October 8, 2014 at 17:32Android Launchers. Reload idea
In this publication, I would like to talk about my experience interacting with the Android system, about the transition from the average user of Google phones to developers, and about the work on creating the application. I’ll clarify right away, it’s not about utilities or games, but the development of an Android launcher.
So, I tasted the “green robot” in 2010. My first Android device was the legendary, though not so popular at that time (hi Desire), HTC Legend. The handsome metal man pleased me for a long time not only with his appearance, but also with his fresh experience of interacting with a smartphone. And, believe me, it was really well felt after the dominance of Finnish pipes with Symbian on board. Separately, it is worth noting the HTC Sence shell, which at that time gave a lot of handicap points to solutions from competitors. It is not by chance that I focus on the shell and later you will understand why.
After some time, the pleasant feeling of owning HTC Legend resulted in a strong brand loyalty. I didn’t think about choosing new devices: Desire S, and later HTC One, replaced the Legend. And everything would be fine, but:
Well, and to be completely frank, there was a more important point that played a role in the shaky commitment of HTC - Android 4.1. The design of the new OS, the speed of its work, bribed. I did not want to get hung up on HTC Sence. I decided to use naked Android on a “real” google phone. And I, it seems to me, got the first successful device from this line - the Nexus 4 model. The
hardware in the phone worked fine, the software was updated in a timely manner. It would seem, what more could you ask for? And I already wanted something of my own.
Books, forums, SDK development and sleepless nights. First, I released a simple widget. Then he decided to fall into skins for popular applications. It was not difficult to do them, but the main thing was that everything was simple with monetization - if you are making a good topic for such a popular app, like exDialer, you don’t need to think about promoting it. There are enough users for the application, as well as those who want to pull a new, relevant shell on it. Fortunately, the list of topics available in the market could be accessed from the application itself. My themes sold well and it bribed. I probably would have continued in the same vein, but somewhere I “overdid it”, violating one of the many points in Google’s policy. My developer account has been ruthlessly banned. And if the development, even of such simple applications as skins, was a good experience for me,
After some time of burning, I decided to move on. And then the question is, “what”? I needed an idea. I didn’t want to make a game, and I didn’t feel strong in myself. To make a good game, you yourself need to be an avid gamer. And I could not boast of this, as well as phenomenal knowledge in programming, game design, etc. I didn’t have a big budget either. I also thought of a “revolutionary” dialer, SMS client or organizer, but the existing solutions in the Market more than satisfied me. I never figured out how to make them better.
Having reached a dead end, I started the “brain storm” first. And then the idea of a launcher appeared, which could be the same dialer, SMS client, and indeed anything. It's great that the idea came not only one, but together with clear pictures in my head, the mechanics of work and the way of monetization. With the support of a talented developer, we started to work. Now, first things first.
Perhaps, to some, the essence of the idea will seem outrageously simple. Perhaps someone already met a similar product (as I did not try, I could not find anything similar). The idea is this: I “threw out” standard shortcut icons from the bottom bar, and in their place I placed a ribbon with smart tiles, each of which can be, like the same shortcut, something much bigger. The usual functionality of a regular launcher remained in place.
The name was born by itself, “SlideUP”, which is translated into Russian and means the action that activates the main highlight of the launcher.
Take for example the Phone shortcut. In the standard launcher, click - we get into the Phone application. In my version, the same thing. The difference is that you can not only click on the icon, but also swipe it up, thereby opening a small curtain with additional features. And here everything is logical, pulled the Phone tile - got to the list of selected subscribers. Or pulled the camera - opened the last frames.
By clicking on the “All Apps” label, you can go to the list of all applications installed on the smartphone, or you can swipe and open the list of the most necessary. And you can poke around in the settings to find the right toggle switch, or you can just pull on the desired tile.
Here, many may notice that they say there is an upper curtain with similar functionality and they will be right. But I also have something to object to, holding, for example, the Samsung Galaxy Note, can you reach the top curtain with your thumb? Not. And my tape is at the very bottom of the screen, and therefore in the reach of a finger.
I mean that a legitimate question may arise about ordinary widgets, more precisely about the fact that in essence this is the same as the “filling” of my tiles. Yes, this is true from the part, but the design of all widgets is seriously different and, placing them on one screen, you can get a not quite aesthetic picture. Of course, this is a subjective opinion, but it also has the right to life.
And here everything is simple. My tiles are a kind of blocks that can be bought from personal preferences. The launcher itself will be free with a set of four basic tiles: Phone, Messages, All applications and Camera. Additional tiles can be installed separately from Google Play, at the first stage I plan to release tiles for Settings, Weather and Music Player. Then it can be Organizer, Notes and even tiles for popular social networks. Links to additional tiles in the market will be displayed in the settings of the launcher itself. Such a peculiar In-App Purchase, difficulties in promoting tiles should not arise.
Of course, the implementation of the idea was not so smooth. The first version of the launcher has already entered the beta stage and I have something to tell about. There were even more pitfalls than I could imagine. This is the implementation of gestures on the desktop and access to some system functions. And also taming the camera, sharing with SMS and Hangouts. The topic is capacious enough to disassemble it in this post. I would love to make out each problem and its solution in a separate article, if I have such an opportunity. I think many of my achievements will be useful.
Now I am actively testing the launcher, polishing the already laid down functionality so that I can put the stable version on Google Play. But the plans for the next stage are already clearly understood. The main thing that needs to be done, in addition to working on new tiles, is to save the launcher from "children's sores":
Work on the launcher is still in full swing and it's never too late to rethink and fix something. I really hope for good advice and comments, fortunately, the Habrahabr audience has always been famous for its professionalism in such matters. I will be happy to answer all questions.
UPD 1: Uploaded a demo video to YouTube:
UPD 2: The project is now on Kickstarter, for those who are interested, here is the link: kck.st/10J6bNF
UPD 3: Those wishing to take part in the closed testing, which will take place a little later, please write in PM or at [email protected].
UPD 4: Friends, many thanks to everyone who wrote to me yesterday about their desire to take part in testing the launcher. Frankly, I could not even imagine that there would be so many willing. Habra is an amazing place with no less amazing people. As promised, to all who sent a letter yesterday, I will send the installation file. Unfortunately, I can’t accept more applications - I just won’t be able to process such a volume of information. At least in the first stage. Thanks again to everyone!
UPD 5: Published a launcher inThe Play google . Unfortunately, I must admit that it is still damp and that much of what was conceived has not been realized. The work continues to boil, so whoever decides to leave it on their smart will receive regular updates.
From Symbian to Android
So, I tasted the “green robot” in 2010. My first Android device was the legendary, though not so popular at that time (hi Desire), HTC Legend. The handsome metal man pleased me for a long time not only with his appearance, but also with his fresh experience of interacting with a smartphone. And, believe me, it was really well felt after the dominance of Finnish pipes with Symbian on board. Separately, it is worth noting the HTC Sence shell, which at that time gave a lot of handicap points to solutions from competitors. It is not by chance that I focus on the shell and later you will understand why.
After some time, the pleasant feeling of owning HTC Legend resulted in a strong brand loyalty. I didn’t think about choosing new devices: Desire S, and later HTC One, replaced the Legend. And everything would be fine, but:
- HTC was sluggish with the release of new firmware;
- Sence's shell evolved a little in the direction I would like;
- and the last thing that knocked me down was the marriage in my last two tubes.
Well, and to be completely frank, there was a more important point that played a role in the shaky commitment of HTC - Android 4.1. The design of the new OS, the speed of its work, bribed. I did not want to get hung up on HTC Sence. I decided to use naked Android on a “real” google phone. And I, it seems to me, got the first successful device from this line - the Nexus 4 model. The
hardware in the phone worked fine, the software was updated in a timely manner. It would seem, what more could you ask for? And I already wanted something of my own.
From user to developer
Books, forums, SDK development and sleepless nights. First, I released a simple widget. Then he decided to fall into skins for popular applications. It was not difficult to do them, but the main thing was that everything was simple with monetization - if you are making a good topic for such a popular app, like exDialer, you don’t need to think about promoting it. There are enough users for the application, as well as those who want to pull a new, relevant shell on it. Fortunately, the list of topics available in the market could be accessed from the application itself. My themes sold well and it bribed. I probably would have continued in the same vein, but somewhere I “overdid it”, violating one of the many points in Google’s policy. My developer account has been ruthlessly banned. And if the development, even of such simple applications as skins, was a good experience for me,
From software junk to a serious project
After some time of burning, I decided to move on. And then the question is, “what”? I needed an idea. I didn’t want to make a game, and I didn’t feel strong in myself. To make a good game, you yourself need to be an avid gamer. And I could not boast of this, as well as phenomenal knowledge in programming, game design, etc. I didn’t have a big budget either. I also thought of a “revolutionary” dialer, SMS client or organizer, but the existing solutions in the Market more than satisfied me. I never figured out how to make them better.
Having reached a dead end, I started the “brain storm” first. And then the idea of a launcher appeared, which could be the same dialer, SMS client, and indeed anything. It's great that the idea came not only one, but together with clear pictures in my head, the mechanics of work and the way of monetization. With the support of a talented developer, we started to work. Now, first things first.
Idea
Perhaps, to some, the essence of the idea will seem outrageously simple. Perhaps someone already met a similar product (as I did not try, I could not find anything similar). The idea is this: I “threw out” standard shortcut icons from the bottom bar, and in their place I placed a ribbon with smart tiles, each of which can be, like the same shortcut, something much bigger. The usual functionality of a regular launcher remained in place.
The name was born by itself, “SlideUP”, which is translated into Russian and means the action that activates the main highlight of the launcher.
Take for example the Phone shortcut. In the standard launcher, click - we get into the Phone application. In my version, the same thing. The difference is that you can not only click on the icon, but also swipe it up, thereby opening a small curtain with additional features. And here everything is logical, pulled the Phone tile - got to the list of selected subscribers. Or pulled the camera - opened the last frames.
By clicking on the “All Apps” label, you can go to the list of all applications installed on the smartphone, or you can swipe and open the list of the most necessary. And you can poke around in the settings to find the right toggle switch, or you can just pull on the desired tile.
Here, many may notice that they say there is an upper curtain with similar functionality and they will be right. But I also have something to object to, holding, for example, the Samsung Galaxy Note, can you reach the top curtain with your thumb? Not. And my tape is at the very bottom of the screen, and therefore in the reach of a finger.
I mean that a legitimate question may arise about ordinary widgets, more precisely about the fact that in essence this is the same as the “filling” of my tiles. Yes, this is true from the part, but the design of all widgets is seriously different and, placing them on one screen, you can get a not quite aesthetic picture. Of course, this is a subjective opinion, but it also has the right to life.
Monetization
And here everything is simple. My tiles are a kind of blocks that can be bought from personal preferences. The launcher itself will be free with a set of four basic tiles: Phone, Messages, All applications and Camera. Additional tiles can be installed separately from Google Play, at the first stage I plan to release tiles for Settings, Weather and Music Player. Then it can be Organizer, Notes and even tiles for popular social networks. Links to additional tiles in the market will be displayed in the settings of the launcher itself. Such a peculiar In-App Purchase, difficulties in promoting tiles should not arise.
Difficulties
Of course, the implementation of the idea was not so smooth. The first version of the launcher has already entered the beta stage and I have something to tell about. There were even more pitfalls than I could imagine. This is the implementation of gestures on the desktop and access to some system functions. And also taming the camera, sharing with SMS and Hangouts. The topic is capacious enough to disassemble it in this post. I would love to make out each problem and its solution in a separate article, if I have such an opportunity. I think many of my achievements will be useful.
Plans
Now I am actively testing the launcher, polishing the already laid down functionality so that I can put the stable version on Google Play. But the plans for the next stage are already clearly understood. The main thing that needs to be done, in addition to working on new tiles, is to save the launcher from "children's sores":
- add a migration assistant from other launchers;
- provide the launcher with the ability to make backup copies of the settings, so that if necessary it would be possible to return to the familiar form without problems;
- organize work with desktops;
- there are thoughts about finalizing the design of some elements.
Feedback
Work on the launcher is still in full swing and it's never too late to rethink and fix something. I really hope for good advice and comments, fortunately, the Habrahabr audience has always been famous for its professionalism in such matters. I will be happy to answer all questions.
UPD 1: Uploaded a demo video to YouTube:
UPD 2: The project is now on Kickstarter, for those who are interested, here is the link: kck.st/10J6bNF
UPD 5: Published a launcher inThe Play google . Unfortunately, I must admit that it is still damp and that much of what was conceived has not been realized. The work continues to boil, so whoever decides to leave it on their smart will receive regular updates.
