Comments on: Awaken 4.1 - Look Ma, no iTunes - and look at the moving pictures… http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/ Behind the scenes at Embraceware Tue, 14 Oct 2008 01:52:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Jerry Brace http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2330 Jerry Brace Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:13:41 +0000 http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2330 Whoah Sam - that's a bit drastic :) I've been very busy working on 4.1 - its a major update. I write a blog post once I have a lot to show. In between blog posts I'm very active on Twitter and I post screenshots and video on Flickr (announced on Twitter). At the end of my latest blog posts including this one you'll see "Twitter - I post what I’m working on with Awaken in real-time." http://twitter.com/jerrybrace Awaken 4.1 photoset on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/embraceware/sets/72157604416145970/ Whoah Sam - that’s a bit drastic :)
I’ve been very busy working on 4.1 - its a major update. I write a blog post once I have a lot to show. In between blog posts I’m very active on Twitter and I post screenshots and video on Flickr (announced on Twitter). At the end of my latest blog posts including this one you’ll see “Twitter - I post what I’m working on with Awaken in real-time.”
http://twitter.com/jerrybrace
Awaken 4.1 photoset on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/embraceware/sets/72157604416145970/

]]> By: Sam Spencer http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2329 Sam Spencer Wed, 23 Apr 2008 06:30:19 +0000 http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2329 So I have a theory: Jerry died sometime in March. Possibly due to a network of international espionage and intrigue; possibly after being taken captive by the restless natives. We'll never know. All we do know is that 4.1 was promised to be coming "soon" after 4.0.0-4.0.11 came out in a firestorm early in the year. The last update came February 24, and it looked like it would be right around the corner, given the precedence. Nearly 2 months later, the only news is that it is now part of the macupdate pack. Why the bundling at discount prices? Why the lack of communication? My eyebrow, dear friends, is raised. We'll miss you Jerry. Tell the "real" Paul McCartney we miss him too. So I have a theory: Jerry died sometime in March. Possibly due to a network of international espionage and intrigue; possibly after being taken captive by the restless natives. We’ll never know. All we do know is that 4.1 was promised to be coming “soon” after 4.0.0-4.0.11 came out in a firestorm early in the year. The last update came February 24, and it looked like it would be right around the corner, given the precedence. Nearly 2 months later, the only news is that it is now part of the macupdate pack. Why the bundling at discount prices? Why the lack of communication? My eyebrow, dear friends, is raised. We’ll miss you Jerry. Tell the “real” Paul McCartney we miss him too.

]]> By: Steph A http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2328 Steph A Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:06:51 +0000 http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2328 Hi, Any possibility of having more than one egg timer at a time? I was just using Awaken for cooking, and needed multiple egg timers. I ended up having to reset the timer each time. I guess I could have used the alarm function, but it's more handy to be able to set up an egg timer for 5 minutes, rather than an alarm to go off at 3:05pm or whatever. Hi,

Any possibility of having more than one egg timer at a time? I was just using Awaken for cooking, and needed multiple egg timers. I ended up having to reset the timer each time. I guess I could have used the alarm function, but it’s more handy to be able to set up an egg timer for 5 minutes, rather than an alarm to go off at 3:05pm or whatever.

]]> By: Max Goedjen http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2326 Max Goedjen Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:25:44 +0000 http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2326 Jerry, For those of us who actually buy our music and keep them as protected MP4s, will Awaken be able to handle this? Jerry,
For those of us who actually buy our music and keep them as protected MP4s, will Awaken be able to handle this?

]]> By: Aron Allen http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2325 Aron Allen Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:09:14 +0000 http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2325 Hi, it is looking really cool. A feature i would like was the abillity to make Awaken force the internal speakers as sound output, if it is possible. I forgot one night to unplug my headphones, and woke an hour later :( Hi, it is looking really cool. A feature i would like was the abillity to make Awaken force the internal speakers as sound output, if it is possible. I forgot one night to unplug my headphones, and woke an hour later :(

]]> By: RobinD http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2324 RobinD Mon, 31 Mar 2008 06:49:16 +0000 http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2324 Something I've wished for is beign able to define a keyboard key (like space bar) to to activate the snooze button. There have been a few times when I've accidentally ended the alarm instead of snoozing it, and ended up oversleeping. Also, if a new song were played each time the snooze activated then it would help give enough variety to actually wake me up. Something I’ve wished for is beign able to define a keyboard key (like space bar) to to activate the snooze button. There have been a few times when I’ve accidentally ended the alarm instead of snoozing it, and ended up oversleeping.

Also, if a new song were played each time the snooze activated then it would help give enough variety to actually wake me up.

]]> By: Gabriel http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2323 Gabriel Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:49:45 +0000 http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2323 May I voice a faint warning amidst all this cheering for more? I fear that as further and further functionality is added to this great application it will start to suffer from that unpleasantness known as feature creep. As a Mac user I feel that simplicity and an elegant interface is key to developing great applications and that Awaken may lose some of that elegance if its developers add everything but the kitchen sink. For instance, I feel that the new "status text" displayed at the bottom of the application window, between the buttons, adds very little of value but quite a lot of visual noise. May I voice a faint warning amidst all this cheering for more? I fear that as further and further functionality is added to this great application it will start to suffer from that unpleasantness known as feature creep. As a Mac user I feel that simplicity and an elegant interface is key to developing great applications and that Awaken may lose some of that elegance if its developers add everything but the kitchen sink.

For instance, I feel that the new “status text” displayed at the bottom of the application window, between the buttons, adds very little of value but quite a lot of visual noise.

]]> By: Michael Janisch http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2322 Michael Janisch Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:04:03 +0000 http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2322 The only features I really miss EyeTV support Show next alarm time in dock or in menu allow user to record audio or video message (isight) as wakeup sound/video The only features I really miss

EyeTV support
Show next alarm time in dock or in menu
allow user to record audio or video message (isight) as wakeup sound/video

]]> By: Bryan http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2320 Bryan Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:57:26 +0000 http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2320 Does this require that iTunes be open? Also, I think you guys should redesign the menubar icon. The old one from Awaken 4.0 (before the 4.0.1 update) was perfect. This new one is too bland and generic, and it looks a little strange in comparison to the other icons. Does this require that iTunes be open?

Also, I think you guys should redesign the menubar icon. The old one from Awaken 4.0 (before the 4.0.1 update) was perfect. This new one is too bland and generic, and it looks a little strange in comparison to the other icons.

]]> By: Joel http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2319 Joel Tue, 18 Mar 2008 08:53:40 +0000 http://embraceware.com/blog/2008/02/24/awaken-41-look-ma-no-itunes-and-look-at-the-moving-pictures/#comment-2319 I definitely like this feature. One benefit that you can add to your list is that your iTunes play counts won't get incremented. Right now, all of the songs in my "wake up" playlist always show up in my "most played" smart playlist in iTunes, even though I would never want to listen to them except to wake up. I may be unique with my situation, but I'd actually like this to be a per-alarm setting rather than a preference. I have an alarm set for 6:00 that plays my "wake up" music playlist, I'd like to not use iTunes (for the playcount issue). However, at 6:30 I have a second alarm set to start playing a BBC news podcast. (So that I can listen to the news while I get ready for the day.) If Awaken handles playing the second alarm, the podcast will never be marked as listened to, and the bookmark will be set (to pick up in the same place that I leave off). ...but that's a minor peeve. I definitely like this feature. One benefit that you can add to your list is that your iTunes play counts won’t get incremented. Right now, all of the songs in my “wake up” playlist always show up in my “most played” smart playlist in iTunes, even though I would never want to listen to them except to wake up.

I may be unique with my situation, but I’d actually like this to be a per-alarm setting rather than a preference. I have an alarm set for 6:00 that plays my “wake up” music playlist, I’d like to not use iTunes (for the playcount issue). However, at 6:30 I have a second alarm set to start playing a BBC news podcast. (So that I can listen to the news while I get ready for the day.) If Awaken handles playing the second alarm, the podcast will never be marked as listened to, and the bookmark will be set (to pick up in the same place that I leave off). …but that’s a minor peeve.

]]>