document.write('\x3cmeta http-equiv=\x22x-dns-prefetch-control\x22 content=\x22off\x22/\x3e\x3col class=\x22tumblr_posts\x22\x3e\x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eFirst Screenshots of Chronicle 4\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eChronicle 4 is almost ready, evidenced by the fact that I am \x3cem\x3efinally\x3c/em\x3e posting screenshots of the new version. Almost everything is functioning properly, and as you can see, the interface is quite updated. There\x26#8217;s a ton that can\x26#8217;t be seen from these screenshots, but a couple highlights:\u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3ca target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://littlefin.com/blog/billscreen.png\x22\x3e\x3cimg height=\x22184\x22 width=\x22269\x22 alt=\x22Bill Screen on Chronicle 4\x22 src=\x22http://littlefin.com/blog/billscreen.png\x22 align=\x22right\x22 hspace=\x225\x22 vspace=\x225/\x22/\x3e\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eThe Bill Detail Screen\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cul\x3e\x3cli\x3eCoolest change is the new \x26#8220;Last 12 Months\x26#8221; view on the Payment History graph. Instead of seeing only this year or only last year, you can see a mashup of the last 12 months (this year is in blue).\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3eBill icons are now bigger, sidebar is redone, most all icons and graphics redone.\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3c/ul\x3e\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3e\x3ca target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://littlefin.com/blog/overview.png\x22\x3e\x3cimg height=\x22183\x22 width=\x22270\x22 alt=\x22Overview Screen\x22 src=\x22http://littlefin.com/blog/overview.png\x22 align=\x22right\x22 hspace=\x225\x22 vspace=\x225/\x22/\x3e\x3c/a\x3eThe Overview Screen\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cul\x3e\x3cli\x3eMost obvious change: \x3cem\x3ecalendar view! \x3c/em\x3eBills due are highlighted on the calendar, and hovering over a date tells you which bill is due.\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3eNot so obvious: you can switch the months forward and backward, and the amount due and amount you paid auto-update, so you can see overall how much you paid in any month, not just the current month.\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3eAlso not obvious from screenshot: you can turn the income option off if you don\x26#8217;t care to track your income in Chronicle.\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3eAnother really cool thing: tagging and filtering. At the top of the overview, you can see a little filter menu, which you can use to Show All Bills, or just show bills with a certain tag. This makes it really easy to separate your business and personal bills, for example, or divide bills up by payment type, by person, or whatever.\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3c/ul\x3e\x3cp\x3eAs I said, there\x26#8217;s a whole lot else new as well. Everything is refined and updated, and much of the code driving is rewritten to be a lot faster. The code is now on a better foundation for future updates.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eChronicle 4 will be going into beta testing soon\x26#8212;hopefully next week, or perhaps the week after at the latest. If you would like to test Chronicle 4 (current user or not), send an e-mail to \x3ca title=\x22beta@littlefin.com\x22 href=\x22mailto:beta@littlefin.com\x22\x3ebeta@littlefin.com\x3c/a\x3e and I\x26#8217;ll add you to the beta testing list.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eUpdated: Sync Chronicle Reminders with MobileMe, Google\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3e\x3cem\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eUpdate 2: New instructions for Google calendar on Lion!\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/em\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eOne of the best things about Chronicle is that it syncs your upcoming bills with iCal, so you get timely reminders to pay your bills. If you have an iPhone, those reminders will even sync to it.\u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eEven more awesome: Chronicle sync its reminders to your MobileMe or Google calendar account. This is fantastic because if you have your iPhone calendar set up with your MobileMe or Google calendar account, the reminders will be pushed automatically to your phone!\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eBy default, Chronicle creates it\x26#8217;s reminders on a calendar on your local Mac. However, if you want those reminders to be on a Google or MobileMe calendar instead, that\x26#8217;s easy to set up.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eMobileMe Instructions\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eAssuming you already have iCal set up to sync with your MobileMe account, here\x26#8217;s how to get that working with Chronicle.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3col\x3e\x3cli\x3eLaunch iCal\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3eIf you see a calendar named \x26#8220;Chronicle,\x26#8221; rename it \x26#8220;ChronicleOld.\x26#8221;\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3e\x3cimg alt=\x22Selecting a Calendar\x22 width=\x22250\x22 align=\x22right\x22 src=\x22http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfgjoqs4tE1qb602i.png\x22/\x3eCreate a new calendar on the appropriate account. Select File/New Calendar, and select the MobileMe account you want to sync with (see screenshot).\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3eName the new calendar \x26#8220;Chronicle\x26#8221;.\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3c/ol\x3e\x3cp\x3eThat\x26#8217;s it! Chronicle will write it\x26#8217;s reminders to the iCal calendar named \x26#8220;Chronicle\x26#8221; no matter which account it is a part of. If you don\x26#8217;t have any reminders left on the ChronicleOld calendar, you can safely delete it. If you do have reminders there, don\x26#8217;t worry. Every time you log a payment, edit a bill, or create a new bill, Chronicle will update the reminders, and add them to your new calendar. Eventually, all the reminders on ChronicleOld will go away.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eGoogle Calendar Instructions\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eInstructions for Google calendar are a bit more complicated, but still not too difficult!\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIf you are using \x3cem\x3eSnow Leopard or Lion\x3c/em\x3e, first create a \x26#8220;Chronicle\x26#8221; calendar in your Google calendar account online.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eSnow Leopard: \x3c/strong\x3eIf you are using\u00a0\x3cem\x3eSnow Leopard\x3c/em\x3e, follow \x3ca title=\x22these instructions\x22 href=\x22http://jonathansblog.co.uk/ical-google-calendar-delegates-updated\x22\x3ethese instructions\x3c/a\x3e by Jonathan Mitchell to set up the calendar in iCal without setting it up as a delegate.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eLion: \x3c/strong\x3eIf you are using \x3cem\x3eLion,\x3c/em\x3e follow \x3ca title=\x22these instructions\x22 href=\x22http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Calendar/thread?tid=50f2db1de3784fd8\x26amp;hl=en\x22\x3ethese instructions \x3c/a\x3ehere (thanks to Chronicle user Joan for tracking these down)!\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIf you have any problem getting this set up, contact support@littlefin.com for help.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eThree Days Later: The Mac App Store Effect\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://littlefin.com/brand/compsales.png\x22\x3e\x3cimg src=\x22http://www.littlefin.com/brand/compsales.png\x22\x3e\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eWhen the Mac App Store launched, I had high hopes. But nothing could have prepared me for what happened on January 6.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eOur home inventory App, Compartments, had been selling at a steady, average pace\u2014we were selling between 6 and 10 copies a day, at $24.95 each. We decided to lower the price to $9.95, in hopes of attracting a larger audience at the start of the App Store.\u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eWhat happened next blew us away.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eApple liked Compartments. They featured it as a Staff Pick, and listed it prominently on their \x3ca title=\x22Great Mac Apps\x22 href=\x22http://www.apple.com/mac/app-store/great-mac-apps.html\x22\x3eGreat Mac Apps\x3c/a\x3e page. The effect:\u00a0On January 6, our little home inventory app went from a few sales a day to an astounding \x3cem\x3e1,500 sales \x3c/em\x3eon the first day of availability in the App Store. Through Saturday, as you can see on the graph above, it has maintained sales over 1,000 per day (Sunday stats haven\u2019t been posted yet).\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp class=\x22read_more_container\x22\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://littlefinllc.tumblr.com/post/2683515623/three-days-later-the-mac-app-store-effect\x22 class=\x22read_more\x22\x3eRead More\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eThe Mac App Store and Our Free Upgrade Policy \x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg src=\x22http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lerdp75MVB1qb602i.png\x22 align=\x22right\x22\x3eWhen I launched LittleFin in 2008, one of the things I was sure about was that I wanted LittleFin to always offer free upgrades. As a user, there were few things more exciting to me than getting free updates with new features.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eSo despite the fact that paid software upgrades are one of the best sources of revenue for developers, I decided to implement a firm policy that our upgrades\u2014no matter how many or how major\u2014would always be free of charge.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eParticularly for those who supported us prior to the Mac App Store, I would like to explain how we are keeping that promise.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eEnter the Mac App Store\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe Mac App Store, for us, has so far been a tremendous success. We are seeing sales volumes far above our normal rates (Compartments is currently in the top 20 paid apps overall, and selling like crazy), which has allowed us to price both of our apps lower. This makes us very happy.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe Mac App Store also includes an updating process, and makes it easy for us to deliver free updates to all of those who purchased through the Mac App Store. So, for those who purchased through the Mac App Store, updates are easy and handled through the store.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eUnfortunately, those who purchased \x3cem\x3eprior\x3c/em\x3e\u00a0to the App Store\u2019s launch cannot take advantage of updates through it. This is a limitation of the App Store. Even if the app shows as installed, if you didn\u2019t purchase it from the App Store, you will not be able to update through the App Store (read more about this at the end of this \x3ca title=\x22post\x22 href=\x22http://www.panic.com/blog/2011/01/panic-on-the-mac-app-store/\x22\x3epost\x3c/a\x3e at Panic\u2019s blog).\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp class=\x22read_more_container\x22\x3e\x3ca href=\x22http://littlefinllc.tumblr.com/post/2667984718/the-mac-app-store-and-our-free-upgrade-policy\x22 class=\x22read_more\x22\x3eRead More\x3c/a\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eLittleFin and the Mac App Store\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eWe are very excited to have both of our apps in the Mac App Store at launch! After a lot of thinking, we have decided on the following policies:\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cul\x3e\x3cli\x3eChronicle and Compartments will be available in the Mac App Store and on the LittleFin website.\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3eBoth Chronicle and Compartments will continue to feature free lifetime upgrades, as always, no matter where you purchase.\u00a0\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3c/ul\x3e\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3ePricing Differences\u00a0\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThere will be a few differences between Chronicle available in the Mac App Store and on LittleFin\x26#8217;s website. At LittleFin.com, Chronicle will continue to cost $20.95. That\x26#8217;s because it includes the Chronicle Agent that runs in the menu bar. The Mac App Store will not include the menu bar extension, and thus cost a lower $14.95. We will be developing a separate app called Chronicle Mini to run in the menu bar as a companion to Chronicle, and it will be available in the Mac App Store for $5.95. Current Chronicle owners will not need this app, as it\x26#8217;s functionality is already be included in Chronicle if you purchased it at our website.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eCompartments will be available for $9.95 in the Mac App Store, as it is on our website right now. We plan to keep this discount price for a while and see how it goes.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eWhat Should Current Customers Do?\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eCurrent customers do not need to buy the Mac App Store version of Chronicle or Compartments. We will continue to provide updates and support for the version you bought from us on our website.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eUPDATE: \x3c/strong\x3eChronicle is on sale for $9.95 in the Mac App Store, so we are selling it for $14.95 on the website.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_photo_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x3cimg src=\x22http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lag53aI8PU1qbsm7co1_400.png\x22 alt=\x22First screenshot of Chronicle Mini: Chronicle for your menubar. Clicking on any bill takes you to the log payment screen. Hoping to launch by end of October or early November.\x22 class=\x22tumblr_photo\x22/\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_caption\x22\x3e\x0a                        \x3cp\x3eFirst screenshot of Chronicle Mini: Chronicle for your menubar. Clicking on any bill takes you to the log payment screen. Hoping to launch by end of October or early November.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                    \x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eEvolution of A Mac App Icon\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eA good icon is a challenge\u2014it must be detailed enough to look great large, but also be simple enough to be good-locking on the dock.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eOne of the last things to get finished before Compartments was released was the application icon\u2014not because we waited until the last minute to start it, but because making a good icon takes time.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe Compartments icon was designed by \x3ca title=\x22Kenichi Yoshida\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://www.kenichiyoshida.jp/\x22\x3eKenichi Yoshida\x3c/a\x3e, who does design work for Panic (makers of Coda and Transmit) as his day job. With his permission, I wanted to share the evolution of the Compartments icon\u2014and what I learned about icon design in the process.\u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg height=\x22128\x22 width=\x22128\x22 src=\x22http://www.littlefin.com/compartments/iconev/Sketch.png\x22 align=\x22right\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eTHE EARLY DRAFT\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eAt the beginning, we wanted an icon that represented the ability to catalog all of the items in your home. Kenichi\x26#8217;s initial sketch represented his first idea\u2014a chest of items, signifying that you could drop anything into the app, and track it.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eWe planned a nice, glossy wood texture, with several home-related items inside. I thought it was perfect (maybe because it brought back fond memories of my childhood toy box). But Kenichi recognized some problems before he really began: for one, sitting on the dock, the icon looked very brown\u2014it would be difficult to see the items inside. Plus, we had just about settled on the name \x26#8220;Compartments\x26#8221; for the application, which didn\x26#8217;t seem to fit with a box of items randomly tossed around\u2014it didn\x26#8217;t portray order.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg height=\x22128\x22 width=\x22128\x22 src=\x22http://www.littlefin.com/compartments/iconev/Icon1.png\x22 align=\x22right\x22/\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eADDING COMPARTMENTS\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eKenichi came up with a quick render of a second idea. This time, we would alter the perspective of the icon, and divide the items into little compartments\u2014perfect. An icon must clearly represent the goals of the application, and we were on the right track with this render.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eUnfortunately, I was quickly learning that something that looks great at 512x512 doesn\x26#8217;t always look so good small. This draft had similar problems on the dock\u2014the items were too small to see, and the brownness still overwhelmed the icon.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg height=\x22128\x22 width=\x22128\x22 src=\x22http://www.littlefin.com/compartments/iconev/Icon2.png\x22 align=\x22right\x22/\x3eSo, we attempted to fix these problems by ditching the lid, and altering the perspective a little more. Kenichi tossed some initial items in this render, to get a better idea of how it would look. We were on the right track with everything looking ordered, but now we had another problem\u2014the icon looked too similar to the Bento icon.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eSo it was back to the drawing board again.\u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eA FRESH IDEA\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThis is when I really appreciated Kenichi\u2014I knew I didn\x26#8217;t want something too close to the Bento icon, but at the same time, I had no real alternative ideas. Kenichi came to the rescue with his next idea\u2014a house divided into Compartments.\u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg align=\x22right\x22 src=\x22http://www.littlefin.com/compartments/iconev/icon4.png\x22 width=\x22128\x22 height=\x22128\x22/\x3eA couple important things clicked into place with this revision: the icon conceptually represented the purpose of the app better than ever: cataloging and organizing items into your home into various \x26#8220;compartments.\x26#8221; Plus, by using two distinct tones of brown, and significant shadows inside the compartments, the one-tone brownness of the app seemed significantly reduced on the dock. Finally, the items were more prominent then before, and in a more natural perspective.\u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eKenichi deliberately left the bottom corner empty, to increase the artistic asymmetry of the icon.\u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe last few problems were small\u2014the clock seemed to evoke the concept of \x26#8220;time\x26#8221; to me, but Compartments doesn\x26#8217;t deal with time, so I thought we should eliminate it. Kenichi felt like the person on top of the house might be meaningless, but I kind of liked it.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cstrong\x3eFINISHED PRODUCT AND LESSONS\x3c/strong\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cimg align=\x22right\x22 src=\x22http://www.littlefin.com/compartments/images/Compartments128.png\x22 width=\x22128\x22 height=\x22128\x22/\x3eI think the finished icon turned out fantastic. In the end, Kenichi conceded on the clock, and I gave up on the person on top. The final changes we made included removing the clock and person icons, little tweaks to the items, and some additional subdividing of the compartments inside the house. Simple, yet effective, and good looking. The bigger it is, the more you can see the detail, but it looks great even at tiny sizes.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eI was thrilled with Kenichi\x26#8217;s work, and learned a lot from the process. Some lessons:\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cblockquote\x3e\x3col\x3e\x3cli\x3eA designer who both considers the feedback of the client, and has solid ideas of the direction he or she wants to go is invaluable. Kenichi often said \x26#8220;trust me\x26#8221; when he made changes. He was usually right, even when I didn\x26#8217;t see it his way at first. At the same time, he always considered my feedback, even if he didn\x26#8217;t ultimately incorporate it.\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3eTrust your designer. Don\x26#8217;t reject ideas you don\x26#8217;t like right away. Think about it, keep an open mind. Maybe get other opinions. Several times, changes Kenichi made that I didn\x26#8217;t like turned out to be for the best. Rather than rejecting changes I disliked, I waited and thought over it for a day first. Often, I changed my mind. A client who knows and loves his product can easily be too demanding and rigid with project specifications.\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3cli\x3eAn icon that looks good big won\x26#8217;t necessarily look good on the dock. Make sure you test the icon everywhere. Design specific, separate versions for the smaller sizes (16x16 and 32x32 in particular). Be sure to put your icon in a dock before signing off on it. Over-complexity can ruin a dock icon, but so can over-simplicity.\x3c/li\x3e\x0a\x3c/ol\x3e\x3c/blockquote\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eWhat do you think? Like how the icon turned out? Any other tips for working successfully with a designer or creating a successful dock icon?\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cem\x3ePosted on May 26, 2010\x3c/em\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_photo_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x3cimg src=\x22http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l2lnt1vPRJ1qbsm7co1_400.png\x22 alt=\x22Compartments: Screenshot of the new report window. Reports in Compartments are beautiful now, print much better, and a lot more fits on the page. Posted on May 18, 2010\x22 class=\x22tumblr_photo\x22/\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_caption\x22\x3e\x0a                        \x3cp\x3eCompartments: Screenshot of the new report window. Reports in Compartments are beautiful now, print much better, and a lot more fits on the page. \x3cem\x3ePosted on May 18, 2010\x3c/em\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                    \x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eWhat Happened to the Apple Downloads Page?\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3eWhen Apple released the iPad, they made a subtle change to Apple.com: they replaced the \x3ca title=\x22downloads\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://www.apple.com/downloads\x22\x3edownloads\x3c/a\x3e\u00a0tab with a link to the iPad page. Which makes sense. But then, shortly after removing the prominent link to the downloads page, Apple also stopped updating the page entirely. Developers who have submitted updates (including LittleFin) since March 26 have not seen their product updated.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThere has been a lot of discussion about why this has happened, and what it means for developers. \x3ca title=\x22Ars Technica\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2010/04/developers-concerned-that-mac-os-x-downloads-page-may-vanish.ars\x22\x3eArs Technica\x3c/a\x3e wrote a detailed article about it, and\u00a0Daniel Jalkut of Red Sweater software gave \x3ca title=\x22his take\x22 target=\x22_blank\x22 href=\x22http://www.red-sweater.com/blog/1194/apple-downloads\x22\x3ehis take\x3c/a\x3e on his blog.\u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eI basically agree with Daniel\x26#8217;s point of view, so I\x26#8217;ll just post a couple brief observations on the impact it has had on us:\u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eThe takedown and subsequent stoppage of updates at the Apple downloads page had a noticeable impact on us\u2014traffic to littlefin.com dropped about 15 to 20% after the page was removed from its place of prominence. Chronicle is a Staff Pick, and consistently remained one of the top 3 or 4 most popular business and finance apps at the downloads page, so a lot of traffic came from Apple. I was certainly disappointed to see the link go away (of course the page is still accessible, just not prominent like it was).\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eApple is clearly focusing more heavily on the mobile side of their business right now, as I think they should\u2014it\x26#8217;s doing fantastically well. Macs are still selling well, however, and I don\x26#8217;t think they tend to ignore the Mac development community. I believe Daniel is right\u2014Apple is stretched really thin right now, and they will get around to updating the page again, eventually.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eBut even if they don\x26#8217;t, I wouldn\x26#8217;t even be in business if it wasn\x26#8217;t for Apple, and the wonderful tools they provide that make development so easy, so I can\x26#8217;t complain. Apple shows a bold ability to make dramatic changes\u00a0\u00a0(Classic Mac OS to OSX, PowerPC to Intel, etc.)\u2014that\x26#8217;s part of what makes them so great. While some of those changes might have been tough on developers, in the end, they made for better products and a bigger potential market for us as well. I\x26#8217;m confident that in the direction Apple is going, and I think they\x26#8217;ll make the right decisions to grow the company.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cem\x3ePosted on April 21, 2010\x3c/em\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a        \x0a            \x3cli class=\x22tumblr_post tumblr_text_post\x22\x3e\x0a                \x0a                    \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_title\x22\x3eChronicle Loves Keyboard Shortcuts!\x3c/div\x3e\x0a                \x0a                \x0a                \x3cdiv class=\x22tumblr_body\x22\x3e\x0a                    \x3cp\x3e\x3cimg height=\x22404\x22 width=\x22241\x22 alt=\x22Keyboard Shortcuts Window\x22 src=\x22http://www.littlefin.com/chronicle/keyboardshortcuts.png\x22 align=\x22right\x22 hspace=\x2215\x22 vspace=\x2210\x22/\x3eDid you know that Chronicle loves keyboard shortcuts? Just about anything you can do with the mouse in Chronicle, you can do with a keyboard shortcut as well.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eYou can even log payments for all your bills using the keyboard, without ever even leaving the overview screen if you so desire.\u00a0\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIf you want to learn all of the keyboard shortcuts in Chronicle, or have a handy reference, just select \x3cstrong\x3eKeyboard Shortcuts \x3c/strong\x3efrom the \x3cstrong\x3eHelp \x3c/strong\x3emenu. You\x26#8217;ll get the convenient screen pictured to the right.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eIf you are not very familiar with mac keyboard shortcuts:\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cspan\x3e \x3c/span\x3e\u2022 \u2318 is the Command/Apple key.\x3cbr/\x3e\x3cspan\x3e \x3c/span\x3e\u2022\u00a0\u2325 is the Option/Alt key.\x3cbr/\x3e\x3cspan\x3e \x3c/span\x3e\u2022\u00a0\u232b is the backspace key.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3eKeyboard shortcuts can make you quite a bit more productive, and they are a common feature of many Mac applications. Besides the ones listed here, there are a number of keyboard shortcuts that are common to almost all Mac applications\u2014shortcuts to close windows, quit apps, minimize windows, copy, paste and more. You can discover a lot of these shortcuts by browsing around Chronicle\x26#8217;s menus. The keyboard shortcut for any action is listed to the right of the menu item.\x3c/p\x3e\x0a\x3cp\x3e\x3cem\x3ePosted on April 11, 2010\x3c/em\x3e\x3c/p\x3e\x0a                \x3c/div\x3e\x0a            \x3c/li\x3e\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a\x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a        \x0a\x0a                        \x0a    \x0a\x3c/ol\x3e');