Next in our series of featured WP7 applications comes ezyTip – a very useful application when it comes to paying your restaurant or other bills. We talk to its author Garry McGlennon on why this application is appreciated.
Q1. Garry - please introduce yourself briefly and tell us more about the application you created - what are the key functionalities, major differences from other similar applications on the market, why do you think people would want to install this app on their WP7?
A. I’m a senior software developer/consultant, and you’ll typically find me at a Redmond based software company. I run a blog at dotNetProfessional.com and also have a few projects on CodePlex. My main technology interests at the moment are Silverlight, Windows Phone 7 and Windows Azure which together offer a compelling story.
The first application I developed (ezyTip) is designed to be a best of breed application. It provides a high quality UI with practically every option you’d want in a tip calculator. The key features include, fast data entry, numerous rounding options including mirror, bill splitting, sales tax support and easy tip percent selection all of which is customizable by the user to provide that personal experience. It also supports emailing the results so you and your guests can remember what was paid.
When compared to the plethora of other tip calculators on the marketplace it clearly stands out as the only one of high quality coupled with extensive features. Also at introductory price US$0.99 it’s a bargain.
Q2. What was the motivation behind creating this application? How did you get the idea?
A. As I had already written the application on Windows Mobile 6.5, it was an obvious first choice to port to WP7. The project allowed me to become familiar with the new platform while doing a fairly simple application, though as the end result shows I didn’t make it too simple.
Q3. What were the main challenges you faced when moving from Silverlight in/out of the browser to the phone environment?
A. I hadn’t done that much work with Silverlight for the Desktop so that wasn’t much of a challenge. The challenge was in learning Blend and the limitations of SL for Windows Phone.
Q4. Do you plan to further upgrade this application with additional features? How do you see this application evolve?
A. The application is fairly feature complete. The only addition that might be warranted is the ability to do uneven splits. However, if this will be done will really depend on user demand for such a feature.
Q5. Have you already made profit from this application? Do you see WP7 as a good platform for making money out of it?
A. It’s too early to have made any money (we won’t know our sales until next year!). It’s also a little early to know if WP7 is a platform that will make money for developers. However, much like everything else those who take the early risks typically reap the largest rewards.
Q6. How do you see the future of WP7, and applications for WP7?
A. WP7 definitely has its flaws, however given how far it’s come in 2 years I can only see good things for its future. Microsoft have to invest in this platform and it’s not often MS don’t do well in a market they become serious about.
Q7. What other ideas for next WP7 applications do you have?
A. I am currently working on the next major application, which unlike the ezyTip application will have wide spread appeal. It like ezyTip will take the approach of being best of breed and so I think if you take photos you’ll want to take a serious look at it when it comes out. The initial version is hopefully going to be released by the end of the month or early December.
Q8. What is your opinion on the recent announcement by Microsoft on the future of Silverlight and HTML5?
A. I think it’s all a storm in a tea cup, given HTML 5 is so far from a standard and won’t have nearly the same feature set of SL4/5, let alone decent tooling. However, I do pity those developers who end up writing full applications in JavaScript!
Thanks Garry! Look forward to talk to you again soon, and discuss your next WP7 masterpiece!