* A portion of the net profits for our company is dedicated to supporting local and national charitable organizations that benefit children with disabilities
Find out the answers to your questions here!
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why aren't your apps free? Why does it cost so much?
A. At this time, we have chosen to avoid advertising in our apps so that children can enjoy and play with them, without that added distraction. In addition, the apps we design tend to be for a niche market which does not lend itself well to huge numbers of downloads, which are necessary to make a free app profitable. While we love making apps, we are a very small company and need to raise enough money from the sales to pay for the art, animation, programming, sound, marketing and time involved in producing them, as well as fund future projects. A free app of the caliber we produce is simply not feasible at this point. And--while some think $9.99 is "pricey" for an app, it is an amazing bargain when compared to other educational materials (books, software) or everyday items (a latte!) and considering the capital costs and time involved on our ends in developing them, it is the bargain of the century!
Q. I wish you would... (fill in the blank) and then your app would be perfect!
A. We do love input from our users--that is how we make them better. You will notice that we have updated Picture the Sentence to include a progress/data tracker, and are adding visual support to First Phrases. Subsequent apps also take ongoing feedback into consideration in our design, so we definitely do love hearing from users and reviewers. The one caveat we have is that many of the suggestions--or criticisms--are technically not possible on a mobile app. People forget that we cannot necessarily do the same things that a CD software can do. We don't have the memory for it. Your iPads would be filled with only 4 of our apps if we included all the bells and whistles that get suggested to us. There is a reason the mobile apps have limited content folks! You cannot compare them to a Laureate, Earobics or Fast ForWord program. These are two different technologies with different capabilities and capacity. The other issue is cost. Many of the suggestions we get describe $100-200 apps, not $9.99 apps. Truth is, we can't spend $100K to develop an app. We are a small company and speech therapy apps are not Angry Birds. We don't sell thousands of these a month and so we have to balance everyone's "wish list" with reality. Programming, animations, voice recording, etc. all costs quite a bit, so changing one feature on an app can add many thousands to our overhead. So please bear that in mind when you write reviews. We still want you to make suggestions though--technology changes all the time, but we don't want you to think we ignore your ideas. We don't! We just can't always implement them.
Q. Are you planning to make your apps for the Android market?
A. This is a question we are also asked frequently. After doing some number-crunching and investigation, we have found that designing our apps for this market requires that we start from scratch for each app since the programming is entirely different, the sizing for the artwork/animation is different. For the amount of investment and time it would take, it would mean that we would have fewer new projects that we could accommodate since we cannot financially or administratively handle more than a few new apps each year. So the answer for now is "no." At this time, we are only designing for the iPad and iPhone. In time, we will revisit this topic if we have the resources to do it.
Q. I work with special needs children and would like free promo codes. Can I get them from you?
A. We get many, many requests for free promo codes. The truth is, we only receive a finite number of these and so we reserve them for giveaways at the ASHA/CSHA conventions, major blogs, and for presenters or speakers who talk on the topic of apps to large audiences. We wish we could give more out to users.
Q. How do you decide which apps to make next?
A. In general, we make apps that we need for the children we see at our practice and that we feel would have appeal to others but also--and this is a big factor--we want them to be fun, engaging, and interactive. If we can't figure out a way to do that, we won't make them. We especially want to develop ones that would be hard or impossible to duplicate with traditional materials. For example, games that we can already play with picture cards would not be high on our list. We also don't want to "reinvent the wheel" so we avoid apps that target skills already found in other well-made apps. Therefore we likely will not feature apps that target articulation skills directly for specific speech sounds (r, s, etc) since there are already a number of them available.
Q. I have a great idea for an app. Can I collaborate with you on one?
A. Unfortunately, at this time, we have our hands full with the apps we want to make, with at least 20 ideas, but unfortunately have the resources to make only a small handful in 2012. So at this time, we are not entertaining collaborative projects.
Q. I want to make an app. Can I talk to you or your programmers about how to do it? I don't know where to start. Is it worth doing?
A. We get frequent requests for information about how to make apps. Unfortunately, all the information about our apps (how much it costs to develop, who we use, how we found them, etc) are proprietary and we cannot disclose or discuss any aspects of it. In terms of if it is "worth doing"--that remains to be seen as we are a very, very new company and don't frankly know the answer to this yet ourselves. Hopefully it is!
Q. I accidentally downloaded the iPhone version and I really wanted the iPad version. Can you send me a refund?
A. Actually, we don't handle your direct transactions, Apple does, so we can't give refunds. Consider that we are like the authors of a book and the App Store is like Amazon. We get a percentage of royalties about 4-6 weeks after the transaction, in a lump sum. We don't have any information in terms of your identity, payment information, contact information, etc. We only receive information about total sales. Anyhow, in the event that you purchase the wrong app, please check out this link for some helpful information on how to get a refund: http://gizmodo.com/5886683/how-to-get-a-refund-from-the-app-store
TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
Q. I have First Phrases, and I love it, but it's crashing sometimes and not working right. What should I do?
A. This is a question we get at least once a month--about the full version, not the Lite. Here's the issue: First Phrases is a HUGE app. Huge. We have 456 animations on the full version. (Even though you may not choose to open the in-app purchase, the extra animations are in there too) When you download it, it takes a long time. If there is any interruption in the Wi-Fi signal, the downloading process gets corrupted and the app won't work right. So what to do? Touch the app icon until it jiggles. Then touch the X in the corner. Say "yes" that you want to delete it. Now start from the beginning and download it again from your "purchased" tab in iTunes. You DO NOT have to pay for it again. But make sure you have a really strong, uninterrupted signal. Don't use a phone hot spot or dial-up connection. If you still have any difficulties with it running right, email us at info@hamaguchiapps.com and we will help you troubleshoot. It should work right if it is downloaded correctly.
Q. I can't get sound out of the app. I think it isn't working. What do I do?
A. We get this question several times a week. And it typically goes like this: "I have sound on my other apps, but not yours. What's wrong?" Please look on the side of your iPad. There is a mute button there next to the volume button. Switch it on. If not, go into your settings>General>Sound and make sure it is turned on. In 100% of the cases--100%--that has been the culprit. It often takes us several emails to make someone actually look at their mute button and mute button settings because it seems illogical that other apps have sound and ours don't. But trust us, that's what it is! Apple would not approve an app that does not have working sound, and the sound doesn't just stop working for no reason after you have been using it successfully. It's the mute button/mute button setting folks! Take a look here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4085
Q. I downloaded the Picture the Sentence app and some of the screens are white and it isn't working right. What's wrong?
A. You probably downloaded it over a phone connection, such as a Hot Spot or dial-up. This is the same issue as First Phrases, but the problem looks different in the Picture the Sentence app. In these cases, the app memory is so huge that it can be interrupted and not downloaded completely, resulting in the situation that is described here. Our Lite apps can generally be done this way, but all our full version apps are too big and heavy to download well for the iPad versions this way (and in some cases for the iPhone, depending on the phone service in your area). In these events, download the app onto your computer directly from a cable or Wi-Fi connection. Then synch your iPad or iPhone to it and transfer the app that way. (You can delete the app off the iPad and download it again from your stored purchases in iTunes without paying for it again--make sure you have synched it with the iTunes/iPad first and that it is stored correctly.)
A. At this time, we have chosen to avoid advertising in our apps so that children can enjoy and play with them, without that added distraction. In addition, the apps we design tend to be for a niche market which does not lend itself well to huge numbers of downloads, which are necessary to make a free app profitable. While we love making apps, we are a very small company and need to raise enough money from the sales to pay for the art, animation, programming, sound, marketing and time involved in producing them, as well as fund future projects. A free app of the caliber we produce is simply not feasible at this point. And--while some think $9.99 is "pricey" for an app, it is an amazing bargain when compared to other educational materials (books, software) or everyday items (a latte!) and considering the capital costs and time involved on our ends in developing them, it is the bargain of the century!
Q. I wish you would... (fill in the blank) and then your app would be perfect!
A. We do love input from our users--that is how we make them better. You will notice that we have updated Picture the Sentence to include a progress/data tracker, and are adding visual support to First Phrases. Subsequent apps also take ongoing feedback into consideration in our design, so we definitely do love hearing from users and reviewers. The one caveat we have is that many of the suggestions--or criticisms--are technically not possible on a mobile app. People forget that we cannot necessarily do the same things that a CD software can do. We don't have the memory for it. Your iPads would be filled with only 4 of our apps if we included all the bells and whistles that get suggested to us. There is a reason the mobile apps have limited content folks! You cannot compare them to a Laureate, Earobics or Fast ForWord program. These are two different technologies with different capabilities and capacity. The other issue is cost. Many of the suggestions we get describe $100-200 apps, not $9.99 apps. Truth is, we can't spend $100K to develop an app. We are a small company and speech therapy apps are not Angry Birds. We don't sell thousands of these a month and so we have to balance everyone's "wish list" with reality. Programming, animations, voice recording, etc. all costs quite a bit, so changing one feature on an app can add many thousands to our overhead. So please bear that in mind when you write reviews. We still want you to make suggestions though--technology changes all the time, but we don't want you to think we ignore your ideas. We don't! We just can't always implement them.
Q. Are you planning to make your apps for the Android market?
A. This is a question we are also asked frequently. After doing some number-crunching and investigation, we have found that designing our apps for this market requires that we start from scratch for each app since the programming is entirely different, the sizing for the artwork/animation is different. For the amount of investment and time it would take, it would mean that we would have fewer new projects that we could accommodate since we cannot financially or administratively handle more than a few new apps each year. So the answer for now is "no." At this time, we are only designing for the iPad and iPhone. In time, we will revisit this topic if we have the resources to do it.
Q. I work with special needs children and would like free promo codes. Can I get them from you?
A. We get many, many requests for free promo codes. The truth is, we only receive a finite number of these and so we reserve them for giveaways at the ASHA/CSHA conventions, major blogs, and for presenters or speakers who talk on the topic of apps to large audiences. We wish we could give more out to users.
Q. How do you decide which apps to make next?
A. In general, we make apps that we need for the children we see at our practice and that we feel would have appeal to others but also--and this is a big factor--we want them to be fun, engaging, and interactive. If we can't figure out a way to do that, we won't make them. We especially want to develop ones that would be hard or impossible to duplicate with traditional materials. For example, games that we can already play with picture cards would not be high on our list. We also don't want to "reinvent the wheel" so we avoid apps that target skills already found in other well-made apps. Therefore we likely will not feature apps that target articulation skills directly for specific speech sounds (r, s, etc) since there are already a number of them available.
Q. I have a great idea for an app. Can I collaborate with you on one?
A. Unfortunately, at this time, we have our hands full with the apps we want to make, with at least 20 ideas, but unfortunately have the resources to make only a small handful in 2012. So at this time, we are not entertaining collaborative projects.
Q. I want to make an app. Can I talk to you or your programmers about how to do it? I don't know where to start. Is it worth doing?
A. We get frequent requests for information about how to make apps. Unfortunately, all the information about our apps (how much it costs to develop, who we use, how we found them, etc) are proprietary and we cannot disclose or discuss any aspects of it. In terms of if it is "worth doing"--that remains to be seen as we are a very, very new company and don't frankly know the answer to this yet ourselves. Hopefully it is!
Q. I accidentally downloaded the iPhone version and I really wanted the iPad version. Can you send me a refund?
A. Actually, we don't handle your direct transactions, Apple does, so we can't give refunds. Consider that we are like the authors of a book and the App Store is like Amazon. We get a percentage of royalties about 4-6 weeks after the transaction, in a lump sum. We don't have any information in terms of your identity, payment information, contact information, etc. We only receive information about total sales. Anyhow, in the event that you purchase the wrong app, please check out this link for some helpful information on how to get a refund: http://gizmodo.com/5886683/how-to-get-a-refund-from-the-app-store
TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
Q. I have First Phrases, and I love it, but it's crashing sometimes and not working right. What should I do?
A. This is a question we get at least once a month--about the full version, not the Lite. Here's the issue: First Phrases is a HUGE app. Huge. We have 456 animations on the full version. (Even though you may not choose to open the in-app purchase, the extra animations are in there too) When you download it, it takes a long time. If there is any interruption in the Wi-Fi signal, the downloading process gets corrupted and the app won't work right. So what to do? Touch the app icon until it jiggles. Then touch the X in the corner. Say "yes" that you want to delete it. Now start from the beginning and download it again from your "purchased" tab in iTunes. You DO NOT have to pay for it again. But make sure you have a really strong, uninterrupted signal. Don't use a phone hot spot or dial-up connection. If you still have any difficulties with it running right, email us at info@hamaguchiapps.com and we will help you troubleshoot. It should work right if it is downloaded correctly.
Q. I can't get sound out of the app. I think it isn't working. What do I do?
A. We get this question several times a week. And it typically goes like this: "I have sound on my other apps, but not yours. What's wrong?" Please look on the side of your iPad. There is a mute button there next to the volume button. Switch it on. If not, go into your settings>General>Sound and make sure it is turned on. In 100% of the cases--100%--that has been the culprit. It often takes us several emails to make someone actually look at their mute button and mute button settings because it seems illogical that other apps have sound and ours don't. But trust us, that's what it is! Apple would not approve an app that does not have working sound, and the sound doesn't just stop working for no reason after you have been using it successfully. It's the mute button/mute button setting folks! Take a look here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4085
Q. I downloaded the Picture the Sentence app and some of the screens are white and it isn't working right. What's wrong?
A. You probably downloaded it over a phone connection, such as a Hot Spot or dial-up. This is the same issue as First Phrases, but the problem looks different in the Picture the Sentence app. In these cases, the app memory is so huge that it can be interrupted and not downloaded completely, resulting in the situation that is described here. Our Lite apps can generally be done this way, but all our full version apps are too big and heavy to download well for the iPad versions this way (and in some cases for the iPhone, depending on the phone service in your area). In these events, download the app onto your computer directly from a cable or Wi-Fi connection. Then synch your iPad or iPhone to it and transfer the app that way. (You can delete the app off the iPad and download it again from your stored purchases in iTunes without paying for it again--make sure you have synched it with the iTunes/iPad first and that it is stored correctly.)
