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Show HN: my new app Timebar has a clever UI (I think)

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Re: Show HN: my new app Timebar has a clever UI (I think)

#13

Post by markchristian »

grimgrin wrote: post #8

I assume it should work fine with something like "30 seconds" or "1 minute", right? It's moving very slowly. About 2 inches in the past minute (set for 1 minute). Oh another thing, I like that you offer a snooze when the timer runs out. I think that you probably left it silent because noises may seem to defeat the purpose. It wouldn't be terrible to allow the user to browse for an audio file, though. I want the subtl…

Eek; it sounds like you've hit a bug. Can you email me some more details? m@rkchristian.ca. Sorry!

Oh, yes — an audible alarm is a great idea. I'll explore that for the first update. I hope to start hacking on 1.1 with my lady tomorrow night. :)

Re: Show HN: my new app Timebar has a clever UI (I think)

#14

Post by markchristian »

jarin wrote: post #3

This is simple but awesome. I like this way better than my current pomodoro timer. I left a review. I don't want to see the app all bloated up or anything, but an audible alarm would be nice, as would having a few saved timers (so I could start a pomodoro or a break with a single click).

Sounds are a great idea. I'll have a noodle on how I can add that without cluttering things up too much.

As for separate pre-defined timers, that's a pretty good idea, but I'm not entirely sure how to do that without making it quite a bit more complex. That being said, I do plan on adding AppleScript support and some Alfred workflows, so I think we can definitely get things cookin'. :)

Re: Show HN: my new app Timebar has a clever UI (I think)

#15

Post by richo »

markchristian wrote: post #10
richo wrote: post #6

Nicely done! Super innovative. Maybe I'm retarded.. what are the promo codes for?

Oh, yes — Apple doesn't make this very obvious. Here's where you put the promo code: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/750911/Screenshots/f~aaa4t_5a2i.png

Thankyou!

The app looked well and truly worth the $3 so I just bought it, but good to know for next time.

Re: Show HN: my new app Timebar has a clever UI (I think)

#17

Post by ruswick »

The idea is novel, and I certainly commend you for being audacious with the UI. However, this is not worth the money for me. The app's functionality is not particularly distinct from any other timer app. The UI is nice, but I honestly don't see how it's worth what you're charging, at least for the way in which I use timing apps. Timers generally tend to be utilitarian and pretty trivial in their functionality. I'm perfectly content with a free timer, irrespective of the UI.

You might have a hard time attracting customers, especially in a market so overcrowded and with so little room for differentiation.

Re: Show HN: my new app Timebar has a clever UI (I think)

#18

Post by donaldguy »

Pretty awesome.

Some suggestions:

  * Pause? (possibly autopause on screensaver/sleep/lock)
  * Re-label "Cancel" as "Stop". When I accidentally started a timer longer than I
    meant I overlooked it and quit/reopened the app instead (Maybe I subconsciously
    assumed cancel would just dismiss the window/popover?)
  * The slider is not a very rapid time entry method, if you expect to ever want
    different times. I'd suggest instead:
    * basic time parsing for rapid entry (e.g. '5m', '15m', '1.5h'). This would be
      more useful, to me, than being able to label the reminder.
    * or hotkeys for common lengths (e.g. ⌘1 for 5m, ⌘2 for 10m, ⌘3 for 15m when
      popover focused -- or user configurable alternative)
    * combined with a global focus hotkey (possibly assigned through an external 
      handler), this would make starting a timer for a given length without taking
      hands off the keyboard possible... which seems worthwhile to me
Anyway, just some thoughts.

Overall, super cool.

Edit: Alfred workflows (which I saw you mentioned below) for common times would also do a pretty good job of what I was saying

Re: Show HN: my new app Timebar has a clever UI (I think)

#20

Post by markchristian »

donaldguy wrote: post #18

Pretty awesome. Some suggestions: * Pause? (possibly autopause on screensaver/sleep/lock) * Re-label "Cancel" as "Stop". When I accidentally started a timer longer than I meant I overlooked it and quit/reopened the app instead (Maybe I subconsciously assumed cancel would just dismiss the window/popover?) * The slider is not a very rapid time entry method, if you expect to ever want different times. I'd suggest instea…

Thanks for the ideas. To run through 'em:

* Timebar actually compensates for sleep, so if you set an 8 hour timer at 12 PM, it will finish at 8 PM even if your computer was asleep for some of the time in between. * Definitely going to re-label this; there are a few little UI tweaks in the pipeline. Keep the suggestions coming; they're very welcome. * So, the very first drafts of this were built around the idea of a natural language text field for setting the time. I ended up abandoning it because a) I have no experience with NLP and b) since it's a menu bar app, your hand is already on your mouse/trackpad — not your keyboard. I think the Alfred workflows will go a long way towards letting power users work at warp speed. :)

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