I am one of the lucky few that are beta testing the new app and we are not allowed to give screenshot but we can write about our experience. I can summarize that in to one word=wow!.The actual writing is amazing, fast, distinct precise. All you need and are used to from the web site. Since that is the most important part of the app I am extremely pleased with this. There are still a lot of things to do be done with all the other stuff we are used to from the web site but this is so great. This is going to be a killer app for us that like to skritter away from the regular PC. I can now sit and skritter while on boring meetings, flying, taking my daily train rides etc. So pleased. A lot of work remains before it can be released but it is well worth waiting for.

Yes, I second how amazing it is. I just spent three weeks in Ethiopia, where I very rarely had an internet connection, but with the app I was able to skritter the whole time I was there, which was a lifesaver. I'd hate to think about how much I would have forgotten, and how many reviews I would have had waiting for me, if I hadn't had the app. It's going to be revolutionary.

Would have been an incredible number of reviews if you'd shirked for 3 weeks on a stock of 4294969409 learned characters! :)

Really looking forward to the public release!

Yes, my stats have been buggy for awhile now. One of the downsides of testing, but it's so worth it!

do you know when will the app be released?

There is no release date yet, until we get very close and are sure we can hit it. We've still got much to do, since the final release has to be very polished.

hi, no release date yet - no problem. but what about the beta testing? isn't it still in alpha with only a few testers at all?
.. because beta testing would be way better than going crazy while waiting for the release:-)

I have a waiting list with over 100 testers on it, and have let about 30 of them into the alpha test so far. Apple only allows us to register 100 devices, so the list is full, unfortunately.

If this is a deliberate effort to generate hype among all the non-beta testers, it's working marvelously. I'm upgrading my 2G itouch in anticipation of the app showing up sometime in the near future. Please give me a ray of hope that I will be able to Skritter offline to start the new year. (After all, this is the only thing holding me back from full fluency.)

Does this mean I will be able to use Skritter on my IPAD next year? If so, I am thrilled.

hi nick, oh this is not what I meant. I already put my name on the beta list a loooooong time ago:-) I mean: when will the beta program go beyond the 30 participants ?

quimby, we have barely started trying to generate hype! Look out for the demo video coming soon... ;)

Goal4000: yes.

yong: oh, there you are, in position #5. Pretty soon. I just added 13 testers and it seems like they're having fun. We need to fix a few more bugs.

Ooooh, I am super glad. That means I can Skritter on the iTouch, ipad and iphone soon. Very cool. I just hate sitting in front of the laptop and skrittering with my mouse. Don't even have a Wacom (was seriously thinking of buying that) but now that I think my wish is coming true, I might just wait and hold my breath a little longer. ;-) I even considered buying an Android phone just so I could skritter. Now I don't have to!

I do use it at my Ipad and it works super great already in Alpha test. I use it on WIFI at home, of line at planes/trains and in the office. Syncs well, easy to write etc. naturally there are still much missing but from and practicing standpoint it is super great. As soon as I have a free minute I Can skritter and this really helps. I think that there might be an debate about what information should be available in the app, where it should be etc. but the important part, to write is just super nice.

Sweet! I am being a nerd here, but I can't believe how much anticipation I have for this app so that I can use the ipad instead of being stuck at my computer!

"Apple only allows us to register 100 devices, so the list is full, unfortunately."

On the plus side, when the native Android app is developed, this utterly ridiculous restriction will be absent. It beggars belief that people are willing to put up with that crap.

Hello Skritter Team,

I am a student of Japanese and am struggling to learn how to write Kanji. Up to now all the books and programs I bought couldnt teach me how to write them.

Now I found out about Skritter. I had never heard of Skritter up to now, what a shame! I did the small demo of your online-Skritter version on your website and am pretty psyched about it now. What a great way to learn the Japanese Kanji. I have been looking for such a tool for ages now. The only problem is: I really dont like paying monthly fees. I even buy my phones for the full price instead of using the "+10€ over 2 years and get a phone cheap" provider contracts. The only subscription besides mobile phone and internet I have running is a newspaper subscription. I try to keep my monthly fees as low as possible (as a general rule)

That is why I have 3 questions:

1. I was very happy to find out that you plan to release an Iphone and Ipad app of Skritter "in the near future". Will I need a monthly subscription for these apps, or can I just buy the itunes-app for a one-time fee and be free to use your great product on my Iphone and Ipad whenever I like?

2. The Iphone/Ipad app will be for learning Japanese too, not only for Chinese, right?

3. If the Iphone/Ipad version is ready, and both Japanese and Chinese are included, could you split Chinese and Japanese into separate apps? I'd never use Chinese, so maybe splitting the app in Chinese and Japanese versions would decrease the size of the apps.

Thanks for your effort. Looking forward to your reply.

Best Wishes
dc (Germany)

Hi dc,

1. We're planning on continuing to use the same pricing system for the app as the site. Please be aware, though, that you can easily cancel your subscription at any time through the site (and the app, when it's ready), so you could subscribe and cancel immediately to effectively purchase a month, and also you can pay for six months a time through Paypal or Google Checkout. And if your account is expired, you can continue to study. You just can't add more words.

2. Yes, it will be for both, though the Japanese version will be out slightly later than the Chinese one. The delay will be minimal.

3. That's already planned. It's a big, big app as it is now, and largely because of the embedded sound files. So by splitting it we should easily fit into the 20MB maximum for apps available for download over a cell phone network.

Hope that helps!