Car Journal, why does it not do xxx?

I've gotten a number of emails regarding Car Journal, where people are asking why it can't create reports, why it doesn't allow for more than one odometer etc. The answer is simple: Providing for everyone's preferences would be near impossible; so even if a simple listview can present the entire contents if desired, basically the app only takes input from the user and allows this to be exported to a .csv file. This file can then be analyzed in, for example Microsoft Excel, where the possibilities of customizing an analysis are almost endless.

One question I got was this: I use the same car both privately and in my work, how do I keep the information separate?

My suggestion is that you (in this case) use "Description" field to input "work" or "private", and then this could be used in the logic of your analysis. That is, if your'e trying to put together a report for work expenditures, only include the records where Description = "work". You catch my drift...

I also have had a number of emails asking for the use of GPS for calculating the mileage automatically, which is a great idea. I've added that to the application wishlist.

/Patrik

Car Journal

Finally I got time to finish Car Journal and put it on Android Market. You'll find it at Android Market.

Car Journal lets you track your car travels. Just enter the information you need whenever you are going somewhere (car registration, date and time can be automatically filled in if so desired, check the preferences screen) and then export it as a .csv file when you need to analyze it. All information is stored in an SQLite database and is viewable on your Android device. When exporting to .csv there are several ways to go, email it or Bluetooth it (if your device supports it) etc.

Feedback is always welcome, and also if you think something is missing let me know and I will compile a wish-list.

More info on Flashlight and Droid.

Wow! There has been a lot of talk on Android fragmentation, meaning that there are a lot of different versions of Android out in the wild that developers need to take into account. And to complicate it even further, not all handsets are created equal, which means that even if they are running the same Android version, they might not contain the same hardware. That is something that speaks a lot in favor of Iphone, don't get me wrong I love Android and its open architecture, but it makes it a lot harder to develop for Android.

I still haven't been able to lay my hands on a Droid and checking it out, but apparently it does not support emitting constant light from the flash. See this link for more information on that. I made some minor changes to Flashlight, namely checking for existence of flash before trying to get the light to turn on. Thank you all for feedback and error reporting. I am working on another app, that collects info on car travels and then exports it to Excel for further analysis. Again, besides that I see a personal use for it, it is good fun and a lot of learning involved. I will make it available on Market as soon as it is in a useable from, hopefully during next week.

Regarding my App

In regards to my previous post and the published application. Feedback is welcome, especially so if there is stuff that doesn't work or if there's something you think could have been better/different. Please use the email address pallenygren@hotmail.com for all feedback / questions. The Flashlight application has had a minor fix; the orientation would change according to how the user held the phone, now it is always in portrait mode to prevent the light from turning off when the internal sensor detects a change in orientation.

I have had a report that it does not work on a Droid 2, since I do not have access to one of these devices I would appreciate reports from more people how the Flashlight app behaves on Droids.

Android app

Finally I had time to finish my first Android app. Might be a bit unimaginative, a Flashlight app with Morse code functionality. I started it as an experiment without any real purpose, nor enough time to do something constructive with it, but since I recently had a slow period studying, I decided to finish it and publish it. It now resides in Android Marketplace, and I think it is self-explanatory. "Flashlight on" turns the flashlight on, "Send Morse"...well it sends Morse. Simple as that. Can be found at market://market.android.com/search?q=pname:flashlight.pallenygren.app.com.

I have a few ideas for next app. Studies are a bit quiet this week but will pick up next week, not too sure how much time I will have for playing around with developing apps. Time will tell!