Chrome edition: Time Bar

[par]

Hey, guys!
You probably know that we are working on YoWindow 3 behind the scenes.
What is really cool is that you can peek at YoWindow 3 features right now.
In Google Chrome edition of YoWindow.

You can download the new YoWindow for Chrome here
http://yowindow.com/toolbar/yowindow.crx

Today we are opening the new Time Bar.

New Time Bar

newTimeBar.jpg (9.96 KiB) Viewed 10183 times

Old Time Bar

screenOldTimeBar.jpg (8.47 KiB) Viewed 10183 times

So, what's new?

New "ball" cursor
The old cursor was too big and awkward.
We think the new ball cursor is cool

Moon icons
When the sun is below the horizon, sky icons displayed with Moon instead of Sun.

Temperature
Time-bar is a very important part of YoWindow.
It helps to understand how the weather is going to change over the day.
There was no temperature on the time-bar so far.
But temperature is what most of us care about.
So we have added temperature.

It was hard to add temperature labels and keep the time-bar easy to read.
We decided to limit the number of the labels to three.

The labels correspond to 9:00, 15:00 and 21:00.
Pay attention that temperature labels are not always displayed over the time they belong to.
When a temperature label and a sky icon overlap, the temperature label shifted to free space.

Time labels
We have changed time labels to help people orient on the time-bar.
In YoWindow 2 we are having 0:00, 6:00, 12:00, 18:00, 0:00
YoWindow 3: 0:00, 6:00, 9:00, 15:00, 21:00

Press and hold arrow buttons
You can press and hold arrow button to scroll days.

There are no Calendar component in the time-bar yet.
We will add it later on.

But wait.
There are more new features.

New thunderstorms with lightning
We have added lightning images to thunderstorm mode.
The feature is in BETA, it is already looking good but we need to fine tune it to perfection.
If you happen to catch a thunderstorm in YoWindow for Chrome, you will like it

thunderstormDebug.jpg (74.21 KiB) Viewed 10183 times

Feels-like man icon
We have added an icon of a man to help the user differentiate feels-like and the main temperature.

manIcon.jpg (3.26 KiB) Viewed 10183 times

Weather in sync
The weather on Chrome button and inside YoWindow are synchronized now.

And the best of all feature - new YoWindow is fast.
Try scrolling the time, see how smoothly the weather is changing.

Please install our new version of YoWindow for Chrome.
http://yowindow.com/toolbar/yowindow.crx

As usual, bug reports and your opinion on new features are very welcome.

[jmcmurry]

Very nice, I like it a lot. Great work guys.

- Jim

[countryroads]

Hi Pasha,

Time Bar is very nice. I know this is still in development, but I have a few things that need to be corrected. I have Google Chrome on my Windows 7 and if I move cursor to access snipping tool for a screenshot, YoWindow Chrome disappears. So I have no screenshot for you. I will have to try this later on Windows XP.

YoWindow 2.0 Desktop shows Partly Cloudy 73 F and the tray shows 73 F. YoWindow Chrome shows Mostly Cloudy 73 F and the Button shows Mostly Cloudy 74 F.

If I hold down the right arrow and scroll forward in time on YoWindow Chrome everything works great until Spring of 2012. I then see the Sky, the Horizon Line, Wild Flowers, and a blank white landscape. If I click on Live after scrolling forward in time, you see the same (Sky, Horizon Line, Wild Flowers, and blank white landscape). Exit out of YoWindow Chrome and click on Button again, YoWindow Chrome displays as it should except for the temperature difference.

What is working right now is very nice. Keep up the good work.

Marty

[FvE]

Hi Team,

This looks promising!!!
I had to install chrome first and then got a bit stuck at the YoWindow.crx file, but that's all part of my inexperience

The funpart is the surprise once it works.
I like it a lot!

Well done, go on
Fred

[par]

A new build of Chrome edition is available.
http://yowindow.com/toolbar/yowindow.crx

Marty, thank you very much for the valuable findings.
I have fixed both errors - incorrect Fahrenheit display and white landscape display (hopefully)

Besides fixing the errors here's what has changed:

-The window is bigger now - 800x500 pixels. It is impossible to display a window more than 800 pixels in width in Chrome.
-Weather state displayed when necessary: no weather/updating weather.../weather expired/weather update error.
-Scroll time with mouse-wheel
-YoWindow logo added

Your observations of the product are very welcome

[countryroads]

Hi Pasha,

The temperature in YoWindow Chrome and the Button seem to be in sync now. I will try again later to see if they are still in sync.

I used the right arrow and scrolled forward in time for about 3 years. I could not get the blank white landscape again. It looks like you fixed this error

I'm still waiting to see the lightning. I may have to change my location for that. But for now, everything looks great.

Marty

[par]

Thank you, Marty!

[countryroads]

Hi Pasha,

I tracked down a thunderstorm on Monday afternoon. It was in Miami, Florida and had heavy rain. I watched for lightning but never saw any. I used my Location Chooser on the current Widget for Miami, Florida and the sky was flashing. I went back to YoWindow Chrome and still saw no lightning.

The only thing I could think about is that the clouds do not move when it is raining. Does the lightning show only when a thunderstorm is forming and before the rain starts? The reason I ask that is the picture of your lightning strike is with no rain or very light rain.

Still waiting to see the new lightning

Marty

[par]

Ah... it looks like I have made a little error while deploying the Chrome extension.
That is why you did not see the lightning.
I just have fixed this, hopefully.

[countryroads]

Hi Pasha,

I have no problem tracking down places that are having thunderstorms. On the current widget and desktop, these places show a flashing sky. When I go to YoWindow Chrome, I do not see lightning strikes or flashing sky.

Still waiting to see lightning

Marty