Database Info

[Idea] Anti-thef system

Unfortunly I have recently lost one of my beloved gadgets, and after that situation I came up with this idea. I presents you an anti-thef system. I don't have the technical skills to develop it, neither I have the time, that's why I decided to post it here and if you consider this idea viable, may some of you want to involve in this tiny project with me
The idea:
Motivations: Most people don’t think about recovering their gadgets until they lose them. There are plenty of applications in Google Play dedicated to this purpose, however they are useless in most of the circumstances, specially if we attend to the fact that except in some exceptions, these apps don’t survive a factory reset
Idea: I propose to develop a system with wide acceptance among developers which in a transparent way for users allows them to gather information if their gadgets have been lost. This system would activate after downloading an application using this technology. This application would gather information about the gadget (permanent data such serial number of IMEI and volatile data such email address or phone number) and send it to a database usable only by the gadget's owner
Design: The system would have two parts:
An API - This API must be extremely simple and it could be integrated in all the applications in Google Play without efforts. The more wide accepted it is, the more effective the system will be. That’s why in my opinion this should be developed by a community like this in order to achieve a great acceptance quickly
The code will run the first time the application is executed. In that moment it gathers all the required information and it is sent to the database
A Web Service - The web service basically is a data base with two user interfaces - One interface designed to receive the data sent by the application - and another interface designed to return the information of a given gadget identified by its serial number. I have been wondering how to verified the ownership of an user, and I there are several ways, however it's an open discussion subject
Advantages of the system:
It’s totally transparent for the user
It’s a reset-proofing system, because as soon as the “new user” downloads a “marked” application, the database will receive helpful information in order to get the gadget returned to the real owner
It has more chances than the traditional applications to have the “thief” triggering events which runs the code
With a minimum cost we can offer something new to the market
Let’s see an example
A nice guy with a new gadget (let’s say a new phone), he downloads some applications, most of them marked with this system. In this situation the database collect the information of this new phone and indexes it using its serial number.
Few days later this nice guy forget his phone in a plane and the person who finds it forces a factory reset. As soon as the phone downloads one application the database stores the new information. Five minutes later our nice guy connects to the web site and discovers the name and the phone number of the person using his phone. They get in touch and the phone is returned to our nice guy

pls take a look @ ceberusapp.com . hope this is what u looking for.
Sent from my GT-I8150 using xda app-developers app

just add an app to /system which want the user to insert a code every 10 minutes when screen is on. after 3 wrong tries device will make wuiuiiiui and run away, hum?
Example: Chuck Norris have a new Phone. He Never Loose it. End.
Example 2: Justin Bieber have a new Phone. He loose it. Haters Destroy it and don't download applications. End.
Example 3: Jader132245324239 has got Xperia arc S and loose it. Jader13254 Find it and reflash Software and remove SIM. Jader1322u45324u239 will not Find it. End.
What Do You Think About?? If The User Wipe the Device & Reflash Software + Removed SIM, there would be no way to remember the Owner..

Cerberus is nice, in fact I use Cerberus on my mobile phone, however it has the problem I mentioned, it depends on the user to install it, and most users won't install anything because they don't even think in losing its mobile.
The system I proposed doesn't depend on the user, it automatically gathers the permanent information (for instance the serial number) and sends it to a database.
The main advantage of this system is that the thief, even after wiping the telephone, will probably download an application and then database will have information about this person.
What do you think?

Not a development thread - moved to General.

[APP] FlowReader - Save this awesome RSS reader

This is a long shot, but I since the demise of Google Reader (which this app supported) the developer has decided to no longer continue the development of this app. A tragedy; I think we as a community should try and sway him to continue it instead, adding new back ends, both Feedly and TOR (TheOldReader) support would be great. I would love to continue using this app, as it is probably the best RSS reader I have encountered on Android. It is my hope that we can either convince him to continue the project or allow someone else to (any volunteers ?).
Flow Reader gives you an easy way to be on par with your RSS/Google Reader feeds on the go. It was built to provide a minimalist and seamless experience for offline browsing, while delivering additional features not found in similar apps.
Some of the main features include:
- A sleek and fast user interface;
- Offline item content and state caching;
- Multiple simultaneous downloads for fast content synchronization;
- Content filters that automatically mark as read the items you're not interested in;
- Sort items by state (latest/unread/starred) or author;
- Smart algorithms that remove ads and other undesirable content from items;
- No ads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Developer posted this statement in the most recent app update:
As you sure know by now, Google has discontinued the Reader service, so this app is no longer functional.
Although I am very happy with the (unexpected) success of this app, I've decided to no longer update Flow Reader. This is due to several reasons: a) I built this app "for fun" and to my very specific RSS reading needs. Although I very happy to see that a lot of other people enjoyed it, I was in no way ready for attention it received (due to multiple technical and logistic reasons); b)This app was essentially just a prototype turned into a final product. The Code is very messy right now and it's becoming harder and harder to make any further changes, let alone any major ones (like background updates). c) The app is *very* tied to Google Reader backend, which means that giving proper support to another service would require a very significant amount of effort.
I am very thankful to all my users (especially the ones who donated and gave feedback!), but I hope you can understand the reasons behind this decision - continuing to work on this app would require a major rewrite and too much time trying to (once again) and make the pieces all fit with "spit and glue".
If you are interested in any future app I might develop, you can be notified about it by sending me an e-mail using the button below. You will know beforehand of any project I might be working on (and maybe even receive an alpha/beta version of it?).
Thank you again - and hopefully this won't be the end
The Developer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those who have used the app please voice your support to continue the project as I have emailed the developer the link to this thread.

(Flow Reader dev here)
Right, here's what's going on:
Personally, I'm not very happy with any of the current readers on the Play Store, so the idea of building the next iteration of Flow Reader is one that I really enjoy. Unfortunately, I simply don't have the time that I would need to keep developing it any further. I now have a full time job and not much patience to keep working on the app on my spare time.
The thing is, I have several unique ideas that I believe would greatly improve the experience of Flow Reader. Actually, some of these already graduated from just ideas, as some prototyping is already done and working. I also think there is a decent amount of money that could be made from them, so I'm not very willing to just leave them out in the open.
The fact is, though, it is very unlikely that I'll ever finish this new version of the app that I'm building. I can see two options right now:
OPTION 1 - The cooperation route:
- I will pair with another developer (or a small group of developers). Bear in mind that the code is reasonably complex, so i'd rather work with someone that feels confortable around code.
- The code of Flow Reader will remain closed, but shared with the people that want to be part of this project;
- I will take care of the things that I believe to be my greatest strength: UIX and prototyping. But I will always be open to suggestions on these areas.
- The profit of the app will be split 25% (for me) and 75% (for the other developer(s)).
OPTION 2 - The free route:
- I open up the code of Flow Reader under the condition that it will forever remain open-source and free (under an attribution, no derivatives and no commercial use licence).
- I will no longer will have any direct input or cooperation on the app.
Also, I honestly think it would be better to start the app from scratch. The code is a complete mess right now so trying to build more features upon it would just be less efficient. Still, some techniques and code used in Flow Reader could be reused to save some time.

Choices
I have been a user of Flow Reader for some time and was really sad when it stopped working and that the dev stated that there was no longer going to be updates to continue after the demise of Google Reader.
That said, I totally agree that it should be continued into the post-Google Reader era of RSS news. I originally created a post on Reddit in which I stated that for the continuality of Flow one idea would be to open source the code on a git site to allow others to progress his work further.
Understandably this poses the risk of Flow Reader loosing it's (work)Flow. All that time and effort the dev put in to creating a stunning, and above all easily functional, UIX could well be lost. On the other hand the simplicity of this RSS reader coupled with its parallel article downloading feature would live on and enrich many an Android RSS fans.
So here I am on XDA, stating my opinions for the two options presented.
For the Closed Sourced Approach:
The idea of sharing the workload will mean that whoever is chosen to work on Flow Reader will most likely have a great deal of knowledge to input in to this project. It also means that the UIX will not change without considerable thought first. This I applaud.
The fact that the developer says that the proceeds of the app will be divvied up indicates to a paid app, further indicating to (hopefully) a group of developers with the incentive to push great work "out the door".
For the Open Sourced Approach:
The hands of many a developer could make this app into something even better than it already is....
...or it could ruin it with out the guidance of the one who had the vision in the beginning.
Usually in the open source community when there is a bug and/or a missing feature, if someone with the appropriate know how can fix it, it shall be done.
A question, then, to WildMoves. Would those who have donated need to pay again once it arrives back on the play store? That is if you are going to make it a paid for only app?
Either way, with the way that Flow Reader handles feeds I honestly have never, and believe never shall, discover one better. To which I would like to say that no matter which direction the dev goes, I will support and give as much feedback as I can.
Again, great work mate and keep on coding,
Skinna a.k.a Skinnx86

Skinna said:
I originally created a post on Reddit in which I stated that for the continuality of Flow one idea would be to open source the code on a git site to allow others to progress his work further.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, when I posted my answer I was still trying to develop the next iteration of Flow Reader. I built a prototype to test several ideas before I came to the realization that I couldn't build the full app the way I wanted to in a feasible amount of time and still... well... live. :\ So I am now receptive to offset most of the workload to a developer or group of developers (hence the 25/75 profit split).
Skinna said:
A question, then, to WildMoves. Would those who have donated need to pay again once it arrives back on the play store? That is if you are going to make it a paid for only app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the email addresses of everyone who donated, so I could probably create a mailing list to deliver full versions of the (paid) app outside the Play Store. Assuming that I would have the approval from the other developers, it would be a good sign of gratitude to those who donated, IMO.

Reasonable Thoughts
Well a man has to live. To spend your free time developing and building something you would expect some payback of some sort. But thank you for remembering us early adaptors. I know I for one will be thankful, I can but imagine others will be too.
As much as I was appreciative of the beta's being sent to us, but in case you did not hear, Facebook updated some peoples app out side of the play store. Now Google have banned out-of-market beta testing. I believe that sending an apk to install initially will work and should update through the play store correctly.

Best back end for Android app?

I appologize if this is a dumb question, but I am new to app development, altough some experienced in php/html.
I want to create an app where user fills in forms. The app development is easy to find info about, but i also want a back end plattform where I read the submitted forms and organize users.
So, my question. Is there a sort of ready wordpress like plattform to customize, or should this be built from scratch? If so, which platform is the best?

One note I should add about Buddy (full disclosure: I work there) is that we maintain independent instances of the platform in different locations around the world. If you need to host your backend in Europe (for response time or data sovereignty reasons, for example), you can choose your app backend to be sandboxed in the EU. Likewise the US and likewise China (with Brazil, Singapore and Australia coming soon).

he best way to develop mobile apps is to use REST services. So now you can choose any thing.
Any language that can used for server side programming can be used.
Now it is up to you choose the language.
If you familiar with JavaScript then you can try nodejs. You can make small app server in it.
But if your server software design is very complex (containing threads and synchronisation) then java can be handy.
But there is no restriction of language.

Firebase should be also a way to go for this.

The best android back end services include, Parse, Kumulos, Kinvey, backendless, QuickBlox.
Concerning the forms where users can fill up information, would something like help out?
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...solutions.fasp
On Apple's platform you might need an iPhone developer - it is quite possible to create and publish an iPhone app using your form.
I did take the help of mobile apps development service in toronto to know the process which is described here: http://support.brightcove.com/en/app-cloud/docs/step-step-guide-publishing-apple-app-store-using-mac

Thanks Carol for sharing such a wonderful article.

"Planet Odoo | About | Odoo Migration, Odoo -Quickbook Integration
Odoo-Ebay Integration takes into consideration the competitive level in business and provides a quick fix implementation for every industry to break through.

I have heard good things about Hasura (Not affiliated in anyway). And I think parse - mentioned above - is no longer available.

I'm wondering why nobody mentioned Google CLoud or AWS. They are most mobile friendly for a good price

Hi, if you will decide to build from scratch, there are different options/frameworks. But If you use kotlin you should look to Ktor.

Backend options for an Android app
Here, The list of good backend options for an Android app:
1. Parse.
2. Back4app.
3. Firebase.
4. Kinvey.
5. Appcelerator.

Need to develop a custom Android ROM for a commercial smartphone. Developers needed!

Hello there! Let me introduce myself first. I am Anurag Das, a graduate from IIT Kharagpur, and based out of Kolkata, India. We are in the process of starting up our own smartphone/smart devices company. Currently, we are being mentored by Kolkata Ventures, which has lots of prominent members on its advisory board.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR UNORTHODOX PEOPLE WITH AN UNORTHODOX STYLE! AND THAT'S WHY WE POSTED IN XDA AND NOT IN A CLASSIFIEDS OR JOB/CAREER WEBSITES
We are looking for a developer who can work on a part/full-time basis. He/She should be able to do the following:
1. Make basic modifications to the Android OS. For e.g., changing the opening screen (the one shown after the phone is powered on), set default tones, settings etc.
2. Should be familiar with and able to change gesture mappings on a locked screen. (Eg: On current smartphones, if you type C in the black locked screen, the camera shows up. We need to detect left/right/up/down swipes and map these actions).
3. Should have at-least some experience in Android apps development (not necessary).
4. Should be eager to learn and take up new challenges!
Payment will either be on a royalty basis (per smartphone sold) or equity. Do comment if you're interested or reach out to me at [email protected]

How do I get a striped down version of Android.

Hi everyone,
Here is a little history first. In 2014 I helped develop a traffic counting app for an engineering buddy. I designed the UI's, the flow charts and wrote the 275-page illustrated, developers manual. The developer had it working in less than 6 weeks, thanks to, as he said, "to the awesome documentation provided". The app has been in use since then and has worked flawlessly on the original 24 tablets I originally purchased for him.
Recently, we have been asked to bring the app to a wider audience so, my question is, "Is there a way to prepare an image of the Android OS containing only the setup we need, and then clone it to the new tablets?" The app is designed as engineering tool and is not listed through Google Play and as such, it does not require most of the bloatware found on the new tablets. The app does require the use of photos, some file management along with network connectivity to send and receive the various data files required and produced by the app.
I have limited experience in rooting, but I have been successful when I done it on my Samsung phones.
As a certified Graphics Designer/Windows and Mac tech/COVID-19 survivor (nearly killed me, literally...LOL), I am aware of the amount of work that goes into aiding people with their "little" projects. Any help or direction in this matter would be deeply appreciated.