2013-02-06T00:00:00Z http://appsbyken.com/ Ken Gilmer kgilmer@gmail.com 2013-02-07 http://appsbyken.com/2013/02/07/Currency-Rate-Widget <p>This widget is designed to monitor at-a-glance currency exchange rates.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>Displays the currency currency rate as provided by <a href="http://openexchangerates.org">openexchangerates.org</a>.</li> <li>Clean, uncluttered UI showing current rate, time of last server check, base and quote currencies, and change amount since previous day.</li> <li>Configure the base and quote currencies.</li> <li>Select from 159 tracked currencies.</li> <li>Define update interval.</li> <li>Caches data for efficient network utilization.</li> <li>No advertisements.</li> </ul> <h2>Recent Changes</h2> <ul> <li>Fix intermittent failures to download currency data.</li> </ul> 2013-02-06 http://appsbyken.com/2013/02/06/Currency-Rate-Widget-GT <p>This application provides currency exchange rate information from openexchangerates.org. It includes two types of widgets and a simple currency converter.</p> <p>Besides the widget provided by <a href="/2012/02/06/Currency-Rate-Widget/">Currency Rate Widget</a>, Currency Rate Widget GT also provides the following features.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>View currency trends with a widget that graphs the daily values of configured base and quote currencies.</li> <li>Following widget information is configurable via preferences: Show flag or currency code, show last change, show last server update.</li> <li>Perform a currency conversion using a simple Application.</li> <li>Fine-grained update intervals for rate widget.</li> <li>Caches data for efficient network utilization.</li> <li>Currency conversion app is able to used cache currency data if phone or tablet is offline.</li> <li>Tested with Android 4.0, 4.1, and 2.3.</li> <li>No advertisements.</li> </ul> <h2>Recent Changes</h2> <ul> <li>Fix intermittent issues downloading currency data.</li> </ul> 2013-02-02 http://appsbyken.com/2013/02/02/Performance-Trends <ul> <li>Track your Strava performance with this Android widget.</li> </ul> <p>Select average power, distance, or time and show a simple weekly and monthly sum. Or, show this week's performance compared to last. Or compare your stats with another Strava user.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>Strava stats at a glance on your phone or tablet.</li> <li>Get realtime updates by touching the widget.</li> <li>Calculate performance metrics for you and your Strava friends.</li> <li>View stats in metric or English units.</li> </ul> 2013-01-27 http://appsbyken.com/2013/01/27/Simple-Distance-Trends <p>Keep track of your Strava activities with this simple Android widget. Calculates and displays weekly and monthly distance trends using the Strava service. A valid Strava account is required to use. Once installed, simply enter your Strava login into the widget settings and your weekly and monthly distance trends will be calculated on the fly. Press on the widget to have the results updated, or let it automatically update on a daily basis.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>Get an up to date total of your total weekly and monthly distance.</li> </ul> <h2>Recent Changes v1.1</h2> <ul> <li>Calculate distance totals rather than comparison against previous week/month.</li> <li>Login with Strava account instead of providing athlete id.</li> <li>Display results in kilometers or miles.</li> <li>Allow multiple widgets on the same device.</li> </ul> 2012-12-29 http://appsbyken.com/2012/12/29/Simple-Distance-Trends <p>Keep track of your Strava activities with this simple Android widget. Calculates and displays weekly and monthly distance trends using the Strava service. A valid Strava account is required to use. Once installed, simply enter your Strava Athlete ID into the widget settings and your weekly and monthly distance trends will be calculated on the fly. Press on the widget to have the results updated, or let it automatically update on a daily basis.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>See this week's distance versus last week's distance.</li> <li>Compare this month's distance versus last month's distance.</li> </ul> <h2>Recent Changes</h2> <ul> <li>Initial Release</li> </ul> 2012-10-13 http://appsbyken.com/2012/10/13/Currency-Rate-Widget-GT <p>This application provides currency exchange rate information from openexchangerates.org. It includes two types of widgets and a simple currency converter.</p> <p>Besides the widget provided by <a href="/2012/02/06/Currency-Rate-Widget/">Currency Rate Widget</a>, Currency Rate Widget GT also provides the following features.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>View currency trends with a widget that graphs the daily values of configured base and quote currencies.</li> <li>Following widget information is configurable via preferences: Show flag or currency code, show last change, show last server update.</li> <li>Perform a currency conversion using a simple Application.</li> <li>Fine-grained update intervals for rate widget.</li> <li>Caches data for efficient network utilization.</li> <li>Currency conversion app is able to used cache currency data if phone or tablet is offline.</li> <li>Tested with Android 4.0, 4.1, and 2.3.</li> <li>No advertisements.</li> </ul> <h2>Recent Changes</h2> <ul> <li>Fix intermittent errors.</li> <li>Other stability improvements.</li> </ul> 2012-06-13 http://appsbyken.com/2012/06/13/Red-Radio-Player <p>A completely free streaming radio player for Android. Free means:</p> <ul> <li>No cost to download or use</li> <li>No in-app advertising</li> <li><a href="http://dirble.com">Open and independent stream directory</a></li> <li><a href="https://github.com/kgilmer/com.abk.rrp">Open source</a></li> </ul> <p>Don't see the station you're looking for? Add and share it with others on <a href="http://dirble.com">dirble</a>!</p> <h2>Operation</h2> <p>The interface is very simple, recently played stations appear when the application is launched. Swiping left or right will show lists of different genres. Selecting a station will make it play. Icons at the top stop the stream and refresh the catalog from dirble.com.</p> 2012-04-30 http://appsbyken.com/2012/04/30/transit-sharpener-NYC-live-wallpaper <p>A live wallpaper that renders each station in the NYC subway network, and indicates stations with arriving trains with a gradually expanding circle. An arc in the circle rotates clockwise for southbound trains and counter-clockwise for northbound trains. Optionally, a label is rendered that shows the train line, station name, and time of entry. Four color themes are available including one designed specifically for ICS.</p> <p>Based upon the <a href="http://transitsharpener.com">Transit Sharpener NYC</a> application, which allows for querying of NYC subway data via a "live" map and a station widget.</p> 2012-04-18 http://appsbyken.com/2012/04/18/transit-sharpener-NYC-widget <p>See when the trains arriving at specific stations based on the published MTA time tables. Rather than pouring through the MTA train schedules, simply check station times with this widget. It automatically calculates when then next train is scheduled to arrive for each line in a given station.</p> <p><img class="content" src="/images/com.abk.ltw.nyc/widget-legend-small.png"/></p> <p>Transit Sharpener includes all schedule data and <b>does not need any network access</b> to function. This makes it fast and means it works in stations, and on devices that don't have network connectivity.</p> <h1>Features</h1> <ul> <li>For stations and lines with published time table columns, the exact time specified by the schedule is displayed.</li> <li>For stations without schedule data, estimates are calculated based on neighboring stations where the schedules are known.</li> <li>All station, line, and schedule data is included so no network access is required, saving battery life.</li> <li>Weekday, Saturday, and Sunday service times included.</li> <li>Train Lines: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, J, L, M, N, Q, R, S, Z, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.</li> <li>Uses time schedule published December 2011.</li> </ul> <h1>Details</h1> <p>The widget is available by accessing the widget selection list on your device after installing Transit Sharpener NYC. There are two widget sizes: regular and small. The small widget size is intended for stations with only one line. For stations with multiple lines, use the regular sized widget. After selecting the widget from the dialog a settings dialog will show:</p> <p><img class="content" src="/images/com.abk.ltw.nyc/samsung-widget-prefs.png"/></p> <p>To configure the widget, filter your station selections by selecting the Borough and Line of the station you wish to show in the widget. Next, select the specific station. After this, hit the back button and the widget will be created on your screen. To update the widget, select it. To conserve battery power, the <b>widget does not update unless it is selected manually</b> by the user.</p> <h1>Scope of Application</h1> <p>Actual train arrival times will vary. This is because Transit Sharpener simulates the train network based on the published time schedules. Planned and unplanned service outages, track or equipment problems may prevent trains from keeping to their scheduled times.</p> <h1>Known Issues and Limitations</h1> <ul> <li>Some time table information is not accounted for with the Brooklyn and Queens shuttle trains.</li> <li>Late-night routes which differ from day-time routes are not handled.</li> <li>On the Bronx 6 line, the late-night times between Pelham Bay Park and Parkchester may be inaccurate, due to the complex time table.</li> <li>On some lines, the MTA time tables use vague language such as "some trains stop at...". These time table entries are estimated as best possible.</li> </ul> 2012-04-10 http://appsbyken.com/2012/04/10/Currency-Rate-Widget-GT <p>This application provides currency exchange rate information from openexchangerates.org. It includes two types of widgets and a simple currency converter.</p> <p>Besides the widget provided by <a href="/2012/02/06/Currency-Rate-Widget/">Currency Rate Widget</a>, Currency Rate Widget GT also provides the following features.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>View currency trends with a widget that graphs the daily values of configured base and quote currencies.</li> <li>Following widget information is configurable via preferences: Show flag or currency code, show last change, show last server update.</li> <li>Perform a currency conversion using a simple Application.</li> <li>Fine-grained update intervals for rate widget.</li> <li>Caches data for efficient network utilization.</li> <li>Currency conversion app is able to used cache currency data if phone or tablet is offline.</li> <li>Tested with Android 4.0 and 2.3.</li> <li>No advertisements.</li> </ul> <h2>Recent Changes</h2> <ul> <li>Fix intermittent trend widget rendering issues caused by incomplete historical data.</li> <li>Remove debug logging.</li> </ul> 2012-03-04 http://appsbyken.com/2012/03/04/Private-Dancer <p>It is designed to be used on a device attached to speakers and power. Unlike most <a href="http://www.upnp.org/">UPnP</a> Android applications, Private Dancer is designed for always-on (headless) use. It contains no flashy UI and its only purpose is to provide a rock-solid, dependable wireless audio service.</p> <h2>What is a UPnP/DLNA Media Renderer?</h2> <p>The name is awkward but Private Dancer essentially provides wireless speakers for your network. It relies on the UPnP* protocol to communicate with other devices on the network. Many devices support this protocol and there are many Android apps available that can be used to send audio to Private Dancer.</p> <h2>What is meant by <em>Headless</em>?</h2> <p>While Private Dancer can be used on any Android device, it sports features that make it ideal for a tablet or unused Android phone that can be connected to speakers and power. The service can run on boot and aims to be always available, and generally once setup does not require direct user interaction.</p> <h2>Operation</h2> <p>Install the application and run it. Select startup options and enable the service. Once enabled, a notification appears and the UPnP/DLNA service is available on the network. Connect to the service via a supported UPnP client, such as <a href="http://www.samsung.com/global/allshare/pcsw/">Samsung's AllShare</a> media application to play music from your phone or other UPnP device. When the control point application allows for selection of 'player' or 'renderer', select Private Dancer. From there, the audio should begin playing from the device that Private Dancer is running on.</p> <h2>A Note on Compatibility</h2> <p>Since UPnP relies on networking features that may not be available on all home networks, it's best to test the application once purchased. If there is a problem using Private Dancer in a particular environment, it is easy initially to cancel the purchase.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>UPnP/DLNA Media Renderer</li> <li>Configurable to start automatically on boot (survives loss of power)</li> <li>Configurable to prevent device from entering sleep mode (always on)</li> <li>Configurable to allow or prevent clients from changing the volume</li> <li>Configurable the name of the service</li> </ul> <h2>Tested Clients</h2> <ul> <li>2Player v1.1.07 (Android)</li> <li>BubbleUPnP 1.3.1.2 (Android)</li> <li>UPnPlay 0.0.62 (Android)</li> <li>Samsung AllShare 2.6.114 (Android)</li> <li>Microsoft Windows Media Player (Windows 7)</li> </ul> <h2>Recent Changes (Version 1.2)</h2> <ul> <li>Fixed compatibility issues with Windows Media Player</li> <li>Fixed problems with mimetypes in UPnP discovery</li> <li>Load network streams in background for better player performance</li> <li>More accurate update of current player state for clients</li> <li>Several minor UPnP-related fixes</li> </ul> <p>Private Dancer uses the excellent <a href="http://teleal.org/projects/cling/">Cling library</a> for UPnP protocol support. Cling is LGPL licensed, and more information is available at http://teleal.org/projects/cling.</p> 2012-02-25 http://appsbyken.com/2012/02/25/Private-Dancer <p>It is designed to be used on a device attached to speakers and power. Unlike most <a href="http://www.upnp.org/">UPnP</a> Android applications, Private Dancer is designed for always-on (headless) use. It contains no flashy UI and its only purpose is to provide a rock-solid, dependable wireless audio service.</p> <h2>What is a UPnP/DLNA Media Renderer?</h2> <p>The name is awkward but Private Dancer essentially provides wireless speakers for your network. It relies on the UPnP* protocol to communicate with other devices on the network. Many devices support this protocol and there are many Android apps available that can be used to send audio to Private Dancer.</p> <h2>What is meant by <em>Headless</em>?</h2> <p>While Private Dancer can be used on any Android device, it sports features that make it ideal for a tablet or unused Android phone that can be connected to speakers and power. The service can run on boot and aims to be always available, and generally once setup does not require direct user interaction.</p> <h2>Operation</h2> <p>Install the application and run it. Select startup options and enable the service. Once enabled, a notification appears and the UPnP/DLNA service is available on the network. Connect to the service via a supported UPnP client, such as <a href="http://www.samsung.com/global/allshare/pcsw/">Samsung's AllShare</a> media application to play music from your phone or other UPnP device. When the control point application allows for selection of 'player' or 'renderer', select Private Dancer. From there, the audio should begin playing from the device that Private Dancer is running on.</p> <h2>A Note on Compatibility</h2> <p>Since UPnP relies on networking features that may not be available on all home networks, it's best to test the application once purchased. If there is a problem using Private Dancer in a particular environment, it is easy initially to cancel the purchase.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>UPnP/DLNA Media Renderer</li> <li>Configurable to start automatically on boot (survives loss of power)</li> <li>Configurable to prevent device from entering sleep mode (always on)</li> <li>Configurable to allow or prevent clients from changing the volume</li> <li>Configurable the name of the service</li> </ul> <h2>Tested Clients</h2> <ul> <li>2Player v1.1.07 (Android)</li> <li>BubbleUPnP 1.3.1.2 (Android)</li> <li>UPnPlay 0.0.62 (Android)</li> <li>Samsung AllShare 2.6.114 (Android)</li> </ul> <h2>Recent Changes (Version 1.1)</h2> <ul> <li>Fixed compatibility issues with 2Player</li> <li>General enhancements to reliability</li> <li>More robust error handling and recovery</li> <li>Removed debug logging messages</li> </ul> <p>Private Dancer uses the excellent <a href="http://teleal.org/projects/cling/">Cling library</a> for UPnP protocol support. Cling is LGPL licensed, and more information is available at http://teleal.org/projects/cling.</p> 2012-02-08 http://appsbyken.com/2012/02/08/The-Soft-Machines-Wallpaper <p>The cut-up: a technique of writing which utilizes semi-random bits of text as a source for material and ideas. Popularized by the writer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_S._Burroughs">William Burroughs</a>, this technique was used to help write several of his books. This application performs cut-ups on pre-loaded selections of fiction and displays them as a live wallpaper. Upon the configured update interval, a new cut-up will be generated and displayed in the background.</p> <p>This live wallpaper contains no advertisements. The source fiction is in the public domain and was taken from the <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/">Gutenberg Project</a>.</p> <h1>Source Selections</h1> <ul> <li>Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen</li> <li>Grimm's Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm</li> <li>War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy</li> <li>England by Frank Fox</li> </ul> <h1>Recent Changes</h1> <ul> <li>Configure text transparancy</li> <li>Configure faster refresh rate</li> <li>Rendering fixes during configuration and wakeup</li> <li>Add source text England by Frank Fox</li> </ul> 2012-02-08 http://appsbyken.com/2012/02/08/Currency-Rate-Widget-GT <p>This application provides currency exchange rate information from openexchangerates.org. It includes two types of widgets and a simple currency converter.</p> <p>Besides the widget provided by <a href="/2012/02/06/Currency-Rate-Widget/">Currency Rate Widget</a>, Currency Rate Widget GT also provides the following features.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>View currency trends with a widget that graphs the daily values of configured base and quote currencies.</li> <li>Following widget information is configurable via preferences: Show flag or currency code, show last change, show last server update.</li> <li>Perform a currency conversion using a simple Application.</li> <li>Fine-grained update intervals for rate widget.</li> <li>Caches data for efficient network utilization.</li> <li>Currency conversion app is able to used cache currency data if phone or tablet is offline.</li> <li>Tested with Android 4.0 and 2.3.</li> <li>No advertisements.</li> </ul> <h2>Recent Changes</h2> <ul> <li>Initial Release</li> </ul> 2012-02-06 http://appsbyken.com/2012/02/06/Currency-Rate-Widget <p>This widget is designed to monitor at-a-glance currency exchange rates.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>Displays the currency currency rate as provided by <a href="http://openexchangerates.org">openexchangerates.org</a>.</li> <li>Clean, uncluttered UI showing current rate, time of last server check, base and quote currencies, and change amount since previous day.</li> <li>Configure the base and quote currencies.</li> <li>Select from 159 tracked currencies.</li> <li>Define update interval.</li> <li>Caches data for efficient network utilization.</li> <li>No advertisements.</li> </ul> <h2>Recent Changes</h2> <ul> <li>Allow for user-configurable update settings</li> <li>Use preference activity page for widget configuration</li> <li>Widget preview image for Android 3.0 and above</li> <li>Better handling of network connectivity problems</li> </ul> 2012-01-31 http://appsbyken.com/2012/01/31/The-Soft-Machines-Wallpaper <p>The cut-up: a technique of writing which utilizes semi-random bits of text as a source for material and ideas. Popularized by the writer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_S._Burroughs">William Burroughs</a>, this technique was used to help write several of his books. This application performs cut-ups on pre-loaded selections of fiction and displays them as a live wallpaper. Upon the configured update interval, a new cut-up will be generated and displayed in the background.</p> <p>This live wallpaper contains no advertisements. The source fiction is in the public domain and was taken from the <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/">Gutenberg Project</a>.</p> 2012-01-26 http://appsbyken.com/2012/01/26/Private-Dancer <p>It is designed to be used on a device attached to speakers and power. Unlike most <a href="http://www.upnp.org/">UPnP</a> Android applications, Private Dancer is designed for always-on (headless) use. It contains no flashy UI and its only purpose is to provide a rock-solid, dependable wireless audio service.</p> <h2>What is a UPnP/DLNA Media Renderer?</h2> <p>The name is awkward but Private Dancer essentially provides wireless speakers for your network. It relies on the UPnP* protocol to communicate with other devices on the network. Many devices support this protocol and there are many Android apps available that can be used to send audio to Private Dancer.</p> <h2>What is meant by <em>Headless</em>?</h2> <p>While Private Dancer can be used on any Android device, it sports features that make it ideal for a tablet or unused Android phone that can be connected to speakers and power. The service can run on boot and aims to be always available, and generally once setup does not require direct user interaction.</p> <h2>Operation</h2> <p>Install the application and run it. Select startup options and enable the service. Once enabled, a notification appears and the UPnP/DLNA service is available on the network. Connect to the service via a supported UPnP client, such as <a href="http://www.samsung.com/global/allshare/pcsw/">Samsung's AllShare</a> media application to play music from your phone or other UPnP device. When the control point application allows for selection of 'player' or 'renderer', select Private Dancer. From there, the audio should begin playing from the device that Private Dancer is running on.</p> <h2>A Note on Compatibility</h2> <p>Since UPnP relies on networking features that may not be available on all home networks, it's best to test the application once purchased. If there is a problem using Private Dancer in a particular environment, it is easy initially to cancel the purchase.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>UPnP/DLNA Media Renderer</li> <li>Configurable to start automatically on boot (survives loss of power)</li> <li>Configurable to prevent device from entering sleep mode (always on)</li> <li>Configurable to allow or prevent clients from changing the volume</li> <li>Configurable the name of the service</li> </ul> <p>Private Dancer uses the excellent <a href="http://teleal.org/projects/cling/">Cling library</a> for UPnP protocol support. Cling is LGPL licensed, and more information is available at http://teleal.org/projects/cling.</p> 2012-01-15 http://appsbyken.com/2012/01/15/Currency-Rate-Widget <p>This widget is designed to monitor at-a-glance currency exchange rates.</p> <h2>Features</h2> <ul> <li>Displays the currency currency rate as provided by <a href="http://openexchangerates.org">openexchangerates.org</a>.</li> <li>Clean, uncluttered UI showing current rate, time of last server check, base and quote currencies, and change amount since previous day.</li> <li>Configure the base and quote currencies.</li> <li>Select from 159 tracked currencies.</li> <li>No advertisements.</li> </ul> <h2>Recent Changes</h2> <ul> <li>Change name of widget to 'Currency Rate Widget'</li> <li>Ignore weekends when calculating rate change.</li> <li>Set server request cache to 30 mins.</li> <li>Set automatic update interval 6 hours.</li> <li>Remove unnecessary permissions.</li> <li>Add small screen size.</li> </ul>