Database Users

PockeTwit - Twitter client with GPS support (Updated 8-24)

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See it in action here.
I admit it, I'm a bit of a twitter addict. And like my MPD client, I just couldn't find a twitter client that I liked. So I had some spare time today and whipped up my own. So far it does the basics -- shows the timelines, lets you set your status, and let's you reply to tweets. Of course there's a lot more to be done like showing user info (besides their icon), direct messages, and dealing with URLs in tweets.
It uses the same kinetic list code that I used in the MPD client, so it's kind of fun to scroll up and down and view the menus on the sides.
If you're a twitter user, you can try get my client from the google code site. Let me know if you have anything to say about it.
Current Version: v.52

I use tinyTwitter which works really well on my diamond

kimusan said:
I use tinyTwitter which works really well on my diamond
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Umm, yeah. . . that's great you already have one you like. Keep right on using it . But like I mentioned, I never did find one I liked. Even more importantly, I never found an open source one that I could contribute to. So I made my own.
This version probably won't work out too well on a VGA screen. I took some shortcuts with sizing some info. VGA-pretty will have to wait for a bit.

This client has some real potential! I have been using ceTwit, but its slow load time, (seemingly) heavy battery drain, and lack of kinetic scrolling were all shortcomings. I am looking forward to further development especially direct msgs and twitpic support.
The UI took a bit to figure out but is slick and fun once you get it.
Thank you for putting this out.

Updated with some new features:
Direct messages
URL shortening with http://is.gd
Clickable @names and URLs in tweets
Bigger user images.
If you had a previous version installed, you may want to delete the cached profile pics so it'll get the bigger ones. Just delete Program Files\PockeTwit\ArtCache and run again. It'll re-fetch all the bigger images automatically.

Looks good. I have been trying every twitter client under the sun and cannot find one I am happy with. In particular I have been looking for one that supports GPS for location based messages.

mikebphoto said:
Looks good. I have been trying every twitter client under the sun and cannot find one I am happy with. In particular I have been looking for one that supports GPS for location based messages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been trying to think of something to do with GPS. I think twinkle is doing something with their own webservice to find users located near you -- I don't have those kinds of resources. But I could do something more basic, like posting your current location. I've got a great idea for a location-aware component, just no apps that need to know my location
There's a crash bug that pops up occasionally in my last release--that's still my first priority. And I think the code I wrote to parse out the clickable words is slowing things down a bit too much. But despite both of those, I'm proud of how well it's going so far.
I'm definitely looking for suggestions on what features to implement next, so I can surpass the other apps that are out there.

my UI suggestion is to right justify the timeline links on the left side of the UI, so that way you don't have to side scroll all the way across to click on one (Like on the right side ...but backwards) Also this may just be a user training issue, but I have a hard time side scrolling far enough that it doesn't auto reset back before I can make a selection.
Also maybe a tap and hold menu on the user picture for @ and D replies? Finally the clickable text is a bit, umm, sensitive? I don't know if it is just me, but my feed is littered with @replies so that makes scrolling down a landmine trying not to flick across a link.
Does it have, or is there plans for an auto-update of the friends timeline?
just got a crash while attempting an update, I think the URL link was tapped by accident. still not quite sure how that works yet.
I know people like features and not everyone wants the same features, but keep in mind that light and fast is a feature in itself, I like the fact it loads quickly and has a smooth interface. Great work!

mikebphoto said:
Looks good. I have been trying every twitter client under the sun and cannot find one I am happy with. In particular I have been looking for one that supports GPS for location based messages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SO this would inbed your GPS coordinates into twits? is that a desired feature? I just can't imagine that would be more effective than just saying "corner of 6th and Red River" ... unless the coordinates were clickable to say google maps, but then that is still an extra step. hmmm ... my phone doesn't have GPS so I never think what it's advantages are for these types of apps.

Thanks for the thoughtfull reply chuque. You made some great points.
The auto-update is probably what made it crash! I forgot and made a UI call from another thread. I'll try to fix that up in the next build.
I think I have a way to make the clickable text less sensitive too. I'll just make them react if you aren't scrolling. That should help.
I like the idea of right-justifying the left menu, but I'm not sure how easy that will be. I'll try it out though.
What advantage would a tap+hold menu have over the right menu?
Thanks again for the feedback, I really appreciate it.

Dromio said:
What advantage would a tap+hold menu have over the right menu?
Thanks again for the feedback, I really appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None really, just another path to the same result. Right now, (and I am still in the learning curve) it feels like more work to have to highlight a twit, side scroll, click D, while thinking wouldn't it be easier if I could just click on the icon and go from there? ... I guess one is just more intuitive to me over the other. Given another few days I am sure it'll be second nature, so by no means consider it a highly desired request.
Also updates say "from web" instead of listing the client, I hope that changes as well, this is a good WM client already and could use the free advertisement.

chuque said:
SO this would inbed your GPS coordinates into twits? is that a desired feature? I just can't imagine that would be more effective than just saying "corner of 6th and Red River" ... unless the coordinates were clickable to say google maps, but then that is still an extra step. hmmm ... my phone doesn't have GPS so I never think what it's advantages are for these types of apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree I would not want to see lat. and long. coordinates. I think something more like what you said, "corner of 6th and Red River". I have looked at apps that do something similar to this (where.com & loopt.com) but they do not support Windows Mobile. My current device is my first with GPS and I must say it is a lot of fun. Like you I had no desire for it ... until I had it. Now that I have had it I will not buy another device without it.
Dromio, one of the things that bugs me the most about other Twitter clients is the UI. They are stereotypical Windows Mobile looking. Why should iPhone have all of the cool looking apps? The only other Twitter client that I used that had an almost good looking UI was quakk. It is simple and easy to look at and I think has some potential, but progress seems halted. How interested are you in the UI of TinyTwit? I would not mind lending a hand myself, but I do not want to intrude either.

Another update this morning. Nothing major, just some bug-fixes and cleanups.
No more crash on auto-update.
Lots of fixes dealing with clickable text.
Some UI cleanups.
mikebphoto: Yeah, my main problem with the other clients was the "feel" too. Just so utilitarian. I'll admit I'm a bit jealous of all the fun the iphone folks seem to be having and I want to give us WM folks some of that same feel. I know my UI takes some getting used to, but the fun I get out of it makes it seem worth it to me. I hope others feel the same way.
Quakk looked nice, but scrolling did a wierd refresh thing every time. If you haven't seen Twitula, it's UI was pretty smooth too, but I had other problems with it. I know there are a bunch of clients out there (and the mobile web site is plenty useable too), but I was able to whip something up in a few hours using existing components and decided it was worth sharing.
And unlike the others I've seen, it's open source. Anyone can see how it all works and anyone is welcome to submit code to help out. I know my code is messy and can be tough to read, but I'm not too embarrassed to share.

I know I must sound like a total fanboy by this point, but I think this app is almost easier to use, and certainly more fun that the website itself.
Both the right justification and the linked text changes work well.
Next suggestion (I am almost starting to feel you are building this just for me) maybe add a setting for how far back it pulls twits? say 20/50/75 newest twits? or something like that. I am not a high traffic user but as I get more and more into this app I can see me relying on the sms forwards less. and it seems most my friends are west coast and ***** twit on their way home. So I get a lot of twits in a short period.
Thank you again for all the hard work.

The twitter library I used is already starting to hold me back. It doesn't support:
1. Follow/unfollow/block
2. Fetch more than one page of tweets
3. Set favorite on/off
4. Probably a bunch more I haven't looked at.
It's very very bare bones, but it was the only one I could find the source for and convert to fit the compact framework.
Looks like the fun development has to slow down while I work on adding features to the library itself

yet another (hopefully easy) suggestion from the peanut gallery. In mid twit today I wanted to flip over to opera to look something up, and realized there was no minimize option anywhere, and as it is a full screen app, didn't have access to the top bar, and had to get creative to do it. So maybe changing the right (or left) exit to a minimize button?

chuque said:
yet another (hopefully easy) suggestion from the peanut gallery. In mid twit today I wanted to flip over to opera to look something up, and realized there was no minimize option anywhere, and as it is a full screen app, didn't have access to the top bar, and had to get creative to do it. So maybe changing the right (or left) exit to a minimize button?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another good idea, but I'm embarrassed to admit I don't know how! I've just spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to make the application go to the background and come back the next time it is run in CF.NET and I've gotten nowhere!
To contrast, I was able to add a feature to automatically check for upgrades in 30 minutes (to be in the next build).
I feel silly

Ok, finishing up "fun development" on the weekend and have to start "pay my bills development" again on monday. I squeezed in a few more features though:
1. Can make a tweet "favorite". I use this to go back and follow URLs once I'm on a PC
2. Can Follow/Unfollow users
3. All timeline updates happen in the background so the UI doesn't pause while updating
4. Automatically check for new versions and upgrade
I think the next step will be storing tweets locally and only fetching new tweets since the latest stored one, to make it more friendly to the servers and able to display a longer list. But for now, I have to do my real job

I'm watching the download count grow on the homepage, and my excitement is tempered by the fear that the auto-update has gone out of whack and is re-downloading the application for someone over and over again.
Is the auto-update working ok? Should be up to v.09 now.

Shouldn't you be coding for food right now?
It updated just fine for me from .08 to .09 yesterday. closed itself launched IE D/L the .cab etc ... however nowhere does it say .09 (ie: no about or version in the remove program area)
also still listing as "from web" I guess the twitter folks are slow to trun around the client request form.
Had a random crash, and then when I reloaded it the top bar was still visible (cutting off the top line of txt in the time line) ... rebooted phone all is well. is there any type of log or anything I can send (assuming it would be helpful; and not jsut a random glitch as I was running a couple other apps at the time. I am running on a sprint ppc-6700 running one of the cooked up 6.1 upgrades)

New video chat/conference software

I ported my ReelPortal video conference to Android recently. It's reported to be working on the Viewsonic G Tablet with certain ROMs. I believe it works on the Archos 70/101, but I don't know how well, since the G Tablet has the Tegra-2 dual-core CPU and the Archos don't.
Anyhow, my app is published on AppLibs, or you can get it from the G Tablet thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=908613
Please provide feedback if you try it. Thanks.
Beware of firmware 2.1.3 (not sure if 2.1.4 is any better):
Kashban: I got word from one of my friends owning an Archos 101 (non rooted, latest firmware 2.1.3), that ReelPortal is very buggy and slow on it. I have no problems on UrukDroid based on FW 2.0.71 and still waiting for Uruk to move on to the new FW, so as soon as I migrated I will test again.

Thanks! I will try it out

ookiller said:
Thanks! I will try it out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool! Let me know if you have any questions.

i am use your APK on Archos 10.1 it and 7.0
for 4.3 it the webcam is on side of the Archos
install ok
connect ok
how deconnect ?
but the screen with the webcam is very big
have you a solution ?
see pictures
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Feedback
First of all: Nicely done.
I tested it between my HTC Desire, the Archos 101it and my Netbook running Win7 32bit using Firefox 3.6.x.
A few Things which may be improved from my Perspective:
Exit function:
Not prominent enough on Android: If you just chose to back out of the App, it's still running, including Video and Audio broadcast. This is good if you want to bring another App to front without breaking the Conference, but if you intend to disconnect, you have to longpress on the Screen, which isn't obvious at first. You may accidently broadcast on and on without knowing.
Proposal: If leaving the app by the back button, ask the user what to do: Exit Application or put it in the background with running video/audio or put it in the background with video/audio stopped and muted. If the App is in background and still sending, it should show this by an Icon in the status bar of Android. Don't know if that's a goal possible to achieve with Adobe Air. Otherwise you may be sending video / audio without knowing and giving away your privacy.
Regarding privacy: Is there a way to encrypt the Streams? If not, even with your own Server someone might spoof on the Connection (I know it's P2P, but nevertheless routed through internet relays).
Login screen:
Sometimes when writing into the Nickname / Room Fields a leading Space is added and the Strings are not accepted. Better strip any leading and trailing Spaces from the input Strings without bothering the User.
Terms of Service: Should be gone once I clicked "save" and changable by Options Menu.
Would be nice if the App stores my Nickname and the Room I used before
Moving Windows are fancy but not needed on the login Screen. I was more irritated by it.
The Conference Room:
Paused Video Stream of Participant: No indication whether the Connection has been lost or the Participant paused the Stream. Perhaps putting a Message on Screen for Paused Streams (and Muted voice) would lead to more Confidence in the Robustness of the Software and the Connection.
Size of Conference Room Items: On small Screens like my 3.7 inch one of the Desire the Chat Window Controls are too small. Everything else seems to be ok.
Video Stream Quality. How is the initial setting calculated? Is it depending on the current kBit/s or just an overall Default?
Anyhow, this is a good Piece of Software you developed here. I'm not familiar with other Solutions on Android like Fring or Skype, but it looks very promising given the Fact it runs on all Devices with Flash Capacity (even iPhones and iPads with the Packager from Adobe)
Best regards,
Kashban

have you the link for the netbook ?

cajl said:
i am use your APK on Archos 10.1 it and 7.0
for 4.3 it the webcam is on side of the Archos
install ok
connect ok
how deconnect ?
but the screen with the webcam is very big
have you a solution ?
see pictures
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you press and hold on the main screen for 4 seconds, a pop up menu appears. It has the "Exit" and "Toggle Screen" buttons. The toggle screen suppose to toggle the screen between FullScreen and Normal (which is default to 800x480), but it doesn't work on Android because currently on Android, Normal equals FullScreen. I will look for other ways to get around it. Thanks for bringing it up.
For netbook, you can run it from a web browser at www.reelportal.com. Or you can install the AIR version via download link.
BTW, double-clicking on the main screen should also toggle the screen, but also not working on Android .

Kashban said:
First of all: Nicely done.
I tested it between my HTC Desire, the Archos 101it and my Netbook running Win7 32bit using Firefox 3.6.x.
A few Things which may be improved from my Perspective:
Exit function:
Not prominent enough on Android: If you just chose to back out of the App, it's still running, including Video and Audio broadcast. This is good if you want to bring another App to front without breaking the Conference, but if you intend to disconnect, you have to longpress on the Screen, which isn't obvious at first. You may accidently broadcast on and on without knowing.
Proposal: If leaving the app by the back button, ask the user what to do: Exit Application or put it in the background with running video/audio or put it in the background with video/audio stopped and muted. If the App is in background and still sending, it should show this by an Icon in the status bar of Android. Don't know if that's a goal possible to achieve with Adobe Air. Otherwise you may be sending video / audio without knowing and giving away your privacy.
Regarding privacy: Is there a way to encrypt the Streams? If not, even with your own Server someone might spoof on the Connection (I know it's P2P, but nevertheless routed through internet relays).
Login screen:
Sometimes when writing into the Nickname / Room Fields a leading Space is added and the Strings are not accepted. Better strip any leading and trailing Spaces from the input Strings without bothering the User.
Terms of Service: Should be gone once I clicked "save" and changable by Options Menu.
Would be nice if the App stores my Nickname and the Room I used before
Moving Windows are fancy but not needed on the login Screen. I was more irritated by it.
The Conference Room:
Paused Video Stream of Participant: No indication whether the Connection has been lost or the Participant paused the Stream. Perhaps putting a Message on Screen for Paused Streams (and Muted voice) would lead to more Confidence in the Robustness of the Software and the Connection.
Size of Conference Room Items: On small Screens like my 3.7 inch one of the Desire the Chat Window Controls are too small. Everything else seems to be ok.
Video Stream Quality. How is the initial setting calculated? Is it depending on the current kBit/s or just an overall Default?
Anyhow, this is a good Piece of Software you developed here. I'm not familiar with other Solutions on Android like Fring or Skype, but it looks very promising given the Fact it runs on all Devices with Flash Capacity (even iPhones and iPads with the Packager from Adobe)
Best regards,
Kashban
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the extensive feedback! I definitely like a fresh perspective. I will put your ideas on my to do list.

I was able to install on my 101 I now have to get adobe air and i'll try it later tonight.
I also tried to install it on my stock 2.1 verizon facinate and the apk won't install using astro.....any ideas?
Thanks,
-G
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

Works just fine on my 101. Shows how bad the camera is too.

njbreaker said:
I was able to install on my 101 I now have to get adobe air and i'll try it later tonight.
I also tried to install it on my stock 2.1 verizon facinate and the apk won't install using astro.....any ideas?
Thanks,
-G
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it needs to have Android 2.2, and Adobe AIR 2.5.1, otherwise it won't function even if you manage to install it, because the API is not there to access the hardware....also, if your device have 2 cameras, the current API only allow access to 1 camera (most likely the back one). Android 2.3 would allow access to multiple cameras.

blazingwolf said:
Works just fine on my 101. Shows how bad the camera is too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks...well the camera resolution is currently set to low (320x240) just so the device won't bog down...my plan is to allow the user to select the resolution, in a future version...but i don't have an Archos, so i can't really tell its actual camera quality.

reelportal said:
thanks...well the camera resolution is currently set to low (320x240) just so the device won't bog down...my plan is to allow the user to select the resolution, in a future version...but i don't have an Archos, so i can't really tell its actual camera quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it is a VGA camera. Not very good to begin with. If you can let us change that though it would be great.

blazingwolf said:
I think it is a VGA camera. Not very good to begin with. If you can let us change that though it would be great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely! Actually, the original settings was at 640x480, but when some Samsung Galaxy Tab user reported the device was crawling at 1 frame every 5 secs, I figured the tablet cpu may not able to handle it, so I reduced it for now. But I do want to make it a user adjustable control. Same with the frame rate.

reelportal said:
it needs to have Android 2.2, and Adobe AIR 2.5.1, otherwise it won't function even if you manage to install it, because the API is not there to access the hardware....also, if your device have 2 cameras, the current API only allow access to 1 camera (most likely the back one). Android 2.3 would allow access to multiple cameras.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Roger that!
it worked on my 101 and i video chatted w/ my PC! I LIKE....lots of potential here!
now should i root and upgrade to froyo so it works on my fascinate? hmmm.

njbreaker said:
Roger that!
it worked on my 101 and i video chatted w/ my PC! I LIKE....lots of potential here!
now should i root and upgrade to froyo so it works on my fascinate? hmmm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cool! glad it works. thanks.

reelportal...cool apps, it works ok on my 101T but its a little bit laggy? what will be the problem here?

jetv1r said:
reelportal...cool apps, it works ok on my 101T but its a little bit laggy? what will be the problem here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you describe your setup details, like:
- are you testing between the 101T and another PC or something else
- is there lag with audio only test (video turned off)
- is there lag with video only test
- and at which end (tablet or PC) do you see the lag
- are you using P2P mode (default), or client/server mode
thanks.

New Version (1.0.1)
i just added a newer (experimental) version in the first post of the viewsonic thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=908613
Changes:
- option to save nickname and room last used (you can clear it by set the fields to blank, then save).
- added new field to enter the Server ip address, in case you want to run your own server (if not set, it defaults to the last used server)
- hide that annoying red TOS box when you check it, and click Save.
- when you enable the webcam, you can set its resolution and frame rate.
the web client is running the new version also. feedback please.

cajl said:
have you the link for the netbook ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.reelportal.com/
The flash app is right there.

I have had it with this phone...

Well I got the SGS3 a week ago and I have been messing with it, customizing it and trying to do everything that i know. I do like the phone but as far as it functions i am not crazy about it. I think I am returning it back!!!
1- can't get notifications on gmail (# of new emails that come in)
2- battery is worse than my old 3gs
3- most of my music can't play just skips (i have tried 4 different music apps)
4- issues with bluetooth dropping off.
Yea I came from Iphone and really wanted to keep this phone but i am literally at a point i am going to return it or sale it on ebay..

lostsoul565 said:
Well I got the SGS3 a week ago and I have been messing with it, customizing it and trying to do everything that i know to like this phone. I do like the phone but as far as it functions i am not crazy about it. I think I am returning it back!!!
1- can't get notifications on gmail (# of new emails that come in)
2- battery is worse than my old 3gs
3- most of my music can't play just skips (i have tried 4 different music apps)
4- issues with bluetooth dropping off.
Yea I came from Iphone and really wanted to keep this phone but i am literally at a point i am going to return it or sale it on ebay..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1a.) Is your auto sync on?
1b.) Is Sync Gmail checked in the accounts?
2.) That's to be expected if you are pushing your phone to the limit. Bluetooth+max brightness+frequent syncs+LTE = bad battery life.
3.) Is the CPU being limited and/or are the music files compressed or corrupted? That could be the problem.
4.) I don't use bluetooth so I don't have any suggestions there. Try a reboot or changing the bluetooth settings.
|Trolling with a smile|

Sounds like you got a lemon. Mine has been flawless since I have had it. Haven't experienced any of those issues
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

Then why not just return it? You don't have to feel guilty or bad that just because its a very popular phone and many other people like it, that you don't either. Its your phone, you paid your money for it, you probably got locked into a contract for it. Why stick with something that makes you unhappy? I hope your next phone will give you better luck.

Go back to iPhone, your kind isn't welcome here.

Why not swap it for another what a turd gain some common sense.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Jamin13 said:
1a.) Is your auto sync on?
1b.) Is Sync Gmail checked in the accounts?
2.) That's to be expected if you are pushing your phone to the limit. Bluetooth+max brightness+frequent syncs+LTE = bad battery life.
3.) Is the CPU being limited and/or are the music files compressed or corrupted? That could be the problem.
4.) I don't use bluetooth so I don't have any suggestions there. Try a reboot or changing the bluetooth settings.
|Trolling with a smile|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1- yes syn on and yes gmail is checked.
2- i have it on power save, brightness is 1/2 bar only
3- all music files are good, i can hear them on my wifes iphone no issues, i can hear them on my 2 laptops and on other music players.
4- tried rebooting already.

I'd try a factory reset. If that doesn't work, at least try exchanging it.

Jamin13 said:
1a.) Is your auto sync on?
1b.) Is Sync Gmail checked in the accounts?
2.) That's to be expected if you are pushing your phone to the limit. Bluetooth+max brightness+frequent syncs+LTE = bad battery life.
3.) Is the CPU being limited and/or are the music files compressed or corrupted? That could be the problem.
4.) I don't use bluetooth so I don't have any suggestions there. Try a reboot or changing the bluetooth settings.
|Trolling with a smile|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aNYthing24 said:
I'd try a factory reset. If that doesn't work, at least try exchanging it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think the phone just does not do what i want.

lostsoul565 said:
1- yes syn on and yes gmail is checked.
2- i have it on power save, brightness is 1/2 bar only
3- all music files are good, i can hear them on my wifes iphone no issues, i can hear them on my 2 laptops and on other music players.
4- tried rebooting already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Turn power save off. I have none of those issues you claim.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

Ascertion said:
Go back to iPhone, your kind isn't welcome here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A little harsh but i agree with the core concept that the iOS is very differnet from the android platform and would seem very foreign however i do think it is a little funny that you waited to switch from the iPhone for an android phone with the familiar "Home" button

lostsoul565 said:
Well I got the SGS3 a week ago and I have been messing with it, customizing it and trying to do everything that i know. I do like the phone but as far as it functions i am not crazy about it. I think I am returning it back!!!
1- can't get notifications on gmail (# of new emails that come in)
2- battery is worse than my old 3gs
3- most of my music can't play just skips (i have tried 4 different music apps)
4- issues with bluetooth dropping off.
Yea I came from Iphone and really wanted to keep this phone but i am literally at a point i am going to return it or sale it on ebay..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. You want # of email badge on GMAIL icon? or you want # of GMAIL icon in the notification area? Both can be done ... for # of email badge look into using Nova Launcher. In the settings area you would see an option to enable it (cost some $$$ for the pro version for this setting). For # of GMAIL in notification bar ... only ROM I have seen do it is unofficial AOKP build for SGS3. you can try that as well. I am not sure about the stock samsung touch wiz launcher. I rooted and start flashing custom ROMs within a couple of hours of purchasing this phone
2. One thing you have to understand is that battery life is not a one size fit all for android. It heavily depends on your usage and what settings or background processes you have enabled. I know coming from iPhone you want to put all kind of widgets on the home screen and enable all functions like BT, Wifi and GPS etc like iPhone but Android is different. It allows you to have fine grain control over software as well as hardware settings. You should be getting decent battery life (i.e. moderate to heavy use should give you around 16 hrs with 2.5 hrs of screen on time) if not then try to remove some widgets etc. iPhone has built in power management for all these hardwares and you cannot mess with it. But in Android its open to you to change it to your preferences.
3. what kind of music files you have? mp3? FLAC? its possible that music files are corrupted when you try to copy over files from iPhone to SGS3. Take another look and verify that all files are intact and not corrupt. There is nothing wrong with the Sammy music player ... you can also try google play music app from Google Play. But this shouldn't be a problem of music player. Can you try to download another fresh music file from market or another store to see if that works?
4. Bluetooth shouldn't drop connection unless you move out of its range. In close proximity it should stay connected. If it doesn't then you have a defective phone. My first handset had some problems with Bluetooth because every time I tried playing music or pdocast over bluetooth it made cracking noise. I exchanged the handset and now there is no problem.
Hope this helps.

lostsoul565 said:
1- yes syn on and yes gmail is checked.
2- i have it on power save, brightness is 1/2 bar only
3- all music files are good, i can hear them on my wifes iphone no issues, i can hear them on my 2 laptops and on other music players.
4- tried rebooting already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think you have a lemon..i dont have any of your issues
have you tried poweramp?

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I'm quite impressed with the battery life on mine. One thing that may help is to use black or dark wallpapers because this type of screen uses less power for black.
But I would definitely take it back and try another one as it sounds like the particular one you got is defective.

Ive got one and i love it. Try returning it for another one or reflashing back to stock.
My S3 has none of the issues you described
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app

Your iTunes music might be DRM protected
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

Going to have to agree with everyone else here. You either got a lemon or have issues with user error or maybe a little of both. I don't have any of those issues either and my gs3 runs circles around my wife's iphone 4s, battery life included.
She is actually taking over my old gs2 next week as that phone kicks hers in the seat too.

zombieplanalpha said:
A little harsh but i agree with the core concept that the iOS is very differnet from the android platform and would seem very foreign however i do think it is a little funny that you waited to switch from the iPhone for an android phone with the familiar "Home" button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks zombie I will reset back to factory and try everything again. I was actually waiting for the iphone 5 but took too long and the reviews on the sgs3 were so good i had to try it for myself.

enaybee said:
1. You want # of email badge on GMAIL icon? or you want # of GMAIL icon in the notification area? Both can be done ... for # of email badge look into using Nova Launcher. In the settings area you would see an option to enable it (cost some $$$ for the pro version for this setting). For # of GMAIL in notification bar ... only ROM I have seen do it is unofficial AOKP build for SGS3. you can try that as well. I am not sure about the stock samsung touch wiz launcher. I rooted and start flashing custom ROMs within a couple of hours of purchasing this phone
2. One thing you have to understand is that battery life is not a one size fit all for android. It heavily depends on your usage and what settings or background processes you have enabled. I know coming from iPhone you want to put all kind of widgets on the home screen and enable all functions like BT, Wifi and GPS etc like iPhone but Android is different. It allows you to have fine grain control over software as well as hardware settings. You should be getting decent battery life (i.e. moderate to heavy use should give you around 16 hrs with 2.5 hrs of screen on time) if not then try to remove some widgets etc. iPhone has built in power management for all these hardwares and you cannot mess with it. But in Android its open to you to change it to your preferences.
3. what kind of music files you have? mp3? FLAC? its possible that music files are corrupted when you try to copy over files from iPhone to SGS3. Take another look and verify that all files are intact and not corrupt. There is nothing wrong with the Sammy music player ... you can also try google play music app from Google Play. But this shouldn't be a problem of music player. Can you try to download another fresh music file from market or another store to see if that works?
4. Bluetooth shouldn't drop connection unless you move out of its range. In close proximity it should stay connected. If it doesn't then you have a defective phone. My first handset had some problems with Bluetooth because every time I tried playing music or pdocast over bluetooth it made cracking noise. I exchanged the handset and now there is no problem.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for taking the time to explain and not telling me iphone user's are not welcome like that other TOOL. anyway I did a factory reset and the music issue is resolved. i will look into nova rom or might as well wait till the jelly been is stable. I still have another 3 weeks or so left so lets see how things go.I think once i root and flash a rom or 2 battery should be better.

Finally a Swipe Keyboard for Windows 8 that works

I have tried swipe keyboards on my Lenovo Lynx Win8 tablet before
Before I bought the tablet I just assumed there would be some swipe functionality built into it. Then I discovered to my horror that not only was there no native swiping support in Windows 8, there were no keyboard apps at all!
Shocking, considering how many options you have on android.
Anyway, I tried out both the options that I managed to find, Touchpal and Inscribe, but neither of them worked properly, if at all. This must have been 3-4 weeks ago. So I uninstalled them and resigned myself to the old hunt and peck method.
Today, I decided to try Touchpal again. Maybe they would have an update out? Turns out they did!:laugh:
So I installed it, and to my surprise it worked!
This is the procedure I followed:
1. Uninstall any previous instances of Touchpal or Inscribe on your system.
2. Download the new Touchpal release from here: http://www.touchpal.com/en/downloadswin8.html
3. Unzip, then right click and run as administrator. Choose custom and tick the languages you want. (I just ticked English)
4. Once installed, restart your windows8 tablet.
5. The icon should be in your taskbar. Click on it and select the Touchpal keyboard.
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"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
6. Open Notepad or Word and try it out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
7. It has an autocorrect option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
8. You can save (and restore) your custom user dictionary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Nice
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Hmm, I tried this months ago and it was pretty horrible. You would swype a word and it would put in a completely different word, you could not even find your word in their suggestions list. I tried it again a couple of days ago, and still the same level of horrible.
It's too bad because windows NEEDS a better keyboard option, not only swype but they need voice input.

spinedoc said:
Hmm, I tried this months ago and it was pretty horrible. You would swype a word and it would put in a completely different word, you could not even find your word in their suggestions list. I tried it again a couple of days ago, and still the same level of horrible.
It's too bad because windows NEEDS a better keyboard option, not only swype but they need voice input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I don't see why Microsoft can't work on something so basic and obvious as a swipe keyboard app themselves, even after having realized how important tablets are going to be in the post-pc world. Just another example of their short-sightedness and lack of vision.
To come back to your first point, in my case when I tried it sometime ago none of the swipe apps worked at all, so this time it was a huge improvement (it worked!!!)
At least someone is working on it. Hopefully they'll improve their accuracy and word-prediction algorithms as they come out with more (and faster) updates.
About voice input, doesn't windows already have voice integration since w7 and earlier? I remember having set it up on my desktop a couple of times, (to make it learn to recognize your accent etc) but never really used it for anything.
Though on a tablet it needs to be there as a button on the keyboard, or better still, as an always on feature like on the MotoX.

itsnotmeatall said:
Yeah I don't see why Microsoft can't work on something so basic and obvious as a swipe keyboard app themselves, even after having realized how important tablets are going to be in the post-pc world. Just another example of their short-sightedness and lack of vision.
To come back to your first point, in my case when I tried it sometime ago none of the swipe apps worked at all, so this time it was a huge improvement (it worked!!!)
At least someone is working on it. Hopefully they'll improve their accuracy and word-prediction algorithms as they come out with more (and faster) updates.
About voice input, doesn't windows already have voice integration since w7 and earlier? I remember having set it up on my desktop a couple of times, (to make it learn to recognize your accent etc) but never really used it for anything.
Though on a tablet it needs to be there as a button on the keyboard, or better still, as an always on feature like on the MotoX.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm do we have voice input? I'm used to seeing the microphone right on the keyboard in iOS and Android to enter in text via voice. I'd be curious if this can be done on my windows tablet as well.

spinedoc said:
Hmm do we have voice input? I'm used to seeing the microphone right on the keyboard in iOS and Android to enter in text via voice. I'd be curious if this can be done on my windows tablet as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, it's there. Can't say how good it is though, haven't really gotten around to actually using it ever. You have to read a bunch of sentences into it to train it and stuff. Set aside at least an hour to set up the thing, and then it'll learn your accent, preferences and so on as you use it more.
This was a feature in Windows before anyone even started working on Android 1.0, and Google has left them so far behind its not even funny.

itsnotmeatall said:
Yup, it's there. Can't say how good it is though, haven't really gotten around to actually using it ever. You have to read a bunch of sentences into it to train it and stuff. Set aside at least an hour to set up the thing, and then it'll learn your accent, preferences and so on as you use it more.
This was a feature in Windows before anyone even started working on Android 1.0, and Google has left them so far behind its not even funny.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, I'll give it a try, thanks.

I'm often using my nexus as a Bluetooth keyboard with unified remote. A little bit battery consuming but better than the build in keyboard, and it allow me to swype. That's the better workaround for me...
Envoyé de mon Nexus 4 en utilisant Tapatalk

I followed the instructions in the OP. It said it installed, I restarted and nothing. No icon, no keyboard. Does this work with 8.1?

wifesabitch said:
I followed the instructions in the OP. It said it installed, I restarted and nothing. No icon, no keyboard. Does this work with 8.1?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only tried with 8, so I'm not sure. Their website says 'For Windows8.' I guess we'll have to wait for them to make a 8.1 version.

I got this working with the latest update.
It's better than stock but I still can't get the auto-pop up to work in desktop mode.
Does that feature work for anybody?

wifesabitch said:
I got this working with the latest update.
It's better than stock but I still can't get the auto-pop up to work in desktop mode.
Does that feature work for anybody?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isn't a feature of windows 8 to have an auto pop up keyboard on desktop

I got this working on my Dell Venue 8 Pro Tablet. Thank you.

barakisbrown said:
I got this working on my Dell Venue 8 Pro Tablet. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were you able to get it working so that the auto keyboard popup didn't come up in Desktop mode and you could bring it up on demand?

itsnotmeatall said:
Yeah I don't see why Microsoft can't work on something so basic and obvious as a swipe keyboard app themselves, even after having realized how important tablets are going to be in the post-pc world. Just another example of their short-sightedness and lack of vision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Although I'm glad Google have added swiping, they still took years after this was being done by 3rd party keyboards, and I don't think Apple have added it either (nor can you even use a 3rd party keyboard). So I don't think they're more short-sighted than anyone else.
One of the annoying things I find about larger tablets is that touchscreen keyboards start to become slower to use, because your finger now has to travel a greater distance, and swiping is affected more by this, because of the friction, so I can see why they first investigated alternatives (e.g., split keyboard) given Windows 8 initially being targetted at big tablets. Though it would be nice for them to add swiping anyway.

mdwh said:
Although I'm glad Google have added swiping, they still took years after this was being done by 3rd party keyboards, and I don't think Apple have added it either (nor can you even use a 3rd party keyboard). So I don't think they're more short-sighted than anyone else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but Microsoft is late to the game. They should have learned from the others who came before them.
mdwh said:
One of the annoying things I find about larger tablets is that touchscreen keyboards start to become slower to use, because your finger now has to travel a greater distance, and swiping is affected more by this, because of the friction, so I can see why they first investigated alternatives (e.g., split keyboard) given Windows 8 initially being targetted at big tablets. Though it would be nice for them to add swiping anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right about the larger screen affecting speed, but there is an easy solution: Having the keyboard in a phablet-sized box on the bottom right of the screen, so that you can use the thumb that is already used to swipe-typing on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------

sav2880 said:
Were you able to get it working so that the auto keyboard popup didn't come up in Desktop mode and you could bring it up on demand?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually. I had to uninstall it because it was causing other weird glitches with my tablet.

Sorry, wrong forum, you show android. The Windows 8 app cannot be "detached". If you resize it, there remains a black strip over the full screen width.
*** Correction ***: one can detach it! However, swype does not work in Windows 8.1 (you can get the keyboard running by finding TPKeyBoard.exe in the Programs folder and starting it directly.

A beautiful addition to Windows, we will facilitate the writing ... Loading
Thank you for providing :good:

no worky, worky on Winn8.1 Pro
itsnotmeatall said:
I only tried with 8, so I'm not sure. Their website says 'For Windows8.' I guess we'll have to wait for them to make a 8.1 version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll add a second vote to the quote above.
Felt like I almost gad it there and working only to find I had wasted my time. BTW, works even less well (is that even a sentence) with a digitizer/pen combo. Found that what little I could get from it, only worked with my flesh and blood finger on the touch screen (I have a Sony flip which offers both if you chose to purchase the optional active digitizer pen--something I recommend highly even though it was less than useless with this even more less than useless app.).
I just don't get it, there should be a plethora of swipe type keywords out there for All versions of Win 8. Boggles the brain.
H. A.

Zenfone 2 Bloatware (not bad at all)

Guys i have being playing around with the phone for 3 or 4 days. My first impression as every one was WTF 4562398562389476 Bloatware apps installed. And i did remove all of them or disabled them. (im using original rom). I have also removed all the GAAPS, cleaner and all that stuff from the phone.
But it crossed from my mind why not to check ASSUS apps.
Splendid: This aps gives you full control of the display. You can enable blue light filter, vivid color mod, you can control hue and saturation, the temperature of the image also. its a very complete app and its not bad at all.
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"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
SystemUpdate: There is not much to say there but with one click you can receive the OTA updates. Quick and easy (and works lol).
Themes: it does what it is. you can apply in a easy way new themes. it gives you the option too, you can share your creation with ASUS and they may include yours into this.
Weather: As it says the name this is an app that shows the weather from were you are its very complete and its stylish. also has a good looking widget.
MiniMovie This app is for making videos "presentations" from photos that you have on your phone. you can add text music. is easy its not bad at all. i do not use this kind of apps but i may stat using it . also when you finish editing you can share to whats up, or upload into youtube, etc.
Music: This app is the music players it has nothing special it does what is expected not bad at all. also has an option that you can connect to cloud storages to listen your music.
MyAsus Its an app that let you connect to asus and open tickets to them ask questions etc. also you can access zen forum. there is not much interesting here more than you can open support tickets to them. i did open asking for update 5.1.1 and it took like 2 days to reply but they did. Also they send you news like the IFA event form today.
Pc link: This application lets you mirror the screen from the phone into your windows desktop. its not bad at all. there you can controll all your phone, also take snapshot, make videos , etc. its not bad at all.
Photo Collage: This apps let you make Collage with taken photos, or downloaded ones. its easy and quick not bad at all. lots of options. you can modify the colage how is made. add text effects colors etc. when you save you can share through watsapp or any app.
Power Saver: This app lets you configure may aspects of battery consumptions. also let syou set battery modes .
FlashLight: This app turns on your led to use it as a flashlight also you can turn on the display for more light. SOS message and some other thinks . this app is not very good it does drains your battery if you turn off the LED and you left the app opened. so close the app when you stop using it. There is not need all this options we only want turn on the led to use the celphone as a flashlight.
FM RADIO: I have not tested due i did not connected a head phone yet. but it should be good.
Kids Mode: I have not used it but its good one. you can configure the phone to have only some apps that kids can use.
Asus Mobile Manager: I have mixed feelins with this app. it does make some short cuts to the ui or other apps. but what can you do there is. you can configure not to start apps when the celphone boots. also you can make applications not to send notifications. You can clean the memory from apps loaded. And go to the Battery saver app.
Audio Wizard Basically you can select music modes presets
Auto Start Manager: This app is shown inside Asus Mobile Manager. it lets you block apps to start when the celphone boots.
Camera: This is the camera app there are lots of review. it has tons of options its very good.
Asus Cover: This app lets you configure the Flip cover when its installed on the phone. i dont have one so there its not much to do here.
Email: Im very happy with this app i have connected to Outlook server and it works grate it has tons of options very complete. Probably it is not the best but its ok for most users.
Calendar: tis a calendar its very good also. i have synchronized to outlook sever works perfect tons of options to configure.
Regarding the ASUS IU. its great its fluid and you can tweak all aspects from the interface. you can modify fonts, effects, colors etc. it may be not as complet as nova or similar launchers. but for most of us the job is well done.
There are some others apps that i still have disabled. like:
Mirror:(its enable the front camera (selfie))
Remote link: allows you control your pc from the cellphone. (this is not bad at all if you need it)
Party link: i think it was like an app to share contact in a party but the other person should have the app installed also. The idea is not bad but too complicated to send a contact.
ShareLink: Dont remeber waht was this.
SuperNote: An app to do notes. im using other so i don´t have any opinion on this. But should not be bad at all.
WhatsNext: its like shows you what you have to do next in your calendar. its like a shot cut to your schedule.
ZenCircle and ZenTalk don´know like something "SOCIAL"
Giving a thought what i can say of ASUS apps. they are not bad at all i was expecting very bad apps. and they are being updated so it may be good to give them a try. they are balanced for productivity and leasure. they are quick and elegant. what i can say thumbs up for almost all of them
i cant deny they are A LOT.

Most of the bloatware can be disabled now. On previous versions of the firmware, this could not be achieved without rooting. That being said, its hard to deny that a select few of the Asus apps are actually quite useful and designed well for use.
---------- Post added at 03:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:06 PM ----------
Also I included this thread in the device index as a guide for the stock apps function: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/index-asus-zenfone-2-wip-t3149748

cmendonc2 said:
Most of the bloatware can be disabled now. On previous versions of the firmware, this could not be achieved without rooting. That being said, its hard to deny that a select few of the Asus apps are actually quite useful and designed well for use.
---------- Post added at 03:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:06 PM ----------
Also I included this thread in the device index as a guide for the stock apps function: http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2/general/index-asus-zenfone-2-wip-t3149748
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was not aware. good to know they are making things better. we need to wait 5.1.1 update to have better battery performance.

There is not even an iota of doubt that they are making things better but they should have released 5.1 now. its getting late every single day

PhotoCollage and Minimovie and flashlight are excellent aps. The others i don't use.

Let 5.1 come first and then you'll get real performance cause 5.0 supports only 32 bit unlike 5.1, it supports 64 bit too and memory bug leak is mind **** on 5.0

I actually like Splendid. Wish I could download it for my other devices such as my shield tablet.
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app

I did disable 23 apps. Wish I could disable asus web storage

Yeah, PC Link is pretty cool. Love the mirroring. Thanks for your post!

wifestealer said:
I did disable 23 apps. Wish I could disable asus web storage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The version that I have it is not installed. I have installed my self to get free 5th of.storage.
Probably can be uninstall our disable

tatubias said:
The version that I have it is not installed. I have installed my self to get free 5th of.storage.
Probably can be uninstall our disable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, I dont want that storage but It can't be disabled or uninstalled I guess

wifestealer said:
LOL, I dont want that storage but It can't be disabled or uninstalled I guess
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's odd I can uninstall the app. Do you have the latest firmware instaled? I have ww version

tatubias said:
That's odd I can uninstall the app. Do you have the latest firmware instaled? I have ww version
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes I've latest firmware with WW version, I'm having one problem more. Does 2g work on second sim?

Well, agree that some of them are good - I like Splendid and Picture Collage, the camera app is good, and the PC Link suite are good. But the calendar is basically the same as Google one but much uglier. Mail app I prefered the ASUS one to Gmail, but why both preinstalled? Waste of space - shouldn't bother with Gmail one, those who want it can get from playstore. The Supernote app is awful - the finger writing function is just plain useless. Party Link is pointless. The torch app is OTT - a simple quick settings toggle would suffice. Live water - waste of space. Browser - why? It has Chrome, surely most people use that? I suppose some of the apps that duplicate Google app functions are needed for the CN sku, but we don't need them on WW models. I could go on, but I won't. Basically, I just wish they had put in only the core apps and then an ASUS Apps Hub app that introduces extra apps you could choose to get from the playstore according to your need.