Today, it became official. My FlashLight application has reached the highest download rating available on Android Market. The current stats are:
As “lame” of an application you could argue FlashLight is, it has shown to be both popular and well received. I’m glad so may have found it useful. Now, if I only charged a $1 for it! 
Well, if that’s not proof that Android is a growing market, I don’t know what is. It took me nine months to get the first 50,000 downloads, and only one and a half months to get the second 50,000 downloads! Clearly the Sprint Hero and Verizon Droid played a large part. And, let me thank all the European folks that have downloaded and enjoyed my application.
My super lame application has reached 50000 downloads! I wish I was making money from it, but it feels pretty good that so many people are able to “make spliffs” and “beat their meat” at night because of me.
I recently rooted my Android G1 one, with wonderful results, using the following online guides:
If you decide to do this yourself, be warned that doing so is at your own risk. It is possible, if steps are not followed exactly, to “brick” your phone. Essentially, breaking it beyond repair. You also void any warranty you may have with the phone, and will loose any data you have not backed up.
For me, having a faster phone was reason enough for me to take the plunge. I’m very happy with my choice, and hope this article helps in making your decision to root.
I recently updated my FlashLight application to 1.2 on Android Market. The new version supports the changes that Google made to the SDK for application brightness control. Unfortunately, this update has put me in a catch 22.
Either I update the application with the new SDK calls and get it working on Android 1.5, and break it for all Android 1.x devices. Or, I don’t update the application, and everyone who gets the Android 1.5 upgrade this month will have a broken application.
I decided to update the application now with cupcake support. If you already have the application installed, it will continue to work and the upgrade will fail. If you get the Android 1.5 update, the update will work fine and the FlashLight will work.
In Case You Don’t Have Or Delete Old FlashLight
The down side is, anyone who does not already have the application and does not have the Android 1.5 update will not be able to install FlashLight from Android market. For those people, I am providing the APK file for you to download here.
Note: To be able to download, use your Android phone with a WiFi connection and be sure to have enabled “Unknown Sources” on your Android device at: Home > Settings > Applications
I’ve been working on my new application on and off. It’s basically the earthquake RSS application that you make from the Wrox book. Only, I’m adding my own flare to make the application more polished, usable, and purposeful.
One thing I want all my apps to have, is a continuing theme that reflects the Android OS. This includes menu icons that keep with the theme. Many of the icons you can glean from the Android SDK, but they don’t provide everything that you need, so you have to make a few.
This is how you make an Android menu icon using Adobe Photoshop 7+.
Make a new image with a width and height of 48 pixels. Set the Contents to Transparent.
There are many pre-made Adobe shapes that you can make with the Custom Shape Tool. Or, draw your own using the Pen.
Open the Layer Effects wizard for your shape. Check the Inner Shadow box. Set Blend Mode to Multiply, Opacity to 60%, Angle to 90, Distance to 1, and Size to 2.
Check the Gradient Overlay Layer Effect. Set Blend Mode to Normal, Opacity to 100%, Left gradient color to #666666, Right gradient color to #999999, Style to Linear, Angle to 90, and Scale to 100.
That’s it! All you have to do is save it as a 24 bit transparent PNG file. Save your Photoshop file to use it as a template. You can create new Layers with shapes in them, then copy the Layers Effects (alt drag-drop) from your first shape Layer.
Download this example (sample.zip)
Hope this Howto has been helpful!
Brenton
So I released a second version of the FlashLight on Android Market the other day. I added a few new features:
Hope you all like it, I’m hoping to release my next application in a few weeks.
Cheers,
Brenton
I recently finished Wrox’s book titled Professional Android Application Development, no content description required. At the time I bought this, and I think it’s still the same, there are only two books for purchase on Android Development. I’ve always been a fan or Wrox books, so I chose this one.
Personally, I loved it. It’s the kind of book you read, rather than reference. It’s all learn by example, and they have several great example applications that you develop throughout the book. In the end I felt I had a solid enough starting point to venture out and develop applications on my own.
Any holes left after reading the book are easily filled referencing Google’s Android Docs. They’ve been steadily improving them and adding coding examples which has been greatly appreciated.
If you’re in the market for a Android book, I highly recommend the above!
Cheers,
Brenton
After uploading my first application, I started receiving votes, and comments. A little tip about releasing Android applications, “Have a thick skin!”
People are either really nice and helpful, or down right rude, childish, and vulgar. Here are a few examples of some of the negative comments I received (these are copied verbatim):
Many people couldn’t see the point of another FlashLight application. In a way I could see their point, there are now eight of them, and they all ruffly do the same thing. I’d like to think that mine is a little more thought out than just a white block with a keep awake. After all, I wrote this one because I was unhappy with the other ones I tried. Which brings me to another point, “Why does there only need to be ‘one’ of something?”
I mean, under that logic, we all should have been happy with Microsoft DOS right? Why do we need so many other operating systems. What about all the different email applications out there, or web browsers, all doing the same thing. People like options, and competition only drives innovation. While my FlashLight might be simple, and might do what everyone elses does (essentially), I think I added some features which makes mine better.
One other point, IT’S FREE! How can you be so negative towards a FREE application!?
Some people did like my FlashLight application, and left me some really helpful comments.
These comments were really helpful. I plan to apply most of the suggestions into the next release of the FlashLight application. The one that I’m leaving out is the first one, the one about xy axis support.
When I first made the application, I actually wrote it so that Y axis would change the size of the circle, and X axis would change the brightness. A friend of mine pointed out that I’m basically working with a linear adjustment in light, and that I should just use the Y axis to change both. So, I changed my code and tested it. After a two days of using it with the single axis setting, I found that I liked it better than the divided axis.
Anyway, that’s what I have to say about comments. Hope you all don’t experience the same poor quality of responses for your applications.
Cheers,
Brenton
So here it is! I released my first Android application. Nothing spectacular, just a simple flashlight application. I added a feature that allows you to adjust the amount of light the flashlight produces with the swipe of your finger.
It’s available free on Android Market.
Hope you all find it useful!
Brenton
