Hello everyone. I've a sort of proposal for the developers here, but before I get into that let me first briefly introduce myself:
I'm a communication designer for print, user interface, and illustration that completely advocates everything Android. I've been lurking the Dream development forums here for quite some time, trying to keep up-to-date with the latest ROMs, apps, etc., etc and I fully appreciate everything that goes on here and the endeavors that you devs put yourself through. Amazing stuff, really.
One thing I've noticed is that there are a slew of third-party / beta apps all over these boards, and other places on the internet as well. More often than not, I find myself scouring the cloud just to find a link for these non-market apps, and I usually get referred to them via some obscure site through another site. Despite getting the .apk file or ROM in the end, the process can get to be a bit tedious; especially for incoming users and those new to the Android platform.
My proposal is this: A website with a simple and clean user interface that has direct and succinct navigation with the purpose of consolidating and listing third-party / beta non-market applications into an easy access database. This website database would link these applications and have them be easily downloaded and installed via the Android browser, without having to mount the device.
I've actually come up with a fully-functional concept site, did the branding and everything for it, and also registered a short domain name for quick access while on your G1 or whatever Android device.
Navigate to: http://anda.pk to see what I had in mind, and how the overall layout/concept of the site would work.
I uploaded several .apk files I had backed up as examples for you to see how the database section would function. I also took into account the resolution of most Android phones and made the .apk application database section fit perfectly in the Android browser when in portrait mode right when you the load the site to ensure the best possible user experience when installing these third party apps. When you scroll to the right, you'll see info on what the site is about, and in the footer there are links to the FAQ, the about section, contact, etc.
I had also noted in the about link in the footer that the applications hosted on the download section are in no way accredited to the site, and that credit goes to their rightful developers. My being a communication designer has had the idea of peer collaboration engrained, and as such I give credit it where credit is due.
That said, I hope you guys here and the developers collaborate with me on on this site, possibly help contribute apks, and agree to them being hosted. If anything, I do hope you just embrace the concept, which originally was just going to be a reference for myself and my friends whom I've turned away from the iPhone, S60, and WinMo in favor of Android. I figured since I know the Android community is only going to get bigger, this website concept of mine could be a decent resource to have bookmarked.
Appreciate you reading this wall of text! Do hope to hear some feedback, so let me know what you guys think. Thanks!
Cheers.
I think this is a fabulous idea...automated version control would go over very well -- i.e. yum update
you should post up bits that you need help with and have folks contact you.
also..I love the logo!
question: do you propose a rating system or a review prior to listing type of approach or something new to keep this resource trustworthy?
Been following this on SA and twitter and it's a great idea.
Having the devs here on board would be a fantastic way to get something solid on the go. It's the kind of thing that can really help android become more hackable and useable for the average user...and it just make things easier for the rest of us.
Sounds good to me.
thelilliandivide said:
the applications hosted on the download section are in no way accredited to the site
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Credit and accreditation are different things. To be accredited is to be given credentials or official approval. I think you meant "credited".
Sounds like a GREAT idea.
My opinion: The color scheme hurts. Love the logo.
i like the logo and the idea. I think the site should be more mobile friendly, or even better, an application for android that can work like the official market. I could help with that part if an application is going to be built.
camalot said:
i like the logo and the idea. I think the site should be more mobile friendly, or even better, an application for android that can work like the official market. I could help with that part if an application is going to be built.
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i second that.. it should also have update checks if possible
I was going to complain that I didn't like your site layout, but in portrait mode you only see the left side which lists the apps. I like it.
One thing you might have to be leary of is dealing with apps that are considered warez unless your going to spend the time to verify every app that is uploaded or there has to a method in place.
As well there should be some kind of version control in place. You know what works on 1.1 and what works on 1.5. Obviously almost everybody within the next few weeks/months should be on 1.5, but will all the older apps run on 1.5 or does it really matter or does anybody care? The downloader will care.
CBowley said:
Sounds like a GREAT idea.
My opinion: The color scheme hurts. Love the logo.
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Seconded. The text is much too light. A darker charcoal shade would be much better.
If the site gets an apk wrapper (a la FBook) version checking would be rather easy. Set up the directory tree something like this /downloads/WiFiTether/1.2.3.apk and just have the apk compare filenames. If the file names don't match, it needs to install the update.
EDIT: Now following your progress on twitter.
Some solid input. I'll play around with the color scheme and make some changes later this evening once I get back from class. And I actually do plan on making a mobile wrapper eventually, but as it stands as far as the concept layout goes, the site is best used when in portrait mode for easiest functionality. The rest of the site is to be considered supplemental. I do however, have a lot of things I eventually want to integrate; application tags, search, possibility of user uploaded apk files, etc. But for right now, I'm trying to keep the general site as simple as possible to make the workload on my end less stressful (graduating in 2 weeks).
bahnburner said:
If the site gets an apk wrapper (a la FBook) version checking would be rather easy. Set up the directory tree something like this /downloads/WiFiTether/1.2.3.apk and just have the apk compare filenames. If the file names don't match, it needs to install the update.
EDIT: Now following your progress on twitter.
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Did not know how that version checker worked. Thanks. I'll re-work the apk directory scheme akin to that later tonight for when I do eventually get the wrapper up.
thelilliandivide said:
Did not know how that version checker worked. Thanks. I'll re-work the apk directory scheme akin to that later tonight for when I do eventually get the wrapper up.
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That's not necessarily how most version checks work, but that's the simplest method I could think of, and probably one of the easiest to implement.
alapapa said:
I think this is a fabulous idea...automated version control would go over very well -- i.e. yum update
you should post up bits that you need help with and have folks contact you.
also..I love the logo!
question: do you propose a rating system or a review prior to listing type of approach or something new to keep this resource trustworthy?
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Click to collapse
Thanks! And I feel I might need some help in the future as far as implementing the features that I want to get working. But I'm not quite sure I understand your question. Are you referring to how I choose which applications get posted onto the site?
i'm a graphic designer and web designer, i'll throw in a helping hand if you want, pm me or whatever.
(think about an android based layout to bring it to the phone like Cough*cydia*cough
very cool and much needed
Xda-dev is great, but there is alot of stuff thats not on the market and they have shown to bow down to the tmobs pressure(ie: tether app) so another place to get apps would be great, and your weppage is beautiful and looks like it would be very finger friendly on the g1, but there is a basic model in linux of repositories(which is about what ur doing) and a simple app to d/l them maybe somebody could just make a market.apk with a modded addy, depending on how much is known about the market and its inner workings... it would be nice to do it as it has been always done....but as I stated above your webdesign is very nice and would work well in the native browser(im heading there now on my g1)
bhang
not a bad idea. I think this is great for all verified apps that are pulled from market...
I really like this idea. Go for it.
Just one (stupid) remark about the logo... it's like it has a big nose and a :-| expression... sorry
apetit said:
I really like this idea. Go for it.
Just one (stupid) remark about the logo... it's like it has a big nose and a :-| expression... sorry
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Haha, I just noticed that actually. Now it's all I see. But yeah, I'm hoping to have a few more apps to upload by the end of next week. Revisions to the site are imminent once I get out of this last class.
I love the idea. One bookmark to check up on all the good non-market apps will be much easier than having several bookmarked threads.
Some applications may benefit from having tags such as [beta], [stable], [experimental], [contains-ads], etc.
As others have mentioned once/if user uploads are implemented an app approval system will be crucial to keep the spam at bay. I can see this really taking off.
im a supporter
zgmf-x322a said:
im a supporter
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+1 this sounds like a great idea, there was something like this for apps for the dash,mda & sda.
I believe social media is all about people, but with all the current platforms (twitter,instagram,facebook etc) peolpe split up and sadly you don't get to see all the updates of the people that are important for you.
When I think about a person and I want to see updates from him,I have to go throught Instagram/Facebook/Twitter etc and search his user and check if he updated something or not.That's quite inefficient.
So , I want to build an app to solve this big problem. It focuses on People. A picture is worth a thousand words so for that reason I made an ilustration of what I want the app to be (please don't mind the name it's temporary) (see attached files)
I want to hear your opinions, it's a idea that I've be thinking a lot of time.
I know some basic Java and weeks ago I began to tech myself with tutorials work with Android Studio. I learnt to do a few things buy I'm far away to be able to work by my own on such a big project.
I know many of you perhaps will say me that it won't be possible because of the limitations of the API's but that can be solved perhaps opening in a webview the link? or perhpas opening the original applicacion on the phone(for example instagram to see the new posted pic)
Sorry for my bad english.
Hello everyone,
Im very new to this site, just registered a few moments ago. im not a bot, or a troll, so please bare with me if this post is in the incorrect place within the forum, or if some of my questions seem ignorant.... because i am sure they will (haha).
My development background:
0 ... i have none. Lol. In fact, ive barely begun to learn even the basics of source coding. So again, please bare with me on any of my ignorance.
Why I chose XDA forums:
Dealing with various issues on my Android device, i have googled my problems, and often-times found myself here to find the answers. I believe this forum has some of the highest intelligence this genre has to offer. Easily understandable advice put in a way the ignorant like myself can understand, goes a long way to helping others, and i believe i have found that here.
My Current issue:
I am tired of being an employee. I am tired of waking up and going to work to make someone elses dreams come true. At the age of 32 i believe its past the time i make steps to create something I can pass down to my sons. I have also noticed that the world of business has become vastly technological. Apps are needed for everything. So.... i want to know how to make apps. From the very beginning of it all, to the final production stages, and everything in between.
Where do i start?
Can i make one completely from my Android?
Where can i find app blueprints?
Do i need app blueprints?
These are just some examples of questions I have running through my head. I want to be an Andriloid game developer, I believe i could make the next big thing like AngryBirds, but i do not have the mental know-how, on the technological aspect on all of this. If any of you can help me it would be greatly appreciated. I am also open to the idea of a partnership in creating my first app.
Thank you very much for your time everyone.
-M04RT3
Hi there, I'm a relatively recent beginner as well, having churned out only 1 app so far.
In terms of getting started from the ground up, I found the free online tutorial series from TheNewBoston pretty helpful. In particular, you'd want to look at the Java one and the Android Application Development one
Java
https://thenewboston.com/videos.php?cat=31
Android Development (may be using an outdated Android Studio by now, but overall still handy imo)
https://thenewboston.com/videos.php?cat=6
You need to do the Java one first, because you'll be writing Java code to make Android apps.
There are quite a bit of videos, especially for the Android one. You can pick and choose which you need based on the app you have in mind, like if you don't need voice recognition or drawing 3D objects, you can just skip over those.
Good luck!
a_w_li said:
Hi there, I'm a relatively recent beginner as well, having churned out only 1 app so far.
In terms of getting started from the ground up, I found the free online tutorial series from TheNewBoston pretty helpful. In particular, you'd want to look at the Java one and the Android Application Development one
Java
https://thenewboston.com/videos.php?cat=31
Android Development (may be using an outdated Android Studio by now, but overall still handy imo)
https://thenewboston.com/videos.php?cat=6
You need to do the Java one first, because you'll be writing Java code to make Android apps.
There are quite a bit of videos, especially for the Android one. You can pick and choose which you need based on the app you have in mind, like if you don't need voice recognition or drawing 3D objects, you can just skip over those.
Good luck!
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Click to collapse
Brother youre a life saver. These tutorials are awesome for beginners like me. Funny its called "NewBoston" as thats where i live too lol. But again, thanks for this.
Everything starts with Ideation. All mobile app developers follow the design guidelines during the design phase. The best method would be to make your first app relatively simple and to focus on creating something. Next step would be deciding on the wireframe for the app. Choose the IDE (everything needed to develop your apps), programming language and set it. Since you are using Android Studio and Java, you should know the basics of Java. Create and acquire images, build the layout and write the code. Add more functionality specific to your app and do extra polishing by running your app on different devices. Finally, publish your app. Check this article on how to make android app development easy https://www.fingent.com/blog/how-to-make-android-app-development-easy .
Hello guys,
First of all, english is my second language so there might be somethings not well written .
I'm Leo, a 23 year old software developer from Brazil. Since this quarentine started I have been laid off from my work due to this covid-19 situation. I was working with software development for web and I have always wanted to make apps for mobile, now that im unenployed I started studying this mobile app development area. I have been developing this app for 2 weeks while learning how to do it.
The app is basically a game with celebrity tweets. I have collected about 15 thousand somewhat thoughtful tweets from the top 500 followed twitter accounts to make a game where the user must guess who posted the tweet. It is very hard to find interesting tweets from celebrities so I have saved around 600,000 tweets and used machine learing models to filter self promoting tweets or boring topics...
I made this app more to learn how to do it but my friend told me it is a cool idea for a game, so I'm asking you guys to get a more honest review and in case of this having a positive reaction I would make some promoting to get more public awareness. Thank you for your time
Download Link:
I can't post outside links apparently because I am a new user... Since this is not spam Im goig to put it here, I hope its not a problem : play.google .com/store/apps/details?id=com.codingleo.whopostedthat
This seems like a fun game. I do have some feedback for it below:
Consider changing the wording of the first screen of the tutorial. The whole "99% of you already figure it out but I guess I need to explain it anyway" comes off kind of harsh for the people that didn't get it.
Speaking about the tutorial, it should only be shown to the user once. So if I download the app and play the game, it should show. When I close out the app and wish to play it again, the tutorial shouldn't show again.
Consider showing the top and bottom options before the dragging starts so the user. It cuts down on wasted time because the user has to swipe up and down each time before picking there answer. Also, this would be helpful if the user skips/is skipping through the tutorial.
Spotlight_Guy said:
This seems like a fun game. I do have some feedback for it below:
Consider changing the wording of the first screen of the tutorial. The whole "99% of you already figure it out but I guess I need to explain it anyway" comes off kind of harsh for the people that didn't get it.
Speaking about the tutorial, it should only be shown to the user once. So if I download the app and play the game, it should show. When I close out the app and wish to play it again, the tutorial shouldn't show again.
Consider showing the top and bottom options before the dragging starts so the user. It cuts down on wasted time because the user has to swipe up and down each time before picking there answer. Also, this would be helpful if the user skips/is skipping through the tutorial.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your feedback, I will think about those points that you shared.
Hi everyone i am new to android and i want to learn how to make android apps and games, is their a official link to a tutorial or pdf for the android studio that i could use to learn and master android studio, or if there is a respected community developer who has made a set of videos to teach and explain android studio to novices i would much appreciate a link to that youtube channel.
some background on me.
I have no programming experience at all.
i dont know any of them programming terms
my best skill would be inspecting a webpage and removing any line of code that gets in my way such as an addvert or popup etc but thats as far as it goes.
i should start with this .
I had tried becoming a game creator some years back but i was a complete novice i couldn't even find how to download and install the studio program so i gave up but the ideas for games with either an amazing storyline or funny storyline would always come to me but i would always shrug it off.
now with covid-19 ruining everything im jobless and i also have a lot of free time. i believe it would be very advantageous to learn something amazing during this time, i could wish i came here this time last year but regardless im here now
i decided to post this in xda forums as anytime in the past when i had a problem on my phone and id ask google for a solution i'd always get a link to some article or an xda-forum page which would explain and help how to fix said problem while i was their i could see that this website was really interested in android apps games etc
thank you in advance