[Android Apps and Games] Loughlin:
I'm not here to only promote my app. I'd prefer to open a much broader discourse re the freedom app development can bring, about the Android platform and development framework and other such things. I'm new to the XDA forums... you'll understand why if you keep reading.

I crafted my first Android app over the past few months. I've got a couple of old skool Symbian apps - one of which stayed in the Ovi store top 30 for well over three months (although that's not too impressive really). I really enjoyed learning Java and Android. I'm a (embedded) C++ geek and have never bothered with Java before now.

I gotta say I like it. I found both Java and Android easy and the development cycle fast. Not saying I've mastered it or anything like that it as I've only spent a couple of months working on the platform and language so far. I think the results are pretty impressive considering the effort (link below).

The story of my app creation might be interesting for a couple of reasons but it might also might bore you to tears... developing apps can bring freedom from the office cubicle. You can leave those Dilbert days behind :) And I don't mean swapping the office for a bedroom. I coded this app (and others) from a hammock on the beaches of Asia.

I live and work in Europe, on contract, in Spring/Summer/Autumn and beach bum in Winter. I've been doing this for years (missed 4 years in 14) and I'm always surprised how few other I meet on the road. I meet lots of fishermen, builders and tradespeople who take off annually - work in winter can be scarce. The coding profession lends itself pretty well to this lifestyle (I know this lifestyle isn't for everyone) but very few do it. I've met a handful of Israeli coders who traverse the beaches of India during the winter but that's about it.

Starting a app without internet access on remote beaches can be challenging but the samples in the Android SDK are pretty good. I used these as the base for my code. The documentation provided me with a reference for everything else I needed. I gotta hand it to Google, they've done a great job here.

I like to think the app stands out from the crowd in a couple of ways (but maybe I'm like a delusional parent ;-)). I like my UI. I paint and used to create my own comics as a kid. I've had a couple of "wow, what's that?" comments while testing it on the road. Also, there's no other app on the market that does the same thing; no competition.

I know this is kinda controversial and say the Android UI framework is just OK. When I compare it with something QT it's lacking. I guess that I believe that the test of framework is how easy it is for a coder to mould into whatever they desire. A great framework is like virtual plasticine. The Android framework is good but not great. I'd suggest the QT framework is great but I can only compare against what I've used previously. By the way the old Nokia frameworks were terrible.

So what does my app do? InterRupt measures the background noise and when a noise breaks (is louder than) the background noise it routes it through to the headphones. You can decide how much greater the noise has to be before you hear it in your headphones. It makes cycling and jogging safer when listening to music/podcasts/internet radio/etc. And it's a good solution for listening to music at work (read hammock)... which I do all the time. I can now hear my colleagues (other beach bums) speak to me ;-).

You can test my app on the market. There's a free trial - search for InterRupt.

I'm happy enough with it. But I guess like every coder, I see the faults in my own work and what I would do differently. Now, it's onto the challenge of promoting the app and this is where I don't have a clue. Any advice would be welcome. I'm now back in Europe and have internet access again.