Version 0.6 of the eBay "San Dimas" desktop application is now available. If you are already in the beta program, simply open the application, and after a few moments you will get a notice asking you to update San Dimas. If you recently downloaded it, you may already have the most recent version. If you aren't yet in the beta program, sign up at www.projectsandimas.com.

What’s New?

• Improved Speed and System Resource Usage: Searching and loading items is now much faster. Also we fixed a number of issues that were causing high CPU usage.
• My eBay: We revamped the My eBay information based on user feedback - now the watch list and bid list use the same UI as the search results panel, allowing you to quickly scroll through everything you are interested in. We also split out the My eBay sections into "My Items" and "Bid/Buy", providing a logical separation between those things you are tracking vs. those things you are bidding on. Note that "History" has been renamed "Recent Items" and has moved under "My Items". There is also a prototype that lets you leave feedback.
• Alerts and Notes: New sections under "My Items" show all the alerts and notes that you have set on items. There is also an improved interface on the item view for setting notes and alerts.
• My Messages: A new My Messages prototype shows messages from sellers in context. Note that this is an early prototype, and the functionality to ask sellers a question is not functional yet. We would appreciate your feedback (use the handy feedback widget on the Home screen) to let us know what you think of all the My eBay changes.
• Search improvements: We’ve received lots of feedback on the search UI, and we’ve made steps to make it even simpler. The filters are now shown on the main screen, and the interface for selecting filters, keywords, and categories to narrow your results has changed.
• Item improvements: Calculated shipping is now available for those items that use it, and item specifics are shown within the UI. On the Seller tab you now see a summary view of the seller’s feedback and detailed seller ratings, while you can click through to the specific comments, all without leaving the item view.
  

What Are We Working On?

We are currently revamping the home page, based on near-unanimous feedback to "make it more personal." We are also working on a favorites feature, and improved alerts functionality that will allow you to receive alerts even when the application is closed. We are also working on stability, polish, bug fixing, and are continuing to work on performance and improved system utilization. We also have plans for future versions, but we are working really hard to get the public beta version out as soon as it is ready for a wider audience.

I'll be at the OnAIR tour stop in Seattle on Tuesday, July 10th, speaking about San Dimas. San Dimas is built on a technology from Adobe called AIR, and this mini-conference is for software developers who want to develop desktop applications using AIR. If you are a developer/programmer/web technology enthusiast type person, you may want to attend the event. Why? Its free, you'll learn lots of great stuff about AIR, and there will be food and video games.

If you want to attend, be sure to register on the site (this is required, even though the event is free).

-Alan

I've been very pleased by the positive reaction to San Dimas. We have beta testers from all over the world -- the US leads the way in terms of number of beta testers, no surprise there. However, I was surprised to find out that the number 2 country is... France! This is despite both Germany and the UK having bigger eBay usage. Also, there is no translated version of the interface yet, and we have done zero press about San Dimas in France up until now.

As if it weren't enough to be number 2 in beta testers, French bloggers and media have written up a storm about it. Here are some of the stories:

Nouvelle version d'eBay en préparation

This was the first French article, and was published back in April. After this was published we saw a big spike in beta user registrations from .fr email addresses.

Premiers pas dans le projet San Dimas - AccessOweb, le blog

What appears to be an in-depth review of the San Dimas features. I say "appears to be" because I can't actually be sure, since I was an abject failure in learning French, this despite my four years of French class in junior high and high school.

One of the commenters on the blog post says this:

"Pour en revenir au graphisme, moi je le trouve au contraire très bien foutu : plus classe que du html avec de légers dégradés, et surtout un écran pas surchargé du tout où l'on pourrait se perdre, comme sur la homepage d'ebay. On ne peut pas non plus le constater sur des screenshots mais la navigation est très agréable également. Bref joli test pour une jolie application !"

Which Google translates into this:

"To return from there to graphics, me I find it very well on the contrary foutu: more class that HTML with light ranges, and especially a screen not overloaded of the whole where one could lose oneself, as on the homepage of ebay. One cannot either note it on screenshots but navigation is very pleasant also. In short pretty test for a pretty application!"

Umm... thanks?

Application riche #13 : eBay San Dimas - Fabien Deshayes - Du client riche à un Internet riche

Another in-depth review, I think. My favorite quote is the following:

"La grande force de San Dimas est à mon avis cette navigation complètement nouvelle qui casse les codes d'une page web, ou même d'une application de bureau plus classique : fini les pop-up, les rechargement : ici tout se fait par onglets ou par panneaux, profitant à merveille des technologies Flex et Air pour donner un style à part entière à San Dimas."

Which translates as:

"The great force of San Dimas is in my opinion this navigation completely new which breaks the codes of a Web page, or even of an application of more traditional office: finished the popones, recharging: here all is done by mitres or panels, benefitting wonder from technologies Flex and Air to give a style to whole share in San Dimas."

I'm calling pop-ups "popones" from now on.

Que sont les applications riches (RIA) ? - Partie 3 - Quel futur pour l'Internet riche ?

There is a small San Dimas mention in this article, which is a three part magnum opus on Rich Internet Applications. (3 part blog post! Take that, Twitter!).

What I like about this one is that it refers to San Dimas as "projet San Dimas d'eBay".

Premiers regards Vidéo : Project San Dimas : Ebay en Apollo

I've saved the best for last. Somebody made a 17 minute (17!) video of a San Dimas walkthrough. In French. I have no idea what the narrator is saying. Can anyone help translate this?

Bravo, French San Dimasers, Bravo

Note: This is a cross-post from my personal blog.

-Alan

• Entire HTML description on item should be scrollable (so listings with long descriptions are no longer cut off)
  
• Fixed syncing issues with adding/removing on watch
• Fixed image error when loading search results. This was the most frequently reported bug.
  
• Currency symbols now show correctly for non US listings. International support is still very raw, so we appreciate feedback in this area in particular, especially with testing the whole buying process from an international site.
  
• Changed scrollbar skins
• Feedback confirmation window improved
  

The charity auction for the first San Dimas beta invitation was a big success! Winning eBay user "selltouzed" from Denver, CO came by the offices of EffectiveUI, the development group that is working with eBay on the project, to pick up his T-Shirt and certificate. The winner (his name is Steve) got to try out the beta before anyone else, right there in the office, and he went home and promptly logged a bunch of feature requests and bugs. I got a chance to talk to Steve on the phone, and I was so glad that the logistics worked out such someone on the San Dimas team could meet him in person. Here is Steve with Rebecca from EffectiveUI, proudly wearing his "Preston/Logan '08" shirt, and displaying the inaugural Certificate of Betachievement.

• First invitation to the San Dimas beta program
  Will be sent out at least 6 hours before any other user gets an invitation. Exact timing of when the invitation gets sent out is not guaranteed, but we promise the winner won't have to wait too long.
• Official looking certificate
  Provides documented proof that you are in fact the first San Dimas user. Certificate will be signed by me, and by a real life eBay executive, if I'm successful in convincing one to do so.
• "Preston/Logan '08" XL size T-ShirtSorry, no other size is available. I
  bought this on eBay, of course, and if all you want it the shirt I'm sure you can use your eBay search skilz to find another one just like it. I will also sign the t-shirt (additional fee may apply for me to not sign the shirt).