Related
I grabbed the most recent version of the API that's been floating around for hooking into the HTC grav sensor and created a little etch-a-sketch style program using a tweaked version of it. I was hoping to get a little feedback on the changes I made and how I'm using it in this application.
I tried to fully explain what I did in a blog post I made about it, but have also linked to the source files (VS 2008) and the exe/dll for the phone if anyone's willing to take a look at it in any of the mediums and give me some feedback on the way I went with it.
Thank you in advance for any suggestions / feedback you can provide.
Blog Post Explaining it all
Link to the Source Code
Link to the exe/dll to run on the phone
Went ahead and added an installer (CAB version) to make it easier for anyone willing to help
Tilt Draw Installer (CAB)
Any comments, criticisms or suggestions at all?
I can't draw with a pen and paper, but....
Some thoughts:
Perhaps add a pen-up / pen-down feature. I did notice that you can tap on the screen even if tilt is enabled to reposition the cursor, however maybe link it to a hard button so you can do this without touching the screen? Make the cursor flash or something while in pen-up mode.
Another thing that would be cool is when the tilt is enabled, perhaps have an overlay or small area that would have a "direction/speed" indicator - this would give the user an idea of how far they have the screen tilted etc. Doesn't have to be large at all, in fact. Maybe a little picture of two moving etch-a-sketch knobs
Would there be a way to "flash" where the cursor is at? For instance, if I draw with the color red - and I draw into an existing set of pixels that are red, I can lose track of the cursor. Perhaps outline the edge of the painting cursor with the cursor's complimentary color so it will show up even if you're drawing over other colors.
Also, you can draw off the bottom of the screen (in my limited testing.) The cursor keeps drawing in the direction you're tilting, but the menu at the bottom obscures the painting. Perhaps limit the drawing screen to the visible canvas?
Other than these suggestions, this app uses the input well - I could generally move the fuze and have the drawing accurately reflect using the g-sensor. Very nice!
Groovy, thank you for the feedback, I'll see about incorporating it in.
It's good to hear that the response from the tilt sensor seems to be alright, I was concerned that the changes I made to it may have made it feel ..."off"
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
I prefer android apps that use the lower portion of the screen more than the top, due to how I hold the phone. Also right side is better than left.
Finding the right app is very difficult due to 9/10 apps having most buttons on top. I keep wondering why you can't just move the toolbar control down to the bottom.... seems simple enough, Maybe there's a way to hack this? It should be simple enough to move the toolbar but if there's a dropdown menu, it gets more complicated. Maybe overlay configured to mirror another part of the screen, that would repeat taps to the original location....
Resizing the whole screen is one solution. There's Touchwiz for S5, OneHanded (Galaxy Note) and One-Hand Mode Xposed Mod which are pretty good but I just want to reach higher sometimes. A super quick way to enable/disable the screen sizer might work. Is there a gesture program that responds to gestures based on length of swipe and location? Maybe auto-return to full screen after 3s of inactivity? Is there something like this that will let you move the whole screen without resizing?
If you have found any great apps with bottom toolbars, please post links. Or if there's a good thread about this
The tool bar is called an ActionBar, moving the actionbar to the bottom is virtually impossible or as Google says a No No. We don't know why. But there is a split actionbar option, where you can add actions to the bottom of the screen.
You may be able to add actions to the bottom if you completely remove the actionbar (by using a theme that has no action bar) and then coding a fake one and merging it to the lower part of the layout.
Though you can't really do this to applications that have already been made unless you have the source code.
So I suggest. Get a smaller phone? Most large phones nowadays require two hand use.
[APP][4.0+] Knock Lock - put your device to sleep with simple "knock" gesture
Hello.
I am Damian and I created an app called 'Knock Lock", which allows you to tap twice to lock device, anywhere in system and without root. Why do we need this? Well, if you have HTC One M8 or simillar big device with awkward power button placement, then you know how painful can be reaching that place with your hand. Also, some devices allows you to wake it with kncking, but they are missing feature to lock it this way (I am looking at you, Sony).
There are two versions of this app:
- Free (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.damianpiwowarski.knocklock)
Which allows you to set invisible area on screen (you can select size of that area too), where you will be able to knock twice to lock it.
and
- Paid $1 (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.damianpiwowarski.knocklock.pro)
Which enables pro features in normal app, which mainly is floating option with settings for size, color, transparency and "snapping to side".
Why I post here? Mainly to get more pro-users support. I know XDA is great place for that, you helped a lot of people here.
Below I post some screenshots of app.
If I wrote something wrong here, please tell me.
Damian