Bloo relaunches as 1.4.1 Beta. Finally available. New installation required.

Update 1.4.1 Beta is out!

New in 1.4.1:

• Post photo comments!
• Fixed a status update issue
• Fixed when a new album is created an error would occur when you long press
• Some optimizations here and there

Known issues, things to know:

• Photo uploading is done by long pressing on an Album
• There is a memory issue on photo swiping when you go back 3 or 4 pictures you’ve loaded. Should be fixed in 1.4.2.
• Send me a log for friends list crashing while scrolling.
• Notifications are not marked as read on Facebook. This is intentional as sometimes it causes you to retrieve multiple notifications again and again.
• I mentioned this a few times. Facebook API does not allow posting back inbox messages. Bloo is not exactly lacking this feature.

Bloo 1.4.1 Beta is out now.

It is done and it is now free. After being Number 1 Top Paid Social Networking app, I present you the free version of Bloo

Features:

• Live folder for Bloo friends. Instantly access your friends streams from your Home screen.
• Photo comments, yes they are here.
• Photo swiping, no longer back and forth when viewing images.
• Brand new media section. Faster, better looking and easier to use. Fixes errors people had to deal with (mostly recently registered Facebook users).
• Yet again an update on the Stream engine. The feed optimizer is removed completely. Every feed now loads the necessary data and any media (profile pictures, photo attachments and video previews) will load as you scroll. This means the feed will always load faster because it will only load text. If I was to put it in numbers I would say at least 40% faster loading, of course this varies on your connection.
• Some links contain links to events or pictures, now these will successfully load through Bloo. If there are web browser links they will open in your browser.
• Ability to setup notification refresh time for people who pay for data or for people who want to conserve battery.
• Events now are ordered with the most recent event on top.

Note:

• This is a beta version of Bloo. There were a few bugs found in tagging and posting photo comments and hence those were removed. Fixes coming in 1.4.1 which should be out before Thanksgiving.

NDA free on Friday, Bloo goes down for a few days, comes back as FREE with 1.4.

Update: Should be out by midnight PST. Fixing some final bugs I just found out on the photo section (sneaky ones…). No earthquakes so release is good to go.

Wow.

I can’t find a better way to start this blog post. I will be finally free to continue development on Bloo! Since this has been a huge fiasco for the release of 1.4 from now and on Bloo will be free.

There is also a few other features I am very proud to introduce in 1.4 which you’ve been waiting for. Comes Friday, I will focus on releasing 1.4 by Sunday this weekend. You will have it, unless an earthquake occurs.

I hope this is good enough for those who still care about the app. It will become my side hobby as my full time job takes a lot of time.

Should I say I apologize again? Maybe not, it has lost its value after so many times. Right?

-dc

What the hell is going on?

Hey everyone,

So before you lynch me or try to hack my PC to get the current build of 1.4 please read the following.

There has been a combination of things that occured that have incredibly delayed the release of 1.4. To start of I have started to work on a new project (a full time job) information which I cannot disclose as I am on a NDA agreement. At first, I was not allowed to publish further updates or work on Bloo and thus I was unable to continue working on it. I think this is about to change though as I have initiated the process to work on Bloo. I am literally working 15 hours a day without any time to put at Bloo.

Second, the recent Facebook status update has caused some minor or major problems to the feed, something that I want to take care before I can release 1.4. This shouldn’t be a huge problem though.

Third, the dev phone is dead. I am waiting for a new one and working on the emulator is NOT good enough for testing. I need to always test the app on the road to “simulate” real world scenarios.

Version 1.4 is almost complete without a lot of coding needed to be done. There are some bureaucratic issues as well as some new bugs that came up.

You have waited long enough for this version. I understand the frustration and I would be furious as well but its hard to overcome some obstacles.

-dc

 

Not ready yet…

Update 10/19/09 : Birthday today and first day at work. I am trying to finish 1.4. A few more stuff on the media section.

Update 10/17/09 : Anyone who is experiencing problems updating their status, please email me a log from your phone. I would like to include a fix for 1.4.

Hey guys, here’s a relatively sad update…

As I am typing this I am working on Bloo 1.4, and the changes have been tremendous for the app. As I mentioned there is a brand new feed and a new media section. In order for those to work correctly a lot must be changed. However, they are not yet complete and when I say complete i mean to a good satisfactory level for you to enjoy the app. Trust me, you will see a huge difference in Bloo 1.4, at least for the feed and media section and hopefully you will like it!

I really apologize for not sticking up to my words. I have finally found a job, I am trying to move to a new place and things have been really busy here in San Francisco.

Please be patient, it will be out. I won’t promise the day again but it won’t be far. I am almost done with it and I need to test it. Perhaps I can redeem myself with a few screenshots!

-dc

Update: Anyone who is experiencing problems updating their status, please email me a log from your phone. I would like to include a fix for 1.4.

Bloo 1.4 available next week, supports 1.6 and a bunch of features.

Update: Donate for Bloo now! I am shooting for a weekend release. 1.4 is a HUGE release.

Click here to donate for Bloo!

Hey everyone!

The release of 1.6 has delayed my plans for 1.4 as I now have to update the version to support it for the new versions. If you are having a few bugs and problems with 1.6 please let me know. I have identified and fixed a few issues already.

1.4 will be a major update for Bloo and you will immediately notice the differences (in a good way!) There are a few features I won’t disclose yet but there are so much cool stuff to come. Here’s a short list:

• Brand new media section. Faster, better looking and easier to use. Fixes errors people had to deal with (mostly recently registered Facebook users). I will post an update with screenshots and a few “tutorials” on this next week.
• Yet again an update on the Stream engine. The feed optimizer is removed completely. Every feed now loads the neccessary data and any media (profile pictures, photo attachments and video previews) will load as you scroll. This means the feed will always load faster because it will only load text. If I was to put it in numbers I would say at least 40% faster loading, of course this varies on your connection.
• Some links contain links to events or pictures, now these will successfully load through Bloo. If there are web browser links they will open in your browser.
• Ability to setup notification refresh time for people who pay for data or for people who want to conserve battery.
• Events now are ordered with the most recent event on top.

There are a couple more features including one nice surprise! Stay tuned!

-dc

Bloo 1.3.8b available!

Update: Various minimum and critical bug fixes in 1.3.8b!

Well well well, what do we have here? A new version of Bloo!

Before we go into details, please forgive me, I know I said next version will update the media section of Bloo however I wanted to polish some things up, especially with the stream. Media update will have to wait for one more version…

This release instead polishes Bloo a lot! Let’s get into details:

• Heavily updated Notifications engine to figure out feed stories and better error handling code. (Your old notifications will be cleared). If a story is not available it will default to the senders profile. Finally, viewing posts will automatically be expanded for you.
• All application posts now show up on the feed, you can only view them or comment on them but not interact with the applications themselves. They are indicated by a generic facebook icon.
• If you have hidden posts on Facebook, they won’t show at Bloo.
• Link posts now have a ‘link button’ which you press and it takes you to the actual url. You can also finally expand them and comment on them.
• Ability to instantly share links via the browser and YouTube app without opening Bloo.
• Faster stream rendering engine.
• Twitter, Palm status updates now show up on the feed.
• Icons are back for posts.

That’s it enjoy!

-dc

Bloo 1.3.5a now available!

Update: All should be good now. I found a bug with the notification stories so this will be fixed in the next quick release.

Hey everyone,

I have posted a new update for Bloo today. Version 1.3.5a! Check out the features:

• Notifications for wall posts, comments and likes go to the corresponding post (Your older notifications will be removed as they do not contain the information required)
• Posts for other popular mobile apps now show up on the feed. This includes iPhone, Mobile Texts, BlackBerry, other Android apps.
• Marquee based title bar for the home screen, it will now slide if your status update is longer than the screen.
• Validation rules for all forms and auto correct is now enabled, try posting an empty status update
• Updating your status goes through the normal Facebook status API, this means that other apps can now post comments to your posts.
• Ability to clear status.
• Various UI tweaks and optimizations.

Update on 1.3.5a

• Fixed an issue with YouTube posts getting different text.
• Removed the “is” verb from status update.
• Added BlackBerry app support.

In the next major version I will be working on the media section of Bloo including photo flinging and other features! Considering the official app has been dominating, Bloo has become more of a hobby of mine and I hope you guys enjoy the changes for those who are still sticking with Bloo.

Enjoy!

-dc

Bloo 1.3.3 available now! Inbox active!

Hey guys,

I have decided to quickly release 1.3.3 that includes the ability to share pictures straight from the gallery and some minor bug fixes.

Update: Inbox is finally active! Enjoy!

I have been thinking for the future of Bloo myself since the release of the official facebook app but I have received multiple emails from people that support should continue.

Yet again I want to emphasize the reason for the lack of updates. As I just came back in US I am currently looking for a job in San Francisco area and so my time to spend for Bloo (including all the flights and moving) has been reduced.

Last but not least, my 4th attempt to whitelist Bloo for inbox has returned no results. I have applied for a 5th time to get whitelisted.

Stay tuned for more news!

-dc

Finally a status update! Back in the USA!

Hey everyone,

I am finally settled back in the USA. The flight, jet lag and catching up with family and friends have put me away from laptops. However, this is over. I can now finally return to update Bloo for you and implement new features.

I do want to take a moment and tell you that I have applied 3 times for Inbox whitelist and have received NO response from Facebook whatsoever. I have emailed them again. The moment it is whitelisted you inbox will work.

The next version of Bloo will be called 1.4 and there will be new features for you. I really do apologize for the lack of updates for this period.

-dc

Bloo 1.3.2 Now available! (UPDATE)

UPDATE: I uploaded version 1.3.2a. It looks like Bloo is still NOT whitelisted. This is why you get the error. I applied AGAIN for whitelist from Facebook.

Hey guys,

Bloo 1.3.2 is now available. I did not want to prolong the release waiting for Facebook so I released it anyways. If you get an empty inbox it is because the process is not done yet. Otherwise you should be good.

More news coming up soon!

-dc