My biggest complaints about the mobile functionality are (1) sorts don’t work and (2) not enough wines visible at once (I need to click “more results” after only 50 populate; only 4 - 5 wines are visible at once on my phone screen). I probably have other complaints, too, but the foregoing complaints are serious enough to make me click on “View Full Website” nearly every time I look at CT on my phone.
All I really want from CT is a cellar inventory tool, place to put my TNs, and place to read other users’ TNs. I like the Reports (specifically buying and consumption), and ability to sort, as well. All the other bells and whistles offer no value to me — I’m not interested in the new send receipt for inventory addition thing, and I don’t care about integration of professional reviews, either. The valuation stuff is interesting, but I don’t think I’d pay more than a few bucks per year for that information, as I don’t really “use” it at all. I’m hopeful the following means this functionality will continue to be offered on a voluntary donations basis, and it sounds like it will be:
Quite frankly, I imagine it may be in CT’s best interests to let the “nuts and bolts” of CT remain free, as the CT data is nearly-entirely user-generated, which means maximizing users has some value to CT. It appears Eric already understands and agrees with this.
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All you want is a cellar inventory tool, but a feature that helps minimize data entry for adding to your cellar is of no value?
Not sure what you’re referring to, exactly. If it’s the scan receipt for inventory addition thing, then, “No. That is of no value to me.” There are many things in life for which the saying, “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” rings true; this feels like one of those things.
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As a guy who created hundreds of German wines in the CT database, I want a discount!
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Addressing this question was the initial point of my poll - and so far a significant majority of people who add value to CT by adding new wines, reporting errors, (even TNs) do so via a laptop/PC.
Even youngsters I know accept that there are some things that will always be much better on a 20 inch screen and a proper keyboard than on a 5 inch touch screen.
Now, if Eric can achieve the goal he stated in a response on that thread of having a single engine which adjusts seemlessly to available screen size and input devices then I can see that all I would need is what used to be called a “docking station” for my mobile where I plug it in and use it with a 20" screen, keyboard and mouse. If all the websites/apps that I use also reach that state then just maybe I can see the need no longer to have a separate desktop computer.
I would guess that Eric already has better and more complete data on how users engage with CT from various platforms and/or their app for various purposes than could be gleaned from a poll here. We also don’t know that he plans to make any of that more difficult for those tasks, nor what additional capabilities he is planning to add and how those capabilities will be used on mobile or desktop.
I think a better approach might be to wait to see how they plan to evolve the service and let them know about key things we all would like maintained. In the end, it’s a business even if it has a somewhat different funding model, he needs users and paying customers, he is very aware of the things that make its usage “sticky”, so he has every motivation to listen.
-All
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For now, maybe. But AI / machine learning is rapidly changing that.
I’d personally love the “scan receipt” capability for en primeur season as it’s a pain to enter 20-ish cases of wine across 10-ish producers and 20-30-ish bottlings all at once.
I have to export a PDF receipt into excel, which never works as well as I want. I almost always screw something up in terms of incorrect bottling, vintage or price. It takes me way too much time.
Even if CT ‘only’ got that 80-90% right and I had to do a quick review and edit that would save me quite a bit of time and a lot of frustration.
I’d use it the rest of the year too. Again the timing savings would be well worth it even if it took me a bit of time on my part to review and occasionally edit CT’s work.
I use the site to read tasting notes, and also it’s the only way to search Gilman’s View from the Cellar reviews. I am happy with the Excel cellar inventory I designed years ago, and never uploaded and tracked my inventory on CT. It is not that hard for me to add my wines on my desktop, and I NEVER take a wine from the cellar without marking it off as I do not EVER want to have to do a complete inventory again! I pay voluntarily each year since I use the site to read tasting notes, but not at the level of the couple thousand bottles I have since my inventory is not on the site. I am not sure it is worth it to me to track values, or to track professional reviews for my wines, since most reviewers do not spend much time tracking how wines are developing and maturing over the years. It is easy enough for me to search Burghound for his notes on more recently sampled bottles from older vintages, for example. When someone says they will recommend the perfect wine to drink at a particular time, I do not place much credence in that. I value the site greatly for the community of tasters and their notes on recently tasted wines from older vintages.
I certainly accept that too. I work as a software developer, and there is a reason we don’t create software on phones (or touch input overall) 
. Input methods and screen sizes is certainly far superior on desktop/laptop for a lot of work. A normal mouse is also far superior to a laptop trackpad in many cases…
I was talking purely from a business perspective which probably didn’t get through.
So to make it clear then I would love more software to have better desktop/laptop support, but I understand the direction CT is taking.
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The email I got today previewed some of the coming changes/additions and then said this: “Our suggested prices remain the same and your current subscription runs through August 1, 2024.”
I am not sure how to interpret this in light of what has been assumed in this thread: that the site will now require a paid membership. “Suggested prices,” to me, indicates a pay-what-you-feel-is-fair model, as it always has been. But the wording also leaves the possibility that what were suggested prices may not be so after my status comes up for renewal.
I am sure that any ambiguity will be resolved in the near future.
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Am glad my renewal just came up and paid last week. Should allow me another year to figure out going forward…
Have not responded yet to this posting, but have been paying for several years and really do feel quite a benefit from the site. Honestly, soo many area’s have been useful that it would take more time to cover than have (while at work) for right now.
Yeah, I read that exactly as you do, Neal. It’s communications like this that lead to speculation.
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I use bar codes and scanning them with the phone is amazing for taking wines out of inventory. It’s probably the single best feature (for me) outside of the basic cellar inventory.
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You know, that feature sounds amazing, and perfect for the marginally competent and mostly meticulous, neither of which has ever been used to describe me. Google for a picture of any town after a mudslide, and that is a close approximation of my “cellar.”
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You know there is a thread to show that. I am confident I am not the only person on this site that is curious to see your “cellar” mudslide.
Yeah. Now it’s two blast emails that say absolutely nothing. What is the point of these?
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Neighbors help me look for that '99 Flaccianello I know is in there someplace
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This would be a killer app. I don’t necessarily want all of the reviews from each writer each year, but getting a portion for marginal revenue seems like it could be a benefit for some of the reviewers, and it they made it available through CT it would be awesome. Maybe associate it with what’s in your cellar (I know you could fake what you have, but I doubt that many people would go to that much effort to do so).
It’s as if they want people to get all worked-up and engage in speculation. Sometimes, saying nothing is better than saying something but in a murky manner. The email Neal quoted is just plain weird. Why put those two things in the same sentence unless you want/intend to imply an upcoming change to the cost structure? And to make this implication, or to make this announcement, without clear details is practically begging for the speculation seen in this and other threads.