EasyGo on iOS - review

[Xyiana]

There is new app for iOS.

Pros

good problem collection including nice basic problems for absolute beginners(2000 problems included)
you can import/create/edit your own problems (first time for iOS v5 i think)
you can import/create/edit games including sgf zip archives, iTunes file transfer support
finally you can show variation tree for games

Cons

bugs
inconsistent UI behaviour
universal UI - not using full iPad capabilities
due to wasting space on iPad game comments are hard to use
same sorting for games as for problems = unusable for games = worst problem if you want to use this app for games archives
you need to read short help
sometimes help and reality arent same (example: edit mode for problems)
price

Result
Application with some good features bud need few more changes, especially with its price.
Anyway it is only choice for painless GoGoD or problems archive import.

[Mike Novack]

How do you delete an erroneous post (I'm in edit -- but don't see where that is an option)

[Mike Novack]

Could be a more helpful review with amplirfication of the cons. I would find overly vague ......

a) Bugs --- real bugs (program hangs, etc.) or "doesn't do what I expected it to" in some situations. There's a differet order of seriousness between those two.

b) same sorting --- you meant same collating specification or the two merged together.

c) help and reality are't the same -- may need some fairly concrete examples

d) price -- Here you really need to be concrete as people appear to differ greatly on what they consider a reasonable or unreasonable price for sofware.

[RBerenguel]

I can answer d) It costs 9.99€ and only looking at the screenshots, it does not compare to SmartGo, so I think it is overpriced.

[Phelan]

How do you delete an erroneous post (I'm in edit -- but don't see where that is an option)

Only way to delete is if there is no other post made afterwards. There is a "X" icon next to "!"(flag this post).

[Xyiana]

a) Bugs

Import problems with big sgf or big batch sgf import. Solved with sgf zip archive import instead for batch import.

b) same sorting --- you meant same collating specification or the two merged together.

Same choices for both. Default, tried times, wrong times, correct times. This is unusable for game archives.

c) help and reality are't the same -- may need some fairly concrete examples

Example - in help you need to tap with 2 fingers on goban , in app you need to tap special icon and choose from menu.


There is maybe more but i wrote this after 2h use. For me, missing games sorting/searching is worst problem in this app.

[xiangz]

Hi,

I'm Xiang Zhao, the author of EasyGo, glad to hear detailed reviews here.
EasyGo is a rather new app, I will improve it over time. Thank you for your support!

Multi collection SGF file, that is many sgf games in a sgf file, are not supported right now. Work around : first split it with other softwares on your desktop, then zip it for EasyGo importing.

Game ordering will be added in next release, please advise all the game ordering options you would like to have, thanks.
Game search will also be added.

As to the space wasted on ipad, please also advise what layout you would like. Please note the size of comment view and tree view can be adjusted (by tap setting button on the navigation bar). In portrait mode, I don't think any space is wasted. For landscape mode, currently, the IOS split view was used, thus the width of left view and right view can't be adjusted, anyway, as with the portrait mode, you are able to adjust the comment, tree view size. If you prefer to use it in landscape mode and don't like the left view, I might add a full screen game view in landscape mode later(low priority).
EasyGo is designed for ipad from ground up, and iphone support was added later. So good experience in IPAD is always my first priority. Please advise how I could improve the interface, thanks in advance.

As to "in help you need to tap with 2 fingers on goban , in app you need to tap special icon and choose from menu.":
what exactly do you mean? two finger tap is supported in game/problem edit mode, to toggle between game edit mode and replay mode. Two finger tap has no use in problem test mode. If you mean two finger tap to switch to edit mode from problem test mode, It's okay to add that feature later. Maybe:
for problem, two finger tap to toggle between edit and test and replay? (or just omit replay, or configurable?)
for games, two finger tap to toggle between edit and replay.
Please note, system bundled problems can't be edited currently. In the future, you might be able to switch to readonly edit mode to see the variation trees.

If possible, please send me the big sgf file you have trouble to import, I garantee I will only use the file for test only.

Hi Xyiana, As a special thank you to write this review, I would like to give you a promotion code for you to give to one of your friends to redeem at appstore. If you have interest on this, please let me know.

Also, you all are invided to vote the new features at my website at http://www.easygo361.com.

-Xiangz
http://www.easygo361.com
easygo361 at gmail

[lobotommy]

Hi Xiangz,
Great to see that developer is open for customer's advices, and that you will expand and update this app in the future. I will keep an eye on this app - it looks it has a great potential and devoted developer
If you would like to translate this app into Polish - I'm open to help you with it.

[xiangz]

Hi lobotommy,

Glad to hear from you. It's nice to know that you'd like to do the Polish translation, However I'm afraid I can't pay you since the sale income is very limited now. If you don't mind, I can give you a promo code to test with it, and review here or/and at Sensei's Library is very much appreciated.

If you still like to translate without pay, I'll be very glad to tell you how to get started. And I'll give you credit in the app and in the website.

-Xiangz

[Mivo]

I can answer d) It costs 9.99€ and only looking at the screenshots, it does not compare to SmartGo, so I think it is overpriced.

SmartGo Kifu (€15.99) costs more than EasyGo (€9.99), though, and I think the focus of the two apps isn't quite the same. EasyGo is a bit of a mix between SmartGo Kifu and GoGrinder. Going by my limited "playing around" time with EasyGo so far, I find that you can record or edit games more comfortably than with Kifu (the latter does have the advantage of having this large collection of pro games, and I love it for that), and the highlight is definitely the option to create/import your own problem collections in a variety of ways. It's the only universal/iPad app that can do this, as far as I know.

I think Go software on iOS is generally very cheap (inexpensive, that is), and I sometimes have to remind myself of that, too. The exposure to all those few-cents apps distorts the view a little. I remember when I got my iPad and read that Kifu was under twenty Euro (I think it was more than 16 Euro at the time, but I may misremember that), I was like, "Wow, that is so cheap!". Today, after less than a year of AppStore exposure, the pre-brain-processing instinctive reaction to an app that costs more than two Euro is, "Ugh, that's expensive!". Well, that lasts for a few seconds and then I recall how much use I get out of these apps and how little they cost compared to the PC equivalents.

If we want high quality apps, we need to be willing to pay for them, especially in a niche market like Go software. And in EasyGo's case, we also have a developer who joins us here at L19 and asks for feedback, which implies he's more than willing to consider feature requests, too. That certainly is an "added value" aspect for me.

[lobotommy]

Hi lobotommy,

Glad to hear from you. It's nice to know that you'd like to do the Polish translation, However I'm afraid I can't pay you since the sale income is very limited now. If you don't mind, I can give you a promo code to test with it, and review here or/and at Sensei's Library is very much appreciated.

If you still like to translate without pay, I'll be very glad to tell you how to get started. And I'll give you credit in the app and in the website.

-Xiangz

Sure, credit in the app will be sufficient . I think a beta version of the app could be handy while doing this translation.

[lobotommy]

I just got 5 minutes with this app and longer review will be here tomorrow. One thing which gives me already really good impression is sgf editor module. Longer review is coming tomorrow and for now I attached a partial screenshot of edit options.

[RBerenguel]

I can answer d) It costs 9.99€ and only looking at the screenshots, it does not compare to SmartGo, so I think it is overpriced.

SmartGo Kifu (€15.99) costs more than EasyGo (€9.99), though, and I think the focus of the two apps isn't quite the same. EasyGo is a bit of a mix between SmartGo Kifu and GoGrinder. Going by my limited "playing around" time with EasyGo so far, I find that you can record or edit games more comfortably than with Kifu (the latter does have the advantage of having this large collection of pro games, and I love it for that), and the highlight is definitely the option to create/import your own problem collections in a variety of ways. It's the only universal/iPad app that can do this, as far as I know.

I think Go software on iOS is generally very cheap (inexpensive, that is), and I sometimes have to remind myself of that, too. The exposure to all those few-cents apps distorts the view a little. I remember when I got my iPad and read that Kifu was under twenty Euro (I think it was more than 16 Euro at the time, but I may misremember that), I was like, "Wow, that is so cheap!". Today, after less than a year of AppStore exposure, the pre-brain-processing instinctive reaction to an app that costs more than two Euro is, "Ugh, that's expensive!". Well, that lasts for a few seconds and then I recall how much use I get out of these apps and how little they cost compared to the PC equivalents.

If we want high quality apps, we need to be willing to pay for them, especially in a niche market like Go software. And in EasyGo's case, we also have a developer who joins us here at L19 and asks for feedback, which implies he's more than willing to consider feature requests, too. That certainly is an "added value" aspect for me.

The developer of EasyGo has kindly given me a promocode so I can review it for (one of the) site I manage, and so far I've found the same you saw: they are not focused on the same. Thus comparing them (except in some regards) would be unfair for both.

And I agree, iOS apps are underpriced: when something passes the 5€ (or $) mark, it looks expensive, but if the developer did a great work and is useful... Why not buy it? If it is good, it is good.

[Xyiana]

And I agree, iOS apps are underpriced: when something passes the 5€ (or $) mark, it looks expensive, but if the developer did a great work and is useful... Why not buy it? If it is good, it is good.

They arent underpriced. They have less and worse functionality than PC versions and easier to reach wide audience. Thats why. Think about SmartGo kifu as PC app. As editor it is worse than Drago. As archive/analytic tool is like ant to elephant if you compare to MoyoGo. So why pay for it?
SmartGo is rly good only as mobile app. Thats all.

[Xyiana]

Xiangz, thanks for your reactions.

As to "in help you need to tap with 2 fingers on goban , in app you need to tap special icon and choose from menu.":
what exactly do you mean? two finger tap is supported in game/problem edit mode, to toggle between game edit mode and replay mode. Two finger tap has no use in problem test mode. If you mean two finger tap to switch to edit mode from problem test mode, It's okay to add that feature later.

This. You need consistent behaviour with switching between edit/view/test mode for games/problems.

Comments/tree view
You can change size of tree view and comments. But with split view and fixed left side panel if you want to show comments or bigger tree view, goban size is too small. Looking at the left side panel with wasted space is heartbreaking in this situation.

My personal functionality preferences are like MoyoGo for iPad. Make your app functionality like this and ill pay 30euro without any problem. This is exact area where SmartGo is without any love(maybe due to focus on ebooks now? ).