Your thoughts on Android App Inventor? - Android Software Development

I recently found out (thanks to Cyanogen's Twitter) about Google's Android App Inventor and wanted to see what everyone thought about it? I think it's great in that more apps would theoretically be released, though of questionable quality. But also I'm wondering about the value of development using code, would this become more valuable as a result of laziness on the part of some developers? Or would its value decrease since it's easier to make an application now? I haven't actually used the program yet since I want to gain a firm grasp on actual coding but these questions were in the back of my mind since the invention of things other WYSIWYG eg Web Development.

I'm thinking this is a good thing, you can make apps on the go, for practically anything. It will continually get better, unless it crashes and burns because it floods the market and similar with ultra-****ty programs.
Later on Google will probably release some sort of testing program to run it through the hoops to see if it's good enough, or something like that.
Remember, it's still in beta

great great great, it means idiots like me will be able to solve some of our own niche needs*, that have as yet not be done.
*a special farty sound.

I'm disappointed it's not available for download now. I was all excited reading about it and then realised it's not even out yet.
It can only be a good thing and the app market can easily be changed to filter out the inevitable rubbish it will partly create. However a lot of useful and ingenious apps will also be created that wouldn't have been (like the one I will make).

I'm looking forward to it, there's a few things I want to make that aren't in the marketplace. Just wondering what sort of functionality we will be allowed, if I can make my own task manager/battery monitor widgets for example.

I like the idea too.
Hopefully this doesn't lead to a glutton of bad apps on the market!

Depending on how functional it is, we might never need the market ever again. Half an hour making your own app vs half an hour searching the market and trying half a dozen bloated ad-ridden apps.

Morghus said:
I'm thinking this is a good thing, you can make apps on the go, for practically anything. It will continually get better, unless it crashes and burns because it floods the market and similar with ultra-****ty programs.
Later on Google will probably release some sort of testing program to run it through the hoops to see if it's good enough, or something like that.
Remember, it's still in beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But its already pretty powerful... and bound to get better.
jimlad said:
great great great, it means idiots like me will be able to solve some of our own niche needs*, that have as yet not be done.
*a special farty sound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... But who knows, Maybe that TINY niche need is something else that someone might want to use and then that ends up bing a profitable app. Not because It makes a ton of dough, but because it was so quick and easy to make.
Biffy said:
I'm disappointed it's not available for download now. I was all excited reading about it and then realised it's not even out yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im using it right now.If you read the actual website... there are links to all the tools and how to use them.
saj222 said:
I like the idea too.
Hopefully this doesn't lead to a glutton of bad apps on the market!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is always a potential. With ease of programming comes more apps, and with more apps comes more Bad apps. But if this helps one person make one useful app, its done its job.
I really hope to get good with this, and maybe have alot of community support here... this could very wellbe a powerful tool for noob developers.

IDK though, I wouldn't think anything could ever replace actually typing out code as opposed to using blocks which is what it seems like App Inventor does.

rawdikrik said:
Im using it right now.If you read the actual website... there are links to all the tools and how to use them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you be a bit more specific on how you got the final 'my projects' section working?
i have installed everything.. and the final stage it requests my details (which i had previously filled in)

rawdikrik said:
Im using it right now.If you read the actual website... there are links to all the tools and how to use them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I login I get: "We will be granting access to App Inventor for Android over the coming weeks. Fill out this form (only your Gmail address is required) and we’ll have you building apps soon! While you are waiting feel free to read more about App Inventor and learn how it works."
Have been all over the http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/about/ website and can't find any links to download or use tools. Am in the UK so maybe that is the problem.

Same here with me. Maybe they need to verify our info and then give us the links to download

Biffy said:
When I login I get: "We will be granting access to App Inventor for Android over the coming weeks. Fill out this form (only your Gmail address is required) and we’ll have you building apps soon! While you are waiting feel free to read more about App Inventor and learn how it works."
Have been all over the http://appinventor.googlelabs.com/about/ website and can't find any links to download or use tools. Am in the UK so maybe that is the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its in beta right now, so like most great Google things in their infancy it is invite only.
App inventor looks wicked, reminds me of Visual Basic only useful since it works on platforms besides Windows >

I think this is a progressive idea!
But hope the market stays as clean as possible with QA Apps!

I made a simple app (send an SMS).
- Made it using the app inventor : Apk file takes 1MB and once installed, the apps takes 3.5MB of space!!! (whitch cannot be moved to SD, even with Froyo)
- I made the same app "the normal way" with the android sdk and eclipse : the apk file takes 13KB and the installed app takes 20KB

I heard that when its released, all the apps will not be put on the market right away... in the future... maybe, but that'll prob be after Google makes a filter as to which apps can be put on the market. Not to mention, the Google $25 market upload fee will still apply, so even if Google doesn't filter, it won't completely flood the market.
Sent from my Eris using XDA App

djeanhimself said:
I made a simple app (send an SMS).
- Made it using the app inventor : Apk file takes 1MB and once installed, the apps takes 3.5MB of space!!! (whitch cannot be moved to SD, even with Froyo)
- I made the same app "the normal way" with the android sdk and eclipse : the apk file takes 13KB and the installed app takes 20KB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose it's to be expected. As with all tools of this type, you get ease and speed when developing but you also get a huge runtime when compiling.
Dragos

Aint normal IMO...
The compiler knows which objects it has to take in account when building the package.
I mean it's not a big deal to include only what is necessary...
Anyway, that size problem (added to some interface bugs i encountered) makes me believe that this project is far from being usable.
By now, the only use I'd make would be prototyping views on it.

It's in BETA for a reason.

Related

Android Store Websites/Freeware

sorry guys just trying to be helpful to thoes seeking more information about the phone... someone on that site has there hands on the phone already! and is willing to answer any questions you guys might have!
who vincent?. who has it
I have one if anyone has any questions..
Memory leak
The person who has the G1 phone on androidcommunity says it has a bad memory leak and he has to reboot often. Have you seen the same thing?
He also said there was no file folder system and it was hard to find files. Is this true?
Thanks,
Tim
and they have more everything
2 different app stores for android?
there is the android market..and maybe im crazy , but isnt there another app store for android?
can sum1 provide info ?
thanx
yeah they do have alot of stuff there. but ill be coming here for my apps and OS upgrades/ roms
cookzitall said:
there is the android market..and maybe im crazy , but isnt there another app store for android?
can sum1 provide info ?
thanx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol no its the android market goto http://androidcommunity.com you will find everything android there have fun.
There's also http://www.trackdroid.com and http://android-freeware.org
I've noticed that using Android Market on different ROM versions, different apps show up in the Android Market.
i dont have all the apps on my market app, really sucks
Found new app site!
GlobalM3 said:
i dont have all the apps on my market app, really sucks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guys i found a new site with apps...and it seemd very well designed and have some short of application that u install and then u download what u need.
Nice to see some other places ecxept google market
www.slideme.org
wizzo65 said:
Guys i found a new site with apps...and it seemd very well designed and have some short of application that u install and then u download what u need.
Nice to see some other places ecxept google market
www.slideme.org
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to wait to read reviews on some of these non-google sponsored android marketplaces as I think that's where the malware is going to show up. The user is always the biggest hole in any security plan.
http://www.android-freeware.org/ Do Not attempt
DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY FREEWARE ON OTHER SITES. Thier is a reason that it is not in the android app store. I downloaded a program from http://www.android-freeware.org/ and it crashed my device and since T-Mobile will not support it yet, its useless at the moment.
Be patient wait for all the apps to load in the market.
Hope this saves someones device
Ok so I tried:
Took sim out and booted up in Safe mode. Was able to actually open the menu and go into settings. I went into applications and the error came up again.
So I had to master reset the device and it is now working back to normal
It's a bit blanket to say to not download any apps from a site just because a beta app crashed your device.. There are many apps there from many different developers, and while some may be quite unstable, some may also be fairly good..
It was my understanding that the Android Market would be similarly unregulated, so I honestly think you'd have the same chance of finding a app that has some issues there as you would at another site.
It would help to know which app you were trying to use that crashed, so we know which app to avoid.
chorca said:
It's a bit blanket to say to not download any apps from a site just because a beta app crashed your device.. There are many apps there from many different developers, and while some may be quite unstable, some may also be fairly good..
It was my understanding that the Android Market would be similarly unregulated, so I honestly think you'd have the same chance of finding a app that has some issues there as you would at another site.
It would help to know which app you were trying to use that crashed, so we know which app to avoid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is my take on this. Google has never said that the Android Market would be unregulated. They would be idiots to say that and even bigger idiots to actually follow through on that. They've made a huge investment in Android and intend for it to grow. To protect their investment I am positive that there is a team of android employees who's job it will be to regularly download and test new apps, especially from new/untested developers to make sure that 1. it's not malware 2. it doesn't crash the OS or cause any other problems. This is protecting their investment.
What I have heard as regards to the android market is that it will not be heavily regulated like the apple market. For example Apple refuses to let you sell apps that compete with one of their own products, or a product they have in development.
Thus my thought is this. The most amount of regulation that Android apps on google's Android Market will undergo will be minimal. Most legit developers will not have a problem setting up space on the market, and getting their apps out to users. So, given that, what are you likely to find elsewhere? Apps that don't even meet the basic requirements of the Android Market. Apps that are malware, or will crash the OS, or snake oil salesmen trying to make a quick buck, and thus can't/won't be allowed on the Android Market (or will be removed quickly) That equals problems in my book, and there is no way I'm going to download anything that's not at the Android Market, at least not for a very long time. If it's legit, it should be at the Android Market where I can trust it.
thanks for the tip, will trust your experience and leave apps that aren't in the market alone. Thank god you got yours working again!!!
GlobalM3 said:
DO NOT DOWNLOAD ANY FREEWARE ON OTHER SITES. Thier is a reason that it is not in the android app store. I downloaded a program from http://www.android-freeware.org/ and it crashed my device and since T-Mobile will not support it yet, its useless at the moment.
Be patient wait for all the apps to load in the market.
Hope this saves someones device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which app did this?
thanks,
jason
yeah, i was looking at that site and some of those apps look pretty cool, what app was it that crashed your phone?

Checking for updates (way I do it)

I thought it was common sense, but my buddy with a G1 was like "I didn't know you could do that!?"
OK... so... Go to MarketPlace, Menu key--My Downloads.... if it says installed, you're all good. If it says Install and is a program you HAVE installed? Click it. Will overwrite the old version automatically.
That is one way.... but a new app on the market it makes it one step easier. Install aTrackDog... I used the way you described before this came out... it makes your life soo much easier.
neoobs said:
That is one way.... but a new app on the market it makes it one step easier. Install aTrackDog... I used the way you described before this came out... it makes your life soo much easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, have heard it doesn't update that fast?
There are some reasons not to use aTrack Dog. I'm manually updating my apps for now. Maybe Google will refine the Market app with an update feature later.
jashsu said:
There are some reasons not to use aTrack Dog. I'm manually updating my apps for now. Maybe Google will refine the Market app with an update feature later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wow.. thanks! That's even worse!
Some apps (Twitdroid is a good example) alerts you if there's a new update; and most apps have contact details for the developer, so maybe drop them an email and ask for some auto update code to be added into your favourite apps? Bummer though, you still have to go into the market to update them.
jashsu said:
There are some reasons not to use aTrack Dog. I'm manually updating my apps for now. Maybe Google will refine the Market app with an update feature later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point but then again... I personally want to know about others beta's, I think aTrackDog should do something thou... make it so all apps are defaulted to not update.
Either way I don't see any real reasons to not use it except that you should know it may show a beta version. The updates are fast usually everytime I open it there is at least one program on there.
neoobs said:
Either way I don't see any real reasons to not use it except that you should know it may show a beta version. The updates are fast usually everytime I open it there is at least one program on there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, I suppose it is a matter of personal preference. Since I only have a half dozen apps installed on my G1, it's rather trivial to just check the download list. I balance that against having yet another app installed, not to mention having my app installation habits data-mined by aTrackdog.
neoobs said:
Good point but then again... I personally want to know about others beta's, I think aTrackDog should do something thou... make it so all apps are defaulted to not update.
Either way I don't see any real reasons to not use it except that you should know it may show a beta version. The updates are fast usually everytime I open it there is at least one program on there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not a developer but can see a potential for an exploit on this maybe? Sending out info isn't ever really a good idea. Even if it's set to only send out this and that data, I have seen exploits take advantage of less.
Both valid points, but then again look at the stuff I can't uninstall LOL that can send out just as much info. Everything is a risk, and honestly maybe application mining my G1 is a good thing, might lead to more big name developers wasting money to make quality apps for cheap/free. Never know might make MS want to make an office suite... or better yet... openoffice doing it.
neoobs said:
Both valid points, but then again look at the stuff I can't uninstall LOL that can send out just as much info. Everything is a risk, and honestly maybe application mining my G1 is a good thing, might lead to more big name developers wasting money to make quality apps for cheap/free. Never know might make MS want to make an office suite... or better yet... openoffice doing it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I wouldn't really hold my breath on OpenOffice for Android. Aside from the fact that most desktop apps have to be completely retooled to function in a mobile context, i'm sure Sun isn't too happy about Google brewing up Dalvik based on Java (which quite directly competes with J2ME). Dataviz is already working on an Android version of DocsToGo.
Of course if Google were to put more of their engineers on Android/mobile development, maybe we could see Google Docs for Android. Let's hope those Christmas Bonus Dreams lead to more apps Googlers make in their 20%.
aTrackDog work nice
jashsu said:
Yeah I wouldn't really hold my breath on OpenOffice for Android. Aside from the fact that most desktop apps have to be completely retooled to function in a mobile context, i'm sure Sun isn't too happy about Google brewing up Dalvik based on Java (which quite directly competes with J2ME). Dataviz is already working on an Android version of DocsToGo.
Of course if Google were to put more of their engineers on Android/mobile development, maybe we could see Google Docs for Android. Let's hope those Christmas Bonus Dreams lead to more apps Googlers make in their 20%.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't openoffice made publically? (not the source but the actual development is by the general public) wouldn't that mean if enough got an android they could do it? LOL
And I bust up over the G1 for all Google employees. But then again that article made it sound like every employee normally gets 20,000 for Christmas *cough*bull*cough* I bet only the high ups got anywhere close to that and probably the lowers got 100 dollars and maybe some free software or something.
neoobs said:
Isn't openoffice made publically? (not the source but the actual development is by the general public) wouldn't that mean if enough got an android they could do it? LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually it is an open source project. However project leaders have very broad discretion to guide the direction a project takes. A good example would be the Android Open Source Project.
And I bust up over the G1 for all Google employees. But then again that article made it sound like every employee normally gets 20,000 for Christmas *cough*bull*cough* I bet only the high ups got anywhere close to that and probably the lowers got 100 dollars and maybe some free software or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the average Googler received a $1000 holiday bonus last year.
wow 1000 dollar bonus... that is really good... but I understand why that is cut in half this year especially with the way the economy is.

The android market is going to HELL

Hi guys,
Have you noticed a huge increase in spam apps in the market lately? Apps from developers like Michael Quach, Virtualtechs or Simpaddico, which literally count in the hundreds even though they really are the same app: a list of facts or quotes, with next / back buttons.
Apparently they also batch upload new versions of their apps regularly, just to get them to the top again. I'm getting sick of missing actual, useful apps because every time I check the market I only see these apps. Isn't there something we users can do to get rid of market spammers?
Proabably
There should be a "REPORT" button, right now its not a whole bunch of chronic spammer devies, they can get rid of them right away. BUNCH OF them are just scammers tryin' to make a quick buck.
frandavid100 said:
Hi guys,
Have you noticed a huge increase in spam apps in the market lately? Apps from developers like Michael Quach, Virtualtechs or Simpaddico, which literally count in the hundreds even though they really are the same app: a list of facts or quotes, with next / back buttons.
Apparently they also batch upload new versions of their apps regularly, just to get them to the top again. I'm getting sick of missing actual, useful apps because every time I check the market I only see these apps. Isn't there something we users can do to get rid of market spammers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ehBrY said:
There should be a "REPORT" button, right now its not a whole bunch of chronic spammer devies, they can get rid of them right away. BUNCH OF them are just scammers tryin' to make a quick buck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is, taken independently those apps are not reportable. There is nothing wrong with a facts app, but there is with a developer releasing 100 of them. Yet I cannot report the developer, I can only report the app.
the biggest problem for me is the lack of search options in the market - unbelievable that google could leave it like that - there seems to be no intelligent search, no search by category or dev etc etc etc
Sorting options
czm said:
the biggest problem for me is the lack of search options in the market - unbelievable that google could leave it like that - there seems to be no intelligent search, no search by category or dev etc etc etc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is DEFINATELY missing sorting options like sort by rating!
Spam their email like they do our market
There does need to be some method whereby Google get notified if one developer uploads more than, say, 5 apps or they upload several at the same time and then someone at google has to physically examine them before they go up. That way these spam apps would be identifed as such and not turn up there.
I guess ultimately this is the price we pay for having an unrestricted market. At the moment it is still worth it to get the kinds of app that Apple would never allow but I think SOME control is needed.
This is where Apple's "managed" Store has it's benefits.
I would love to see a market proxy for rooted phones, allowing various developers and app categories to be removed from view. Regex pattern matching ...
I don't know if it's possible, but it would rock.
JTHM said:
This is where Apple's "managed" Store has it's benefits.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After using the Nexus one for a month, there are many aspect of iphone i think is superior to Android in general. There are some flaws on the iphone, but when compared to the N1 (or any android phone), it feel so much more polished.
joshyth1012 said:
After using the Nexus one for a month, there are many aspect of iphone i think is superior to Android in general. There are some flaws on the iphone, but when compared to the N1 (or any android phone), it feel so much more polished.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and that's "polish" comes at the cost of locking you away with everything u should have access for in the first place
Actually, I think these scammers/spammers/out-for-the-money people are NOT the problem...And in fact, they're actually a show of proof of just how open-ended the Android Market is.
The problem is that Google (The Internet Search Superpower) has crappy searching/filtering for their Android Market.
Ironic.
Could you guys please contribute to this petition?
http://www.google.com/support/forum...87&hl=en&fid=0514f909d7c71c8700047ff77f3d84e4
Let's see if we can at least get an answer.
Namuna said:
Actually, I think these scammers/spammers/out-for-the-money people are NOT the problem...And in fact, they're actually a show of proof of just how open-ended the Android Market is.
The problem is that Google (The Internet Search Superpower) has crappy searching/filtering for their Android Market.
Ironic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
qft. all they need to do is add filters like ratings, downloads, etc. Then these apps wouldn't be a problem.
sctx said:
qft. all they need to do is add filters like ratings, downloads, etc. Then these apps wouldn't be a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. The 'legit' devs should be pushing for this as well as it would make it easier for end users to find and buy quality product.
This is the exact reason why my Nexus One sat in its box for a week after receiving it. This is my first Android phone and coming from an Apple OS and a regulated app platform since the 2g was introduced, the marketplace had a very bad first impression with me. My N1 was bone stock and I experienced force closes on stock apps..I felt as if I was beta testing a device that was released too early. It was packed and ready to ship back. Then I decided to take another look and while 95% of the marketplace apps are pure garbage, IMO, the phone itself has its advantages which is why I choose the N1 as choice device as opposed to my 3gs in which I basically use as an ipod "with benefits."
Final thought. If the android market app regulation doesnt improve, it will fall..and it will fall hard.
ehBrY said:
It is DEFINATELY missing sorting options like sort by rating!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 def would like to see this
This is a problem, and I do think Google should priorities this A.S.A.P. As this will discourage most Iphone to Android users. I don't even look in the new tab any more.
its not like google knows a thing or two about how searching should be done....
Do what I do...only download apps you know about. Get recommendations from sites like this one.

just got a vibrant....oh my where to start! :)

Got a Vibrant yesterday to "try out" the android world for the first time. Must say I'm impressed by the phones performance out of the box even with all the bloatware and crap on it. I've been a windows mobile guy for quite some time now, so the people that know both platforms well, know they are two completely different monsters. My two options were the hd2 (since i know the WM world pretty well) or learn a whole new platform with the vibrant.
I like it so far, but also miss some of the things from WM (or rather miss knowing my phone well). I guess i just have to start from zero and get acquainted with it first.
Any suggestions on getting the bare down scoop of the platform and such as far as learning it from the ground up? The sticky explains how to do these things, but I need something more basic...I just wanna become proficient in the android world as I am in the WM world starting from zero.
Its hard to say where to start, the best thing about android is the customization. Playing with phone is the only way you are gonna learn, I have been an android owner since day one and am still learning new things everyday. If there is something I don't know I simply come here since this is the best android community on the web. Hope you enjoy IMO the best android phone on the market.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Yeah, really not that much to help with...everything seems pretty intuitive to me. When in doubt, long press or press menu.
My first questions were always like:
Sweet I have Avatar on here, what else Can I put on?
Oh damn, there's only a 2GB Card, and if I remove it, I lose Avatar.
WTF is amazon kindle for? I don't need this? How can I remove Bloats?
That's where I started off, you're most likely going to want to root it. Search the forums around. There's some great stickies to follow by and just go with that.
Can't wait for CM? Learn to make your own APP to have fun with ;p
phragg said:
My first questions were always like:
Sweet I have Avatar on here, what else Can I put on?
Oh damn, there's only a 2GB Card, and if I remove it, I lose Avatar.
WTF is amazon kindle for? I don't need this? How can I remove Bloats?
That's where I started off, you're most likely going to want to root it. Search the forums around. There's some great stickies to follow by and just go with that.
Can't wait for CM? Learn to make your own APP to have fun with ;p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, kindle isn't that bad considering you can get a ton of free books for it.
Sent from my Galaxy S using the XDA App
phragg said:
My first questions were always like:
Sweet I have Avatar on here, what else Can I put on?
Oh damn, there's only a 2GB Card, and if I remove it, I lose Avatar.
WTF is amazon kindle for? I don't need this? How can I remove Bloats?
That's where I started off, you're most likely going to want to root it. Search the forums around. There's some great stickies to follow by and just go with that.
Can't wait for CM? Learn to make your own APP to have fun with ;p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you could always copy Avatar onto a larger card and then go wild! That's what I did, it will play lots of 720p mkv's that you might have laying around no problem!
Long press and menu are your friends. Other than that look here on xda and use the search function. The stickies typically have the most current info.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
phragg said:
My first questions were always like:
Sweet I have Avatar on here, what else Can I put on?
Oh damn, there's only a 2GB Card, and if I remove it, I lose Avatar.
WTF is amazon kindle for? I don't need this? How can I remove Bloats?
That's where I started off, you're most likely going to want to root it. Search the forums around. There's some great stickies to follow by and just go with that.
Can't wait for CM? Learn to make your own APP to have fun with ;p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is CM?
I am a programmer by profession. Maybe I could look into the world of android programming too while im at it
phragg said:
My first questions were always like:
Sweet I have Avatar on here, what else Can I put on?
Oh damn, there's only a 2GB Card, and if I remove it, I lose Avatar.
WTF is amazon kindle for? I don't need this? How can I remove Bloats?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't have those questions. I mean the first thing i did was move avatar to my 16gb msdhc into it and go wild with my music, photo, and videos...which I'm amazed how good of sound/video quality i get on this.
I thought more of like where do how do I view flash websites, how do i stream live .pls live music streams, or smaller things like hiding apps from the notification area at the top left when they are running, or resizing certain widgets, removing some of the applications that came with the phone from t mobile, mapping buttons to do different things based on holding them down or tapping a certain amount of times, things like that that aren't explained in the user manual. Or even like right now, I'm trying to make a call and it says: "Call not sent"...well? whyyyyyyyyy? so many questions!
I don't know, I guess all this is just part of the familiarization process and will sooner or later find them out whether by experience or hunting down resources why certain behaviors and actions happen.
speoples20 said:
Long press and menu are your friends. Other than that look here on xda and use the search function. The stickies typically have the most current info.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is long press?
^ you should read the sticky. A lot of the things you mentioned, are addressed in the sticky.
Also, flash is only on Android 2.2, which we do not have yet.
achild said:
Got a Vibrant yesterday to "try out" the android world for the first time. Must say I'm impressed by the phones performance out of the box even with all the bloatware and crap on it. I've been a windows mobile guy for quite some time now, so the people that know both platforms well, know they are two completely different monsters. My two options were the hd2 (since i know the WM world pretty well) or learn a whole new platform with the vibrant.
I like it so far, but also miss some of the things from WM (or rather miss knowing my phone well). I guess i just have to start from zero and get acquainted with it first.
Any suggestions on getting the bare down scoop of the platform and such as far as learning it from the ground up? The sticky explains how to do these things, but I need something more basic...I just wanna become proficient in the android world as I am in the WM world starting from zero.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congrats on your new phone. Let us know how your GPS works, since that seems to be a hot issue. you can test using google maps, google navigation and GPS Test downloadable from the Android Market.
SamsungGalaxySVibrant said:
Congrats on your new phone. Let us know how your GPS works, since that seems to be a hot issue. you can test using google maps, google navigation and GPS Test downloadable from the Android Market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha that seems to be a problem with any gps enabled phone nowadays. Happened with the fuze and after months and months of tweaking and tweaking we got a hang of it. I tried the GPS yesterday on my way home from work yesterday and did not get a lock, i went ahead and downloaded gps test today to see if that will unlock it before using the gps software. We shall see! Thanks for the heads up tho!
edit: I guess gps test on android works differently than on WM. On WM it scans through your COM ports and gets a fix for you to then use your gps navigation software.
achild said:
what is CM?
I am a programmer by profession. Maybe I could look into the world of android programming too while im at it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please do!
we could always use more programmers.
achild said:
what is long press?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instead of tapping on something you hold your finger down for a few seconds. A menu will pop up giving you options like copy and paste.
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If your phone won't play a video format, try RockPlayer
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I would recommend the market as the first place to go. Just start searching and downloading apps and play with your phone. You'll get accustomed to it very quickly!
Droidicus said:
I would recommend the market as the first place to go. Just start searching and downloading apps and pay with your phone. You'll get accustomed to it very quickly!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah thats what ive been doing. Thats another thing that amazes me about android, soooo many apps, and they are all centralized into one easy, convenient location. In wm you would find a few in the marketplace, and the rest u had to hunt down either on the forum or the web. This is slowly growing on me
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Coming from WM myself, (and just recently and very reticently turned over my beloved Wizard to my mom) the fun and unfun I have with Android:
Apps are so dratted cheap. Have at it.
Cloud connectivity. I use Picasa all the time now. It took me a while to get used to Google contacts, especially first name alphabetization, but I like it now.
You might want to look at subscribing to CompanionLink. It reliably syncs everything Outlook with your Google account (thus your phone).
Almost nothing was built into Android 1.0. Not much was added through 1.5. Some stuff has been added since, like Facebook sync, but custom ROMs don't add stuff. There's an app for everything. There has to be.
The app drawer is a hassle. I use FolderOrganizer (and ADW Launcher) to quell my addiction to organization beyond alphabetical.
It's fun to watch a few things catch up with WinMo and hear all the Android users brag about how great it is. Like app-specific auto-rotation. There's an app for it out now, but it actually costs something you'll think about, and it eats a hunk of RAM. They're just getting into animated GIFs. Lists and their apps aren't anywhere near ListPro, but they almost all have some way to sync to the cloud.
Office documents created on a PC don't always work with the Office apps that are out there. Don't bother with DocumentsToGo, but Sheadspreet is good (you have to convert first) and I'm trying OfficeSuite, and it seems the best. 30-day trial, $15. It's still not WinMo, though.
For those things you don't sync with the cloud, you can't just throw stuff in your My Documents Folder and rely on that backup. DropBox is a good app/service, and GoogleDocs is your friend. Most apps back up thier specific data to your SD, but on this phone, it's on the internal SD. You have to manually handle your backups, or do Nandroid backups (another worthwhile Google).
You have to install an app to install apps not from Market. Instead of exes their apks.
There's no Total Commander. I like Root Explorer. Astro is feature-filled. There are a million file explorers, and every one of them will have its advocates.
Flashing ROMs is tons easier, but you have to root first.
The Android world moves a lot faster. If you're off the forums for a week you'll feel like you've been in a coma for months. On the flip side, if you're waiting for something to get developed, waiting a few days feel like eternity.
Android devs work harder for a lot less, or no money; it's truly inspiring.
Before you go buying the first app that does what you want, check Market for more that do the same thing. I've found that there's a free alternative to almost everything. The paid versions/apps are more luxurious in one way or another, usually, but a little research can save you a bunch of regret.
Widgets suck RAM. Before you know it you've got 25 and you're wondering why your Home screen is lagging. Phones are finite. Even these.
CM is CyanogenMod. Google it, it's worth it. They started on XDA and it got out of control, so they have their own site now, although the threads still hanging on XDA re CM are a much more interesting read. It seems to be the most popular set of ROMS for a variety of devices. I follow and flash them (the ROMs, that is. I dont want the devs to hate me).
Double entendres are rampant. It's Google.
Once you get your apps organized, you'll be surprised at how smoothly your phone useage goes. Frankly, it's just more fun, and much cheaper, to play with.
SamsungGalaxySVibrant said:
Congrats on your new phone. Let us know how your GPS works, since that seems to be a hot issue. you can test using google maps, google navigation and GPS Test downloadable from the Android Market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tested it. Google maps got no lock. However, gps test gave me 3 satellites, when I held it in front, under the windshiels it jumped to five satellites, but it wasn't enough for google maps to lock or get my location.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Do Developers get paid for selling apps on ANDROID market?

Ive noticed apps on the Market that says, FREE (with ADS) and also PAID / Pro Version of the same app (for a fixed price lets say £3.00)
Now ive noticed the count on download apps for a app that is £3 to be 250.000 > downloads ... which means £750.000 has been paid into the market just from this single app ?????
How much would the developer of this app see from the £750.000 that has been made? And am I also right that ADS on their software also let the developer gain money??
Seems to me you can earn a lot of money for a well populated app... ???
You answered your own question. Developers SELL (obtain money for their product) their apps. Free apps that include ads, the developer also gets money. It's just like youtube videos.
Surely Google must take commision as well??
Yeah, that's the goal
But face it, people are cheap...even for a $0.99 app! And that "super duper, can't live without it app" is all so elusive.
So developers will put out a limited or crippled version of their app for free in hopes that people will buy the full version.
Oh yeah Google takes their cut; it's pro-rated on the number of app sales you have.
Lookiing closely at other apps and focasing on one partiuclar app called Fotmob which I have purchased. It is a really good app that is for any football supportors out their giving details of a list of attributes such as, Live Scores - Fixtures - News - and Table..... Its probably the best football application Ive bought.
Now focasing on a a certain point on the development part of the app
1) Live Score's ... Gives a list of live playing games and their score line next to it. - Am curious on where the data comes from? Surely it isnt edited As games are played because that would be practically impossible to keep up to date therefore it must use a similar command such as a Fetch_arrey syntax. Now where would the user of FOTMOB Fetch the data from?? it must be a reliable known source such as BBC SPORTS / SKY SPORTS to keep its app up-to-date during the live games??
Is that right?
duffy1807 said:
Ive noticed apps on the Market that says, FREE (with ADS) and also PAID / Pro Version of the same app (for a fixed price lets say £3.00)
Now ive noticed the count on download apps for a app that is £3 to be 250.000 > downloads ... which means £750.000 has been paid into the market just from this single app ?????
How much would the developer of this app see from the £750.000 that has been made? And am I also right that ADS on their software also let the developer gain money??
Seems to me you can earn a lot of money for a well populated app... ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not as black and white as that.
Firstly, you'd have to be an brilliant developer to get 250k+ downloads from a paid app. If you see an app like that, 9 times out of 10 it will be a company, not a single developer.
Secondly, 250k downloads is the amount of times an app has been downloaded, not the amount of times people have paid for it. e.g., around 40% of those downloads will be from people who refunded.
and lastly, Google take a ridiculous amount of money from you for each sale.
For example, my app sells for £2.00, but google takes £0.60 of that. It might not seem like a lot but it mounts up quickly.
So, 250k downloads isn't as much as you think if you start to look into it (but, it's still a hell of a lot for a single developer to get!!)
Well said Mellus.
And some of these so-called "great" apps are just fancy front ends pulling data off the net or a RSS feed.
As you might gather, I do not have a lot of respect for "this" (or "self"...programmer humor) type of developer.
P.S. if you don't get the programmer humor, "self" is Mac Objective C's "this" pointer.
I make $1,500 a month ( single dev )
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You make $1,500 off how many apps? How many installs. Free apps or paid?
Also, could someone comment on what's required to get started? I know there's a $25 dev fee, and I've read all the help text on the publish site.
What do most devs do for a website to link to in the market? Does Google offer anything? Use Go Daddy? What?
What do you use to create the graphics required for the market?
Other tips?
________________________________
Unrevoked forever
SkyRaider Sense 3.5
Radio 2.15.00.09.01
rigman said:
You make $1,500 off how many apps? How many installs. Free apps or paid?
Also, could someone comment on what's required to get started? I know there's a $25 dev fee, and I've read all the help text on the publish site.
What do most devs do for a website to link to in the market? Does Google offer anything? Use Go Daddy? What?
What do you use to create the graphics required for the market?
Other tips?
________________________________
Unrevoked forever
SkyRaider Sense 3.5
Radio 2.15.00.09.01
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About 15 apps. All paid.
You need to know how to make apps lol.
You need to make your own website ( not needed though)
Use photoshop.
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Yeah I'm just getting into app development as well. I've currently got an ADWTheme out on the market for $0.99, and I make ~$0.69 per sale. There is really a ton of potential for profit if you get into individual app development as long as you can make stuff that people want. When I first released my theme I was making ~$10 a day off of it. after a month or so it's died down to ~$2.5 - $5 daily, but another factor is that I haven't updated it in a while haha. If you can manage to keep all of your apps up-to-date and appealing, you will do well.
If you are really interested in developing applications for android I would recommended watching these videos: http://marakana.com/techtv/android_bootcamp_screencast_series.html They've seriously helped me out a LOT getting off the ground
Newklearx3 said:
About 15 apps. All paid.
You need to know how to make apps lol.
You need to make your own website ( not needed though)
Use photoshop.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would recommend Adobe Illustrator more than Photoshop for making graphics, at least it's what I prefer.
1. Make it look pretty
2. Make it fart
Yeah, nice LOL. Hey, if it sells, it sells. Wish I could write an app that sells thousands
I'm only a few months into development though, so it's "learn something new everyday" process. As the coding skills build, so will the quality of the apps....and hopefully sales.
Applications based on RFID concept?
Please allow me to ask if how much will it take for a developer on a full time basis to create an application that would run on both android and windows mobile.
This will be for a RFID concept
needless said:
Please allow me to ask if how much will it take for a developer on a full time basis to create an application that would run on both android and windows mobile.
This will be for a RFID concept
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about window mobile but check out corona SDK for developing.
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Don't know why it's so difficult to answer a simple question.
70% goes to the developer, the remaining 30% is distributed to the cell carrier (if the carrier is authorized to receive fees for apps purchased on the market.)
Wikipedia explains it in such a way that even the most simple minded of folk can understand. It sounds like a few of you should read up on that, as opposed to providing vague, meaningless "answers".

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