I finished a version of the Flashlight app that makes use of the Camera LED. It’s currently in beta, and I’m looking for you to test it on your phone. Please post your comments here as to whether it works or not, and if you get any force close errors. Be sure to include what phone and Android version you’re using.

To initiate your phone’s LED flash, double tap on the screen. To return to the screen flashlight, double tab again. If your phone doesn’t support the method, it simply shouldn’t work (but it shouldn’t crash the application either.). I have a hunch my LED implementation will only work on phones running Froyo or better. That’s what I want to find out.

Note: The app now requests the camera permission. This is so I can access the camera LED flash. I’m not storing any images from the camera, nor sending the stream or storing the stream anywhere. I couldn’t even if I wanted because I’m not requesting the Internet permission. Don’t Panic.

Google finally added comment support in the developer area. This has been a welcome addition because developers can finally see what comments are being left by people in other countries. On the phone, you can only see comments in the market that match your language.

It’s been fun trying to figure out what language I’m reading, and using Google translate to decode it. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Отлично! Как раз сегодня выключили свет. Очень помогает
  (Russian)
  Excellent! Just today, turned off the light. It helps
• 就是有的颜色稀里古怪的
  (Chinese)
  Is rare in some weird colors
• A mí esta aplicación tan simple me viene de perlas
  (Spanish)
  To me this application is as simple pearl me
• すぐ起動できるし、けっこう使える！
  (Japanese)
  You can start right away , pretty useful !
• Bellina come torcia,piccola e senza pubblicità…secondo me la migliore
  (Italian)
  Bellina as a flashlight , small and without advertising … I think the best
• 완전좋아요
  (Korean)
  What’s going on completely

The translations aren’t the best in some cases, but it looks like my app has been well received around the world.

I’ve worked out the next version of FlashLight that I plan to build. Above are the mock-ups for the different screens that I need to create. I’m going to have the ability for a person to create their own colors, and well as devise some way of making use of the LED camera flash if possible.

This new version I’m going to charge a dollar for. People are going to hate it, but oh well.

I noticed that there is a difference in functionality between the Droid and Nexus One (N1) when running the Google Earth application. The Droid has a twist feature that the N1 does not. I believe this to be related to the screen issues with finger tracking on the Nexus One. This would lead me to believe that Google is aware of the issue, and disabled this feature in the application.

I feel like the luckiest chap in the world. I was supposed to go to the Washington DC Google Developer Lab, but they canceled it due to the 36 inches of snow we got. As a, “sorry,” they told us they’d send us a free development phone. It arrived today!

This time, they sent me a Droid! Which is great, because they just sent me a Nexus One, and I really wanted to test some things on a different phone.

Update #1

The phone came with one free month of Verizon, and a 16GB microSD card.

Hey everyone, thanks so much for loving and downloading my FlashLight application from the market! You’ve made it the #2 most downloaded flashlight application on the market, and have earned me a free Nexus One development phone!

Sincerely,

Brenton Klik

Today, it became official. My FlashLight application has reached the highest download rating available on Android Market. The current stats are:

• Total Downloads: 251209
• Total Active Installs: 159017 (63%)
• Total Reviews: 1601 (~4.5 Stars)

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:

• Guide: Rooting Your G1
• Partitioning Your SD Card for Apps2SD
• Installing Cyanogen

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.

Why Rooting Rocks!

1. Speed
   I can’t speak highly enough about how much faster your G1 will run after you root it, and all your applications are moved to your SD card. Scrolling is smoother, your applications load faster, no more “wait” errors, etc. It makes the experience of using your Android phone nearly as snappy as the iPhone.




2. Power Control Widget
   If you manage your WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS status a lot like I do, you will love this widget. Single touch all your power settings right from the home screen, without pouring through the cumbersome settings lists.




3. Storage
   With all your applications moved to your SD card, you basically have an unlimited amount of storage space. Download to your hearts content without worrying about filling up your phone, or sacrificing performance.




4. Camera
   If you decide to run Cyanogen’s ROM, and I do recommend it, you will notice a much improved camera. It takes pictures faster, provides better quality photos with automatic brightness correction, and adds extra functionality like digital zoom and timed shutter.




5. Applications
   Do you miss Dark Keys? Well, with root access it works again! Also, while tethering is available for non-rooted phones, there are many many more tethering options for rooted phones, including: Bluetooth DUN, WiFi access point, and wired communications.




6. Extras
   There are some extras that you get as well that I don’t use, but are worth mentioning: pinch zoom in the browser, VPN network configuration, five home screens, and MS Exchange email access.




7. Faster Charging
   As of Cyanogen v3.9.3, they added an improved kernel which charges your batter much faster. What used to take 3-4 hours, now only takes two! It’s a noticeable, and much appreciated improvement.

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.