RiSA Series #2: SmartTime (-sic)

I don't understand marketing, perhaps never will. This leads to our fine example of the following app, no, actually 12. According to AppShopper, we have:

SmartTime - Original
SmartTime LITE - Organize Your Lifestyle (V1)
SmartTime LITE - Organize Your iPhone (V1)
SmartTime LITE - Be Productive
SmartTime LITE - Lifestyle
SmartTime LITE - Utility
SmartTime LITE - Business
SmartTime LITE - Socialize
SmartTime Class Organizer
SmartTime - Organize your Life Style
SmartTime Plus
SmartTime 1.3 - Organize your iPhone

All except the last three, are free. So, what are the differences between each of them? To avoid busting my brain too hard, I rely on the official descriptions given. And since we aim for those which charges your hard-earned $$$, we aim at the last three, for now.

Take a deep breath, read on, attempt to analyze later:

#1 SmartTime v1.3 - Organize your iPhone (date: Nov 10)

(No, this does not replace your Springboard and organize your apps)

INTELLIGENT TASK MANAGEMENT MEETS ADVANCED CALENDARING

SmartTime uses advanced logic to automatically prioritize and integrate tasks, deadlines and appointments.

SmartTime does what no other productivity application can:
- It organizes your tasks for you
- It combines tasks and appointments
- It shows what you can fit into today (and tomorrow)

You can then choose to view your day in a number of unique ways – SmartView, Calendar, and Focus. Because everyone sees things differently.

iPhone Integration
-------------------------
SmartTime integrates with the iPhone so you can:
- Share tasks with friends, family and co-workers via iPhone Mail
- Get Appointment names and addresses directly from your Contacts List
- Map where to go using Google Maps for iPhone
- Save and backup data via iPhone Mail
- Put on different skins to change how it looks.
http://appshopper.com/productivity/smarttime-v13-organize-your-tasks-to-dos-calendar

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#2 SmartTime Plus (dates: Nov 09, Dec 20, Jan 23)

INTELLIGENT TASK AND TIME MANAGEMENT
INTEGRATED WITH GOOGLE™ CALENDAR

SmartTime™ uses advanced logic to organize and prioritize tasks, deadlines and appointments into a simple day view.

Unique Features:
--------------

• Looks at your appointments, then schedules time for your tasks.
• Combines tasks and appointments into one view.
• Allows you to see how many tasks you can accomplish today. And tomorrow.
• Changing priorities? Move tasks around with your finger - then watch the fun as SmartTime re-organizes everything else in response!
• View your day in a number of unique ways – SmartView, Calendar, and Focus. Because everyone sees things differently.
• Create new tasks or appointments without using the Keyboard.

iPhone Integration
------------------

• Share tasks and appointments with friends, family and co-workers via iPhone Mail.
• Get Appointment names and addresses directly from your Contacts List.
• Map where to go using Google™ Maps for iPhone.
• Call your contacts directly from a SmartTime item.
• Put on different skins to change how it looks.

Google™ Calendar Integration
-------------------------

• Synchronize Events (two-way) and Tasks (one-way) to GCal
• Receive Event Alerts via SMS message or Email
• Archive and view completed Tasks to GCal
http://appshopper.com/productivity/smarttime-v13-organize-your-tasks-to-dos-calendar

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Last but not least, #3 SmartTime - Organize your LifeStyle (dates: Nov 09, Dec 18)

INTELLIGENT TASK MANAGEMENT
MEETS ADVANCED CALENDARING

SmartTime uses advanced logic to automatically prioritize and integrate tasks, deadlines and appointments.

SmartTime does what no other productivity application can:
- It organizes your tasks for you
- It combines tasks and appointments
- It shows what you can fit into today (and tomorrow)

You can then choose to view your day in a number of unique ways – SmartView, Calendar, and Focus. Because everyone sees things differently.

iPhone Integration
-------------------------
SmartTime integrates with the iPhone so you can:
- Share tasks with friends, family and co-workers via iPhone Mail
- Get Appointment names and addresses directly from your Contacts List
- Map where to go using Google Maps for iPhone
- Save and backup data via iPhone Mail
- Put on different skins to change how it looks.

Google Calendar Integration
---------------------------------------
SmartTime integrates with Google Calendar so you can:
- Synchronize both tasks and events to GCal
- Import data from other applications such as Outlook and iCal (via GCal)
- Receive Event Alerts via SMS message or Email
- Backup your data to GCal
- Archive data to GCal
http://appshopper.com/lifestyle/smarttime-v13-organize-your-lifestyle

If you find yourself banging the head onto some hard surface, please stop now. One clue to why there are 3 of the same thing, we look at the update history of each of them, their update dates are strikingly more or less one in chronological order! So I go to the iTunes Store (Hong Kong):

There is only one "SmartTime+ Google Sync".

I guess initially we can blame the AppShopper not merging all the updates into one. But the developer's choice to one-other-name-per-version is also to blame for all the confusions. Another clue is from the free versions, I randomly pick up two and their "unique" features are pretty much, as you may except, the same:

SmartTime Class Organizer (put under Category: Education)
• Looks at your appointments, then schedules time for your tasks.
• Combines tasks and appointments into one view.
• Allows you to see how many tasks you can accomplish today. And tomorrow.
• Want to change things on the fly? Move tasks around with your finger. Watch the fun as SmartTime re-organizes everything else in response!


SmartTime - Original (put under Category: Productivity)
• Looks at your appointments, then schedules time for your tasks.
• Combines tasks and appointments into one view.
• Allows you to see how many tasks you can accomplish today. And tomorrow.
• Want to change things on the fly? Move tasks around with your finger. Watch the fun as SmartTime re-organizes everything else in response!


Now this is a pretty nice idea, if I were to make a game, which is actually entertaining, stylish and educational (I think), so I can put up four versions of the same app onto Game, Entertainment, Lifestyle, and Education.

Ridiculous iTune Store Apps Series #1: iTranslator Pro

I read about the new and updated apps for my iPhone everyday. I cannot help but notice many ridiculous apps asking for $$$, among them, you can do the same for free! So I decide to start a new series, picking up as I go. (Consider this as a free ad)

Frist hit: iTranslator Pro

(Taken from the introduction text) iTranslator Pro is a simple and handy application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that lets you translate any text using either Google Translate, Babel Fish, or Free Translation.

(The nice part)
This application requires connectivity to the internet to work.

Price? USD 0.99 only

The beauty of this thing is: if I have a data connection and very probably Safari on my iDevice at the same time, is it that hard to find those free translation sites? I better leave the URL hunt to you.

URL for your viewing pleasure: http://appshopper.com/reference/itranslator-pro