Remote S: Tesla app for Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

[MarkS22]

One problem with connecting a developer with the end user is that they can't say "No".

"Can you do this?" The answer is Yes.

But should you?

Many times salespeople are personified as promising whatever the customer wants, but often they are a buffer between the developers and the end users who can politely say "No".

Perhaps we should give Allen some breathing room.

Totally understand where you're coming from. Personally, I would have zero problem with Allen saying no to a suggestion. There have been a ton of great suggestions on this thread. I think the app has benefited from the feedback. But, more importantly, he's a successful, experienced developer who knows when to listen or not. He knows exactly how long things take to implement.

Like I said in my previous post, it's his baby. He owes us nothing. But I don't think an embargo on suggestions is the best thing for him or the app. Yes, we (as a group) get more features we want but he also gets instant feedback from dedicated users.

If, Allen, you have taken any of my posts as anything more than friendly feedback from a user, I do apologize. In no way am I "expecting" implementation of an unwanted feature. And, of course, your health is priority number one.

 

[AllenWong]

If, Allen, you have taken any of my posts as anything more than friendly feedback from a user, I do apologize. In no way am I "expecting" implementation of an unwanted feature. And, of course, your health is priority number one.

I welcome all feedback, and add all doable suggestions to my TODO list based on priority. Priority is based on usefulness and time it'll take for me to do it. I will attempt to do whatever I can with the deadline that I have. The deadline for version 2.0 is in a day or two, because my major surgery is in a few days, and I need to drive down from NY to Florida for it. I've done almost every suggestion so far (all 61 pages of it as well as suggestions taken from other threads and the app reviews). I also added features that nobody asked for, but I found useful (such as the current trip's MPGe). And these ideas come up because I use my own app every day.

Right now I'm still in the middle of coding the Background Scheduler. It's a very complex feature to implement, and it's almost like writing a whole new app. If you look at my post history, you'll notice that I've been working every single one of my waking hours and even hours when I should be sleeping (18-hour work days and 7 days a week - 126 hour work week). My father passed away when I was 22, so I even worked all day on Father's Day.

If you like what I'm doing, I do have a "tip jar" at the bottom of each of my posts, which is actually a college fund for a neighbor that I used to have back when I was very poor. Someone donated $550 a few days ago, and generosity like that not only motivate me to keep going, but it warms my heart. Her birthday is today actually (June 22nd), and I'm going to hand her the donations collected by the end of the day to surprise her.

As for your suggestion of lifetime savings: I added it.

 

[wk057]

Definitely best of luck with the surgery. (I hadn't read this whole thread before posting earlier)

I do hope that eventually you're able to do an Android version of this. I would quite happily sponsor such an effort.

 

[NJ Plugin]

Allen, best wishes on your upcoming surgery and a speedy recovery.

All your time and effort on Remote S is GREATLY appreciated by many.

(Donation given.)

 

[Andyw2100]

As for your suggestion of lifetime savings: I added it.

Does the lifetime savings work from data collected only since the app was installed, or does it use the total mileage on the car's odometer to compute a real lifetime savings? I'm guessing the latter, but if it is just the "lifetime of the app" perhaps you could add the option to also show "lifetime of the car."

Great work on this, Allen!

Best of luck with the surgery, and a speedy recovery!

 

[AllenWong]

Does the lifetime savings work from data collected only since the app was installed, or does it use the total mileage on the car's odometer to compute a real lifetime savings? I'm guessing the latter, but if it is just the "lifetime of the app" perhaps you could add the option to also show "lifetime of the car."

Great work on this, Allen!

Best of luck with the surgery, and a speedy recovery!

Latter. It extrapolates the data based on total odometer and the driving habits of your current trip. It also gives you the rated lifetime savings, which doesn't look at your driving habits, but instead is calculated based on total odometer and cost of a kWh multipled by the kWh per mile that your car is rated to do. That will give you an idea of how much the cost savings could be if you get the advertised MPGe. So you get a general idea of how much money you've saved based on those two numbers.

 

[Andyw2100]

Latter. It extrapolates the data based on total odometer and the driving habits of your current trip. It also gives you the rated lifetime savings, which doesn't look at your driving habits, but instead is calculated based on total odometer and cost of a kWh multipled by the kWh per mile that your car is rated to do. That will give you an idea of how much the cost savings could be if you get the advertised MPGe. So you get a general idea of how much money you've saved based on those two numbers.

That's awesome! Thanks!

 

[AllenWong]

Any lawyers here? I just received a complaint from Tesla Motors Inc. a few minutes ago that reads:

Tesla Motors, Inc. claims rights in numerous trade and service marks in jurisdictions across the world, and among such marks are, without limitation, the distinctive and well-known TESLA design mark and TESLA word mark relating to electric vehicles (including downloadable software relating thereto). For example, these marks are the subject of USPTO registration numbers 4226099, 4443472 and 4554429, and others can be provided upon request.

This app uses the unique letter "E" from the TESLA design logo, as well as Tesla's signature red and white color scheme, as its icon, and its in-app font for "REMOTE S" is written using a font that is clearly imitating the style of the design logo's letters, in the same red and white color scheme. The app calls itself "Remote S for Tesla," further causing confusion as to its source. Because it is not necessary for the app's name to contain the TESLA brand in order to identify it, such use does not qualify as nominative use.

My copyright/trademark lawyer is currently on vacation, and cannot be reached. So I need legal advice.

I rather get back to work on the app than to play lawyer right now.

 

[ny888]

Allen - I'm not a lawyer but have dealt with enough of them to advise you to not send anything to them directly. it should come from an attorney.

 

[EVenthusiast]

I'm guessing a 3rd party company working for Tesla (such as MarkMonitor) flagged your app automatically (their job is to defend/protect customers' assets).

Obviously the only right advice is to only talk to lawyers specializing in this type of law. Personally (IANAL, so don't listen to me), I would try to tweet Elon Musk first, maybe he can point you in the right direction.

Tesla CAN allow this, just look at Reddit, which recently introduced a change where all Reddit apps have to use the 'for Reddit' suffix instead of 'Reddit Reader', etc.

If you can, keep us posted please, but talk to a lawyer BEFORE sending anything.

 

[Andyw2100]

This is just what Allen needs to deal with before his surgery later this week.

His plan was to finalize version 2.0 in the next day or so and submit it to Apple, and now he has to deal with this.

 

[AudubonB]

I take it this is not the reach-out from Tesla to you that you had so hopefully reported some 2-3 weeks back! But along those lines...it also thus appears that one left hand isn't very aware of what another right hand is doing.....

Good luck, Allen

 

[Andyw2100]

I take it this is not the reach-out from Tesla to you that you had so hopefully reported some 2-3 weeks back! But along those lines...it also thus appears that one left hand isn't very aware of what another right hand is doing.....

Does that really surprise you with Tesla and what we know about Tesla communications? At Tesla you can forget about the right hand knowing what the left hand is doing. At Tesla you're lucky if the right hand knows what the right hand did ten seconds ago and what it's going to do ten seconds from now.

 

[omarsultan]

Just wanted to wish you good luck with your surgery...O

 

[bmah]

Allen--

IANAL, but I'd like to echo what others here have advised...please respond to Tesla through an attorney if at all possible. If your trademark / IP lawyer is on vacation, is he/she with a firm who could connect you to an interim / substitute? I'd also like to recommend that you not post any further draft responses in a public forum, ideally only revealing (if at all) a response that's already been vetted and reviewed. I hope this is all just a misunderstanding somewhere within Tesla, but you probably want to protect yourself by only revealing what you want to show.

Good luck, hope this gets resolved soon.

Bruce.

PS. Thanks again for all your work on the app, and best wishes with your upcoming surgery and recovery.

 

[thegruf]

somebody reach out to Elon with a tweet.
Allen - you have done a great job here and only further enhanced the Tesla experience, without costing Tesla a penny.

Sure Tesla may want to protect the logo etc, quite normal if handled a bit heavy handedly, but anything more than that will just end up damaging Tesla in the eyes of their owners.

Much better for Elon and Tesla to embrace the work that you have done in showing what can be achieved.

... and like everone else here - best of luck for a speedy and complete recovery (even if I am an Android user ;-))

 

[AllenWong]

Thanks for all of your advice. My lawyer is taking care of it when he returns next week. I would also like to thank Teo5 for providing a car graphic for a new logo. I'm working on a redesign of the app, and hope to get back to more useful work soon: coding functionality for users. This is going to delay me a bit, but I will still try to finish v2.0 within the next day or two.

 

[omarsultan]

Just a bit of experience from my day job--as explained to my by our legal folks, the way copyright and trademark laws are written, a company has to show they are consistently enforcing and defending their rights, otherwise their protections erode. Unfortunately, this often ends up looking like big companies picking on small companies or individuals.

As Tesla seems to want to do the right thing, I would hope your attorney should be able to mediate some reasonable agreement.

 

[ModelX]

I don't have a tesla yet, or the app, but I just wanted to wish you luck for the surgery and a speedy, uneventful recovery!

 

[wk057]

@regoapps - I believe some other 3rd party app devs had similar issues, specifically with using Tesla's images from the official app and ended up having to design their own.