Sword Bible on Android

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I have been using the Sword Bible project for years, and so, it was only natural for me to ask if it exists on Android for my phone.  The short story is that a project exists at Google Code, but it doesn’t quite look like it is ready for prime time.

First, if you want to know a little more about the Sword project, you can read up on it at this Wikipedia article.  I think I first started with it when I bought a Bible program from our college bookstore.  Now, in Linux, I use a program called Xiphos, which is a Linux/Gnome frontend for the Sword Project.  The program used to be called Gnome Sword.  You can also find more information from the main Sword Website including a small list of sofware.

My first find was this post on Werx Limited.  The post mentions a project named Bishop, but that project is more of a tech test than an actual application for use.  So, I read through the whole conversation thread discussing Bishop and the development of an application.  To my delight, I hit Martin Denham’s message about his And-Bible project.

I haven’t had a chance to install it or anything.  For now, I just wanted to capture these links, but I hope to mess with it some more.  For now, I am just using Virtue Bible FE.  I will keep you updated.

Thanks CyanogenMod — My G1 Isn’t That Out of Date!

Yea!  I have Froyo finally!  Several Co-workers had rooted their phones and were talking about it, and I thought I would take a look.  I was skeptical, but the instructions I found weren’t too bad.  It was a little scary working around all of the warnings, but the end result was a version of Android 2.2 on my HTC G1 phone.

I didn’t keep good notes of exactly what I did.  I was more concern with getting it done rather than blogging it, but basically, I started with the instructions at The Unlocker.  The AndRoot application didn’t work for me, so I ended up going to Cyanogen’s Website for the directions.  I could have probably just used the original instructions at The Unlocker even though it said they were outdated.

I did just have one issue yesterday that I noticed.  My battery was draining much faster than normal.  Ever since my battery went bad and I replaced it with a 2200mah battery, I haven’t had to worry about conserving power.  My phone could easily last two full days with no charging.  Yesterday, it died after one day of use, and I didn’t hardly do anything special.

I found this post, and it seems to have fixed the problem!  All I did was disable the notifications on the Downloads screen of the Market application.

The two new big features that I gained through all of this were the Wireless Tether and the Chrome to Phone.  Both of those features were things I had admired from Google IO.  The Wireless Tether worked with no problem.  I tested with my laptop the other night, and it worked pretty fast.  I had to configure the wireless settings like the SID and the security key.  Then, I could connect to it with Network Manager the same way I connect to my home router.  The Chrome to Phone tool worked pretty good too, but I haven’t played with it much.

In the process of reinstalling, I had to download a few new applications.  One of the areas that I found new programs was for my Guitar.  I decided to try out ChordBoard.  It is a great program, but I think I am going to have to find something else because it doesn’t have sharps or flats.  The other application is gStrings, which is a tuner that works great.  You can play a string, and it will tell you if it is in tune.

Where is the Priority Inbox on Android?

I came across this article the other day:

Engadget: Gmail for Android updated, becomes Market app

The new feature they were talking about was the priority Inbox.  I am all for new features and I thought I would give it a shot.  But, I couldn’t find it in the market!

I searched for the App on AndroLib, but I didn’t see it there.  Then, I searched on AndroidZoom and found it.  In fact, AndroidZoom has a nice list of all the applications that Google puts out.

I tried to scan the QR Code found on the download page.  This is the error message I got:

There are no matches in Android Market for the search: pname: com.google.android.gm

And, I think I finally found the problem on the official blog.  The application requires Froyo!  Here is the quote:

The Gmail update requires Froyo (Android version 2.2), so it’s available if you have a Nexus One, HTC EVO, Motorola Droid 2 or Motorola Droid. (Not sure if your device is running Android version 2.2? Check here.)

My Android Apps

I have been meaning to write up my list of Andriod apps that I currently have installed on my G1, and then, I found these lists:

I had hopes to linking to the Market, but I couldn’t find a good link to it.  This is the best I could find:

Android Market

So, I thought I should finally get around to doing it.  So, here are my installed programs:

Google Maps

Home page

I definitely use this all the time.  It came with the phone, but I installed it from the market to get the new features.  The biggest new feature is the Navigation, which works very well, and I really like it.

The best place I could find for info on updates was their blog.

VirtueBible FE

This is a great Bible application.  I use it a lot during church, and it is nice to have access to the Bible wherever I go.  It looks nice and is easy to read.  I can quickly browse to passages, and I can search for words.  I don’t think it has a commentary or else I haven’t used it.

Links:

NewsRob (Google Reader)

I have been using Google Reader to keep up with various RSS feeds.  This program gives me an interface to the reader on my phone.  My biggest complaint has been that I only want to view certain feeds on my phone.  Some of the feeds I had subscribed to were too hard to read on the phone.  I haven’t looked to see if Google has changed their API but last I looked Google didn’t provide a way to pick and choose feeds.

All in all, I have really liked this program.

Links:

Facebook for Android

This is what I have used to post and view Facebook.  I remember seeing comments about the iPhone application being so much better, but I haven’t had the chance to compare.  I have noticed that it has improved since I first installed it.

Links:

The Weather Channel

Homepage

According to this article, this application won the developer challenge.  I have bounced back and forth between this application and the Weather Bug.  With the more recent update from The Weather Channel, I have liked this one better.

Weather Bug

This is a great application for viewing the weather.  One of the features that I do like is the temperature in the notifications bar.

Links:

BuzzOff

This is a great application for times when you need to turn your phone to vibrate.  It turns all of the volumes down to vibrate only.   You can choose a time frame, and it will turn it back on after the time frame.  You can also choose a distance where it turn it back on after you go that distance.  I haven’t used that because I haven’t wanted to spend the battery required to leave the GPS on for that.

I use Timeriffic for planned times that I need my phone on silent.  I use this for meetings and such that are not on a schedule.

Links:

Timeriffic

I started using Locale, but they made it a paid App and disabled the old version.  This program allows me to set the phone to silent automatically.  I have it set for during church times.  That way my phone shouldn’t ring in the middle of church.

One cool thing I just learned about this program is that it is open source.  It is hosted on Google Code and I could make changes to it and contribute!

Links:

SSI gTasks ToDo

Homepage

This is the first app I came across that would let me sync and use the Google Tasks in GMail on my phone.  I don’t use it a lot, but it gets the job done.

Links:

Power Manager

This program seemed to save battery at first.  I don’t really open it now, but I think it runs in the background.  I haven’t done any comparison to see if it really does.

Links:

Guitar Charts

I oringally downloaded this when it was free.  It was great to have in Church while I was playing my guitar and couldn’t remember how to play a chord.  I could look it up quickly before the song started.

Links:

Bonsai Blast

This is the one game that I have probably played the most on my phone.  It is addicting, and it has many levels to work through.  The graphics are great which I think has a big impact on the appeal.  The game play is simple: you tap the screen to shoot a ball and try to eliminate the balls in the line by getting three or more in a row of the same color.  Now that I am through all of the levels, I haven’t played it in a while, but it is still fun.

Links:

Toddler Lock

This was a great application for my son.  He has kind of outgrown it, but I think my second son might grow into it soon.  The cool part about it is that you don’t have to worry about him clicking something wrong and getting into another program or placing a call.  You do still have to watch to make sure he isn’t throwing it across the room or dropping it in the toilet.

Links:

Solitaire

This is a nice little way to play freecell while you are waiting for something.

Links:

Labyrinth Lite

Homepage

This was one of the first games that I put on my phone.  The reason it caught my eye was that it illustrated the phone’s accelerometer.  Playing the game was very fun, but it didn’t take long to beat the 10 levels.  It looks like it also works on the iPhone.

Links:

T-Mobile My Account

This program is handy to check the account details such as the minutes that I had used.  It also provides a quick way to check things like how much battery is left.

Links:

Toggle Settings

Homepage

I had used this program for a while, but then they made it something that you have to pay for.

Links:

PapiCatch & PapiJump

These are fun, simple little games.  Sunflat has a bunch of different little games like this: PapiJump, PapiOrange, ActionPotato, SFCave, PapiMissle, PapiRiver, PapiCatch, PapiPole.  I started with PapiJump because it was a game that demostrated the accelerometer.  I also tried PapiRiver.  The graphics aren’t much on the ones that I tried, but they were entertaining for a little bit.

Links:

DroidRecord

I originally downloaded this program to try to create my own rings.  I never got around to doing that, but I have used it to record some notes while I was in the car and couldn’t type.  It is very easy to use and worked great.

Links:

Expense Manager

This program started a great idea for me.  I haven’t traveled enough to give it a far chance, but if I traveled more, it would be a necessity!  The great part is that it allows you to take a picture of your receipts while you are traveling.  You can key in some information such as the price and type of expense.  At the end of the trip, you can download the images and info to your computer.

I also found that on the homepage, there is a link to the source repository.

While I haven’t used the program that much, I love the concept.  I have started my own little program that will take pictures of receipts and sync up with my money management software.

Links:

Google Voice

I have a Google Voice account, but I haven’t used it that much.   I had trouble with latency, and it wasn’t good enough to use on a regular basis.  It has been a while since I tried, so I will have to try again.  The program allows you to make calls from your phone using Google Voice.  It doesn’t save anything on minutes, and the program didn’t let you change the settings and such.

Links:

Places Directory

This is kind of a cool application, but I never really understood what the advantage of this program was over the regular Google Maps.  I think I noticed that maybe now it is combined with the Google Maps application.

Links:

System Manager

I haven’t used this application very often.  I can’t really even remember why I installed it!

Links:

wpToGo

I downloaded this program to be able to blog from my phone.  The problem is that I usually wanted to just save it as a draft and finalize it on my computer.  Then, I would actually publish from my computer.  I couldn’t make that happen with this app for some reason.  I will probably try the official application next.

Wapedia: Mobile Wikis

Homepage

I haven’t used this much, but I do look at Wikipedia a lot.  I am not sure how many advantages this gives over just using the regular browser.

Links:

Nimbuzz IM & Voice

I tried this is an option to use Skype with my phone.  It never did work exactly the way that I wanted it to, so I haven’t stuck with it.

Links:

SNesoid Lite

This is a Super Nintendo Emulator that I install but have never used.  I keep meaning to download a ROM and try it out, but I haven’t ever done it.

Links:

      Installing My First APK from the SDCard

      I finally finished my first Android application to the point that I wanted to try to start using it on my phone.

      This post explains how to install applications, but I had some problems:

      Bright Hub: How to install APK files on your Google Android Phone

      First, with installing from the SD Card, it doesn’t say exactly what application to use.  From the Market, I installed “AppsInstaller” developed by ModMyMobile.com.  When I opened the program, it scanned my card, and found my application that I had uploaded via the USB cable.  But, it said that the applications were blocked and offered to take me to settings.  I check the “Unknown sources” option which is described  as “Allow install of non-Market applications”.  Then, it worked!

      Also, I tried to install with adb, but I couldn’t get that to work.  When I ran “./adb devices”, I don’t see any devices listed.  This “G1 usb drivers for linux” post looks promising, but I haven’t finished going through all of the steps.  I will try to post back when I do.

      Android Patterns

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      I came across this post with Android patterns taken from the Twitter App:

      Android Developer’s Blog: Twitter for Android: A closer look at Android’s evolving UI patterns

      I finally found a post that pointed me to the source code for a pattern application (I don’t think it is the Twitter application like I first thought): IOSched.

      While I was at it, I thought I would search for some more patterns that I would come in handy for Android development:

      In addition, here are some other links that aren’t really patterns, but I found they were help links with examples for what I was trying to do:

      If you have any other helpful links that you like, please comment.

      Annoyances with Uploading Photos to Facebook

      I have been trying to get my photo programs to upload to Facebook, but they just don’t want to work.  There are no solutions here yet, but if anyone has any tips, I’d be glad to hear about them.  Does Facebook not like Linux?  Is it the Chrome that is conflicting?

      I could always just upload the photos one by one the manual way.  But, what programmer or Linux geek wants to do that?  We would rather spend more time hacking the automatic tools than it would take to do it manually!

      F-Spot to Facebook

      Since upgrading to Ubuntu 9.10, I decided to give F-Spot a try.  For a while, Ubuntu has been offering to import photos every time I plug the camera in.  So far, I like all the features, and it has been working great.

      The Facebook export doesn’t work though.  I am kind of disappointed because that could be really nice.  First, I found that I had to enable it.  For some reason, it won’t log in once enabled.  It just stops at “Session established, fetching photo albums…”.  I have Chrome as my default browser, and I wondered if that had something to do with it.

      G1 to Facebook

      I was able to take a picture using the Facebook application and post it on Facebook.  But, I have tried several times to share a picture from the Gallery application.  When I installed the Facebook application, the Gallery added a new sharing option to share with Facebook.  When I share a picture, it asks me to add a caption, and allows me to upload.  The problem is that it just sits there at 0% and never finishes.

      With both problems, I can’t find any error messages or any log that would help with searching for answers.  So, for now, I am stuck.  I guess I am up to the manual upload methods.

      New Google Phone

      A co-worker pointed this article out to me:

      CNN Tech: Google unveils Nexus One ‘superphone’

      Google looks like they are coming out with a new phone called Nexus One.  I like the openness that they are touting.

      Links:

      Google: Nexus One

      Technical Specifications

      Google Maps on Android

      I saw this post about Google Maps on Android, and I thought I would share my comments.  I had the opportunity to use my Google Maps for navigation on a trip a couple of weekends ago to Chicago.  During the middle of that trip, I decided to upgrade my Google Maps through the Market.  Here are some things I noticed.

      • Before the upgrade, I could choose a destination from my history for getting directions.  That was handy because we kept going to the same places in various combinations.  After the upgrade, history was not an option.  I did find that if I could remember some of the address, it would autocomplete from my history and that worked good enough.
      • I like the new feature where I can click on a location on the map and get directions from or to that spot.
      • One feature I would like is the ability to add way points or adjust the route.  If we wanted to force a route or drive past a point, we would have to get directions in two separate steps.
      • I had the opportunity to use some else’s iPhone also.  One thing I missed on the iPhone was the menu button.  When I look for settings or options on my gPhone, I typically press the menu button and find it there.  On the iPhone, it has to be somewhere on the screen because the phone had no menu button.  It just surprised me that I kept looking for a menu button.  I never did figure out how to turn the GPS on and off, but I did figure out how to get my current location and get directions.

      Resources

      Engadget: Google updates Maps through the Android Market

      CupCake is Here!

      As I was driving home, my phone finally asked if I wanted to install an update.  I had been reading about Android 1.5, and I was ready for that update!  My understanding is that this is the update that was called Cupcake.

      I noticed an immediate difference as the phone was starting up.  The logo screen was different as it booted.  I feel like I have a new phone because everything looks different!  Many people say looks don’t have any value, but it did something for me.  I haven’t had time to play with it much, but I did notice the Camcorder application and I had a chance to see the virtual keyboard pop up.