hi
Does anyone know if anyone has created a AOSP port or some Android port for a popular android devices which is more targeted towards
Senior citizens or older people ?
Basically the OS should have
1. Very large phone buttons
2. generally large fonts
3. easier and simpler menu for basic phone functions
4. some SOS functionality, to call set of numbers and send GPS location to them
5. if possible some way to remote to the phone, to help out on menu's and stuff.
Ghat
Related
Hi guys,
we will have to buy a new phone for my visually impaired sister during next year (or maybe much earlier), because she is currently unable to use her simple Nokia (unable to read SMS messages on display etc.).
I tried to find any simple phone with voice output for her, but the only one possible candidate was Samsung Haven, which was only available for U.S. mobile networks and not for european GSM (and did not have Czech language support, but this was minor in this case).
She needs only a simple phone to perform standard voice calls and SMS messages. Current approach here is to use some smartphone – symbian with Mobilespeak or Android with Code Factory or some other a11y suite. OK, why not, but this aims to make a accessible smartphone, while many people need only accessible phone (which is not available).
So this také me to following idea:
if Android uses a modified linux kernel and GUI via Java virtual machine Dalvik, then it should be possible to use alternative simple menu with something like linux console voice output instead of the standard GUI and so make it much quicker.
This menu could be very easy – only to provide functions similar to „normal“ cellphones like the old good Nokia 3310 only with voice output. I know that it sounds very stupid to degrade a smartphone to a simple cellphone, but I do not know other way.
I think, that such trimmed off custom ROM with this sort of text menu and only basic functions (calls, SMS, phone book, calendar and clock with alarm) combined with a voice output could be able to run on cheap and relatively weak devices like Huawei Boulder for example so final solution could be comparable with normal cellphones. We need something with physical keyboard, so we could use HTC Cha Cha or if possible, the much cheaper Huawei which are both available from official distribution.
Are there any initiatives or attempts to create something similar?
Thanks much
PS: we are ready to sacrifice wireless internet and lack of Google services for better performance.
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A
I am graphic designer/UI/UX designer and have sort of a strange question. I am aware that launcher/lock screen replacements exist but I am wondering if it is possible to change the entirety of Androids user interface?
From what I understand the launcher and lockscreen are apps that can be replaced by alternate ones, but taking this idea to its logical extreme could someone essentially create an entire new UI, similar to HTC's Sense, but one that changes the way that the phone deals with homescreens/multitasking etc? I understand that this would be a very large project but I am looking for a basic understanding of whether or not this is possible, how it would work, and what would be required in terms of programming and resources. I am a pretty new programmer but have access to some resources to at least get this started. Any help or pointing me to another forum/resource would be great.
Thanks.
Hi.
I am Leo. I am a visual UX designer within a product team. I have an honest question, that I could not find being discussed anywhere on the web.
I am aware of the multiple asset formats that are required for Android development (hdpi, xhdpi, xxhdpi, and so on). Since I read that most new startups find it easier to develop apps for the mobile devices first in iOS format instead of Android, my question is this:
Is anyone to your knowledge working on an Android solution to this need for multiple image formats? I know this is required because so many different devices and screens are supported. But i have always wondered why no one is working on something in the code that would take the most high density image and 'res' it down via the code, to work on all devices. Therefore allowing a visual UX designer like myself, the ability to design at the highest resolution and provide only one image asset to my development team.
For iOs devices to sets of image assets are supplied to engineering. standard size and the @2x size. I believe Android adoption and apps would increase if the production time for these image assets could be minimized by business.
Thank you for any info, that helps me understand if this is not doable or any links to articles where people are discussing this very issue.
Sincerely,
Leo
Hi all,
We are looking at releasing a new Android device, and have a few ideas for modifying the Android platform for this release, but we are having a hard time fulfilling these ideas. The product will be using OS4.2. I have copied details below for any guidance or advise:
1) Removing the App overview button. We want to remove the button on the home page that is selected to open the App overview page. How can we achieve this?
2) Automatic WiFi selection. It would be beneficial to the product to have the WiFi only on when in certain Apps (all Apps will be preinstalled to the device). If it is any easier, we could also have the WiFi go off automatically in certain devices. Preferably the former, but if one is easier than the other, we don't mind.
There are other modifications we will be undertaking, however these have been achieved. If someone could provide assistance with this, that would be great.
DJC
Is there anyone that can assist with this?
When I first saw Remix OS, I was ecstatic thinking of the possibilities for development, and now that it's come out on the Pixel C, this could be really innovative.
Imagine using Android Studio on my laptop and then pushing my in-development application to the Pixel C using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) over wire or wifi, and then an app window showing up to test my app, essentially replacing a real phone with an all in one Pixel C computer. The main reason why this was so ecstatic for me was because what I am testing on is now no longer a phone, but a computer, four very important and useful things open up for me to possibly experience:
I can resize my application easily on the tablet to test out any dimensions.
- We all know the emulator is a ***** in Android and even the thought of starting and restarting different emulator instances for different dimensions, or, god forbid spending hundreds of dollars on different android devices of different sizes just irks me to the core.
- Resizing would become as simple as a click, hold, and drag, just like browser development. An added bonus would be Jide giving a little toolbar above or below or to the side of these development applications to simulate different settings, such as Location, Network, whatever, and maybe even a resize button to select popular and customizable preset dimensions.
I can have multiple instances of my application to run at the same time, basically A/B test on myself.
- I don't know how you can manage this, but if you can, whatever the way it may be done, it would be marvelous.
- Imagine the power of being able to test multiple versions of an application side by side or even different applications side by side, one for each window of Android studio perhaps.
- Testing is one of the slowest factors of android development, but no matter how you put it, being able to run as many applications as I want to test would definitely speed up the process.
- Write a bit of code for idea one and start the test and let it run.
- Code up another idea to test.
- While the second one is getting ready for testing, you can test the first one.
- When the second one is ready, we can test them side by side to see which idea is better.
- It would be, again, simply marvelous, and the number of instances to test could be increased for even greater speed.
I can control it from my laptop.
- If you need to be told the gigantic advantages of being able to control your android device by simply moving your mouse over to the screen as if it was an extended display, then you must really not have any imagination.
- https://sites.google.com/site/droidskm/
- https://sourceforge.net/projects/synergyandroid/
- There are many tools out there to allow this kind of control, and all Jide really has to do is make it really easy for us to root the OS, maybe a button click in the developer tools, so we can install tools like the ones I mentioned above.
Remix OS could become where I test AND develop. If an android studio like tool were to be created for Remix OS, where all the previews and all the testing are just popups on the sides of the tool, then development would be even cooler.
- There would be no need for a native android device, no need to fumble back and forth, especially since Laptops or the Pixel C would probably have all the features of a modern phone, and thus act just like one in testing.
- Since all we're doing is launching another application on the native OS, there shouldn't be any annoying and overbearing emulator problems, nor lag or performance issues.
- I know this is a stretch, since a tool like Android Studio would be very hard to live up to, but even a simpler version would do, like sublime; Jide may even contract or partner up with IntelliJ to create such a tool or host of tools.
These four core points are marvelous, and for an android developer, Jide would become heaven. If Jide really does listen to the community, they would listen to this, because if they pushed forward with these ideas, their platform would grow a lot, easily becoming the number one platform for Android development, definitely garnering a lot of attention.
Oh, and please add a Linux console I can use.
Thank you.
Sincerely, an imaginative android/web developer.
- redDrill
On #2 you can sort of do that already by using different users
On #4 something like AIDE would be too simple I take it...