We did a BIG release today, a culmination of several projects coming together.  Here's an overview of what's new since our last release.

A new look with some new features - can you spot them?

Staging site
Starting today, the latest version of Method is always "opt-in".  We now give you the choice of which production version of Method you want to use. In additional to the usual "live" site, we now have a "staging" site. Next time you log into Method, check out the bottom of the login page. It now says "This is the December version | Switch to the January version". Clicking this will take you to the staging site, and give you a preview of what will soon become the live version for all users. Be special and click on this! Not clicking on it will mean you won't see any of the goodies I'll continue to discuss below!

What’s the difference?

"Live" – currently named the "December version" - this version has gone through our testing, and through at least a week of use by users on the staging site.  Benefit: more stable.  Drawback: you don't get the latest features, and bug fixes.

"Staging" - currently named the "January version" - this has just come out of quality assurance testing from our team. It is stable, but it has gone through only limited real-world use.  Benefit: allows power users, administrators, consultants, and eager Methoders to run through business processes in Method before it gets released to the rest of the company.  Drawback: you might find a new bug that nobody else has found yet.

SmartVault beta
Way back in October 2010, we announced that we were partnering with SmartVault, but it has taken over a year to get all the pieces in place to make it a reality.  Method has partnered with SmartVault to provide an alternative to the standard "native" document management that comes built into Method.  We’re using SmartVault’s new RestAPI for web apps – and it allowed us to make a really slick integration with them.  SmartVault provides an intuitive, Web-based solution for users to store, view and share files securely any time and from anywhere. It also offers a unique plug-in for QuickBooks, creating a seamless user experience for scanning, attaching, and finding documents within a familiar application.  If you haven’t seen it, it’s certainly worth a test drive.

Phase 1 of the beta is now available on the January version of Method.  Stay tuned for more goodies on SmartVault and Document Management over the next 4 weeks.  To get started now, and learn more, click here.

Style – new buttons and tabs
You'll see some style changes when you sign into Method on the January version....we hope you like them so much that you'll want to stay on the January version and never go back! 

• All buttons are now using a new, more modern look. By default, buttons have a grey gradient, with a slight rounding to the edges.  But under Customize > Display, you can change your default button style to be round, boxy, blue, green, whatever you want.  Adjust it to make it fit your own color scheme.
• When customizing screens, you can now set different colors for each button on a screen.  So maybe you want all your buttons grey by default, but the delete button should be bright red.  Go for it!
• You'll see the tab links and tabs have been given a stylish, more modern look.  We haven't changed the style of tabs and tab links since our prototype version years ago.....gulp - embarrassing to admit!  And there's even more to come on the next release in a couple weeks.

OpenID - sign into Method with your Intuit Account
The January version has something very exciting - we now let you use your Intuit Account to sign into Method! It's one less password that you have to remember - and since your Intuit user name is your email address, it’s a lot easier to remember one password than your Method Company Account, User Name and Password. Plus, if you have multiple Method accounts, the same Intuit Account can be used to log into all of them. Try it out - I've been using it over the past week and love it.  Click here to learn more.

Switch to the January version today to get a head start. Simply go to methodintegration.com, click Sign in, and click Switch to the January version in the login form.

What do you think?  Use the comments below to give feedback. We’re all ears!

Paul