Hi
The fact that not preheating doesn't exist to this point has been a design choice. Lots of folks grapple with the learning curve that already exists, so I try very hard to keep that curve at a minimum. The only way to keep things simple is to keep functionality simple.
For me, I simply watch the curve labels side by side and drop beans when my actual curve hits my target temp. I, personally, have never found ambient temperature to be an exact science,. Too many things affect ambient temp: the duality of fan vs heat, stored heat in the metal housing, etc. And, since I roast back to back, the tail-end of my own profiles are, in a way, the preheat for the next batch. Now, that doesn't mean it wouldn't help some folks, and I certainly want everyone to get the most out of the app. I listen intently to suggestions, and am certainly not against that feature, I just haven't had many of inquiries about it. It's entirely possible to provide an opt-in pref to enable a pre-roast state, but many, many more people have been asking about your second question - roast events.
The coming update is almost complete. I've concentrated heavily on internationalization and under-the-hood stuff. For instance, the analyzer will be MUCH faster, more elegant, customizable, and will have a number of new features. Code-wise, this has been the largest Roastmaster update by far, so I have purposely avoided modifying the underlying database schema structure. That would be overwhelming to test, and prone to error. Next update, though, I plan to concentrate almost entirely on the database schema, at which point I'll be free to address many features I couldn't in this one, like the one you suggest.
I've got some ideas in my head about how I want to do it, but in the mean time there is a new feature that, though not exactly what you're asking for, will provide a little help in creating time-stamped notes, and a LOT of help with notes in general. There will be a new "Consolidated Notes" view accessed from the analyzer. (See attachment). You'll be able to tap the notes icon, and see consolidated notes of every item associated with what's being viewed in the analyzer: current roast, past roast, beans/blends, roaster, each curve, profile/program, and cuppings. From this notes view, you'll be able to tap on any item in that view to quickly edit its notes right in the analyzer. If you're viewing a roast in progress, you'll get a stopwatch icon to automatically enter a time-stamp (see attachment).
Now, I realize the goal here is to see notes on a timeline - something akin to the way nodes work now. This is how I envision this feature might eventually be implemented. Any specific details you have, or other comments, are always welcome. I'm interested in knowing if folks would find it helpful to exist only in the context of a roast, or as attributes of a particular curve - that would travel with that curve when copied/pasted or assimilated into a new profile or program.
Also, I doubt I'll do a public call for beta testers, but if you're interested in being a beta tester for the coming update, please let me know.
Danny