yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
Test Release December 21: v111221: http://www.mediafire.com/file/xy3jw2htc4r981w/Spirit_FM_Radio_v111221.apk

This is a free version. If you have the Unlocked, don't get confused; Antenna points to left for free. :) Or just email me for the unlocked version.

Hopefully this fixed Broadcom 2nd app run volume problems for the 3rd and last time.

I'm also hoping for a fix for Galaxy 5, including the "Must press Settings" to get audio problem. With Debug->BC 20780 enabled you get at least partial RDS as an incentive to test the new version. :)

For some devices where mediaserver holds /dev/msm_snd open, the msm7x30 audio methods should hopefully fix that now. There are 3: the original for HTC (Legend at least), a 2nd for LGP500 and a 3rd for Samsung Si5500. May work on other devices too.

ALSO: Alpha release for the Broadcom Proprietary API. If you have a device where Spirit turns off BT if it's already on, you likely have the Broadcom proprietary Bluetooth and FM stack.

To enable, select Settings->Debug->BC Proprietary and restart the app. The power on frequency set may not work. Just hit the preset or whatever again. If there is no audio, try restarting the app again. On my P500 it seems to work every second time.

The Broadcom Proprietary support is very early. It proves it works, at least on my LG P500 and Samsung i5500. A little extra work may be needed for HTC devices. RDS is enabled for now. It's a bit spotty, but more or less works. No PI though...

There are some Broadcom Proprietary test features at Menu->Debug->Audio.

I'm looking forward to all reports...
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
Thanks to the support of at least 19 people, last week was my best income yet at $140 over 7 days. :)

Just for reference, minimum legal wage here is $10/hour and a good dev can make $50/hr or double that on contract. Yet my income is still around $100 per week for 70+ hours, or less than $2/hr.

These are my monthly total net income results from sales and donations combined, since I started selling the pay app:

June $ 40 (last 2.5 weeks)

July $ 160

Aug $ 250

Sept $ 410

Oct $ 310

Nov $ 370

Dec $ 320 (first 20.2/31 days)

The synopsis is that at a steady $6. income was stagnating in September so I began some pricing experiments. Income recovered at least in November to the $100 peak area, but price didn't seem to affect income much, although it certainly affected sales.

This jives with the theory I had that, to a certain extent, my niche app is not particularly price sensitive (with regard to total income at least). It's hard to separate the variables of blog mentions or new device support etc. from the price effects.

My feeling is though, that the current $10 price is better for total income. I hope the next few weeks show December to be the best month, but the holidays are a big variable.

Here are my actual weekly numbers with prices. At these levels, I'm not too concerned with giving info to "competitors". :)

=======================================================

Start End Price Income Copies

=======================================================

Mon Aug 1 - Sun Aug 7 $ 6 $ 70 17

Mon Aug 8 - Sun Aug 14 $ 6 $ 60 15

Mon Aug 15 - Sun Aug 21 $ 6 $ 30 6

Mon Aug 22 - Sun Aug 28 $ 6 $ 70 17

Mon Aug 29 - Sun Sep 4 $ 6 $ 80 19

Mon Sep 5 - Sun Sep 11 $ 6 $ 80 19

Mon Sep 12 - Sun Sep 18 $ 6 $ 70 16

Mon Sep 19 - Sun Sep 25 $ 6 $110 25

Mon Sep 26 - Sun Oct 2 $ 5 $110 31

Mon Oct 3 - Sun Oct 9 $ 3 $ 80 40

Mon Oct 10 - Sun Oct 16 $ 6 $ 60 13

Mon Oct 17 - Sun Oct 23 $ 6 $ 70 17

Mon Oct 24 - Sun Oct 30 $ 4 $ 60 21

Mon Oct 31 - Sun Nov 6 $ 1,2,4 $ 70 57

Mon Nov 7 - Sun Nov 13 $ 2.50 $100 59

Mon Nov 14 - Sun Nov 20 $ 8 $100 17

Mon Nov 21 - Sun Nov 27 $ 6 $ 80 16

Mon Nov 28 - Sun Dec 4 $ 3,10 $100 16

Mon Dec 5 - Sun Dec 11 $ 10 $ 90 12

Mon Dec 12 - Sun Dec 18 $ 10 $140 19

Mon Dec 19 - Sun Dec 25 $ 10 $ 14 2 (first 2.2/7 days)

=======================================================
[Spirit FM] cos68:
Thanks Mike

The new version did make a difference on my Incredible S, but I am afraid it is not working perfect. It still has a volume issue. However it is quite different this time. The problem exists even after a reboot.

The problem is that the volume is only working sometimes. Sometimes I can turn down the volume without any problems but other times it is not working at all. Also the physical volume buttons are not working any more. It is a bit hard to describe in words, so I have prepared a small video for you:

http://youtu.be/JO9lPOojT5k

Thanks!
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
Thanks for the video. I was seeing the same issue at one point. I'll track it down. It seems like it could be a "fight" for the volume control.

EDIT: Can you just touch the on screen volume control instead of dragging it ? MIUI forces me to drag but most other ROMS allow a quick tap.

The second time you pushed to 0 it worked, but not the first. Is it successful about 50% of the time or every other time ? Logs would be great.

Ensure only the free app has been run since reboot. If they are both run they might interfere, but my tests with that just now don't show the effect your video shows.

I can't reproduce it now. Some ROMs & devices do their own volume control, independent of the FM chip, but that would have meant you shouldn't have had the 100% volume bug before.
[Spirit FM] cos68:
I tried by just touching the volume instead. It seems to make no difference:

http://youtu.be/DDE_xQQwuV0

I rebooted the phone just before starting SpiritFm without starting the paid version or anything.

I think the success rate at adjusting the volume is around 25%.

As I wrote this never happened before. The volume was always smooth working with your old version the first time after a reboot.

I would love to send you logs, but I don't see it in the menu for the free version. Did you remove the possibility for sending you logs? Can you tell me where the log is located and then I could send it to you manually?

EDIT: I just tried your new version December 21 on my Desire HD and it has the same problem with the volume, but I guess the Desire HD and the Incredible S are quite similar.
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
The ends of the sliders can be difficult to hit sometimes. I added a 5% margin for that (5% or less goes to 0 volume). I'm not sure if that's is part of your trouble.

Logs are slightly more hidden: Menu->Help->EM Logs. I get 10 logs a day, LOL.

Yes, Desire HD and Incredible S both run your "Android Revolution HD"...

Is there an HTC FM app on those ROMs ? Are the Bluetooth stacks the proprietary Broadcom ones ? The new API support could possibly cause trouble.

It shouldn't activate unless you set Debug->BC Proprietary. If you have a few minutes you might want to test that.

Thanks !
[Spirit FM] cos68:
I see. I have just emailed you a log after trying to adjust the volume a couple of times.

Yes, there is a HTC FM app on those ROMs and it is working fine. It supports RDS fine and volume can be controlled by the physical volume buttons. It has no onscreen volume. However it lacks your neat AF feature :)

I am pretty sure that it uses the propietary Broadcom stacks, but is there a way to verify that?

I have also tried to toggle this but it didn't make any difference.

The strange thing is that your unlocked market version is running perfect on the same ROM, same phone with a nice and smooth onscreen volume control, but only the first time after a reboot.

By the way when I slide the volume it is like a "pulsing" sound. I didn't hear that with the market version. It could easily sound like two program are fighting to control the volume as you indicated earlier.
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
You have the Broadcom proprietary stack. All HTC devices with stock or stock derived do (with Sense and HTC FM app). You can tell by turning BT on then starting my app, if it takes a long time, and turns BT off (with the new proprietary option disabled), that proves it.

There are clues in the files too, such as no hcitool, and these files are present: /system/app/BrcmBluetoothServices.apk package, and /system/bin/btld .

I think you ran into the HTC specific Broadcom API issue. Each OEM can customise the Broadcom provided source code and HTC changed a bit more than most do. I can try some new code for HTC.

I wasn't planning to make a release this week, so lots of changes were made. But this volume problem is clearly affecting a lot of people so I wanted to tackle it now.

I can try to patch slightly the December 13 version, and hopefully that will work better.
[Spirit FM] cos68:
I definitely have the Broadcom proprietary stack then. It both takes a long time when BT is turned on during startup and I see the files you described.

Well, I can easily wait until after Christmas, but I will be happy to test any new version you are going to release.
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
EDIT: I found the bug thanks to your log. It forces volume to 50% and my app ends up fighting with itself. Workaround is to set Audio->Volume Ctrl Stream to the first option: "-2 - No Volume Control". The hardware buttons won't work but the on screen volume control will work. I think media button or lockscreen volume control with Next and Previous may work either way,

Just be sure to reset that setting to the default of "3 - Music" once this gets fixed. I'll try to put put a fixed version in the next 12 hours.

Here's a December 13 version, with only minor changes, that should work OK, but I don't need any testing for this bug at this time.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/lz0mwn28c56q2ml/Spirit_FM_Radio_v111213bon21.apk
[Spirit FM] cos68:
Thank you very much Mike. Everything is perfect now. Both the onscreen volume and the hardware volume buttons are working just as expected.

Merry Christmas to you!

Claus
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
Happy North Hemisphere Winter and Merry Christmas to you all. :)

Here's the latest free version 2011/12/23:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/dgs9qggqon6h100/Spirit_FM_Radio_v111223.apk

Many bugs were fixed and improvements made that should make on screen volume and frequency adjustment smoother.

Very early, experimental Broadcom Proprietary API support was added. To test, enable Debug->BC Proprietary and restart the app. If that doesn't work and you have an HTC device, try Debug->HTC Proprietary and restart the app. In this mode you won't see the normal "FM: " debug line in the RadioText area.
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
The Dec 23 release is on the Market now, both free and paid.

Here's the free version for download: http://www.mediafire.com/file/dgs9qggqon6h100/Spirit_FM_Radio_v111223.apk

Some lingering bugs were fixed. Fingers crossed that this is a keeper, and I can move away from development for a few days... :)
[Spirit FM] denzel09:
Hi mike, same problem.

Btw merry christmas ;)

Bu!
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
Merry Christmas... :)

I keep adding code I hope will help. This time it was code that should do exactly what hitting Settings does, about 1 second after power-up, then hitting Back half a second later. Perhaps it needs to wait longer.

I'll try something else after the holiday. I hope that other Galaxy 5 users can use the latest app now at least.

Regards,

Mike.
[Spirit FM] arnarn911:
i hope there's a way to make fm radio of m110s to work in my country.
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
I'm not sure there is any FM radio in the M110S Korean variant of the Galaxy S.

You get the integrated DMB TV instead.

But install my app and send me a log and I can give better info:

Press Menu->Help->EM Logs, wait a few seconds, enter M110s in the email text and press Send.
[Spirit FM] E:V:A:
You're kidding right!??

Nobody cares about your personal finances! What are you doing on XDA, if all you wanna do is begging and getting cash? If you don't feel like sharing you "work" for free, you should (like you mentioned) just get another better paid job, I guess.

I just can't believe how you can charge close to 10 USD for an radio app that is half broken, and with such an awful UI. (Why didn't you just choose black and white instead?)

Getting Radio hack to work properly have been done in many cases. But the more interesting things to get to work are the following:

+ Use of full (Broadcom 4329) FM spectrum (76-108 MHz)

+ FM radio Recording

+ Antenna hack

+ FM transmission

Like mentioned in this post by midnjerry :

"[TUTORIAL] Reverse engineering HTC FM Radio for noobs (on EVO 4G)"

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=725870

There is enough source out there already, so that anyone with a little HW and java talent should easily be able to hack together something with the 3 first items above.

Also have a better look at this work:

http://mmbtools.crc.ca/content/view/54/79/
[Spirit FM] .:Crack:.:
Thanks!

Works fine on Onecosmics ICS Port!

Only setting that works is Galaxy S ALSA...
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
Great ! :)

Yes all 3 of the ICS ROMs for Galaxy S seem to work OK with my app. "S.U.R.F.A.C.E" even includes my app in the "Essentials" package, but it doesn't work as installed until you upgrade via the Market.

I hope that real audio library support for FM will be added to these ROMs. "Galaxy S ALSA" works generally, but it a bit of a hack.

Occasionally, when power cycling, I only hear clicks, but restarting the app or restarting the phone will fix it. It can also be fixed by setting Audio Method to None and then back to Galaxy S ALSA.

I've also had occasional problems with the music player starting. I'm not exactly sure why yet, and the only workaround I have at present is to ensure there are no music files available. This might be due to my use of lockscreen controls that are normally used by the music player.

Merry Christmas... :D
[Spirit FM] icke:
GREAT!!!

v111223 is working on ICS HD2.:)

Thank U so much for your work and merry Xmass!!!

---------- Post added at 06:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:47 PM ----------

BTW: Is it possible to get unlock via paypal? Couldn't buy it in germany without CC.:(
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
Wonderful and Merry Xmas... :)

Yes, Paypal is fine, but then I have to email updates until I get a better solution. Send me an email.

If possible I'll try to get online much later tonight... On my way out the door for a 2 1/2 hour drive to Montreal now.

:D
[Spirit FM] E:V:A:
Thank you! You too.

I must apologize for my hard words and I realize they were quite a bit out of line, at least in your case. However, the money thing is quite a sore topic for me especially during Christmas time. With that and seeing many of your posts that I have seen (before), too often (much more so than others) contain the words: payment, donation, economy, income and price, all of which for me raises a bunch of red flags, when it comes to posts in a forum like XDA. I can't help thinking; "is this guy serious or just trying to promote his pet project!?"

This is in fact getting more and more annoying, especially in light of some ROM dev's out there. I don't want XDA to become some cheap marketing platform for developers and others, alike, and I don't think they want this either actually. So let's just try to keep the economical aspects out of this place. Please. (Isn't it enough with the donation buttons!?)

In addition, since we still on that topic. 10 USD may not sound much to you, but given that XDA is global forum, where there are (perhaps even) a majority of developers coming from countries where 100 USD would still be considered a good months wage. In this light it is difficult for me to accept people trying to compare their own work as being "worthy" this or that. Personally I would not pay 10 USD for your (or anybody else's) App , but I would pay 2 USD, if it is as good as you claim.

You're absolutely right, I didn't do my homework in this case. Obviously I wouldn't bother to read through 180 pages to answer a post that was linked from a completely different thread. In addition, as you have already noticed, I am new (as a member) to XDA, so I just haven't had time to read each persons 1000's posts. Let alone write my own 50+ in the last + weeks. No I am not remotely as talented as (you) or many of the dev's around here, but I do know how to find things, and it is difficult not to wonder if some of these "dev's" ever use google at all. I keep on finding/seeing relevant pieces to many problems posted here, but there is little I can do to resolve/inform about these my self, as I have my own projects to deal with.

All in all, I'll be the first one to admit that I really do like your work and the few things I have seen you share.

PS. According to the spec sheet for the BCM4329, the chip fully supports FM transmission. So yeah, it is possible, even though we have not yet seen such a solution, and most likely we will never see any stock FM transmission. What would happen on the NY subway, if everyone was sitting and transmitting their own FM? So yeah, that is the REAL thing to work on, if you are a devoted HW hacker, as it would have many other uses as well, apart from pirate radio.
[Spirit FM] justinglock40:
Does this work on the Rezound?
[Spirit FM] sharmy3:
Wow, I spent maybe 3 hours going through this thread today.

I had HTC Sensation 4G and your app worked just fine. Now I have the Amaze 4G.

Did anyone report about HTC Amaze 4G?

I tried your app and I get:

Error: No FM accessible

Fm:TI Sh:1 Bt:1 Ht:0 H2:0 Mo:TIU

My phone is rooted and am using Mike1986's AHRD v1.1.0 ROM

Do you want me send you the logs as well?

Thanks,

---Sharmy
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
I'm traveling and have some battery life issues, so please forgive me if it takes up to a day to respond.

I had at least one report on the HTC Rezound and it was negative. If there is a stock FM app, then it should be possible and I think I will eventually support it. If there isn't a stock FM app then I think we are out of luck.

If there IS a stock app, what ROM are you running (or stock ? Rooted ?) and is there an FM app on that ROM ?

In any case, usually the fastest answer comes from just trying it and posting the results and.or sending me the debug logs with Menu->Help->EM Logs.
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
:) Wow ! What did you learn after 3 hours ?

At least I can say I've spent more time re-reading my entire thread for various reasons. :D

Usually the 2nd post of this thread has what I know about compatibility.

Do you have root/SU ? There should be a "Su: 0" or "Su: 1" in that line.

Your results indicate you are running a stock or stock derived ROM that uses HTC's proprietary Bluetooth/FM stack. Interesting to see that HTC is using a TI FM/combo chip again; most of their devices use Broadcom.

For that phone/stack, the quickest success will come from a ROM, such as CM, that uses the open source Bluez BT stack.

Beyond that, you could wait and hope that I will be able to add support for either:

(1) A direct to Bluetooth UART mode like I have for Broadcom chips. But this would only work if you had root and can run with Bluetooth off.

or:

(2) The HTC proprietary FM API.

I've begun looking at option (2). I think it's possible, but haven't proved yet that it can be done on a stock HTC ROM without root or access to HTC's closely guarded manufacturer keys.

The tech part of me really wants to do (2). But the "wants to eat" part of me thinks I'll get a much better bang for the buck/time required to forget about TI chips and just support the dominant Broadcom chips.

Best I can say is that paid customer requests always take priority.

-----------------

BTW, this isn't directed at you, so please forgive and don't take offense, but I've gotten to a point where all I can do is chuckle when I hear someone say 'I will buy your app if XYZ."

I may be cynical, but I think of cynicism as realism. IMO, most people (but not all) who say "I would buy" or "I will buy" are "mis-speaking" themselves.It doesn't matter what it is, whether it's my app or a yacht or whatever.

And again, that's not directed at you, it's just human nature I think, and I feel a need to say what's been on my mind.
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
:D Hmmm, unfortunately, IMO, money is what makes things happen in this world. Star Trek and truly money-less societies are fiction. I wish it were otherwise.

My wife and I sponsor a Haitian girl. The money goes to education and some to clothes and food. None goes to smartphone apps.

Those who can afford a smartphone can run my free app. IMO somebody making only $100 per month should spend it on worthier and more useful things than the extra features in the paid app. Is their some god given inalienable right that poor people have to inexpensive apps ? Google doesn't even support sales in most of the poorer countries since it makes no business sense to them or there are political issues.

I will repeat the offer I've made a few times. If someone wants my pay app and can't afford it or doesn't think it's worth the asking price, they can contact me and make an offer. So far only two people have and both have resulted in transactions. I try not to "advertise" this too heavily to avoid abuse and to not make the full price buyers angry.

And beyond that i want absolutely zero unhappy purchasers. If anyone is unhappy at any time for any reason i will refund them in full or in part as they request. I had an email today from someone who I think didn't like the price drop and I made that offer. I've even emailed the paid customers who posted less than 5 star reviews to see what, if anything, I can do to help them.

I try hard not to make claims about greatness of my app. I am first an engineer/techie and only reluctantly a salesman. I value truth very highly, as would any scientist or morally upright person.

I try to be honest and open about the shortcomings of my app. Yes, like all apps it has bugs (more than usual for me), and the UI needs improvement, and I could go on... I may overuse exclamation marks and smiley faces and may come across as salesman like at times... But if I've said anything anywhere that is similar to "It's great !", let me know and I will try to tone it down.

Tech stuff in my next post if my battery holds out.
[Spirit FM] mikereidis:
OK, great ! I'd like to think then, that based on my pricing offer above, that you will become a customer.

I read at least one of your posts that indicated you "tell it like it is" or "... asyou see it" or similar. I don't know if opinionated describes that. But I've also come to realize that some of my biggest critics, or the most opinionated, can turn into some of my best allies... :)

Tech stuff in next post for sure this time..