TIMER++ Kitchen Timer - and Apple app WARNING!
TIMER++ for IOS is a fantastic kitchen (or other) timer.
https://sites.google.com/site/kurtastrophicapps/home/timerplusplus
Here's how I came across it:
The other day, DW brings me our kitchen timer - it's not working. So I check the batteries, no go. I take it apart, but can't fix it. And, I can't find the same model on-line. And this timer had some features I liked, and it seems that many other timers I've seen a deficient. These might seem like small things, but if I buy a timer I want it to do everything right - why should I have to compromise for such a simple little device, when all of this is do-able? I had to actually think about everything I like or dislike to guide my purchase, and here are my requirements for a simple timer:
1) AA or AAA batteries - I keep those on hand, don't want one that takes odd/expensive coin cells.
2) Must do multiple hours, minutes and seconds. I found that a LOT of timers only went up to 100 minutes. How the heck are you supposed to time a long-cooking dish?
3) Needs to start counting UP after the time is reached. This is hard to figure out from the descriptions on-line. But I really want this. If you walk in and it is beeping, many just sit there at zero. With the count UP function, you can see how much you missed it by - one minute, or am I five minutes late? That can make a difference. And why not just do it?
4) Once it alarms, it should be easy to go back to the same time, rather than have to re-enter it each time. Like when you time multiple 5 minute events.
5) Needs to be easy to set - hard to detail w/o trying it.
Well, after spending way too much time on-line trying to find one, it occurred to me to see if something was available for our old iPod Touch. And I finally found this TIMER++, and it does everything I listed. Plus, it actually does multiple timers in a good interface. I've had multiple timers that were too confusing to use.
And it's free!
Now, the Apple app WARNING: I'm really frustrated by the way Apple controls the app store. This iPod Touch is an older gen, can only be upgraded to IOS 4.2.1. But you go to the app store, select an app, it asks you if you want to install it, it starts the process and then 9 times out of 10 it tells you that the app requires IOS 5 or 6. Why show it to me then? Worse, the app store only allows the most recent version in the store. So even though there is often a version that will work on my older device, I can't access it. This forced, artificial obsolescence is a terrible abuse. It has really moved me towards Android and Linux in general, and away from Apple.
So be sure you keep a back up of any apps you use, if you delete them or need to re-load them, they may not be available!
You have been warned!
-ERD50
