The Chemical Touch
Future directions:
Aug. 31, 2010
I figured I'd attach a pict of the highres version for iPhone 4 and iPad. The iPhone 3G is holding the update back. It apparently lacks the memory that the newer phones have, and this is causing the development app to crash randomly during normal navigation. Hence, I'm on a mission to minimize the memory usage before releasing the update. Anyway, enjoy the preview...
May 11, 2010
A universal binary is in development. The hope is to have high resolution graphics for those of you with iPads with a simple, free update. I have some thoughts on specialized directions to take iPad development, and this may necessitate creating a new application. Anything entirely new will wait until after The Chemical Touch is good to go in its current form.
The universal binary build is taking a bit longer to make because I need to rewrite foundational interface code. Some of the old button code was adapted from example code from before the App Store was opened, and it won't work properly with GCC 4.2 (required for iPad development). Also, a month of my life seemed to flash away with the birth of my son. That means instead of coding when I can't sleep, I'm not sleeping because he needs attention. He seems to be mellowing a bit, so development should start going more smoothly. I'll post a progress report closer to update release time.
Mar. 11, 2010
Well, this serves me right for altering the data structures in the general information panel. v1.7.1 should be out, and it includes the correction listed below. There is one bug that this update misses. The labels in the radii panel are incorrect. I will submit a v1.7.2 update that fixes this soon, and see about adding in a new feature or property to try to make up for the hassle this has caused.
Mar. 10, 2010
There is a bug the sets the crystal structure (and No Data declarations) in the general panel incorrectly. Sorry about this, an update will be released later today.
Mar. 8, 2010
v1.7 is in testing at Apple. If all goes well, you should be able to update in roughly a week.
Feb. 18, 2010
Just a minor update for those interested. Reduction potentials are nearly finished. While working on them, I made changes to the program load procedures. v1.7 will start up as fast as, if not faster than, the Lite version. This is because now only the last view displayed will load when you first restart The Chemical Touch. The drawback is that the first time you switch views (like from the Periodic Table to the Amino Acids) there will be a slight pause as the app loads the new display information. The delay is barely noticable, so I figured it would be a good trade-off to gain blazing fast startup. Oh, I also slowed down the transition animations to make them smoother.
One thing that will not make it in v1.7 is cut-and-paste. I'm running into a memory handling issue with the compiler required for iPhone OS 3+, so v1.7 is being built for OS 2.2.1. I know how to fix the issue, but it will require a good chunk of time to do so. Maybe next update...
Feb. 8, 2010
Okay, I think it didn't go so well. v1.7 has been on hold since the v1.6.1 update in October. It's academic job hunting season, and I've been dumping my time into working on talks, applying for jobs, and writing papers and grants. One nice thing is the last grant I have to deal with for a while will go out this week, so I'll suddenly have that monkey off my back. Having the app up on the front page of the iTunes store again, plus the series of emails asking "what's going on?!", has kicked me back in gear. Back to the future of the app:
Standard reduction potentials are in the works. I have also received requests for two new languages, Dutch and Korean. The Dutch should be straightforward, but I'm still uncertain about the Korean. As far as another panel on the back goes, hopefully I can get the one I've been designing together.
Apparently Copernicium is still being debated. It looks like IUPAC is on the same development cycle I have been on these last several months.
Sept. 1, 2009
Apologies for the delay in word on the next update - I've been absolutely swamped with my real job at the moment. Assuming things ease up a bit in a week or so, I'll be able to devote some time towards the next additions. What you may see in the next update: iPhone OS 3.0 goodness (think cut-and-paste), more property info. for the elements, and another new panel. I also have some fun ideas for making the info. in the app even more interactive, but I don't know how well they will work in practice. I'm targeting mid-October for getting v1.7 together, we'll see how it goes.
Oh, the Lite Edition will also get an update soon as well - French and Hungarian speakers rejoice!
July 20, 2009
Well, the June target slipped to July. Sorry, I've been busy of late. Anyway, the update is submitted and in testing. Hopefully it gets released sometime this week. I've been playing with iPhone OS 3.0 features, but they won't get fully incorporated until v1.7 - the v1.6 update was built using iPhone OS 2.2.1.
I've received several questions about Copernicium. Once IUPAC ratifies the new name, the change will get incorporated. I didn't think it would be right to jump the gun before it's official. As the ratification isn't happening until the end of this year or early next year, it'll probably be 2 or 3 updates down the line.
April 29, 2009
Looking to version 1.6:
Current target date of the next update:
Sometime in June
Possible future additions and changes:
-More isotope detail (highly likely)
I receive many requests to push the isotope information further. Luckily, while working on version 1.5, I sorted out an issue in the current isotope table that was making the app take
forever to build. With some under-the-hood organizational changes, I'll be able to add more without worries.
-More language support (highly likely)
French localization is in the works, and others will make it in depending on requests. Languages will feed into the Lite Edition as well.
-More element information and more properties for coloring the table (highly likely)
These are pretty straightforward improvements, so you can count on them arriving in the next update.
-Dude, there are only 2 big buttons on the back. What gives?
Yeah, it does look a little barren back there. Maybe I'll get around to changing that...
April 21, 2009
Version 1.5 is now in Apple's hands. Hope you like the graphical touchups and additional features. More to come soon...
March 14, 2009
Okay, things happening on the development front for 1.5:
Current target date of the next update:
Middle of April
Possible future additions and changes:
-Slightly reduced load time (already coded in)
I did some work under the hood to get you running a little bit faster. This amounted to implementing a more dynamic loading procedure. The startup speed will depend on the screen you were looking at when you last shut down (the isotope table and graphical periodic table are slower than the others), but now loading isn't limited by the slowest step. Unfortunately, this isn't a dramatic decrease - there is a lot of info. in the app that needs to get loaded into memory, and there is only so much I can do to minimize its effects.
-Units changing (highly likely)
I almost put this into version 1.4, but I wanted to get the update released on schedule. This is on the front burner.
-More properties (highly likely)
I always like to add more information, so version 1.5 will be no exception. The general information panel for the elements will get a bit more robust. Also, several users have requested specific properties, and I'll see how easy it is to include them.
-Color the table by more properties (highly likely)
Something I've been wanting to add for quite a while. The solution I have in mind is more practical than a color by whatever you want method.
-Search feature (possible)
I looked into this for version 1.4, but it wasn't coming together in a way that matched the look and feel of the app. I'll give it another go.
As far as other additions, I'll be trying some things that are not mentioned above. If they work well, they'll get officially added. If they turn out to be really cool, I might post some images before the release.
Feb. 18, 2009
Okay, I just released version 1.4 to Apple. It delivers primarily on the "more element properties" point. This version required quite a bit of under the surface retooling, and this allowed me to really extend the amount of information stored internally while still keeping things just as responsive as the last version. After it gets released, I'll update this page with the direction being taken for the next update. Hope you enjoy the improvements.
Jan. 12, 2009
The Chemical Touch has grown quite a bit from the initial release back in August of 2008. These changes are both in response to your requests and intended changes that I wanted to make from the beginning. Having received many requests for additional features and inquiries into the status of the next update, I've decided to add this "future directions" page to the website to keep those interested in the know.
Getting a useful update to an application feels like a receiving a surprise gift, so I won't be spoiling all the surprises. The items listed here are things I've already mentioned to others, fairly obvious additions, and a couple of longer term goals. These are NOT definite changes or additions, what I intend to do and what I actually end up doing are often quite different. Whether or not something gets added and how I go about doing it are a combination of practical and aesthetic concerns.
Current target date of the next update:
Middle to late February
Possible future additions:
- More element properties (likely for the next update)
More info. is the most commonly requested feature, and is probably the most obvious next addition. The addition of the x-ray emission data is a harbinger of more to come in the area of x-ray information. Principle absorption energies and inner-shell binding energies are both candidates. More general properties, like the most stable crystal lattice are also on the list. I also want to extend beyond the 10 value limit. Based on how I originally wrote the Detailed Information Display, I'm running up against a limit to the number of properties I can include. I need to reorganize it a bit to add more in. In doing so, the look of this display will change a little bit, but it will still have the same general layout.
- Search feature (likely for the next update)
Type in an element name into a dialog box to select your element of choice by name. Useful for new students that don't want to select each element one-by-one to find the atom they are looking for.
- Switching units (possible, but more likely a little later on)
For those who like their energies all in eV's or temperatures all in Fahrenheit or Celsius. I've been choosing the most common or convenient units for the various properties, but what's common for me may not be common for someone else.
- Mass calculator (later addition)
This is something I've wanted to add from the beginning, but it'll take a bit of design work to fit it in. Several utilities that do both molecule and peptide weights have recently cropped up on the App Store, but it would still be a nice addition. Whatever I come up with will be unique and fit with The Chemical Touch's style.
- Changing the default properties for coloring the periodic table (possible later addition)
Again, something I've wanted to add from the beginning, it just kept getting shelved due to practical coding considerations. Adding this will require quite a few changes under the hood, but it may arrive at some point.
- Other types of information (later addition)
Chemistry isn't only about elements and amino acids. There is a lot of info. out there that would be nice to have right in hand. More will come...
