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Hello, all.
I've got a confession to make: I like apps. A lot. To an unhealthy degree. I've got a huge stash of apps on my phone, and an even larger collection of .apk backups waiting to be reloaded whenever I feel like it. I love finding new apps to try out, and deciding which ones are worthy to be added to my collection. A lot of the apps that I find and want to try out are paid apps; without finding many thorough reviews on them, I don't know whether they are worth my money - but I can't stand the thought of missing out on the Next Big Thing. And so I buy them, download them, install them, and test them out anyway. If it's an awesome app and well-worth the money, I tell my friends. If it is money that could be better spent on another app that I've tried before, I tell my friends that, too.
Unfortunately, not all of my friends are interested in my opinion on apps. They only listen to me because of my rugged good looks (my theory). This makes me sad, because I spend a lot of time (and money, in some cases) trying apps out - someone else needs to benefit from that time (and money) as well. Until someone decides to pay/reimburse me for all the apps that I evaluate, the next-best thing I can do is offer up reviews to the community of any apps that I have found particularly useful. This is the driving force behind my desire to make this thread.
I will be running down my list of currently-installed useful applications and entertaining games. I will include screen shots, AppBrain links, and as much detail as I can muster up. My hope is that the rest of the community may find some benefit from these reviews - and who knows, maybe you'll find a kick-ass app you'd never heard of.
I'm open to questions, ideas, requests, suggestions, and pretty much any other type of communication or input that could be provided. I only ask that you be respectful - both of me, and of the app developers. And if this list helps you find a neat paid app to try out, please do support the developer(s). Piracy is bad, mmmmkay?
Enjoy!
-codesplice
Credit where credit is due: All screenshots are made using the free ShootMe app.
NOTE: Now that the Android Market has a shnazzy new web interface, I'm going to change the primary links for apps to reflect this. I will add the AppBrain links as a secondary, and hope to add direct market links at some point once I find a site to reliably provide this information. Stay tuned!
Reviews:
Minimalistic Text (Widget)
Clutch Pad(Multitasking App) UPDATED 2/24/11
CircleLauncher (Widget)
Swipe Pad (Multitasking App)
Keyboard Manager (App) UPDATED 2/23/11
Shift Puzzle Game (Game)
ElecroDroid (App)
Hella Umbrella (Game)
Digital Wall (LWP)
Shortyz Crosswords (App)
Elixir (System Info App)
Google Authenticator (App)
Zeam (Launcher)
Lookout / WaveSecure (Mobile Security App double-feature)
If you don't want to subscribe to this thread, you can follow me on that twitting thing, as I will post updates about new reviews there.
Minimalistic Text (widget)
App Name: Minimalistic Text (v.2.1.3, @AppBrain)
Developer: Devmil
Price: FREE
There is quite a handful of text-based widgets available on the Market, and a lot of them are very nice. There are widgets for displaying the time as text, the weather as text, the battery level as text.... but this is one widget that does it all. Just about every aspect of the widget is configurable, from the text alignment and rotation to the font size and colors to even the format for different types of data. You've got several options for the display type, whether you want to use digits or words or even a bar (for days of the week or percentage of battery charge). There is also an optional "blur" text effect which works wonderfully for making accented text appear to be illuminated. To top things off, this widget also functions as a plugin for Locale or Tasker and can be used to display variables from either of those applications. For instance, if you want a small text-widget to display what Locale/Tasker profiles are currently active, this is your answer for a very configurable solution.
For each widget you are also able to define an action to perform when tapped - whether it is launching another activity (my clock widget launches my alarm clock), opening the widget preferences page, or even reading out the text currently displayed on the widget. You are also able to save and restore your widget settings, so don't be afraid to experiment.
Given the sheer amount of customizations available to you with this widget app, the configuration menu may be a little bit overwhelming and complex when you first get into it. Play around for a few minutes, and you're bound to get the hang of it.
This is a fabulous widget, and one that I highly recommend to anyone who will take the time to tinker with it.
Verdict: A highly-configurable text-based widget to display pretty much anything you want, especially with Tasker integration.
Screenshots:
1) Widget(s) in action. I should note there are three separate widgets displayed: Time / weather up top, day / date on the bottom, and a battery level bar on the right-hand side.
2) Preferences Manager for all widgets
3) Text Style menu
4-5) Custom Layout configurator
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Clutch Pad[APP]
App Name: Clutch Pad (v.1.3v.1.4.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: stevealbright
Price: $0.99 $1.99
Clutch is an application that seeks to optimize and streamline the way you multitask on Android. It is currently in beta status, but is very functional in its current state. It is a powerful supplement to the built-in Recent Apps feature.
Clutch manifests itself as a small semi-transparent "trigger" area, which functions similar to "hot corners" on a Mac (I think. I'm a Linux/PC guy). This small region rides at the very top layer of the Android interface (in a user-configurable position) and is accessible no matter what application you may be working in. You can tap this region to instantly bring up a small grid displaying your recently-accessed applications. You can customize how many apps you want to be visible, configure the application to ignore your Home (Launcher) app in its list, and to visually distinguish currently-running applications from terminated apps. This makes it very easy to quickly determine if that app you just exited is still running or if it has been shut down as it should, as well as providing a quick (and lightweight) task switcher.
Nice, but nothing terribly fantastic. Yet. Clutch also has configurable swipe gestures - the most useful (to me) of which is a Last Task functionality. For instance, if I Swipe Up from the Clutch region, I instantly switch to whatever my previous app was. If I swipe again, I am moved back to the app I just switched from. This functions similarly to just pressing ALT+TAB quickly, and is very useful for quickly jumping between two apps.
This little utility is quick and lightweight, and I have found it to be extremely useful. It is still in development, and has many more features planned (and a price increase to accompany them - so get it quickly!) including support for additional gestures (open/close notifications, for example), on-click task control (press-and-hold to kill, for example), and configurable transition animations.
If you've got a dollar to spend, you would do well to add this application to your device in its current state, and I can only imagine the app's versatility and usefulness will increase with the further planned updates.
Update (2/24/11): Clutch Pad has recently been updated to version 1.4. With this update, the application has dropped the "Beta" tag, gained an additional "Pad" in its name, and has added additional features and configurable options. At the same time, the price has also been increased to $1.99. New features include additional swipe gestures, configurable transition animations (that are quite pretty), the option to toggle the trigger button via a press-and-hold on the Search hardware key, and a Favorites option to quickly launch your favorite apps. Options have also been added for additional visual tweaks and adjustments of both the trigger icon and the popup lists, and all known bugs have been fixed. With each incremental update, this app gets more and more useful and I find myself relying upon it more all the time. Even at the increased price, this is still one of my must-have applications.
Verdict: An innovative way to access recent apps, and the Last App gesture functionality is every bit as useful as Alt-Tabbing between apps on your desktop.
Screenshots:
1) Trigger icon
2) Recent apps list
3-5) Settings pages
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
CircleLauncher (widget)
App Name: CircleLauncher (v.1.5.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: db-ware
Price: ~$1.37 (free, limited version here or @AppBrain)
As mentioned previously, I have a lot of apps. One of the problem with having a lot of apps is running out of room on your homescreens for app shortcuts. There are various widgets out there that propose a variety of solutions to this problem, but they often leave you with tiny, almost unusable icons. This would have been fine in the days where the trackball reigned supreme, but this is the oh-tens. It has to be finger-friendly.
One true solution that I stumbled across the other day is called CircleLauncher. What it does is really very simple, but it does it very well. It allows you to create a single widget to group similar applications together (I've used location-themed apps and clock-based apps in my example). Tape the 1x1 widget, and a lightweight menu appears to launch your apps. Pretty standard, but this menu is laid out (by default - you can change this in the settings) in a ring around the icon. As you slide your finger or thumb around the ring, the currently selected application icon grows to make selection a bit easier.
Note that CircleLauncher includes other layout types (configurable from the widget's config menu, which you access by selecting the widget and then press-and-holding the center) including horizontal and vertical lines. I was also very pleased with the way that the widget's application menu adapts to its position on the screen - stick it in a corner, and your full selection of apps will be displayed within a 90-degree pie slice.
Obviously, a menu such as this is a bit limited to a relatively low number of apps (more than 9 or 10 and the ring will be just too cluttered to be functional), but if you need to have quick access to just a few more apps from your homescreen, this should do the trick. Since there is a free version available, why not give it a shot and see if this widget can help you to organize your home screen a bit?
Verdict: An easy way to combine several app shortcuts into one.
Screenshots:
1) Plain widgets (labeled GPS and Time) - you can dress them up a bit more if you are artistically inclined.
2) One widget opened showing the full selection ring.
3) The corner widget open showing the adaptation to the position.
4) One icon expanded while my finger hovers over it.
5) Settings menu
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Keep going mate
gruzman said:
Keep going mate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I surely intend to! Just have to figure out which app to post next
Thanks for the encouragement though. It is appreciated to know at least someone is reading over all this mess!
SwipePad Beta [APP]
App Name: SwipePad Beta (v.0.7.5, @AppBrain)
Developer: Conduction.mobi
Price: FREE
Keeping on the theme of "apps to help you access your apps", we come to SwipePad Beta. Similar in some regard to Clutch, this app also gives you "hot corner" functionality. Use the settings menu to establish what corners (or regions) you want to be active, and then slide your finger from a specified region to the center of the screen. Hold it for just a moment, and a 3x4 grid of application shortcuts magically appears. You can, of course, fully customize what applications should appear on this grid by simply pressing your finger on an empty square or by holding your finger over an existing icon until it is highlighted. The hot corners/region and swipe gesture should work pretty much any time that the screen is unlocked, and is a great way of quickly launching a new app without returning to your home screen.
The application offers to integrate task managing application by the same developer (which is a paid app) that I haven't tried out yet. Personally, I've got plenty of other ways of killing apps at this point - particularly once the function gets built into Clutch.
SwipePad is very nicely polished and quite responsive. It does what it does quite well. My only issue with it is that I just don't use it very frequently. I almost forget that it is there; I must be thoroughly conditioned to launching apps from the home screen. It's free, though, so give it a whirl and see if it can further help to optimize the way you launch apps from within other apps
Verdict: Clever use of hot-corners to gain quick access to up to 12 user-defined apps; non-intrusive to the point that you might forget to use it.
Screenshots:
1) SwipePad in action. Note that putting a link to SwipePad on your SwipePad gives you a quick way to access the settings screens.
2) SwipePad settings, with the hot corners highlighted in red at the bottom.
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
is there a video demonstrating the use of Clutch? I want to watch it before paying for it.
Deff fav'ing this. Am looking forward to all reviews
(*is thinking about getting clutch)
Epic is as Epic does
Nice! Thanks bro!
waichung said:
is there a video demonstrating the use of Clutch? I want to watch it before paying for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I imagine there should be a video somewhere on the youtubes. Let me know if you find one and I will add it to the post. I'm about to go into work so it will be another 12 hours before I have access to the full internet, but I will look then if you haven't found anything.
Very good! Thanks
Keyboard Manager [APP]
App Name: Keyboard Manager (v.1.1) Keyboard Manager (v.1.4)
Developer: ne0fhyk
Price: FREE $1.99
NOTE: This app requires root!!
It took me quite a while, but I finally weened myself away from requiring a physical keyboard on a mobile device when I got my NexusOne. With the multitude and variety of available software keyboards available for Android, I haven't really missed the physical keys. The only annoyance at this point is that I find keyboards that work great for one-handed operation in portrait orientation, like Swype or 8pen (if you're in the mood for adventure and don't really care how long it takes to get a message completed ), but are next-to-worthless for dual-thumb landscape input. With a physical keyboard, you'd just slide that bad boy out and away you go. For those of us with only a touchscreen and maybe a few additional buttons, it can be a bit of a chore to manually change the selected input method each time we rotate the device. If only there was a way for the device to read my mind and select the appropriate keyboard.....
As luck would have it, XDA member ne0fhyk has provided us with a solution to this difficulty, in the form of his Keyboard Manager application. Simply select what keyboard you want to use in each orientation (I use Swype for portrait and SwiftKey for landscape), and the app will handle the tedious business of choosing the appropriate input method. It's that easy, and it works.
Mostly. The app is a bit of a hacked solution, and requires root permissions to be able to get around the Android security feature which prevents applications from changing the input method. Installation is not always straight-forward (instructions are available in the first post of the application thread, and it may cause a few software keyboards to force-close if you change orientation while the keyboard is displayed. The current version (1.1) has come a long way from the previous releases in terms of usability, stability, and reliability, and I haven't had any major issues with it. I highly recommend that you give this application a shot and see if it will help you out with your input needs.
Update (2/23/11): Keyboard Manager is no longer available for free, but is now installable from the Android Market. The now-current 1.4 version has fixed most of the install issues and should be a very easy set-up for you. If you run into any issues with the purchased version, please contact the developer - he helped me solve issues specific to my device, and the application works like a charm now.
Verdict: A functional hack to auto-select the appropriate software keyboard based on device orientation.
Screenshots:
1) The optional persistent notification icon. Activating the notification will give you quick access to the Keyboard Manager settings page, and I recommend you leave it enabled until you get things set up the way you want. After that, disable the persistent notification at your own risk (the persistent notification keeps the process in the foreground and prevents Android from terminating it).
2) Settings screen
3) Selecting which keyboard to use
4) Demonstrating that the app has automatically selected Swype for portrait...
5) .... and SwiftKey for landscape.
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Shift Puzzle Game [GAME]
App Name: Shift Puzzle Game (v.1.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: Handmark
Price: $1.99 (Free ad-supported version here or @AppBrain let's you try out 15 levels; full version features 40 additional levels and no ads)
The Shift Puzzle Game is a tasty Android port of the ever-popular SHIFT game by Armor Games, which you can play free in your Flash-enabled browser at the Armor Games website. If you're not familiar with the original (as I wasn't until I found this app just an hour ago), then let me fill you in on the skinny.
Shift is a new take on the classic adventure-puzzle platformer game. Your mission is to get from point A to point B, dodging whatever nasty traps and obstacles may be in your path. The twist is the ability for you to literally shift the game universe upside down. White becomes black, up becomes down, and you find yourself walking on the flip side of the surface you were just standing on. You can (and will) use this clever maneuver repeatedly in order to successfully navigate each challenging level. Not quite tracking? It can be rather tough to explain... Hopefully the screenshots below will help clear it up (or go play the flash version for free here).
This implementation for a touchscreen device is phenomenal. The controls are large and appear on either side of the landscape display - and you don't even need multitouch. Just tap the left arrow to move left, the left-up diagonal to jump left, and the SHIFT button at the top to do that groovy shift thing. The gameplay is engaging, and the levels can be quite challenging (and quite addictive). The game is worth trying out (the free version) solely for experiencing the joy that is puzzle-solving by twisting the fabric of the universe, and you might just get hooked enough to purchase the full version. It would be two bucks well spent.
Verdict: Quickly becoming my latest Android gaming addiction.
Screenshots:
1) Main menu
2) First level
3) First level - SHIFTED!
4) It gets twisted!
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
This is a little off topic but is anyone attempting a Tor app?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
jinsfch said:
This is a little off topic but is anyone attempting a Tor app?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just slightly off topic, but no worries.
A quick search on AppBrain found Orbot: Tor On Android. Impressive, since Android still doesn't have proper proxy support on its own...
Can't find clutch video on youtube...
Btw,i think swipepad is better than it as swyping from the bottom is easier than from the right
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
waichung said:
Can't find clutch video on youtube...
Btw,i think swipepad is better than it as swyping from the bottom is easier than from the right
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked for Clutch videos as well and was disappointed to see that there aren't any. I may try to shoot a video once I get home from the desert in a few weeks (hopefully).
You can change the position of the Clutch region to really any spot on the screen. And I don't really see the two as competing anyway as they have entirely different purposes: Clutch gives you quick access to your recently-executed apps, while SwipePad offers a fixed menu of apps for you to launch.
codesplice said:
I looked for Clutch videos as well and was disappointed to see that there aren't any. I may try to shoot a video once I get home from the desert in a few weeks (hopefully).
You can change the position of the Clutch region to really any spot on the screen. And I don't really see the two as competing anyway as they have entirely different purposes: Clutch gives you quick access to your recently-executed apps, while SwipePad offers a fixed menu of apps for you to launch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The likely alt-tab function of clutch is really fantastic but does it show the recently-executed apps or the running apps? I use swipepad together with the virtual task switcher which allows switching among the running tasks. These 2 apps are completely free and no need to paid $1 for the "swipepad: tasks". But I prefer quick accessing recent tasks to showing those apps running at the background.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
waichung said:
The likely alt-tab function of clutch is really fantastic but does it show the recently-executed apps or the running apps? I use swipepad together with the virtual task switcher which allows switching among the running tasks. These 2 apps are completely free and no need to paid $1 for the "swipepad: tasks". But I prefer quick accessing recent tasks to showing those apps running at the background.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The set {recently-executed} apps includes the subset {running apps}. The default behavior of Android is to show all recently-executed apps under the Recent Apps functionality, regardless of whether those apps are still running or have been terminated. I thought that Visual Task Switcher behaved the same way, but based on the application page it does appear to only display currently-running apps. Personally, I prefer to see recent apps (with a visual distinction between those that are still running and those that have been terminated), as I often end up re-launching the same app over and over; of course, you could also just pin a shortcut to those frequent apps to SwipePad. We all operate our devices in different ways, so either option is of course valid.
Visual Task Switcher (at least the last time that I used it) tended to make my phone lag significantly for whatever reason; I did use it for quite some time though, and was pleased with its functionality as a complete Recent Apps replacement (after configuring the long-press home trigger to launch it via CyanogenMod settings). Also note that the free version includes ads (which may contribute to the lag I was experiencing?) while the full version will set you back $1.99.
Hey guys, I have an app out called InvisiBright and I'm looking for your feedback. Here's a brief description:
Use search key hold or status bar shortcuts to activate an invisible overlay above any application. Then, simply swipe anywhere to adjust the brightness quickly. Done! It comes with other goodies like an auto-brightness toggle, a "tilt mode", and home screen shortcuts (for tablets) so....
Check it out!
Video Demo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at7p-MMaUAE
Pro Version: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.DanGirshovich.T4B
Free Version:https://market.android.com/details?id=com.DanGirshovich.T4BF
All feedback is welcome. Thanks!
What other's think:
XDA Feature: http://www.xda-developers.com/android/invisibright-for-android/
Smoking Android Review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIu9gIS9EkE
Addictive Tips Review: http://www.addictivetips.com/mobile...d-swipe-or-tilt-to-control-screen-brightness/
"Tech and Me" top 10 feature!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdQhwF4msSk
Changelog:
3.3:
- Added volume overlay option (requested for modded Nook Color)
- Added option for lefties
- Changed slider height settings
3.2:
- Fixed app stack bug (when the settings open under touch/tilt)
- Misc optimizations
- More refactoring
3.1:
- Basic translucent slider panel option added to Touch Mode (still working on it)
- Added home screen shortcuts (use with Quick Launch or Home2 Shortcut)
- Fixed Tilt Mode flicker on some devices
- Percent notification doesn't linger after ending anymore
- Massive code refactoring/optimizing (prep for open sourcing)
- Cleaned up settings / defaults
Todo:
- Make slide pad prettier (fade animations, rounded corners)
- Switch percent toast for horizontal bar
- Add actual slider with preset level locks
- Fix notification date and add a brightness level indicator.
- correct lefty hint typo
- add shake listener to end tilt mode
- add option to tilt right/left instead
- add advanced setting to set min/max brightness levels (going too low is dangerous on some phones)
- ... idk, you tell me
Suggestions
Dan, thanks for starting the thread! Responsive Devs always get Donations
So, I was blown away to find InvisiBright. I've been using the Curvefish widget (just like, oh, everybody) and a year ago I thought it was hands-down the best. Not any more.
I was searching for something that might be integrated into the Notification Bar. Basically, just pull down the Notification Bar and there's the exact same things from the Curvefish widget; preset levels, toggle for AutoBrightness, and/or a slider.
Your app is a lot better than that. I stumbled across it from your DroidForums post.
Long Press Search should be a much more common feature, for tons of apps. Especially since it's just an option, easily changed, and SOO easy to code!
Good idea including it, and a pretty good Pro upgrade. Lite still works great, Pro is just a bit better.
Here are my suggestions, may or may not be good ideas, or even possible;
Semi-transparent (with user adjustable alpha) overlay on the (right) slider side, when changing the brightness level; then you can tell which part of the screen is Adjust, and which is Confirm
Sliding level indicator, (e.g. 3-px yellow line?) to go along with the Toast of percentage (user selected option, just like the "Show percentage" option)
Preset levels, preferably user-set; possibly snap the slider to the presets. Or maybe Far Right = Slider, Middle = Preset buttons, left = confirm
Shorter Toast duration after left-touching to set the level
Confirmation that the level has been set (but this might be addressed by the disappearing of the semi-transparent slider)
Vertical/horizontal slider option
Toggle for Auto Brightness EDIT: maybe "- Quick toggle back to auto-brightness with menu key" addresses this already... I haven't tried that Pro feature yet...
Common nerd favorites:
Donate, rather than Pro version, and/or
"XDA version"; Paid in the Market, Free here for supporters
Developer forum [x]!
Open Source [_] (but we can't always have everything)
Make one of the changes, and I'll buy the Pro to show support, and encourage you to do the rest!
(All my info is in my sig)
By the way, you are in close competition with Brightness Rocker. It's a pretty clever alternate-use of the otherwise single purpose Vol Up/Down buttons. But you responded faster than Nikhil, and went to XDA, even! And you don't have the conflict with actually changing the Volume in order to adjust brightness. Maybe you could figure out how to intercept the Vol Up/Down keys as a different trigger, since some of us have Long Press Search mapped to Camera, Screenshot, QR Scan, etc.
Thanks again for showing interest in my app! Here's what I think:
ScottHW said:
Semi-transparent (with user adjustable alpha) overlay on the (right) slider side, when changing the brightness level; then you can tell which part of the screen is Adjust, and which is Confirm
Sliding level indicator, (e.g. 3-px yellow line?) to go along with the Toast of percentage (user selected option, just like the "Show percentage" option)
Preset levels, preferably user-set; possibly snap the slider to the presets. Or maybe Far Right = Slider, Middle = Preset buttons, left = confirm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are all great ideas. They all slightly threaten the "invisibleness" of the overlay, but I don't see why they can't be options.
ScottHW said:
Shorter Toast duration after left-touching to set the level
Confirmation that the level has been set (but this might be addressed by the disappearing of the semi-transparent slider)
Vertical/horizontal slider option
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Easy fixes. I'm on it.
ScottHW said:
"XDA version"; Paid in the Market, Free here for supporters
Open Source [_] (but we can't always have everything)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the XDA version hinge on only members having access to links posted? I'll consider this since I'd love to see the pro version gaining traction (whether or not I get the buck). Also, I'll try to open source it in about 1 month when the semester starts and my free time becomes non-existent
!!!
Wow! Correct answers on every single point!
A lot of XDA devs attach their .apk to a forum thread. I'm pretty sure you have to be a registered Member to download the file. Obviously, that's free and easy, but it's enough barrier that it keeps most of the riffraff out. Right off the top of my head, SetCPU is released like this, you could ask coolbho3000 about how well it works.
If/when you do Open Source it, you'll also need to have a slightly higher level for people to contribute, a $4 Donate app or something.
I can't promise that always works, but some of us will pay for good Devs to do good work.
Awesome app, works great on OG Droid running latest CM7.
Touch screen to launch...?
Other idea (I'm just throwing them out there, this one might be a lot of work)
SwipePad activates from a touch in a particular part of the screen (corner, side, etc.)
https://market.android.com/details?id=mobi.conduction.swipepad.android
Maybe InvisiBright could activate the same way; an option to press and hold for a second in the lower right to launch InvisiBright. In that case, some kind of visible feedback would be more necessary.
It might end up pretty similar to the popular SGS style bar
examples:
Port the Samsung Galaxy S notification bar brightness slider
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=832977
Android Hidden Shortcut: Quickly Adjust Screen Brightness From Notification Bar (Galaxy S specifically, with video)
http://techx64.com/android-hidden-shortcut-quickly-adjust-screen-brightness-from-notification-bar/
I'm not trying to corrupt the "Invisi" nature of this fantastic app, I swear!
Notification Bar
I just noticed that you haven't overridden the Notification Bar when sliding the brightness. If my finger reaches the top of the screen and then slides back down, it will catch and pull down the Notif Bar, rather than lowering the brightness.
Not sure what the best way to address that would be...
ScottHW said:
I just noticed that you haven't overridden the Notification Bar when sliding the brightness. If my finger reaches the top of the screen and then slides back down, it will catch and pull down the Notif Bar, rather than lowering the brightness.
Not sure what the best way to address that would be...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a setting to adjust the buffers for touch mode.You can make the 100 percent spot far from the notification bar to avoid this issue (and your swipe will change the brightness slightly faster to compensate) . I remember adding these because I couldnt figure out how to override the notification bar without hiding it. I'll add it to my list and give it another go. Let me know if the buffers help.
Love it! I bought pro version on market. Keep up the great work.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Wicked app, thanks for posting the pro apk. I liked it so much I bought it on the market.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
ScottHW said:
Maybe InvisiBright could activate the same way; an option to press and hold for a second in the lower right to launch InvisiBright.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use swipepad and think the concept is great. I'll look into how it can be added, but for now you should be able to get a very similar effect with swipepad. Just grab the widget add-on and throw the InvisiBright pro widget onto your pad. I've never tried this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work....
Great app, best brightness control available.
For support bought the 3.0 version in the market.
Harald
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA Premium App
Thanks again for the feedback and support. I'm planning on releasing 3.1 here for testing soon. Should have an translucent slide pad and better level indicator
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
This works awesome. Super dim inside, long press search, swipe up, then go about my day walking around. thank you (htc incredible on 2.3.5)
Sent from outer space on OMGB
if taken from the attached file, will it get the update too?
Cool, I was JUST looking for apps to this on my new tablet.. Used to doing it via notification power widget, but using a stock ROM on it.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I realize my tablet doesn't have a dedicated search key.
dannygirsh said:
Thanks again for the feedback and support. I'm planning on releasing 3.1 here for testing soon. Should have an translucent slide pad and better level indicator
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Really a great app. Waiting for the upcoming features. People who have download the attached pro apk will get d update?
Gr8 application Mate ... I use Xperia Arc .. There is no shortcut for search. Can we change the shortcut key?
I've been using this for quite a while now. Got sold by the long press search to activate option. One less toggle widget to add to my home screen. Thank you. Keep up the awesome work.
Briliant!
I'm tired of this autobrightness that makes it so dark when I drive..
Works great..
BTW, can I change the key of making it start? Perhaps short tap on search button? Because the Google voice search is common feature for me rather then the Google search which I never use..
(And it also has no use if I'm not in home screen.)
Thanks.
Yarden
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
Hi all,
My second app is up on the marketplace:
https://market.android.com/details?id=ph.android.smokeLWP
It's a fluid solver driven live wallpaper and stand-alone app.
The effect is a simple but satisfying dynamic smoke.
Youtube video to follow tomorrow.
I would really appreciate your feedback and feature requests!
Cheers,
-=JK=-
My sgs2 is smoking!
Impressions are good, although with a blank initial screen, thought something was wrong until I touched it...(Duh I know).
A wee bit pixilated but understand the universal performance issue, which would slow most devices dramatically If at a higher resolution.
It reminds me of a app called Fleya, which is on the market, if you are not familiar with it, check it out.
But this is a great start, and being a fan of fluid / smoke dynamic simulations, this is a keeper
Will be following this.
Well done and thanks.
Regards
With reference to the "Fleya" app for reference.
www.appbrain.com/app/fleya/fixedpointcode.fleya
Cheers
Thanks buzzboy.
Yeah, I am also a fan of fleya!
I've got quite a lot to add to Smoke Play to get it to where I want it. I've been messing around with some settings and superficial stuff for about a week so I thought it just needs to get out there.
My ideas for features are:
a settings activity where you can up the detail and iterations on the fluid solver for more powerful phones
expose all the smoke (or fluid) properties to be customisable
define some cool pre-sets
coloured smoke that mixes (have this working on my laptop)
continuous auto-sources of smoke
objects (draw shapes) in the path of the smoke
calculated objects field from the homescreen icons (smoke collides with your icons)
an auto-config activity which scales the detail up or down to optimise quality on all phones
maybe put an ad in the settings activity
I'm not sure what order I'll do things in. I think some sort of settings screen will be up next.
I'm keen to hear other ideas too!
Cheers,
-=JK=-
Just made an update, check it out!
Added features:
- smoothed the input
- added multitouch
- added a settings screen to make the level of detail user configurable
The "medium" level of detail is about right for my SGS ... so you can judge the right setting for your phone.
Cheers,
-=JK=-
Another update:
- tweaked the settings for the different levels of detail smoke
- fixed a memory usage bug (will keep an eye on this, difficult to reproduce)
Cheers,
-=JK=-
Nice, runs at very high on my DHD, nice work.
Sent from HydrOG3N MOD DHD.
Technology Evolves, Android Evolves.
HydrOG3N is THE Revolution.
Real smooth on my echo, nice work
This is very entertaining. I am looking forward to the features you want to implement.
How about accelerometer detection so the smoke rises accordingly, depending on how the phone is being held.
I wallpaper works in the preview mode but will not apply to homescreen. One suggestion I can think of is being able to change the background image. It would be awesome to be able to have a weed background with dynamic smoke
Sent from my Hero CDMA using XDA App
This wallpaper is amazing. The only thing it really needs is a certain amount of smoke as a sort of baseline so that I don't have a blank phone every time I wake it up. It is pretty nifty that the screen comes alive the first time you touch it though..
Nice!
Working great on my SGS running on High detail. Very nice work!
Hope to see implementation of accelerometer and colors.
Thanks for the feedback everyone, great to hear!
I wanted to make more updates, but I've been a bit tight for time recently. Some of the feedback I've had is that it looks pixelated so I've been unsuccessfully trying to work on a simple shader to smooth the rendering. I may not be able to make this work, but I'd like to. For those interested, the fluid sim uses C code via the NDK so this may be complicating things for me ... also shaders will not work below Android 2.2 which adds complication.
Colour is definitely coming, I have this working with a simple RGB colours in my test code. I want a nice way to choose colours in the settings screen. Any suggestions around this would be cool.
Accelerometer detection will come, but this will be slightly more tricky than colour and may take me a little time.
A constant source of some smoke (so there is something always on the screen) will be a later addition.
I haven't looked at transparency over a background image yet.
Cheers,
-=JK=-
i love this man its very nice. the updates you want to do are sounding great too! one thing i do want to add is an idea for it. maybe when you get the constant smoke source try having so your touches dont always produce smoke but can just twirl it and influence it. like have a setting where you can turn on constant smoke and then play with it. But its great so far keep up the work!
Hi Guys,
Got an update out! (finally)
This one includes:
- a bug fix of a known issue in OpenGL which was causing a crash when switching between the app and the wallpaper every now and then
- a smoothing renderer. This takes the edges off the pixelated look which was the main feedback I was getting.
I went down and back several paths to try and smooth the rendering. I'm fairly happy with it. The levels of detail for the fluid simulation are the same as before, but it divides each cell into 4 and does a sort of subtle bloom effect prior to the gl rendering calls.
Hope this improves the look and feel for people.
I looked at porting to OpenGL ES 2.0 (from 1.0), but it was just too difficult for what I was doing. If anyone knows a good tutorial to do this I may look into it in the future. I think the shader effects available in 2.0 would further improve / customise the visuals.
Cheers,
-=JK=-
PS - next up: accelerometer (then coloured smoke / constant sources)
New version out today!
Accelerometer detection for the smoke rising added.
Also slightly improved the rendering performance.
Finally got around to filming it too, here's a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xdLceg474k
Cheers,
-=JK=-
Version 1.8 up on the market.
Added continuous source mode: smoke is continuously added to the middle of the screen, swipe to push it around with forces.
Added simple colour: cycles through RGB when you touch the screen.
Next up: background image, colour picker.
Cheers,
-=JK=-
Thanks for sharing.
As an FYI, the smoke is pixelated on my Archos 70 :
I'm using the latest market version with "smooth rendering" enabled.
Hi jknut,
I'm sorry it's pixelated on your device.
You can try upping the smoke level of detail in the options.
Unfortunately, this will increase the number of calculations per frame and may slow it down to a crawl.
There's not a lot I can do about this ... the algorithm is implemented in C via the NDK so it's not going to get much faster. I have implemented a fixed point version which gave a slight speed increase but unacceptable precision for the effect.
Even on my Core i5 laptop I can easily make it grind to a halt on a detail setting not much more than the "are you feeling lucky" one.
Cheers,
-=JK=-
PS - more features to follow, just swamped with work right now
Version 1.9!
Hi all,
New version just released.
Features added:
- colour picker, so you can choose your own colours
- background images you can pick
Check out the new youtube video demonstrating here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip5wahetEEA&feature=youtu.be
Android Market link:
https://market.android.com/details?id=ph.android.smokeLWP
Facebook link for the app:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Smoke-Play/181185655317341
As ever, comments welcome.
I have a next feature in mind, but not sure it is possible yet
Cheers,
-=JK=-
Hi guys
I am a software engineering student, eager xda reader and in my (little) free time i like to mess around with my android phone. So i developed a little game over the last half year. It's called Shape Rotate.
I wanted to do a simple but new game, not another flappy bird clone. So finally i put the first version online in the playstore yesterday, here is a short description:
In my game you always see two equal shapes, in random rotations. Your task is to rotate the outer shape so that it is equally aligned to the inner one - once they are aligned equally tap the screen anywhere to get the next one. That sounds easy, but since time is not on your side (you gain some extra time every time you get the two shapes aligned identically) it gets really tricky once the shapes are not that obvious any more. The goal is to survive as long as you can.
It would be really great if you check it out, i would really appreciate feedback (or, even better: positive reviews )
Here is the playstore link: Shape Rotate in google play
It is of course free (no in-app purchases or what-so-ever), and i plan to add a lot more different shapes in the future! I attached some screenshots of the app, and i also added a demo video in the playstore description.
Great game. Has great potential to be a time waster. There does seem to be some lag between the shape changes that can prematurely end your game. Get that timing down and you've hit a home run.
As for some suggestions to add. Maybe have levels to unlock similar to an angry birds setup. In level one hand similar shapes with minimal colors, next thing to unlock, add another shape or two with an additional color. Thus making each level progressively harder.
ph37rd said:
Great game. Has great potential to be a time waster. There does seem to be some lag between the shape changes that can prematurely end your game. Get that timing down and you've hit a home run.
As for some suggestions to add. Maybe have levels to unlock similar to an angry birds setup. In level one hand similar shapes with minimal colors, next thing to unlock, add another shape or two with an additional color. Thus making each level progressively harder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx for your feedback! Regarding the lags, may i ask which device you are using?
I tested it on several devices from an I9000 to my Nexus 4. The only lag i found was that on older devices it takes some time to start the game, but once it displays the first shape i haven't found any lag :s
Yes i already thought about such a thing - creating different "shape packages" and unlocking them time after time. That is definitely a good suggestion for the future and i will soon start working on this. This now is just a first version where i wanted to check out how the game mechanics work and how people react to it.
Varjo said:
Thx for your feedback! Regarding the lags, may i ask which device you are using?
I tested it on several devices from an I9000 to my Nexus 4. The only lag i found was that on older devices it takes some time to start the game, but once it displays the first shape i haven't found any lag :s
Yes i already thought about such a thing - creating different "shape packages" and unlocking them time after time. That is definitely a good suggestion for the future and i will soon start working on this. This now is just a first version where i wanted to check out how the game mechanics work and how people react to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running on an N4 with KK 4.4.4 and hellscore b47, most kernel settings default.
To be sure I'm understood, I solve one shape and before the transition to the next set of shapes, there is a noticeable pause.
This is a good concept. There’s a lag also when rotating the outer shapes. Though this might be because of my slow samsung galaxy tab.
Overall, this is a good gameplay.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B48cqoutz8n3dDFnbTJvRm1XOVU/edit?usp=docslist_api
There should be an mp4 video to illustrate the lag.
Seems there may be an issue with the timer as well.
ph37rd said:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B48cqoutz8n3dDFnbTJvRm1XOVU/edit?usp=docslist_api
There should be an mp4 video to illustrate the lag.
Seems there may be an issue with the timer as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hm, well it could be that what you think is a lag is actually my poor description and/or implementation?
The playing mechanics should be: you rotate the outer shape so that it is correctly aligned. IF it is so, then you tap anywhere on the screen to "submit" it. if it is correct you get the next shapes.
(The reason why it cannot "auto submit" the moment it is correctly aligned is because then it would be trivial, you would just rotate it until it snaps in - thats why you need that extra "next shape please"-tap)
The possible rotation is actually split into 12 different angles, so there are 11 different angles with which shapes can appear.
The best way to control it is to drag with a finger on the border of the screen (or use two fingers as in normal rotation gestures). you have to drag the finger a bit until the shape snaps in to the next one.
so could it be that it's because i didn't explain the intended controls enough? If so, do you have any suggestions to improve that, or how to better explain the way to play it?
really really appreciating your feedback btw :good:
Varjo said:
hm, well it could be that what you think is a lag is actually my poor description and/or implementation?
The playing mechanics should be: you rotate the outer shape so that it is correctly aligned. IF it is so, then you tap anywhere on the screen to "submit" it. if it is correct you get the next shapes.
(The reason why it cannot "auto submit" the moment it is correctly aligned is because then it would be trivial, you would just rotate it until it snaps in - thats why you need that extra "next shape please"-tap)
The possible rotation is actually split into 12 different angles, so there are 11 different angles with which shapes can appear.
The best way to control it is to drag with a finger on the border of the screen (or use two fingers as in normal rotation gestures). you have to drag the finger a bit until the shape snaps in to the next one.
so could it be that it's because i didn't explain the intended controls enough? If so, do you have any suggestions to improve that, or how to better explain the way to play it?
really really appreciating your feedback btw :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may not have read it if you wrote it. When initially testing something like this I go for intuitive. The extra tap isn't.
What about doing the the auto next based on a touch release. You know when the shape is being rotated, the screen is being touched. Can you detect when a finger is removed? There would be no more rotation and wouldn't allow just spinning randomly to get it to snap as you describe.
EDIT:
Looking it up it's called a touch event using MotionEvent class with ACTION_DOWN and ACTION_UP
ph37rd said:
What about doing the the auto next based on a touch release. You know when the shape is being rotated, the screen is being touched.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is actually a quite interesting suggestion! I tried it out, and it feels kind of nice. it also makes the game easier, maybe i have to reconsider the additional time gain... I created a debug build, would be nice if you would download and try it and tell me what you think ( you have to deinstall the appstore version first, since this one is signed with my local debug key)
It now checks the correct alignment each time you lift your finger from the screen.
Edit: i think that is a gamebreaker because it makes the game way to easy. you just have to swipe very quickly on the border, and due to the "auto" check you always get the alignment correct very quickly.
another version would be this one. here it is also checked on touchUp but if the alignment is wrong it jumps back in the initial state. that makes it even a bit harder, but also requires more focus and looking.
what do you think?
OK, going to leave this one up to you. I didn't catch a difference between the two in how they play. The first one appears to be snappier and jerky, as opposed to the second one being smoother and slower.
Either way, you nailed what I was saying. What do you think? I think this is far more intuitive. Now you just need to figure out the levels of difficulty.
The ultimate would be to have the shapes and colors auto generated with random attributes. You would not have to map anything out, the app would automagically create them.
Ok i found some issues that caused the touch input to be way to sensitive or way to unresponsive - that fixed i got some feedback that the overall control is way better now (especially on high res devices).
ph37rd said:
Either way, you nailed what I was saying. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still like the idea, but it brings some new issues that i need to figure out. Once you got the current control mechanism people don't think to much about it - so i'm not quite sure if it is really that much benefit. I will test that out over the next iterations and try gathering more feedback (about the current control and about how much people think it's good/bad).
ph37rd said:
The ultimate would be to have the shapes and colors auto generated with random attributes. You would not have to map anything out, the app would automagically create them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the second big point on my todo list. but i don't really know how to start.
The best way that comes to my mind is to define different "base shapes" that are then just colored randomly. but that again would require alot of different base shapes to keep up a good variety?
at the moment i add hand drawn shapes with each update (around 170 now and using .gif its not that of a size problem anymore)
Game Launcher
Hyperlapse
Motion panorama
Quick Call
Bye-Bye-App-drawer
New Edge UI
Always On Display
Motion Panorama.
too many to list. but I guess off the top of my head:
the display:
literally the best consumer display in the world with virtually perfect professional reference level color fidelity, paper-like clarity with no diagonal edge bias (due to innovative proprietary diamond subpixel arrangement), infinite contrast and eye punching brightness that maintains perfectly even saturation and contrast unlike with lcd. Moreover the Screen calibration feature allows for various color space standards which is a must-have for professional photography or graphic work. Extremely High sensitivity screen allows for gloved use. Only just enough bezel to allow for screen edge swiping with a case installed leaving the device as narrow as possible making it much more nimble for one handed use and a bit less pants pocket stretching. Always on display is great as it allows me to check the time, date and notifications without having to turn on my phone--far superior in so many ways to the old way of decoding the color and speed of the flashing led.
Samsung pay:
their proprietary technology allows the device to simulate a magnetic card swipe which works anywhere unlike android pay and apple pay which only work on certain terminals. It constantly amazes everyone.
IP68 water and dust proof:
As beautiful as the S7 is it is indeed a fingerprint magnet. This is a problem with many phones so stylishly slick but unlike other phones when the S7 loses its lustre you can simply rinse it off under the sink and polish it off with a bath towel--good as new.
Powered USB otg with support for so many add ons:
gaming controllers, midi keyboards, file storage, keyboards, mice. I was surprised to find that I can charge another device with my phone and even spin up and operate a USB hard disk without any need for additional power cables.
the camera:
so amazing I use it for augmented vision. Not only can I inspect from the distance whether that little spot on the wall is a fly or a spider without getting off my lazy ass but I can see and read things where it would otherwise be far too dim for my eyes to see without need for additional lighting. Oh yea, and it also takes amazing pictures in just two clicks. I never miss a shot because even in the rare times when I would I can rely on motion photo to reverse time and recapture the picture just how I wanted. The expanding library of camera modes just kick it over the edge of awesomeness. In real world use I tend to switch between auto, pro, rear selfie, slow motion, and gif maker. I use burst a lot too which is available whenever you press and hold the shoot button.
ui:
I've found split screen and pop up mode more and more useful for working with and between multiple apps. Web browsing and reading while streaming music or watching YouTube and/or chating just feels great. I use my laptop so little these days which is so much better for my posture. Text selection is also improved paired with the hypersensitive screen. You can rely on the precision of the tip of your thumbnail and not the blunt tip of your finger. The adjustable dpi hack gives you more work space immediately expanding the usefulness of large screen.
I haven't even begun to touch on so many other things but I can definitely go on if anyone wants me to.
This is by far the most satisfied I've ever been with a phone and I've been using smart phones since when they were called PDAs. I never thought I'd be so satisfied with a non rooted android device but I don't find myself missing anything except perhaps the stereo sound hack and the Xposed framework but with all the features I'm discovering and looking forward to the gear vr Im sure I'll find enough ways not to care.
I don't use any of the features you listed, but i'd say my favorite "features" are (no particular order)
-Double tap home for camera shortcut
-Theme engine
-Split screen
-triple tap home for one handed use
Best hardware features are easily the screen and the camera. Build quality is amazing, honestly feels better in the hand than metal IMO, and IP68 is just an awesome feature to have.
Samsung has activated Display scaling in the newest Galaxy S7 firmware, it gives the user greater control over how much information is packed onto the screen.
That one isn't hidden anymore. Nice!
Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
jamesava said:
Samsung has activated Display scaling in the newest Galaxy S7 firmware, it gives the user greater control over how much information is packed onto the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how do you get to that setting?
konoplya said:
how do you get to that setting?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the display menu if you received the last update, otherwise you have to download Nova Launcher and activate through a specific nova action (you can then uninstall Nova).
Steps to follow :
Step 1: Head on over to the Google Play Store and download Nova Launcher
Step 2: Launch Nova Launcher. There's no need to set it as a default.
Step 3: Do a long-press on the home screen and tap on Widgets.
Step 4: Look for the Activities widget and bring it to the home screen.
Step 5: Look for Settings and tap on .DisplayScalingActivity. This will create a shortcut on the home screen.
Step 6: Tap on the newly created shortcut. There you have it, the option to go either Standard or Condensed.
exploreresp said:
In the display menu if you received the last update, otherwise you have to download Nova Launcher and activate through a specific nova action (you can then uninstall Nova).
Steps to follow :
Step 1: Head on over to the Google Play Store and download Nova Launcher
Step 2: Launch Nova Launcher. There's no need to set it as a default.
Step 3: Do a long-press on the home screen and tap on Widgets.
Step 4: Look for the Activities widget and bring it to the home screen.
Step 5: Look for Settings and tap on .DisplayScalingActivity. This will create a shortcut on the home screen.
Step 6: Tap on the newly created shortcut. There you have it, the option to go either Standard or Condensed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the last update you're talking about is the one from T-Mobile? I have T-Mobile and I got one update from Samsung and one from T-Mobile.
Nop, it's a Sammy update that began to roll out a couple days ago fixing some side touching issues, photo stuff too and a lot of other things too
S7 here..Stock..TouchWiz Launcher..T-Mobile carrier
#1 Feature: Samsung Pay. When I saw my wife use her Note 5 to pay at WalMart, my MotoX Pure suddenly became obsolete.
#2. SD Card has returned. 32GB onboard isn't sufficient for me and now with 128GB extra, I'm content.
#3, Android 6.0.1. Battery Optimizations net me 20 total hours on battery with a 4-6 hour Screen On Time. Wow!
#4 Gear VR compatibility. I have the VR and it is stunning and so next-generation.
#5 Speaker is loud. While not idea for cranking up the tunes, it's perfect for voice calls and voicemail.
#6 SideSync and SmartSwitch. These two apps fill in the features that iTunes backup and Continuity brought to iOS.
#7 TouchWiz is scaled down enough to not get in the way of using the phone. Still packed with options, but it works right out of the box.