Database Users

General warning about using Random APK's

Just a general warning to those who seek out APK's on the internet.
I've noticed an increasing number of people posting APK links on XDA-developers using 3rd party hosting such as multi-upload instead of the official developers websites. This is a potential security risk to your own phone, because Android code CAN be decompiled, and dodgy code can be added before re-uploading. You at a greater risk of downloading compromised APK's if you download them from an untrusted party.
Many of these APK's seem to be hosted officially by the developers already, so please link directly to the developers OWN servers when possible, and those who use their phone for business or store sensitive data on it, should avoid using APK's from sources which weren't set up by the original developers.

andrewluecke said:
Just a general warning to those who seek out APK's on the internet.
I've noticed an increasing number of people posting APK links on XDA-developers using 3rd party hosting such as multi-upload instead of the official developers websites. This is a potential security risk to your own phone, because Android code CAN be decompiled, and dodgy code can be added before re-uploading. You at a greater risk of downloading compromised APK's if you download them from an untrusted party.
Many of these APK's seem to be hosted officially by the developers already, so please link directly to the developers OWN servers when possible, and those who use their phone for business or store sensitive data on it, should avoid using APK's from sources which weren't set up by the original developers.
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First off: Who's to say the original developer can't put this so-called "dodgy code" in their own apks?
Secondly: The Android marketplace doesn't have any strict rules as to what someone can post, and the code isn't even checked. You have just as high a chance of getting this "dodgy code" from any app you download straight from the market.

Nobody. But it is a hell of a lot safer from a trusted first party, than being passed down a chain of untrusted people before it makes it's way to you. Especially since apk's don't seem to be digitally signed (I may be wrong).
I'm just concerned that you can post any APK you want here which have an official website, insert a trojan, and nobody would be none the wiser. I'd simply like to see a change in attitude.. If someone posts an unofficial link to an APK which is already available by developers, I'd like to see people stand up and point to the OFFICIAL website.
At the moment, people are actually ENCOURAGING bad security practices, and doing so makes XDA a target ripe for future attack. And I don't want to wake up to a forum of people *****ing about Samsung, for a problem caused because of a trojaned copy of Angry birds beta on XDA.
We should build awareness now for people to get files from the last link in the chain, rather than wait for someone to try it (which they probably will, and may have already done)

andrewluecke said:
Nobody. But it is a hell of a lot safer from a trusted first party, than being passed down a chain of untrusted people before it makes it's way to you. Especially since apk's don't seem to be digitally signed (I may be wrong).
I'm just concerned that you can post any APK you want here which have an official website, insert a trojan, and nobody would be none the wiser. I'd simply like to see a change in attitude.. If someone posts an unofficial link to an APK which is already available by developers, I'd like to see people stand up and point to the OFFICIAL website.
At the moment, people are actually ENCOURAGING bad security practices, and doing so makes XDA a target ripe for future attack. And I don't want to wake up to a forum of people *****ing about Samsung, for a problem caused because of a trojaned copy of Angry birds beta on XDA.
We should build awareness now for people to get files from the last link in the chain, rather than wait for someone to try it (which they probably will, and may have already done)
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Are you familiar with modifying an APK? It is not nearly as easy as you make it seem. If the developer doesn't release the source code, it can't easily be functionally modified minus a few graphics and the like. Not to mention, this is how the iPhone jailbreak system works in regards to getting content. And has been going on with PC for years.
I really do not think it's something we have to worry about. Just install an anti-virus on your phone if you're worried.

1) Grab 7zip to decompress your apk package.
2) And yep, there are tools to decompile dex files too. Technically it seems to be more like disassembly, but can probably easily be modified to cause the app to ring russian phone sex numbers every 10 minutes without your consent, or do other nasty things. There are some security mechanisms in place, but that doesn't make them invincible.
You tell me, what is the advantage of encouraging reposting of APK's with already existing websites? Because it doesn't seem to have any advantages, but can have BAD security implications.

Good thing to raise awareness among users, but alas - most of them don't even bother to read the permissions requested by apps downloaded from the market.
There are actually quite few people that have an idea of what could happen if they had a rouge app on their phones. I recently tried to give a similar general warning in another forum that people should take care when flashing "beta" firmwares downloaded from some hosting site and not from the developer... You think most of them cared? Sadly they didn't...

There's nothing wrong with being a bit cautious and smart about the way we do things. I'll trust the app if I see the dev is in "the" community.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App

andrewluecke said:
1) Grab 7zip to decompress your apk package.
2) And yep, there are tools to decompile dex files too. Technically it seems to be more like disassembly, but can probably easily be modified to cause the app to ring russian phone sex numbers every 10 minutes without your consent, or do other nasty things. There are some security mechanisms in place, but that doesn't make them invincible.
You tell me, what is the advantage of encouraging reposting of APK's with already existing websites? Because it doesn't seem to have any advantages, but can have BAD security implications.
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So, obviously you've never tried to actually edit one of those XML files within it. try that and get back to me.
APK's are not open source and cannot be decompiled and edited. The only way for what you are suggesting can happen, to happen, is if the APK in question had its sources released so someone else could release an edited version of the program, made from scratch, in java.
"can probably" is not very sure. The chances of someone posting a completely separate app with the name of a well known app is much more likely than someone editing an existing app (assuming the sources were available).
If you have no clue about android apk development why even bother arguing?
opensourcefan said:
There's nothing wrong with being a bit cautious and smart about the way we do things. I'll trust the app if I see the dev is in "the" community.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App
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Agree 100%. Much better said! You don't know who's releasing what, so watch what you're installing and just make sure it looks like the program you were looking for in the first place..

Electroz said:
So, obviously you've never tried to actually edit one of those XML files within it. try that and get back to me.
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Refer to apktool Link
Or Apk Manager (My Signature)
Xml's can be 100% decompiled/recompiled from binary to human readable and back thanks to apktool.
2 options to make sure ur safe :
1. Dont install root applications (they require 0 upfront standard android api permissions hence u won't know what its doing behind the scenes)
2. Install apps by transferring them to ur phone and using the package manager, that way you can see standard permissions (if any) and judge accordingly.
You know what would be cool, if superuser could log the "su" commands a root requiring app executes

Daneshm90 said:
Refer to apktool Link
Or Apk Manager (My Signature)
Xml's can be 100% decompiled/recompiled from binary to human readable and back thanks to apktool.
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Wow, my bad.... But no wonder major game companies aren't developing for the platform yet.

But even if the apk that u downloaded from the net have a virus (eg. sends SMS to get money), you will still see the permission when installing so an antivirus isnt needed, or am i wrong?

leoon said:
But even if the apk that u downloaded from the net have a virus (eg. sends SMS to get money), you will still see the permission when installing so an antivirus isnt needed, or am i wrong?
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If its a non-root requiring app then yes, it must disclose its permissions prior to installing it through package manager not if u use adb to install.
You just have to judge, if a wifi toggle app is asking for email/sms permissions, you might want to be careful
As for root-requiring apps, theres not much you can do other than read reviews for that app or decompile and try to understand what its doing behind the scenes.

Electroz said:
Wow, my bad.... But no wonder major game companies aren't developing for the platform yet.
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It's quite easy to modify disassembled app code as well - trust me ;-) Also I think we will have possibility to decompile to Java code in the future.
Just don't think of your phone as a smaller PC (especially Windows), because this isn't true. There will never be antiviruses for Android and your only protection are permissions. Anyone could create market account and upload malicious app.
About game companies: they usually write in native code and it's really hard to decompile (or maybe even impossible for now). Besides... did you heard about gameloft's recent games? They're really awesome. Note that first 3d-gaming capable Android phones were released just ~10 months ago, so it's still quite early.

leoon said:
But even if the apk that u downloaded from the net have a virus (eg. sends SMS to get money), you will still see the permission when installing so an antivirus isnt needed, or am i wrong?
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Click to collapse
It should, however, what if it is an alternate launcher, in which case, you'd expect it to be able to send SMS's and make phone calls. That's all fine, until you realise the copy of launcherPro you downloaded using a multi-upload in XDA is having phone sex with a russian operator costing you hundreds of dollars.
It's actually good Brut spoke here. Brut[Maps] is relevant, because it introduces new features which distinguishes it from Google's version. However, can we trust Brut as much as we can trust Google? He seems trustworthy yes, but as trustworthy as Google? Questionable. (Btw Brut, good work on your mod). Of course, his mod does have considerable benefits showing he is interested in helping the community and he hasn't caused any problems thus far. That only means his official multi-upload posts are safe though, if I repost them elsewhere, you shouldn't trust my copies.
It's common sense that programs should pass by as few hands as possible to remain secure. We need to build awareness about security practices (particularly for business users who may compromise their companies security or information). I'm not saying all rom's are safe.. Think about it though, if an APK is already readily accessible, why would someone go through the effort of re-uploading it?
Furthermore, we should encourage people using their phone's for important purposes to use the official Kies releases, not random firmware's available from Samfirmware's (which may not even be final versions).
Remember, trojans are common in the warez world, and it's better to change the attitude of the community before they become a problem here too (otherwise, people will be stuck in a poor mindset that compromises herd immunity). XDA is a website targeted at the technical crowd, and we should set a good example.
@Electroz. Haven't disassembled them myself, but checked a tutorial. But someone has responded already anyway.. Just because I don't have experience doing it myself anyway, doesn't mean it isn't widely known to be possible.

Several big guys already launched Antivirus For Android
Norton, Trend, and a few more
i think we are pretty safe with those
however... it's suck if they run in the background all the time eating the juice+cpu power away

Anti-virus only helps for known trojans anyway, and since so few people have it installed, it doesn't help much. When Android has it built in though, it may be more useful.
Anti-virus should be considered a last line of defense anyway. And either way, I'm not concerned, because I try to minimise the risks of my own sgs. However, it's a concern that people here don't believe such a risk exists, and are actually encouraging a global attitude which might make the Android population ripe for social engineering attacks in the future.

@andrewluecke
I understand you, I don't say there is no problem with security. I say it doesn't matter you will get malicious software from mirror or Market itself. We could assume apps downloaded from WWW are more dangerous, but this problem is general one: people should be cautious whenever they install something with critical permissions. If they won't they will have problems anyway - it's just a matter of time.
I agree with you: it's important to aware people of that problem. This is actually only one thing we can do: be aware and cautious.
Ahh and in many situations it's possible to protect yourself against problem with redistribution. First, you could check md5 - many developers give it to people, I do. Second: signatures. Each app is signed by its author, so you could check its authenticity. You could check signatures of downloaded apk using public key uploaded by dev to his WWW or using "safe" apk you downloaded earlier. Unfortunately there are no tools to do that easily :-/ Also Android does this check automatically when you install new software. So if you have installed e.g. GM modded by me, then you have downloaded new version from some mirror and succeed at installing it, you can be sure it was also from me and nobody modified it.
AllGamer said:
Several big guys already launched Antivirus For Android
Norton, Trend, and a few more
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Click to collapse
Hmm? I think it's impossible, cause apps can't get to data and resources of others apps. And creating an app for root users only wouldn't have much sense.
I have found Norton Smartphone Security for Android and it's anti-theft protection, not anti-virus.

I'm not a coder and came from IT field so I have lots of general questions about apk security and found this thread...great discussion. TY
Just a general question about apk security...how easy is it to alter apk for malicious intent? And is it possible for spyware writers to turn some freebie apk or rom into a bunch of botnet drone? ...just kinda scary to imagine
the news about android virus gets me nervous about installing any apk released from any individual
http://www.talkandroid.com/24949-new-android-trojan-virus-discovered-dubbed-gemini/

kobesabi said:
how easy is it to alter apk for malicious intent?
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Quite easy for a good developer.
kobesabi said:
And is it possible for spyware writers to turn some freebie apk or rom into a bunch of botnet drone?
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Yes, but I think that would be quickly noticed by people and then these apks, roms and developers would be banned from every forum in the internet.

Brut.all said:
Quite easy for a good developer.
Yes, but I think that would be quickly noticed by people and then these apks, roms and developers would be banned from every forum in the internet.
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Wow, scary. Unless there is something else, that they can't get away, I don't think banning would deter much, they just laugh at the weak security as a fun challenge. If they already got tons of ip under their control...banning by account, ip, or email will not help much...they can always get new ones.
Is there a way user can authenticate/verify apk signing from authentic author/writer? Many just post apk but did not post md5 or sha sum so how can a user find out if it is original or not?
Anyway to test these apk without loading up to real phone?

Looking for a dev.

Hey there, I am looking for a dev to help me realise a dream I have of making a multi-lingual picture decorating program. If you have ever been to Japan or Korea, you know that the picture sticker booths are madly popular amoung people under 20. I think that with the huge android base in korea and the sparking android community in japan, this app has potential to be incredibly successful. I already have friends in japan and korea who could help with information and of course they have agreed on translating everything.
If you think you could be good at developing a program like this, I would love to work with you!
Thanks.
Sent from my Vibrant using the XDA for Android app.

Nobody's interested? Really?

Hi,
What working arrangement do you propose?
What features do you envision for this application?
I am a dev always looking for projects.
Thanks,
Barry.

Well, I would like to work very closely with the developer (I'm a dev of sorts too so I know how important it is to work closely with the "customer"). I would be very specific as to how things should look and work. I'm almost always available, too, so the project should progress quickly. At first, I'd just like a working English version of the program, and Korean and Japanese versions could be built after (since I'm assuming your preferred language is English). Anywho, I am thinking that this App would be a paid app (no good place for advertisements) and I feel that the Dev and I could split any revenue 50/50 (I think this app could sell a minimum of 10k copies... though I'm an optimist).
I hope that answered your first question. Let me know if I misconstrued.
Features? Without getting into too much detail on the public board, I would like it to be able to take pictures from the gallery (and to have camera access) and then do something like this to them.
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/7927/purikurahikuwhole.jpg
Thanks for your time and consideration. I hope you'll take on the project!

canalrun?
Anybody else? Come on this will be fun!

Perhaps you can do it yourself in app inventor
XDA App

TheRedDrake said:
Perhaps you can do it yourself in app inventor
XDA App
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Click to collapse
probably not. I just dont have the time to play around in an environment i am not overly familiar with. Thats why i would like to work with a more experienced android programmer/developer.
Still open for takers...

There are tutorials for it, and app inventor is almost foolproof. I've done a Talking Tom app in less then a day.
Xda app

Graphics Designer Needed. Any amount of experience welcome!

Hello! Thanks for stopping by! I'm making an app with a friend of mine and we both are terrible at making graphics (we both code). The game is a simple dice game yet what sets it apart from other dice games is online play and a level of polish above the rest. Our code is pretty polished, even in its humble beginnings, so we are looking for a graphics designer who is willing to help show to users a polished interface.
We don't care how much experience you have as long as you're willing to learn (we can't teach you though obviously). The only thing we ask for is that you give at least 3 hours a week to the project. I believe that is not a lot to ask for. We are doing this project as a hobby and we hope to add another member (or two) to our team. Once again thank's for your time.
If you would like to know more about the app please post in the thread so other people can benefit from the information and if you have more personal questions feel free to PM me.

I'm actually interested. if it's not too time consuming I will gladly give it a try.
you can take a look at my deviant art profile to see what graphic works i normally do
http://aoisora9x.deviantart.com/
send me an email @ [email protected] if you want to contact me.

i do lots of traditional paper and pen design then move it over to digital paint.
let me know if you need some help and what your ideas and i'll toss up a few test designs you can look over.
i do very little in terms of actual 3d renders and modeling.
deviant art gallery
@sora:
nice gallery btw.

Aoi_sora9x said:
I'm actually interested. if it's not too time consuming I will gladly give it a try.
you can take a look at my deviant art profile to see what graphic works i normally do
http://aoisora9x.deviantart.com/
send me an email @ [email protected] if you want to contact me.
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Click to collapse
Nice Deadmau5 head

not hijacking, but it'd be really cool to see resources designers kicking around here make. which could then be used in projects by devs. just putting something out there will encourage others to use it. ie. icons and so on.

MarkusPO said:
not hijacking, but it'd be really cool to see resources designers kicking around here make. which could then be used in projects by devs. just putting something out there will encourage others to use it. ie. icons and so on.
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The only problem with that is that some people don't like other people to use their work. It's the same thing with code (i.e. open source or not). In any case it would be better to submit work you would like to share on Open Clip Art instead of a thread that would be hard to upkeep and search through.
pxldtz said:
i do lots of traditional paper and pen design then move it over to digital paint.
let me know if you need some help and what your ideas and i'll toss up a few test designs you can look over.
i do very little in terms of actual 3d renders and modeling.
deviant art gallery
@sora:
nice gallery btw.
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Click to collapse
The time it will take depends on you're proficiency with creating buttons backgrounds and stuff like that. Right now I have three people that want to work on this and I always had in mind to have different themes for this app. I'm going to ask Aoi_sora9x if he won't mind other people making other different themes. I will get back to you as soon as I can.

tytdfn said:
The only problem with that is that some people don't like other people to use their work. It's the same thing with code (i.e. open source or not). In any case it would be better to submit work you would like to share on Open Clip Art instead of a thread that would be hard to upkeep and search through.
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Click to collapse
i thoroughly disagree! so if a designer didn't want to share, they're not forced to post whatever they've made on here. and as xda is a large community, you never know who could be reading about your work. maybe a new forum would be best.

I think the main reason is that XDA is a developer forum and not a designer forum?
artists and designers mostly will post on art forums, like how developers will only share stuffs on developer forums. When i wanna share a new icon set, XDA is not the first place i would think of. :/

MarkusPO said:
i thoroughly disagree! so if a designer didn't want to share, they're not forced to post whatever they've made on here. and as xda is a large community, you never know who could be reading about your work. maybe a new forum would be best.
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True. The new forum idea has potential.

I would like to try that, too..
My deviantART profile: http://kanttii.deviantart.com
email: [email protected]
I'm not good with 3D modeling, but I like to create interfaces.

[Q] What happened to threads like WP7 for Android?

Hey I am a longtime fan of XDA, it has been a cornerstone of the phone hacking and app development scene for years. I was looking through the threads and noticed an app development program that had been picking up steam and even released a private beta was closed. This thread if anyone was wonder is the WP7 Android suite by TheRedDrake. It seems as though there was some strife with the mods and they have moved off site to "wp7android.com". I was wondering what caused this and why an app development cycle that was making headway towards a market release got banned? I hope someone can explain this to me because I think if there is some policy against projects like this why does this forum exist if not to mod and release apps that we can all enjoy? I don’t want to incite any anger, I am just genuinely curious about what happened and why.

The answer to your question can be found in the last post of the thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=13290726&postcount=930
The developers have no intention of providing the passwords or removing them, so the project has moved off of XDA and is now entirely maintained on their website, wp7android.com. From what I know, the thread had been closed and re-opened at least once before as well.

bear831 said:
Hey I am a longtime fan of XDA, it has been a cornerstone of the phone hacking and app development scene for years. I was looking through the threads and noticed an app development program that had been picking up steam and even released a private beta was closed. This thread if anyone was wonder is the WP7 Android suite by TheRedDrake. It seems as though there was some strife with the mods and they have moved off site to "wp7android.com". I was wondering what caused this and why an app development cycle that was making headway towards a market release got banned? I hope someone can explain this to me because I think if there is some policy against projects like this why does this forum exist if not to mod and release apps that we can all enjoy? I don’t want to incite any anger, I am just genuinely curious about what happened and why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its simple, they were violating forum rules. Its unfortunately, but the expectations for developer threads have been very clearly hashed out by the Admins of this site, and TheRedDrake didn't abide by them, and instead tried to use a loophole. Fortunately they managed to get a different site, because project is a cool one, but they should have just opened their own site in the first place since they knew they had no intentions of abiding the rules.

Seems cool but it was definitely the right move. If they p/w protect rar's guess they wanna charge? Not sure how many Android heads are going to pay for win7 to replace a better OS (IMO) with more programs, especially when there's a great launcher that's customizable and spot on to 7. Maybe a dual boot but not for this guy. I can't remember what that launcher is called but it looked nice if I didn't love Android so I'd have dl'ed it ^_^ goog " window phone 7 Android launcher " I'm sure it was here on xda (free-donate if u like it), if it sounds like something you'd like. Cheers
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

dubyajaysmith said:
Seems cool but it was definitely the right move. If they p/w protect rar's guess they wanna charge? Not sure how many Android heads are going to pay for win7 to replace a better OS (IMO) with more programs, especially when there's a great launcher that's customizable and spot on to 7. Maybe a dual boot but not for this guy. I can't remember what that launcher is called but it looked nice if I didn't love Android so I'd have dl'ed it ^_^ goog " window phone 7 Android launcher " I'm sure it was here on xda (free-donate if u like it), if it sounds like something you'd like. Cheers
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
To be fair, their project was a hell of a lot more than a launcher. They basically built an Android equivalent to WP7 from scratch, including the Zune player.

WP7Android project is one of the best projects. As it is aiming to change the whole UI of android to WP7, not just the UI. They are also working on apps for the gallery, mail, dialer, camera, browser.. and more than i can't remember right now. It's going to be a big project!
The project has been moved from XDA to the WP7Android forum. You can check out their website where they have all the details about this project, you can also donate if you want to get access to all the beta apps. www.wp7android.com
I donated to TheRedDrake at the start of this project, and i have no comments on all the apps they provide, they are really great (Considering they are still in Beta stage..) also, donating helps the devs and keeps the project alive, and keeps the process of it going along the way.
http://twitter.com/#!/TheRedDrake
Donations that were made for this project made it possible and made it exist. Not free apps or lite versions. There are already versions of other WP7 styled apps not part of this project that have as much features as a lite version. I understand the devs not wanting to waste their time on making lite versions.
As i have read, the three apps that TheRedDrake wanted to make them free, will not be free anymore, and this is because the mods of XDA closed the thread of this project..

ms7p said:
WP7Android project is one of the best projects. As it is aiming to change the whole UI of android to WP7, not just the UI. They are also working on apps for the gallery, mail, dialer, camera, browser.. and more than i can't remember right now. It's going to be a big project!
The project has been moved from XDA to the WP7Android forum. You can check out their website where they have all the details about this project, you can also donate if you want to get access to all the beta apps. www.wp7android.com
I donated to TheRedDrake at the start of this project, and i have no comments on all the apps they provide, they are really great (Considering they are still in Beta stage..) also, donating helps the devs and keeps the project alive, and keeps the process of it going along the way.
http://twitter.com/#!/TheRedDrake
Donations that were made for this project made it possible and made it exist. Not free apps or lite versions. There are already versions of other WP7 styled apps not part of this project that have as much features as a lite version. I understand the devs not wanting to waste their time on making lite versions.
As i have read, the three apps that TheRedDrake wanted to make them free, will not be free anymore, and this is because the mods of XDA closed the thread of this project..
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Click to collapse
Nice to see someone is supporting me. People like him bring my project to life
Well since the original topic was closed I have to explain here somethings:
Q: Why do you password protect the rar files?
A: I said that only contributors are allowed. If you help this project in some useful way I will grant access. This means everybody could enter if they helped.
Q:Why don't you post free apps? .....or lite versions?
A:For first question go to previous Q&A, for second it goes like this: we won't spend time making any sort of lite versions. There are already apps in the market by other developers not involved in the project that have the same amount of features as a lite version.
Q:Why don't you obey the XDA forums rules like all devs do?
A:I do obey them but putting the apps for free just because of that ain't going to do. As I already said if you help you can get them for free.
Q:You know people get frustrated by your policy. Many devs offer apps for free. What do you say about that?
A: True they do. But many devs don't offer their work for free. Not all in this world is for free and most quality software is paid. You should realize that.
Q:Are you still going to release 3 apps for free for XDA users?
A:No, maybe for our forum users 1-2 apps.
Q:Have you any intention of trying to reopen the thread?
A:No, it has been moved to the official site forum at http://www.wp7android.com
Q:Are you in any way upset at the moderators for closing the original thread?
A:Nope, not at all. I understand why they did this. It is their job to make sure XDA forum rules are followed by everybody even if sometimes those rules are nonsense.
Q:There have been similar devs who got kicked from XDA from the same reason. Are you aware of them?
A: Yes Ultralinx is such case. Banned from trying to sell his work. Well he is sympathetic to our cause and offered free advertising on his site. I'm certain he is angry at the XDA mods.
Q:Finaly what do you think of the XDA policy of free apps?
A:Here is one example: SPB Shell beta apk was available here even if it was a closed beta and SPB didn't permit the apk to be freely distributed.The moderators didn't do anythin about it. I will let you judge by yourself this one.

Everyone should definitely join the new forum we just launched . We also started a Facebook fan page the other day . http://www.google.com
There is some absolutely fantastic work being done by everyone . As stated above , this isnt just a launcher . This is going to be the whole enchilada . If you're a fan of the UI , then this project is for you .
We are all very excited to be doing this , and this is NOT something that will be dropped and no longer supported ( like most of the other wp7-like apps ).
We are in it for the long haul . Join us for the ride . We are going to start having prize giveaways , developer blog spots , etc.
One of our devs will be presenting our project at the Happy Go Techy Expo in Seattle.
We still have much work to do , but this is one of the few UI overhauls here at XDA where progress is actually being made and YOU can be a part of it . Thanks to everyone that has already helped and has joined our rapidly growing community .
Don't forget, http://www.google.com/
Join the forums and let us know YOUR thoughts . Thank you .

put you ads somewhere else... hope you get banned from xda for that.
@dubyajaysmith agreed!

As someone who was critical initially, I want to say that I've donated to the project. TheRedDrake has returned personal PMs to him, and I think my concerns have been put at ease.
The last thing I think anyone wants to do is lose good devs in the Android community. After learning some more about the work behind the scenes, I'm definitely supporting this project.

I partially agree with the decision to close the old thread. Yes, it is a bit against the rules, but some other devs are putting non-free non-lite apps here too, and their thread won't get closed. The WP7 team was working hard on the whole stuff, I've been able to take a look at their source, and help them here and there, and I have to say, what they did, is pretty impressive.
The Zune Player is almost ready, the Launcher looks good as it is, functional, works as it should. Everything else is in order, and the whole pack will definitely worth the money they ask for it.
The whole UI is being replaced, and hopefully it will extend to some other applications too (currently the Contacts app is finished, the Zune Player, Messaging, Launcher has work on it AFAIK, and the others are being written too, I have no further info on it though).

I think the mods need to calm down and get over themselves. There are developers who are doing the same thing they accused TheRedDrake of who haven't had their threads taken down. That just makes the mods seem as though they are immature and play favorites to projects they personally like. I love XDA, but when they take unjust actions like I just described, it disappoints me to see them contradict their own definition of a developer community.

TheRedDrake said:
Q:Why don't you post free apps? .....or lite versions?
A:For first question go to previous Q&A, for second it goes like this: we won't spend time making any sort of lite versions. There are already apps in the market by other developers not involved in the project that have the same amount of features as a lite version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So why exactly did you release a lite version of the wp7launcher now in the market?
Glad you did it though...

Launcher7 is way better than this launcher...

Shadewalkerz said:
Launcher7 is way better than this launcher...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You made that determination from a lite version? And how about the zune, email, and dialer apps?
Your last two posts have been awesome .. I'm sure you're third will be just as good. No reason to hate man, move along if you don't like our work .. that's very disrespectful.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

Appear then Disappear
Why was it pulled off the market (lite)? it was there yesterday but now its not...
I did get to try it out though... LWP didn't work for me and there was no add widgets button when I press the menu button on my phone.... personally its just like L7 not to dog the hard work people put into this (I really would like to see how this project turns out) its just an opinion.

Yeah there are Widgets, multiple home screens, live tiles, folders, etc that weren't in the lite version.
We pulled it from the market because in less than 24 hours it was up on the warez (piracy) sites.
We are putting security in place before we put anything back on the market. Good thing it was a really stripped down version
Thanks for the support. We are all spending crazy amounts of time on this.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

lucas.scott said:
Yeah there are Widgets, multiple home screens, live tiles, folders, etc that weren't in the lite version.
We pulled it from the market because in less than 24 hours it was up on the warez (piracy) sites.
We are putting security in place before we put anything back on the market. Good thing it was a really stripped down version
Thanks for the support. We are all spending crazy amounts of time on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good Call don't want all of the hard work to be wasted on pirates, Could you give an estimate how much It would cost... the whole package meaning

Can't really give that just yet ... we are bouncing around ideas .. bundled prices and stuff. We are working on an aosp rom, that we would like to include everything and be themed and such, just trying to decide what makes sense still.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

We should have the paid apps in the market in one week or less. Cheers!

[TUTORIAL] Write simple games (Flappy Bird) using Basic4Android and LibGDX

I've written a tutorial showing in easy steps how to write a Flappy Bird Clone using Basic4Android and the LibGDX engine.
Check it out here:
http://www.easyandroidcoding.com
I also keep a programming blog here:
http://www.coffeeinducedgames.co.uk
I just wanted to post a short update to this post:
I've also uploaded source code for a matching game using LibGDX and Basic4Android, it's called Orchard Crush and it's on the play store:
Get the source code here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8673694/OrchardCrush_public.zip
See the game here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.coffeeinducedgames.orchardcrush
Basic4Android for those who don't know it, is a Visual Basic inspired language for writing appps for Android. It compiles to Java before using the ADK to compile to Android bytecode so your appps run at the same speed as if you'd written them directly in Java using Eclipse, except it's MUCH easier to learn and use to write apps.
It does cost money to buy B4A but you can claim a 30% discount if you purchase it through the www.easyandroidcoding.com site and use the voucher code: andymcadam

VOS said:
I've written a tutorial showing in easy steps how to write a Flappy Bird Clone using Basic4Android and the LibGDX engine.
Check it out here:
http://www.easyandroidcoding.com
I also keep a programming blog here:
http://www.coffeeinducedgames.co.uk
Basic4Android for those who don't know it, is a Visual Basic inspired language for writing appps for Android. It compiles to Java before using the ADK to compile to Android bytecode so your appps run at the same speed as if you'd written them directly in Java using Eclipse, except it's MUCH easier to learn and use to write apps.
It does cost money to buy B4A but you can claim a 30% discount if you purchase it through the www.easyandroidcoding.com site and use the voucher code: andymcadam
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just uploaded part 8 of the series which completes it.
I've added the final part of the series on writing a Flappy Bird clone. Now it included sounds effects, a title screen, and a highscore file.

Wow
I am gonna try it soon

I can't wait to try this out in a way I can understand! I code in vb.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

thx!

can some one upload the edited app using this guide?

pedyvirus said:
can some one upload the edited app using this guide?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean the APK file?
If so, then that's here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u...ndroid/CloneyBirdTutorial/CloneyBirdPart8.apk
And the source code is here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u...es/basic4android/CloneyBirdTutorial/Part8.zip

Just out of interest, has anyone purchased B4A as a result of my posting and tutorial series? I'm very interested to din out what pushes people to part with money to buy software. I understand many people will look at this and say "why buy that when I can just use Eclipse for free" but it makes things easier and people will pay for that benefit.

Update: more source code for more games!
I just wanted to post a short update to this post:
I've also uploaded source code for a matching game using LibGDX and Basic4Android, it's called Orchard Crush and it's on the play store:
Get the source code here: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8673694/OrchardCrush_public.zip
See the game here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.coffeeinducedgames.orchardcrush

VOS said:
Just out of interest, has anyone purchased B4A as a result of my posting and tutorial series? I'm very interested to din out what pushes people to part with money to buy software. I understand many people will look at this and say "why buy that when I can just use Eclipse for free" but it makes things easier and people will pay for that benefit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
B4a / b4x kicks ass my friend