About Me


Seni Sangrujee

Founder
Wombat Mobile

Co-founder
Sideshow |
Second Screen News


I've created 33 Android apps and 7 iOS apps, which have been downloaded over 2.3 million times.

I live in Silicon Valley and occasionally blog about life as an app developer.

@dystopia on Twitter



Top Apps

Movie Collection & Inventory
500,000+ downloads

Wine List, Ratings & Cellar
225,000+ downloads

Prayers to Share
165,000+ downloads

Beer List, Ratings & Reviews
175,000+ downloads

My Music Organizer
245,000+ downloads

Book Collection & Catalog
170,000+ downloads

Video Game Tracker
67,000+ downloads

The Bucket List
140,000+ downloads

plus 24 other apps...

This is what it sounds like when devs cry

by Seni Sangrujee on November 08, 2012
So I got an invite to the beta for Nokia's DVLUP developer rewards program, and I'm really excited about it. The concept is that developers get awarded points for completing tasks like submitting an app using certain hardware features, attending events, or reaching a certain number of downloads. These points can then be exchanged for schwag or even devices if you accumulate enough.

I think it's a brilliant idea. I participate in a lot of developer programs for various companies, and this concept addresses some of the flaws I often see in dev programs, such as how do companies tell which developers are really engaged and participating. I've seen examples of this at numerous events around Silicon Valley where some folks get given free phones and just turn around and sell them on eBay the next day, and I'm thinking to myself, "Damn, I've been working my ass off building apps on this platform, making hundreds of thousands of users happy, and evangelizing it everywhere I can. I could use a new device to develop with more than the guy who's going to sell it on eBay."

Signing up for DVLUP (which is in beta and look amazing) was smooth and uses a Windows Live ID, but signing up for the Nokia Premium Developer Program didn't turn out to be as easy as I had expected (which doesn't appear to be in beta).

I successfully created a new Nokia account, but then was asked to link my old Nokia Developer account. I can't manage to get past this screen.

The first time I tried it, I got a Single Sign-on redirect error:
LVLUP

The weird thing is that I'm not sure if I entered the right username/password for my old account to link it properly or if I remembered the wrong password. (it's been a while since I've used that account)

So I try a different approach, this time I click on "Forgot your password?" and get this screen:
captcha1
Oh. I'm going to need my glasses.

Hmm, ok, I'll click the image for a new captcha.
captcha2
Ze goggles, zey do nothing!

captcha3
Maybe I need to adjust the brightness/contrast on my monitor

captcha4
OMG, is this what it feels like when my parents try to use a computer?
Who turned up the degree of difficulty on the Internet?

captcha5
Could this be some sort of intelligence/psychological test,
where only the pure of heart may enter?

captcha6
Each year, the Great Captcha rises out of the Internets and picks the mobile
developer that he thinks is the most sincere. He’s gotta pick this one. He’s got to.

captcha7
Aw, come on!

captcha8
...to the last, I grapple with thee...from Hell's heart, I stab at thee...

captcha9
Please, make it stop. I just want to sign up for your
dev program and write some apps. :'(

OK, I get the hint. You're got a reputation for red-hot platforms. Don't play with fire if you don't wanna get burned. But I still want to jump on.
burning platform

baby seal
Pretty please?


Tags: nokia, windows phone