Covenant Eyes* has released version 1.4.6 of their iPhone app and so far I like the improvements. Their last upgrade to the app was in December 2010.
Covenant Eyes continues to gradually improve their application and address issues that users submit to them. It’s great that they are listening and this will only help to improve the overall experience of using Covenant Eyes Mobile as a primary browser on an iOS device.
Three primary issues were addressed in this version:
1. Some people reported the browser was crashing often. We found the weak link in the technical chain and repaired it.
2. Some people reported their username and password were being labeled as invalid. This was actually related to the crashing issue and has been fixed.
3. The browser history now shows one entry per page.
One of the issues I came across regularly was how slow the browser operated. It would sometimes take a full minute to render a page. They seem to have corrected that issue now. Bookmarks and tabbed browsing work nicely.
I’d still like to see the option to enable a “hot spot mode” like the desktop version for iPod and iPad users who don’t have an always-on 3G connection. This would enable people to connect to wi-fi services that require any type of authentication before utilizing the service. Without this option the need to have Safari on your device still lingers.
Additionally, if Covenant Eyes is the only browser on your iOS device you’ll need to copy any hyperlinks from applications or email in order to navigate to them. I believe this is a limitation set by Apple.
A good upgrade. The application keeps improving gradually. I’m sure there are some Window Phone 7, Android, and Blackberry users out there who want to see an application for their devices as well. When I get word I’ll be sure to blog about it here. If there is an area they can improve I’d say that they need to hire a few more app developers to get on these platforms and to roll out upgrades more frequently.
I’ll post additional comments about this version later in a more in-depth review that I’m writing about the entire suite of applications that Covenant Eyes* offers.
More information about the update can be found at Breaking Free, the official Covenant Eyes blog.
Covenant Eyes for iOS is free with your monthly subscription to the Covenant Eyes Internet accountability software also available for OS X and Windows XP/Vista/7. Accountability only accounts are $8.99/month with filtering the cost is $10.49/month (filtering is only available on Windows). Note: there is a hardship fund available to those who cannot afford the software.
*Note: I am a Covenant Eyes affiliate. I do not get paid to review their software but do receive compensation if you purchase their product using these links.
