Ok, This is basically a news update concerning the fate of both journals - and a little something else thrown in for good measure.
First off, both the AIR and Windows Journals are still non-operational - mostly due to lack of free time, and more recently, temporary lack of hosting. So, my current plans are to simply go back to relying on data.lotro.com for the time being, as the temporary loss of both item, and more recently, hosting has made the methods for speed improvements fail spectacularly. So when the next update does appear, it will work again, but loading will be slower due to having to load more things at once.
Now that the bad news is out of the way, time for a little good news. Yesterday I was finally eligible for an upgrade for my mobile, and got myself an HTC Inspire 4G. Now, I realize that the average person couldn't care less about what phone I have, but it
does mean one thing that may interest at least some of you. I now have the ability to design, build and test Android apps and Widgets!
So once I manage to get the AIR/Windows versions of the Character Journal operational again, the next plan is to start working on an Android version - well, ok, that's not quite accurate. Since an Android app is as the name implies, an application ,and not just a Widget/Gadget designed to sit on your desktop and take up a minimum amount of space, the app will be a bit more complex. Basically an Android version of LotRO Herald, if you will. Make no mistake, this isn't going to be some interpretation or port of this app, it will be my own design, layout and code - I'll just be "feature matching" to put Android users on equal footing with those who er - prefer the alternative.
I will be working on an update to both the AIR and Windows version over the weekend, and should be ready by Monday night. I will warn you again though, you will see a significant increase in load times. As much as I hate to do it, I really don't have the gas (or probably bail money) to drive out to Turbine's HQ, march in and demand that they design their data so it's a little more efficient to load and parse.
