The Siri Killer!
Hey Guys! I'm sure you are all aware about Apple's newly developed Siri for the iPhone. Well, there is an APP on the Android Market that is still in development but it shows a lot of promise. It's called SpeakToIt Assistant and the market link is:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.speaktoit.assistant&hl=en
The apk link is:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=763306&d=1319735777
With QR code:
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The latest version of the app is able to change its voice into Male/Female from UK and US!!! Also another feature that puts Siri to shame is that you have AVATARS! And you can create your own, from an old man to a hot chick
There is also a function to create your own avatars, from scratch such as an Anime Avatar or a human portrait etc!
This project has passed the deadline on KickStarter but it is still being developed as we speak. If you guys are still interested, the Assistant's Official website has a Paypal Donate button, so go take a look and remember, even a dollar counts
http://www.speaktoit.com/
There is also an Official Blog and the link is: http://we.speaktoit.com/
Here is the YouTube App review link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myE498nyfGw
Update 1:
This is from the developers' page:
"In the course of the project we plan to release the following features:
1. Working with alarms and reminders, improved calendar integration
2. Reading your messages for you
3. New styles of avatars to choose and a serious look for serious businessmen
4. Option to change Assistant's voice
5. Starting the Assistant by voice command
6. Integration with more services including table reservations, bookings, taxis, etc."
UPDATE 2:
Just confirmed that Multi-Language support will become available in the future!
Update 3:
Updates of this project can also be viewed on my Blog: http://speaktoitnews.blogspot.com//
Update 4:
If you cannot use the mic on SpeakToIt Assistant, make sure to have installed Google Voice Search. It is needed in order to hear what you are saying. Here is the market link:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.voicesearch&hl=en
Update 5:
Just got some news from the developers:
1. The weather for tomorrow works already. As for other days, it's being worked on.
2. The weather service we're using may not have information for some locations. We're working on this problem too.
3. Thanks for your concern. We're not going to stop development. But the money raised on Kickstarter would help us to work on the new features faster.
SO basically, weather and location are being worked on right now. The app will not be discontinued if the budget on Kickstarter is not met. The money will be used to speed up the process to get a complete version of the app! So don't worry about it being taken off the market
Update 6:
You guys can support me by clicking on the ads on my blogs. I thank you in advance! BTW you DO NOT need to enter any personal info, simply clicking on the ads would work!
http://speaktoitnews.blogspot.com/
http://allboutandroid.blogspot.com/
Update 7:
Some issues right now for which I have already informed the developers about:
1. Have better recognition with apps installed, eg Go SMS shows up as GO S M S at the moment.
2. Learn how to search whole terms instead of individual terms, eg "Moby ****" instead of "Moby" and "****" < Considered as profanity
3. Android service support such as GPS turning on when maps in opened
4. Android places integration such as Home, turn wifi on, Work, turn to airplane mode etc
Update 8:
From the developers mouth, I present:
"The next update will have alarm skill, a lot of bug fixes, and some more features."
Not that much detail but the word update seems nice!
Update 9:
Multiple OS support coming soon! Such as:
iOS, Windows Phone, Blackberry, Bada and tablets!
Update 10:
You can go to the market and get the latest update!
Update 11:
So the developers are working real hard and they are aiming to have SpeakToIT to be able to choose specific sources and services for your commands!
Examples: "Listen to Breaking Benjamin", won't play it on the stock music player but on Power Amp and "What is the weather like?", the source will be from weather.com etc
Hope it arrives soon!
Update 12:
Some people have had time issues. Well,the latest update worked for many people but still, some time zones aren't working perfectly, so the developers are working on fixing the time issue at the moment.
Update 13:
A second market update has been released, make sure to get it!
Update 14:
The latest update supports Tablets! So pull out your Transformer, Iconia or Galaxy tab and install it!
Update 15:
Go to the market and download the latest version of STI. I have tried "What is the weather like?" and the correct weather was displayed! Make sure to try it out and tell me if there are any issues.
Update 16:
Latest update of STI is able to set alarms for you! Additional work on weather has also been made. Bugs and glitches have been reduced therefore less Force Closes.
Update 17:
The devs said: "We're planning a major news skill revamp in the future. It'll be awesome!"
So the revamp will further enhance each skill such as Search, which will grab the whole group of keywords instead of each individual word, Play will allow the user to specify which player etc
Hope the update comes soon!
Update 18:
Took awhile for this one lol
Anyways, this time around the devs answered a couple questions:
Voice activation: They are working on the handsfree version of STI so that you can start and stop it anytime by a simple voice command like " Hey Sam, could you tell me where the closest bus stop is at?"
"What is my location?" command : "We use the location information provided from the phone such as GPS when on and if off we use cellular networks."
Multi language support: "Will be available. But we can't say when exactly. Sorry."
And lastly, they are working on a bunch of features right now so we should just wait patiently and see what is to come.
Update 19!!!
Finally got some awesome news! This is the new feature for the Maps function on SpeakToIt. I have below the word to word quote from the Devs:
"We've just released a new little feature that so many people asked about. It's just the very first version and we really need your feedback and suggestions.
So, we call it Maps Shortcuts. You save a shortcut and then can ask the Assistant to show it on the map or even navigate to that address or point on the map.
For the trial version, you can use 3 predefined shortcuts: home, work, parking. Here is how they work.
Save address
My home address is ___
I work at ___
Save exact location
I live/work/parked here
See it on the map
Where do I live
Where do I work
Where is my car
Navigate there
I wanna go home
Navigate to work
If you like it, we'd be happy to hear about this. If you don't like, please tell why. If you think there should be more ways to say such phrases, please share your ideas with us."
Update 20:
Hello Folks! Got a new update on the Market (November 18th 2011) and it includes a bunch of bug fixes, better Calendar skill management which will allow you to use different apps and integrate it with STI. You will also be able to set up future events! The biggest change was the Alarm Skill upgrade. The Alarm skill is has more artificial intelligence now so if you say "Going to sleep. Wake me up in 2hrs." Sam will set the alarm for you. Now it is more natural when you use it.
Don't forget to post your ideas and issues! I will contact the Devs and try to get the solution!
Update 21:
Hey there! The Devs just announced that one of the biggest features they'll be working on soon is the ability for Sam to be able to learn things. The App will be able to do Active Listening thus being able to understand words and not just plain keywords and also Active Learning, so you could teach Sam your preferences, or your personal words and expressions.
Crazy Update:
GUYS! Go to the Market and update your Assistant. Sam is able to change voices now with a very human like Male and Female from the US and UK. The voices come from the iVoice function under the settings tab. Sam's skill set has been improved drastically. She is perfectly able to lock in locations such as Home and Work. Additionally her skills for the Navigation as a whole has improved. Lastly better calendar integrity and scheduling.
Here is the Market link:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.speaktoit.assistant&hl=en
Check it out and tell me if there are any new ideas and issues!
Update 22:
Hello folks! You can create your own avatar now! So that means you can draw it out, use Photoshop or use a real life person's portrait etc. Here are the instructions from the Devs:
The avatar should consist of the following images:
normal.png (required)
happy.png
wink.png
blink.png
sad.png
surprised png
avatar.properties
So, if you don’t need any emotions for your Assistant you can have only one image, which should be in the file normal.png.
Remember! All file names should be in lowercase. They must be in PNG image format with transparent background. Recommended height is 500px.
The file avatar.properties should have only one line. It will change the voice of the Assistant, if you use iSpeech voices:
type=male
or
type=female
or
type=anything
After you get all the files ready, you need to archive them in ZIP format and change the extension of the archive from .zip into .stheme.
To install the avatar you can upload the file on the website, from where you can get later it via your mobile browser. Or just send it via email to yourself and download the file.
Here is the official Thread for this awesome function:
http://we.speaktoit.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1666
ENJOY!!!
Hi,
support for other languages planed in the future?
with friendly greet
starbase64
Well, it is still in development, so I am unaware of multi language support yet, but i sent a message to the developer and let's see what he says. I will keep the post updated as soon as new features are released
EDIT:
Yes I confirmed from the developer and here is the message:
"Yes, we're planning multiple languages for the Assistant.
If you have more questions, you're always welcome to ask us on our forum http://we.speaktoit.com/ or via email [email protected]
Regards,
Speaktoit"
this is cool-will posting in our mod thread for more testers.
Speaktoit Assistant not working on Epic 4g
So I got the Speaktoit Assistant app from the market and I love it. The only problem that I have is that I can't hear when the assistant talks back. So doing some research, I found out that I needed to download a synthesizer or something. I downloaded it and when I try to open it, it just force closes. Could somebody help me with this? Im probably late finding out about this, but is the Epic unable to do talk to speech?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Hey There! Don't worry I had such a problem. First uninstall the assistant, install SVOX Classic, choose a specific Voice, then install the assistant again. Keep me updated if it still doesn't resolve the problem
Very good app, but what would be Great is if you could put some jokes in there, It would entertain me while driving , I love this application, Has potential.
iasookia said:
Hey There! Don't worry I had such a problem. First uninstall the assistant, install SVOX Classic, choose a specific Voice, then install the assistant again. Keep me updated if it still doesn't resolve the problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do I have to buy a voice? Pico isn't working for me.
I've installed this app on my Orange Boston and I've to admit it works like a charm. I'm looking forward to see the multi-language support but still, it's great. Good job guys!
Has anyone figured out how you send a text to a specific contact? And to include the text you want to send?
r.i.p Siri
ZoZo- said:
Has anyone figured out how you send a text to a specific contact? And to include the text you want to send?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I say send a text message to *name* it just inputs the name as the message content lol.
Haven't figured it out yet, I'd like to know as well.
Hello there! There are 2 options:
1. Say send text, give a message and manually choosing the sender's name/number.
2.Say Send text to 'name', He/She'll ask what message to send, then speak the message and send the text.
Example:
Say "Send text to Billy" ...
"No problem. What would you like the message to say?"
"Hey What's up?"
Then click send
this is a great application I hope it can get support. even if they charged a bit for the actual app it would be worth it.
Pretty cool App, I look forward to contributing to test the App.
Good job guys.
iasookia said:
Hello there! There are 2 options:
1. Say send text, give a message and manually choosing the sender's name/number.
2.Say Send text to 'name', He/She'll ask what message to send, then speak the message and send the text.
Example:
Say "Send text to Billy" ...
"No problem. What would you like the message to say?"
"Hey What's up?"
Then click send
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome! Didn't know that.
Unfortunately I just found that my phone went from 70% to 35% in about 45 minutes. This was right after installing this app.
Before I go and blame the app completely, can someone tell me if there's a setting or something I left checked that's either causing wakelocks or battery drainage in the background?
Well, i noticed that this app used slightly more battery life for my phone, the LG G2x with Eagles Blood ROM installed but make sure to always close the app by either saying:
1. Exit
OR
2. Close App
That will cause the assistant to turn off! Hope this helps.
BTW you could try the Battery Calibration App. This App drastically increased my battery life. I played a full 3D game for an hour and I only lost 20% battery. SO here's the link if you are interested:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.nema.batterycalibration
i've just downloaded this app but there isnt a mic button. why?
Does your App look like the following:
If it does, there is the mic button on the bottom right corner and on the left corner there is the text version.
When you want to talk, simply tap the mic button once and after the request is done, the mic button will automatically open so that it is like a conversation.
If you still cannot find the mic button, download Google Voice Search. That app is needed for Assistant to work:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.voicesearch&hl=en
Hope this helps!
The app looks to be very promising. Would want to have headset control though (pressing call button in headset would start the conversation, if no phone call is ongoing)
Related
We just released our first app, a speed dial widget, Sign. We would love to get everyone's feedback and comments. Here's a brief description.
Sign is a unique, gesture based speed dialer for Android which lets you call or text your friends by simply drawing a gesture (signing) directly from your home screen.
Unlike other speed dial options such as direct dial icons or quick dial widgets, you don’t have to worry about accidentally calling somebody just because you inadvertently bump your phone’s screen. Sign is still extremely fast, easy to use, and best of all, you decide how to activate a text or phone call. Simply assign a gesture to any contact. To make a call or text, all you have to do is activate the widget and Sign right from your home screen. Simple and secure, it’s easy to use without even looking at your phone to find contacts or phone numbers.
We developed an enhanced recognition engine to provide a more accurate, consistent, and reliable system to recognize the gestures you assign to your contacts. Sign lets you assign single OR multi-stroke “Signs” to the people you call or text most often.
The free version, Sign Lite, has a limit of 3 Signs
and the full version, Sign ($1.99) has unlimited Signs
I can't post the QR Codes due to new user restrictions, but search Sign in the market.
Give it a try and let us know how you like it. If you have any issues with it at all, please send us an e-mail, we'll respond quickly to fix any problems. Also, we have quite a few ideas for future updates, but suggestions are always welcome.
Based on previous suggestions, we are working to allow user control over whether the default action is call or text.
Ok, I am now approved to submit images and links.
http://www.simplyapplied.com
I've put the screenshots in the following post.
Thanks for checking it out.
Ok, finally figured out how to get approval to post images/links.
I took the following screenshots using a free app called ShootMe (Johan Cloetens), which worked great. These do a better job of indicating how you Sign from the homescreen than the ones in the market.
I apologize in advance for the size of the first two, I have resized them about 10 different times but I can't get them to shrink.
The contact list with assigned gestures
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}
A single stroke Sign on the homescreen (half cut off)
A multi-stroke Sign on the homescreen
Multiple gestures within one Sign (although this would defeat the purpose of a "speed" dial, it is possible to have up to 8 strokes in any Sign)
Call confirmation
The settings screen
Contact Assignment Screen
A quick note - We've had mostly positive reviews so far and only one significant bug identified - Sign currently only syncs with Google contacts, so if you use EAS/3rd party contact lists, these currently do not show up in the list of contacts you can assign a gesture to. This is a known issue that the programmer is working to implement a fix. If you have this issue and want us to keep you updated, send us an e-mail at [email protected] and we will let you know as soon as that problem has been resolved.
Also, if you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know. We are currently working on an update to implement a few suggestions we've already received. The primary change will be to allow the user to set either call OR text as the default action. Hopefully that will reduce how often you have to select one or the other.
Thanks to everyone who has tried it out.
SA
Great app
Nice idea which is implemented well
a dream - gesture for hardware back button
hy
is it possible to use it for the hardware back button ?
it will be great, because i can say go back with simple gesture and my hardware button will not use. This is a great usebillity.
i know it is only for the contacts but for the future ......
somethink like tasker -> : http://tasker.dinglisch.net/
meo said:
hy
is it possible to use it for the hardware back button ?
it will be great, because i can say go back with simple gesture and my hardware button will not use. This is a great usebillity.
i know it is only for the contacts but for the future ......
somethink like tasker -> : http://tasker.dinglisch.net/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Meo:
Thanks for the comment and I'm glad to hear you like the usability. Sign is currently for contacts only; however, we have discussed implementing some additional gesture controls for other actions on the phone and we are investigating how to do that effectively.
One issue with implementing additional functionality into Sign is that as a speed dial application, it is important for it to remain lightweight, responsive, and fast, otherwise people will choose other speed dial options. My initial thought is that if we do include the type of functionality you mention, it would be within its own separate application and not within the Sign speed dial application.
We do have other ideas for gesture-related applications that are currently in the design stages. You can check our webpage for regular updates on what we are working on. However, our primary focus now is to make sure everyone who has Sign is satisfied.
Thanks again for the suggestion!
Sounds great, I'll try it out in a bit. Before I do, I'd like to sugggest using the standard Android theme (or a Sense UI ROM/device if you really must) for screenshots. The one you're using on your device looks awful and it messes with the standard Android UI elements too.
I like it so far.
My only request would be to add a "Text Message" button to the call/cancel dialog, rather than using the buttons at the bottom.
It's more natural for me to launch Sign and make the gesture for my fiancee immediately, but I keep forgetting to select "Text Message" first.
bhaiwaah said:
Nice idea which is implemented well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, glad you like it!
saltorio said:
I like it so far.
My only request would be to add a "Text Message" button to the call/cancel dialog, rather than using the buttons at the bottom.
It's more natural for me to launch Sign and make the gesture for my fiancee immediately, but I keep forgetting to select "Text Message" first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Salt, the programmer is already in the process of adding a feature which will allow the user to select the default action when they open Sign. Right now, the default is set to call; however, you will be able to set the default to text which should resolve the issue.
Thanks for giving it a try, and we appreciate the comments!
.
great idea i like it cant wait to switch to andoid
jul644 said:
great idea i like it cant wait to switch to andoid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I got a Droid back in December and it was my first smartphone. I had an older blackberry, but I didn't really use it for anything other than calls and the occasional email.
However, I'm pretty addicted to messing around with my phone and playing around with various apps and I had some ideas for apps I thought would be cool to have. That, and the fact that I kept accidentally "direct dialing" my pregnant wife at 2 in the morning is where I came up with the idea for Sign.
Hopefully you enjoy Android as much as I have, because I literally started Simply Applied to develop apps solely because of the Droid and the Android OS.
Since then, my wife has gotten an iPhone and I am amazed at how boring it is for me personally. It feels limited and closed compared to Android. I literally played with it for 15 minutes and I've barely picked it back up since then. The iPhone is definitely an incredible device, but not for people who like to play, tinker, and customize their phone.
Android allows that flexibility and customization, which is why when I design the apps, I'm looking at ways to use it to create really a different user experience. I'm sure the iphone has gesture-based dialers, but there's no way to have a speed dial widget which lets you draw the Sign directly on the homescreen. It just can't be done on the iPhone.
We have some other unique ideas that we are currently working on that even stretch Android's current capabilities, but luckily I have a creative programmer who is extremely patient with my ideas and does his best to implement them. I really think he did a great job with Sign and has made an app that works very effectively and is entirely unique and different from other speed dial applications.
And I'll stop boring everybody at this point...I can get carried away.
When you try it, definitely let us know what you think and feel free to offer suggestions.
Looks pretty nifty. What's the battery drain like?
Very very neat.
Out of interest how many people worked on this project? And how long did it take you?
All the best.
seboj said:
Looks pretty nifty. What's the battery drain like?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Battery drain is essentially 0. Although it is a widget, its inactive unless activated by the user. If the user doesn't initiate an action within 15 seconds, it closes. Also, it closes immediately upon launch of the sms text application or the phone dialer.
We're extremely conscious of how poorly designed apps can impact the phone and we take active steps to ensure our apps are well designed to avoid those issues. This is what our programmer wrote for our blog a couple months ago.
Depending on what they’re doing, widgets can be resource hogs. A home widget is essentially a small and limited user interface to either an existing app or background service. They’re primarily used to display data, not for input, which can be a challenge for apps like our notes widget which is in development. Since widgets are typically displaying data from a background source, they have to be updated at regular intervals…for example with a stock ticker app, it would be every second, using lots of resources. With our notes app, it only updates when a note is added/modified so it is relatively lightweight. Our upcoming gesture dialer/text widget Sign is also very lightweight because it is essentially dormant until activated by the user.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TT1986 said:
Very very neat.
Out of interest how many people worked on this project? And how long did it take you?
All the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, we tried to optimize the feeling that you were interacting with the phone/device and not simply opening a separate program/app to do something the phone couldn't do. We really wanted it to be interactive in the homescreen, so from that perspective, I think its pretty unique.
There are three people in the company, although we currently have only one programmer. We all have other full-time jobs, so Sign took approximately 3-4 months from start to release. In actuality, the app could have been completed in about a couple weeks, but we decided to develop a custom gesture recognition system. After testing out Gesture Search and the gesture API, we realized that it wasn't reliable enough to be used as a dialer. So we designed a custom recognition system which incorporates elements of the gesture API, but improves on the consistency and accuracy to reduce the chance of misdials.
Two of us are primarily involved in the app ideas, design, and development while the third person is responsible for a variety of other tasks important to our overall longterm marketing/pr strategy, among other things. However we all have ideas for apps which we will eventually develop. Although we aren't doing this full-time (yet), we're treating it like its full-time because we truly believe that there is some incredible potential in the Android platform and we want to be a part of that.
Sign is our first app and the first app for the programmer as well. We actually started with another app first, but with Google's Gesture Search being released, we felt this app took priority. Needless to say it has been a learning process for all of us, but hopefully we can take some of the lessons learned from this project and be more efficient on future projects.
We have a lot of exciting ideas for future projects, and several other projects underway. Our website is currently under construction, but you can visit http://www.simplyapplied.com to see updates on Sign as well as our other projects.
Thanks for your interest in Simply Applied. We definitely want to establish ourselves as a well known and respected developer that has very high quality apps. We also want to be known for being extremely responsive to issues our customers are having with any of our products. For our company to be successful, we can't go through the same process we are going through with Sign, which is a grass roots effort to generate interest in our app, for every one of our apps. We need to develop trust from a large base of users that knows that they when they download an app from Simply Applied, they are getting a well thought out app which is well programmed and works as advertised. They also need to know that if there is an issue with the app, we'll fix it. Then our future apps will sell themselves and we can focus on developing and programming and making better apps. Not that I don't enjoy talking about this topic, obviously.
Simply Applied applies to our apps...but not so much my posts - brevity isn't a strong suit.
By the way, an issue was discovered overnight. For anyone whose premium version of Sign has stopped working overnight or today, please download the update in the market. The issue has been identified and corrected. Thank you very much to those people who informed us of the issue. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Looks pretty good. I'm gonna try it
Ult:
Let us know what you think. We're still working on the fix for the non-Google contacts, but as soon as that done, we are evaluating what features to include in the following update. So we welcome your suggestions.
Thanks for giving it a shot.
Welcome to Saiy... Install - Mod edit: Broken DL link removed.
For those of you visiting this thread as subscribers to utter! you'll know the history well. A promising release, active development and then silence..... Please accept my apologies - if you don't know that 'sometimes life gets in the way' then you are the envy of most.
A bit of history for you...
To cut a half-decade-long story short, the Fragmentation of Android ground this project to a halt. When I first demoed my creation to the world, I had visions of knocking it up on Android and then focusing on how it functioned in the background. I was about to drown myself in machine learning to bring my vision to life. Job done? Well no...
It turned out that developing an app that covered almost every function available on an Android device (I refuse to say 'phone' - it's not 1983!) , was a job for 1,000+ developers, not just a lonesome one such as I, on a 10 year old Dell laptop - and each time a new update to Android was released, I huddled in a corner and wept, as I waited for the crash reports and 1* ratings to roll in.
It turns out that bugs aren't only specific to Android versions. You multiply that by Manufacturers messing with builds - and devices running multiple versions and then even the Locale of the device causing crashes and you end up with 12,000+ supported devices exponentially multiplied by all other eventualities as your user base.
I drowned... And my (in hindsight) naive plans of master AI'ery, whilst users enjoyed playing with it on Android, dropped down to the bottom of my to-do list. Things had to change.
I decided to shut myself away in a dark room to completely rewrite the Android code, so that it was both readable and scalable; despite its complexity. Rumours flew that I had died - and in some ways, I did....
Not really ^ that just felt justifiably dramatic! :cyclops:
So, utter! is reborn as Saiy® and Open Sourced, so it may have a chance of competing with the big boys, before they run away with all of our private data and souls, in order to use their services...
Install Saiy from the Play Store - here
Note - a direct download link will appear here shortly!
You can get involved by checking out the Development Section in the app, or alternatively, if you're a curious Android Developer, check out the base code published on GitHub here
The code base is pretty large, so briefly, there are two major classes in the app, that direct and distribute work elsewhere:
SelfAware is the main Foreground Service, responsible for managing the application state and channelling voice recognition, text to speech and other API requests.
Quantum is the main processing class, where commands are locally resolved (if required), sensibility checked and actioned.
Understanding the above two classes is essential to following the flow of the full application logic.
MyLog is a global verbose logging toggle. When enabled, the output will flow class to class, as well as display durations for time sensitive functions.
The following remains for the sake of me needing some sleep and posterity
About this thread
Firstly, I’d like to thank everyone for the positive feedback and encouragement and the huge amount of messages I’ve received on YouTube, email, twitter, G+ and here on XDA volunteering to be involved in beta testing. It’s very much appreciated and I apologise that I cannot respond to them all. Please take this intro as a thank you.
This thread is for your open discussion about utter! and the features you'd like to see included, so please feel free to throw your ideas back and forth (be nice to each other) and I’ll do my best to keep up with them when I have time.
About utter!
Unlike other voice applications, utter! will be configurable to the user, enabling you to assign spoken keywords to use the functionality of your favourite applications or make system related changes to your device. There's no cumbersome overlay or launching of another application to use the features, utter! sits in the background ready to be activated, whenever you want, without interrupting whatever you are doing.
Which applications will initially be compatible?
The more interest I can demonstrate in utter! the more likely your favourite application developer will want to make their functionality available to use. The purpose of the YouTube video and this thread is to get their attention and create a more functional first beta release.
I’m a developer and I'd like features of my application to be utter! compatible.
Please contact me to discuss how our applications can work together.
FAQs
Q) Will an offline speech engine be built in?
A) I hope so. I'm waiting to see what features of Google Now are made available to developers
Q) What languages will it be available in?
A) At first, English only. Once I have the framework functioning correctly, I can turn my attention to translations (thank you for the messages I’ve received offering translation help).
Q) Will it use natural speech recognition?
A) Over time it will, but in the testing stages commands will be more structured. As my algorithms develop, so will the application's ability to recognise exactly what you want.
For the conversation mode I’m really up against it. I’m almost trying to reinvent the wheel knowing that Google are no doubt sitting on a very advanced algorithm purposely for this… They are more than welcome to allow me to use it…
Q) How much is utter! going to cost when it’s out of beta?
A) I don’t know as yet. Not more than a couple of dollars... I just need to make sure that whatever the price, it's more than worth it.
Q) Which speech engine does it use?
A) In the video I used IVONA beta (available on the Market here). This option is configurable so you can use a free or premium engine of your choice.
Q) Google’s Project Majel will no doubt surpass this application. Why are you bothering?
A) Perhaps.. It remains to be seen the direction Google take and whether their focus will be too much in the interest of nudging you towards Google services, rather than providing an open and configurable voice integrated assistant.
For example: If you assign ‘Save Battery’ to a command, on detection utter! could go ahead and minimise your brightness level and screen time-out, turn off (or restrict) all data connections, set your device to GSM only, turn off vibrate functions and screen animations, underclock and undervolt your CPU (requires root) etc etc.. Is that what you expect from Majel? Personally, I don’t… [Update - I think I was right about this!]
Q) How do I register to beta test!?
A) Hang around this thread – thank you.
Q) The icon you used in the video for utter! was lame!
A) Yes! I just borrowed the inbuilt icon for now. If you think you can design a better one, please feel free! Maximum respect (at the very least) from the first post is offered in return!
Q) Can you adapt Siri to do these things please?
A) I honestly have had these requests – I’m afraid that’s not going to be possible now… or in the near/far future /ever…
----
By genisis7
{
"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"
}
By goander
By joshaw
By usaff22
utter! release progress
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
CONTACTS
TASKER
BLUETOOTH
WIFI
MOBILE DATA
WORLD TIME
WORLD WEATHER
ROOT FUNCTIONS
Credits
pingpongboss - amazing StandOut library!
usaff22 - amazing icon and artists impression work
meadowsjared - Sharing his coding skills
nobnut - previously unknown generosity
waydownsouth - previously unknown patience and sharing of knowledge
fahadayaz - Bug solving GEEK
Permissions
Code:
All permissions are for device based command purposes. NONE of your personal data is uploaded or shared to any external server of any kind
Change Log
Code:
V2.2.5A RELEASED
Email
Text
Navigation
Facebook
Twitter
Directory Searches
Car Locator
Play Music
Visual Results
Wave-to-wake
+ many more features added! Please see the command list in the app for details.
Changed to foreground application with permanent notification to stop Android killing it!
V2.2.4A RELEASED
Skype fixed
FC's fixed on some commands
Speed increases
Added troubleshooting menu
Changed icon display
Enabled background test code (hidden).
V2.2.1A RELEASED
Code and UI revamp.
Converted to pre-beta background app
Usage details in the application.
V2.1.9.1A RELEASED
MASSIVE CHANGES!
Simply too many to list...
All details in the app
V2.1.0A RELEASED
Mobile data
Twitter
Facebook
Contacts (algorithm test)
Dropped 2.1 compatibility
Fahrenheit added to weather
Initialisation tweaked
Custom listener tweaked
Button labels and Loquendo sample now family friendly :eek:
HUGE code rebuild
V2.0.1A RELEASED
Tasker integration!
World Weather
Custom Listener test
Long-press-search integration
Loads of bug fixes and code improvements.
Fixed Weather and Time force closes on 2.1 & 2.2 devices
V1.9A RELEASED
Root-functions fixed
Tablet compatibility fixed
Errors when no recogniser fixed
Loads of bug fixes and code improvements.
V1.7A RELEASED
Root-functions included!
FIXED - Recogniser button errors
Loads and loads of bug fixes and code improvements.
V1.6A RELEASED
World-Time included
FIXED 'unknown' Bluetooth state message.
Loads and loads of bug fixes and code improvements.
V1.5A RELEASED
Bluetooth voice control test included
FIXED the V1.4A 4.0.3 ICS crash
FIXED FC on back button from config tab
FIXED FC when closing app
FIXED FC for Galaxy Nexus TTS settings
FIXED leaked Receiver
Loads and loads of bug fixes and code improvements.
V1.4A RELEASED
WiFi voice control test included
Loads of bug fixes and code improvements.
V1.3A - RELEASED
Fixed FC on Config Tab
V1.2A - RELEASED
Release version 'jumped' to match Play Store
Totally rewritten UI code
Totally rewritten engine logic
Prevented override of localised English voice
Added test contact loader
Intro changed to audio file
Option to record output to sdcard for translation help
So much else that I've forgotten...
V0.0.1A - RELEASED
Long presses for association are not functional yet
BUGS
Code:
IVONA registers itself in error, even if it may actually work. A full uninstall and reinstall of the IVONA files is required.
Buttons don't reactivate occasionally after utterance - 'utterance' code depreciated.
Weather and Time API's are useless for USA State searches. Need to change provider.
utter! stable version is available from Google Play here.
Saiy stable version is available from Google Play here.
Latest test releases can be found in my more recent posts
Looks like a really promising app!! Subscribed..
Sent by accident from my Amaze using Tapatalk
Looks amazing
Cant wait to try this, am a lot on the road so can use this app.
Keep up the amazing work
subscribed! looking forward to this, it appears to be a much better solution than anything currently available. thanks for your hard work and determination.
Brandall - I congratulate you on what appears to be an amazing product. Would it be possible to navigate certain applications via voice? As an example, is something like this feasible: "Utter - scroll down 25%" to scroll down 25% of the way while viewing a web page in a browser, for instance?
Also, what about controlling a desktop computer via a Windows application/plug-in?
Brandall, this app looks amazing. In 4+ years of XDA'ing, I just hit subscribe for the first time. Can't wait to try it out. Do you have a twitter we can follow you at? Maybe @utter! or the likes.
Can't wait to try it out
Amazing looking app! Definently waiting to dl this asap
Sent Via My Shiny New Droid4!
Can't wait to try this app out have not been that impressed with the other similar apps.
This one looks slick.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
Looking forward to trying this out. Sounds like it will be better than what I have seen so far.
Awesome app, need someone to beta test, im ready, just shoot me a pm, subscribed for the first time btw
Looks amazing....
This looks absolutely incredible, I cannot wait to take it for a test drive.......Great work.
"Q) Google’s Project Majel will no doubt surpass this application. Why are you bothering?
A) Perhaps.. It remains to be seen the direction Google take and whether their focus will be too much in the interest of nudging you towards Google services, rather than providing an open and configurable voice integrated assistant."
One of my favorite aspects of Android over iOS is simply choices like this. Majel could very well have aspects that surpass this app and utter! will probably have aspects that surpass Majel - ultimately whichever works best for you personally is the one to go with.
Cant wait to try this when its ready
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
utter!
This sounds utter!y amazing... I am staying tuned!
Subscribed
One of the most promising apps I've seen in awhile....can't wait to try it.
Roland Deschain said:
Brandall - I congratulate you on what appears to be an amazing product. Would it be possible to navigate certain applications via voice? As an example, is something like this feasible: "Utter - scroll down 25%" to scroll down 25% of the way while viewing a web page in a browser, for instance?
Also, what about controlling a desktop computer via a Windows application/plug-in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. When offline recognition is available it opens the door to many more mundane speech controlled functions. As it stands at the moment, implementing such commands would be more of a gimmick and wouldn't be quicker or save time/effort..
jirafabo said:
Brandall, this app looks amazing. In 4+ years of XDA'ing, I just hit subscribe for the first time. Can't wait to try it out. Do you have a twitter we can follow you at? Maybe @utter! or the likes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know thank you twitter, g+ links in my signature below - I think they work!
Brandall:
I cannot tell you how impressed I am with your creativity, skills and vision in developing Utter! When I viewed the video last week I was in awe; brilliant, incredibly brilliant.
I would be thrilled to assist you in beta testing Utter!
I eagerly look forward to this app.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk
Can't wait to try it out
ABOUT
I know there's a huge list of profile management apps released already; This is my first project; It's open source and you can freely check the code on https://code.google.com/p/sfen/. Android version requirement: 4.0.* (Ice Cream Sandwich aka ICS).
sfen is not a abbreviation of any kind.
sfen is swen but with f.
sfen is sheep, like you and me.
sfen is cool.
sfen gets chicks and other sheep.
...actually, sfen is profile management app
WHAT SFEN CAN DO RIGHT NOW
more events can be active at the same moment
profile settings have sound & display options and run specified actions. Actions include toggling wifi, data (root required), vibrate, show dialog window, play sfen sound, run specified application OR shortcut and more
events can be enabled/disabled
it can trigger event actions by geolocation (google play services is required!): leaving and entering specific location will be triggered, wifi status, gps status, time range, single time, current day, screen on/off, cell connection, other event running/not running, battery level and battery status
more conditions can be added to single event and used to match ALL or ANY condition
it can set the priorities of events so if more events are active at the same time, it will take the priority set in advanced options of event into consideration
it can record cell history
using call allow & deny list, you can allow or deny specific 1) contact, 2) group or 3) phone number or part of it to not ring or ring in silent profile!
you can call sfen events or profiles directly using actions/widgets from your favorite launcher!
WHAT SFEN WILL BE AVAILABLE TO DO IN THE NEAR FUTURE (aka TODO list)
Localization (completed: Slovenian, Spanish, Serbian, Russian, Dutch, Swedish).
Implementation for 3rd party apps (Locale)
Localization support (moving hardcoded strings to string xml and start finding translators!)
Bugfixing!
WHAT DOES SFEN LOOK LIKE?
{
"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"
}
DOWNLOAD & INSTRUCTIONS
Please, when testing new version, ALWAYS do this:
Open app > press menu > pick Exit (to clean all timers, geofaces and close background services)
Uninstall previous Application
(if, for any reason, you think some background services are still kept after uninstall, just reboot application; currently it doesn't start on boot)
Download:
Google Play Store
Previous versions:
Here: View attachment sfen-230820142245-signed.apk
Here: View attachment sfen-150820142031-signed.apk
Here: View attachment sfen-080820142344-signed.apk
Here: View attachment sfen-310720142210-signed.apk
Here: View attachment sfen-280720142051-signed.apk
Here: View attachment sfen-220720141727-signed.apk
Q & A
What permissions does sfen currently need?
Wifi state, Network state, Fine location (current user location only if you select to use conditions on Geolocation), Internet, External Storage and more. At the end, it's more or less condition>action application. If you're interested in knowing more about where does Sfen use any permission and what for, just ask!
Does the name of app have anything to do with Sven Bomwollen?
Maybe. Click.
Why can't I find sfen on Google Play store?
As soon as we finish beta2 milestone, we're going live (aka. google play store)!
DEVELOPMENT INFO
Sfen is located on GitHub repository or as backup at https://code.google.com/p/sfen/.
To get local Git copy, use the command: git clone https://github.com/lordgreg/Sfen.git
Current Issues can be found here.
DONATIONS
If you like my work and would like to support my future development, please donate :good:
UPDATES
All changes (including editing and bugfixing can be found on GitHub)
23. august 2014 Lambadaaa!!!! (Woa, woa, woa, woa,.... woa!)
about page added
bluetooth conditions added and still testing (ty @ron_e)
added conditons: event condition true/false
fixed exception when adding Location
added run script command
fixed bug: Alarms don't duplicate anymore.
History of cells sorted
When cell location changed triggers, if cellid is in the list already, update its time
Updated battery levels (condition) with seekbars
Fixed rotation exception
#22 fixed!
Log interface done
Preferences don't have time picker and use 24hr - Sfen takes this info from system settings (ty @gerhardol)
Sfen will always ask you before going back from Event/Profile if you want to save changes (if any)
THANK YOU
Thank you everyone that will contribute to the app in any kind. I will listen to all of your suggestions and try to reply to all of your messages. Oh, one last thing, If you want instant reply, just tweet me on @gpapez.
Regards,
Gregor :cyclops:
Will definitely check this out when I get a chance.
Record feature
Hey man haven't tested your app yet coz I ain't got an android device right now.....
But I'd like to request a feature......
RECORD FEATURE.....
Sort of when I press record it goes to home and then keeps noticing whatever I do...
Eg: I open settings and remove developer options....
And then stop recording when I press a specific key combination and then show whatever it understood....
And then there should be two kinds of record...
1 that records gestures and touches....like if I press home button,touch the chrome icon and save it next time if I replays the chrome icon with hangount icon and then play it it should launch hangounts.....bcoz its just following my recorded trial....
2 that records activities and ignores gestures...eg if I launch chrome and open XDA and save it next time I play it should launch chrome and open XDA......
I know those are big requests but u say ur collecting ideas......
I'll be testing it soon.....
Testing
Hi, I'm testing it but there is no action besides the notification. Can you add at least wifi on off option in actions? It will be nice to test the application having at least one action working. Nice app!
tanqueta207 said:
Hi, I'm testing it but there is no action besides the notification. Can you add at least wifi on off option in actions? It will be nice to test the application having at least one action working. Nice app!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for testing. I will add an action to Enable / disable Wifi for the next release. :good:
shredmatix said:
Hey man haven't tested your app yet coz I ain't got an android device right now.....
But I'd like to request a feature......
RECORD FEATURE.....
Sort of when I press record it goes to home and then keeps noticing whatever I do...
Eg: I open settings and remove developer options....
And then stop recording when I press a specific key combination and then show whatever it understood....
And then there should be two kinds of record...
1 that records gestures and touches....like if I press home button,touch the chrome icon and save it next time if I replays the chrome icon with hangount icon and then play it it should launch hangounts.....bcoz its just following my recorded trial....
2 that records activities and ignores gestures...eg if I launch chrome and open XDA and save it next time I play it should launch chrome and open XDA......
I know those are big requests but u say ur collecting ideas......
I'll be testing it soon.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi and thank you for your reply! As you explained, you need an app like macro recorder is (FRep or HiroMacro). Don't know how else macro recording would fit in profile management app?
ForSquirel said:
Will definitely check this out when I get a chance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you!
Hey nice application but there are no options for actions other than show notifications. Can you make this work with CM Profiles, to enable / disable them at my chosen time / location? Thanks!
UI lift
Just like to offer my help on UI lift for Sfen. I already have an idea in my mind for a profile management app. Let me know if you need a designer! Sample: http://www.abtevrythng.com/2014/03/android-xposed-framework-ui-reimagined.html
auggie2k said:
Hey nice application but there are no options for actions other than show notifications. Can you make this work with CM Profiles, to enable / disable them at my chosen time / location? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi and thank you for your comment
I will try to contact CM devs to ask if CM profile access and management is possible from other (in this case Sfen) app. I'll keep you updated on their reply.
heartrobber18 said:
Just like to offer my help on UI lift for Sfen. I already have an idea in my mind for a profile management app. Let me know if you need a designer! Sample: http://www.abtevrythng.com/2014/03/android-xposed-framework-ui-reimagined.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you heartrobber18!
I'd be more than glad to get any suggestion on UI (your samples look great- very playstore-ish, meaning trending!). Will try to focus more to that kind of design. Let me know if you have more ideas!
What about if the screen is on then the notification sound will be turned off. And if the screen is off, the notiffication sound will be turned on again
DusBekas said:
What about if the screen is on then the notification sound will be turned off. And if the screen is off, the notiffication sound will be turned on again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello-
this will be achieved in the near future:
Event:
- condition: screen off/on
- action: run profile: "notification off"
where "Notification off" profile would be:
- notification sound: silent.
:good:
Thanks, I hope you can add more actions and conditions soon!
Edit:
You can add features for rooted devices!
Multiple conditions
First of all, thanks for the app, I think that it could be very interesting to have a open source framework like this.
About the app, I have seen that you added a checkbox with "match all conditions?" option, this is for having conditions as:
X and Y and Z
X or Y or Z
But you can not make conditions like:
(X or Y) and B
Did you think on adding that kind of conditions? For me, the most difficult thing would be creating an UI to manage it :silly:
P.S.: If you like being "trendy" you can try implementing th "material" design, showing the events like "cards".
P.S.2: I also think that could be more visual having different background color for disabled events.
P.S. 3: It would be very interesting if this app had an API for other people to add conditions or actions. this way, even if you leave the development, people could add functionalities
Good luck with this app!
Hey dude,i love this sneaky cute sheep so much
Have some idea for u
1.an event for gsm antena network
2.ability to triggers application 's widget
3.make a simple ui for noobs and a way to transform to advanced menu for experts
4.reduce the wakelock to save more battery
Good luck
I like! But it's just me, or there are no actions but notification icon?
Hi! I'm about to install it and start using/testing the app. However, could you do the testing through the play store, it's much much easier to track the updates and stuff than here where we have to manually check for new versions and stuff. It can be done with a G+ group.
Thanks!
Hi everyone ... you will find additional info at the bottom of this message
josuearisty said:
Thanks, I hope you can add more actions and conditions soon!
Edit:
You can add features for rooted devices!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- More actions and conditions are coming later today :good:
- Options for rooted devices (at least disabling and enabling mobile data for start) is coming today too!
alaintxu said:
First of all, thanks for the app, I think that it could be very interesting to have a open source framework like this.
About the app, I have seen that you added a checkbox with "match all conditions?" option, this is for having conditions as:
X and Y and Z
X or Y or Z
But you can not make conditions like:
(X or Y) and B
Did you think on adding that kind of conditions? For me, the most difficult thing would be creating an UI to manage it :silly:
P.S.: If you like being "trendy" you can try implementing th "material" design, showing the events like "cards".
P.S.2: I also think that could be more visual having different background color for disabled events.
P.S. 3: It would be very interesting if this app had an API for other people to add conditions or actions. this way, even if you leave the development, people could add functionalities
Good luck with this app!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your post,
- I will try to integrate logical AND and OR conditions later in development. This is one of my things on todo list. As you concluded, it is one of more difficult things to implement to "look nice" and make sense
- I will try to use my sheep senses to see, how it looks if disabled events have different background. Will post results later
- trendy cards will get some loving too, Sfen said he likes the idea too :victory:
- API for different broadcasts would be great and will be implemented AFTER all main things get done, okay?
jing000l said:
Hey dude,i love this sneaky cute sheep so much
Have some idea for u
1.an event for gsm antena network
2.ability to triggers application 's widget
3.make a simple ui for noobs and a way to transform to advanced menu for experts
4.reduce the wakelock to save more battery
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello and replies to your ideas:
1. actions to enable/disable mobile data is getting implemented as I'm writing this message. Sadly, beginning with 4.2, this isn't possible without root anymore. Is that what you meant?
2. widgets will get implemented after proceeding to next step! hooray
3. I'm hoping I can hit that sweet spot between simple & advanced ui in one UI alone. If we find out users will have difficulties adopting to interface, then its time to split simple/advanced interface.
4. currently, wakelocks aren't starting to check conditions by themselves. Sfen is only listening to system broadcasts and waking up on START and END times where TIMERANGE is used.
Hope I've replied and answered on all your ideas!
gpvecchi said:
I like! But it's just me, or there are no actions but notification icon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not just you . More actions are coming soon (today)!
leo.benveniste said:
Hi! I'm about to install it and start using/testing the app. However, could you do the testing through the play store, it's much much easier to track the updates and stuff than here where we have to manually check for new versions and stuff. It can be done with a G+ group.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Leo,
thank you for suggestion. One of my main objectives is to put Sfen to Google Play. Believe me, I'll do my best to put Sfen between other virgin sheeps (wat!) as soon as possible. As this is early Alpha stage, I'll try to put out as little as different versions as possible and, let's hope, Sfen is going live (to Play Store) with his first beta release.
----
Additional info:
Waking up and seeing app thread going live brought smile to my face. Sfen started to hump all the pillows in apartment out of excitement. I will listen to all your suggestions and try to implement all the ideas as soon as possible.
Thank you for making Sfen happy!
Until next version, test the ui!
-Gregor :cyclops:
greglord said:
Hi everyone ...
Additional info:
Waking up and seeing app thread going live brought smile to my face. Sfen started to hump all the pillows in apartment out of excitement. I will listen to all your suggestions and try to implement all the ideas as soon as possible.
Thank you for making Sfen happy!
Until next version, test the ui!
-Gregor :cyclops:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please oh please tell me you have a real live sheep named Sfen running around in your apartment, that would probably make you the cooler dev instantly.
If not, thanks for the reply. Good luck with the app!
Hi all,
new version has just been uploaded.
REMINDER: if you have previous version installed, please Menu>Exit first, then uninstall. Hooray!
It includes:
- tabbed ui with placeholder for profiles and whitelists
- new conditions: screen on & screen off
- new actions: enable wifi, disable wifi, enable mobile data (ROOT required!), disable mobile data (ROOT required!)
Next update will bring:
- simple profiles (maybe with only basic options to set loudness, ringtone and vibration options
- action: vibration & play specific sound
- more things i cannot think of
Happy bug hunting and alpha testing ^^
Hi mate seems promising, good luck! When trying to add a new event and choosing inside or outside location and location is turned off in settings I get an fc. This is what the logcat says: 07-29 00:13:02.089 E/sfen (12773): Preferences alarms of type ALARMS is null.
Thanks, I'll be happy to help!
Contacts 5+
Contacts with GROUPS!
Version 1.0.7
July 23, 2016
{
"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"
}
The Goal
To create the Contacts app Google should’ve included with Lollipop to begin with, with the groups feature back and prominent where it belongs. This is intended to be a fully featured contacts app, unlike the now-abandoned ContactsGroups app that many of us used for a while when Lollipop first came out.
Who am I?
I am a longtime Android enthusiast, but I’m also a professional Java developer. I work in core Java, however, and this has been my first ever Android project. Everything I’ve done in this app, it is my first time doing on the Android platform.
The Codebase
This app is not a fork of the AOSP contacts app. It is a complete, from-scratch creation by yours truly. It uses the ACTION_VIEW and INSERT_VIEW mechanisms to access the default Contacts’ app’s view/add/edit contact functionality, but otherwise it is 100% my creation (although I will include a few shoutouts to some third-party libraries I’m using in it).
Limitations
This app currently only works with contacts from Google accounts.
Current Features
- Tabs for All Contacts, Groups, and Favorites.
- Search for contact, both in the All Contacts list and within an individual group.
- Ability to view/add/edit contact details.
- Customizable settings:
--- Toggle "only phones"
--- Toggle showing groups without contacts
--- Change contact name display style
--- Change sorting for both contacts and groups
--- Choose which accounts to display
Upcoming Features
- Broadcast Receiver updates (right now, if the contacts data is changed from an outside source like the Google Contacts website, and the app is running, it won’t update until you close and re-open the app)
- UI improvements. The popup letters when fast scrolling and the section headers are a project I intend to dive into shortly, to better match the slick look-and-feel of the default contacts app.
- Frequently Contacted section in Favorites tab
- Support for more account types… maybe (this is so not guaranteed, depends on how much overhead it adds to the contact loading process, I haven’t even begun to look into it so I have no idea).
- Other ideas (suggest them!)
Screenshots
Screenshot Gallery: http://imgur.com/a/CYZta
DOWNLOAD
The app is in the Beta Chanel of the Google Play Store. I've been using it regularly and it is very stable, but anyone who develops software knows that issues can arise, hence the beta status. To download it, first use the following link to opt-in to the beta. From there you will have a link to download the app directly.
Link: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/io.craigmiller160.contacts5
Reporting Bugs
Please report all bugs in this thread. I have a day job and a life, but I do intend to continue working on this app to complete the features on the upcoming list above, and resolve any remaining issues that emerge. Feature requests are also welcome, while I make no guarantees about implementing them, if something catches my eye I will consider it.
Reporting Logs
As I'm trying to resolve as many bugs as possible, I've added a feature to the app over versions 1.0.3 & 1.0.5 to write logging data to a file on your device, which you can then send to me. The file is written to /sdcard/Android/data/io.craigmiller160.contacts5/files. This data will make my efforts to solve issues easier, so providing it alongside bug reports would be very helpful.
CHANGELOG
http://craigmiller160.github.io/contacts5-changelog.html
FAQ
1. Will this be in the Play Store?
Yes, definitely, once it is ready for prime time.
2. Will a feature I like be in the app?
You’re free to ask, and if I like it I might consider it. At the moment, though, the goal is to make an app identical to the stock Contacts app, except that this one has the Groups feature back where it belongs.
3. Help! It crashed on my phone!
Post as much detail as possible, including a logcat if you got it. This is an Alpha build, but I promise to work on resolving any issues as quickly as I can.
4. How quickly will you update the app?
As quickly as I can. Again, I have a full time job (developing applications), and a life outside of that. But I do intend to see this project through to completion, and hope to at least be able to roll out a new build every week, or every other week at the latest.
5. I love this app! Can I donate?
Hmmm… I do like money. I should look into getting something like that set up.
6. Will this be open source?
Considering it.
Favorites?
How do I install the app? And I don't see the Favs tab in screenshots?
Great idea! What ever possessed Google to remove groups will forever be a mystery. Are you currently working on the app?
This is a great initiative. Here are some ideas...in light of material design, there should be a new group floating button (or an expandable new contact / new group plus button). Would be great to colorize groups, meaning when in all contacts, a color glow would appear behind their name. That'll make it much easier to spot "orphan" contacts (meaning contacts who are not part of groups).
Thank you very much for this app, it is weird to not have a group option on my phone.
SEAxHAWK said:
How do I install the app? And I don't see the Favs tab in screenshots?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey. Favorites tab was not present in Alpha 1. However it is now present in my current build, and will be there in the final release.
Hinesight 20/20 said:
Great idea! What ever possessed Google to remove groups will forever be a mystery. Are you currently working on the app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey. Yes I am. I went quiet for a while but this app is still in development. At this point it has actually gotten very stable and I've been using it as my DD contacts app. I do intend to release a new pre play store build probably by the weekend, barring schedule craziness.
titaniumtux said:
This is a great initiative. Here are some ideas...in light of material design, there should be a new group floating button (or an expandable new contact / new group plus button). Would be great to colorize groups, meaning when in all contacts, a color glow would appear behind their name. That'll make it much easier to spot "orphan" contacts (meaning contacts who are not part of groups).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So as far as a new group button, I have mixed feelings about that one, since you still won't be able to add contacts to a group without going into contact details and opening the groups section anyway (and a new group button is in that menu). For all contact details stuff I'm just using the default Contacts ActionView, so none of that is code I've actually touched.
ShadowAngler said:
Hey. Yes I am. I went quiet for a while but this app is still in development. At this point it has actually gotten very stable and I've been using it as my DD contacts app. I do intend to release a new pre play store build probably by the weekend, barring schedule craziness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very cool. I'll download it and check it out.
---------- Post added at 09:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 PM ----------
Hinesight 20/20 said:
Very cool. I'll download it and check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works! Thanks, I'm looking forward to your new releases.
Hinesight 20/20 said:
Very cool. I'll download it and check it out.
---------- Post added at 09:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:53 PM ----------
Works! Thanks, I'm looking forward to your new releases.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. My goal is to have it out in the Play Store beta channel over the weekend. I just finished implementing search functionality, but then went away for a few days (at the airport on my way back now). The only reason this release will be considered a beta is that the only person to use it so far is me, so I can't 100% guarantee it's bug free. But I'm using it every day right now with no issues.
Quick preview of what's coming:
Completed Features:
- Tabs for All Contacts, Groups, and Favorites.
- Search for contact, both in the All Contacts list and within an individual group.
- Ability to view/add/edit contact details.
- Customizable settings:
--- Toggle "only phones"
--- Toggle showing groups without contacts
--- Change contact name display style
--- Change sorting for both contacts and groups
--- Choose which accounts to display
Still to come:
- UI improvements: popup letters during fast scroll, and letter headers in contacts lists (like the default contacts app)
- Broadcast Receiver data refreshing (right now, if the contacts data is changed from another source while the app is running, it won't refresh until it's closed/reopened).
- Support for more account types (maybe) (right now, the app only supports Google account contacts. Once everything else is finished, I will explore if it is possible to easily integrate support for contacts from either exchange or facebook as well).
Edit: Looks like I'm right on schedule... the release is now done, gotta run out for the night, but I plan to get it out by tomorrow.
Alright folks, the new build is live. Changelog to follow soon (although I already posted a preview of it, I'll be incorporating an official changelog into the OP soon.
Enjoy.
Looks good so far. Can I ask to be able to email or text the entire group?
Bobvark said:
Looks good so far. Can I ask to be able to email or text the entire group?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Bobvark said:
Looks good so far. Can I ask to be able to email or text the entire group?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's something I've been thinking about. I'll probably look into it once the other issues are resolved.
I'm adding this here and to the OP, in the hopes that someone sees it. I've gotten a report that my app is crashing on startup on a Samsung Galaxy S6 running Touchwiz/Android 6.0.1. Since I don't have a Samsung device to test the app on, I'm struggling to investigate the issue. If anyone has a Samsung device running Touchwiz, I would appreciate hearing from you, hopefully with a logcat, so I can resolve the issue.
I see that this application is ad supported. Please add an option to pay and remove the ads.
sling-shot said:
I see that this application is ad supported. Please add an option to pay and remove the ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a part of the plan. Currently it's in beta, and my main focus is going towards resolving some of the last few outstanding issues that users have reported. Once it goes into production I will indeed be adding that ability. It'll only be $0.99, I'm not looking to make much money off of this, just get a tiny bit back for my work.
Would be great if you can add ability to set group ringtone, then it would be perfect.
Bug:
I've noticed that when I search for a name from the main list, there are several contacts don't appear. It may be because they were added through WhatsApp, even though they are gmail contacts. But when I search for the name within a group, it appears. I've also seen that the favorites tab doesn't include all of the contacts I have starred in android.
Other than that, so far it looks nice! And it's REALLY fast. Can't wait to see how development continues.
NEW
The Your Grocery List app is available in the Gear app store! Install it from the Gear app on your phone, enter your email address and PW to sign into your Our Groceries account on the watch, and start shopping! Thank you, Christoff!
Requires an account w/Our Groceries. Does not require the Our Groceries app on your phone, but that is highly recommended (it's simply a great shopping list app - once you/your family start using it you'll wonder how you got by without it).
You can create your Our Groceries account from the Our Groceries app on the phone, or at www.ourgroceries.com.
This is a community developed app, Christoff (developer) contacted Our Groceries and they were supportive of him releasing it.
Currently the app does not have "push" auto-sync w/the Our Groceries server, so use the Refresh button in the app to update before shopping (in case changes have been made to the shopping list from another client). All changes on the watch to your shopping lists are immediately sync'd w/the Our Groceries server. Christoff is investigating auto-sync from the server to the watch.
Old:
Any enterprising developers who also have to go shopping for groceries (100% of you!) - you could look into the Our Groceries app!
It's probably the best shopping list app available on Android (nearly instant sync across multiple devices, extremely flexible list management, super easy to use UI, regular maintenance and updates from developer, etc.
Would be great to have a Tizen client to view current list of items and check off as purchased from the watch.
Willing to provide beer money to help get this started.
UPDATE: Member cm_walkaround has started working on a native app solution for Our Groceries sync. See this post (#6).
UPDATE 2 WOOT! Christoff just announced that he released the app to the Gear store today (Feb 21) in this post (#9). It will take several days to a week for Samsung to review and approve it. They control the final actual release of the app in the Gear watch store, so hopefully they will complete their review promptly.
The app is called Your Grocery List. (Christof did not call it "Our Groceries" to avoid confusion about the source of the app).
Thanks (mine and all other Our Grocery users) for looking into this!
I too have been looking for something, and would really like it to sync with Google Tasks since that is what I'm presently using for my grocery list and use GTasks on my phone.
I tried the My Tasks companion app with sister android app which syncs with Google Tasks, but it's terrible on the S3. The font is way too big, and it shows you all the items in the list even when and after they are checked off so you have to scroll and scroll through the lists. Hopefully the developer will decide to change it.
If not, I'm looking for something that will only show the items on the list that are not checked off so you can maintain a large list of grocery items and uncheck only the items you need before you go to the store so the watch only displays the unchecked items.
Sent from my SM-T800 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
Our groceries.. Ditto
So until something native arrives, this is an option, and it works surprisingly well.
Get Wearable widgets app on your watch, and companion app on your phone and complete setup and choose the widgets you want to see on your phone.
Launch the Wearable Widgets app from your watch, and scroll to the widget you want to see (from the ones you selected on your phone).
Viewing the Our Groceries widget via Wearable Widgets on your watch you can:
- Scroll the groceries list up and down
- Tap items to mark them purchased
- Tap them again to return them to your shopping list
The interaction is very much like the one on the phone, surprisingly good, actually. You can add each of your lists to your phone - just set them up in the Wearable Widgets app and they will show up in the phone.
Some screenshots and a pic below from my watch.
{
"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"
}
Redflea said:
So until something native arrives, this is an option, and it works surprisingly well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, it works well thank you for the tip
Just started..
Hi folks,
just started to code a client for ourgroceries on the S3 (just asked OurGroceries if its ok for them to use the name in the app.. lets see).
Still need to implement a store for the credentials, but apart from that the minimal version is almost finished. "Features" are:
- show all lists -> select a list (also with bezel-scroll)
- show all items of selected list -> tap to cross off
For now, I am not displaying crossed off items at all (="shopping" use-case). But I plan to extend that asap.
I hope to get this minimal thing working by the end of the week and hope, ourgroceries is positive about my request.
Best
Christof
cm_walkaround said:
Hi folks,
just started to code a client for ourgroceries on the S3 (just asked OurGroceries if its ok for them to use the name in the app.. lets see).
Still need to implement a store for the credentials, but apart from that the minimal version is almost finished. "Features" are:
- show all lists -> select a list (also with bezel-scroll)
- show all items of selected list -> tap to cross off
For now, I am not displaying crossed off items at all (="shopping" use-case). But I plan to extend that asap.
I hope to get this minimal thing working by the end of the week and hope, ourgroceries is positive about my request.
Best
Christof
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OH MY GOODNESS!
Thanks very much for working on this - will be very appreciated!!
Can you also support swipe to change lists (I find that swiping left/right is often easier than using the bezel, depending on what I'm doing).
The Our Groceries folks are nice, my interactions w/them have been very positive. If you haven't seen it, here's what they are saying about device support in their current FAQ...Gear doesn't even register. I expect (hope) that they would be happy for you to extend their ecosystem.
https://www.ourgroceries.com/faq#unsupported_devices
Our Groceries said:
Will you support Microsoft Windows Phones, Apple Watch, Google Home, Google Now, Siri, or IFTTT?
While we do not currently support Windows Phone devices, we are watching the market share numbers. When the mobile platform becomes popular enough, we will likely create an OurGroceries app for it.
We are evaluating whether our users find OurGroceries useful on Android Wear devices. Depending on what we find, we’ll decide whether to support the Apple Watch.
We are actively investigating Google Home integration.
Google Now and Siri do not currently provide a way for us to integrate with them.
IFTTT charges $3000 per year for integration, and we do not currently think that we would make that back in additional revenue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cm_walkaround said:
Hi folks,
just started to code a client for ourgroceries on the S3 (just asked OurGroceries if its ok for them to use the name in the app.. lets see).
Still need to implement a store for the credentials, but apart from that the minimal version is almost finished. "Features" are:
- show all lists -> select a list (also with bezel-scroll)
- show all items of selected list -> tap to cross off
For now, I am not displaying crossed off items at all (="shopping" use-case). But I plan to extend that asap.
I hope to get this minimal thing working by the end of the week and hope, ourgroceries is positive about my request.
Best
Christof
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great News and thanks!
Submitted
Hi folks,
the developer gave me a positive feedback and I finished & submitted the app to the store.
I also noted in the app-description, that I am a private developer and not in any way related to the OurGroceries-service.
It should take some days for the review process, but I hope it goes through.
Thanks for your suggestions, I'll upgrade the app from time to time (I do this in my free-time which is needed for other things for now).
Would be happy if you leave feedback here or in the app store.
Best
Christof
cm_walkaround said:
Hi folks,
the developer gave me a positive feedback and I finished & submitted the app to the store.
I also noted, that I am a private developer and not in any way related to the OurGroceries-service.
It should take some days for the review process, but I hope it goes through.
Thanks for your suggestions, I'll upgrade the app from time to time (I do this in my free-time which is needed for other things for now).
Would be happy if you leave feedback here or in the app store.
Best
Christof
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, Christoff, you didn't even give us time to start pestering you for a release date! This has to be the fastest move from announce to 1.0 release I can remember seeing. Thanks very much for submitting to the store, I'll be hitting "Refresh" on the Gear app store every hour or so for the next few days.
Will definitely provide feedback once it's available. Thanks for providing this - closes a key gap in the watch's capabilities.
Redflea said:
Wow, Christoff, you didn't even give us time to start pestering you for a release date! ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Redflea - I hope the quality is acceptable (I also really needed this app.. ).
Testing time was quite short, so maybe its more a 0.1-release.. however, everything seems to work.
See u!
Christof
p.s. the name of the app is "Your grocery list" (I wanted to prevent misunderstandings that this app could be made by the service-providers), but noted "OurGroceries" in the description, so I hope its find-able.
cm_walkaround said:
Thanks Redflea - I hope the quality is acceptable (I also really needed this app.. ).
Testing time was quite short, so maybe its more a 0.1-release.. however, everything seems to work.
See u!
Christof
p.s. the name of the app is "Your grocery list" (I wanted to prevent misunderstandings that this app could be made by the service-providers), but noted "OurGroceries" in the description, so I hope its find-able.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds good - don't worry, I'm sure any issues will be ironed out over time (as you have time).
Thanks for the info on the name - I'll be looking for it on the Gear App store over the next few days, hopefully Samsung will release it quickly.
Hi again,
just to shorten your waiting time, I've some screenshots for you.
Registration might need some additional days..
Best
Christof
This is fantastic!
I use Our Groceries quite a lot, so having it on the watch will be so handy!!
I'll definitely grab this once it's on the store and give it a try! :good:
cm_walkaround said:
Hi again,
just to shorten your waiting time, I've some screenshots for you.
Registration might need some additional days..
Best
Christof
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yippee! Thanks for the pics.
LOL...I go into the Gear app store and search on "Grocery" twice a day now. I'm going to have a big impact on their search metrics.
Well, thanks for your efforts, but I just tried out the parent OurGroceries app and it is way too weak for me. So I'll still be looking for something better than OurGroceries, but thanks anyway.
Sent from my SM-T800 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
@DaWeav: Just curious: what features are you missing? @all: app is now available in store.
I uploaded an update today which needs another 4 days for validation.
It includes:
- swipe left/right to toggle between active/crossed off list.
- in the list of crossed off items: insert filter string to quickly find items
- if the filter string is not already existing in the list, you can add it as a new item.
- minor bug fixes
Next update will be about porting the app to other tizen watches.
Best
Christof
cm_walkaround said:
@DaWeav: Just curious: what features are you missing? @all: app is now available in store.
I uploaded an update today which needs another 4 days for validation.
It includes:
- swipe left/right to toggle between active/crossed off list.
- in the list of crossed off items: insert filter string to quickly find items
- if the filter string is not already existing in the list, you can add it as a new item.
- minor bug fixes
Next update will be about porting the app to other tizen watches.
Best
Christof
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woot! Off to install!
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
cm_walkaround said:
@DaWeav: Just curious: what features are you missing?
Best
Christof
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, when I tried to migrate my current shopping list and import that list into OurGroceries, they manipulated the imported data and sorted it alphabetically.
I have my master shopping list in the order I 'walkthrough' the store, so now everything was all over the place on the list. I really don't need Zuccinni at the bottom of the list since it's in the produce area which is fhe first thing I see when entering the store. Anyway, I'll give them a bit of credit as they do have 'Categories'. So, I took the time to create 16 or so Categories for food items, and took the time to place my 100s of items in their proper 'store-order' (walkthrough) categories.
But, then I ran into a major second problem with my Ourgroceries master shopping list.
Now that I had all the shopping items on the list in their proper category order with the items appearing in the order the store has them when I'm walking through the store, I don't need the 100s of items at this time, so I started removing them from my shopping list. But, when I started checking off the items, all they did was drop off the list in either alphabetical or randomly order. They don't leave the checked off items in the same order when checked off/not active. Nor do they even leave them in their category order when the items are un-checked/not active. So, if I want to re-activate a checked off item on my list, I have to search and search to find it. At least when I reactivated the checked off item, the item appeared back in it's proper category order.
I just like having a master list of items that I can go through and just activate the item I'll need since it helps me think of the items I'll need to get instead of constructing a new list every time.
Sent from my SM-T800 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
DaWeav said:
First, ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are absolutely valid complaints - and the api does not seem to support relative ordering of the items, so you can only implement that on the client-app (you could have multiple shop-profiles that memorize the relative order items were checked). Maybe the developer can implement this feature for the client - I'll ask.
Best
Christof