From Garbage Man to iPhone Dev?
I get a lot of approaches every day from iPhone app developers, telling me about lots of cool new iPhone apps (and some that are not so cool of course). I have to admit though, I don ‘t get that many that include the words
I’m the trash man who developed
Rob Shoesmith is the trash man, from Whitley in the UK, who developed a new iPhone app called Problem Halved. The app emerged as a winner in a UK contest run by an ‘app incubator ‘ company “ and I think it ‘s a pretty decent idea.
Problem Halved serves as an ‘agony aunt ‘ app, where users can share their own problems to seek solutions from ‘the community ‘, or offer solutions to problems posted via the app. Here ‘s a better summary and some further info from its App Store description:
Problem Halved will allow people from around the globe to give you suggestions to help you solve your problems. You can post a problem or answer a problem “ or do both – a problem shared is a problem halved, so don ‘t go it alone!
A Podcast will be launched to compliment this app shortly after the app is released which will feature celebrity guest appearances.
Rob ‘s already got a lot of press attention over in the UK, including a writeup in Macworld UK:
Recently Rob has appeared on the BBC, in The Guardian, Macworld and numerous local press and radio reports following news that his iPhone app design had been selected from thousands. The competition, to develop great app ideas without necessarily having the technical knowledge or footing the financial outlay, is backed by MEDL Mobile and their App Incubator service. In return for developing the app MEDL Mobile will give potential developers 25 per cent of any profits.
I haven ‘t tried out the app yet, as (touch wood) I haven ‘t got any pressing problems to share just now “ but I have to say I ‘ll be rooting for this Cinderella (hmmm, Cinderella the trash man doesn ‘t have such a nice ring) story to be a success.
You can find Problem Halved in the App Store now, priced at $0.99.
Now that's an awesome story…that's why you should never give up on your dreams. It's a very solid idea for an app too! Just think about all the time that people spend putzing around in the web and in apps all day, just think if even a quarter of that time was spent being productive resolving issues/conflicts and just sharing ideas with others? Sounds good and I'll def be picking that up to check it out and support. And Patrick, it's a blessing for you to be able to say that, so you better not just touch that wood, but kiss it too! Lol!!
Cool – let us know what you think of it! As far as the blessing part of things, believe me I realize that, absolutely for sure. Total cliche, but every day – problem-free or full of problems – is a blessing.