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Archive for November, 2009

November 30th, 2009

This Week in Calgary (Startups, Tech, iPhone, etc)

I’m off to a place that is sunny. Will update when I’m back :)

Best of Web for last week:

- – - -
Have an event? Did you just release/update a product? Looking to hire? Looking to raise startup capital? Email me: mj@robotsandpencils.com for inclusion in next week :)

Next Startup School is Feb 27/28 – 2010.

November 24th, 2009

This Week in Calgary (Startups, Tech, iPhone, etc)

Industry Events:

  • Tuesday, Nov 24 – Check how a local company – Calgary Scientific – is changing the face of medicine. Take 10 mins today and watch them on CNN.

  • Tuesday, Nov 24 – BCIT is hosting an iPhone Forum in Vancouver. A few Calgarians will be in attendance (including myself – drop by and say hi).

  • Wednesday, Nov 25 – Alberta Council of Technologies is presenting a seminar on Stem Cell Therapies for the public (7pm – start). Register here.

  • Friday, Nov 27 – iPhone Dev School 2 takes place in Edmonton – a few seats left for people wanting a jump start into developing for the iPhone.

Financing Events:

  • Tuesday, Nov 24 - A few Calgary companies are in Vancouver today for the iPhone Forum hosted by BCIT and the 26th AngelForum. Congrats to Mob4Hire Inc. and iPhoenix Fund for being selected to present.

  • Wednesday, Nov 25 - iPhoenix Fund 1 (iPhone Fund) is hosting a luncheon in Vancouver at Noon (Marriott Vancouver Pinnacle). Email: jon.lam@me.com to RSVP.

  • Thursday, Nov 26 - Psyko Audio is opening an investment round for accredited investors . Email: James Hildebrandt to find out more. Note: there also hiring a Marketing Psyko! If you have 3 out of the following 5 things, email James: Attitude, Education, Attitude, Experience, Attitude.

Best of Web for last week:

- – - -
Have an event? Did you just release/update a product? Looking to hire? Looking to raise startup capital? Email me: mj@robotsandpencils.com for inclusion in next week :)

Next Startup School is Feb 27/28 – 2010.

November 16th, 2009

This Week in Calgary (Startups, Tech, iPhone, etc)

Industry Events:

  • Tuesday, Nov 17  – Basement to Boardroom – Pat Lor – iStockPhoto to Fotolia – $15.00 for non Digital Alberta members.  (Pat’s awesome – I’d be there if I was in town!)

Financing Events:

Best of Web for last week:

- – - -
Have an event? Did you just release/update a product?  Looking to hire? Looking to raise startup capital? Email me: mj@robotsandpencils.com for inclusion in next week :)

Next Startup School is Feb 27/28 – 2010.

November 1st, 2009

Interview with Randy Troppman about his hit iPhone App: RunningMap Trackometer

I was fortunate to have Randy in iPhone Dev School 1.  Recently, he and his team created a Top 10 App in the Health & Fitness Category.

Thanks for great interview!

~~~

Interview of Randy Troppman, CEO RunningMap.com – makers of the hit Health & Fitness App: RunningMap Trackometer.

Q:  Tell us a little bit about what RunningMap does?

RunningMap.com is a map-based mashup for people who need to determine the distance of the routes they walk, run, cycle or whatever. It has a simple but effective feature set. It is a sharp tool. Primary goals have always been to keep the site clean and simple to use. Elevation is an import addition to location data and enhances the ability of RunningMap as an effective tool for route planning and analysis. “Search by keyword” lets people find user-saved routes in their area or in another city they plan to travel to.

Q: What made you decide to build an iPhone App to go alongside it?

When Apple introduced GPS capability in the iPhone 3G, I immediately saw an opportunity to add a mobile component to the web site. The iPhone represents a convergence of capabilities in one device: phone, music, GPS and internet. Additionally, Apple has lowered the barrier to mobile application development and deployment: a stellar SDK and the smash hit called the App Store. It is super easy for the user to buy apps from the App Store which is followed up with a great user experience: the app installs right there and then with no fuss at all.

From the developer’s perspective, not only has Apple solved the micro-payment problem of the internet, but they provide all the e-commerce infrastructure. The developer can launch their app to 50+ countries and if people dig it, sit back and let the cheques come in.

For RunningMap this was an opportunity to a) learn a new platform to program on b) promote the website  and c) earn some money.

Q: What have been some great resources for learning and developing on the iPhone?

The APress book “Beginning iPhone Development” is great to get started with. But the real boost came from attending the iPhone Dev School 1 in Calgary last May. I learned a lot and returned home with a bunch of reference material that I referred back to many times. Especially useful were the “pro tips” that we were peppered with throughout the weekend. The Google group created for the School has been a great forum for questions. And of course it does not hurt to have access to Russell Bryant who has extensive experience in programming Objective C for the NeXT Step platform.

Q: How did it feel when you submitted the App to the AppStore?  Did you always think it was going to do so well?

Neither Dustin nor I thought we would get accepted on the first attempt. There were just too many variables and stories floating around. I knew that we would have some good initial sales because we have a large user base we can tell about the release. But I had no idea we would make into the top ten of the Health and Fitness category so quickly.

Q: Any tips and tricks you want to share?

You will need a slick icon. Find a good designer. You will need help with marketing. Find someone who knows where to press the right buttons. Keep it simple!

Q:  Your favourite book and movie – all time?

Book: Dune by Frank Herbert (the first book of the series)
Movie: The English Patient

Michael J. Sikorsky | Reports Greatly Exaggerated is Digg proof thanks to caching by WP Super Cache