PhillyAndroid

One of my best friends has recently gotten the itch to develop an application for Android, but he had nowhere to start really. Sure, there is PLENTY of documentation, he could even mess around with the API Demos included in the SDK. Instead, he had an idea, and wanted to try and build it out in Android.

He successfully wrote his application in Java, but wasn’t sure yet how to make that into an Android application. I was focused on showing him the basics of an Android application, like how to detect when an object has been clicked, or how to make an object view appear/disappear. I even introduced him to some intermediate things like running threaded processes behind something else.

I wrote the application for him and gave him the working copy along with the source code so that he could see how he could transform his simple Java application into an Android application.

The application itself is called ‘Get Headers’. Very simply put, when you input a URL into the URL field and click ‘Get Headers’, it sends a request to the URL, and whatever comes back is displayed below the buttons. Here are some screenshots below:

I was considering releasing the code to the public in this post, but instead I’ll let my friend work at it, because I’ve intentionally left him a few gotcha’s that I hope he’ll find and fix. I’ve had and still do have some very serious things going on in my life right now, hence the lack of posts, but when I have something on my mind or if I have an application announcement, feel free to check in!

One thing I’m interested in knowing is.. how are you all finding the new 1.5 update in relation to the applications in the marketplace? Do you find that it has greatly improved the quality? slowed it down? made no difference at all? I’d like to know!

I read a really well put-together article this morning regarding marketing paid apps for Android. I liked how the author compared the Android Market to a catalog. The dynamics of the Android Market are quite different as compared to the iTunes App Store, so it’s really hard to make comparisons there.

One commenter mentioned that also, because the Android Market has had only free apps listed for some months, that most people are usually satisfied with what they have. Why pay for an app that you already have, and that works well? The only way to really compete with that is to release a product far better than what you have, and at a reasonable price on top of that. I can see a few things that could come out of that.

With this dynamic in place, app developers who want to earn money from their applications will really have to work towards making their app top-notch. This might drive out the tinkerers and hobbyists from the paid game, but perhaps some will overcome – I’m thinking a very small percentage. Another point will be pricing. The author of the article had a good point in saying that, even with one million or more handset owners, a very small fraction of them would be interested in paying for an application. This brings me to my final point.

It is currently difficult for Android developers to really sell their application, relying on the Android Market alone. There isn’t a snazzy “iTunes App Store”-esque interface which provides detailed descriptions, screenshots and app reviews all in one spot for any given application. So really, I think any real way for Android developers to sell their product(s) would be through blog posts, social media avenues, reviews, and a lot of work.

For now, as a hobbyist, I sometimes get delusions of grandeur in my head when I read articles about iPhone app developers who strike gold with their Apps, earning 250-600K for a single application, but I do come down and realize that the real world scenario I’m in as an Android developer may, or may not be that successful. We’ll just have to see. I’m really interested in finding out how things pan out over the coming months when we can see some useful reports on market sales.

Please, enough with the whole “iPhone is far superior to Android/G1″ schtick. People should really stop moaning about how less capable Android is than the iPhone firmware/software, it’s getting a little old. And for those who base their opinions solely upon the downsides of the G1, here’s some news: there will be some handsets coming along which will most likely blow the G1 out of the water! So what if Google/T-Mobile released what it did, when it did? It’s a 1st generation product, what do you expect?

I was reading an article on CNET about how Android/G1 users will be receiving a “less-capable” integrated voice search feature in the upcoming RC33 OTA update, and it sort of set me off. So many folks, such as myself, tend to read CNET articles religiously, so I’m sure by now already thousands have viewed the article. Hopefully, they read the comments below it. Josh Lowensohn (the article author) was probably just having a slow news day and thought (rather, didn’t think) to really consider the body of his article. From the article comments, one person makes the observation that, in comparing clicks/taps to get to this functionality, the iPhone and G1 are exactly the same amount. PLUS, the voice search will be available to tap from any Google search bar.

So what’s the problem? Is it really so much worse because the G1 doesn’t have a proximity sensor? Come on, get real. Hopefully, readers will take the article with a grain of salt, and intelligently decide for themselves what they consider better.

I just came across this pretty cool promotion that AndroidTapp.com is doing.. Giving anyone a chance at winning a new G1 in the color of their choosing! Shipping is taken care of by AndroidTapp.com, but any sort of service activation, data plan, yadda yadda yadda is up to you. I think this is a really cool idea, and as the cost of a G1 is still kind of high, and the economy being the way it is, this is a great opportunity to try and get one for free!

There are some really easy ways of getting yourself into the mix, just check out their website and enter in your name!

Who says iPhone users can have all the fun??! There’s a pretty cool iPhone app that grabs podcasts from 93.3 WMMR here in Philly and allows for playback and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. I think this might be one of my new fun projects I’ll start working on towards the end of the month. Who knows? Maybe I’ll get some airtime on Preston and Steve for this! Gadzooks!!

What sort of things would you like to see in the next few months? Here are a few ideas I’ve seen so far:

• Chemistry application (useful for highschool/college kids, perhaps?).
• Blockbuster.com application (to rival Netflix).
• Mint.com application.
• Box.net application.
• TV/DVR scheduler.

What other things would be useful to have running on Android?

There have certainly been a lot of buzz generated around the iTunes Store business model when it comes to software for the iPhone/iPod Touch, and it will inevitably hit the Android Marketplace sometime this month. The question  is, what will be the response to paid applications in the Android Market, and how will developers react to these responses?

As a developer, I think it has been nice to have a little bit of time to look into what has gone on with applications in the iTunes Store. Let’s take a look:

Taken from www.edibleapple.com

A vast majority of the paid applications are 99 cents. Enter the term “ringtone apps”. This term was really popularized by Craig Hockenberry, a developer for Iconfactory. His (and others) opinions for paid apps is that it just really doesn’t make the apps platform any richer, but rather pollutes the store with crap-ware. I tend to agree with him. For companies who specifically design software for the iPhone/Android, they need that additional revenue earned to be able to pay other programmers, designers, advertising costs, etc. to be able to complete a project. With pricing their app at, say, 2.99 or higher, they may not break even, even though that should be what the software is worth. Instead, they have to drop their price down to the 99 cent range in order to get the optimal amount of sales, and hopefully, make some profit.

On the other hand, there are individual developers, such as myself. I do the design, I do the labor, I do the promotion, and I may choose to sell the application for 99 cents. I have less overhead than say, a 6 man development team, but I may stand to gain more in the long run just because I did everything myself.

It’s a tough topic for me, and possibly for others, because I can see on both sides of the fence. Personally, I would pay 3.99 or 4.99 for a well designed, purposeful application that I’d use often, but I’d also likely purchase 99 cent applications more frequently because, well, its 99 cents.. am I really going to miss it if I don’t like it?

I had a brief discussion with Wes Wadsworth, author of the Force Ring Android app. In one of his previous releases of Force Ring, he did not previously mention that he changed the application from freeware to trialware, and a $3 charge was being asked for to use the ‘full’ version. As I scrolled through the comments for his app, I noticed he was making a lot of people quite upset, thus dropping his review down to 3.5 stars or lower. Perhaps he was just anxious to be rewarded for his efforts, and hastily set a price on a previously free version. I can’t say I blame him, developing any software by yourself can be time consuming, but there’s something to be learned here: Do your best to make your customers happy. Some will moan about having to pay for an application, but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to charge for your work. Just make sure it is good enough to put your name on, and be proud of at the end of the day.

So, for all of you Android developers, kindly investigate the statistics surrounding the iTunes app store, and make the decision that’s right for you regarding your application’s business model.

Happy New Year to everyone! 2009 looks to be a great year for Google’s Android. Here are some of the things we can look forward to in the very near future:

• International expansion of the Android Market.
• Priced applications in the Android Market.
• Further development and deployment of the “cupcake” release of Android.
• Possible Android netbooks going mainstream.
• Additional handsets to use Android.

All of these are really exciting opportunities for not only end-users, but also for us developers! I’ve been waiting in earnest for the updates to the Android Market, and have been looking forward to having the market expand to many other countries.

One of the new additions I will be really excited to see get released soon is the “cupcake” branch of Android. This release will bring many much needed updates to the current system, as well as add several new features, namely stereo bluetooth support, video capturing and (drumroll, please…) a touchscreen keyboard! Also in this branch will be additional localization support, so the user may be able to choose between different languages. I’ve already begun the process of localizing my existing application, as well as begun to work on localization support for my unreleased applications.

So, it looks as though there are some really awesome things in the pipeline for everyone this year! Look forward to some nice things from myself with the upcoming changes to Android!

The Tip Calculator was my first real experience with writing applications for Android. It’s VERY basic, and has a couple of flaws, but it was a nice gentle introduction into developing with Android. When I submitted my application, there was only one other tip calculator around. Now, I think there’s probably at least a half dozen! It’s one of the easiest concepts to develop, so that’s why myself and others built that first.

As of today, Tip Calculator has over 43,000 installs, with a rating of 4/5 stars, so I guess most folks get on with it alright! Below are some screenshots, as well as a brief description of the application.

What is it?

Tip Calculator is a very basic application to find out a tip value for a group of people. It assumes that a bill is split evenly amongst all diners (this isn’t always practical, I know).

Where is it?

You can find it in the Android Marketplace under ‘Applications > Finance’.

How much is it?

Free. Always was, and always will be.

How about updates?

I have some updates for this application, but I haven’t had time lately to test and deploy them. Look for some cool things around mid-late January 2009!

Screenshots