Post your android application ideas....

[AndrewGene]

I figured since google released their new open-source operating system (android) sdk and are offering a reward of $10 million to be split between the best programmers, that it might be interesting to hear what kind of applications people would like to have in their phone....

Info on android here...
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=99C68F94B4781046

I would like to see an instant youtube uploader (i.e. WHILE you are taking a video it is being uploaded to youtube). In the same way a flickr uploader could be integrated into the camera. This would really be nice seeing as how camera phones are doing nothing but becoming more and more advanced (not to mention the fact that almost every new phone has a camera of some kind).

What about y'all? What would you like to see?

[Rupertronco]

An internet browser on a phone that isn't terrible. I've gone through what feels like every smart phone available, including my current iPhone, and the browsing is still trash. A firefox mini would be outstanding.

[adam.tropics]

A firefox mini would be outstanding.

They are working on it. (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/minimo/)..(just windows mobile for now, but I read they aim to release for others in Jan 2008 )

[AndrewGene]

They are working on it. (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/minimo/)..(just windows mobile for now, but I read they aim to release for others in Jan 2008 )

Yeah but minimo on my 8525 was REALLY REALLY slow. So i'm all for a quick browser. I liked the samsung picsel browser a lot.

[Dixon Bainbridge]

I'd like a phone that has a button on it that shouts a random abusive heraldic battlecry at people.

"Prepare to drown in the blood of your own fetid guts...!"

Or something. Its alternate mode would make fart noises. I'd NEVER get bored with that.

[pa1pa1]

I had this idea and wanted to know if it could fly...

This could be a stand alone software or a feature bundled along with an mp3 player, or it could be associated with the mp3 player of user's choice.

What it would do :

It would communicate with other phones and establish a connection. Suppose a "server" phone has established a link with, say 6 other devices, the server phone would then be able to play a song simultaneously on each and every phone at the same time, giving it a surround sound effect, or just a loud speaker effect.

How ? :

It would sync with other devices over various connectivity platforms like bluetooth, Wifi, etc.
It would communicate with devices & establish a link.
The server phone would then select a song, each phone will ask the user to locate the song(with exactly the same copy as on the server) on their device if present, else it will be queued to be transfered from the server.
Once done, the server device would simply play the song, and each device will start the song at exactly the same time.

If possible, a combination of devices can render a surround sound effect, where the devices are strategically placed, and each device plays only specific frequencies, kind of like how a speaker channels sound.

Is any of this possible ??

[AndrewGene]

That sounds like a very cool idea! I am not sure if it would work though. My PDA had problems with A2DP to just my headphones, let alone mulitple phones. I don't think it had enough power to stream the music fast enough--or maybe it was just a bad bluetooth stack. But very original idea!

[couzin2000]

They are working on it. (http://www.mozilla.org/projects/minimo/)..(just windows mobile for now, but I read they aim to release for others in Jan 2008 )

Although I think it would be great to have a dedicated application the likes of Gmail Mobile or Google Maps for Mobile for, say, Facebook, or even WordPress (imagine the load of users out there!), I think that by having a REAL browser alternative for a phone would be great. Safari on the iPhone just doesn't cut it.

I've seen the iPhone run Java, and it gets REAL slow. You get the adequate results, but you also end up spending loads of time waiting for them.

A direct access to Facebook could be cool, though. Status updates, adding friends on the fly, even by entering their cell number when you meet them! The phone could actually run some sort of identification server for Bluetooth or WiFi... so if you post your phone id on Facebook (privacy please), then...

let's say you go to a party - you have a few hundred people there. The phone runs a scan for all the Facebook IDs in the place, and sets up a list. The next day, you check that list and see who you actually spoke to and liked. Just check your list, and send them a Friend request automatically.

This would require that a phone broadcast this ID constantly... let's say once every 15 mins. Just a burst of info, kinda like the keepalive message sent to the towers. You could set up the phone to detect certain people, and ENSURE that you know - either by an alert of somekind, or sound, txtmsg... anything. That way, you can even avoid people, or look for them!

Obviously this could be turned off by the individual, just as you can turn off the GPS function to avoid tracking. But could it be fun and practical? OF COURSE! (Best way to get that really hot chick's photo...)
You could probably set it up WITH the GPS service... think about all the possibilities!!
I'm salivating!!!

[50words]

Honestly, I think a Sugar-type UI that lets you see and interact with the people around you would be pretty amazing. It would be like creating an ad-hoc social network everywhere you go.

[AndrewGene]

Honestly, I think a Sugar-type UI that lets you see and interact with the people around you would be pretty amazing. It would be like creating an ad-hoc social network everywhere you go.

I'm all for that! I wouldn't want some people finding me though. Maybe if you could enter some people's phone numbers into a list and if your phone sees their phone then it would alert you with a specific sound like "Danger! Danger!"...errr...maybe not that drastic but you get my point.

[hanzomon4]

Honestly, I think a Sugar-type UI that lets you see and interact with the people around you would be pretty amazing. It would be like creating an ad-hoc social network everywhere you go.
I'm all for that! I wouldn't want some people finding me though. Maybe if you could enter some people's phone numbers into a list and if your phone sees their phone then it would alert you with a specific sound like "Danger! Danger!"...errr...maybe not that drastic but you get my point.

Oo! I love this idea...

[ajz5002]

Hey, this is a pretty basic idea but I wanted to know if it would generate any interest.

How about "away message" voice mail method, where you can instantly select pre-recorded voice mails describing why you can't answer your phone at the moment.

For example, you would open the application, hit record now and you could say something like "I am in class right now" or "I am at the movies" or "I am in a meeting till 2:30" etc.

It would be able to save a dozen or so voice mails which you could label, and then use them over and over again, rather than keeping the same voice mail over and over again.

Would this be able to be developed using the tools google provided?

Thanks

[RAV TUX]

I figured since google released their new open-source operating system (android) sdk and are offering a reward of $10 million to be split between the best programmers, that it might be interesting to hear what kind of applications people would like to have in their phone....

Info on android here...
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=99C68F94B4781046

I would like to see an instant youtube uploader (i.e. WHILE you are taking a video it is being uploaded to youtube). In the same way a flickr uploader could be integrated into the camera. This would really be nice seeing as how camera phones are doing nothing but becoming more and more advanced (not to mention the fact that almost every new phone has a camera of some kind).

What about y'all? What would you like to see?

Excellent thread topic!


An internet browser on a phone that isn't terrible. I've gone through what feels like every smart phone available, including my current iPhone, and the browsing is still trash. A firefox mini would be outstanding.

Kazehakase (http://kazehakase.sourceforge.jp/) for Android OS?

Also have you tried Opera Mobile (http://www.opera.com/products/mobile/) on your cell?

[quanumphaze]

Mplayer or VLC

I hate that I can only watch a very limited amount of codecs on my phone, and the manual doesn't even tell you what it can play. Not to mention being unable to play Ogg Vorbis

(If anyone knows what videos my Nokia 6300 can play it would be greatly appreciated)

[drascus]

I think Openmoko is going to have a better platform when its done. Also Google is using their own license on their software and I think its to restrictive for me.

[nick_karstedt]

It needs a simple app to silence/vibrate your phone during different times on different days of the week.

[cis4crash]

Ok I have to great ideas. First one if anyone here actually has a g1 they would know that the actually has the android phone knows that the way the music section is terrible it would be nice if someone came up with a better or flashier looking way to organize music.

It would also be great if there was an app where you could put on music and then transmit through radio waves so you could listen to it on one of those unused radio stations. For example, you would select like 88.9 and play music and then you put your closest stereo on 88.9 and you could hear your music.

[plb]

Ok I have to great ideas. First one if anyone here actually has a g1 they would know that the actually has the android phone knows that the way the music section is terrible it would be nice if someone came up with a better or flashier looking way to organize music.

It would also be great if there was an app where you could put on music and then transmit through radio waves so you could listen to it on one of those unused radio stations. For example, you would select like 88.9 and play music and then you put your closest stereo on 88.9 and you could hear your music.

The phone would need an fm transmitter like nokia n85

[media_]

As far as music goes, try MixZing or TuneWiki. Both are great apps and free. Much better than the stock music player.

On to my suggestions!

1: SiriusXM satellite radio streamer. dedicated app for the web service would be great.

2: Torrent status. I would like to have an app that can log into my vuze or utorrent webui to show me the status of my downloads at home.

[whiteboyee34]

an app to diagnose symptoms. you start typing in symptoms like pain lets say. the app recognizes it as you are typing so you click the pain symptom. then it gives you an options for what kind of pain, which would be listened (sharp, dull, throbbing). Then two stick figures would pop up one labeled front, the other back, and you can click the area the pain is located on the stick figure (head, left arm, chest, groin, foot...) then add another symptom and follow the same steps. When complete, click done and it will diagnose your symptoms and give you a list of most likely to vary rare but possible health issue you may have. You could then click a diagnoses and it would give you a list of places that can help you or a medicine.

you could even add the technology used for google goggles for rashes and bites to help diagnose.

[bobwms325]

I'd like to suggest an audio player optimized for audio books -- saves your place, has bookmarks, maybe even integrated note taking, etc. There are some good ones out there but they lack one important, even key, feature. They do not support the speex format (.spx.) This format is specifically designed for the spoken human voice. Although lossy it clearly preserves spoken characteristics. The files are much smaller than corresponding mp3s and (this is a key for me) you can associate the extension. spx to your audio book player instead of your music player and keep things separate. I recently had a glitch where my phone picked a random "song" file as its ringer. The next call rang "Chapter 12 ..." This wouldn't happen if all my books weren't considered music.
One more thing: it would be great it the player or another app if need be could batch convert my mp3 books to spx. There doesn't seem to be an android app to do this.
Please help or pass this idea on to someone who will.