Database Users

why i dont like the pay system at the market

So in all of my pda/mobile net/devices/phones(which are 1 in the same, these days) an experience which started in about 1999 with a palm IIIx a 2nd gen Moto Startac, the first thing I ad software wise is ui enhancments/replacements so despite a long history of piracy, only buying apps that stand the test of time 30 days isn't enough in most cases...
I bought dxtop, ahome (may 2nd have that name wrong) and dxtop seems the best of the 2 so far and does an ok job of fixing the horrible ui, 1 mean 1 big huge "junk drawer" of apps, and 3 desktops(my least favorite method of app orginization) feels very basic and unfinished, why no folders in the junk drawer?... but dxtop takes a long time on my system, I do have lotsa memory resident apps and I'm looking to trim that down...
The price is minimal, but
What does everybody else think,
Don't talk about warez, as that's not the issue, getting a good working market is.
I may have read that there is a return period, but I dunno anything about it, let's talk this out maybe the right people read it.
Bhang

So let me get this straight... you hate the pay system because of the default UI? Not to be an ass but I found no reasons about why you hate it other than the fact that you don't like the default UI and that dxtop is slow for you.
Care to elaborate?

Honestly, I'm confused by the post. I don't see the relation between not liking the default UI and the pay system at the market.
As for the return period:
http://market.android.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=134336&topic=15871
24 hours.

I think bhang's complaint is that 24 hours is not a lot of time to trial an app. I agree...
Fortunately ahome, dxTop and openhome have all provided fairly functional free trial versions.

you are all right I wasnt so clear...
My point is I had an app I wanted to try out, dxtop (in full) so I bought it, now maybe the app isnt the solution to the ui issues I'm having, but I cant get my couple bucks back, unless there is a "return period" im unaware of. 24 hours, if I did nothing but investigate the app for the entire 24 hours, I wouldnt be able to find every nook, crannie or flaw, or have any idea of the usefulness of the app.
Are we expected to buy everything then figure out whats worth it ? whats working out for us...?
my question is how can we get to give apps a good run before we buy them outside 24 hours or the goodOl'e 30 day trials, or crippleware.
the point to remember about my post is:
"Friends dont let friends smoke a bunch of ak-47 and then try post on a technical site"
bhang

Well there's two issues at play. One from the developer side and one from the market side.
From the developer side, many do provide trial/lite versions for testing. From the market side you're lucky to have an opprotunity for refund at all.
Have you ever tried returning opened software to a B&M store? Most won't do anything and those that will tend only to do exchanges. Compare that to the fruit themed application market where, unless something changed recently, the policy is no refunds period.
So in the scope of the software world a blanket 24 hour testing/refund period is very generous and it's up to the developer to go beyond that on their own.

Im not saying that I have any idea on how to make the issues fixed for the DEVs and the END users, The corporations I could care less about, alot of the developers do offer free versions or crippled versions, in the crippled versions you don't know what those other features are like, of course they always sound great, and the free versions are nothing more than the betas that came out before charging was implemented....
I want DEVs to get paid when the apps are good well written and useful, I just dont think the market as it is works, so Ill do what I have always done, test the FULL version as long as I want, then buy the apps that hold up/ stand the test of time, most apps look great the first couple of tries, it when you get to know them do you see the flaws, alot like HUMAN interaction, maybe if I keep posting, I can dump the head shrinker and his 40$ copay
like all software distrobution methods (other than GNU/GPL) are broken

Marketplace???

Has anyone noticed how ridiculously expensive and overpriced applications are in the Windows Mobile Marketplace?
For one, their selection of applications are terrible. So far they're just a bunch of badly designed generic apps that don't feed any real purpose. The games are horrible too.
The only decent application I wanted to buy was Pac Man, but that's like £5 !!! for a measly game that probably only has 5 levels and I'm only going to play when I'm bored.
. I just want a decent Twitter application that has kinetic scrolling and doesn't show that horrid side-bar control.
. A decent media player with visualisations and coverflow.
. A few nicely designed touchscreen games including ones like Tweeter that makes use of the G-sensor.
It makes no sense for Windows to release all these devices and advertise that WM is a social device when their marketplace is a bunch of bollocks.

ilabstudios said:
. I just want a decent Twitter application that has kinetic scrolling and doesn't show that horrid side-bar control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://code.google.com/p/pocketwit/

I agree. I am very disapointed with the marketplace myself. I was expecting thousands of high quality cheap and free apps but that's not what we have yet. I am hoping that this is only due to the fact that it's been 10 days since its release and must be hard to get thousands of apps ready to go in the first few months. I am confident though that microsoft is ready to compete with android and iphone so must surely have something more in mind than they currently have.

Unfortunately it has nothing to do with Microsoft. The WinMo software companies haven't adjusted yet to that fact that there is a central place for the average user to hit and find their competition. Something like SPB could be as pricey as it wanted, because it could take the average user forever to find any quality alternatives. They have the advertising dollars, placement on carrier websites, etc. Now there's a spot for a smaller competitor to get the same exposure. But it'll take time for them to pop up.
$30 for any mobile app is retarded. I'm really disappointed that since release day, I'm only seeing 10 new apps in the store. Maybe the "what's new" button is broken, but there's a couple on the results page I installed day 1 of Marketplace being open

The lack of apps is probably not helped by the fact that, as I understand it, Microsoft charge an extra $10 or so for each country to list the app in (and require that the app be localized for that country) so I'd assume that a good chunk of people developing apps in the US aren't going to push their apps beyond the US (I'm no developer so haven't read the full pricing details but that's the gist of what I've seen in some MS developer forums with people questioning why their apps aren't available)
It'll especially be true for free or cheap apps - if you've made a free app, would you pay out to make it available to other countries?
The only reason I can see for restricting apps to a country is if they are purely regional - TV schedules for a particular country, or train schedules or something.
Steve.

Well, I'm in the US, so not really an issue. Trust me, not missing much if they are actually holding out on pushing to other countries.
I'd also guess the word is out to developers that Marketplace is a good spot for their software to turn freeware and end up on a torrent so perhaps they are holding off until Microsoft fixes the security.

Jesus shoe tapping finger clicking Christ, give it a chance its only just started. I have already seen a lot on there for free and under 70p... just wait and be a bit patient.

give it a chance its only just started
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Click to collapse
I would if that were the case. Unfortunately, Marketplace has been exposed to developers months before it was officially released, which is why I am confused as to why there are so many cheap applications. I'm sure that there will be more applications coming soon, but I'm more concerned about the pricing and quality of applications. When I watched the first keynote last year on the coming of Marketplace I had higher hopes than his.
I realise that some iPhone developers have investment from other companies and some of them even have a development team working on the apps, but still.. look at the type of stuff Android have compared with Windows, it's ridiculous. It's as if no real developer wants to develop on the WM platform.
I feel that their advertising campaigns are misleading. They're trying to get across the fact that WM is now social and more application orientated when so far all I can find on the marketplace are overpriced applications that seem like it was developed for WM5.
Personally I don't think 6.5 is going to be a huge success, TechCrunch has already given it a bad review. WM7 better be different.
Btw. In the world of technology, there's no room for 'Oh give it a chance' type attitude. Technology companies usually have once chance of pulling something off. Hence the reason why companies like Google or Apple spend millions of dollars on market resource, trial testing and development research.

Marketplace? Pah!
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/
I've been relying on the RSS feed from this fine site for the past couple of years or so, since my original TyTN, TyTN II and now my Touch Pro 2. It's a great site, has introduced me to great programs like NoniGPSPlot, has new applications all the time and finally - it's all free (and not warez free, but genuine software).
Great stuff - Microsoft saw what Apple were doing too late and have done too little me thinks to succeed.
I love my Windows Mobile phone; but Apple's iPhone taught Microsoft and other mobile developers how important eye candy in a phone OS was. Google's Android OS will be taking the lions share of future mobile phone sales and I see Android phones surpassing the iPhone.
Unless Microsoft do something right, not many peeps will want a Windows Mobile device in a few years time...

So far the only good to come out of the app store is Zenonia...badass rpg... 10 bucks though But well worth it in my opinion! If you like old school snes hack and slash rpg's, this game is for you. Full sound, decent story, just great overall. For me, there's point in playing my old favorite snes games on my phone because with sound, to me its pointless. and not using sound is the only way to get an snes emulator to run smooth; regardless of which one it is ( morphgear, smart-whatever its called, or pocketsnes

Paulplex said:
...
Great stuff - Microsoft saw what Apple were doing too late and have done too little me thinks to succeed.
I love my Windows Mobile phone; but Apple's iPhone taught Microsoft and other mobile developers how important eye candy in a phone OS was. Google's Android OS will be taking the lions share of future mobile phone sales and I see Android phones surpassing the iPhone.
Unless Microsoft do something right, not many peeps will want a Windows Mobile device in a few years time...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see plenty of commercials for iPhones and Google phones on TV but absolutely none for WinMo phones. MS really needs to start promoting itself in this market.
S

How about the annoying fact that I don't get a chance to choose where to intstall the app. They all go directly to device memory. That sucks balls!

Paulplex said:
http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/
I've been relying on the RSS feed from this fine site for the past couple of years or so, since my original TyTN, TyTN II and now my Touch Pro 2. It's a great site, has introduced me to great programs like NoniGPSPlot, has new applications all the time and finally - it's all free (and not warez free, but genuine software).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nice one !

Theres a cab floating around here to fix that...
moSess said:
How about the annoying fact that I don't get a chance to choose where to intstall the app. They all go directly to device memory. That sucks balls!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

mpicart said:
Theres a cab floating around here to fix that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=568806

@Paulplex - Thanks for the link. I know I can get free applications quite easily, that's what I've done so far. However most of them aren't to 6.5 standards, the majority of them are still coded for use on old WM5 phones.
When you spend hundreds on a phone you expect to install applications on it that are intended for such a high-end device. The only application which is worth installing is the Myspace and Facebook app, and even those aren't great.
I regard my phone as my house in a way. When we buy a house, we intend to fill it up with furniture, usually the more expensive the house, the higher quality the furniture. The same should apply to phones, in that instead of furniture we require high quality applications. But where are they? SPB is the only one I can think of.

do you people think that bill gates and the people at microsoft are just gonna sit around and allow apple to dominate the app frenzy in the market for pdas and devices? dont u think that most people at microsoft all have winmo devices? do u really think any employee would have an apple iphone?...so of coursse thousands of new gsensor apps are on their way of being placed on the marketplace or in development...obvious with android showing that they have developers also who are pumpin out apps for them..microsoft is doin the same thing..give them time the winmo app store just came out..and a gsensor phone for a winmo device first showed up only a yr ago..so they have a bit of software catching up to do with these new devices. HTC thank god...droped 6 new phones for the north american market just this month alone..with the tp2 being the first in september..(htc pure,htc hero,htc tilt 2,htc imagio,htc mytouch) so basically with 6.5 also droped...htc has done their part by stacking microsoft with a heavy set and multy array of phones to crush the competition i.e iphone 3gs or whatever version its at now. microsoft is not gonna sit around and allow apple to dominate the app market..and they sure as hell arent gonna let android..a new OS that has no business gettin their OS on htc devices, surpass them either...remembr bill tried to buy out google but they rejected a couple yrs ago. And u all know bill gates has a winmo devices,prolly a htc touch hd or the new imagio...dont u think he wants a huge selection of apps himselve? trust..were not the only ones on the heals of microsoft to get these developers in line..and get these apps rolled out...plus half the apps apple has for the iphone are useless and they are just puttin them in commercials to show that they have a **** load of apps...half the apps they have could be bunddled up with other apps like how a spb traveler or mobile shell app is but they are just tryin to show off how many apps they have..plus most of all the developers for apple just have the change a couple scripts around in their apps and all the same apple apps could be made into cabs and become winmo apps...so the **** isnt hard..the microsoft winmo team execut8ves or w/e u wanna call them need to get their marketing department working full throttle and start shipping new apps with these new phones...i repeat HTC has done their part..now its time for the software to catch up...

"Windows" isn't a device, "Windows" doesn't release devices, and "Windows" doesn't sell devices. "Microsoft" isn't any of those things, either. Microsoft is a company that produces an OS that runs on LOTS of devices (some phones, some PDAs, and a whole lot of things that are neither).

Plenty of time for this thing to get up to snuff.
But that said, the real problem is that while there aren't that many WM OS out there, (5, 6, 6.1, 6.5) and most apps will pretty much install in either, the different hardware config makes it a different ballgame, especially with games, no pun intended. Some phones have buttons, some don't. Some games will work only in landscape, some will not, some will work on both. And not all phones are exactly finger friendly. They're meant to be used with a stylus for the most part, the finger's a secondary thing.
So yea, these developers will have their hands full, unless of course they want to limit their market to particular devices only.
So that being said, my gripe is that none of these apps are telling me they're to be used in a particular hardware platform.

@moegdaog, I'm a developer myself, so I realise the number of new applications that will come soon, however that's not what I was specifically talking about.
I'm more concerned about the level of development on applications and games. Why so many developers opt to develop for iPhone isn't because of a bias view-point, it's because the tools they provide mean that they can develop a high-end application and start earning money as soon as it's in the marketplace.
However the type of developers are not the same. iPhone developers are usually younger, multimedia orientated so they probably have skills in web, graphics and illustration, where as Microsoft developers are usually a lot older and more prone to developing utility (function) based apps and have very limited skills in anything else. Most developers aren't able to outsource and so they are left with a rubbish application.
My worry is that yes there will be many applications within marketplace but will they actually be worth all that money and will any investors support the development of these apps. Also how will these applications differ from what we have seen on Android and iPhone.

What's in your Evo?

Ok, I know I'm jumping the gun, but I thought this would be a good idea. We'll need somewhere to list and discuss apps for the Evo. I know discussions will go far beyond this thread, but a place to compile a list and links to download or for instructions or to troubleshoot and so on and so forth will be handy.
I'm not sure what I'm doing, but it appears the size of posts is limited and from what I've seen the thing to do is to reserve some space at the beginning of the thread to make helpful information throughout the thread easily accessible at the beginning so I'm going to reserve some space if I can.
Advice is welcome. Please offer advice. If I choke (and embarass myself) and end up not getting an Evo (not likely as I think I want it more than sex) or fail to keep the thread updated I'm gessing we have other options like an administrator letting someone else edit my posts or moving info to a better thread or something.
I'm thinking this could get to be a huge thread so I think I'll reserve 3 more posts. If that's too many I guess they can be deleted. If we need more can an administrator insert them? If you have ideas on how we should structure this please speak up.
Since I'm jumping the gun I guess the place to start is with what we think it will come loaded with and what we want it to come with. Eventually we'll just list what's available for the Evo.
I've never done this and may prove to be unreliable and considered just making this a suggestion so if anyone is experienced and gung-ho about it and wants to take over right now feel free to step up.

reserved
Uh oh, I gotta work.
HANDY LINKS TO APPS
http://www.androlib.com/
www.android.com
www.androidanarchy.com

reserved
INFO
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZSeLuJBWDU
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=668905
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=478117
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=473195

reserved
reserved for future 3.

*reserved for future laughter*
UPDATE 04/06/10 1145PM EST: LOL

bad idea?
Should I request deleting? I've never used Android so I seriously am looking for help finding, installing, and getting through issues. I know there are other clueless people like me also so why not make a one stop shop for the apps this phone can use.
One thing I think I may have just realized is where to get apps. I'm a winmo user and I think I've only bought one app and never understood why anyone needed Marketplace. I've downloaded apps from all over the internet and never even been to Marketplace. Are all (or most, or what) Android apps at android.com? I read there were like 30,000 android apps, but haven't seen them. I figured a market was an iphone thing.
Some of the best threads I've read were very well organized and were updated to make info easy to find. Some threads look promising, but get really long and you never know when you'll find what you're actually looking for. Maybe I just don't search well, but often what I think is a good search produces unsatifying results. This site is huge now and very difficult to search.
I really would love input from senior members and would like to know as much as possible before I get this phone. I have actually been worried about switching over to Android, but the new hardware and network seem too good(not to mention the new windows direction). I've heard good stuff about Android, but just don't understand it.
I'm worried about being stuck with just 5 or 7 screens. I know windows has to use apps to get it's multiple screens (UL, ilaunch, claunch...), but I haven't heard of anythig like that with Android. I've settled into touchflo and really like using the slider rather than flicking like I did with UL (especially multiple times to get where I want).
I'm under the impression the Android screens are customizable in that you can use shortcuts or widgets, but I'd like to have several full screen widgets (more than 6) and a launcher and a home screen with more info (even more than touchflo/sense on winmo). Is there anything like that?
Please tell me (and other untechies) about Android. Don't be a johnson. Sorry, couldn't pass that up.

hey I'm an asshole... and proud of it... I'm not known for my kindness
POW! -> http://www.androlib.com/
you say you want 5-7 homescreens now.... wait till you use it... you might use 3-4.... MAYBE... I only use 2, but hey that's me. Also if you are that freaking skitso there's a homescreen replacement out there with up to 10 or 13 or something absolutely retarded amount of homescreens if you MUST have that many.
You can customize like there's no tomorrow, makes winmo look like a gimped iphone in that respect. You can change basically every aspect of everything if you look hard enough.
Touchflow is senceUI... senceUI is touchflow... same exact thing. If you don't like your senceUI (what will come with the evo), you can do the vanillia android home if you want, or enjoy one of the many many homescreen replacements, of which there is about a thousand different themes for icons menus screens title bars etc etc etc etc etc.
watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZSeLuJBWDU
the apps don't run on the 5-7 screens, they're separate and "unlimited" based off of available ram, if you use up resources it closes the one android feels you aren't useing anymore to free up ram for your running app. It isn't as bad as it sounds in practical use, you won't notice it closing stuff in the background, the screens are only for widgets like in the video.
Like I said, customize your heart out. You don't have to be a rocket surgeon either, download a app, maybe a buck or two and go to town. There's free options, but it's not paying some big fruit company it's going into the developer's pockets so give them a buck if you like it. I have never paid over a dollar for any app I buy... and I have like 20 I felt the need to pay for. Small change in comparison to what I pay each month to use the phone... or what I paid for the phone in the first place.
Compare to a desktop or laptop and the amount of usage for a paid app... much better ratio of fun for price.
no need for this topic in my opinion, I'd recommend it be deleted, but it's your call if you feel like updating it with what you find useful in the link I provided.
I want a dollar for my time... thanks.

Manicmobileaddict said:
Should I request deleting? I've never used Android so I seriously am looking for help finding, installing, and getting through issues. I know there are other clueless people like me also so why not make a one stop shop for the apps this phone can use.
One thing I think I may have just realized is where to get apps. I'm a winmo user and I think I've only bought one app and never understood why anyone needed Marketplace. I've downloaded apps from all over the internet and never even been to Marketplace. Are all (or most, or what) Android apps at android.com? I read there were like 30,000 android apps, but haven't seen them. I figured a market was an iphone thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most legit apps can be found in the Marketplace, both free and for $$. Off and on, you may see someone post up an app here that they're working on, but the eventual goal is to get it in the Marketplace for the most part. It seems that you went looking for Moby ****, and only found a white whale!

johnsongrantr said:
hey I'm an asshole... and proud of it... I'm not known for my kindness
i never said that and you gotta admit the pun was too good to pass on[/I]
POW! -> http://www.androlib.com/
thanks
you say you want 5-7 homescreens now.... wait till you use it... you might use 3-4.... MAYBE... I only use 2, but hey that's me.
full screen widgets not homescreens, I use 8 now
Also if you are that freaking skitso
me?
there's a homescreen replacement out there with up to 10 or 13 or something absolutely retarded amount of homescreens if you MUST have that many.
You can customize like there's no tomorrow, makes winmo look like a gimped iphone in that respect. You can change basically every aspect of everything if you look hard enough.
cool
Touchflow is senceUI... senceUI is touchflow... same exact thing.
SenSe, different on winmo and android
If you don't like your senceUI (what will come with the evo), you can do the vanillia android home if you want, or enjoy one of the many many homescreen replacements, of which there is about a thousand different themes for icons menus screens title bars etc etc etc etc etc.
cool
watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZSeLuJBWDU
some pretty cool features there, but not too fond of the leap (2 handed op)
the apps don't run on the 5-7 screens, they're separate and "unlimited" based off of available ram, if you use up resources it closes the one android feels you aren't useing anymore to free up ram for your running app. It isn't as bad as it sounds in practical use, you won't notice it closing stuff in the background, the screens are only for widgets like in the video.
so it multi-tasks? cool. any limit to the # of shortcuts per screen?
Like I said, customize your heart out. You don't have to be a rocket surgeon either, download a app, maybe a buck or two and go to town. There's free options there if you're a jew,
I am
but it's not paying some big fruit company it's going into the developer's pockets so give them a buck if you like it. I have never paid over a dollar for any app I buy... and I have like 20 I felt the need to pay for. Small change in comparison to what I pay each month to use the phone... or what I paid for the phone in the first place.
Compare to a desktop or laptop and the amount of usage for a paid app... much better ratio of fun for price.
no need for this topic in my opinion, I'd recommend it be deleted, but it's your call if you feel like updating it with what you find useful in the link I provided.
its been useful to me so far, but we can delete it
I want a dollar for my time... thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how do I do that, the tip?

Jye75 said:
Most legit apps can be found in the Marketplace, both free and for $$. Off and on, you may see someone post up an app here that they're working on, but the eventual goal is to get it in the Marketplace for the most part. It seems that you went looking for Moby ****, and only found a white whale!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same link the johnson gave? Any others?

Manicmobileaddict said:
Same link the johnson gave? Any others?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
www.android.com
www.androidanarchy.com

What's in your Evo you ask?
A 1GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processor, the award-winning HTC SenseTM user experience, an 8.0 megapixel auto-focus camera with HD-capable video camcorder and a forward-facing 1.3 megapixel camera. The large vibrant 4.3 inch display, built-in kickstand, 3.5 mm headset jack and HDMI output make HTC EVO 4G an unparalleled platform for wireless entertainment. Download music, pictures, files, or videos in seconds – not minutes – and watch streaming video on the go on a network with download speeds that are up to 10 times faster than 3G speeds.1 With built-in mobile hotspot functionality, HTC EVO 4G also allows up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices, including laptop, camera, music player, video player and any other Wi-Fi-enabled device, to enjoy the benefits of 4G speeds on the go.

...That beats the gerbil on his wheel in my TP.

keatre said:
...That beats the gerbil on his wheel in my TP.
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picture or it didn't happen

keatre said:
...That beats the gerbil on his wheel in my TP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reasons why I bought a Sprint Hero on Craigslist for $200 bucks lol

johnsongrantr said:
picture or it didn't happen
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Mad photoshop skillz.

keatre said:
Mad photoshop skillz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sir, for that, I bestow apon you +5,000 internets

universal remote/dongle
Anyone know of anything like Totalremote from Griffin that can use the sound to ir converter for phones without an ir port?
I bought Totalremote with the converter off ebay to experiment with on my Mogul, but can't get it to work (it works on my ipaq). The Mogul just has no universal remote solution (unless I can get the ipod method from Engadget working, for which I'll have to get a male 3.5mm to male 3.5mm cord one of these days).
Since I have the converter I'm hoping there will end up being an Android version of Totalremote. I'm very hopefull since iphone is doing one using the headphone jack and since for some reason HTC has moved their jack to the top of the phone (makes you wonder).

40,000 apps to browse?
Ok, so I'm thinking 40,000 Android apps to browse through might be a little overwhelming.
Anyone care to discuss/recommend their favorite or essential Android apps and perhaps throw up links directly to them?

Manicmobileaddict said:
Ok, so I'm thinking 40,000 Android apps to browse through might be a little overwhelming.
Anyone care to discuss/recommend their favorite or essential Android apps and perhaps throw up links directly to them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this thread made me spit my mountain dew all over my hero. i hope your happy.
1)metamorph(rooted only; easily changes certain aspects of your phone whereas a flash might change others along with it)
2)wireless tether(rooted only)
3)facebook(not sense's watered down version)
4)estrong task manager (comes with a killall widget)
5)cachemate(makes your phone zippy when used correctly)
6)handcent(oh man...)
7)linda file manager(seems to be the best one, to me)
8)some sort of battery percentage widget(i actually havent settled on one yet)
9)picsaypro(mini photoshop on your phone)
10)google voice(google it)
11)iMusic+widget(limewire on your phone)
edit:
i compiled this list by simply sliding through my app drawer, but didnt even think; the fact is, with the latest 2.1 builds theres litterally NO i.s., so i do my best to keep my app download-age as low as possible. theres actually alot of apps i download, install, use, then uninstall. a fun game you can check out it What The Doodle?! online multiplayer...draw on screen your keyword, people try to guess. I cant remember the name of the other game...Attack!! or somethig. your a cow and you tilt the phone to jump from platform to platform (like teeter, but with a cow, and the final destination is a spaceship)
i expect with the evo i.s. wont be an issue (1g?!?!?!?!?!!??!?!?!?!?!?) so maybe ill update the list as i feel the need to remember a long lost app and redownload it.

[Q] Request for feedback: increasing my app usage

Hi all,
As a new dev in the android ecosystem, I am looking for other devs feedback on the following.
I have an app with about a few thousands user base. Growing slightly, but also with a decreasing active ratio.
As my revenue is ads driven, I'd like to experiment a few tricks to encourage users to use the app more, without being too intrusive.
A few ideas:
- show a notification after a few days that the app hasn't been used, to encourage the user using it again.
- feature: user can share the app's install page with friends (stimulate organic growth), via a share intent.
-> Devs, any stories on trying something similar?
Any feedback appreciated.

I'm a new developer, old-time programmer. Put 2 apps out December 21, 2009 and I'm approaching a whopping 30 sales; be happy you have 1,000+ (or more)
Wish I could help with the question, but I'm not really sure how to expose apps to a wider audience. I've thought about porting to iPhone/iPad and Windows Mobile to expand my user base. But I'm still pretty new to Android development and want to get more into it before learning yet another programming language right now.
I've actually thought of going to local bars and trying to strike-up conversations with people using smartphones and showing them my apps. Maybe buy them a drink LOL.
I firmly believe that if you have a solid working app and one person uses it, they may tell 5 of their friends and maybe 2 of them will buy it and tell 5 more people of which 1 or 2 might but it. Pyramid type sales but it's slow moving.
What kind of bothers me is all the damn FREE apps out there; I think they should be segregated from the Google Market; I've yet to go to any type of Market and get something for free! LOL And I wonder about free apps sometimes. Take SMS pop-up or whatever it's called. It's a decent app...it's free. I saw it at "over 250,000 downloads". Well, why didn't they charge $1.00 or $0.50 for it (do the math, I'll take $125,000!!). Any possibility it's forwarding people's text messages? Just sayn'

adn37 said:
A few ideas:
- show a notification after a few days that the app hasn't been used, to encourage the user using it again.
- feature: user can share the app's install page with friends (stimulate organic growth), via a share intent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your first option sounds REALLY annoying. Your second option sounds perfectly fine. See later on for further points on what might help.
Rootstonian said:
What kind of bothers me is all the damn FREE apps out there; I think they should be segregated from the Google Market; I've yet to go to any type of Market and get something for free! LOL And I wonder about free apps sometimes. Take SMS pop-up or whatever it's called. It's a decent app...it's free. I saw it at "over 250,000 downloads". Well, why didn't they charge $1.00 or $0.50 for it (do the math, I'll take $125,000!!). Any possibility it's forwarding people's text messages? Just sayn'
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not everyone is in it for the money. Some people just maybe write something that is missing on the market but don't want to make money from it. It might be just their hobby. Not everyone needs to be capitalistic, trying to turn everything into revenue.
The Android market is a lot about freedom, and there is high competition between free and paid apps. If your sole intent is to make money on apps, you will probably better off trying to target iOS. The most recent news I have is that an average iOS user will spend 7 times as much money on apps than an Android user. I think this fact kind of speaks for itself.
However if you still want to stick by, here are a couple of things I would suggest:
Offer a (free) lite version of your application as this will give users the ability to see whether your app means business or not, and if they'll like it they might go further to go for the paid version.
Android market uses keyword searching (there's probably a better term), so make sure your description hits as many possible words that may be applicable to your product while not being too heavy to read.
Advertising... don't ask me where as I wouldn't be able to help much with that. But if you're in it to make money, you probably have a business model so you should have some capital too that you can put into advertising.
That's about all I guess.

@Rootstonian
I have apps on the market, and in the last 3 months have made over $1k off ads in my free version, while only making about $250 off of the full paid version.

Very good responses there This forum does have some very intelligent people on it!
I'm anti-adware unfortunately. If that hurts my sales, then so be it; I can live with that. I won't allow ads in my apps.
As far as free versions, I would have to write "crippled" versions of the programs to limit full functionality. Well, not going to do that either. And to be honest, who can't afford $1.00?
Actually, the 15 minute return policy has hurt me I think. Some apps just can't be reviewed in 15 minutes, to wit, my current (almost done) Spam Text Blocker. There is no way someone can evaluate that in 15 minutes, so I have to code some type of limit on how many rows can go into the spam database.
Anyways, I'm way off topic (as usual) and being negative which is usually something I don't do. And I must remember, my stuff has only been out ONE month.
I do use a Macbook Pro, and I have downloaded the iPhone SDK; maybe I should take a break from Android OS and port a couple of apps to iOS and see what they do.
P.S. A smart man doesn't limit his options. How does the apps with ads stuff work?

Just apply to admob, its easy. They give nicely detailed usage statistics too

hi all,
Thanks for the feedback.
On "tell a friend about this app" feature:
Your second option sounds perfectly fine. See later on for further points on what might help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll just stick with that, then. Any idea what's best to link to? A blog? Android market?
I'm still looking for an app that does it in a nice way, as a case study.
I'm a new developer, old-time programmer. Put 2 apps out December 21, 2009 and I'm approaching a whopping 30 sales; be happy you have 1,000+ (or more)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel you. Unfortunately, this is all about execution and idea potential. As coders, we are often thinking about code quality, this is only the 1st step.
On ads: at the end of the day, it might be a hobby to design apps, but fun decreases when it comes down to fixing bugs for the sake of it. Ihmo, a slight revenue is good, as it encourages devs to keep up enhancing their apps.
I'm anti-adware unfortunately. ... And to be honest, who can't afford $1.00?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not a big fan of ads neither. It's all about culture. On Android, people are reticent to pay.

Good points and well said Adn
I actually got into this starting with Google Market apps, but my true goal is to get into corporate mobile development. I feel this is a technology barely in it's infancy. Just as almost all business' needed a web page, I think the same will hold true for a mobile app.
I just put in my resume to a company looking for an iPhone developer (1 year contract), but they also wanted to talk to Android developers too (wish me luck LOL).
Now, I'm on the fence as to what platform to go with. I think with the iPhone AND iPad, that iOS is the way to go with regards to corporate coding; so I'm going to head in that direction for now.

A Rant: Anroid, Get your Shiz Together!

This is what I type at 3 in the morning. Please read for a minute, I'll keep it short and get to the point. I feel NS owners should see this since they seem the most enthusiastic.
This is generally for Android as a whole, targeting Google. Wow, so it's been how many years since Android first came out? And what is the only other competitor in the market - oh right, iOS. iOS has been destroying the market with only one phone which rarely has any lag/bug/glitch issues, namely the 4S or the new 5 (minus the Maps).
The only reason Android has a large market share is due to the large number of phones at reasonable prices. That is all. There are only two competitors in this oligarchy, and one still can't do it right. Google engineers are apparently among the highest paid, yet they decide to constantly release updates which constantly has bugs. It is a pity, to look at many of you Android enthusiasts that are giving a lot of attention to Android development and are contributing to this world, when Google themselves is not treating you right, thus I feel that you are the reason that the brand is remaining strong. You guys have the capacity to overlook its bugs/lags and see what Android is there truly for. On the other hand, I doubt iOS users actually care about that topic since it is rarely seen.
Next, the phones. So we have like a thousand phones running Android from like 20 different manufacturers. What the..? Alright, phones that are aimed for a low budget do not count, but the Nexus devices that Google works on - they should be at least revolutionary. Google has to partner up with different manufacturers each time when creating the next Nexus? Talk about inconsistency, and inviting a lack of hardware acceleration with its software. Google can even build their own phones if they have to, but just get it right! I mean their latest phone, the Galaxy Nexus, is still not a stable phone (although I thought it would be). Samsung is actually holding it down and implementing their own stuff to create a good user experience (thus the success of the Galaxy line). Other than that, ALL other manufacturers are literally wasting money (but producing profits) by adopting Android and Google themselves are getting much more love than they should be getting.
Creating new updates and naming them after the alphabet and weird food names is quite cheesy. That's not the issue though, it creates hype by many users - the anxiety of waiting for the next update that will 'fix all problems' - but what happens? Promises are broken, and the software is bad once again. Like the JB update - turns out it's bad and many/most users tend to agree. So much for project butter haha. It's simply not worth it, not worth stressing or wasting time on it. I realize I am doing that by typing this post, but it needed to be done. People who are making money off of it - you're fine actually.
The message I am trying to get across is that Google's android software is not worth it, we all know it's bad, and Google seriously needs to get it right before everyone hops on the iBoat. There are actually multiple little things that I tried to get across in the post. That is all.

Cool story. Feel free to jump on the iOS wagon. I, for one, really like android.

I'm with android for the customization and freedom. I came from Windows Mobile where you could change anything you wanted and fell in love with flashing custom ROMS and even had a duel boot of WM6 and android 1.0 when I first came out (hated it back then, by the way.)
I bought an iPhone 3g when they came out and sold it by the next day. As you said, it was "flawless" as far as the operation of the OS, but when the OS imposes so much control over user input what do you expect? The iPhone tells you what you're allowed to do, it's not the user that defines what the phone can do.
After dropping my Tilt 2 flat on its face and tearing the ribbon for the screen, I hit the market for a new phone. Windows Mobile was still in the hundreds, but android was a cheaper alternative. I got a Samsung Moment and never looked back.
Maybe coming from Windows Mobile to android is why I don't have as many bug complaints. WM was mostly ALL bugs and glitches. That's not why I had the phone though - I had it for the features. Namely the ability to tether, which took android AND apple several releases to incorporate into their builds, but which was plug-n-play on every WM device I owned YEARS before. I also really enjoyed Windows Voice Command, better recognized as the Sync system in Ford vehicles. I could wear my bluetooth headset and make calls, open programs, listen to music and change songs all without having to touch the phone. Once again, it took apple and Google several editions to add useful voice commands to their systems.
I still miss remote desktop. I stopped having to store music and movies on my device because I could open a program and directly access every file on my home computer and stream anything to my phone screen.
So ultimately I'm with android for the freedom. The openness. The fact that they ALLOW outside developers to exist at all! It's the creativity found in the android community that has kept me, not the hope for a "fix all" update. Personally, the only problem I've ever had with my Android phones is the actual phone app itself. Delayed ringing and sometimes the inability to answer to even slide and answer the call due to screen freezing.
That's MY rant at 5 am lol
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using xda app-developers app

I'll have a Lamborghini Gallardo, Olivia Wilde and a cherry Coke, while we're at it (dreaming).

When you buy a new phone it should be completely yours not locked down by the manufacturer. If I want to brick I want to be able to do it.
If you really don't like it there a lot of rotten apple phones out there for you to buy.

anyway, I was on stock JB for a while, I haven't encountered all this **** your talking about. It could be faster, nicer, with more options but it is working quite well
Envoyé depuis mon Nexus S avec Tapatalk

Go get lost. Steve Job is waiting there to pay you for this iPhone advertisements in an android thread. You are required there not here. Lol....
Sent from my Nexus S

madd0g said:
I'll have a Lamborghini Gallardo, Olivia Wilde and a cherry Coke, while we're at it (dreaming).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Scratch that lambo make it an Aston Martin Vantage V12. Regarding the other two: Plenty of cherry coke around, but we're gonna have a problem with Olivia: I won't share, no crossing swords!

I love when people try to tell me how I should feel about the products I enjoy.

Logomotph said:
Cool story. Feel free to jump on the iOS wagon. I, for one, really like android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know right?
madd0g said:
I'll have a Lamborghini Gallardo, Olivia Wilde and a cherry Coke, while we're at it (dreaming).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can I get that with no cholesterol burger and fries?
p.pavljasevic said:
When you buy a new phone it should be completely yours not locked down by the manufacturer. If I want to brick I want to be able to do it.
If you really don't like it there a lot of rotten apple phones out there for you to buy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've said this before. I hate when companies wanna slap their branding all over my 4 to 600 dollar smartphone and load it up with their crap I am never gonna use.
styckx said:
I love when people try to tell me how I should feel about the products I enjoy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My best friend is a iPhone fanboy. I have to show him once a month why my Nexus S 4G is better then his iPhone 4s.

to each his own, i don't mind jb's quirkyness, it's also a matter of finding just the right rom/kernel combo... can't speak for stock JB.
aokp JB 4 + marmite 4.8.7 is doing quite nice, steady & haven't had weird reboots yet

I will admit that the Nexus S has a hard time with stock Jelly Bean. It pushes the NS basically to its limits in terms of hardware capability. That said, as a daily driver, it's still very, very usable. If you want to see Jelly Bean run like a f**king champ, run it on a Galaxy Nexus or Nexus 7. It's pretty amazing.

Okay I'm not favouring iOS or anything and no I'm not jumping on their wagon, and I am also not hating on Android's customization/community. I've had my Nexus S for almost 1.5 years now and I still believe it's not outdated (great camera, front-facing camera, good screen, good touch sensor)
I appreciate that Android lets its customers customize the phones more than Apple. But what about the 'majority' who don't root or install 3rd party keyboards, etc. and like to run stock? I for one am running stock and native since I believe it should give the best performance as it is made by the manufacturer. But I'm not getting that! There are the red flags going off.
Additionally, when I was referring to iOS, I mean to say mainly iPhone 4 and up. The iPhone 3 was quite bad (although still better than android at that point in time). But with iOS 5/6, sure it takes away user customization, but the majority does not anyway - they just use their phone for their intended purposes and yet experience difficulties? That's a no no. However, ONE thing I do enjoy is widgets over having iOS.

Plenty of people dont run stock as per your definition. Plenty of people use or at least tried different keyboards / launchers / messaging apps etc
Root is not required and installing those apps is no different then installing any other app like Pandora. They are also often editors choice and top selling / top free apps in the play store. People know about them and use them. You don't need a to be a hardcore user to know about and use them.
People actually do change up there apps all the time and on all platforms. Its like saying people with a iPhone shouldn't use instagram because the phone comes with a camera application out the box.
Bottom line is if the user has a option to try different apps they will. Especially if its easy for the average user to install like a normal app. Imagine for a second if winterboard was freely available in the app store and functioned the same way it does on a jail broken device. I'd bet within 24 hrs it would become the most popular app in the app store. Your argument just seems silly to me. People will and do change things are freely and easily changed

albundy2010 said:
Plenty of people dont run stock as per your definition. Plenty of people use or at least tried different keyboards / launchers / messaging apps etc
Root is not required and installing those apps is no different then installing any other app like Pandora. They are also often editors choice and top selling / top free apps in the play store. People know about them and use them. You don't need a to be a hardcore user to know about and use them.
People actually do change up there apps all the time and on all platforms. Its like saying people with a iPhone shouldn't use instagram because the phone comes with a camera application out the box.
Bottom line is if the user has a option to try different apps they will. Especially if its easy for the average user to install like a normal app. Imagine for a second if winterboard was freely available in the app store and functioned the same way it does on a jail broken device. I'd bet within 24 hrs it would become the most popular app in the app store. Your argument just seems silly to me. People will and do change things are freely and easily changed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wonderfully said.

Another tiny bit to add on to my previous point.
The focal point of apples marketing strategy used to be " there is a app for that". Of course this is after they decided to even include a store. Who can forget the air traffic controller getting the weather from his iPhone?
But this doesn't seem to apply to things apple thinks its users shouldn't change.

What are you going to use your nexus to do as you write it has a hard time using jelly bean? - I my self have not got complications - I think I have used jelly bean nearly from when it was free - and I for my part - find it fast and free from lack - it play film - I read a lot news on it - it is very nice to read ebooks - see tv - you name it - ok - I do not use it for play - as all play for me are more or less the same - but ells I injoy jelly bean on my nexus s
Sent from my Nexus S using xda app-developers app

albundy2010 said:
Plenty of people dont run stock as per your definition. Plenty of people use or at least tried different keyboards / launchers / messaging apps etc
Root is not required and installing those apps is no different then installing any other app like Pandora. They are also often editors choice and top selling / top free apps in the play store. People know about them and use them. You don't need a to be a hardcore user to know about and use them.
People actually do change up there apps all the time and on all platforms. Its like saying people with a iPhone shouldn't use instagram because the phone comes with a camera application out the box.
Bottom line is if the user has a option to try different apps they will. Especially if its easy for the average user to install like a normal app. Imagine for a second if winterboard was freely available in the app store and functioned the same way it does on a jail broken device. I'd bet within 24 hrs it would become the most popular app in the app store. Your argument just seems silly to me. People will and do change things are freely and easily changed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand, you're going off on apps when I am not talking about customization. I am just talking about the performance of the phone and the bugs it has. Let me be specific - as I unlock my phone, i swipe through home screens = lag. I open my camera, it takes a while at times = lag. I scroll through a list, and it lags on me. Even though it is minuscule Google needs to clean it up, since I never see it on an iOS device which is a fair comparison as it is the leading competitor.
I am not talking about apps or anything, I think we and everyone has already established that it has more customization. I know most users have 'tried' some customizable app that is not available to iOS but that is no excuse for the actual performance bugs it has. I don't play games (like rarely maybe) on the phone and don't have a huge load of apps installed either. Things just aren't nifty..and it is taking them years to get it right but they'd rather focus on other feature additions which also work poorly.

You are the one who brought up that entire what about the majority of the people out there that don't run third party keyboards etc.
You brought it up. I said it was rubbish.
Android has always been laggy compared to iOS. Apple did a good job with that from the beginning.
The majority of your op is simply not worthy of responding to. Actually I re read it just now and I consider it all entirely flame bait/ trolling. You joined the forum 3 days prior to that as well. Not bothering with that type of silly debate/flaming.
Your 2nd post in the thread actually had something I felt was worth giving a legit response to.

It can be due to Google not paying enough attention to this device, however, I urge you to try new phones like the Nexus and this upcoming LG Nexus. For me, Jelly Bean have been smooth all the way through. Lag is inevitable on this device due to its old single core cpu.
We are atleast fortunate to retain nearly all the features from the latest Android version, Apple withheld features from old phones on purpose so you have to buy their newest and most expensive device.