Changes in the iPad app
markedman
July 25, 2013 at 10:00 PM posted in General DiscussionIn the last couple of days I've noticed some changes in the iPad app. Some good some bad:
- It appears that my most recent course is now showing up in the first position in the cover flow. That's good.
- In the lessons, we seem to have lost the dialog and and review recordings. Now we only see the lesson recording.
- When I open up my course, the order of the lessons is radically changed. Previously they matched the order my tutor was presenting them which of course matched the website order. They appear to have been randomized.
markedman
August 04, 2013 at 11:45 PM
I, for one, would be happy to beta test the iphone and ipad apps for them. (Anyone listening?)
root
August 06, 2013 at 04:50 AM
I'm with you, have been relying on the app for about 3 months, only use website for exercises now, hoping i can help continue to improve it...
iaing
July 30, 2013 at 12:32 PM
"If I had to pay extra for it I would definitely not be be renewing my subscription. Then again, I supposed it is embedded in the price of a CPod subscription, so maybe I should be looking at less expensive sites that just provide podcasts"
-This is probably the key point, for me.
-Personally, I don't use the app. As the most efficient thing I can do with cpod is listen and read dialogues (mandarin-only), and I don't need an app to download an mp3 file with lyrics - and then listen and read anywhere / anytime.
-But...I have close to exhausted all dialogues now.
-The thing is, I would rather see cpod focus on core things, that really work, and provide more content, (particularly at advanced/media). Rather than waste time on less important things that perhaps deliver lower results.
-I guess cpod are weighing up resourcing: people that believe the app is important/necessary (which it isn't) vs people that just want what works - more content, without the fluff vs newbies that don't really have a clue what is the best thing to do, and just want cool looking stuff vs others that just want stuff to work right.
-If they focus on longer, more natural dialogues (particularly at inter/advanced/media) with full transcripts, and more of them, cpod would be a truly great product.
podster
July 31, 2013 at 06:32 AM
I have a slightly different perspective. I am still far from having exhausted the backlog of CPod lessons (despite being a long term subscriber -- slow learner). I also think the mobile app is brilliant in its conception, albeit a disaster in its execution. (For all my loyal readers following my tale of woe (Hello, Mum) . . . after a delete and reinstall (flushed all my painstakingly downloaded content again) the app seems to be working somewhat. Still crashing frequently and not completely reliable on accessing downloaded content while offline, but better than before and better than the previous version of the app.)
When the app is working properly I think its a much better way to manage the lessons than iTunes. I guess I am in the category of those that just want stuff to work right. (The earliest version of the app had few bells and whistles, but it actually worked. Consecutive updates have perpetuated bugs and introduced new ones.)
I agree that CPod's strength is clearly in its curriculum (content and delivery by the actors). I did not think that this was suffering from the use of resources to develop the app or website.
Well, I will give your method a try, and thanks for sharing your experience.
podster
July 28, 2013 at 08:57 AM
I downloaded the updated mobile iOS app just realeased, and, despite claims to the contrary, it did not fix any of the bugs (quaintly referred to as "issues" in the description.). All my previously downloaded content remains unavailable if I am not on line, so the app is still less than "mobile." Also, now it is telling me I need to be a paid subscriber to access content. Hello! I have been a paid subscriber for years. (iOS 6, iPhone 4.)
podster
July 28, 2013 at 09:09 AM
I've lost track of how long the iOS mobile apps has lacked true mobility. If I had to pay extra for it I would definitely not be be renewing my subscription. Then again, I supposed it is embedded in the price of a CPod subscription, so maybe I should be looking at less expensive sites that just provide podcasts, since the mobile app never works for me on the plane or when visiting China for that matter, where I keep my data roaming turned off. It is funny in a pathetic kind of way how they describe all the "issues" as having been resolved. I wonder if they ever thought of testing an app before releasing it.
Right-Wingnut
July 28, 2013 at 09:03 AM
I don't own an iPhone/iPad. So, if not for the frustration of users like yourself, this saga would be almost comical.
How long has this been going on now?
podster
July 28, 2013 at 09:01 AM
markedman, are you using the just-released updated? Looks like they followed a long standing pattern:
1. Release a version that does not fix old bugs.
2. Introduce new bugs.
3. Release it on Friday so there is no customer support until the following week.
If you have the previous version in iTunes maybe you can delete the current one on your iPad and restore the existing one from iTunes.
markedman
August 06, 2013 at 10:17 AMBTW, the "Dialogue" and "Review" audio is still there. Hit the black rectangle that says "Lesson" and a popup menu appears. BTW, I like the fact that it shows how much left to download in numbers, not just filling the circle.