Final Android API Level - Huawei Watch 2

Hey All:
I've noticed that a lot of new watch faces and apps no longer support our watch. It seems like it's the target API - our lack of updates for a couple of years have left us in the dust.
Does anyone know what API level the HW2Classic ended up at? It seems like the different versions mean totally different APIs to different manufacturers.
Thanks

Related

My thoughts on why Google couldn't avoid OS version fragmentation

Guys,
I think everyone nowadays is quick to judge Android and Google for fragmenting the OS with multiple (4) versions but I think it was a necessary for success side effect. Without the humongous push that Google has done with Android, it wouldn't have been where it is now.
If you haven't heard, Google shared its plans to battle fragmentation which I mentioned as well.
What do you think? Do you think if Google slowed down back then (1.5/1.6), they would have ended up with Android that is as awesome as today?
Right now, Google has set up Android with a low-end version (1.5/1.6) and a high-end version (2.0, 2.1) and the market is sorting itself out. I think the two options were to fragment or be unsuccessful. With the fragmentation comes some issues, but it also comes with a wider range of devices that are capable of running it, which pushed it's popularity. Fragmentation can be easily solved farther down the line when Google takes the updating into it's own hands and stops letting carriers and manufacturers screw with everything.
In the end, we'll see Android itself being updated via the Market, I'd bet.
thats why google is releasing separate packages for the awesomeness theyre releasing from now on. the browser, ui kits, etc will come in separate apk's on the android market so you can have fun with whatever kernel and not be binded to the manufacturers limits. at least thats what the article today from engadget said.

Is the SW2 on its way to retirement?

I've had a Sony sw2 for a couple of months now. I'm very happy with the device, it's a nice build, good size and has some cracking features not avalible on other smartwatch offerings.
Naturally as with any platform the hardware and it's possible features are one thing but ongoing software development is crucial.
I recently contacted Runtastic regarding the lack of basic functionality in their app (closes after timeout so has to be relaunched every time you want to view progress and doesn't use low power functionality). Unfortunately their response was to say that new functionality (or in my opinion basic necessary functionality) would require a complete rewrite and so at this time they have no plans to update their app for Sony support. They also mentioned that the issue is the multiple smartwatch platforms which they believe will be sorted by Android wear, a platform they are throwing themselves at.
Given Runtastic was flagship app for the device on launch my concern is that this spells out a pathway for many apps as support moves toward android wear. In reality Sony need to either commit to the new platform (android wear) and do something to comfort it's present watch owners or push for developers to truly accept their platform as viable and beneficial. If they can't even do this with partner apps like Runtastic, what does that mean for our watches future?
Ps sorry for the long message just interested in the thoughts of others!
Sent from my LG-V500 using Tapatalk
Don't buy runtastic. The sw2 does a good deal more than Android wear, but unfortunately Sony doesn't invest in the marketing for it. Not too many people have even heard of it, so devs don't want to focus on it. Best case scenario is that Android wear improves more in the future. The smartwatch industry is just in Flux right now. Be happy you got to appreciate the sw2 while everyone else was forced to talk into their watch (which requires a constant Internet connection as well).
The SW2 is sat in a wheelchair with a blanket over its straps, in the corner of the dayroom in 'We care so you don't have to' retirement home.
ben.cordy said:
I've had a Sony sw2 for a couple of months now. I'm very happy with the device, it's a nice build, good size and has some cracking features not avalible on other smartwatch offerings.
Naturally as with any platform the hardware and it's possible features are one thing but ongoing software development is crucial.
I recently contacted Runtastic regarding the lack of basic functionality in their app (closes after timeout so has to be relaunched every time you want to view progress and doesn't use low power functionality). Unfortunately their response was to say that new functionality (or in my opinion basic necessary functionality) would require a complete rewrite and so at this time they have no plans to update their app for Sony support. They also mentioned that the issue is the multiple smartwatch platforms which they believe will be sorted by Android wear, a platform they are throwing themselves at.
Given Runtastic was flagship app for the device on launch my concern is that this spells out a pathway for many apps as support moves toward android wear. In reality Sony need to either commit to the new platform (android wear) and do something to comfort it's present watch owners or push for developers to truly accept their platform as viable and beneficial. If they can't even do this with partner apps like Runtastic, what does that mean for our watches future?
Ps sorry for the long message just interested in the thoughts of others!
Sent from my LG-V500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Runtastic doesn't need a complete re-write. That's bull. The app just needs a small line of code added. Runtastic was made when the Sony SDK did not allow low-power mode. Runtastic just never bothered to update their SW2 app after launching it.
Add some money to my bounty and someone with some know-how might take the time to figure out how to add the code for a mod.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2758706
how to add lowpower mode to an SW2 extension
http://developer.sonymobile.com/201...de-support-to-your-smartwatch-2-app-tutorial/

Why Are Secondary Monitor Apps So Hard To Get Right?

Why are secondary monitor apps so hard to get right?
Hi Android enthusiasts,
I noticed that many of the secondary monitor apps in the Google Play store have terrible ratings. Reading the reviews, it seems that most of the issues are in device compatibility. The largest such app appears to be iDisplay which even promises connectivity over USB for working in coffee shops.
I'm wondering what it is that makes these apps so hard to get right. Is there some inherent technical difficulty that I'm missing? I read one suggestion that the variety of screen resolutions on Android tablets makes this difficult, but I can't see why this is a limitation.
The only reason I can seem might be vendor specific APIs that these apps have to interface with, but I can't see, from my experience, which these would be. It seems the harder bit would be writing drivers for Windows and OSX but that's really only one platform to support, unlike Android.
Another reason might be bandwidth, but surprisingly, this doesn't seem to be a big issue in the reviews.
What do you think? Shouldn't a good app like this be fairly simple to develop?

Samsung Gear S2 App Development

I'm new to the Tizen world of development. From what I've been hearing, Tizen is so difficult to program for that it veers of your average app developers. Although I'm not one to turn my back on a challenge, it's hard to get some developers to take a serious & practical look at the realm of possibilities of currently unique tech like this.
There are massive notes & flow charts of practical applications for the Samsung GS2 I've created. To have something like the rotating bezel & touchscreen w/two buttons ON YOUR WRIST is device from heaven. Specially if one makes tethered remote access apps between the GS2 & corresponding cellular phone and/or tablet to control and manipulate other devices the GS2 may not be able to directly connect to. The possibilities are phenomenal.
What do developers think about the time and effort in producing a solid app foundation for Tizen's GS2 market? Even if it means massive collaborations and the drops of egos that us developers have from time to time, the payoff may open doors to greater engineering feats. I love to be on the front lines of progression, paving the way for progressive engineering and inspiring engineers to step out & ACT on their version of visions for tomorrow.
The Tizen SDK is buggy and difficult to get all components installed and playing nicely and Tizen is a little harder to code for than Android. I'm still learning the UI code and overall application structure, but slowly getting there.
I do wish more developers would see the potential market and code for it as I see a whole plethora of possibilities, but very few developers. I'm aiming to get my first app complete and to the Gear store in a month or so. I'll gladly share my experiences here for other potential developers, so they don't make the same mistakes or can learn from my experience.
Oobly said:
The Tizen SDK is buggy and difficult to get all components installed and playing nicely and Tizen is a little harder to code for than Android. I'm still learning the UI code and overall application structure, but slowly getting there.
I do wish more developers would see the potential market and code for it as I see a whole plethora of possibilities, but very few developers. I'm aiming to get my first app complete and to the Gear store in a month or so. I'll gladly share my experiences here for other potential developers, so they don't make the same mistakes or can learn from my experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am interested In learning more about it personally, I am bookish but I'm motivated and I'll do everything I can to learn what's necessary
GOIGIG said:
I am interested In learning more about it personally, I am bookish but I'm motivated and I'll do everything I can to learn what's necessary
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main thing is to first install the latest Java JDK, not just the JRE, but the full JDK and make sure the environment variables are set correctly. Then install the Tizen SDK and run the update manager. You need to install the certificate and wearable extensions from "Extras", the emulator from "Tizen Tools" and also the relevant tools from the "Wearable 2.3.1" group. Then you can start the IDE (a version of Eclipse) and select a simple example (choose ), try to compile it and run it with the emulator. You need to start the emulator and make sure it's in the "connected devices" area before running the app.
Be aware that the emulator uses a lot of processing power and can run slowly.
There are a number of different types of app you can build for the S2, native or web with different UI components / frameworks.
A good starting point: http://developer.samsung.com/gear
If you want to test your app on your actual S2, this is a great guide: http://www.tizenexperts.com/2015/12/how-to-deploy-to-gear-s2-smartwatch/
If you generate an author certificate, you can use the same one for the GearWatchDesigner, but that app has different Java requirements (32-bit JRE only required).
Focus motion
Oobly said:
The Tizen SDK is buggy and difficult to get all components installed and playing nicely and Tizen is a little harder to code for than Android. I'm still learning the UI code and overall application structure, but slowly getting there.
I do wish more developers would see the potential market and code for it as I see a whole plethora of possibilities, but very few developers. I'm aiming to get my first app complete and to the Gear store in a month or so. I'll gladly share my experiences here for other potential developers, so they don't make the same mistakes or can learn from my experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi, there is a free sdk from a company called focus motion , which allows auto recognize the movements made with the smart watch .
Someone would be able to make a test app for samsung gear s2 ?
i don't think so
codenameclass5 said:
I'm new to the Tizen world of development. From what I've been hearing, Tizen is so difficult to program for that it veers of your average app developers. Although I'm not one to turn my back on a challenge, it's hard to get some developers to take a serious & practical look at the realm of possibilities of currently unique tech like this.
There are massive notes & flow charts of practical applications for the Samsung GS2 I've created. To have something like the rotating bezel & touchscreen w/two buttons ON YOUR WRIST is device from heaven. Specially if one makes tethered remote access apps between the GS2 & corresponding cellular phone and/or tablet to control and manipulate other devices the GS2 may not be able to directly connect to. The possibilities are phenomenal.
What do developers think about the time and effort in producing a solid app foundation for Tizen's GS2 market? Even if it means massive collaborations and the drops of egos that us developers have from time to time, the payoff may open doors to greater engineering feats. I love to be on the front lines of progression, paving the way for progressive engineering and inspiring engineers to step out & ACT on their version of visions for tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't think so! tizen very easy to dev
Some help
Hey guys,
I'm actually currently building an Android app to work with the Gear S2 based on the Integrated App model.
But I'm having some issues, as soon as I build my APK and deploy it in debug mode on the mobile phone, the OS immediately says there is no Samsung Gear app and uninstalls the APK.
Does anyone know how to get passed this?

How long should we keep supporting Kitkat in our Apps?

Hey Developers, I am interested in your opinions.
I have an app published on Google Play. Its minSDK currently is set to API 16, which is Android 4.1. To ensure compatibility, I left off some of newer design features that are not included in the androidx packages. In the past few days, I read about some apps that are dropping their support for Android Kitkat with API 19. I personally have been looking forward to this for a few months now, knowing that I can get rid of ensuring compatibility with these old devices, as there several times were unexpected problems, and my testing capacities are quite limited.
I checked out my Developer Console to see how the Android versions of my app users are distributed, and the installations on devices with Android from API 16 to API 19 in the past 180 days made 8% of the total installations number. As I am rather new to app development, I'm highly interested about your opinions, how long I should keep supporting pre Lollipop Android?
Regarding monetarization, I use in app purchases. So only a small amount of the users pays for the app.
Thanks in advance!

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