Hello OrchidBoard from Ontario, Canada.
I have been a long time lurker of this wonderful and resourceful forum, and I have finally decided to register.
My grandparents who were avid gardeners first introduced me to orchids, and I have many fond childhood memories of their greenhouse. My favorites are Cymbidiums, and I am just beginning to rebuild a very small collection after recent move.
As part of the move, I had to part with my orchid collection. With a bit of downtime and no orchids, I decided to try and learn something new - programming for the iPhone.
I wasn't satisfied with the available softwares and apps for orchid management and journal. I love OrchidWiz and Orchid Plus for their photos and data, but the journal function is lacking. I liked AKNicolle's Orchid Album, but I needed something a bit more powerful. I wanted something that combined the best qualities of them all.
Today, I am proud to present to OrchidBoard,
OrchidSense, a new free orchid management and journal app!
Edit: Screenshots for version 0.2
Screenshots for version 0.1
My initial goals for the app are:
- Easy to set up and organize an orchid collection
- Easy to enter and view journals, and use it as a to-do list
- Automatically and intelligently schedule maintenance tasks
- Include a database of culture information
- Backup everything online
Now, the app is coming along nicely, and I am aiming to ready it by the end of the year.
I am also planning to work on the following features, in no particular order:
- Better iPad support
- Allow the culture database/wiki to be publicly editable
- Allow users to submit photo to the wiki
- Make photo/journals/collections easily accessible to others online
- Implement the orchid clock
- Provide a FAQ for orchid culture
I have considered the following features, but they require more effort and co-operation. If there is enough interest, I could certainly try to see what I can do:
- Vendor information
- Society and show information
- A more comprehensive wiki beyond culture information
- Connecting to home sensors to track the growing environment and fine tune task scheduling
I would love to have a few beta testers for the app. If you are interested, please let me know here. I would also appreciate any requests, suggestions, or comments.
Thank you, and cheers!