9 Ideas for GREAT Android Apps

**hugo** · 06-23-2008, 01:12 AM

Hi,

after thinking a little bit about what android and a great device can do, I came up with the following list of ideas. If you are a developer and like an idea, go at it! (Would be great, if I could beta test... :-))

1) Handset Theft Monitoring

- This application sends the GPS-position of the device up to an internet portal. The last 2/4/6/24 hours are recorded. In case of a theft of the device, you can view where it was stolen and where the device is/was.

2) Emergency Call (inkl. Video & Audio)

- This is an application that you activate before you might get into an emergency situation (i.e. before walking alone through a tunnel). Then you have to press a button (or a finger on the screen...) and as soon as you lift the finger from that button/screen, the device will send an emergency call to a friend/the police and send the current position, sound and video to another device or to an internet portal.

3) Geo Profile (similar to Locale by Clare Bayley, Carter Jernigan, Christina Wright, Jasper
Lin)
-Call Filter

White list/ Black list certain contacts from contacting you via (phone / VoIP / IM / SMS) depending on your current location.

-Ring tone

Set the ring tone depending on your current location and the person calling.

-Individual message for answering machine

Set an individual message for different locations.

-Messaging status

Set the messaging status automatically, depending on your current location.

4) Display Location when calling

- This application would be started everytime there is an incoming call. If another android user is calling, then the other phone could transfer the current position (or situation, like "at work" or "at home",...) to the phone being called. That way, the incoming call could be announced as "Girlfriend calling from work".

5) Tool to announce arrival

- This application would be activated by a calendar entry, showing that the phone user has an appointment somewhere (i.e. meeting friends in a town 2 hours away). The application would track the phones position and register that the user is on his way to the appointment (by checking if the user is following the route of google maps to the destination). The phone would keep a status of whether the phone owner will arrive on time or be late. As soon as the user is on his way, the people being visited can check anytime if their friend will arrive on time (communication between the devices via a webpage or IM).

6) 24h tracking

- This application would track your positions constantly and save them on a well secured webpage. That way you can later go back to a specific day and find out where you were or view the pictures you took that day and follow the street where you took them. You could add text to certain time stamps or locations and keep a "log" of your life.

7) Product Wiki (similar to AndroidScan by Jeffrey Sharkey)
This application would require as input a unique identifyer of a product, i.e. an EAN Number/barcode. This would be used to lookup information about the product/the producing company on a publicly available "product wiki".
The application would then run the items information through your personal filter and return relevant information to the user,i.e.
- the item is produced using child labour
- the item is produced 100% in your home country
- the item contains gene food
- the item contains nuts (which you might be allergic against)
-...

8) Delivery announcement / authorize strangers to localize you

- This application would need to be closely linked to a web service. You would register with your postal address and link it to your account with that service. After that everyone can request, only by providing your postal address, other contact details of you (i.e. Phone number, IM user,...) or send you a message or request.
This could be used to keep your contact's contact details up to date or would be very helpfull for deliverys to your home. The logistics company (i.e. DHL) could ask via your address, if someone will be at home between 11am and 1 pm. This way the routes could be optimized, you would get your shipment quicker and the logistics company saves cost.

9) Swich connection dynamically

If two users try to contact each other, the phones could check in the background (via am IM connection for example) the preferred contact channel. So when you try to call a friend, the phones could automatically switch to a SIP/VoIP Connection, if both are in reach of a WiFi network, or the IM client could pop up, because the called person is in a meeting, not able to take the phone.

**dontlookatme** · 09-23-2008, 12:17 PM

i like them ideas,

-1- is a good idea, log in from some where else, to activated the feature, so when it's turned on, u can see where it's at. or where it's been.

-2- will it send a text to some one? or voice saying ur address to where u at? and it would be nice, but what about if i accidently let go? would be nice if it had like a ten second timer before it went off.

-3- i don't wanna have the same ring tone for every one, or the same text tone, for every body. so this one is a plus for me.

-4- only if we had the ability to turn it off and on. and if it did come with it, might be using up some of the data every time u make or receive a call.

-5- again, data usage. and this would use the fone's gps i assume? will it refresh ever now and then? or will we have to refresh it ourselves?

-6- not a big fan, but could be a good idea, for parents if they wanna know where there kid was at. or teenager.

-7- good for those who always want to know more, like myself, i would like this, but not use so much of. and will the info be kept on the device? or sent to the internet some where so every one can see?

-8- not a big fan of, but it could be useful for those who order a lot of items on the net.

-9- very good, since some times i call a couple of buddies, and we call each other at the same time, we go to voice mail, or call busy tone.

these are just my opinions on these ideas

**Bratman** · 10-15-2008, 02:24 AM

Originally Posted by hugo

Hi,

after thinking a little bit about what android and a great device can do, I came up with the following list of ideas. If you are a developer and like an idea, go at it! (Would be great, if I could beta test... :-))

1) Handset Theft Monitoring

- This application sends the GPS-position of the device up to an internet portal. The last 2/4/6/24 hours are recorded. In case of a theft of the device, you can view where it was stolen and where the device is/was.

2) Emergency Call (inkl. Video & Audio)

- This is an application that you activate before you might get into an emergency situation (i.e. before walking alone through a tunnel). Then you have to press a button (or a finger on the screen...) and as soon as you lift the finger from that button/screen, the device will send an emergency call to a friend/the police and send the current position, sound and video to another device or to an internet portal.

3) Geo Profile (similar to Locale by Clare Bayley, Carter Jernigan, Christina Wright, Jasper
Lin)
-Call Filter

White list/ Black list certain contacts from contacting you via (phone / VoIP / IM / SMS) depending on your current location.

-Ring tone

Set the ring tone depending on your current location and the person calling.

-Individual message for answering machine

Set an individual message for different locations.

-Messaging status

Set the messaging status automatically, depending on your current location.

4) Display Location when calling

- This application would be started everytime there is an incoming call. If another android user is calling, then the other phone could transfer the current position (or situation, like "at work" or "at home",...) to the phone being called. That way, the incoming call could be announced as "Girlfriend calling from work".

5) Tool to announce arrival

- This application would be activated by a calendar entry, showing that the phone user has an appointment somewhere (i.e. meeting friends in a town 2 hours away). The application would track the phones position and register that the user is on his way to the appointment (by checking if the user is following the route of google maps to the destination). The phone would keep a status of whether the phone owner will arrive on time or be late. As soon as the user is on his way, the people being visited can check anytime if their friend will arrive on time (communication between the devices via a webpage or IM).

6) 24h tracking

- This application would track your positions constantly and save them on a well secured webpage. That way you can later go back to a specific day and find out where you were or view the pictures you took that day and follow the street where you took them. You could add text to certain time stamps or locations and keep a "log" of your life.

7) Product Wiki (similar to AndroidScan by Jeffrey Sharkey)
This application would require as input a unique identifyer of a product, i.e. an EAN Number/barcode. This would be used to lookup information about the product/the producing company on a publicly available "product wiki".
The application would then run the items information through your personal filter and return relevant information to the user,i.e.
- the item is produced using child labour
- the item is produced 100% in your home country
- the item contains gene food
- the item contains nuts (which you might be allergic against)
-...

8) Delivery announcement / authorize strangers to localize you

- This application would need to be closely linked to a web service. You would register with your postal address and link it to your account with that service. After that everyone can request, only by providing your postal address, other contact details of you (i.e. Phone number, IM user,...) or send you a message or request.
This could be used to keep your contact's contact details up to date or would be very helpfull for deliverys to your home. The logistics company (i.e. DHL) could ask via your address, if someone will be at home between 11am and 1 pm. This way the routes could be optimized, you would get your shipment quicker and the logistics company saves cost.

9) Swich connection dynamically

If two users try to contact each other, the phones could check in the background (via am IM connection for example) the preferred contact channel. So when you try to call a friend, the phones could automatically switch to a SIP/VoIP Connection, if both are in reach of a WiFi network, or the IM client could pop up, because the called person is in a meeting, not able to take the phone.

Some interesting ideas, and some scary ideas, like straight out of the pages of 1984... sure you don't have some paranoia issues or cheating girlfriends baggage...?

just sayin'

**G-won** · 10-15-2008, 10:14 AM

Some nice ideas there, also - #1 is already being worked on.

**foxdie** · 10-15-2008, 10:29 AM

#1 - Theft monitoring

This has been developed by Master Pyro on these forums and is in beta, his web link is http://gTrak.net/

#6 - 24hr GPS tracking

This has been developed by myself (client for G1 pending delivery, will code it after I get my grubby little hands on a G1 hehe) and is powered by Google Maps, the site link is in my signature.

Privacy and security are paramount, everything is opt-in, you have to manually activate features, by default its very secure and only you can view where you are. From there, you can grant guest access to your friends with a common password, and soon to be developed will be a buddy system where you can share your location with friends logged into the service.

At present it only keeps a breadcrumb trail of where you've been whilst the page is open, that element isn't stored on my server, but the feature has been requested and will be opt-in.

Will also be coding in a buddy system where you can plot on a map where your friends are (who have also registered / opted-in) in relation to you, as well as send them short instant messages that will appear on their map.

Also I've had request to develop a public map system where you can see those who have opted in to being publically viewable within your area and again, send them messages.