Database Develop

Updated [Dev][App] NoLitez 1.0.28 Dec 17 2008

UPDATE: Dec 17, 2008
older versions are no longer available here, the latest version is in the market under the developer name "snctln"
let me know if you have any problems with it
mpenguin14 said:
so I decided not to abandon development, competition is a good thing, right? and I am going to update the first post with a new build... in this new build there are a lot of improvements
- all 50 levels from the classic lights out, before it only had the first 5
- after level 50 new levels are randomly generated... I believe there are more than 8000 solvable
- added a hint engine... press the menu key and select the "Show Hints" and you will see a small red dot on the keys that you need to press in order to complete the puzzle, updates in real time, you can turn off this feature if you want by going back to the menu and selecting "Hide Hints"
- the state of the application is saved across instances... this way you can continue a game even if you restart your phone
any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
My main question is this: Does this app feel the like it is the sae quality as other apps on the Market? Or does it seem cheap and too simple?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(mods: if this is not the correct forum to post development of an android app please feel free to move the post or tell me where to move it to)
So I put up a thread a week or 2 ago requesting android app ideas and at first it seemed that games were in demand, so I started working on a simple game...
NoLitez is a simple game that take inspiration from the old simple handheld video game "Lights Out", (wikipedia link)
basically the idea of the game is that all spaces in the gird can either be turned on or off... the goal is to get all of the lights off. When you touch a light, you toggle the state of that light and the 4 lights immediately north, south, east and west of the light
I ran the apk using the latest android for titan build and it worked as I would expect.
So now I am curious if any G1 owners want to be a beta tester for me and tell me if this apk even works for them, and if so what they think of the game.
I only have very basic features implemented, and only the first 5 levels...
This would count as my first android application so please go easy on the criticism, but I am open to hearing all things good and bad
thanks for any feedback

i tried it out, good game. No crashes or hangs, works as described

neerhaj said:
i tried it out, good game. No crashes or hangs, works as described
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cool, thanks for the feedback

Nice. Clean interface and classic gameplay. I remember when they advertised these things on television in the '90s.
On a side note, how's Android running on TyTN? There's not a week goes by that there isn't a new device Android is running on, but it seems that most of the devices still need some spit polish.

jashsu said:
Nice. Clean interface and classic gameplay. I remember when they advertised these things on television in the '90s.
On a side note, how's Android running on TyTN? There's not a week goes by that there isn't a new device Android is running on, but it seems that most of the devices still need some spit polish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well I have a Titan rather than a TyTN (PPC6800, CDMA device, aka Sprint Mogul vs P4500 GSM aka AT&T 8525 here in the states) [but they do seem to be named the same]... and I have to say that android doesn't run too well on it, I have been able to get android up and running on it since July thanks to dzo's vogue releases but even with the latest editions the touchscreen doesn't work quite right and the button mappings aren't very intuitive to me... maybe I just need to give it more than 5 minutes, but my plan is to buy a Android Dev 1 or some unannounced 2009 android phone so I shouldn't have to rely on testing on an unsupported QVGA device... but I just got laid off last Friday, so it could be a while until I have a proper android device to develop with

Works like a charm, no bugs at all and a pretty fun game! Do you mind if i throw it in my g1 files in my sig?

stats555 said:
Works like a charm, no bugs at all and a pretty fun game! Do you mind if i throw it in my g1 files in my sig?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am glad that you are enjoying it, it is not a problem to put the apk up in your directory, I have a few more things that I want to do before I make a proper release in the android market, but I have a few questions and I am not sure if this is the proper place to ask them
1.) Does this application behave as you would expect it to as far as saving and restoring its state? Like if you get a phone call or have to leave the app for some reason when you restore the app does it save the lights on/lights off state? Does it at least behave as you would expect it to when compared to other G1 apps?
2.) I am not fully sure if this application would be allowed in the market because Tiger electronics has the "Lights Out" game patented... does anyone know if any other game "clones" exist on the market like say a tetris clone?
thanks again for the feedback

There's an app on the Market called 'Lights Out" already...? Seems to be the same game? Not sure who developed it though.
(http://code.google.com/p/lights-out-android)

punkweakling said:
There's an app on the Market called 'Lights Out" already...? Seems to be the same game? Not sure who developed it though.
(http://code.google.com/p/lights-out-android)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow... you are correct, this exact same game already exists for android and I had no idea. Looks like I am going to abandon development unless someone thinks it is good to have diversity in the market, since I don't have a G1 there really is no way for me to test to see the differences that may exist...
I enjoyed putting this together, but I wish there was some way to browse the titles available on the market other than directly from a G1, that way I would have known to work on something different. (and after a quick search my second game that I was planning on making "4NARow" (a connect 4 clone) is already on the market too...
maybe if I pay the $25 and register as an android developer I can see the different apps available in the market?

so I decided not to abandon development, competition is a good thing, right? and I am going to update the first post with a new build... in this new build there are a lot of improvements
- all 50 levels from the classic lights out, before it only had the first 5
- after level 50 new levels are randomly generated... I believe there are more than 8000 solvable
- added a hint engine... press the menu key and select the "Show Hints" and you will see a small red dot on the keys that you need to press in order to complete the puzzle, updates in real time, you can turn off this feature if you want by going back to the menu and selecting "Hide Hints"
- the state of the application is saved across instances... this way you can continue a game even if you restart your phone
any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
My main question is this: Does this app feel the like it is the sae quality as other apps on the Market? Or does it seem cheap and too simple?

posted version 1.0.28 in the market, developer name "snctln", let me know if you have problems getting it or using it.
any other feedback is appreciated

Of course I have problems. One big fat problem - I cannot run it.
Well... I'm using Android on my Titan. So..... I cannot even download and install it...

Magister2k7 said:
Of course I have problems. One big fat problem - I cannot run it.
Well... I'm using Android on my Titan. So..... I cannot even download and install it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Magister, I am using your titan build of android, so I will go over to that thread and post the apk package for this (NoLitez) and my latest game (PingPong), if anyone else wants these apks go to the Titan Linux wip thread in the Titan Forum for the download

mpenguin14 said:
Magister, I am using your titan build of android, so I will go over to that thread and post the apk package for this (NoLitez) and my latest game (PingPong), if anyone else wants these apks go to the Titan Linux wip thread in the Titan Forum for the download
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, Thanks!

read sms application

Hi all,
Are there or are plan an application that read incoming sms ??
is very useful when you're driving, There is just a better speech lib that read what you write, I think that is not hard build this kind of app...
what you think ???
Ciao !!!
Daniele

I have the same question..
Does anyone know of a text to speech app for reading sms??

I'm assuming it would also have to have voice recognition so you could respond?

Just something that reads incoming texts out load, like it does on my blackberry or shadow... is there nothing like that for the G1?

I have a feeling one will come out in the next couple days. If not I might throw one together.

SMSpeaker
There is an app called SMSpeaker on this app site:
http://eyes-free.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/documentation/tts_apps.html
I tried clicking on the link but couldn't find it.
I think that all it does is direct you to Market (which isn't there yet of course.) Looks like someone is on the right track.

Binary100100:
Yep, that's the one to which I was referring. In the Applications on the eyes-free page list it shows it as a priced app (at $0.99 USD) so I assume when priced apps are activated, this will become available. Of course, the current iteration of the TTS library doesn't work. I wonder what the plan is from the standpoint of apps using the TTS library (or any shared library, for that matter) as far as protection against the developer of the shared library releasing a defective update. Surely, this poses some sort of risk and might be enough to sway some from using such libraries.

nEx.Software said:
Binary100100:
Yep, that's the one to which I was referring. In the Applications on the eyes-free page list it shows it as a priced app (at $0.99 USD) so I assume when priced apps are activated, this will become available. Of course, the current iteration of the TTS library doesn't work. I wonder what the plan is from the standpoint of apps using the TTS library (or any shared library, for that matter) as far as protection against the developer of the shared library releasing a defective update. Surely, this poses some sort of risk and might be enough to sway some from using such libraries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do we even know when the paid apps will be available on Market?

According to the online reports, and the email I got from Google...
Supposedly, mid-week this week in the US and UK.
I thought maybe today (Wednesday) but that didn't happen so maybe tomorrow. That pretty much ends mid-week in my mind.

Just an update... I've decided to do this even though there is already one about to be released. I'm doing it a little different though.

Hm, not with Donut there is an really EXCELLENT TTS engine for android ! At least the german one sounds really really great! Maybe you should use this for your sms app
cool would be an app that would read out any text i highlight after pressing an shortcut

[APP] 6/12 NFC Task Launcher - 3.6.1 Released

After more than a year I am consolidating threads. Maintaining several threads was getting to be too much. Please move to the new thread here with any new questions or comments: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=34417369
Market Link: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.jwsoft.nfcactionlauncher
Application Site: http://www.jwksoftware.com/
Screenshots: http://www.jwksoftware.com/screenshots
Known Issues: http://www.jwksoftware.com/issues
Features:
NFC Task Launcher uses the NFC Hardware and RFID/NFC Tags to allow you to create tags several types of tags, including a custom "Task" tag that will automatically execute tasks when read. See Site for full feature list.
If you do use and enjoy the app it is up in the Market as a paid app. Any purchases / ratings are appreciated as I have put quite a few hours into this expanding it to fill requests for functionality.
Change log:
6/12 Version 3.6
- GPS (Root needed)
- Mobile Data (Root needed)
- Display Timeout
- Fixed Airplane mode bugs
- Precision timer
- New languages
- Cloud backup and restore
5/9 Version 3.4
- UI updates
- Added German, Spanish and Korean
- Removed Italian as it is out of date
- All tags now save to "Your Tags". Recent shows the 5 most recently used
- Changed Tag limiting to uniquely track switch tags
4/19 Version 3.3
- Added Google Places support in Latitude
- Added Navigate to address support
- Added Auto-rotation
- Added write lock option when writing
- Added size to vCards
- Added setting to pause after launching an app (for launching multiple apps or launching and then interacting)
- Added notification when tags save when hitting finish
- Updated Tasker integration (should fix issues with HTC One X)
- Enhanced debugging to make bug reports easier
- Fixed condition where tasks would stop executing when wifi changed
- Fixed reported crashes and typo
Full: http://www.jwksoftware.com/change-log
Where to get Tags?
http://www.jwksoftware.com/nfc-tags
If you'd like to see some functionality added feel free to make a request.
The APK linked below is free of the license check of the Market version and is fully functional for 7 days.
http://goo.gl/xBBOU
For anyone who decides to purchase the app after using the APK attached to the thread - un-install the free version first otherwise the market installation fails.
Here's a few videos I made for a current demo:
Tag Demos
Car Dock Demo

Hmm that would be really cool. Embed a tag in my doorframe and set it to enable/disable wifi so I never have to do it by hand lol. Put one it my car steering wheel to turn on BT...you're a genius sir!

What I would be really interested in is an app which allowed users to easily assign a list of actions to certain tags, directly from the application.
I'd certainly help out in the development of the application if anybody else is interested

gabrialxue said:
What I would be really interested in is an app which allowed users to easily assign a list of actions to certain tags, directly from the application.
I'd certainly help out in the development of the application if anybody else is interested
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If this was something people were interested in it would be fairly trivial to write an app with a defined set of options and write the text tags instead of having to compose them by hand.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

this is a great idea! about how much do blank nfc tags cost though?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

jaker.the.skater said:
this is a great idea! about how much do blank nfc tags cost though?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This would be my question as well. I think this is a cool idea. Definitely need to have an easy to set up user interface to enable tags.

I picked them up for $2-3 each.
I ordered a few from Finland for €1.30 a piece shipped. I also ordered a few from a US company for 2.95 each + shipping. All are 1k tags. Once I get them I'll let you know how they flush out.
Touchtag sells them reasonably cheap but it's a lot of 25 for #15 or $20, I think, but they are out of stock .
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

joshthewaster said:
This would be my question as well. I think this is a cool idea. Definitely need to have an easy to set up user interface to enable tags.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once I get the tags I'll add a main UI for building/writing the text tags. I had assumed constructing them manually and then writing with one of the existing products would be easy enough, but it's pretty trivial to implement a simple text tag writer and accompanying UI.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

kenvan19 said:
Hmm that would be really cool. Embed a tag in my doorframe and set it to enable/disable wifi so I never have to do it by hand lol. Put one it my car steering wheel to turn on BT...you're a genius sir!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I overlooked that entirely. I'll add toggle support as well.
I don't have tags to test writes tonight, but if my kids cooperate I'll try to get a UI and the associated logic set up over the next few days. Then when the tags arrive I'll get some video/screenshots up for people to are how it all works.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

Ok, toggle support is in. I created a UI to start with tonight for tag building. The known SSIDs and app list aren't populated yet - I'll get to that some time this week. It needs cleaned up a bit as well, but it's a start for now.
It does looks like auto BT pairing isn't part of the API, so that my be out of the feature list. But enabling Wifi Tethering and associating with a known SSID should be no problem.

is it worth using something like the locale or tasker app? and working with them? They already have a good task maker GUI..?

pratishk said:
is it worth using something like the locale or tasker app? and working with them? They already have a good task maker GUI..?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use either and wouldn't want to rip off a UI from them. We really need a very small subset of what those apps appear to offer for building tags and our use case doesn't seem to fit into what those apps do very well.
Moving forward I'll likely pull the "add" into a separate view to make it cleaner, as well as the write dialog. This is just a starting point currently to write the tags when I receive them.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

sounds good anyhow, look forward to hearing more about the app...

New SS up with a cleaner UI using multiple views.

Think your giving the million doller idea away buddy. This could change everything essentially if you think about it? I won't have to touch anything on my phone for cretin things like turning on and off wifi or turning in Bluetooth when I get in car. Going to desktop mode when I get to work. Think u should make a good Buck off of this. Good luck.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

this would be an awesome app. i'd buy it.

mattyg151 said:
this would be an awesome app. i'd buy it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds good
I plan on putting a free version up here and a version on the market you can buy as a donate version.
I completed all of the wifi tethering stuff, as well as configuration options. I've got the write code in place (in theory - no tags to test on yet). Updated UI screenshots in the OP.
I've got a few more small additions to make and then it's just waiting for tags to arrive in the mail for testing.

Do RFID tags work with this technology? Lots on ebay but no NFC specific.

Here's another retailer. $1 a piece NFC labels:
http://www.tagage.net/tagage-shop/

instigator008 said:
Here's another retailer. $1 a piece NFC labels:
http://www.tagage.net/tagage-shop/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an order with them - they are in Finland. I placed the order last week and have no response from them yet (not even a confirmation email) my card however was charged.
I also ordered a few tags from here: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10128
These have shipped it seems and should be here in the next few days.
I am eagerly waiting as I'd like to finish this up

Things I don't like so far

In order from most annoying:
Cannot whitelist k9 mail (and other things) from power saving (this is a deal breaker, I'm taking it back)
Long press to select text instead of double click (vanilla android allows both) (almost a deal breaker)
Media volume cannot be increased without acknowledging warning when BT connected
Can’t disable bixby button without samsung account
No root (needed to run webserver on 80 and change iptables)
Fingerprint sensor hard to find, hard to touch (compared to nexus 6p)
Default phone app sucks and can’t be changed
-Notifications for blocked numbers calling
-Hard to block numbers
-Hard to add recent calls to contacts (uses wrong account or something)
Volume buttons hard to find, on wrong side of phone
Samsung sms app is ugly and horrible (replaceable)
Samsung calendar app does not allow multiple default reminders (replaceable)
Lock screen time is on multiple lines with no way to change it

Thats nice. Enjoy.

swooperstar said:
bleh bleh bleh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is the question? Wrong forum, maybe you should tell someone who cares?

Um, what phone is this, half the things you complain about can be done by the note 8, so must be another phone. Maybe he got the wrong forum...
Sent from my Galaxy Note8 using XDA Labs

Incorrect, but whatever. Pixel2 XL coming next week to replace this samsuck. This site used to be more help less fanboy.

...more help less fan boy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not about fanboys, you didn't ask for any help, just listed complaints. No one cares about personal complaints.

lol once again the user is the problem not the device... you can do all of those things either with an app from the play store or with root. maybe stick to something more simple? try iOS.
Not sure how moving to another Android device will help you. :laugh:

Being that the OP has a total of 9, count them 9 posts and is a junior member, I'm guessing he's referring to the old days on the site when we were more help and less fanbois

Mr.Ash.Man said:
lol once again the user is the problem not the device... you can do all of those things either with an app from the play store or with root. maybe stick to something more simple? try iOS.
Not sure how moving to another Android device will help you. :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He is already using IOS!
Ryland

Now we know from authoritative source that volume button is on the wrong side all those years, imagine that.

There are ways to adjust pretty much all of these points. Some are android specific - assume you are new to Android??
Did you even review the phone/play with it before spending on something you have chosen to dislike? To be fair you've come to a forum where 99.9999% of people are note enthusiasts so you will be whacked with a great big stick with a post like this :silly:

Ok how do you whitelist from power saving in a way that actually works? The settings interface for that is much different than stock android and doesn't actually let stuff run all the time like it does on my 6p. k9 always says syncing disabled (and works fine on 6p with stock nougat or oreo).
How do you get double-tap to select a word in text? Works by default in stock android.
After asking twice before to confirm increase volume while BT connected, it didn't ask this last time I increased it. I guess it is magically ok now.
How do you disable bixby button without creating a samsung account? There is an app that used to work using accessibility but no longer works in latest update.
How do you get root? The rooting page itself says "2.Enable OEM Unlock from developer option (Currently no workaround for those who doesn't have this option)" and I don't have this option.
How do you change the phone app? I tried downloading and installing one from apkmirror and got an error when installing.
How do you prevent notifications when blocked callers call?
How do you get normal time on the lock screen? Not the always on screen.

swooperstar said:
Ok how do you whitelist from power saving in a way that actually works? The settings interface for that is much different than stock android and doesn't actually let stuff run all the time like it does on my 6p. k9 always says syncing disabled (and works fine on 6p with stock nougat or oreo).
How do you get double-tap to select a word in text? Works by default in stock android.
After asking twice before to confirm increase volume while BT connected, it didn't ask this last time I increased it. I guess it is magically ok now.
How do you disable bixby button without creating a samsung account? There is an app that used to work using accessibility but no longer works in latest update.
How do you get root? The rooting page itself says "2.Enable OEM Unlock from developer option (Currently no workaround for those who doesn't have this option)" and I don't have this option.
How do you change the phone app? I tried downloading and installing one from apkmirror and got an error when installing.
How do you prevent notifications when blocked callers call?
How do you get normal time on the lock screen? Not the always on screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A respectful suggestion if I may.
Your first post was..... confrontational? Not the way to have your teething problems answered or supported.
Many of us, in all forum's, experience teething problems. I suggest you ask questions preferably one at a time so a peer can offer you some advice.
I have yet to ask for help here and not receive it. You will find there are some amazingly smart guys and gals here who will help IF you ask a palatable question. I am afraid what you have done is cause bad feeling and that's not the way to get help with your problems. Just food for thought. :good:
Ryland

I agree with the fingerprint sensor placement, for me being left handed, I have ot align it perfectly for it to work. Luckily the iris scanner is fast.
One issue I am coming across is my phone would random reboot and some settings would be changed to stock. For example, the font size would be change to default instead of everything tiny. My quick shortcuts layouts are stock and I have to re-login into some apps.
It happened about 3 times since i got the phone the first week of September. Hopefully I'm not alone. Sucks if I am though...lol

There is no help for those issues. That is why there is no response, and why the phone is going back. I am surprised anyone can stand the samsung interface and that is why it might sound confrontational. The apps that samsung replaces default apps with are really awful.

swooperstar said:
There is no help for those issues. That is why there is no response, and why the phone is going back. I am surprised anyone can stand the samsung interface and that is why it might sound confrontational. The apps that samsung replaces default apps with are really awful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only issue or possibly even an advantage is Samsung is edging it's own ecosystem in more and more. , basically it encourages one to buy another Sammy device and stay on board with them.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

UberPishy said:
Where is the question? Wrong forum, maybe you should tell someone who cares?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I care. Thanks to the original poster for critical analysis.
Anybody can fan-boy and circlejerk, that takes no skill.
It takes skill to spot issues and courage to speak out on them.
Every phones has its issues, these do not make Note 8 useless, but buyers can more easily decide if it is for them, when they know its particular failings.

vasra said:
I care. Thanks to the original poster for critical analysis.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So which of the OP's claims do you really care about, because most are false, many are non issues for the majority and a few are valid. But the point remains that they were posted in the wrong forum.

vasra said:
I care. Thanks to the original poster for critical analysis.
Anybody can fan-boy and circlejerk, that takes no skill.
It takes skill to spot issues and courage to speak out on them.
Every phones has its issues, these do not make Note 8 useless, but buyers can more easily decide if it is for them, when they know its particular failings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not a critical assessment...it's a misleading one.

A few observations.
The volume button on the left side is the more ergonomic position and also makes it less likely you will drop the phone while changing volume making it an objectively better placement. The fingerprint scanner? Yeah, it's poor ergonomics at best and your complaint there is well justified.
Root is something you knew going in you wouldn't have, if it mattered you should have bought something else. I do agree in general that the trend toward taking root access from us is one I hate. That's why I bought an international version and rooted it.
The Samsung calendar app is less well featured than the stock app but it uses no resources when not used and you can always use the google app or one of the several better than stock google calendar apps on the play store. You don't get to complain about not having an app you can put on you phone in seconds which isn't even close to the best app of its kind anyways. I BTW didn't use the stock app on my 6P, didn't meet my needs.Samsung's stock SMS app is awful, IMO someone should be fired there because it falls below even a minimum level of functionality. But then while Googles does manage to get to at least a minimally functional feature set it isn't much better and both are a long way from what can be had in seconds for free that work better than either on the market. You don't get to complain about this one either though, the stock google app is a few clicks away and a few seconds will give that stock google experience if that is your preference.
Same number of clicks with Samsung to add a recent callers to contacts. Hard to do so is dismissed.
Hard to copy because you have to long press instead of double tap? Seriously? lol That's a fairly lame complaint without even taking into consideration the S-pen which opens up a whole world of options that you don't have on the 6P, one of which is using the S-Pen in the first place.
I like the default dialer and it has features which Google's does not. Regardless it can be changed as well as which dialer is the default, where did you get the idea you couldn't change dialers?
I don't have the media volume warning with my phone unless I'm on headphones, not sure why you do?
The Bixby button can be disabled, it can be disabled without signing into Samsung. Just an FYI, it can also be slaved to another function. All without root.
You can white list any app from power saver, just takes a few clicks, assuming of course you know which clicks. You have in an oblique way a real gripe here, Samsung's menus are getting better but they are still too bloated. The search menu function is your friend in pursing hard to find settings.
Who uses lock screens in this day an age? You've get bio-metrics and AOD, leaving the lock screen as an artifact of what was once the best we could do but isn't anymore. Think of it this way, I'm a pathetic old man and I've been able to understand that lockscreens are now just an extra step. Your complaint in this regard reminds me of my friends who cant handle new tech and are still trying to hang on to their flip phone.
At this point you probably think I'm busting your balls a little bit and you're right. On the other hand your complaints are largely groundless. The only real objective gripe you have is the fingerprint sensor location. Your assessment of the volume button location is subjective, not objective, and objectively is incorrect. Your complaints about the stock apps can be applied to google apps in the same way and most of which I changed on my 6P just as I have here. The impression I get is that the main problem you have is you need to learn how to shop better. There is no reason to buy a phone that does not have root if you know you want root. There is no reason to buy a phone well known for it's rather overbearing GUI and menu bloat if you know you are going to hate it. Why do that to yourself?

[NST/G] R.I.P. WeatherACE for the Nook Simple Touch

Another one bites the dust.
It took awhile for Wunderground's API to actually die, but it finally did and I used my last data point yesterday. None of the other APIs in the app (OpenWeatherMap, Norwegian MET, Yahoo) have worked for awhile. I tried the obvious with OWM and N-MET, getting new API strings, decompiling the app, replacing the APIs and stitching it all back together. But no joy. The data structures in the new APIs are probably different and that's way beyond me. The jiggered app ran, but it was unable to gather data from anywhere (other than what my location is).
Too bad. Nothing left like it, AFAIK.

Yeah, I'm bummed. Weather Ace was one of the few apps that had nice widgets appropriate for the eInk screen.

scotte9999 said:
Yeah, I'm bummed. Weather Ace was one of the few apps that had nice widgets appropriate for the eInk screen.
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I came across this: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.jsharkey.sky/
It works, which is rare for something so old, but the widgets are butt-ugly on the NST
Looks like I'll be researching changing colors, etc. So far it looks like the icons could be easily replaced, but the most offensive part is the widget background which is a 9-patch png (of course...).
The WeatherACE developer is a nice fellow but it would be ridiculous to contact him over this. So we move on.

nmyshkin said:
I came across this: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.jsharkey.sky/
So we move on.
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Indeed. I spent some time yesterday exploring web-based widgets, thinking we could just point the browser at a URL, but most widgets use HTTPS and Javascript, neither of which are the strong suit of the NST, even with Opera Classic instead of the native browser.

Did this work?

disTrck33 said:
Did this work?
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Depends on what "this" is.
I eventually wrote my own weather widget app for the NST/G: https://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-touch/themes-apps/app-nst-weather-widget-t3946270
This works.

nmyshkin said:
I came across this: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.jsharkey.sky/
It works, which is rare for something so old, but the widgets are butt-ugly on the NST
Looks like I'll be researching changing colors, etc. So far it looks like the icons could be easily replaced, but the most offensive part is the widget background which is a 9-patch png (of course...).
The WeatherACE developer is a nice fellow but it would be ridiculous to contact him over this. So we move on.
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Link said USA only . There is a weather app that can be used for Europe which uses yr.no site for data. It runs on my tablet and should work with Android 1.5+. Nothing special but good enough. Might require some customization to e-ink display though. That needs to be checked.

SJT75 said:
Link said USA only . There is a weather app that can be used for Europe which uses yr.no site for data. It runs on my tablet and should work with Android 1.5+. Nothing special but good enough. Might require some customization to e-ink display though. That needs to be checked.
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Didn't remember the US restriction, but all of the potential apps I looked at back then looked terrible on the NST or required network location. That is why (shameless promotion...) I eventually worked up my own Weather widget/app just for the NST. It lacks many bells and whistles but will work for any locale that OWM has stations. And, if I say so myself, looks pretty good on the NST.

nmyshkin said:
Another one bites the dust.
It took awhile for Wunderground's API to actually die, but it finally did and I used my last data point yesterday. None of the other APIs in the app (OpenWeatherMap, Norwegian MET, Yahoo) have worked for awhile. I tried the obvious with OWM and N-MET, getting new API strings, decompiling the app, replacing the APIs and stitching it all back together. But no joy. The data structures in the new APIs are probably different and that's way beyond me. The jiggered app ran, but it was unable to gather data from anywhere (other than what my location is).
Too bad. Nothing left like it, AFAIK.
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The app is not dead.
I working on adding more weather sources. Atm, the app has 5 weather sources worked correctly - NOAA (USA only), OpenWeatherMap, Norwegian MET (yes, its back to work again, I switched WeatherACE to the their new API), Weatherbit.IO (new weather sources that added to WeatherACE in last build 1.12.30) and Forecast.IO (they are not provide new keys atm). Currently I working on 2 more weather source.
As for Wunderground, they were bought by IBM. The lowest price for weather data from IBM is around of $10000 per year, for a limited set of data. They also provide some weather API for people that provide them data from personal weather stations, but its just current and few days weather and no hourly data forecasts...
So, please check the app again.

mycodefab said:
The app is not dead.
I working on adding more weather sources. Atm, the app has 5 weather sources worked correctly - NOAA (USA only), OpenWeatherMap, Norwegian MET (yes, its back to work again, I switched WeatherACE to the their new API), Weatherbit.IO (new weather sources that added to WeatherACE in last build 1.12.30) and Forecast.IO (they are not provide new keys atm). Currently I working on 2 more weather source.
As for Wunderground, they were bought by IBM. The lowest price for weather data from IBM is around of $10000 per year, for a limited set of data. They also provide some weather API for people that provide them data from personal weather stations, but its just current and few days weather and no hourly data forecasts...
So, please check the app again.
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No, it's not dead. In fact, I run it on most of my devices. I really appreciate the clean-looking widgets and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good weather app with widgets.
Sadly, in the context of this forum, it is "as good as" dead since the old version that would still run on Android 2.1 can't connect to any of the weather services any longer
I'm sorry if Google-bots picked up this posting and are making it seem like the app is non-functional. I've edited the post title so that maybe in the future that will be corrected.

nmyshkin said:
No, it's not dead. In fact, I run it on most of my devices. I really appreciate the clean-looking widgets and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good weather app with widgets.
Sadly, in the context of this forum, it is "as good as" dead since the old version that would still run on Android 2.1 can't connect to any of the weather services any longer
I'm sorry if Google-bots picked up this posting and are making it seem like the app is non-functional. I've edited the post title so that maybe in the future that will be corrected.
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Hmm... What version of WeatherACE you use on the old device? Its too bad that I didnt used VCS (version control system) in the time (like I do it now). But I still have backups of source code of some really old versions of the app. The oldest is 1.6.2, then 1.7.4, 1.80, etc.
Not sure if Google will allows me to make it (uploading to Google Play will not be possible for sure), but I could try at least. If everything depended on me, the application would continue to support android 2.1 (or 2.3 was in the very first version, I don't remember exactly). Unfortunately, Google constantly demands to gradually raise the minimum API, and with it, support for older devices decreases.

mycodefab said:
Hmm... What version of WeatherACE you use on the old device? Its too bad that I didnt used VCS (version control system) in the time (like I do it now). But I still have backups of source code of some really old versions of the app. The oldest is 1.6.2, then 1.7.4, 1.80, etc.
Not sure if Google will allows me to make it (uploading to Google Play will not be possible for sure), but I could try at least. If everything depended on me, the application would continue to support android 2.1 (or 2.3 was in the very first version, I don't remember exactly). Unfortunately, Google constantly demands to gradually raise the minimum API, and with it, support for older devices decreases.
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And I completely understand that. It's why I said in post #3 that it would be silly to contact you about this. I still remember how promptly and helpfully you responded to a question I had about more recent versions of the app I was running on my tablet. But restructuring an app that, in Android terms, is nearly an archaeological artifact, is not, I'm sure, a simple matter.
In any case, it looks like this version (1.4.4) is earlier than anything you may still have source code for.

nmyshkin said:
And I completely understand that. It's why I said in post #3 that it would be silly to contact you about this. I still remember how promptly and helpfully you responded to a question I had about more recent versions of the app I was running on my tablet. But restructuring an app that, in Android terms, is nearly an archaeological artifact, is not, I'm sure, a simple matter.
In any case, it looks like this version (1.4.4) is earlier than anything you may still have source code for.
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Seems like the last version that support Android 2.1 and 2.2 is version 1.7.4 and I have sources for it. The changes log for 1.7.4 has mention about such fixes "Hotfixed crash on devices with android 2.1 - 2.3.X for weather alerts"." The version support WeatherACE API for external apps/widgets/early verions of tasker plugin, weather alerts and Forecast.IO source.
Luckily, there is a place where you can get almost any version of this app https://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=511055&st=0 The last spoiler in the start post has links to my posts with most of the versions of WeatherACE. So, if you will have time, please try 1.7.4 from the post https://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=511055&view=findpost&p=32402422
If 1.7.4 will work for you. I could try to build it from the sources I have. In case it will build correctly, it will not be so hard to update support for OpenWeatherMap and Norwegian MET.NO weather sources. Probably I also could add support for Weatherbit.IO.

mycodefab said:
Seems like the last version that support Android 2.1 and 2.2 is version 1.7.4 and I have sources for it. The changes log for 1.7.4 has mention about such fixes "Hotfixed crash on devices with android 2.1 - 2.3.X for weather alerts"." The version support WeatherACE API for external apps/widgets/early verions of tasker plugin, weather alerts and Forecast.IO source.
Luckily, there is a place where you can get almost any version of this app https://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=511055&st=0 The last spoiler in the start post has links to my posts with most of the versions of WeatherACE. So, if you will have time, please try 1.7.4 from the post https://4pda.ru/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=511055&view=findpost&p=32402422
If 1.7.4 will work for you. I could try to build it from the sources I have. In case it will build correctly, it will not be so hard to update support for OpenWeatherMap and Norwegian MET.NO weather sources. Probably I also could add support for Weatherbit.IO.
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That would be amazing. Unfortunately I get a 404 error when I try to download the app. I always get the error on that site. Not sure if you have to be logged in or what. I'll keep searching for the correct version.

nmyshkin said:
That would be amazing. Unfortunately I get a 404 error when I try to download the app. I always get the error on that site. Not sure if you have to be logged in or what. I'll keep searching for the correct version.
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Please try http://mycodefab.com/files/WeatherACEv1v7v4.apk

mycodefab said:
Please try http://mycodefab.com/files/WeatherACEv1v7v4.apk
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Thanks so much. I tried this version on two NSTs, one with Network Location enabled and the other without. It works on both to the extent I can judge without any weather data being fetched. No sudden crashes or odd behavior. The map at the initial setup is blank, but that was the case in 1.4.4 (something to do with e-ink and the assumptions for default themes, I guess). Anyway, the map does not matter if you can type in your own geocoordinates which is what I did on the device without Network Location.
So this looks like a good candidate.

nmyshkin said:
Thanks so much. I tried this version on two NSTs, one with Network Location enabled and the other without. It works on both to the extent I can judge without any weather data being fetched. No sudden crashes or odd behavior. The map at the initial setup is blank, but that was the case in 1.4.4 (something to do with e-ink and the assumptions for default themes, I guess). Anyway, the map does not matter if you can type in your own geocoordinates which is what I did on the device without Network Location.
So this looks like a good candidate.
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OK, thanks. In case you have DarkSky API key (the app know it as Forecase.IO, it was an old name of the DarkSky API) please use it with the version 1.7.4, the app version support the weather source. Once purchased by Apple, DarkSky (Forecast.IO) no longer give out free keys. But any old keys continue to work atm, as far as I know.
Building a new version with updated support for weather sources will take some time. As usual, most problems in the case are not related with app itself, but with other libraries. For example, a library that provided map does not support Android 2.1 anymore, so probably I will need to completely remove map from the app. Google libraries related with analytics and ads - also does not support old android versions anymore. I will work on it this weekend.

nmyshkin said:
Anyway, the map does not matter if you can type in your own geocoordinates which is what I did on the device without Network Location.
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You need GPS.

nmyshkin said:
So this looks like a good candidate.
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OK, seems like its done http://mycodefab.com/files/WeatherACEv1v7v4v2.apk Hope it will work, because I dont have Android 2.1 devices to test. In case of problems, I will try to find something.
The version support 2 weather sources - OWM (open weather map) and Norwegian MET.NO.
Limitations:
1. Removed weather map and adding locations via map. I cant find any android weather libraries that support Android 2.1 devices.
2. Removed ads for same reason.
3. Weather icons limited to the small set of icons inside the app + 1 custom icon set.
As for custom icon set, its mostly same as for latest versions of WeatherACE, just a bit different directory for images. Directory is "Android/data/mycodefab.aleph.weather/files/custom/icons/". It use same format as for the latest versions. So, for example, for "clear sky in day" condition it will use "d_100.png" file, "clear sky in night" will look for "n_100.png" file, "overcast" will use "d_104.png", etc.
In case the version of the appt will start, but not show the weather after weather info update, please get to Menu->Settings->Advanced->Weather Sources. Here you could see Active weather sources on the top. Tap on it. Uncheck OpenWeatherMap and Norwegian MET, tap OK. Enter Active weather sources again. Set check OpenWeatherMap and Norwegian MET, tap OK. It will recheck availability of sources for existing locations and will update the weather info.

mycodefab said:
OK, seems like its done http://mycodefab.com/files/WeatherACEv1v7v4v2.apk Hope it will work, because I dont have Android 2.1 devices to test. In case of problems, I will try to find something.
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I tried the app on both devices (with and without Network Location). Unfortunately it does not want to run
There is immediate funny business as the package shows in the file manager as a generic "package" icon rather than the app icon. Also, the package name (and generic package icon) are displayed in the launcher rather than the app icon and name.
I've attached a section of a logcat for trying to open the app. I don't know whether it has information that is helpful.
It may or may not have any bearing on what you have done, but as you're already going way beyond any expectations, I would suggest that leaving the app alone except for fixing the weather sources would be more than enough. I can understand your desire to have things "right". I have that same problem , and I do appreciate it, but maybe without so many changes there would be a better chance of the app still working, which is what it did even now, except for the access to weather sources. Of course, it's probably not that simple.
Thanks for your efforts.