This smartphone developer needs a good brainstorm session. Please join in ... [Archive]

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HailFire

12-18-2005, 03:52 AM

I've been slangin code for Smartphones since Sendo made Microsoft's first prototype device - since the beginning. I've also been a member of this forum since a week before SPT went live. I love this field because mobile is the wild west. I love developing on the frontier because I get to choose what lays ahead. Do you all remember when the iPod came out? Do you remember the first time you used a Smartphone and the contact selector had T9 recognition? Remember when TXT messaging was just a european thing? Good times. Now the stage is set. My Cingular 2125 with unlimited EDGE arrives next Monday to celebrate the launch of my first solo project, Itsy Tipsy (http://www.hailfirestudios.com). Between my skillset as a developer, the new API's from Windows Mobile 5, and the quality of the hardware and networks, this is the time for some awesome leaps forward in mobile apps.

I want to get your ideas on what application to develop next. It took me 2 years to code Itsy Tipsy because I'm a student at UC Berkeley and I work full-time year-round, but I decided to stop working during the schoolyear to invest my efforts in the future. Think different. Think big. Think ahead.

To start off this brainstorm, here are a couple of ideas which I've been playing with:

Mobile Broadcasts - Broadcast LIVE audio/video streams from your mobile to the internet and other mobiles
Peer-2-Peer Client/Server - just like Limewire
Music Visualizer - Best taken with other drugs, otherwise pretty useless

More Games (2d/3D/Multiplayer) - i've got a whole drawer of design docs

Finally, if any of you developers out there want to team up, send an email. This is a niche market. I want a team. I want synergy. I want to make some great new software. Let's do it together.

Kris Kumar

12-18-2005, 07:27 AM

I want to get your ideas on what application to develop next. It took me 2 years to code Itsy Tipsy because I'm a student at UC Berkeley and I work full-time year-round, but I decided to stop working during the schoolyear to invest my efforts in the future.

I hear ya!

I always thought I can crank out a couple of programs between my day job, personal life and SmartphoneThought.com. But has not happened.

All the best! :-)

Mike Temporale

12-18-2005, 01:48 PM

Well, I don't think the platform (or carrier network) is ready for a P2P client. I can't see this working very well, or offering anything that makes it worth while over the current desktop versions.

HailFire

12-18-2005, 07:17 PM

Thanks for the encouragement Kris, and Mike, you're right about P2P being a long way off. But I can't emphasize enough, Itsy Tipsy took 2 years to develop because of creative stumbling blocks. Code is code. Ideas take much more time to develop. Any thoughts?

encece

12-19-2005, 03:29 AM

I would like many apps that arent available for the smartphone yet.

:!: Microsoft reader app to read .lit files.
Microsoft Money app that will FULLY sync with it's PC counterpart.

:!: A good RSS reader that does RSS feeds as well as Podcasts. Newsbreak would be better if it supported enclosures.

:!: Something to control home cameras and other devices across the internet and via WiFi. (not just my PCs music). Team up with a hardware designer and maybe I could turn on/off lights, air conditioning, the coffee maker, all via wifi or using GPRS. :)

:!: A WM5 compatable FTP program.

:!: More homescreen plugins:
Something similar to the e200 plugin that will allow other plugins to be embedded into it. So they could be tabbed or stacked side by side as well as vertically.

:!: Programs to better utilize my camera like those that read bar codes for shopping, getting movie info by scanning a dvd bar code, or even creating a dvd/cd catalog.

:!: A better SMS organization program that will act more like that on the Treo. Gathering messages into threads instead of as individual messages.

:!: A journal app that will act like the right page of a paper day planner. For notes, links to contacts and tasks. This should also be integrated into the calendar or include a superior calendar replacement.
http://www.natara.com/DayNotez/index.cfm

:!: BLOGGING software that is compatibe with MovableType, WordPress, etc. (MT in particular). There is one made by this guy but no SP support.
http://www.randyrants.com/2004/11/sharpmt_and_poc.html

:!: Any cool little gadget thyat will post/update some information to a website widget. My mood, my current music, any generic text.

:!: CellTrack is a great little app that tracks one's current location vai cell tower location. It can also be used to upload current locations to one's site. It's located at http://celltrack.spv-developers.com. It's open source and could use some more hands on the team as it's currently not working on WM5 devices.

:!: Something that syncs works like and syncs with Microsoft Project.

:!: A cool little outliner program with a PC counterpart.
http://www.natara.com/Bonsai/index.cfm

:!: Something that captures/creates call logs and exports them to the pc.

:!: An expense program

:!: A program that will create a job order, and track customizable fields and dates throughout the life of a project, including design, estimating, manufacturing, shipping, billing and reconciliation of materials. This app should have a pc counterpart that gathers the data and a mobile counterpart where one could enetr data, push it to a server then view it again. :)

:!: A program that will allow one to view and/or sync other's calendars.

:!: Yet Another tip calculator. :wink:

There are a few ideas. There's probably a ton more that I cant think of.

Anything you make that involves that capturing of data should sync with a desktop counterpart.

Anything you make should LOOK GOOD. I hate ugly apps.

This is the 10th response like this I've made over the years to aspiring mobile phone developers. No one has come thru yet. So good luck to you.

No one needs another tip calculator (if they cant multiply the total by the the tip percentage, then they are probably underqualified to use a smartphone). ;) So full function is key. Make something that hasn't been made before. Don't test your skills on the end user. Make interesting solid apps with good marketability for business or personal use and the money will fly to you. God Speed!

encece

12-19-2005, 03:31 AM

Though I am no longer a fan of palm, It's how I started using PDAs. Because of the length of time they have been on the market...there are 1000's of apps created for it. Most are crap but there are great one's there if you look. Go thru a Palm catalog like Palmgear.com

See which apps sell the best. If there is no Smartphone counterpart....make it. :)

Kris Kumar

12-19-2005, 03:37 AM

See which apps sell the best. If there is no Smartphone counterpart....make it. :)

Awesome tip! 8)

encece

12-19-2005, 03:52 AM

I'm full of it...I mean...them.

Mike Temporale

12-19-2005, 04:05 AM

:!: CellTrack is a great little app that tracks one's current location vai cell tower location. It can also be used to upload current locations to one's site. It's located at http://celltrack.spv-developers.com. It's open source and could use some more hands on the team as it's currently not working on WM5 devices.

Are they even doing work on it? It's almost like they've forgotten about it.

There are a few ideas. There's probably a ton more that I cant think of.

A few? :lol: Good thoughts and excellent ideas. :D

Back to the topic on hand, I would love to see a file sync conduit for the Smartphone. I'm not talking about building a custom sync engine like some of the wallet applications have done. I'm talking about building a true folder/file sync just like the Pocket PC has. It MUST plug into ActiveSync and work just like the Pocket PC Version. :)

HailFire

12-19-2005, 04:58 AM

encece, mike, thank you so much for contributing. I love these ideas. I've been learning everything I could about the graphics capabilities on these things up until now, but you guys are right. There are lots of simple utilities that nobody's making. Is there seriously not a file synchronizer?! Are you sure?! Could that simple necessity seriously have gone overlooked for this long? omg

That SMS enhancement with the thread view is genius too. I'd love that. Also, why can't you sync SMS through ActiveSync? What's up with that?

Instead of working on 2-year game projects, mixing my own music, and drawing my own art, I think I'll start pumping out $0.99 utilities which are polished and utilitarian.

Please please, keep posting to this thread. HailFire Studios is here to stay. I'll be programming like a madman as usual and I'm thinking of bringing in help. Give me more ideas, I'm writing them all down.

encece

12-19-2005, 05:08 AM

Mike Temporale

12-19-2005, 05:27 AM

BTW....here is a file synchronization utility. I never used it so I dont know how well/poorly it works.

http://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?&siteId=1&jid=CB577D2DE4CF449529C3B2F41D8AXX41&platformId=11&productType=2&catalog=0&sectionId=0&productId=88067

For Modaco Plus users.....there is a code available in the plus directory to use this for free.

Right, but it's not part of ActiveSync. I'm looking for something that works just like it does on the PPC. I don't want to run another application. I want a conduit in Active Sync that handles all the syncing. As far as I know, there is nothing stopping developers from building a conduit that plugs into ActiveSync and sync's whatever they choose.

encece

12-19-2005, 05:38 AM

Agreed.

MitzEclipse

12-19-2005, 07:24 AM

Hi, i'd like to see an app built so it's easy to page up/page down in any app on the smartphone - pocket IE, viewing contacts, etc... is this possible?

Mike Temporale

12-19-2005, 03:26 PM

Mike Temporale

12-19-2005, 03:29 PM

Got another idea...

Has anyone used Spd Pocket Plus on the PPC? I really like how they implemented a graphical battery meter on the today screen. It's just a small line across the top of the screen. Maybe 3 pixels high. It would be cool to have something like this for the Smartphone. Maybe it could float on that small line between the softkeys and the screen content.

:)

MitzEclipse

12-19-2005, 09:40 PM

Hi, i'd like to see an app built so it's easy to page up/page down in any app on the smartphone - pocket IE, viewing contacts, etc... is this possible?

Yeah, the amount of scrolling down in IE really bugs me. :evil:

It'd be nice to have some sort of app that enables the # key to be page up and * key to be page down...

Tony Rylow

12-29-2005, 07:32 PM

MitzEclipse

12-29-2005, 10:37 PM

Tony Rylow

12-30-2005, 03:30 PM

99% of my text messages go to one person, so that would not be very useful to me. I use 600-700 messages total sent and recieved each month.

SirHelm

01-20-2006, 06:47 AM

I would like an e-mail app that would allow you to log into your Exchange based Netmail. (non POP3 or IMAP)

This would remove the need for 3rd party software to sit on your laptop, and would remove the need for Access to the Exchange server.

Would like to be able to pull e-mail and reply using your work address as well.

It is being done on the blackberry and it is not Good Link.

Thanks

SH

Kris Kumar

01-20-2006, 12:17 PM

I would like an e-mail app that would allow you to log into your Exchange based Netmail. (non POP3 or IMAP)

This would remove the need for 3rd party software to sit on your laptop, and would remove the need for Access to the Exchange server.

The Smartphone Pocket Inbox can be sync-ed directly with the Exchange server without the need for any third-party application. The Exchange must be configured to enable the devices to connect to it. And on the device, in the ActiveSync settings, just specify the Exchange server. :)

I am sorry I did not fully understand your suggestion, as to how it is different from the current Exchange provides feature. :?

SirHelm

01-21-2006, 01:42 AM

HI Kris,

The problem with my issue is that Corporate will not turn on Mobile on the Exchange account. Due to stringent security they do not support most mobile PDA's and only Treo with Goodlink for approved people.

One of my buddies has the 7105T with T-mobile and is able(using T-mobile) to setup his PDA to send and recieve with his Exchange account via his Netmail URL and login.

From what I can tell, it is not using anything other than software on his blackberry to cache his userid and password, login to netmail and then synch.

This is what is confusing me. I didn't think this was possible.

Thanks

SH

Mike Temporale

01-21-2006, 02:48 AM

Ok guys, lets move the rest of this discussion to the original thread. (http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=10149&highlight=)

We don't to discuss this in multiple places, and it has nothing to do with this thread. Thanks. :wink:

encece

01-25-2006, 01:49 AM

I like the idea of a program that will log and export calls to PC. Let me see graphs of when/who I call most or avg time i spend on calls w/ ppl, etc.

As far as other apps, not sure whats available for the smartphone already, i dont even have one in my posession yet.

Paul[MVP] at Modaco.com has written a program that syncs your phone's calls to the Journal in Outlook....and other things.
http://www.modaco.com/UPDATED_MoDaCo_Smart_Journal_B7_Time_Zone_support-t97900.html

It's still in beta. He plans WM5 support soon as well as making it open source.