Hey guys! I am Juan Chomali, This is the new client I have been working on with Nestor Palao for the last months. I hope you like it and if you have any feedback please let us know at @getBoreal in twitter or drop as some lines at contact@getboreal.com.
Have a great day!
iOS 8 only if that matters to anyone. I had apparently never updated this iphone ( not my main phone ) and never noticed until now, so thanks for the reminder Juan!
How do you plan to monetize it? It says "in app purchases" but couldn't spot any paid-for options.
A few small comments:
* The login option is slightly confusing, because it has a big Boreal on top. Am I logging in / creating an account for Boreal or HN ?
* On the announcement blog post you have a typo "So, what do you l[o]ose trying it?", and I think you should anyway say "What do you have to lose by trying it?" (I'm not a native English speaker though).
* I wish there was a way to jump straight into the comments. It's not uncommon for me (and I believe others) to start off by reading the comments, and only then the article.
Thanks for your feedback!
We already implemented a new way for navigating into comments in the next version. The next version will be a big update with a ton of new features and is coming next week!
Ah I see, I had to have it in "open in Boreal browser" I guess -- originally had it in Safari, then in the in-app viewer, and didn't see that available. Ok.
Is there a way to up/downvote comments?
I've been looking for a new iOS HN app, and I do like the design of this, might just need some getting used to and a couple of minor additions. Great job!
Thanks man! We will continue improving our UI and the features we provide.
Btw, we suggest you to compare what your actual HN client lets yo do and what Boreal does haha, you will notice!
No, but each article you read automatically is archived in "Viewed" section for an easy access.
Btw, thanks by your feedback. We will add a switch in the 1.1 version (coming in a few days) to auto-delete the viewed posts from your main feed and archive them in your viewed tab only :)
* App performance / design is phenomenal. Great job.
* Show comments/point counts on the stories in the list views
You have an interesting monetization model... Personally, I would get rid of all the tiers and just have your default free + 3.99 full unlock. I don't imagine many people reading hackernews will fall in between and want to pay money while still seeing ads. Your pricing is fine though I think for the full version.
We are currently thinking about how to improve the experience getting into comments, on the 1.1 version (coming in a few days) we will add a quick access to comments, directly from the feed.
We met Juan when he came through SF a few weeks ago and showed us this app. It's impressive! For a couple of high-school students, it's damned impressive.
Users flagged this story, presumably because some of the comments look suspiciously like astroturfing. I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt and override that in this case, but guys, you need to realize that you can't promote your stuff on HN that way. Astroturfing accounts get banned, and usually we'll ban the submitters' accounts and the site as well. Even if we don't do that, HN users—who have a nose for this sort of thing and really don't like it—will react negatively to your post, and that's definitely the opposite of what you want.
I have a feeling it was just your friends trying to give you a boost, which is very nice of them, but please tell them that HN is the sort of place where that doesn't go over well. Instead, learn to let your fine work speak for itself.
Nicely done. Earlier this year I launched a Mac HN client because i wanted a better desktop client experience http://mackernews.com Will check out your app :)
I wish I could see the number of votes a post got on the main screen though.. I like the filtering, but sometimes I just want to look at the numbers and decide for myself
The app looks great and you guys really have a thing for good designs. I tried out your other app "Stocky" and wanted to give you s quick feedback. It probably has the best welcome screen I've ever seen. The download size with one MB is also really impressive (the HN app has 20, for the record). Here are a few things about the stocky app though:
- the dollar sign is not visisble for the apple stock.
- the +x.xx% is not aligned nicely (bit.ly/1IXTayl)
Back to the HN App. Could you add a way to customize the font size for the comments? The font is really small and I haven't figured out a way to change it. Also, I'd like to see a "content-based-view" as it is implemented in this app https://appsto.re/us/7uRIQ.i you should also allow use, if you add this function, to have the content-focused view as the default one.
This app is great! I love the design, I just have a few little problems:
- Comments don't appear to be nested beyond the first level
- Clicking on the sign up page brought me to HN's site, but it didn't bring me to their sign up page
- In the comments view, the back button at the top left appeared to be informative text instead of a back button to me... What if you added an arrow before the text ("<") like Apple does in many of their apps (e.g. the settings app)
But I love the way the app looks overall and I'm glad I've found an awesome HN reader app!
Oh and P.S. the app gave me an error when trying to post this - "There was an error while trying tu publish your comment. Please try again."
In the next version (1.1) coming in about a week we will include:
-Clear upvotes and comments number from the main feed
-Quick access to comments from the main feed
-Quick upvoting for posts from the main feed
-Switch to auto-delete posts viewed and only show them in the "Viewed" tab
-Collapse comments
-LogIn improvements
-Commenting and posting bug corrected
-Follow users to receive push notifications when they post something
Why does the bottom share button not bring up the full share menu? Also, for share by email please auto populate the subject line. Other than that it looks pretty good so far.
So. I immediately upgraded to the Black Hat plan (no ads forever) and would say you are charging way too little or should not use in app purchase.
We HN users are a dedicated base of people. While you need data to decide this, I think you will find that most people will pay more than $3.99 for no ads. I think most of us are happy to pay for a quality product.
Outside that, I really hope that this will become my go-to for hacker news :)
Caveat: for some reason I cannot post a comment from the client but the error is not verbose. It also says "tu " instead of "to". Just a note.
why not?
The decision was taken in relation to our colour palette and the look and feel of the login (there is a beautiful video transition of Ibiza by night)
In the next version (1.1) coming in about a week we are going to include:
-Clear upvotes and comments number from the main feed
-Quick access to comments from the main feed
-Quick upvoting for posts from the main feed
-Switch to auto-delete posts viewed and only show them in the "Viewed" tab
-Collapse comments
-LogIn improvements
-Commenting and posting bug corrected
-Follow users to receive push notifications when they post something
Version 1.2 (some more weeks):
-Dynamic text: adjust text size as you want
-Different fonts: we will add in addition to the current Avenir, Open Sans, Proxima Nova and Helvetica Neue
Stay tuned for more updates! As we said, Boreal is a client build from users FOR users.
Is there a collection of all the different HN clients out there? A HN example seems to have become as common as a hello world example among javascript frontend libs.
Very much a newbie here (first comment in fact!) and am trying to break into iOS App development myself so it's nice to see you guys doing well!
Love the app, great design. My only "gripe" if you can call it that is how slow some of the animations are. For example the view sliding up from the bottom after tapping the action button is smooth but (to me at least) feels like it's lagging somewhat.
66 comments
[ 3.5 ms ] story [ 126 ms ] threadHow do you plan to monetize it? It says "in app purchases" but couldn't spot any paid-for options.
A few small comments:
* The login option is slightly confusing, because it has a big Boreal on top. Am I logging in / creating an account for Boreal or HN ?
* On the announcement blog post you have a typo "So, what do you l[o]ose trying it?", and I think you should anyway say "What do you have to lose by trying it?" (I'm not a native English speaker though).
* I wish there was a way to jump straight into the comments. It's not uncommon for me (and I believe others) to start off by reading the comments, and only then the article.
Is there a way to up/downvote comments?
I've been looking for a new iOS HN app, and I do like the design of this, might just need some getting used to and a couple of minor additions. Great job!
+1. Thats usually how I know whether the title's claims are valid or not
This too is a great application for using HN, however its design is more orthodox.
Great Work :)
Btw, thanks by your feedback. We will add a switch in the 1.1 version (coming in a few days) to auto-delete the viewed posts from your main feed and archive them in your viewed tab only :)
* App performance / design is phenomenal. Great job.
* Show comments/point counts on the stories in the list views
You have an interesting monetization model... Personally, I would get rid of all the tiers and just have your default free + 3.99 full unlock. I don't imagine many people reading hackernews will fall in between and want to pay money while still seeing ads. Your pricing is fine though I think for the full version.
We are currently thinking about how to improve the experience getting into comments, on the 1.1 version (coming in a few days) we will add a quick access to comments, directly from the feed.
Users flagged this story, presumably because some of the comments look suspiciously like astroturfing. I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt and override that in this case, but guys, you need to realize that you can't promote your stuff on HN that way. Astroturfing accounts get banned, and usually we'll ban the submitters' accounts and the site as well. Even if we don't do that, HN users—who have a nose for this sort of thing and really don't like it—will react negatively to your post, and that's definitely the opposite of what you want.
I have a feeling it was just your friends trying to give you a boost, which is very nice of them, but please tell them that HN is the sort of place where that doesn't go over well. Instead, learn to let your fine work speak for itself.
I wish I could see the number of votes a post got on the main screen though.. I like the filtering, but sometimes I just want to look at the numbers and decide for myself
- the dollar sign is not visisble for the apple stock. - the +x.xx% is not aligned nicely (bit.ly/1IXTayl)
Back to the HN App. Could you add a way to customize the font size for the comments? The font is really small and I haven't figured out a way to change it. Also, I'd like to see a "content-based-view" as it is implemented in this app https://appsto.re/us/7uRIQ.i you should also allow use, if you add this function, to have the content-focused view as the default one.
Otherwise, great job you too!
- Comments don't appear to be nested beyond the first level - Clicking on the sign up page brought me to HN's site, but it didn't bring me to their sign up page - In the comments view, the back button at the top left appeared to be informative text instead of a back button to me... What if you added an arrow before the text ("<") like Apple does in many of their apps (e.g. the settings app)
But I love the way the app looks overall and I'm glad I've found an awesome HN reader app!
Oh and P.S. the app gave me an error when trying to post this - "There was an error while trying tu publish your comment. Please try again."
- Text is way too small. Needs to be configurable.
- Not sure I like this font as a body text font, either. Can you make this an option?
- To get from the article view to the comments requires two clicks. Should only be one click.
- Byline text is hard to read, needs more contrast.
[1] https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/minihack-for-hacker-news-sim...
In the next version (1.1) coming in about a week we will include:
-Clear upvotes and comments number from the main feed -Quick access to comments from the main feed -Quick upvoting for posts from the main feed -Switch to auto-delete posts viewed and only show them in the "Viewed" tab -Collapse comments -LogIn improvements -Commenting and posting bug corrected -Follow users to receive push notifications when they post something
What does the up arrow in the top right of comments section supposed to do?
P.S. I also got the same error as jamescostian when trying to comment from the app.
We HN users are a dedicated base of people. While you need data to decide this, I think you will find that most people will pay more than $3.99 for no ads. I think most of us are happy to pay for a quality product.
Outside that, I really hope that this will become my go-to for hacker news :)
Caveat: for some reason I cannot post a comment from the client but the error is not verbose. It also says "tu " instead of "to". Just a note.
* It doesn't feel like HackersNews. I think you should follow some of the elements from the web app (Orange colour, HN logo etc)
* I wasn't comfortable providing login credentials. How are you handling login / storing my details?
* I'd like to see more posts per page. Feels harder to scan read the posts than on the current HN site
* Filter in top right looks like a location / near me icon. Didn't expect it to display filter options
* How do I see my profile? I'm logged in, but no indication that I am
* Having to click on comments to see 'no comments' feels odd
* The number of upvotes / comments per post is important, feels very buried (couldn't find upvotes)
In the next version (1.1) coming in about a week we are going to include: -Clear upvotes and comments number from the main feed -Quick access to comments from the main feed -Quick upvoting for posts from the main feed -Switch to auto-delete posts viewed and only show them in the "Viewed" tab -Collapse comments -LogIn improvements -Commenting and posting bug corrected -Follow users to receive push notifications when they post something
Version 1.2 (some more weeks): -Dynamic text: adjust text size as you want -Different fonts: we will add in addition to the current Avenir, Open Sans, Proxima Nova and Helvetica Neue
Stay tuned for more updates! As we said, Boreal is a client build from users FOR users.
I for one welcome the lack of HN colours, although the orange might look nice as a secondary/accent colour used sparingly. The grey is lovely.
I'll keep using the app and look forward to the update coming shortly.
Well done.
PS. There's a typo on the error posting modal dialogue box - says "tu" rather than "to". (There was an error trying tu publish your comment....)
I've been getting this error a lot, so I went to the web site to post this.
I for one welcome the lack of HN colours, although the orange might look nice as a secondary/accent colour used sparingly. The grey is lovely.
I'll keep using the app and look forward to the update coming shortly.
Well done.
PS. There's a typo on the error posting modal dialogue box - says "tu" rather than "to". (There was an error trying tu publish your comment....)
I've been getting this error a lot, so I went to the web site to post this.
Very much a newbie here (first comment in fact!) and am trying to break into iOS App development myself so it's nice to see you guys doing well!
Love the app, great design. My only "gripe" if you can call it that is how slow some of the animations are. For example the view sliding up from the bottom after tapping the action button is smooth but (to me at least) feels like it's lagging somewhat.
Either way looking forward to the next update!