New eBay San Dimas Beta Version Available

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.

Want to Help?

This is a true beta test - not a marketing gimmick, and your help testing the application is invaluable. If you have a suggestion, a complaint (be brutally honest, we can take it), or just want to give us some love (to compensate for all the complaints), let us know! On the home screen there is a BIG product feedback box. Yes, it is really huge for a reason. When we get out of beta it won’t take up so much room. We promise.

Also, we would really appreciate if you would test the bidding flow. Don’t be shy! It really works! We want to create a super-smooth eBay experience, and bidding is the heart of eBay.