New theme / settings screenshots:

 The Problem.  If you’re an android developer, you probably realize the value of being able to test your code on multiple android devices.  The problem is, buying every new android phone released just isn’t economical.  Here at Froogloid we have 2 G1’s, 1 MyTouch, 1 DROID and 1 Nexus one which helps us cover several of our testing needs, but certainly not all.  There are tons of other android devices out there such as the Hero, Moment, Cliq, Galaxy, Eris, Behold II etc.  To test these devices I used to have to do what I referred to as the “wireless carrier 500″.  I would literally drive to a T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon store to physically test each device.  As you can imaging this is very time consuming, not to mention the retail associates think I’m crazy!  Once I told them what I was doing everyone was pretty cool about it and many would start asking questions about our apps / android development.  As much as I love showing off our products, this process is wildly inefficient. 

The solution.     About 6 weeks ago an interesting up and coming start-up, Duarlander, reached out and said they wanted to beta a new android testing program they had organized.  I said sure, we need all the help they we can get!  They did a phenomenal job and performed very thorough testing.  They even provided videos of the tests they performed!  Since then they have made a few changes to the program.  They now offer a way to combine the android user community with the development community.  Developers pay a small fee to get their apps tested, testers get paid a small amount, and Durandler helps broker the relationship and offers several tools.  Basically it’s a Win:Win:Win.  So, if you’re an android user interested in helping the development community this a great opportunity.  If you’re a developer, it’s a no brainer IMO. 

For more info check out http://duarlander.ning.com/page/welcome-1

First off, we are not anti-android and by no means do we want to intimidate others from getting involved in android mobile application development.  We were very early adopters of the platform and we’ve been with android every step of the way.  This experience has given us great perspective and because of this we know google will continue to deliver the best in class, most robust feature rich mobile operating system.   This isn’t opinion, this is fact…. compare android side by side with every other mobile OS and you’ll see distinguishing factors.  I won’t go into them now, plenty of other non-biased sites can provide this info.  Some may prefer other OS’s over android which is fine, but I’ve yet to see a comparable feature set on any other OS.  Android = good.

But, the reality is with growth comes growing pains. Android is gone from two HTC devices running on one U.S. carrier to seven devices (motorola, samsung, HTC) running on the 3 out of the 4 largest networks in the U.S. in a VERY short amount of time.  This has provided a lot of flavor for android enthusiasts.  Henry Ford once said you can have whatever color of model T you want, as long as it’s black.  That approach worked for a short while, but eventually consumers wanted options!  Android provides option in mobile space and that’s what’s so great about the android platform.  You can develop one application that is supported regardless of device type and network!   But, to do so you have to play by the rules.  Developers need to follow androids dev guidelines by setting the appropriate API levels, and supporting multiple screen layouts.     Carriers need minimize edits to firmware to support customized ROM’s.  Keep in mind I’m not talking about look and feel, I’m talking about how the fundamental API’s etc should work on their said devices.  I seriously doubt carriers and OEM’s ever intend on breaking apps due to custom ROM’s, but obviously it happens.  My ask is for google to provide a more rigorous quality control process for approving custom ROM’s.  I’m sure there’s a process in place today and now it’s just a matter of fine tuning it. 

In closing, I’d like to reiterate that if you’re an existing android developer or a new android developer interested in making apps for android DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED!  In our humble opinion, the benefits far outweigh the cons.  2010 is going to be fantastic year for android! 

Link to Wired.com Android Article

~ Team Froogloid

“We’ve compiled a list of 10 top-notch Android apps to help get you going with your Android experience. These are all highly ranked programs that’ll be strong starting points as you work to make the most of your new Droid device.”  ~ PCworld

Thanks for the great recommendation PCworld!  To all our new Key Ring users, we hope you enjoy our product and if you have any questions, issues, or suggestions PLEASE do not hesitate to reach out!  info@froogloid.com

Check out the top 10 PCworld android apps here! 

~ Team Froogloid

You’ll see Key Ring featured at 2 different sites. 

1)  Via screenshots of the G1

2) List of featured android Apps

T-Mobile features Key Ring being used with the G1, however it is also compatible with all other android devices currently available.  For Ex: Cliq, MyTouch, Hero, DROID, ERIS, Moment, Galaxy etc.   It’s also available for multiple firmware versions; 1.5, 1.6, and 2.0.

FYI a2b, CowPotato, and Key Ring are still available on all devices running 1.5 or 1.6 firmware (basically all phones except the DROID at this point). 

~ Team Froogloid

• +  Additional cow fight back animation.  Cow would stand up in the open field and throw a cowpie at the shooter like a frisbee!  The user would then have to clen the screen similar to how the y would for the manure attack!  Personally, I really like this one… in fact, we’ve already began some of the animation work. 
• + Cow kicking the shooter.  (via  Daniel C. ~ thanks man!).  Maybe we could make it look like it broke the glass on screen?   
• + Have the shooter move (Via Fernando C. ~ this may be really tricky to pull off)
• + Exploding chickens (Via Zereal ~ twisted and I kinda like it haha!)

Come on, give us some ideas!   Any and all game-play ideas are VERY much appreciated! ~ Team CowPotato @ Froogloid

 Here’s the scoop:  android has been exponentially growing lately, which is fantastic, but with explosive growth comes troublesome problems.  In laymen terms this means that when we build an application and test it on a certain firmware version (i.e. the version of operating system installed on the phone) our app may work flawlessly, BUT when a user installs this said app on their new android device they may run into issues due to customization of the firmware by a particular carrier or device manufacturer.  This creates considerable headaches for development companies such as Froogloid.  We now have to manage running apps on different firmware version, ROM’s, and hardware differences(screen sizes, different cameras etc).  It’s 100% possible to manage this, but to do so it creates considerable more work on our part.  Instead of focusing on enhancing our products, we end up focusing on fixing breaks!  Luis and Pedro from androidPT.com recently reached out to me regarding our point of view on fragmentation.  If you’re intested in learning more about the issues we’re facing, please check it out!

AndroidPT.com Fragmentation Article

Note to all Froogloid customers….if you run into an issue with one of our apps PLEASE email us with details.  Leaving a comment in the marketplace “it blows up” doesn’t help.  We need to know exactly what happened, what phone you’re using, and what firmware (settings > about phone > firmware) etc. We pride ourselves in being very attentive to our users needs so please do not hesitate to reach out.  We respond!  ~ Team Froogloid