Thursday, December 20, 2012

Fantasy Playoffs Predictor Known Issues

Here are some known issues with the current version (2.4.5) of the Fantasy Playoff Predictor:
  • Calculation bases may not be correct if a past season's data was retrieved using 2.4.2 or 2.4.3, but no probabilities were calculated.
  • Tiebreaker for points leagues is assumed to be most points.
  • Percentages may be underestimated by 1% at the completion of a live calculation, but are restored to their correct values the next time you view that week.
  • Teams that have clinched a playoff spot or division lead due to a tiebreaker may not be shown as 100%.
  • Leagues with multiple teams with similar extremely long names or identical names may not load properly.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Inflation Calculator November 2012

A few updates in addition to the November 2012 data:
  • Added estimates for 2013.
  • Added sharing button.
Now available on the Google Play Store.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Race Watch 1.0.2

Fixed a bug where the app would sometimes freeze on startup. Thanks to user Tim for identifying this issue.

Hoping to add more features sometime soon.

Now available on the Google Play Store.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Fantasy Playoffs Predictor 2.4.5

Second bug fix of the day:
  • Fixed a bug introduced in 2.4.2 which caused graphs to connect points out-of-order. Thanks to user Joe for reporting this bug via email.
Both the full version and demo version have been updated with this fix on the Google Play Store.

Fantasy Playoffs Predictor 2.4.4

Found a bad bug this morning as we woke up to the end of Week 2 in fantasy football:
  • Fixed a bug introduced in 2.4.2 that occurred when retrieving data after upgrading to 2.4.2 or 2.4.3, which caused calculations to go awry. Incorrect calculations will be deleted automatically and recalculated. Thanks to user Chris for reporting this bug via email.
Both the full version and demo version have been updated with this fix on the Google Play Store.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Fantasy Playoffs Predictor 2.4.3

Some new bugs have been reported by users, and I had the chance to address them this weekend:
  • Fixed a crash introduced in 2.4 that occurred when returning to the list of leagues on Honeycomb devices. Thanks to the users who reported this bug using the "Report" function.
  • Fixed a bug where the app would never finish updating if the HOME button was pressed during an update.
  • Fixed a crash that occurred in the demo version when returning to the app after clicking the buy button from the probabilities screen.
  • Made confirm button on add league screen larger.
  • Smoothness improvements.
Both the full version and demo version have been updated on the Google Play Store.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Race Watch 1.0.1

Small update:
  • Added SD card support.
  • Fixed a bug where backing out of a countdown dialog and then launching another one on pre-Honeycomb devices would apply the countdown to the first lane.
Now available at the Google Play Store.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Race Watch 1.0


Race Watch 1.0
for Android 2.1+, free

This athletes' stopwatch is made specifically for timing multiple racers at once. It supports an unlimited number of simultaneous timers which can be started, stopped, lap/split, or reset either individually or in a group. Designed for touchscreen phones and tablets without the physical limitations of a real stopwatch, so you can keep track of your whole team at once.

The number of lanes shown simultaneously varies based on screen length. Most phones will be able to display 6-8 timers at once, while tablets will be able to display 16-20.

In addition to basic start/stop/split/reset, this app includes the following features:
  • Countdown-start up to 60 seconds (group or individual)
  • Lock lanes to prevent changes
  • Naming lanes
  • Easy add / fast deleting timers
  • Holo theme
  • Share your live results with other apps like Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter
  • No ads or permissions required
You can keep track of any race in any sport, whether you're watching NASCAR on TV, attending a college track and field event, or coaching your local high school swim meet. Supports races as short as sprints (down to the millisecond) up to and beyond marathons.

Now available at the Google Play Store.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Fantasy Playoffs Predictor 2.4.2


New release with lots of small fixes:
  • New app icon.
  • Performance improvements, specifically in:
    • Processing a league update.
    • Copying information to clipboard
  • Minor layout adjustments from 2.4.1 added to full version.
  • Android 4.0+: Added split action bar support to edit league and playoff probability screens.
  • Fixed an issue introduced in 2.4 where rotating the screen while on the select league menu would reset the selected tab.
Both the full version and demo version have been updated on the Google Play Store. Best experienced in Android 3.0+ (Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Jelly Bean).

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Fantasy Playoffs Predictor 2.4.1 (demo only)

Needed to make a few changes that only apply to the demo version:
  • Added an pop-up notification informing the user to recalculate league calculations started pre-2.4 to see the full league.
  • Minor layout adjustments.
Both the full version (2.4) and demo version (2.4.1) are available on the Google Play Store. 

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Fantasy Playoffs Predictor 2.4


Just in time for the baseball trading deadline, it's a new release:
  • Demo version now allows you to see the full standings for the first 5 weeks of every fantasy season.
    • If you've already calculated one of these weeks, click "Recalculate" to see the whole league.
  • Now featuring an brand new design based on the Holo theme:
    • Improved design allows you to filter your leagues by year and sport.
    • Tab-based navigation replaces swiping left and right.
    • Menu options are now located in the Action Bar on all devices.
    • Progress bar on the probabilities screen now shows the status of a current calculation (not necessarily the week you are currently viewing).
    • Text on probabilities screen is clearer, with clickable options.
    • League menu icons have been made smaller.
    • Updated icons for extra-high-density screens.
    • Unfortunately, in order to make these changes, compatibility with Android 1.6 has been removed.
  • Data is no longer copied to the clipboard if it is not ready to be copied.
  • Added option to cancel adding a new league or changes to an edited league.
  • Fixed an issue where percentages would occasionally display as greater than 100%.
  • Fixed a crash introduced in 2.1 that occurred when the "Next" button was clicked after entering a new league URL using an on-screen keyboard.
Both the full version and demo version have been updated on the Google Play Store. Best experienced in Android 3.0+ (Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Jelly Bean).

Friday, July 20, 2012

Fantasy Playoffs Predictor Users' Guide

Using The App:

  1. Click on the “Add a League” (+) button on the main screen menu.
  2. Copy and paste your league’s URL into the text box. Or, if you know your league’s ID #, enter it in the ID field and select the correct sport and season.
  3. Click the send button (>).
  4. Click on your league’s name. This will retrieve data for your league from the Internet. The individual data for each week will populate shortly thereafter.
  5. The menu will display a variety of options. Probability graphs can only be viewed after calculations have occurred while reading the probability table.
My league settings have changed. What should I do?

I recommend either deleting your league or updating the league settings. Both can be done by pressing and holding your league name on the main screen. Updating just your team names and acronyms can be done with a special button in the edit league settings menu.

My friend and I both use this app, but we got different results for the same league and the same week. Why is that?

Each set of predictions is based on a simulated run based on the data available at the time of update. Predictions may vary based on these simulated runs.

Do the predictions calculate in the background?

Predictions will calculate when a league's probability table has been selected and the app is in the foreground. They will continue if the screen is on or off. However, if you switch to a different app, switch to the home screen, or receive a telephone call, the predictions will stop calculating until you re-load the league page.

I saw predictions being updated, but when I clicked away, the predictions weren’t saved. Why?

Predictions are displayed to the user as the simulation is running. However, the predictions will only be saved once the progress bar reaches half of its calculation.

Which sports do you support?

The Fantasy Playoffs Predictor supports the four primary ESPN fantasy sports games as of September 2011: ESPN Fantasy Baseball, ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball, ESPN Fantasy Football, and ESPN Fantasy Hockey.
    Will you support private leagues?

    At this time, I am not planning to support private leagues that would require providing your username and password. However, if you are interested in this feature, please indicate so via e-mail or commenting here on the blog.

    Will you support different providers?

    ESPN is the largest fantasy sports provider that makes private leagues visible without a log-in required. I am considering adding support for Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline leagues, but at the moment I am focused on providing the best data for ESPN leagues first.

    Will you support different platforms?

    My focus is on providing a great experience on Android. I will consider developing on other platforms based on the success of the Android app. This app should work on all versions of Android 2.1 (Eclair) or higher, with particularly great performance expected on devices running Android 3.0+ (Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean).

    I encountered a bug, what should I do?

    Send me an e-mail or post a comment here on the blog. The most important information I need is your league URL or ID# and the version of the app you are using. Your version of Android and phone model will also be useful.

    Wednesday, June 20, 2012

    Inflation Calculator May 2012

    Now available on Google Play Store.

    Also: Passed 10,000 total downloads for all of my apps today!

    Wednesday, May 16, 2012

    Inflation Calculator April 2012

    In addition to the new April 2012 data, I redesigned the layout of the app to use the Holo theme (Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich devices) and added an extra-large icon for high resolution users.

    Now available on Google Play Store.

    Sunday, April 29, 2012

    Pizza Slice Price 2.1


    Now with support for rectangular pizzas! Plus, the following new features:
    • Fixed an issue with blurry icons.
    • Honeycomb 3.2+ and ICS: New 7" tablet-specific layout.
    • Pre-Honeycomb: Improved quantity and cuts dialogs to require fewer taps.
    This update is now available on the Google Play Store.

    Sunday, April 8, 2012

    Pizza Slice Price 2.0


    Pizza Slice Price 2.0
    for Android 1.6+, best experienced in Android 3.2+, free

    I have been redesigning Pizza Slice Price to take advantage of the wonderful new user interface options in Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich and to incorporate some elegantly designed icons by Electra Hui. I was able to make some of these changes backwards compatible with previous versions of Android, although unfortunately not all of them. I'm excited to bring out my best-looking app yet, with these new features:
    • Added support for specifying a total order price.
    • Completely new, easier to use, dialog-driven interface for selecting pizza characteristics.
    • Honeycomb and ICS: One-touch no-typing dialog-driven interface for selecting pizza characteristics.
    • Honeycomb and ICS: Holo theme support.
    • Honeycomb 3.2+ and ICS: New tablet-specific layout.
    • Fixed a bug introduced in version 1.1 where size was miscalculated.
    The new app is now available on the Google Play Store. Note that I have opted to release this version of Pizza Slice Price as a new app. Although the previous version of the app was downloaded nearly 2,000 times, it received very low ratings and had a retention rate below 10%. Because this app has more features and a different, improved layout, and the Google Play Store does not support ratings-by-version, I'm giving this app a fresh start. The old version of the app will continue to be available on the Google Play Store through the end of the month.

    Friday, March 30, 2012

    Status Update

    Hi!

    Hopefully, you're visiting my site because you're an ESPN Fantasy Baseball player wondering about my app, the Fantasy Playoffs Predictor: the only place in the world where you can find out your odds of making the fantasy playoffs. Despite not being updated since December, the Predictor is fully compatible with new ESPN fantasy leagues, including Fantasy Baseball 2012. It will be able to make predictions for your league after the completion of Matchup 1, which I believe for most leagues is April 15.

    I will check in on the Fantasy Playoffs Predictor come April 15 to ensure everything is working correctly with the new season. If everything goes smoothly, there won't be an update. The next changes to Fantasy Playoffs Predictor won't come until this summer, as I'm currently working on other projects.

    What are those other projects?

    Nothing new on the CPI Inflation Calculator, which will continue to receive monthly updates. I've received a lot of positive feedback about the app - a 4.7-star rating, over 3,000 installs, and over a 55% retention rate in just under a year. It's currently the top-rated and most up-to-date inflation calculator on the Google Play Store. Looks like people enjoy it for what it is - particularly the no ads, no data usage, and no permissions - so it'll be staying the same.

    Instead, my sandbox work is happening on the Pizza Slice Price app, still the most fully-featured pizza slice/pie cost/price comparer on the Google Play Store. I'm learning about the design techniques introduced in Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich and will release an all-new layout for this app in April. I'm hoping that the experimentation I do in this app will help me deliver a great user experience, which I then plan to carry over into my other apps.

    I'm also breaking ground on a new app this summer. It will follow in the footsteps of my other apps - providing a quick, user-friendly, well-designed analysis for a common situation. There are a couple other Android apps in this space right now, but most of them look like they were one-and-done projects hammered out in a couple hours. I'm hoping to blow them away with a more full-featured product. Coming soon!

    Monday, February 20, 2012