Google Talk Reader now implemented and working in A2DP Volume 2.9.1

I think A2DP Volume Chat plugin app can now go away.  I implemented a Google Talk reader directly into A2DP Volume instead.  This is much simpler as it uses a broadcast listener and some URI's  to capture and parse the messages.  That means you just have to have Google Talk signed in and active for it to work.  I would like to test it some more before pushing to the Play Store.  2.9.1 is available for download on the Google Code page here: http://code.google.com/p/a2dpvolume/downloads.
Make sure you download the latest release as it is still in test.  Please test it and let me know any comments, bad and good. 

Work in IM integration starting again

I implemented a message receiver in A2DP Volume version 2.9.0 and up (not yet released).  I documented it here: http://code.google.com/p/a2dpvolume/wiki/Interfaces.  I also tested it with some test code in A2DP Volume Chat.  Now other apps can use this interface to alert via text-to-stream while a device is connected.  So far I got the A2DP Volume changes working and tested.  Now I need to get A2DP Volume Chat working.  I am having trouble with receiving IM messages.  It can send but not receive.   Ironic since it does not even need to send IM's.  I also have issues with instability with A2DP Volume Chat so far.  It will connect to the server and log in the user fine.  Sometimes however, it seems to randomly crash right when the app initially starts or shortly after login. It's very inconsistent and works most of the time.  I am leveraging a hacked version of Smack for the IM client and I suspect there are gremlins in there.  I may need to get more creative and instead make my own XMPP implementation.  I hate to do that if it is not completely necessary though.  Anyone want to help out? 

Replaced ugly icons

My daughter finally had it with my ugly icons and made all new ones for A2DP Volume and A2DP Connect.  I had found those old icon parts on a quick web search and then rescaled them.  This left JPG noise and shadow effects in therm.  Bottom line: they were terrible. She created new ones from scratch.  I also had not optimized them properly for various screens.  This bloated the app and added negative value in terms of icon quality.  Removing all the extra graphics, and a few other improvements found my Android Lint resulted in 55kb reduction in the APK file. 

Here is the latest snapshot from the Play Store developer console






A2DP Connect has only been out a few days.  I will leave the Android 2.1 version of A2DP Volume out there a bit longer but it will eventually be retired. 

A2DP Connect now on Play Store

I just posted the first functional version of A2DP Connect to the Play Store.  This simple widget lets you connect and disconnect A2DP devices from the home screen.  One simple clock to switch states.

http://code.google.com/p/a2dp-connect/

A2DP Volume exceeded 60,000 installed a few days ago. 

App reviews

What am I missing here.  Comments are very positive but then dings it with 2 stars?

Hit 50k installs

7,500 active installs exceeded

... also made some releases last weekend to fix more Jelly Bean compatibility issues.



One of the more pesky issues is the TTS.  For some reason this has always been a challenge to get working consistently.  When my Xoom got Jelly Bean it had the problem of asking to install missing TTS data, every time.  I installed Ivona TTS and all is good now.  Still looking into that one a bit more but for now the "fix" appears to be use another TTS engine that will actually report data status properly. 

2.8.8 update

2.8.8 release to fix compatibility issues with Jelly Bean.  Also exceeded 45,000 downloads now.



In other news, another developer turned the A2DP Connect project into a working Tasker plugin.  I made him a project owner of A2DP Connect now.

Exceeded 40k downloads

A2DP Volume now exceeded 40,000 downloads.  Here is the latest info.


40k was exceeded on June 10th.

The ratings also remaining very high.  I get a few people trashing the app because it does not magically fix issues it is not designed to fix. Here is an example:


This app does not manage paring and I guess he expected it to.

Other than a few of these, the app often received 5 stars. 

Pause

I will be swamped until mid-July so don't expect any progress on the app.  Hopefully I can catch up on issues in August and make another release.  A2DP Chat has not had any work done on it for a month now.  It is progressing slowly.  It would be great if another developer would find interest and help out.

A2DP Volume is approaching 40k downloads!  The old Android 2.1 version keeps dropping thankfully.  I guess I will just leave that one as is and let it die of natural causes.


The feedback on the latest A2DP Volume app is looking very good.  Here is the total feedback.



 Most of the bad ratings were from very early versions.