Database Info

Request to develop basic app: Sobriety/Clean-time counter

Hi,
Not sure if this is the right place to post, but I wondered if there were any developers out there up for creating an app for android. What I am on about is a "Sobriety Counter" type app. The iphone has one it's called "Friends of Bill"
It is basically just a counter, you would type in a date and time and it continues counting from that date.
Would be great to get on on my android phone! and I'm sure loads of other people would be interested in this, as I see a lot of people in na/aa meetings who have the iphone one.
Cheers!
Oli

I might be able to make something after Im done with my next app

I was about to put one together, but then I did a search for Android apps and found this: hxxp://listandroidapps.com/2010/09/06/android-apps/lifestyle-android-apps/12-steps-aa-companion-android-app/
Doesn't it do what you need?

Do you need something THAT specific? There's a Day and Time app that does this sort of thing too..
http://www.appbrain.com/app/daysanddate/com.deskangel.DaysAndDate
You put in a date and can save it and you can see time since/time to.. And it's a great date calculator on the fly, ie: What's the date 50 days from now, etc.

Hi, thanks for the replies. That AA app looks great, but doesnt have a counter on it, and the Daysanddate too, ive installed it, very useful, but what I am talking about is like a constant running counter. This is a screenshot of the iphone one:
hxxp://a1.phobos.apple.com/us/r1000/045/Purple/57/63/f6/mzl.fdnllajk.320x480-75.jpg
Any counter like this would be great, but would be cool if it could say like "This is your clean time: "
Thanks a lot guys!
Oli

Or does anyone know an app that already does just a basic counter. Set a date/time and it continues counting.

First attempt:
It displays a counter and you can reset it.
The sponsor stuff does not work yet, and it's butt-ugly because it's a proof of concept.
Get it from this page (second link): http://nexus.zteo.com/projects/beta/

Thanks so much man!!
Really like the way you've added the sponsor part into it. That is such a great idea. I would definately use that option.
Need to be able to enter date and time from when first got sober, then the counter continuously counting from then. So when you open the app it will say the amount of sober years/months/weeks/days/hours/mins/secs from the original Date/Time entered. Anyway of making the counter visually carry on counting when it's open too?
The oops button you included would be good too! I wont ever have to use it though (fingers crossed!)
Amazing for first attempt man. This really could become something great! I know it will be popular in the recovery community, I know a lot of friends who will use this.

I uploaded a new version.
It looks a bit better and the "Call sponsor" feature should work.
Still not happy with the overall look, especially the layout of the buttons. There is no sense of which ones are more important.
Also: the counter, albeit counting ok, actually can display weird stuff. Hrm.

Cool! Will install it when I get home.
The most important thing is to able to manually enter a time and date, then the counter will continuously count from that time and date. E.g for me I will want to enter 10am 07/07/10, and when the app is open it will display the elapsed time since then.
Is it possible to make the counter carry on counting when the app is open too?
Thanks a lot for this!

OK. Listened, added, skinned.
Please re-download it, have a look at the help, let me know.
Cheers!

Love it!!!!
Looks awesome man! Really really grateful for this!! This is exactly like I was describing! Really this is great though man! Impressed. Now I have the icon on my homescreen it is the quickest way to actually call my sponsor 2 clicks, instead of going to contacts, etc!
Couple of things, I really like the "Token" option, is it possible to select image from gallery as well as take picture?
Also could you put it as "You have been clean and sober for:"
Would it be OK to send the link to this thread to some of my friends online who would be interested in this and could help test it out?

I will add the picture gallery at some point, for sure.
And I will change the text too.
Sure, tell your friends about it; it's free and I will soon upload it to the android market.

I can put it on the market for ya if you want so it can receive updates and such. Also would benefit other users. PM me if you want!

Captainkrtek, thanks for your offer. I already have a market account though so it took me only a few moments to upload it (90% of that spent lamenting Google's new requirement for a 512x512 "icon"!)
For anyone interested, the latest version is now available on the market. Look for "Sobriety counter."

This should be on the newsfeed! Awesome app!

Thanks
So, here is the QR code for the app:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

Widgets
Coming very soon (need to run regression testing and that's it): Widgets.
As discreet -- or not -- as you want them to be. I'm thinking three different widgets:

Hi, I have found a slight bug, thought I would report it. If you open the App and then exit it just using the back button, then when you open the app again the time hasn't continued counting. It has paused during the time when the app was closed (running in the background). The only way to sort it out at the moment is to use Taskiller, then when you open it again it is working normally. So if you could possibly fix it so that it carries on counting when the app is closed and running in the background.
Widgets sound great, again a great development!
I have shown a few people this app now and spreading the word, a lot of people want it on their phones. My friend has actually decided to upgrade her phone to an android phone simply so she can have this app!! Cleantime is a very important thing to people in recovery, so this app is brilliant!

Good catch.
I just updated the market app. with a fix for this.

[REQ] graphical google analytics app - the better version

I've been using google analytics for a little while now and grown to like the way information is laid out for the desktop browser version. Then I looked on the market and found some apps that give you basic information from your account.
But they left me a bit wanting. I was hoping for something more informative, easy and fast to read and remember.
Now as I'm programming illiterate I can only speak for usability and general feel of the app, while appreciating and giving credit to the people putting their time, talent and effort into writing them. The following is not a criticism, it is a proposal for improvement.
So I tried to make something better. Thought about why the desktop version works so well for me and sought out ways to include as much of it onto a small screen. So I drafted my idea of an interface and interaction plus an explanation on how I see it working.
I've done this with a 480 width so that anyone with a 480x800 screen can see how it would look with a bit of zooming 1:1
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
As you can see, I've done things a bit differently. Starting with choosing the account and profile, everything is on one page. No more 2-3-4 taps before you get what info you need. This should work by setting one account and one profile as default in the settings. Also integrated graphical representations with a bit of interaction to help with bringing a lot of info onto a small screen.
Also chose the areas that I think would be of most interest. This might not be true for everyone so i'm open for suggestions.
Now, I have some questions.
1. Is this technically feasible?
For one, the apps on the market I've tried so far take a few seconds to return 20-30 lines of text. (my device is a htc desire) How much time wold it take to download and process all this behemoth of data? If too much, could the interface be loaded sequentially by section?
2. What are the hardware platforms that this app could work on with decent performance?
Hero class? Snapdragon?
So I'm looking for someone that is interested in either:
- coding the app from the ground up
- or improving (at least i'm hoping this is an improvement ) his/her existing app with all this
I'm also looking for some feedback of existing analytics apps users.
I would help in any way my programmingly crippled self could. I can also do all the things I've done with Timester: concept, graphics, promotion.
Here is the thread for Timester: Timester development thread

Could someone with experience tell if this is possible?
Thank you

Hello zamolxees,
thanks for the idea. Of course this would be possible to realise. While implementing my app GAnalyticz I had several problems and questions you also have:
How to display the big list of data on the small screen?
How to make the app as fast as possible?
What is the best user experience?
...
I decided to make only a text based view (table). I this case you can show the data on every device with any resolution and you have all information you need. I know it's not so fancy, but it is/was ok for a first version (I think ).
Second important part was the app performance. Google hasn't a library ready and there aren't any good libraries available, so I had to call the Google API on my own. You can get the data in xml via http request. Just combine the metrics & dimensions available in querystring.
So getting the data is very easy. The easiest way to get all the needed data is to make one http request. But then you have to sort and filter the xml which needs a lot of performance. This made my app unuseable. Because of this I decided to make multiple requests. In this case I can just parse the xml and output the data while iterating through it. This is much faster (the fastest way I found, I've tried a lot...). But as you say it is also slow this way...This is because the response from the Google service is really really slow...
So far about my app. Technical it is easy to implement (I think the graphical stuff is the hardest part, but there are libraries for this). The challenge is to find the perfect way to show the data on the device (and to get a good performance for this). You could also load the data sequentially (as I also did).
In my opinion, the hardware is not a problem. This should run on every device.
Actually I don't have enough time to implement this or improve my app (because of another app ). But I hope you will find another developer and looking forward to download this app
Many greets,
aquasonic

Hey, thank you for your detailed input.
I think that one way to help with slow response time from google servers might be to make the requests for data in the background at set intervals (6 or 12 hours) and when the app is opened do the processing of data already received.
The user could clearly see the hour of the last sync and also choose to refresh if they wanted to.
Isn't there a more elegant solution to getting analytics data from google?
Thanks again aqua-sonic, good luck on the other app, let us know how it turns out

Anyone else wanting to take a stab at it?
I'm thinking that as there are a lot of people using analytics apps now, all the more would want to use this.
Any existing users would care to express their opinion?
Would this interface mean an improvement that is worth investing time and effort into?
Would you like to see this done?
Know any good good developers willing to write the code?
Enough questions.

Live Watches (SE LiveView)

EDIT, 05/15/11:
Note: You will only care about this app. if you own a Sony Ericsson LiveWatch device!
v1.2
* Now with several more, aesthetically pleasing watch faces and hands
* Upload your own png file as /sdcard/livewatch.png (girlfriend picture, pet, etc.) -- Beware! The LiveView device is very picky with encoding, color set, etc.
* Flashligt! (Why not?) Click the select button, then touch the top border.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
EDIT, 04/27/11:
Make sure you download it from the market:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.voilaweb.mobile.liveview.livewatches
***
I am going to talk about a plug-in I wrote for the Sony Ericsson LiveView.
However, if you guys wish to discuss development for that device or how to make it work better, this is also welcome because it is both intriguing and under-represented (and a bit maddening at times)
Anyway, I was flabbergasted when I realized that there isn't any straightforward "watch" plug-in for the LiveView so in a couple hours I figured out how to use the SDK and created one.
I am not releasing it yet and I will only make it available it there is interest for it and I get the appropriate permissions from the people whose art I have used for this proof of concept app.
By the way, more face and hands art would be welcome!
A few (terrible) screenshots:

My LiveView was sent from the website i ordered it from, today=) I would really such an addon=)
And i can make you some artwork if i get something to work with=)

Oh, that's good.
I hope it works well for you. The device losing its pairing can be quite aggravating.
On the other hand it is a breeze to develop for; actually simpler than writing a home screen widget.

A friend of mine got it last week and said that he had lost his pairing once since he got it set up.
To me no development is a breeze i know squat about programing
But as said i would love to make you some graphics you could use so that you can release this=)

^^
I just received a sms from my post office that my LiveView had arrived
and here are a little graphic preview of some artwork you might use(?) It shows the whole thing, background, minute hand and hour hand=)
I really think you should release this addon

Ha! I like it a lot, in fact.
Can you post it as three files as described at http://www.voilaweb.com/lv_faq#createtheme?
Oh, and I updated the OP with a link to the beta apk

Will do, Just have to make some minor changes as the big and short hand are the same. and also added some indicators on the clock face.
Edit: Also, will you support this addon? i mean like bugs and stuff?

I guess, I will have to, yes

So, anyone go any feedback for me?

hey man.
i just installed your app from market and it's looking great.
i guess you can make a clock with digits or maybe a digital one.
it still disconnects but at least i have a watch
one other thing maybe you can ad an always on screen option

MrJay, first off, thanks for your feedback
The "always on" option would be nice but I invite you to think about this some more...say until your device dies on you because its damn battery is already too weak for the plug-in's current version
EDIT: OK I really don't want to sound negative. The device is really nice. I just wish it had better connectivity and battery life.
In fact, the tricks I read on how to force it to reconnect using AutomateIt, etc., end up sucking battery life like crazy.

The only thing i have to say about this addon, is that its a bit slow to update when i wake the screen. might take a sec before the clock shows the correct time.
Other than that, i love it

Thanks Marius.
Yes, I know about the 1 sec. delay it's due to sending as few updates to the device as possible, to improve battery life.
But maybe I could slightly alter this behavior for a "wake up" event.
BTW, I hope you guys are using the version from the market! It's free, but more likely to get updates than the one on my blog.

cyansmoker said:
EDIT: OK I really don't want to sound negative. The device is really nice. I just wish it had better connectivity and battery life.
In fact, the tricks I read on how to force it to reconnect using AutomateIt, etc., end up sucking battery life like crazy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i stopped using automateit. it didn't do that much and yes you're right about the crappy battery life .
anyway keep up the good job. it's a nice to have application.

I ordered one of these devices today after seeing this post, fantastic plugin! this is perfect for when I'm at work, seeing as I work outside and don't have time to check my phone for any updates, much less the time. Thanks and keep up the great work!

Where can I order this I'm interested I live in California if that makes a difference

Well, Spitfire, so do I. I ordered from these guys: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004E2V4NM and it was shipped from Florida.

Have you updated this with any new themes?
Ive been away over the easter and haven checked in here for about 2 weeks. also i've been flashing a lot of ROMs lately so havent gotten to hook up my liveview yet. Will look in to it today th0=)

Can someone make a theme like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib9GTkImEwQ&feature=player_embedded#at=20
(watch the video it has a bunch of different themes as well)

Droidish said:
Can someone make a theme like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib9GTkImEwQ&feature=player_embedded#at=20
(watch the video it has a bunch of different themes as well)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome design. I fear that the LiveView's limited resolution will not be able to display something this complex, though. Not even something as good-looking as a TikTok

Task'd - The Premiere To-Do List For Android™

Task'd is the premiere task manager and to-do list app for Android™ devices. It was designed with the user in mind to be beautiful, functional, and simple. The goal is to help you, the user, better manage your priorities and schedule.
The user interface is intuitive, with clearly marked and recognizable icons. Everything is right at your fingers, not hidden inside some obscure menu or tab. Editing a task is as simple as clicking it in the main list. Want to delete a task? Just long-press it and click delete.
Each task you create must have a name and a priority. Optionally, it can also have a due date and a description containing more details.
You can sort your tasks by priority (default), due date, order added, and alphabetically. You can also change the date format if you use a different standard than the default MM-DD-YYYY.
The full version of Task'd also includes a 4x1 homescreen widget that allows you to see all your tasks, or create a new one.
The free version will always remain one update behind the full version. Currently, it is only lacking the widget. Once the full version receives an update, the free version will get the widget, but not the new features. Bug fixes will still be rolled out as necessary.
Of course, the obligatory screenshots are attached at the end of the post. As for the QR codes with Market links:
Task'd Free:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Task'd
If you'd like to contact me about any issues or comments you may have, or would like to translate Task'd into your native language, then please email me at [email protected] or tweet me @Geniusdog254!
Android is a trademark of Google Inc.

Does it sync with google tasks?

Currently no, however sync with Google Tasks and proper Honeycomb support are the next two things on my list.

Really liking the look of this, am constantly on the lookout for a nicer task manager.
I love the simplistic approach and UI. One suggestion might be an option to turn off the custom font? It is pretty funky but a little overwhelming on the eyes when used everywhere..
Also like your idea of keeping the free version one behind the paid, an approach I haven't seen before Looking forward to see what the widget it like, if Im still using this in a couple of days will definitely get the pro version. Cheers!

brk3 said:
Really liking the look of this, am constantly on the lookout for a nicer task manager.
I love the simplistic approach and UI. One suggestion might be an option to turn off the custom font? It is pretty funky but a little overwhelming on the eyes when used everywhere..
Also like your idea of keeping the free version one behind the paid, an approach I haven't seen before Looking forward to see what the widget it like, if Im still using this in a couple of days will definitely get the pro version. Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the feedback! I'll definitely add in an option for the custom font. I can't get rid of it everywhere (specifically the buttons) but the option will let you ditch it in the task list and the edit/create screen.
I believe I've only seen the free behind paid model one or two other times, and I really liked it. It lets users see what they're getting in its entirety, yet still give them an incentive to upgrade.

Is there a way to sync between two users? Like myself and my girlfriend are looking for a syncing task list so we can put to-dos for each other without any manual effort.

algorhythm said:
Is there a way to sync between two users? Like myself and my girlfriend are looking for a syncing task list so we can put to-dos for each other without any manual effort.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you set up Google Tasks sync with the same email account in the app, then they'll sync between devices. You don't need to use the same Google account on the phone itself, or on other devices, only when you set up sync in Task'd. I'll be sure to update this post once I get it updated.

[Q] Riddle me this.

Hi, does anyone know why the ANDROID system menus are not listed alphabetically? They seem to be listed in some indiscernible order, at least in English. I feel it would be logical and more user friendly if the order was alphabetical. Any ideas, thoughts?
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Thanks. Anil
PS. I'm running CM7 on a O2X with an ICS theme.

They're roughly ordered into categories, although the more used options tend to be closer to the top (WIFI settings have the possibility to be accessed as part of regular usage, other menus are accessed less frequently)

Kagadar said:
They're roughly ordered into categories, although the more used options tend to be closer to the top (WIFI settings have the possibility to be accessed as part of regular usage, other menus are accessed less frequently)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Kagadar, categories? Most frequently used?
I for one have a Wi-Fi widget, which means that option can be accessed from one of my home screens. When I do pay a visit to the system menu's, it seems a bit chaotic, especially for new users. And don't user patterns differ greatly?
Most OS' use an alphabetical listing, which is logical. Thanks for your reply. I wish there was an option to list alphabetically.
Anil

Yeah, I would have to goto usability/ease of use. Top 4 options in ics i use many more times than other options

While I agree that it is chaotic at first, not everyone uses a wifi widget (I simply don't have the screen real estate for something as infrequently used as that). If I need to enter settings, 9/10 times it is to access bluetooth or wifi settings. Those are right on the top simply because they're the most common reason to be in the settings menu.
A lot of the other settings are things that only need a one time configuration based on the users preferences. Applications is another commonly used one, but its redundant since there is a link from the launcher context menu directly to the applications page.

Kagadar said:
While I agree that it is chaotic at first, not everyone uses a wifi widget (I simply don't have the screen real estate for something as infrequently used as that). If I need to enter settings, 9/10 times it is to access bluetooth or wifi settings. Those are right on the top simply because they're the most common reason to be in the settings menu.
A lot of the other settings are things that only need a one time configuration based on the users preferences. Applications is another commonly used one, but its redundant since there is a link from the launcher context menu directly to the applications page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Kagadar, interesting points. I have never used Bluetooth, LOL. And your right once most settings are normally visited once and then set, there isn't much need to go back. I have a Wi-Fi widget simply to turn Wi-Fi off so I can switch to 3G when my home internet connection has a lot of traffic.
I think the most 'logical' order would alphabetical. But the coolest order would be sorted in order of times used. The options you rarely use move down, and the ones you use often move to the top. That is how technology should work, for us, not the other way around.
Thanks for your sharing your opinion, very enlightening. Anil

toast333 said:
Yeah, I would have to goto usability/ease of use. Top 4 options in ics i use many more times than other options
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi toast333, ease of use is always the best option. But ALL users have different usage patterns. So you may please a lot of users, some users will be s**t out of luck.
But my question is from a UI designers point of view. I know new users know their alphabet, a, b, c, d... So having to learn where settings are, can be less frustrating if they follow an order they already understand.
I do see your point, you are by your comment, an experienced user? I wonder how new users would find this layout? I cut my UI teeth on a Mac, a platform which has a lot of consistency and predictable logic. Simply because a user shouldn't have to re-learn certain fundamentals. Key commands are the same throughout and rarely/never change from app to app.
It makes the user experience less frustrating.
Thanks for your opinion. Anil

Apple probably have a Patent on listing Menus alphabetically!

DirkGently said:
Apple probably have a Patent on listing Menus alphabetically!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually Apple, don't list menu items alphabetically.
Thanks for your informed comment. Anil

Not only did you miss the point but you failed to realise that it even existed!
Do you think that every patent Apple owns is IP that is included in it's own software? That's not how it works!

DirkGently said:
Not only did you miss the point but you failed to realise that it even existed!
Do you think that every patent Apple owns is IP that is included in it's own software? That's not how it works!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, if it makes you feel better, feel smug.
Nothing like ignorance without the bliss.
Greetings from sunny Italy. Anil
And one more because it's a Friday