To recap, here are the features for version 1.2:

• 1.6/2.0/2.0.1 support.
• Auto calculation and re-calculation.
• Reset/Quit via menu.
• Localized for German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Swedish.
• Basic tip calculation (Bill and tip split equally).
• Advanced tip calculation (Bill and tip calculated individually for up to 5 individuals).
• Custom tip percentage.
• Multiple screen density support (QVGA/HVGA/WVGA/WQVGA).

In addition to the free 1.2 release, I have also released a paid 1.0 release. The paid version is $0.99, and it has all of the features of the free version. The paid version is only for those who would like to donate and say thanks. If you decide to purchase my Tip Calculator, the money will go towards development costs for current and future applications that I develop. These development costs are things like improved application graphics and translation costs. Thus far all expenses have been out of my pocket. If you choose to donate, it will definitely go a long way to help keep me developing future applications!

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

In a little more than 1 year’s time, my application has been installed by over 350,000 Android users! I certainly did not expect such a high number, but I am most certainly thankful! This has encouraged me to continue developing applications for the Android platform, and I am getting close to releasing a couple more applications for the Android Market!

In the next week or two, I will be releasing version 1.2 of my Tip Calculator. This update will further solidify my standings in the Android Market, as well as make my application the be-all and end-all to tip calculators. I have been listening attentively to my users’ comments, and this new release will make a lot of folks happy!

Thank you all very much for your support and comments! Below is a QR code to navigate to my Tip Calculator in the Android Market, and below are just some screenshots of the application and the Market listing!

Update – 2009-12-19: I noticed this morning that my Tip Calculator is back at the number two position in the Finance category. Bank of America and I must be neck and neck… Well, at least I have screenshots to prove!

1.1 Changes:

- Donut friendly!
- Auto Calculates tip amounts
- Brought back landscape orientation
- Menu option to reset/exit
- Localized in the following languages: German, Swedish, Dutch, Polish, English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Russian

Enjoy!

German: Sabine Weiten
Dutch: Bieneke Berendsen
Italian: Meri Zeri
Swedish: Anders Loefgren
Portuguese: Sara Silva
Spanish: Rodolfo Castro
Russian: Dmitry Ivakin

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!

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.

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.

• 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?