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Up-to-date system status information for Marketcircle Cloud.
A few weeks ago we announced our Cloud plans. We’re happy that a number of folks signed up for the private beta, and that things have been going well.
We’re now opening the beta up to the public. To try it out, visit this page. If you’re ok with the known issues we’ve highlighted, you can download the beta and get started. The service is completely free during the beta.
Until next time…
AJ
Great news!
Apple has released a Software Update for Mac OS X 10.6.7 users that addresses issues displaying and printing OpenType fonts.
The issue had been affecting estimate/invoice/statement PDF’s that were created in Billings and Billings Pro using OpenType fonts, causing the PDF files that were generated to contain gibberish in place of the chosen font.
You can update your OS the same way you always do. For step-by-step instructions, visit Apple’s support article here.
The Mac and iPhone experience, with the convenience of the Web.
Some people love business Web apps because of the sharing conveniences. Some people love business Mac and iPhone apps because of the way they feel and work.
Imagine you could have the best of both worlds. Imagine you could launch a desktop app and use it right away, with no login, no wait, and no network connection required. Imagine if that same app automatically synchronized your data securely the next time a network connection is available. Imagine not having to worry about servers and networking, or having to make a large upfront investment.
Imagine no more.
It’s been a long time coming and we’ve been dying to tell the world what we’ve been up to. We’ve been thinking about what is now called “the Cloud” for a few years, but we were dissatisfied with the available options. Everything at that time pointed to Web apps. We were bothered by the fact that although computers keep getting faster and more powerful, we’d be designing applications that limit themselves to network connections and the way Web apps feel. Why? It didn’t make sense to us.
What we wanted was the best of both worlds. We wanted a system that gave our users the conveniences Web apps afford as well as the feel of a proper desktop application (Windows users have a hard time appreciating the difference, but Mac and iPhone/iPad users know there is a huge one). People prefer the experience of a native app – the success of the iOS App Store and Mac App Store speak to this fact.
Those real apps are great for single users, but they become difficult to leverage in a multi-user, multi-device collaborative world. Marketcircle Cloud has solved this problem for the kinds of business apps we strive to create.
When you download the new beta of Billings Pro (by invitation, see below), you’ll be greeted with the following screen. If you already have an account, put in your credentials and off you go. If you don’t, you can create an account and add some users in 60 seconds. The additional users will get an invitation via email with the necessary details to get started.
Once completed, the award winning Billings interface will appear. Our Billings product family has received many awards, including the recent MacUser Editor’s Choice award, an Apple Design Award and more.
You can add or remove users, wipe device databases and more using a simple Web interface.
If you prefer to manage your own server and networking, no problem. Simply purchase permanent licenses and install Billings Pro Server on a stationary Mac. If you prefer not to worry about servers, the upfront capital costs, networking, backups and all the things that come with server administration, then use our Cloud service for a reasonable monthly fee.
*Pricing page is not currently live on our website
To keep things simple, we’ve opted for one price that includes everything. You get the full desktop Mac application, the iPhone application, and our Web based time tracking app, Timecard, for any number of devices with no limitations for US$19.95 per user/month. If you prefer to keep the data on your own server, you can purchase permanent licenses on a per-user basis (see store, major upgrades not included). You can migrate from self service to the cloud at any time – and you get a 30 day free trial at the beginning either way.
*During the beta there will be no cost for the service
We’ve had a number of companies using this system for a few months now and this is what some of them have to say:
“We migrated our data across and forgot about it. It all just works – no more worries about dedicating a machine to be the server, having static IP addresses, slow DSL connections and firewalls etc…”
– Stephen in the UK. Creative Director, SpottyPaws.com
“Billings Pro with Marketcircle Cloud has made my life much easier. I’m all the way in Pakistan and the performance has been very good.”
– Khalid in Pakistan. Director, Dexterous Pvt Ltd.
“This new system has been great and simple for me. I’ve been able to do my time-tracking and invoicing from anywhere using a real Mac app and share that data with my colleague without any complications or IT stuff. It just works.”
– Lu in Canada. Director of Photography, Photagonist
If you’re technical savvy with networks and servers, the self-service option might be best for you. If you just want to get down to business and skip all that technical stuff, the Cloud option is the way to go.
We are conducting a brief “By Invitation Beta” program prior to full release. Should you wish to apply for an invitation, please fill in the form below.
Update: The public beta is now available here.
We believe this key piece of the puzzle will help us take advantage of the rising popularity of MacBook Air, iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
Our Billings family of products is looking much more complete now. As a single user, you can purchase Billings and Billings Touch.
With multiple users, you can purchase Billings Pro, Billings Pro Touch and Billings Pro Server (which includes Timecard).
Or if you prefer we manage the server bit, you will now have the Cloud option with Billings Pro, Billings Pro Touch and Timecard.
Until next time…
AJ
As many of you know, Apple has changed the method of interaction between MobileMe & iCal.
This has resulted in changes that may affect workflows and, in some cases, has lead to functionality loss for Daylite users that are also using MobileMe.
We have come up with a solution that mitigates this loss in functionality
Daylite customers who are using MobileMe to synchronize their calendars and contacts with mobile devices or other computers.
Daylite customers using only Daylite Touch to access their calendars and contacts on mobile devices or customer who do not use Sync Services.
The MobileMe calendar used to partake in the “Sync Services” ecosystem in order to achieve things like the two-way sync with iCal. Daylite has been Sync Services compatible since 2007. One of the benefits of this functionality is that users have been able to sync their Daylite calendars directly with their local iCal calendars. This allowed MobileMe users to use iCal as a middleman to Daylite. Daylite has never directly spoken to or integrated with MobileMe in any way – it was just a benefit of both systems using the same sync ecosystem. The benefits were that you could share your personal or family calendar from MobileMe with Daylite, using iCal as the bridge. All of this was possible because of Apple’s Sync Services technology.
With the introduction of the newly upgraded MobileMe Calendar, MobileMe has isolated itself from the Sync Services ecosystem, and any application using Sync Services. Some users who were using Sync Services to get their iCal data into Daylite and other third-party applications may remember this upgrade as it resulted in a very destructive effect. The MobileMe upgrade migrated all existing iCal calendars to the cloud using new technology, and forced a deletion of all local iCal calendars. The same deletion was forced in Daylite due to its compatibility with Sync Services. Luckily our engineers included a Trash bin in Daylite to capture any accidental deletions, preventing users’ data from being permanently lost.
Apple has not directly communicated with us in regards to the reason they made such a big change and why they did it in such a destructive fashion (even after we and other developers expressed our concerns during the MobileMe beta). We believe that moving away from Sync Services is a good direction in the long run.
After introducing the new MobileMe Calendar, Apple allowed you to stay on the old system. By staying on the old system, the integration continued to work. As of May 5th, 2011 however, Apple is completely discontinuing the old calendar, meaning that the old workaround will no longer work.
In investigating and testing possible workarounds, we found a better and more flexible solution. The new solution comprises of BusyMac’s BusySync and Google Calendar. Albeit still dependant on Sync Services, we found this combination to be more reliable and more accessible.
The good folks at BusyMac have offered Daylite users a discount for BusySync. We’ve also prepared a Knowledge Base article that gives you step-by-step instructions, and answers the following questions:
You can find the full FAQ here.
Taking a cue from Apple, we’re not in the habit of talking about future products, however, let me assure you that we understand that some of these *use cases* are very important to many of you. We cannot predict timelines, but please know that some of these are on our priority list.
Until next time…
AJ
We’re thrilled that Apple has featured Billings 3 in the Mac App Store!
Billings had previously held the Top Paid position in the Business Apps category, so we’re excited to see how it does being featured on the main page.
So what are you waiting for – launch the Mac App Store and check out Billings! …and if you have already (and are enjoying it) please leave us a review 
The good folks over at OSXpert have just released a plugin for Daylite that embeds a context-sensitive Web browser into your contacts’ and organizations’ tabs in Daylite.
This plugin will help you:
Here are a few screenshots of WebConnector in action:
Google Maps
Yahoo People Search
A basic version of the plugin has been released for free, with an extended version available for purchase that offers more functionality.
For more information, screenshots, and videos, please visit OSXpert’s webpage dedicated to WebConnector.
The folks at AppStorm have been beta testing Daylite Touch for iPad for a little while and have just published their exclusive sneak peek of the application.
Daylite Touch for iPad did very well, garnering a 9/10 rating.
A few quotes from the review:
“Many of the productivity apps we’ve seen recently are big on eye-candy and short on features. This couldn’t be less true of Daylite Touch.“
“The interface is simple and frill-free and the functionality blows away anything you’ve seen before.“
“Daylite Touch in many ways simplifies the Daylite experience and makes it easier to understand for new users, while at the same time leveraging all the power and flexibility that seasoned veterans want.“
“Daylite Touch harnesses all of the unrivaled professional project management tools of Daylite for the Mac and wraps them in an extremely simple and user-friendly interface that feels right at home on your iPad.“
You can read their in-depth review here.
As many of you have heard, the Mac will have an App Store just like an iPhone or iPad. There are still many many questions as to how things will work, but I think it is worth the risks, especially with an app like Billings.
The Mac App Store will be a great way to help new users overcome fears of buying software. Lots of new Mac users (Apple consistently reports that 50% of retail store purchasers are new to the Mac) just don’t know where to buy software online. Also, space for software on the retail shelves is getting scarce.
Besides, it wouldn’t be a real Mac App Store without some Apple Design winning software 
Until next time…
AJ
A while back, we announced that we were working on an iPad optimized version of Daylite Touch.
Even though we’ve been using it internally for about 5 weeks now, we reached an important milestone today. We’ve seeded the first group of private beta testers today with Daylite Touch 1.6.
We still have a bunch of bugs and interactions to iron out, but things are looking good.
Because I know you will ask – we don’t have a ship date as of yet.
As you know, our aim is to achieve feature parity with Daylite Touch on the iPhone. And having used it for a while now, I can tell you that it has the potential to change your working habits in a big way.
For some of you (especially the ones I’ve spoken to), it will eliminate the need for laptops. You can get away with a desktop and an iPad.
I’ve been leaving my laptop at home for a number of days now.
Looking forward to the future.
Until next time…
AJ
If you synchronize your Daylite calendar with iCal and use MobileMe, please refrain from upgrading to the new calendar. You won’t like the outcome.
Please read the details here.
Until next time…
AJ
