Hello everyone. I've a sort of proposal for the developers here, but before I get into that let me first briefly introduce myself:
I'm a communication designer for print, user interface, and illustration that completely advocates everything Android. I've been lurking the Dream development forums here for quite some time, trying to keep up-to-date with the latest ROMs, apps, etc., etc and I fully appreciate everything that goes on here and the endeavors that you devs put yourself through. Amazing stuff, really.
One thing I've noticed is that there are a slew of third-party / beta apps all over these boards, and other places on the internet as well. More often than not, I find myself scouring the cloud just to find a link for these non-market apps, and I usually get referred to them via some obscure site through another site. Despite getting the .apk file or ROM in the end, the process can get to be a bit tedious; especially for incoming users and those new to the Android platform.
My proposal is this: A website with a simple and clean user interface that has direct and succinct navigation with the purpose of consolidating and listing third-party / beta non-market applications into an easy access database. This website database would link these applications and have them be easily downloaded and installed via the Android browser, without having to mount the device.
I've actually come up with a fully-functional concept site, did the branding and everything for it, and also registered a short domain name for quick access while on your G1 or whatever Android device.
Navigate to: http://anda.pk to see what I had in mind, and how the overall layout/concept of the site would work.
I uploaded several .apk files I had backed up as examples for you to see how the database section would function. I also took into account the resolution of most Android phones and made the .apk application database section fit perfectly in the Android browser when in portrait mode right when you the load the site to ensure the best possible user experience when installing these third party apps. When you scroll to the right, you'll see info on what the site is about, and in the footer there are links to the FAQ, the about section, contact, etc.
I had also noted in the about link in the footer that the applications hosted on the download section are in no way accredited to the site, and that credit goes to their rightful developers. My being a communication designer has had the idea of peer collaboration engrained, and as such I give credit it where credit is due.
That said, I hope you guys here and the developers collaborate with me on on this site, possibly help contribute apks, and agree to them being hosted. If anything, I do hope you just embrace the concept, which originally was just going to be a reference for myself and my friends whom I've turned away from the iPhone, S60, and WinMo in favor of Android. I figured since I know the Android community is only going to get bigger, this website concept of mine could be a decent resource to have bookmarked.
Appreciate you reading this wall of text! Do hope to hear some feedback, so let me know what you guys think. Thanks!
Cheers.
I think this is a fabulous idea...automated version control would go over very well -- i.e. yum update
you should post up bits that you need help with and have folks contact you.
also..I love the logo!
question: do you propose a rating system or a review prior to listing type of approach or something new to keep this resource trustworthy?
Been following this on SA and twitter and it's a great idea.
Having the devs here on board would be a fantastic way to get something solid on the go. It's the kind of thing that can really help android become more hackable and useable for the average user...and it just make things easier for the rest of us.
Sounds good to me.
thelilliandivide said:
the applications hosted on the download section are in no way accredited to the site
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Credit and accreditation are different things. To be accredited is to be given credentials or official approval. I think you meant "credited".
Sounds like a GREAT idea.
My opinion: The color scheme hurts. Love the logo.
i like the logo and the idea. I think the site should be more mobile friendly, or even better, an application for android that can work like the official market. I could help with that part if an application is going to be built.
camalot said:
i like the logo and the idea. I think the site should be more mobile friendly, or even better, an application for android that can work like the official market. I could help with that part if an application is going to be built.
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i second that.. it should also have update checks if possible
I was going to complain that I didn't like your site layout, but in portrait mode you only see the left side which lists the apps. I like it.
One thing you might have to be leary of is dealing with apps that are considered warez unless your going to spend the time to verify every app that is uploaded or there has to a method in place.
As well there should be some kind of version control in place. You know what works on 1.1 and what works on 1.5. Obviously almost everybody within the next few weeks/months should be on 1.5, but will all the older apps run on 1.5 or does it really matter or does anybody care? The downloader will care.
CBowley said:
Sounds like a GREAT idea.
My opinion: The color scheme hurts. Love the logo.
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Seconded. The text is much too light. A darker charcoal shade would be much better.
If the site gets an apk wrapper (a la FBook) version checking would be rather easy. Set up the directory tree something like this /downloads/WiFiTether/1.2.3.apk and just have the apk compare filenames. If the file names don't match, it needs to install the update.
EDIT: Now following your progress on twitter.
Some solid input. I'll play around with the color scheme and make some changes later this evening once I get back from class. And I actually do plan on making a mobile wrapper eventually, but as it stands as far as the concept layout goes, the site is best used when in portrait mode for easiest functionality. The rest of the site is to be considered supplemental. I do however, have a lot of things I eventually want to integrate; application tags, search, possibility of user uploaded apk files, etc. But for right now, I'm trying to keep the general site as simple as possible to make the workload on my end less stressful (graduating in 2 weeks).
bahnburner said:
If the site gets an apk wrapper (a la FBook) version checking would be rather easy. Set up the directory tree something like this /downloads/WiFiTether/1.2.3.apk and just have the apk compare filenames. If the file names don't match, it needs to install the update.
EDIT: Now following your progress on twitter.
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Did not know how that version checker worked. Thanks. I'll re-work the apk directory scheme akin to that later tonight for when I do eventually get the wrapper up.
thelilliandivide said:
Did not know how that version checker worked. Thanks. I'll re-work the apk directory scheme akin to that later tonight for when I do eventually get the wrapper up.
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That's not necessarily how most version checks work, but that's the simplest method I could think of, and probably one of the easiest to implement.
alapapa said:
I think this is a fabulous idea...automated version control would go over very well -- i.e. yum update
you should post up bits that you need help with and have folks contact you.
also..I love the logo!
question: do you propose a rating system or a review prior to listing type of approach or something new to keep this resource trustworthy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! And I feel I might need some help in the future as far as implementing the features that I want to get working. But I'm not quite sure I understand your question. Are you referring to how I choose which applications get posted onto the site?
i'm a graphic designer and web designer, i'll throw in a helping hand if you want, pm me or whatever.
(think about an android based layout to bring it to the phone like Cough*cydia*cough
very cool and much needed
Xda-dev is great, but there is alot of stuff thats not on the market and they have shown to bow down to the tmobs pressure(ie: tether app) so another place to get apps would be great, and your weppage is beautiful and looks like it would be very finger friendly on the g1, but there is a basic model in linux of repositories(which is about what ur doing) and a simple app to d/l them maybe somebody could just make a market.apk with a modded addy, depending on how much is known about the market and its inner workings... it would be nice to do it as it has been always done....but as I stated above your webdesign is very nice and would work well in the native browser(im heading there now on my g1)
bhang
not a bad idea. I think this is great for all verified apps that are pulled from market...
I really like this idea. Go for it.
Just one (stupid) remark about the logo... it's like it has a big nose and a :-| expression... sorry
apetit said:
I really like this idea. Go for it.
Just one (stupid) remark about the logo... it's like it has a big nose and a :-| expression... sorry
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Haha, I just noticed that actually. Now it's all I see. But yeah, I'm hoping to have a few more apps to upload by the end of next week. Revisions to the site are imminent once I get out of this last class.
I love the idea. One bookmark to check up on all the good non-market apps will be much easier than having several bookmarked threads.
Some applications may benefit from having tags such as [beta], [stable], [experimental], [contains-ads], etc.
As others have mentioned once/if user uploads are implemented an app approval system will be crucial to keep the spam at bay. I can see this really taking off.
im a supporter
zgmf-x322a said:
im a supporter
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+1 this sounds like a great idea, there was something like this for apps for the dash,mda & sda.
Newbie post!
We've come up with our first app---uHeart. It does a nice job controlling or manipulating the camera, display and vocalization functions. I post here because I think this forum might especially appreciate seeing what my coding partner works through the Eclipse plug-in for Android. Is he any good? What do you think? How could we make it better?
uHeart on the Android Marketplace (or linked below here)
Let us know what you think or how we can improve. All feedback is welcome, particularly if it is constructive.
Thanks, S
market://search?q=pname:usnapapps.uheart
uHeart is linked under my name
also available on the Android Market or here
Hello guys
I'm fairly new to WP7 and recently bought an Omnia 7.
One thing pisses me off though - not being able to buy apps outside a supported country or credit card.
My suggestion is therefore, wouldnt it be possible to develop something like cydia app store for (pardon) iPhone?
Im currently on my phone and waiting for a flight at the airport, so havnt searched around too much, so incase i've failed to spot a similar thread please direct me to it instead of giving me a "use search you mofo"
Thanks in advance guys. =)
WP7 is fairly new, new countries will be supported as it grows larger.
As for a Cydia like application, I'm sure it will come along some time, but I don't think there is one right now.
I am currently working on a desktop application to bring a Cydia-like market to WP7. My main aims are:
- Provide homebrew developers with a place to host their applications/profit from them
- Provide a simple all-in-one dekstop solution for users to download, update and install apps to their phone
- "Trial Mode" will not exist, rather developers can post two versions of the same application with different functionality
- Market will be free from Marketplace restrictions. This includes UI/Metro restrictions. It's up to the user to decide whether they want to use a non-metro application.
My main issue at the moment is just getting the infrastructure in place and making sure everything is secure. I've only really got the barebones together, so it will take some time to get the project finished off.
Anybody who has any suggestions, feel free to post them here or PM me them
Cheers Blade0rz
Im happy to this is already in development.
I will let you know if any ideas happen to pop up. Will be following your progression
This was their response to my questions related to the Viewsonic G-Tablet:
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Hi,
Thank you for your reply. After further research, according to our records, the device that you are using is not supported for use with Android Market at this time.
The Android operating system is open source, which means that any device manufacturer is free to use Android on its devices. However, Android Market is an application created by Google that is only made available to devices that pass Google’s compatibility requirements. In addition, manufacturers must obtain a license from Google in order to install Android Market on their devices.
For more information about the Android Compatibility Program, please visit source.android.com/compatibility/index.html
If you have any further questions, I recommend contacting the manufacturer of your device directly.
If I can assist you further, please let me know.
Regards,
Jenna
The Android Market Team
What did you ask and did you really expect support on an unsupported device?
Sorta like taking a netbook with snow leopard to the genius bar and asking for help with iTunes.
DrDoLittle99 said:
This was their response to my questions related to the Viewsonic G-Tablet:
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Wow.. you found this site, you found this forum, and you missed the million different posts for Market Fix, Full Android Market, etc...
You need to do some work to get the market working on the GTab. Out of the box it's not supported. It's likely never going to be officially supported unless by some miracle we get a honeycomb update from Viewsonic.
In the meantime, it is pretty easy to get access. Just don't ask Google for help doing it.
And, there's always the Amazon market, which works just swell...
Hi,
I'm Tim and we developed an Android app and started a startup in Germany. However, the app is free. Therefore, I hope that posting about the app in this forum to search cyanogenmod users is ok. If not, please delete this post.
I post here, because I, myself, love cynongenmod custom roms and would like to find out more about the compatibility of our app. Therefore, I search people that like to try new apps that report if it works from them. The app is location based and in beta (so not perfect yet) and for my cm10.1 on an Lg P990 and cm on a Galaxy S3 it works. I'd be curious about other phones. Therefore, I thought this forum here is the best place to find like minded people that use cm - Maybe even someone has the onplus one and can test it
We have the app for beta testers open and you can get it on our page STAPPZ com or find us on facebook (STAPPZ)
OK- now i talked so much about what we would like to test - here a brief description:
What is STAPPZ? In short, it is answer to the question: “What is live near me?”
With STAPPZ you participate in an open conversation with pictures and text at your current position. You create and perpetuate your own STAPPZ: Moments, noteworthy facts or any other information that you consider relevant.Nearby fellows (other STAPPZ users) see those STAPPZ and respond to them by posting something themselves or by saving them in their profile.This way, the people joining STAPPZ enrich and weave the world, collaborate and take advantage of the knowledge that others left around them.
However, if you like the app and have some feedback in other directions or you want more info or to blog about it, please let us know.
We'd be so glad to get feedback if it runs on your cm devices.
Kind regards
Tim