The latest version of Labor Mate, the best dang labor contraction timer for the iPhone and iPod touch, is now available in the App Store. This update is FREE to existing user. The update includes a much improved UI, compatibility with iOS4 and multitasking, and support for the new retina display on iPhone 4.

I decided to give the WordPress plug-in WP to Twitter a try. My hope is I’m able to write blog posts from my Mac using MarsEdit and have a link to the post auto-magically posted to my Twitter account. This is my first test using this setup. Assuming it works, it will be my first and only test. Here goes.

In April I blogged about an issue I was having with Microsoft regarding a questionable past due invoice. I’m happy to report that the issue has finally been resolved. Microsoft owned up to the mistake and will be issuing a refund for full amount paid to the collection agency.

Long story short, the payment I made in December 2004 was applied to the December 2005 invoice. This basically resulted in me getting the first year of service for free, though I didn’t know it. And I never received the December 2005 invoice because it had been paid with the money charged in December 2004. Also, when the billing system was moved from Placeware to Microsoft, a mistake was made to my account which caused the December 2006 invoice not to be sent to me. Because I never received invoices for December 2005 and December 2006, it’s logical to see how I thought the account was canceled after the first year of service, which started in December 2004.

Thanks to the blog post in April, Microsoft did in fact contact me regarding the issue. If not for the attention received by the posting, I would have remained bitter towards Microsoft. Instead, an extremely helpful Julie McNamara-Dahl from Microsoft went above and beyond to get to the bottom of the issue. Julie’s efforts have single handedly restored my trust in Microsoft’s customer service. And best of all, with the help of others at Microsoft, she was able to get to the bottom of the matter and answer my question, “What happened?”

I hate that the matter blew up like this, and I hate that it was something haunting me for years. But in the end, the whole affair proved to me that Microsoft does listen and does strive to provide excellent customer service.

Finally, I want to say a big thank you to Julie and those who helped her. THANK YOU! This matter is definitely closed.

Update: See the blog post Score One for the Little Guy and Kudos to Microsoft for the latest news.

A few weeks ago I posted a story of how Microsoft turned me over to a collection agency for a past due invoice that 1) I never originally received, 2) for an account canceled a year before the said invoice was issued, and 3) no one from Microsoft is willing to talk with me about to answer my questions. As a final straw and an attempt to put the matter behind me, I paid the invoice even though I still feel the invoice is the result of an accounting error made by Microsoft.

The blog post got the attention of a large number of people. People were tweeting about my story and some popular web sites picked up the story. The increased traffic to my web site brought down my server for 4 hours and I scrambled to get the site up and running again as quickly as possible. But more importantly the blog post caught the attention of some Microsoft employees.

Two employees contacted me regarding the matter and offered to help. This was great news. I had hopes that I would finally have my questions answered. After all, that’s all I really want at this time, is to have my questions answered.

One of the Microsoft employees made some progress in finding a person to help figure out the mess. It looked like I would finally have some answered. Then the collection agency called again. Yep, instead of Microsoft following up with me directly they asked the collection agency to call me.

The agent I spoke with was the same person I spoke with last month. He said Microsoft ask him to call me to see what can be done to “smooth things over”. I told the agent the same thing I told him last month. All I want is to talk with someone from Microsoft who can explain to me what happened. All I want is answered to my questions.

It is not about the money. Paying Microsoft $134 is not going to bankrupt White Peak Software. But what I really want is to speak with someone who can answer my questions regarding the matter. It’s doubtful that will ever happen since Microsoft seems to prefer hiding behind contractors and collection agencies with limited information then to talk with me directly.

The fact that Microsoft will not talk with me directly makes me trust Microsoft less. Because I do not like doing business with companies I do not trust, it is likely the $134 I paid last month will be the last dollar Microsoft ever receives from me. The ironic part in all of this mess is Microsoft could have saved my trust in them as a consumer with a simple phone call.

At the end of the day it is about providing great customer service and this is something that Microsoft has failed to do.

Update: A positive outcome as resulted from the blog post below. See the blog post Score One for the Little Guy and Kudos to Microsoft for the latest news.

It’s no secret that my dislike for Microsoft has grown in recent years, but today that dislike skyrocketed to a new level of anger that is rare for me. My growing dislike for Microsoft is centered around my belief that Microsoft’s operating systems are not as good as the alternatives, their developer tools are not as good as the alternatives, and their productivity software programs are not as good as the alternatives. But today I’m angered not by Microsoft’s technologies but by their unacceptable customer service. I’m upset because I’m left with no other option than to pay for a mistake caused by Microsoft, and after dealing with the issue for years, I have yet to receive a single reply from a Microsoft employee.

The story begins in the fall of 2004. Microsoft acquires Placeware, Inc and its online meeting solution now called Live Meeting. I had recently started working full time for White Peak Software and was looking for an online meeting solution. Microsoft ran a special in December 2004 for it’s newly acquired solution Live Meeting, $99 for a 1-year, 5-seat subscription. For me it was a no brainer. I signed up as soon as I heard about the offer.

Jump forward a year later to December 2005. Turns out I rarely used Live Meeting during my 12 month subscription so I canceled the service. No harm, no foul. I tried the service and it wasn’t for me.

Skip forward to 2007. I received an email from an Accenture contractor working on behalf of Microsoft. I can only assume he was working in the Accounts Receivable department. The email said I owed for a past due invoice. The invoice was attached to the email as some funky Word HTML format that I could not view.

I asked that the invoice be resent in a viewable format, preferably as a PDF. I also stated in the reply email that I was unaware of any past due invoices related to Live Meeting. I explained I signed up for the service in December 2004, for 1 year then canceled in December 2005. I also included proof of payment for the 1 year subscription (dated December 28, 2004 and paid to Placeware), and I tried reaching the person via the phone. I left voice mail.

I did not heard back from the Accenture person acting on behalf of Microsoft. No reply email or returned phone call. I assumed the matter was resolved. Then in December 2007 I received email from another Accenture person acting on behalf of Microsoft once again saying I was past due on an invoice, which once again I could not view. I asked that the invoice be sent in a viewable format, something other than this weird Word HTML, and I provided dates and proof of payment for my 1 year Live Meeting subscription dating from December 2004 through December 2005. No surprise that I got zero responses, so I once again thought the matter had been resolved.

Now we jump ahead to July 2009, a year and a half since my last contact regarding this matter. I got yet another email with yet another non-viewable attachment from the same Accenture person who emailed me in December 2007. Again I explained I could not view the invoice and asked that it be resent. I also resent the proof of payments, dates, etc for my 1 year subscription started in December 2004 and ending December 2005. Of course I got no reply, no viewable invoice, and again I was left with the assumption the matter was resolved though deep inside I knew better.

Today I got a voice mail from a collection agency regarding a past due invoice for a Live Meeting subscription. A collection agency? Seriously Microsoft? After not returning my phone call or emails over the years, you turn the matter over to a collection agency?

I promptly called the collection agency back. I talked with a friendly gentleman name Dan who shed light on the situation, something Microsoft and their Accenture contractors failed to do.

First, he tells me I am past due on an invoice date December 13, 2006 for a 1 year subscription to Live Meeting. The subscription is for the period between December 13, 2006 and December 12, 2007, a full year after I had canceled my account. Not only that, he said his records show I started the account in December 2005, not in December 2004. Of course my credit card statement says otherwise, showing a payment to Placeware, Inc on December 28, 2004.

It turns out the past due invoice that has been in question for years and I was unable to view is from December 2006, a full year after my account was canceled. Not only that, Dan told me the invoice was mailed in December 2006 to my office address in New York City. I relocated the company to Salem, MA in March 2006, so that explains why I never received the original invoice. (Side note: He also email me a copy of the invoice, in PDF format. I was finally able to see the invoice for the very first time after all these years.)

Best I can tell the whole mess is due to an error on the Microsoft side, and if I had to guess it has something to do with Microsoft’s acquisition of Placeware, Inc and the switch over in billing systems. Remember, my payment was to Placeware in 2004 and my account was canceled in 2005. I was never asked or invoiced for the period between December 2005 and 2006. Then out of the blue comes an invoice in December 2006, sent to the wrong address, for the subscription period between December 2006 and December 2007. And remember the collection agent said according to his records the account started in December 2005, yet there was no record of payment for the period between December 2005 and December 2006. That because the account was actually canceled in December 2005, not started.

It is obvious to me that there was some accounting error on the Microsoft side in 2006. Despite the error by Microsoft, I have no choice but to pay the outstanding invoice. I asked the collection agent if there is a contact at Microsoft that I can talk to about this matter. Short answer, “No”, and past attempts to talk with Microsoft representatives also failed.

So here we have it. The big, mighty Microsoft with piss poor customer service chasing $99 thought to be owed to them by a small business and why? Because of an accounting mistake they made.

I would love to talk with someone at Microsoft regarding this matter, not an Accenture contractor, not a collection agency, but a real live person from Microsoft. I would love to hear the reasons why my emails were never answered years ago. I would love to hear why the records show my account was re-opened in 2005 and was never charged (obvious proof they screwed up). And I would love to hear why out of the blue I was invoiced in December 2006 for the period December 2006 through December 2007 despite having canceled my account in December 2005.

I doubt I will ever hear from Microsoft. Meanwhile I paid the invoice. I guess Microsoft needs the money more than I do.

Today was the last day for 360idev and what a great 4 days it has been. Catching up with friends, making new friends, listening to great talks, and yes, having a beer or four. This 360idev was extra exciting me for because I got a chance to talk.

My presentation “Building Web Service Powered Apps” didn’t start off great. There was a technical issue with my laptop and the projector that cause the talk to start late. Then as I tried to show an example of a web service call using the Twitter API I got a request limit reached error.

Despite the bumpy start and the shorten time frame, I think the talk was okay. Not great but okay. I wasn’t able to talk through some of the points I had hoped to cover and I had to skip a couple of the demos. My plan is to record the skipped demos as a screen cast and post them here soon.

Thanks to all who came to my talk, and big thanks to the 360idev team, other speakers and the attendees who made the last few days in San Jose great.

Hey Peanut version 1.1 has just been released and is available in the App Store. I’m very excited about this update because it adds support for the new iPad, which will be available for purchase tomorrow. Best of all the update is free to existing users, so if you already bought Hey Peanut and you are getting an iPad then you will get the iPad version of Hey Peanut for free as well.

Haven’t bought Hey Peanut for your toddler? No worries. The price will remain $1.99 and will include both the iPhone and iPad versions. It’s like getting 2 apps for the price of 1.

I’m very excited to announce the immediate availability of Hey Peanut in the App Store. Hey Peanut is a new type of photo browser on the iPhone and iPod touch designed specifically for your toddler, ages 1 to 3 years old. Hey Peanut is kid tested and parent approve. It includes fun farm animals and sound effects to entertain your little one, but the best feature is the built-in voice recorder.

Add photos of family and friends then have them record a voice message for your child. When you child touches the photo the voice recording will play. This is a great way for your child to see and hear love ones who might live or be out of town.

My son Rowan, at the age of 20 months, helped me design Hey Peanut. He played with Hey Peanut at every stage. He hated it in the beginning, always saying “No, no!” But once all the pieces were in place, the music, farm scenes, and sound effects, he loved it. He now plays with Hey Peanut often and especially enjoys seeing and hearing his mom when she is out of town working.

If you have love ones who live out of town, or a parent that travels often, then you toddler is going to love Hey Peanut.

I have spent the last couple of months working on a new app for the iPhone called Hey Peanut. Hey Peanut is a photo browser app with a twist for toddlers.

A while back my wife took pictures of family members and put them into a small photo album. Our son doesn’t see his extended family as much as we would like so from time to time we sit with him and browse the family photo album. This gives him a chance to learn the faces of his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. One day I was watching my wife and son browse the photo album and I thought, “There should be an app for that.” Thus the idea for Hey Peanut was born.

Hey Peanut is based on the family photo album but, as I said before, with a twist. The twist is the recorded voice message. Using an iPhone and Hey Peanut a parent takes a picture of a family member then records a voice message from the family member. For instance, I can use Hey Peanut to take a picture of my mother and record a personal message from her like, “Hi Rowan! It’s GranMom. I love you.” My son can then browse the pictures and listen to the messages at any time.

Hey Peanut is a bit more than just a photo browser. It includes colorful “photo mats” with various sounds effects to keep the toddle engaged. Originally I was thinking of making Hey Peanut more game-like but decided it was not necessary.

Development on Hey Peanut is nearing completion. A lot of time has been spent on making a photo browser slash library manager for the parents. This mimics the photo app to some degree. I had hope to use Three20′s photo viewer for this but I ran into problems so I had to write my own. Over the last few weeks I have taken my code and created a new open source photo browser project called KTPhotoBrowser. The latest code is available on GitHub. The open source project is still work in progress but it is useable. I plan to complete KTPhotoBrowser once Hey Peanut is released.

Meanwhile, if you are a parent with a little one between the ages of 1 and 3 and you think he or she would like to play with Hey Peanut then send me a message and join the beta testing team.

Today is the official start of what I am calling iPhone Mac Conference Tour 2010. Between now and June I will be attending 3 iPhone and Mac developer conferences. My tour beings with NSConference, which starts tomorrow, followed by 360iDev San Jose in April and wraps up in June with my first visit to WWDC.

NSConference USA kicks off tomorrow with an iPhone developer workshop followed by 2 days of Mac developer talks and ending Wednesday with 2 additional workshops, one on concurrent programming and the other on insights from Matt “Legend” Gemmell. I’m excited about NSConference, not only for the talks but the chance to finally meet a number of people I follow on Twitter. Plus the conference will likely be the kick in the butt I need to get started on my first commercial Mac desktop app.

360iDev San Jose is April 11 through 14. What can I say about 360iDev that I haven’t already said. It’s a great conference. The last one in Denver was one of the best developer conferences I have ever attended. 360iDev San Jose will be a bit different for me though since I will be one of the speakers. My topic will be on using web services with your iPhone apps. Oh, and if you are planning to attend be sure to register here. You’re registration will help me win suite at the hotel.

And what better way to conclude the iPhone Mac Conference Tour 2010 then by attending Apple’s own Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). I’ve never been. This will be my first WWDC. I really wanted to go last year but had a scheduling conflict. Not this year. I have blocked off the entire month of June until the WWDC dates are announced.

So that’s my conference tour for this year. I’m really looking forward to each conference. Speaking of, time to head down to the hotel lobby and meet some folks here for #nsconf.