widget had to be redesigned and rewritten. It would have been easier to delete the widget and create a different widget from scratch. I’m not sure where the motivation comes from, as the challenge was bit beyond my level as a developer. But somehow, this project is different. I stuck with it until I figured it out.

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The Widgets War

Audio Widget ThumbnailWhile not as dire sounding as the title of this article, (I like alliteration.) I’m in the middle of a battle. The difficultly of creating widgets was severely underestimated. Every single widget (except maybe the clock) has been a struggle. What’s even more surprising is how much I love it. It’s an epic challenge of man-vs-machine. The thrill of victory, in this cerebral conflict, is exhilarating.

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Widgets Preview – Switching Themes

Color Explosion Thumbnail – Color PaletteAbout two weeks from now is the deadline for Widgets. The app is set for preorder, which makes September 23, 2019 a hard deadline. With so much work to do, why fuss with coloring? Customization is a key feature of Widgets. The idea is to make this app something that you’ll want to use every day. Being able to change the look of the app helps keep it fresh. Customization also makes the app more inviting to more people.

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