Related
I grabbed the most recent version of the API that's been floating around for hooking into the HTC grav sensor and created a little etch-a-sketch style program using a tweaked version of it. I was hoping to get a little feedback on the changes I made and how I'm using it in this application.
I tried to fully explain what I did in a blog post I made about it, but have also linked to the source files (VS 2008) and the exe/dll for the phone if anyone's willing to take a look at it in any of the mediums and give me some feedback on the way I went with it.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions / feedback you can provide.
Blog Post Explaining it all
Link to the Source Code
Link to the exe/dll to run on the phone
Went ahead and added an installer (CAB version) to make it easier for anyone willing to help
Tilt Draw Installer (CAB)
Any comments, criticisms or suggestions at all?
I can't draw with a pen and paper, but....
Some thoughts:
Perhaps add a pen-up / pen-down feature. I did notice that you can tap on the screen even if tilt is enabled to reposition the cursor, however maybe link it to a hard button so you can do this without touching the screen? Make the cursor flash or something while in pen-up mode.
Another thing that would be cool is when the tilt is enabled, perhaps have an overlay or small area that would have a "direction/speed" indicator - this would give the user an idea of how far they have the screen tilted etc. Doesn't have to be large at all, in fact. Maybe a little picture of two moving etch-a-sketch knobs
Would there be a way to "flash" where the cursor is at? For instance, if I draw with the color red - and I draw into an existing set of pixels that are red, I can lose track of the cursor. Perhaps outline the edge of the painting cursor with the cursor's complimentary color so it will show up even if you're drawing over other colors.
Also, you can draw off the bottom of the screen (in my limited testing.) The cursor keeps drawing in the direction you're tilting, but the menu at the bottom obscures the painting. Perhaps limit the drawing screen to the visible canvas?
Other than these suggestions, this app uses the input well - I could generally move the fuze and have the drawing accurately reflect using the g-sensor. Very nice!
Groovy, thank you for the feedback, I'll see about incorporating it in.
It's good to hear that the response from the tilt sensor seems to be alright, I was concerned that the changes I made to it may have made it feel ..."off"
Hello, all.
I've got a confession to make: I like apps. A lot. To an unhealthy degree. I've got a huge stash of apps on my phone, and an even larger collection of .apk backups waiting to be reloaded whenever I feel like it. I love finding new apps to try out, and deciding which ones are worthy to be added to my collection. A lot of the apps that I find and want to try out are paid apps; without finding many thorough reviews on them, I don't know whether they are worth my money - but I can't stand the thought of missing out on the Next Big Thing. And so I buy them, download them, install them, and test them out anyway. If it's an awesome app and well-worth the money, I tell my friends. If it is money that could be better spent on another app that I've tried before, I tell my friends that, too.
Unfortunately, not all of my friends are interested in my opinion on apps. They only listen to me because of my rugged good looks (my theory). This makes me sad, because I spend a lot of time (and money, in some cases) trying apps out - someone else needs to benefit from that time (and money) as well. Until someone decides to pay/reimburse me for all the apps that I evaluate, the next-best thing I can do is offer up reviews to the community of any apps that I have found particularly useful. This is the driving force behind my desire to make this thread.
I will be running down my list of currently-installed useful applications and entertaining games. I will include screen shots, AppBrain links, and as much detail as I can muster up. My hope is that the rest of the community may find some benefit from these reviews - and who knows, maybe you'll find a kick-ass app you'd never heard of.
I'm open to questions, ideas, requests, suggestions, and pretty much any other type of communication or input that could be provided. I only ask that you be respectful - both of me, and of the app developers. And if this list helps you find a neat paid app to try out, please do support the developer(s). Piracy is bad, mmmmkay?
Enjoy!
-codesplice
Credit where credit is due: All screenshots are made using the free ShootMe app.
NOTE: Now that the Android Market has a shnazzy new web interface, I'm going to change the primary links for apps to reflect this. I will add the AppBrain links as a secondary, and hope to add direct market links at some point once I find a site to reliably provide this information. Stay tuned!
Reviews:
Minimalistic Text (Widget)
Clutch Pad(Multitasking App) UPDATED 2/24/11
CircleLauncher (Widget)
Swipe Pad (Multitasking App)
Keyboard Manager (App) UPDATED 2/23/11
Shift Puzzle Game (Game)
ElecroDroid (App)
Hella Umbrella (Game)
Digital Wall (LWP)
Shortyz Crosswords (App)
Elixir (System Info App)
Google Authenticator (App)
Zeam (Launcher)
Lookout / WaveSecure (Mobile Security App double-feature)
If you don't want to subscribe to this thread, you can follow me on that twitting thing, as I will post updates about new reviews there.
Minimalistic Text (widget)
App Name: Minimalistic Text (v.2.1.3, @AppBrain)
Developer: Devmil
Price: FREE
There is quite a handful of text-based widgets available on the Market, and a lot of them are very nice. There are widgets for displaying the time as text, the weather as text, the battery level as text.... but this is one widget that does it all. Just about every aspect of the widget is configurable, from the text alignment and rotation to the font size and colors to even the format for different types of data. You've got several options for the display type, whether you want to use digits or words or even a bar (for days of the week or percentage of battery charge). There is also an optional "blur" text effect which works wonderfully for making accented text appear to be illuminated. To top things off, this widget also functions as a plugin for Locale or Tasker and can be used to display variables from either of those applications. For instance, if you want a small text-widget to display what Locale/Tasker profiles are currently active, this is your answer for a very configurable solution.
For each widget you are also able to define an action to perform when tapped - whether it is launching another activity (my clock widget launches my alarm clock), opening the widget preferences page, or even reading out the text currently displayed on the widget. You are also able to save and restore your widget settings, so don't be afraid to experiment.
Given the sheer amount of customizations available to you with this widget app, the configuration menu may be a little bit overwhelming and complex when you first get into it. Play around for a few minutes, and you're bound to get the hang of it.
This is a fabulous widget, and one that I highly recommend to anyone who will take the time to tinker with it.
Verdict: A highly-configurable text-based widget to display pretty much anything you want, especially with Tasker integration.
Screenshots:
1) Widget(s) in action. I should note there are three separate widgets displayed: Time / weather up top, day / date on the bottom, and a battery level bar on the right-hand side.
2) Preferences Manager for all widgets
3) Text Style menu
4-5) Custom Layout configurator
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Clutch Pad[APP]
App Name: Clutch Pad (v.1.3v.1.4.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: stevealbright
Price: $0.99 $1.99
Clutch is an application that seeks to optimize and streamline the way you multitask on Android. It is currently in beta status, but is very functional in its current state. It is a powerful supplement to the built-in Recent Apps feature.
Clutch manifests itself as a small semi-transparent "trigger" area, which functions similar to "hot corners" on a Mac (I think. I'm a Linux/PC guy). This small region rides at the very top layer of the Android interface (in a user-configurable position) and is accessible no matter what application you may be working in. You can tap this region to instantly bring up a small grid displaying your recently-accessed applications. You can customize how many apps you want to be visible, configure the application to ignore your Home (Launcher) app in its list, and to visually distinguish currently-running applications from terminated apps. This makes it very easy to quickly determine if that app you just exited is still running or if it has been shut down as it should, as well as providing a quick (and lightweight) task switcher.
Nice, but nothing terribly fantastic. Yet. Clutch also has configurable swipe gestures - the most useful (to me) of which is a Last Task functionality. For instance, if I Swipe Up from the Clutch region, I instantly switch to whatever my previous app was. If I swipe again, I am moved back to the app I just switched from. This functions similarly to just pressing ALT+TAB quickly, and is very useful for quickly jumping between two apps.
This little utility is quick and lightweight, and I have found it to be extremely useful. It is still in development, and has many more features planned (and a price increase to accompany them - so get it quickly!) including support for additional gestures (open/close notifications, for example), on-click task control (press-and-hold to kill, for example), and configurable transition animations.
If you've got a dollar to spend, you would do well to add this application to your device in its current state, and I can only imagine the app's versatility and usefulness will increase with the further planned updates.
Update (2/24/11): Clutch Pad has recently been updated to version 1.4. With this update, the application has dropped the "Beta" tag, gained an additional "Pad" in its name, and has added additional features and configurable options. At the same time, the price has also been increased to $1.99. New features include additional swipe gestures, configurable transition animations (that are quite pretty), the option to toggle the trigger button via a press-and-hold on the Search hardware key, and a Favorites option to quickly launch your favorite apps. Options have also been added for additional visual tweaks and adjustments of both the trigger icon and the popup lists, and all known bugs have been fixed. With each incremental update, this app gets more and more useful and I find myself relying upon it more all the time. Even at the increased price, this is still one of my must-have applications.
Verdict: An innovative way to access recent apps, and the Last App gesture functionality is every bit as useful as Alt-Tabbing between apps on your desktop.
Screenshots:
1) Trigger icon
2) Recent apps list
3-5) Settings pages
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
CircleLauncher (widget)
App Name: CircleLauncher (v.1.5.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: db-ware
Price: ~$1.37 (free, limited version here or @AppBrain)
As mentioned previously, I have a lot of apps. One of the problem with having a lot of apps is running out of room on your homescreens for app shortcuts. There are various widgets out there that propose a variety of solutions to this problem, but they often leave you with tiny, almost unusable icons. This would have been fine in the days where the trackball reigned supreme, but this is the oh-tens. It has to be finger-friendly.
One true solution that I stumbled across the other day is called CircleLauncher. What it does is really very simple, but it does it very well. It allows you to create a single widget to group similar applications together (I've used location-themed apps and clock-based apps in my example). Tape the 1x1 widget, and a lightweight menu appears to launch your apps. Pretty standard, but this menu is laid out (by default - you can change this in the settings) in a ring around the icon. As you slide your finger or thumb around the ring, the currently selected application icon grows to make selection a bit easier.
Note that CircleLauncher includes other layout types (configurable from the widget's config menu, which you access by selecting the widget and then press-and-holding the center) including horizontal and vertical lines. I was also very pleased with the way that the widget's application menu adapts to its position on the screen - stick it in a corner, and your full selection of apps will be displayed within a 90-degree pie slice.
Obviously, a menu such as this is a bit limited to a relatively low number of apps (more than 9 or 10 and the ring will be just too cluttered to be functional), but if you need to have quick access to just a few more apps from your homescreen, this should do the trick. Since there is a free version available, why not give it a shot and see if this widget can help you to organize your home screen a bit?
Verdict: An easy way to combine several app shortcuts into one.
Screenshots:
1) Plain widgets (labeled GPS and Time) - you can dress them up a bit more if you are artistically inclined.
2) One widget opened showing the full selection ring.
3) The corner widget open showing the adaptation to the position.
4) One icon expanded while my finger hovers over it.
5) Settings menu
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Keep going mate
gruzman said:
Keep going mate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I surely intend to! Just have to figure out which app to post next
Thanks for the encouragement though. It is appreciated to know at least someone is reading over all this mess!
SwipePad Beta [APP]
App Name: SwipePad Beta (v.0.7.5, @AppBrain)
Developer: Conduction.mobi
Price: FREE
Keeping on the theme of "apps to help you access your apps", we come to SwipePad Beta. Similar in some regard to Clutch, this app also gives you "hot corner" functionality. Use the settings menu to establish what corners (or regions) you want to be active, and then slide your finger from a specified region to the center of the screen. Hold it for just a moment, and a 3x4 grid of application shortcuts magically appears. You can, of course, fully customize what applications should appear on this grid by simply pressing your finger on an empty square or by holding your finger over an existing icon until it is highlighted. The hot corners/region and swipe gesture should work pretty much any time that the screen is unlocked, and is a great way of quickly launching a new app without returning to your home screen.
The application offers to integrate task managing application by the same developer (which is a paid app) that I haven't tried out yet. Personally, I've got plenty of other ways of killing apps at this point - particularly once the function gets built into Clutch.
SwipePad is very nicely polished and quite responsive. It does what it does quite well. My only issue with it is that I just don't use it very frequently. I almost forget that it is there; I must be thoroughly conditioned to launching apps from the home screen. It's free, though, so give it a whirl and see if it can further help to optimize the way you launch apps from within other apps
Verdict: Clever use of hot-corners to gain quick access to up to 12 user-defined apps; non-intrusive to the point that you might forget to use it.
Screenshots:
1) SwipePad in action. Note that putting a link to SwipePad on your SwipePad gives you a quick way to access the settings screens.
2) SwipePad settings, with the hot corners highlighted in red at the bottom.
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
is there a video demonstrating the use of Clutch? I want to watch it before paying for it.
Deff fav'ing this. Am looking forward to all reviews
(*is thinking about getting clutch)
Epic is as Epic does
Nice! Thanks bro!
waichung said:
is there a video demonstrating the use of Clutch? I want to watch it before paying for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I imagine there should be a video somewhere on the youtubes. Let me know if you find one and I will add it to the post. I'm about to go into work so it will be another 12 hours before I have access to the full internet, but I will look then if you haven't found anything.
Very good! Thanks
Keyboard Manager [APP]
App Name: Keyboard Manager (v.1.1) Keyboard Manager (v.1.4)
Developer: ne0fhyk
Price: FREE $1.99
NOTE: This app requires root!!
It took me quite a while, but I finally weened myself away from requiring a physical keyboard on a mobile device when I got my NexusOne. With the multitude and variety of available software keyboards available for Android, I haven't really missed the physical keys. The only annoyance at this point is that I find keyboards that work great for one-handed operation in portrait orientation, like Swype or 8pen (if you're in the mood for adventure and don't really care how long it takes to get a message completed ), but are next-to-worthless for dual-thumb landscape input. With a physical keyboard, you'd just slide that bad boy out and away you go. For those of us with only a touchscreen and maybe a few additional buttons, it can be a bit of a chore to manually change the selected input method each time we rotate the device. If only there was a way for the device to read my mind and select the appropriate keyboard.....
As luck would have it, XDA member ne0fhyk has provided us with a solution to this difficulty, in the form of his Keyboard Manager application. Simply select what keyboard you want to use in each orientation (I use Swype for portrait and SwiftKey for landscape), and the app will handle the tedious business of choosing the appropriate input method. It's that easy, and it works.
Mostly. The app is a bit of a hacked solution, and requires root permissions to be able to get around the Android security feature which prevents applications from changing the input method. Installation is not always straight-forward (instructions are available in the first post of the application thread, and it may cause a few software keyboards to force-close if you change orientation while the keyboard is displayed. The current version (1.1) has come a long way from the previous releases in terms of usability, stability, and reliability, and I haven't had any major issues with it. I highly recommend that you give this application a shot and see if it will help you out with your input needs.
Update (2/23/11): Keyboard Manager is no longer available for free, but is now installable from the Android Market. The now-current 1.4 version has fixed most of the install issues and should be a very easy set-up for you. If you run into any issues with the purchased version, please contact the developer - he helped me solve issues specific to my device, and the application works like a charm now.
Verdict: A functional hack to auto-select the appropriate software keyboard based on device orientation.
Screenshots:
1) The optional persistent notification icon. Activating the notification will give you quick access to the Keyboard Manager settings page, and I recommend you leave it enabled until you get things set up the way you want. After that, disable the persistent notification at your own risk (the persistent notification keeps the process in the foreground and prevents Android from terminating it).
2) Settings screen
3) Selecting which keyboard to use
4) Demonstrating that the app has automatically selected Swype for portrait...
5) .... and SwiftKey for landscape.
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Shift Puzzle Game [GAME]
App Name: Shift Puzzle Game (v.1.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: Handmark
Price: $1.99 (Free ad-supported version here or @AppBrain let's you try out 15 levels; full version features 40 additional levels and no ads)
The Shift Puzzle Game is a tasty Android port of the ever-popular SHIFT game by Armor Games, which you can play free in your Flash-enabled browser at the Armor Games website. If you're not familiar with the original (as I wasn't until I found this app just an hour ago), then let me fill you in on the skinny.
Shift is a new take on the classic adventure-puzzle platformer game. Your mission is to get from point A to point B, dodging whatever nasty traps and obstacles may be in your path. The twist is the ability for you to literally shift the game universe upside down. White becomes black, up becomes down, and you find yourself walking on the flip side of the surface you were just standing on. You can (and will) use this clever maneuver repeatedly in order to successfully navigate each challenging level. Not quite tracking? It can be rather tough to explain... Hopefully the screenshots below will help clear it up (or go play the flash version for free here).
This implementation for a touchscreen device is phenomenal. The controls are large and appear on either side of the landscape display - and you don't even need multitouch. Just tap the left arrow to move left, the left-up diagonal to jump left, and the SHIFT button at the top to do that groovy shift thing. The gameplay is engaging, and the levels can be quite challenging (and quite addictive). The game is worth trying out (the free version) solely for experiencing the joy that is puzzle-solving by twisting the fabric of the universe, and you might just get hooked enough to purchase the full version. It would be two bucks well spent.
Verdict: Quickly becoming my latest Android gaming addiction.
Screenshots:
1) Main menu
2) First level
3) First level - SHIFTED!
4) It gets twisted!
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
This is a little off topic but is anyone attempting a Tor app?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
jinsfch said:
This is a little off topic but is anyone attempting a Tor app?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just slightly off topic, but no worries.
A quick search on AppBrain found Orbot: Tor On Android. Impressive, since Android still doesn't have proper proxy support on its own...
Can't find clutch video on youtube...
Btw,i think swipepad is better than it as swyping from the bottom is easier than from the right
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
waichung said:
Can't find clutch video on youtube...
Btw,i think swipepad is better than it as swyping from the bottom is easier than from the right
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked for Clutch videos as well and was disappointed to see that there aren't any. I may try to shoot a video once I get home from the desert in a few weeks (hopefully).
You can change the position of the Clutch region to really any spot on the screen. And I don't really see the two as competing anyway as they have entirely different purposes: Clutch gives you quick access to your recently-executed apps, while SwipePad offers a fixed menu of apps for you to launch.
codesplice said:
I looked for Clutch videos as well and was disappointed to see that there aren't any. I may try to shoot a video once I get home from the desert in a few weeks (hopefully).
You can change the position of the Clutch region to really any spot on the screen. And I don't really see the two as competing anyway as they have entirely different purposes: Clutch gives you quick access to your recently-executed apps, while SwipePad offers a fixed menu of apps for you to launch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The likely alt-tab function of clutch is really fantastic but does it show the recently-executed apps or the running apps? I use swipepad together with the virtual task switcher which allows switching among the running tasks. These 2 apps are completely free and no need to paid $1 for the "swipepad: tasks". But I prefer quick accessing recent tasks to showing those apps running at the background.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
waichung said:
The likely alt-tab function of clutch is really fantastic but does it show the recently-executed apps or the running apps? I use swipepad together with the virtual task switcher which allows switching among the running tasks. These 2 apps are completely free and no need to paid $1 for the "swipepad: tasks". But I prefer quick accessing recent tasks to showing those apps running at the background.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The set {recently-executed} apps includes the subset {running apps}. The default behavior of Android is to show all recently-executed apps under the Recent Apps functionality, regardless of whether those apps are still running or have been terminated. I thought that Visual Task Switcher behaved the same way, but based on the application page it does appear to only display currently-running apps. Personally, I prefer to see recent apps (with a visual distinction between those that are still running and those that have been terminated), as I often end up re-launching the same app over and over; of course, you could also just pin a shortcut to those frequent apps to SwipePad. We all operate our devices in different ways, so either option is of course valid.
Visual Task Switcher (at least the last time that I used it) tended to make my phone lag significantly for whatever reason; I did use it for quite some time though, and was pleased with its functionality as a complete Recent Apps replacement (after configuring the long-press home trigger to launch it via CyanogenMod settings). Also note that the free version includes ads (which may contribute to the lag I was experiencing?) while the full version will set you back $1.99.
NOTE: This App is ROOT required
First time on Android device. This App allows you to send pinch to zoom in/out event on any window with JUST ONE FINGER. So when you are only one hand free, and want to zoom in a web page, Assistive Zoom can help you big time. Just hold on the floating zoom button of Assistive Zoom and move up/down to control the scale factor. This App works in any pinch to zoom enabled window or App.
Since this is my first release and due the the fragmentation of Android system, I am not sure it works on all kind of platforms. I have tested on my 2.2, 4.0, 4,1, 4.2 devices without a problem. So please help to test if it works on your device. If you experience any problem, please let me know. Also, any suggestion is welcome.
[Features]
☆ Works in any pinch to zoom enabled window
☆ Floating trigger button can be disabled/enabled at anytime
☆ Control scale ration at finest level
☆ 3 styles of trigger icon to choose from
☆ Customizable triggering and zooming options
☆ Works from Froyo (2.2) to latest Jelly Bean (4.2)
[Download]
(1) Playstore Link [HERE]
(2) Attachment below.
[Video By Robert Olejnik]
FAQ
(1) Why it doesn't work?
Ans: This App requires root to function properly. If you are greeted by message your device is not rooted upon launching the App first time, then you probably have an unrooted device.
(2) Why webpage scales unexpectedly?
Ans: Please enable alternative pinch action
(3) Why some text on a webpage is automatically selected after scale is finished?
Ans: Please disable alternative pinch action
Amazing. Never thought it was possible. Good job. It really comes in handy when i neesnit.
convenient. I think Button Savior can also have this button.
Very convenient! Although, I suggest that the icon for the zoom could look a bit more minimal and nice looking. Other than that, it's very good!
EpiclyEpic said:
Very convenient! Although, I suggest that the icon for the zoom could look a bit more minimal and nice looking. Other than that, it's very good!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will add more zoom button styles in later release. If you want minimal design, there is a style called Hilo in trigger icon style. Also, you can set lower transparency value in auto dim transparency setting to make zoom button even less obstructive looking.
Great app! but one question
is there any way to change position of zoom button vertically?
nice app....really handy
fanfan-liu said:
is there any way to change position of zoom button vertically?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi,
currently u cant move vertically. I am still finding a good way to do it. The problem is if zoom button is not centered vertically, user will get unequal distance in either vertical direction to triggernzoom action.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
good to know no failed case for now. looks like my 2.2 to 4.2 handling is good.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
jerryfan2000 said:
hi,
currently u cant move vertically. I am still finding a good way to do it. The problem is if zoom button is not centered vertically, user will get unequal distance in either vertical direction to triggernzoom action.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If this is the main concern, then you will have same problem if you want to integrate this function in Button Savior.
Hi, new user to the forum and expecting my first tablet, Sony Xperia Tablet Z on Thursday.
I stumbled across this forum and thread while searching for Android apps that might be able to zoom in/out with one finger. I am a high level quadriplegic and use a capacitive mouthstick made by griffin for touchscreens since I cannot use my arms/hands/fingers. I am looking forward to seeing this app progress to the point that I can use it. Being new to tablets, I am not going to be comfortable rooting a brand new device that I have much to learn about, but maybe after a few weeks I'll be ready to experiment and help test this app.
I am just excited to see that someone is trying to develop such an app, so kudos to jerryfan2000!
fanfan-liu said:
If this is the main concern, then you will have same problem if you want to integrate this function in Button Savior.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, this feature would poses some challenges to me on Button Savior if I want to make it as easy and simple to use as it is right now on Assistive Zoom. So far, the best solution I figure out is to show a separate zoom button at middle of screen upon tapping on Zoom Button on Button Savior. So that would require user to press 2 times compared to 1 touch to zoom on Assistive Zoom.
Bob422 said:
Hi, new user to the forum and expecting my first tablet, Sony Xperia Tablet Z on Thursday.
I stumbled across this forum and thread while searching for Android apps that might be able to zoom in/out with one finger. I am a high level quadriplegic and use a capacitive mouthstick made by griffin for touchscreens since I cannot use my arms/hands/fingers. I am looking forward to seeing this app progress to the point that I can use it. Being new to tablets, I am not going to be comfortable rooting a brand new device that I have much to learn about, but maybe after a few weeks I'll be ready to experiment and help test this app.
I am just excited to see that someone is trying to develop such an app, so kudos to jerryfan2000!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is glad to know it has potential to help you. Rooting is not as harsnor dangerous as you think. You still need to manually grant root permission to any App that requests root. And you can also unroot at any time if you need to send your device back for repair.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Bob422 said:
Hi, new user to the forum and expecting my first tablet, Sony Xperia Tablet Z on Thursday.
I stumbled across this forum and thread while searching for Android apps that might be able to zoom in/out with one finger. I am a high level quadriplegic and use a capacitive mouthstick made by griffin for touchscreens since I cannot use my arms/hands/fingers. I am looking forward to seeing this app progress to the point that I can use it. Being new to tablets, I am not going to be comfortable rooting a brand new device that I have much to learn about, but maybe after a few weeks I'll be ready to experiment and help test this app.
I am just excited to see that someone is trying to develop such an app, so kudos to jerryfan2000!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome.
I think this would be great for use with mice or the S-pen, but I have 2 suggestions that would improve on it.
1: allow (homescreen) shortcuts to enable, disable, and toggle the service so it's easy to automate it with apps like tasker and GMD S-pen control.
2: undo dimming upon "mouse over"/hover for supported devices like a mouse, or Samsung airview(Note 2/8, S4)
this would make the icon easier to find if it's set to hide completely.
edit:I noticed a small problem that makes this app useless in some apps.
in opera mobile classic it only switches between zoomed out and standard(double tap) zoom states, nothing in between.
and in the image viewer built into FX File Explorer you can only switch between zoomed in completely, and zoomed out completely.
I just started testing the pro version, and find it to be a great app. It's particularly useful to me when operating my Note II with one hand.
My first suggestion is to enable faster zoom speeds.
Tis is a really great idea. I tried it for five minutes and then bought the Pro version.
Well done and very many thanks for a great app!
thedicemaster said:
I think this would be great for use with mice or the S-pen, but I have 2 suggestions that would improve on it.
1: allow (homescreen) shortcuts to enable, disable, and toggle the service so it's easy to automate it with apps like tasker and GMD S-pen control.
2: undo dimming upon "mouse over"/hover for supported devices like a mouse, or Samsung airview(Note 2/8, S4)
this would make the icon easier to find if it's set to hide completely.
edit:I noticed a small problem that makes this app useless in some apps.
in opera mobile classic it only switches between zoomed out and standard(double tap) zoom states, nothing in between.
and in the image viewer built into FX File Explorer you can only switch between zoomed in completely, and zoomed out completely.
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Click to collapse
Hi,
Both suggestions are good Idea. I will take them. I don't have s pen device but I can try mouse over with my nexus 7. I am not sure is it possible to detect mouse over in Android but I will try.
For problem with opera and image view, you can try testing again with alternative pinch fix on or off. I will also try it on my phone. But if you have discontinuous zoom problem, alternative pinch action toggle is always the first to try.
mouse-over is definitely possible on android, many websites rely on this for their menu and those websites work fine in opera mobile classic if I use a stylus or mouse.
Photoshop touch, and many Samsung apps support it through airview.
and the xtralogic remote desktop app can track the mouse cursor so the remote cursor follows the android cursor.
and I did test the different zoom methods, but there was no difference.
particularly in FX it's annoying, because it's zoom levels are so far apart and it doesn't have double-tap zoom.
Nice app!!
This is a great app - I've been looking for something like this! Works well for my GSII on Android 4.1.2. I just saw that the Pro version allows to control whether or not the zoom is shown per app, so I'm going to have to give that a try. Ideally I'd just like to have the assistive zoom for a few apps: Chrome, Evernote, etc. ...
thanks!
Hi guys
I am a software engineering student, eager xda reader and in my (little) free time i like to mess around with my android phone. So i developed a little game over the last half year. It's called Shape Rotate.
I wanted to do a simple but new game, not another flappy bird clone. So finally i put the first version online in the playstore yesterday, here is a short description:
In my game you always see two equal shapes, in random rotations. Your task is to rotate the outer shape so that it is equally aligned to the inner one - once they are aligned equally tap the screen anywhere to get the next one. That sounds easy, but since time is not on your side (you gain some extra time every time you get the two shapes aligned identically) it gets really tricky once the shapes are not that obvious any more. The goal is to survive as long as you can.
It would be really great if you check it out, i would really appreciate feedback (or, even better: positive reviews )
Here is the playstore link: Shape Rotate in google play
It is of course free (no in-app purchases or what-so-ever), and i plan to add a lot more different shapes in the future! I attached some screenshots of the app, and i also added a demo video in the playstore description.
Great game. Has great potential to be a time waster. There does seem to be some lag between the shape changes that can prematurely end your game. Get that timing down and you've hit a home run.
As for some suggestions to add. Maybe have levels to unlock similar to an angry birds setup. In level one hand similar shapes with minimal colors, next thing to unlock, add another shape or two with an additional color. Thus making each level progressively harder.
ph37rd said:
Great game. Has great potential to be a time waster. There does seem to be some lag between the shape changes that can prematurely end your game. Get that timing down and you've hit a home run.
As for some suggestions to add. Maybe have levels to unlock similar to an angry birds setup. In level one hand similar shapes with minimal colors, next thing to unlock, add another shape or two with an additional color. Thus making each level progressively harder.
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Click to collapse
Thx for your feedback! Regarding the lags, may i ask which device you are using?
I tested it on several devices from an I9000 to my Nexus 4. The only lag i found was that on older devices it takes some time to start the game, but once it displays the first shape i haven't found any lag :s
Yes i already thought about such a thing - creating different "shape packages" and unlocking them time after time. That is definitely a good suggestion for the future and i will soon start working on this. This now is just a first version where i wanted to check out how the game mechanics work and how people react to it.
Varjo said:
Thx for your feedback! Regarding the lags, may i ask which device you are using?
I tested it on several devices from an I9000 to my Nexus 4. The only lag i found was that on older devices it takes some time to start the game, but once it displays the first shape i haven't found any lag :s
Yes i already thought about such a thing - creating different "shape packages" and unlocking them time after time. That is definitely a good suggestion for the future and i will soon start working on this. This now is just a first version where i wanted to check out how the game mechanics work and how people react to it.
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Click to collapse
I'm running on an N4 with KK 4.4.4 and hellscore b47, most kernel settings default.
To be sure I'm understood, I solve one shape and before the transition to the next set of shapes, there is a noticeable pause.
This is a good concept. There’s a lag also when rotating the outer shapes. Though this might be because of my slow samsung galaxy tab.
Overall, this is a good gameplay.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B48cqoutz8n3dDFnbTJvRm1XOVU/edit?usp=docslist_api
There should be an mp4 video to illustrate the lag.
Seems there may be an issue with the timer as well.
ph37rd said:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B48cqoutz8n3dDFnbTJvRm1XOVU/edit?usp=docslist_api
There should be an mp4 video to illustrate the lag.
Seems there may be an issue with the timer as well.
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Click to collapse
hm, well it could be that what you think is a lag is actually my poor description and/or implementation?
The playing mechanics should be: you rotate the outer shape so that it is correctly aligned. IF it is so, then you tap anywhere on the screen to "submit" it. if it is correct you get the next shapes.
(The reason why it cannot "auto submit" the moment it is correctly aligned is because then it would be trivial, you would just rotate it until it snaps in - thats why you need that extra "next shape please"-tap)
The possible rotation is actually split into 12 different angles, so there are 11 different angles with which shapes can appear.
The best way to control it is to drag with a finger on the border of the screen (or use two fingers as in normal rotation gestures). you have to drag the finger a bit until the shape snaps in to the next one.
so could it be that it's because i didn't explain the intended controls enough? If so, do you have any suggestions to improve that, or how to better explain the way to play it?
really really appreciating your feedback btw :good:
Varjo said:
hm, well it could be that what you think is a lag is actually my poor description and/or implementation?
The playing mechanics should be: you rotate the outer shape so that it is correctly aligned. IF it is so, then you tap anywhere on the screen to "submit" it. if it is correct you get the next shapes.
(The reason why it cannot "auto submit" the moment it is correctly aligned is because then it would be trivial, you would just rotate it until it snaps in - thats why you need that extra "next shape please"-tap)
The possible rotation is actually split into 12 different angles, so there are 11 different angles with which shapes can appear.
The best way to control it is to drag with a finger on the border of the screen (or use two fingers as in normal rotation gestures). you have to drag the finger a bit until the shape snaps in to the next one.
so could it be that it's because i didn't explain the intended controls enough? If so, do you have any suggestions to improve that, or how to better explain the way to play it?
really really appreciating your feedback btw :good:
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Click to collapse
I may not have read it if you wrote it. When initially testing something like this I go for intuitive. The extra tap isn't.
What about doing the the auto next based on a touch release. You know when the shape is being rotated, the screen is being touched. Can you detect when a finger is removed? There would be no more rotation and wouldn't allow just spinning randomly to get it to snap as you describe.
EDIT:
Looking it up it's called a touch event using MotionEvent class with ACTION_DOWN and ACTION_UP
ph37rd said:
What about doing the the auto next based on a touch release. You know when the shape is being rotated, the screen is being touched.
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Click to collapse
That is actually a quite interesting suggestion! I tried it out, and it feels kind of nice. it also makes the game easier, maybe i have to reconsider the additional time gain... I created a debug build, would be nice if you would download and try it and tell me what you think ( you have to deinstall the appstore version first, since this one is signed with my local debug key)
It now checks the correct alignment each time you lift your finger from the screen.
Edit: i think that is a gamebreaker because it makes the game way to easy. you just have to swipe very quickly on the border, and due to the "auto" check you always get the alignment correct very quickly.
another version would be this one. here it is also checked on touchUp but if the alignment is wrong it jumps back in the initial state. that makes it even a bit harder, but also requires more focus and looking.
what do you think?
OK, going to leave this one up to you. I didn't catch a difference between the two in how they play. The first one appears to be snappier and jerky, as opposed to the second one being smoother and slower.
Either way, you nailed what I was saying. What do you think? I think this is far more intuitive. Now you just need to figure out the levels of difficulty.
The ultimate would be to have the shapes and colors auto generated with random attributes. You would not have to map anything out, the app would automagically create them.
Ok i found some issues that caused the touch input to be way to sensitive or way to unresponsive - that fixed i got some feedback that the overall control is way better now (especially on high res devices).
ph37rd said:
Either way, you nailed what I was saying. What do you think?
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I still like the idea, but it brings some new issues that i need to figure out. Once you got the current control mechanism people don't think to much about it - so i'm not quite sure if it is really that much benefit. I will test that out over the next iterations and try gathering more feedback (about the current control and about how much people think it's good/bad).
ph37rd said:
The ultimate would be to have the shapes and colors auto generated with random attributes. You would not have to map anything out, the app would automagically create them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the second big point on my todo list. but i don't really know how to start.
The best way that comes to my mind is to define different "base shapes" that are then just colored randomly. but that again would require alot of different base shapes to keep up a good variety?
at the moment i add hand drawn shapes with each update (around 170 now and using .gif its not that of a size problem anymore)
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