Archive for December 2009
Did we? Not really. It’s more a case of finding the limitations of the Kindle’s built-in browser and then coming up with creative ways to work around them. Anyone who grew up programming such wonderful home computers as the ZX Spectrum will appreciate the challenge (and the fun). Am I showing my age?
The process we’ve been through to bring you these amazing (in my opinion) crossword and Sudoku puzzles is like this: you’re walking around a pitch-black room full of furniture. Sometimes you bump into the furniture, sometimes you’re lucky. You get past a table, only to find your way blocked by what feels like a sofa, and have to go back around the table, but then maybe there’s a rocking chair in the way.
I hope that makes everything clear.
Anyway, for a basic browser the Kindle likes some nice things. It likes pretty complex JavaScript, it likes XML. It doesn’t like Cascading Style Sheets. You can format a lot of elements, but not input boxes. You can pick up clicks of the 5-way controller, but not of keys on the keyboard. It has some very attractive shades of gray.
The whole process has been challenging, frustrating, rewarding…at several points both Dana and I have hit the “can’t be done!” wall (that’s just past the sofa) only for the other one to cunningly overcome the latest problem. What it should mean for you is the most interactive and polished experience on the Kindle that we could manage. Let us know how we’ve done!S2YNYGXB9GPT
One of the (many) things that have been occupying us for the past few weeks was preparing our Sudoku release. Today we are proud to formally release it with four Sudoku books available on the Kindle store (follow this link to go directly to our books on the store).
Here are some of the challenges we overcame in order to provide what we hope you will find an excellent Sudoku solving experience on your Kindle. First and foremost – quality. Our Sudoku puzzles are written to have only one single solution, which promises both challenge and systematic solving.
Second, we worked extremely hard to overcome some of the current limitation of the Kindle browser in order to offer an engaging and compelling solving experience. This includes simplified navigation, less clicks when checking and fixing errors and much more. Most importantly we insisted on having the ability to add notes as you solve the puzzle, which required quite creativity and effort from our capable technical team. Once achieved, our tests showed significantly better experience while solving Sudoku puzzles. Lastly, we offer different difficulty levels so that each of our users can choose how challenging the puzzles will be and gradually move to more advanced puzzles.
Now its your turn. Let us know how you find the experience and what we can do to make it even better. And have fun! Isn’t that what we’re all here for?
