One October 16, 2009 Dirigo launched a pre-apha release of a new Apple iPhone application for VingIt LLC. What an accomplishment. A truly joyful event! VingIt is partly owned by members of Dirigo Design & Development, Inc. I’m a junkie. How I love new and emerging technologies.

What followed the pre-alpha release was anything but fun. We spent the remainder of 2009 hammering out detailed wireframes – countless numbers of wireframes with endless discussions on small features. I’m quite sure that Victoria Kuhn thought we’d never get it done. We spent more than 8 hours discussing GeoIP technology, several brainstorming sessions on central navigation and countless hours on design elements. At the end of the planning state the project was so large that we thought it might take 12-18 months for development. Next came scaling the project back into phases. Needless to say, the partner’s had oral disagreement, verbal opposition, contention, altercation… In the end we emerged a happy and sometimes slightly intoxicated (yes, the alcohol kind of intoxication) group.

Phase I is budged for $60,000. This does not include the $9,400 we’ve spent to purchase new hardware (Dell PowerEdge Servers and a switch) or any of our time (Ivan, Raphael, Victoria, Payson, Stephen, and Glen Halliday). Thanks to the Microsoft BizSpark program, we’ve managed to keep our software cost to a minimum.

We are still thinking BIG! I expect that the VingIt application will be sent to Apple for review and approval in June 2010. More to come...