Kitty Code, LLC

Hurricane had a slow start back in 2008 as one of the first 10,000 apps in the iTunes App Store. The first hurricane tracking app with an Interactive Tracking Map on iOS 2.0, it set the tone for what would be expected in a fully robust hurricane tracking app. Even though the iPhone was a fairly new device, with an even newer App Store, Hurricane made a name for itself in this niche area of weather, not by being the least expensive, but by being the best.

In September, Hurricane will celebrate 2 years of hurricane tracking on the iPhone – though it feels much longer to the development team!

“We have put in a lot of hard work, time and energy to this project because we’re passionate about it. We have been asked for features like world wide storm tracking, which has turned Hurricane into a year round project, ensuring the data remains available at all times. We continue to focus on the Atlantic, East and Central Pacific, but do our best to ensure that the rest of the Pacific, and Indian Oceans are not left out through Satellite images, Tropical Outlooks and more.”

The look and feel of Hurricane has changed a lot over the last 2 years as well. The interface refinements go a long way to show the progress. Back in 2008, while we waited for Hurricane’s Approval in the App Store, Ike made his debut and devastated parts of Texas. Here are just a few screen shots of Hurricane from that time:

Hurricane as seen in 2008

Even without the Google Maps background, and the ability to easily create an interactive map on the device, Hurricane set the tone for what would become a great adventure for the programmers.

“When we set out to write Hurricane, there were a few things we wanted for ourselves as hurricane trackers. We wanted the ability to see where a storm was, and every detail of every point, not just the current point – which at the time was the norm. Most people just looked to their local TV News, or the Weather Channel to find out where a storm was, and while they gave every detail of the current plot, it was hard to see the progress of the storm, other than through their satellite loops. We wanted to be able to see the data behind the storm and how it was changing with each plot. Nobody else had written a tracker for the iPhone yet, so we made what we wanted to see. We also wanted Hurricane to be useful during the off season, and past storm histories has done a great job of that. I’ve even used Hurricane to win trivia contests based on weather, because I could find the information faster than anyone else!”

“The last two years has been a wild ride, with the iOS 3.0 upgrade, we were able to switch our maps over to MapKit, giving us broadcast quality maps which were just plain awesome. In addition, we could then tell what the distance from the center of the storm to the device was, so we added that in too.

Another great feature added in the 2009 season was the Forecast Cone, allowing you to walk through the forecast cone’s details right on the interactive map. Other interface refinements were added like the Data Feed, adding the East and Central Pacific basins to the Interactive Tracking Map, and allowing the user to toggle between each basin in an intuitive way.”

“For the 2010 season, we added in Hurricane HD, created just for the iPad, with features like the News feed, and a whole new look and feel. A lot of work went into the new version, written almost completely from the ground up. With the extra space, provided by the iPad device, we have been able to reorganize the layout to make information even easier to find.”

While Hurricane is far from feature complete in the developer’s eyes, it is the most complete Hurricane tracking software available for the iPhone and iPod Touch, giving you all of the information you want to know about an upcoming storm. Expect great things to come from Kitty Code while they push the envelope to make your life a little safer, and more informed. Take a look at what Hurricane offers you today in the iTunes App Store today.

Hurricane HD for the iPad has made a phenomenal splash with it’s June 1st update. Listed in the New and Noteworthy on the iTunes App Store home page, and What’s Hot in the Weather Category Hurricane HD has made a very quick rise to the top of the category, as well as to the upper reaches of the iTunes Top Paid iPad Apps list landing at #35 by the end of the day on Friday June 4th.

We knew this update was going to be awesome for our users, and we can only be happy that Apple also chose to recognize not only our update, but that Hurricane HD is the best way to prepare for Hurricane Season.

News Feed

Hurricane HD contains not only tracking information, but also helpful preparedness information. With preparedness partners like The Great Hurricane Blow Out, Hurricane HD puts the information that the user needs in front of them every day on their News tab.

The news is not nearly as important as the preparedness information, so we have put that information at the top, to ensure that those people who want the information have a great way of finding it.

New Satellite Loops

The main feature of the Hurricane 1.2 update is the satellite loops for the Atlantic and Pacific. The loops moved away from Hurricane for the iPhone’s look, using features specific to the iPad to allow the satellite page to stay in the background while the satellite loops come forward into view – like a popup. Because the satellites are now chosen by a small icon, users can see what area they are going to be looking at rather than trying to understand what each area means. This feature makes it easier for weather novices to get the information they need as well.

This update may seem minor, but it’s one you definitely want to have!

Hurricane HD started it’s iPad career in the Top 100 Paid App List in iTunes on Thursday, even before iPads are available for sale. Helped by the TUAW article highlighting the features of this in depth hurricane tracking application, and video produced by Kitty Code’s CEO, Ilene Jones, Hurricane HD has made a great start and is expected to continue this trend as hurricane season nears.

In addition to the TUAW coverage, the National Hurricane Conference was in town this week, enabling our very own Ilene Jones to talk to key players about features she would like to see added to the hurricane feeds in the future. Being part of this conference was something that meant a lot to her both personally and professionally, since hurricane tracking is such a passion for her.

When asked about the features available in the two hurricane trackers, Ilene said “We wrote Hurricane and Hurricane HD because we wanted a hurricane tracking application on the iPhone that we would want to use. So we went out and gathered all of the information we would want to see and added into the app. We are completely open to suggestions for data that you may want that we don’t have right now. After all, this app should cover everything you need to track a hurricane. The best part is, I don’t have to be at my computer or in front of a TV to get this information, I can just open the app on my phone and I have everything I need.”

While Hurricane and Hurricane HD are the most promising hurricane tracking apps in the app store, development continues on new features, some which do not require an app update, others which will. Hurricane has a highly anticipated update coming up to begin the new season, “with revelations this week at the National Hurricane Conference, we believe that a few more days wait will be well worth the patience of our users. We don’t want to give it away just yet, but we have a few things in the works that will be awesome for any avid hurricane tracker – but don’t worry, the storm list can be reset at a moment’s notice, without an app update should the need arise.”

Hurricane HD is $3.99 in the App Store, which is the same price as their current iPhone app Hurricane.

Hurricane and Traveler’s Quest receive nominations for the 2009 Best App Ever awards!

Please help Hurricane and Traveler’s Quest win the 2009 Best App Ever Awards in their categories. Every vote helps, so please take a moment to help us receive this prestegious award!

Voting is open now through Jan 31, 2010.

Please tell your friends!

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Best News App
Best Use of Location Svcs
Best MMO Game

Would you like to help nominate Hurricane and Traveler’s Quest for the Best App Ever? We knew you would! Please click on these links to help us show the world what you already know, Kitty Code creates the best apps ever! We would have tried to include Cat Calls, but there were no options for an app with the cutest kitties ever There aren’t many categories where a hurricane tracking application can fit in, after all, who really cares about your safety anyway right? Below are the categories that we feel our apps fit into. If you feel they fit in other categories, please feel free to nominate away!

Please tell your friends too!

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Hurricane
• Best Road Warrior App
  
• Most Useful App
  
• Most Innovative App
  
• Best News App
  
• Best Feel Like A Local App
  
• Best Use of Location Services
  
• Best Outdoor Use App
  

Traveler’s Quest
• Most Innovative App
  
• Best MMO Game
  
• Best Feel Like A Local App
  
• Best Use of Location Services
  
• Best Outdoor Use App
  
• Best Casual Game
  
• Best Adventure Game
  
• Best Family Game
  

Friday November 27, 2009 – Orlando, Florida – Kitty Code, LLC is excited to announce their latest game title, Traveler’s Quest, a completely new and innovative approach to treasure hunting and geo caching.

Traveler’s Quest uses the iPhone’s built in GPS to help you find virtual treasure in the real world.

Traveler’s Quest is great for traveling around town, or around the world. Make errands or trips around town more interesting; bury treasures anywhere for other players to find. While buried, your treasure earns gold which can be used in the in-game store to buy maps, treasure or upgrades enhancing your treasure hunting experience.

Compete with players around the world and become a treasure hunting legend; take your place on the in-game leaderboards.

Traveler’s Quest is a phenomenal casual game that will have you checking for treasures wherever you go! If you can get there, you can bury a treasure there, and dig one up too! Unlike GeoCaching, there are no physical treasures to find and put back. The treasures are virtual, giving you the ability to collect as any as you want or bury them anywhere. Using the GPS, get as close as you can to a treasure before digging it up and get bonus gold for accuracy!

Around town or around the world, Traveler’s Quest is sure to be a game you come back to play!

Features:

• Built in GPS treasure detector show when hidden treasures are right under your feet
• GPS enabled treasure maps that take you right to the prize
• A trophy room to fill with your pilfered treasures
• Bury treasures of your own and collect gold for each day the treasure goes undiscovered.
• Treasures buried or located far from their origination point receive extra bonuses
• Sell maps to your buried treasures; collect gold for each sale
• News updates show who’s after your treasures and how well you have hidden your treasures
• Cash in or trade you treasures for gold, points or treasure hunting upgrades at the Traveler’s Quest store
• Fully Online Multiplayer
• Leaderboard shows how you match up against the greatest treasure hunters in the game!
• World wide support, if you can go there, you can hunt and bury treasure there!

Minimum Requirements:
iPhone 3.0 or later

Pricing and Availability:
Traveler’s Quest is only $3.99 (USD) and available exclusively through Apple’s App Store. More information about Traveler’s Quest can be found at the official Traveler’s Quest website.

Images for use by Media Partners:

Actual image sizes: 395×818px unless otherwise noted. To save large version of these images, right click (ctrl-click) and select save from the menu.

Traveler’s Quest
dimensions: 200×420

Traveler’s Quest:
News Feed / Home

Treasure:
Buried

Treasure: Dig
Satellite View

Treasure: Dig
Street Map View

Treasure:
Knight’s Goblet

Treasure:
Gold Coins

Treasure:
Lucky Lady

Leader Board

Traveler’s Quest:
dimensions: 103×103px

Traveler’s Quest:
dimensions: 512×512px

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Orlando, Florida – July 21, 2009 – Kitty Code, LLC announced the availability of Hurricane 3.0, a hurricane and tropical storm tracker for the iPhone and iPod Touch, in the iTunes App Store. Hurricane, the most popular and best selling hurricane tracker for the iPhone and iPod Touch, returns with a great update for the 2009 hurricane season.

Hurricane introduces a whole new way to track tropical storm systems with a new highly detailed, zoomable map covering storms in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. A dynamic information page for each storm provides you with satellite and radar imagery when available and the latest plots for active storms.

“Hurricane 3.0 will bring information to those in a storm’s path when they need it the most by providing the most comprehensive tropical data available on a mobile device”, said Ilene Jones, Co-Founder and CEO of Kitty Code, LLC.

New features introduced in Hurricane 3.0 include:

• The addition of the Eastern Pacific ocean tracking maps to the existing Atlantic tracking maps
• Pacific historical tracking data has been added to provide past storm information in the Pacific
• A new storm information page has been added to put important storm details such as storm specific satellite, radar, and forecast images and text at your finger tips
• Fully zoomable tracking maps providing a greater level of detail
• Integrated GPS to inform you of your distance from an approaching storm
• Updated satellite images covering both the Atlantic and Pacific
• An enhanced look that makes finding information easier than ever before

Reviews for Hurricane 3.0 are already coming in from our customers:
“Usually you would need several apps or go to many www pages Well organized Thanks” – iTunes Review
“Love the 3.0 update with improved map features and more info on tropical activity/discussions!” – iTunes Review

Minimum Requirements:
iPhone or iPod Touch 3.0 or later

Pricing and Availability:
Hurricane 3.0 for iPhone is only $3.99 (USD) and available exclusively through Apple’s App Store. More information about Hurricane for the iPhone and iPod Touch can be found at the official Hurricane website.

Kitty Code
Hurricane 3.0
Download and Purchase
Screenshot 1
Screenshot 2
App Icon

Kitty Code, LLC is a privately owned startup in Orlando, FL, which writes innovative applications for hand held devices. With over 30 combined years of experience in weather, web technologies and game development we are able to create games and applications which are robust, fun to play, technically savvy and yet easy to use. To find out more about Kitty Code, join us on our website. Copyright 2009 Kitty Code, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPod are registered trademarks of Apple Computer Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

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Cat Calls has been updated to add some cool effects which are only available through the iPhone/iPod Touch 3.0 update. With this update the cute kitties remain the same, but when you shake the device, the cute kitty sound shuffles. Will we purr at you, or will we be that evil scary cat? Only your device knows for sure! Shake even more to get multiple cats going at the same time! This update is sure to amuse you and your friends!

In the iTunes App Store today, Hurricane by Kitty Code, LLC placed in the Top 5 Paid Weather applications in 4 countries:

United States: 5
Mexico: 2
El Salvador: 3
Venezuela: 4

Hurricane also made the Top 25 Paid Weather applications list in:

Canada: 16
Deutchland: 24
Espania: 23
Luxembourg: 20
Slovenia: 23
Sweden: 13
Turkey: 18

The biggest coup is being back in the Top 5 US Paid Weather applications. While the weather category is still relatively small compared to other categories, it is definitely tough to stay in the Top 10 apps, and to gain Top 5 notice. As the season progresses, and we release our next version of Hurricane, we hope to continue the trend, giving our users the best hurricane tracking in the Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific.

Friday May 15, 2009 marked the beginning of the season in the Northeast Pacific, and June 1, 2009 marked the beginning of the season in the Atlantic and Central Pacific Oceans.

Now is a great time to get prepared! Don’t wait until it’s too late – stay informed at any time, from anywhere with Hurricane for the iPhone and iPod Touch. With tracks mapped on your device, text bulletins, and a full bag of all the satellite images, NHC maps, plots and charts you can think of, this application has it all. Are you an avid tracker? Do you frequent many websites to get as much information about the storm as you can find? We did too! Hurricane was written with the weather enthusiast in mind, giving you all the information in one easy location! Get your copy today from the iTunes App Store!

Coming Soon!

Hurricane 3.0 for the iPhone and iPod Touch will be in the App Store soon! This version will be an upgrade to the existing 1.2 Hurricane product, using new features available in the iPhone/iPod Touch update. If you haven’t already purchased Hurricane, and have no plans to update your operating system, make sure you grab Hurricane now! The Hurricane 1.2 storm feed will be available through the end of the 2009 hurricane season.