A couple months ago I purchased a shiny new Android powered HTC EVO 4G cell phone. Prior to that, I was a fairly content Blackberry user. The most important parts of my cell phone experience were phone calls and emails, and BlackBerrys seem to do those things quite well. However, the tinkering, software developer side of me had been eyeing Android phones for a while, envious of the open platform that would allow me to get full on geeky with it. It was only a matter of time until my Android-desire out measured my consumer-guilt so that I could take the plunge.
Well, that time came and went along with my 30th birthday, and let me tell you, I am in love with my Android phone. I have customized it with the Launcher Pro Plus, an ever-changing layout of home screens, and a bunch of cool applications and widgets. This phone fulfills the implicit promise contained in gadget category names like Personal Digital Assistant and Smartphone much more than any other I've used. I've left behind a trail of gizmos including a Palm VII, a Viewsonic PDA, and the aforementioned BlackBerry. Each has improved on the last, but despite my efforts, I couldn't really integrate them into my life so as to gain their full potential. In this regard, the EVO has been a big leap for me.
Perhaps the most significant element of an Androids or iPhones value comes in the form of the App Market. The ability to find and install a multitude of specialized applications at minimal or no cost means that you are just a few clicks from converting a stock phone into a custom tailored multi-tool made just for you. The number of apps available for these phones is truly remarkable, and mainly due to the efforts of Google and Apple to make these phones easy to develop for. Being a software developer myself, my new Android phone is just begging for me to have a go at mobile app development. And my mind must want to answer that call, because my morning-shower brainstorms have become increasingly populated with cool mobile app ideas.
So, I've decided to have a go at it, and I've chosen two of the better ideas to get started with. So far, other than coming to this decision, I haven't really done anything at all to make these apps a reality. I'm going to have lots to do, like finding the best resources to work with, learning the platform, making my first baby steps, signing up on the marketplace, and figuring out how to do some marketing. I plan on blogging it all along the way.
I plan on writing full descriptions / specs for each app as a part of the development process, but I feel like this blog entry isn't complete without at least a minimal announcement for each of them. The app names below are just placeholders. Final names will be decided on and announced once I know how to reserve them in the marketplace.
Finally, I think I should point out that I don't have any expectations for getting rich or quitting my day job based on these apps. Of course, I wouldn't object to making a buck or two. What I'm really looking to gain though is a productive hobby and a new set of skills. I also expect that this is going to be a relatively slow development cycle. I'm a busy guy and I'm not racing anybody that I know of.
App #1: Contacts Grouped by Image
This app is basically a contact browser that uses images or an image map to specify what group you want to view. I think selecting things based on images is very natural for the brain, and there is also potential for a lot of fun here.
I'm thinking the first release might be as simple as being able to select distinct images for specific groups. The images would then that are then tiled and scrollable on screen. Once an image is clicked, the group opens up. But the real intent is to be able to select one or more large images, within which you can specify the clickable regions that link to a contact group or another nested image. I'm not sure if I would use the built in groups or add custom data over the contacts API.
Example case: Imagine you are a Lord of the Rings fan, you launch the app and you are presented with a large overhead map of Middle Earth. Clicking on the Shire might bring up your close family members. Clicking on Mordor might bring up work contacts. Other regions might be linked to certain groups of friends / family as is appropriate for you.
App #2: Personal Data Charting
The idea behind this app is using your smartphone as a kind of quick journal for specific data about yourself that would like to track over time. A smartphone is a great platform for this because it can prompt you to enter the data on a schedule and collect specific data points very quickly. You might use an app like this to record your sleep, food, exercise, work habits, moods, body weight, or any other data that you setup. Data collection would be either scalar values (weight, exercise reps) or scaled values (quality of sleep/diet/etc. on a scale of 1-10).
The app would collect this data by reminding you on a schedule that you specify. I'm thinking the best way to do this is to have that data then sent to a website where you have an account set up. The website would be able to show you charts of your data so that you can discover trends and analyze relationships between your categories. (e.g.: How does your diet/exercise correlate to your sleep/moods?)
One thing I want to be careful of though is overcomplicating these apps, so I might see how far I can take this with a phone only version. If it seems popular or beneficial, perhaps I could invest into an external site. An external site would be very, very cool though if there were very many users of this app. You could use that data to analyze yourself against a larger pool of people. Maybe even look at regional trends, etc. Maybe there's some opportunity for social integration a la Facebook / Twitter as well.
Okay, if you've made it this far, let me know what you think of my app ideas in the comments.
