While George, Scott, and I are working hard on the upcoming Skritter iOS app, we thought we’d share some of the alpha testers’ experiences with it so far. Even in its rough form, a lot of testers have great stories to tell about how they’re using the app. First up is junglegirl, who you may remember from the October newsletter.
For several months I had been planning a 3-week trip to Ethiopia in November 2011, and as much as I was looking forward to it, I was also dreading being away from Skritter for so long. I knew that Internet access would not be widely available there, and even when I did find an internet café the connection would probably be too slow. On the rare occasions in the past when I had gone just a few days without Skrittering, my study routine had been turned upside down, and I had become very frustrated by seeing how quickly I had forgotten what I had learned. I hated to think what would happen after three weeks.
At that time the iOS app was still in the early stages of alpha testing; it tended to crash a lot, so I didn’t have much hope that it could hold out for the whole trip. Nevertheless, I explained my situation to Nick, and he finished a stable version for me the day before I left. Lo and behold, it worked!
Thanks to the iOS app, I had Skritter in my pocket, no matter where I went! I could Skritter while cruising from one monastery to another on a boat around Lake Tana, watching gelada baboons playing on a plateau above Lalibela, trekking through the newly harvested fields of the Tigrai region, waiting for the bus conductor to change a flat tire, or just relaxing in a hotel room after a long day of travel. Ethiopia is a beautiful and often misunderstood country with a unique history, culture, cuisine, religion and people. I had an amazing trip there, and it was made all the better by the fact that Skritter was right there with me the whole time.
Even now that I’ve returned home and am connected to the Internet for most of the day, I definitely still enjoy playing (I mean, er, studying) on the app. Skritter is actually much faster on the app than on my laptop, and it’s great to be able to pick it up and study straight away, even when I only have a few minutes, rather than waiting until I have a solid chunk of time available to sit in front of the computer. Knowing how far the app has come already, I can’t wait to see what the finished version will be like once it hits the market.
For more photos of junglegirl’s trip, check out jungleboy’s Flickr page. And if you haven’t already, go check out the Skritter iOS app teaser page and sign up to get an email when we launch the free app. You’ll also be entered to win a free iPad to Skritter on.