New theme / settings screenshots:

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

First, an overview ~ What is Key Ring?

Leave those pesky club cards at home!  With Key Ring you can create a digital copy of any club card by simply scanning its barcode or by manually entering the barcode number / membership ID.  Key Ring currently provides logos for over 150 retailers.  If your retailer isn’t listed, no worries just select “other” retailer from the drop down and manually enter its name.  At the point of sale, simply launch the Key Ring application, select your saved card from the home screen and have the retail associate scan the barcode from the screen.  Yes, you can scan a barcode from your screen.  We’ve enhanced the Key Ring user interface to increase the scanning success rate.  For best results, please use with handheld laser, CCD or image scanners.  If possible, avoid using Key Ring with flatbed laser scanners.    

Features:

+ Supports EAN13, EAN8, UPCA, UPCE, Code128, and Code39 one dimensional barcodes

+ Retailer logos automatically added to 150 plus retailers

+ Integrated barcode scanner

+ Supports adding non-barcode cards such as Hertz rental car, American Airlines etc

+ Manually add your own retailers

+ Enhanced user interface to aid with scanning from device screen 

+ Stores unlimited cards

Screenshots

Key Ring home screen with cards that were previously added.


Select “Add Card” button. You can add cards with and without barcodes.

Select “Yes” card does have a barcode. Barcode scanner is automatically displayed.

Select “Yes” card does have a barcode. Select “Use Keypad” tab

Select the retailer from the drop down list

Select “No” card does not have a barcode.

View your saved card

Card viewing menu options. You can delete, adjust the brightness, and send Froogloid an email requesting a certain retailer be supported (this option is only applies when a logo is not provided for a retailer)