Sorry for the long silence... - Haven't been around for a while, folks! Been keeping busy with a startup and working on a server-side project for www.vollow.me. Time to dust off those old Java and database abilities! Soon, I'll be getting my hands on building the app to go with the website. Keep your eyes peeled for some insightful iPhone-related posts coming your way!

Sales stats update - Two months on the app store - Another month on the App Store, fellas! Even though our little app met some bumps here and there, it still managed to get quite the spotlight in Europe's 'What we're playing' section, grossing up to 200 daily sales in the UK, 300 globally. Took a hit when we dropped from the featured list, but that was expected, right? Thankfully, other countries picked up the slack! Brought in a new icon and broke into the US market, making a splash in their 'New and Noteworthy' section. Seems like being on the front page or featured list really makes a difference! Despite a distinct peak in US sales, no other plot-twisting moments. Oh, and for all the high rollers out there, the yacht's still a bit off, I reckon. But we're hopeful. Feel like catching a glimpse into the numbers? Got questions or just want to chat? Give us a shout! Now, back to work. Next update coming your way soon!

Christmas Quiz - We had a blast going live for our exciting Christmas quiz! We started by whipping up some suspense, dealing with a few technical glitches, a tiny bit of trippy feedback, and some legendary guests. We had James, Brian, Pat, and Desi – the real stars of live streaming! With the rules set out - not questioning Santa, we navigated through a wave of Christmas and science-themed questions. From 1980s computers and the first SMS message to hormones, physics, electronics, and space exploration – we had it all. We even added a splash of math and popular culture into the mix. There was no shortage of confusion, excitement, and good-humored debates throughout the quiz. Ending it on a fun note, there was no prize but the joy of taking part in itself. Ah, it was a tie, but thanks to our 'Gizmo' question, there were extra points for everyone! We reminisced about our Christmas plans afterward - be it visiting family, playing games, or even running marathons! Merry Christmas to all!

DIY e-Reader update - ported to the M5Paper - Discover the latest updates on the DIY e-reader project, featuring the sleek M5 paper device with an SD card for storing numerous books, a jog button for navigation, and a crisp display! Check out the Github link and try it out.

But does it run DOOM? ESP32 ZX Spectrum update - All right, it's time for an update on my ESP Rainbow, the ZX Spectrum emulator with stunning full-color silk screen printing. I've been testing the latest boards, and PCB Way did a fantastic job. The enhancements include upgraded firmware, a 128k ZX Spectrum emulator, and a new 2-watt speaker replacing the old 7-watt buzzer. You can enjoy great sound with PWM and even play 128k games like The Never Ending Story. I've also added a snapshot feature and ported my video player over. Hardware upgrades include new capacitors and a slick power control chip for seamless battery and USB mode switching. We're gearing up for a commercial release, hopefully by Christmas, so stay tuned. And yes, it does run Doom! [Laughter]

Printing PCBs At Home! - In today's captivating episode, I take a shot at home printed PCBs rather than buying from our faithful PCBWay, leading to some riveting discoveries. Using a stunning Voltera machine, my single-sided print echoed a glistening marshmallow-like texture that was cured just lovely in the oven. Encountering limitations, such as weak conductive ink bonds and layout tricks, brought on new challenges but also widened my horizon for potential improvements, such as considering a direct USB connection experiment. Despite issues, our creation came to life through intriguing stages of soldering, placement, and reflow, resulting in a successful quick prototype with operational LEDs and programmable features! Our exploration does remind me of the value of PCBWay though so have no fear, our Atomic 14-PCBWay partnership continues on. Keep watching for more such adventures!

Lovely High Res E-Paper Display - Just when we thought we'd done with our mailbag, some exciting new stuff tips up. This time, we've got a soldering kit, a fun-looking Dash, and extra bonus, an ink plate 10, which is a cool e-paper display from Soldered. We've unboxed it, pulling out a board with an esp32 module, an SD card, and a battery connector. One of the major selling points is its open-source nature, you can download all the schematics from GitHub, and for those inclined, learn about how to build pcbs. Also showcased a Simon Says game soldering kit, despite my modest soldering skills (we all need practice, eh?), it turned out to be good fun. Plus, we've got a Dev board fitted with an at Mega 328p and an ultra-bright ws2812 RGB LED. Let's see if I can turn this e-paper display into a weather display or maybe you have more exciting ideas, drop them down in the comments!