ToBeWise™ now aware of its own decline?

A little feature I've wanted to add for some time is for the app to check if there is a newer version of itself available on the App Store, and if so, offer to download it now.

It's surprising how many users are getting by with older versions, and it kinda pains me to know they will not be able to use the neat features I'm adding.  

Starts with version 80.2.00, available soon, now waiting for review in the app store.

So this new feature is the one to rule them all.  (all future features)

:) 

ToBeWise™ now available as a Mac app

 In another miracle of modern technology, our favorite app is now available to run on the Mac.

The only caveat is that the Mac is Apple silicon, not Intel.

Search for tobewise on the App Store on your Mac and click the dropdown

Move the slider to the right, highlighting "iPhone & iPad Apps" and Bingo!

New 5 Star Review

 

Just can't ask for a better review.

Wish I knew who "Surfer dude" is so I can thank them.

App Icon colors drive app store banner colors

Apple generates the color of the product page header based on the colors in the app icon

This is the new app icon and the product page header on the App Store.

Below is the previous app icon and the product page header on the App Store.

I think the improvement in the product page header colors ae a HUGE improvement.

What do you think?

Here's what AI thinks:

My opinion

I think your new icon is substantially better, not just because of the icon itself, but because it transforms the entire App Store product page. The old page felt muted and somewhat generic. The new blue/teal header immediately communicates energy, clarity, and professionalism, and it makes the page look much more like a premium app.

Rebranding now active

Version 80.1.14 is in the app store now for a couple of days.

The new app name is ToBeWise Pro for Startups, and with a tagline of "For Your Startup, and Your Life" 

This is an experiment to see if there is any improvement to the "impressions" and "downloads" based on the new branding.

Significant modifications have been made to the app to appeal to startup founders/CEOs, and this is an ongoing process, but for now we're just interested in the pull power of the rebranding in the app store.

Isn't that app store banner ugly? What is with that gray and greenish mess?  If you ask AI, as I did, it's because of the app icon colors, which are really not that outstanding, especially with all that white.  AI suggested a punchier, more colorful app icon, and who am I to argue?  Here's what chatGPT 5.6 ULTRA came up with for a better app icon:

Compared to the mostly white background, what's not to like, right?

Here's the new app store listing title and subtitle:

Interesting to note that both title and subtitle are both maximum allowable length.

Now we wait... until Apple approves the latest version, with the new app icon, to see how the colors of the listing banner are affected. 

Hurry up and wait. Story of my life. 

Simplifying Search: Combining Vector (Semantic) Search and Keyword Search

 It was suggested by Griffin that I look into "Vector search" in which a user can simply ask a question instead of entering one or two key words. First off, I am not a fan to the word vector. It has too many different meanings depending on context. And it sounds all sciency. And Semantic Search is a lot better, but still an unnecessary distinction. 

So I let ULTRA build that out. Here's the solution it came up with:

The idea is good, makes it easier for the user, except when it doesn't.  Why should a user have to decide whether to Search or Ask? Why do they need to know the difference. Another decision to make?  That's just one more thing to make the user think this is too complicated and stop using it. 

So a little more research and... Hybrid search! A two-fer.  No thinking, no distinction, just say what's on your mind. It's a testament to how even ULTRA gets blindsided by answering the question it was given. I asked for Vector search, and it built it, as a bolt-on feature. Leaving the regular search alone. And  giving the user the decision. Another block to progress.

Once you look at the solution it came up with, and you are on a crusade to simplify, you gotta ask: Why do I need to choose?  Why can't ToBeWise™ just know what I want?  So it's back into the code again for version 6 of simplified search.  So, with a nudge to ULTRA, using the word Hybrid, we get the much more simple user interface, and the underlying code that handles Search and Ask:

----------------------------

A bit of ToBeWise™  search history:

Version 1: searched only keywords, matching only on the 200+ list names

Version 2: searched for keywords in the context of each insight. That was a huge improvement, but it was feared that it would take so long for each search to go through 2,000 insights word for word, but it was amazingly fast. 

Version 3: included author names in the search.

Version 4: included operators (+, -, "", ",", ...) to really improve the power of the keyword search.

Version 5: Semantic search as a separate feature

Version 6: Hybrid search.

Oh, the joy of thinking/doing nothing (Silent Background Database Refresh)

Re: ToBeWise™ for Startups...

This morning I added a dozen or so insights by Peter Thiel, and turned my attention to another matter briefly, then went back to the app.  Holy cow, those insights were already there, in the database for everyone, and nobody had to do anything to get them. It was completely automatic. No decisions about should I or shouldn't I refresh the database to get a few more insights. No delay in loading the app to refresh the files. It already happened, in the background. Wow! No thinking involved, no delay, no decisions.

The less users need to think, click, and type, the easier it is for them. In all cases.