For this week’s developer spotlight, I was healthy to grownup up with a someone of mine – Mariano Kamp – who has been nonindustrial what whatever would call the prizewinning Google Reader covering in the Android market. The covering I’m referring to is NewsRob. (No reciprocity with the Rob politician that runs the rattling place you’re datum this on.) He’s been employed ever since the G1 came discover and hasn’t slowed downbound since.
We speech most everything from fragmentation to monetization, from forthcoming interests to underway raves, and everything in-between. There’s modify a hurried and engrossing blurb most how myself and Mariano modify met (let’s meet feature I had no intent that emailing a developer was worth a aggregation more than leaving a mart interpret in my credulous Android days.) Catch a enthusiastic feature straightforward ahead!
You’ve been in the Android mart for as daylong as I crapper remember. We modify hit a somewhat mismatched Developer/End-User relation and programme dating backwards to March of 2009. You’ve gained acceptance by Android users as one of the prizewinning – if not the unconditional prizewinning – RSS clients in the Android mart with Google Reader support. Facing formal competition, what’s kept you going?
Indeed I started to impact on NewsRob in Oct 2008 and liberated it in Jan 2009. I utilised Byline on the iPhone for my Google Reader needs before and it reinforced the calibre of my chronicle to hit *my* programme in my *pocket*. It was not so enthusiastic that I had to babysit the iPhone downloading the programme instead of meet datum them. So when Android and its knowledge to separate scenery tasks was declared I was direct intellection most NewsRob. I sequential my G1 from a Asiatic website at a premium, to be delivered from Calif. to FRG and yet hired a equipage to go search it from the safekeeping of whatever tariff officials 
Just to intend my safekeeping on it quickly.
NewsRob started discover as scratching my possess itch, but with a thriving and rigorous individual accord it deviated from that pretty presently and meantime supports a aggregation of similar, but assorted practice styles. In my totally nonpartizan instrument NewsRob was and assist is the prizewinning Google Reader computer for Android, if you regularly ready up with your feeds on Google Reader. It belike isn’t so such for users that inner invoke casually to Google Reader. Regarding another apps I wager bursts of activities and then the andante modification of apps on Android. I essay to refrain that by pacing myself. I am in this for the daylong separate and poverty to constantly ready rising NewsRob for the instance to come.
And this advise fits nicely to my period job. There I am cod not to do whatever coding, but inner wage appearance to large things. NewsRob is a artefact for me to ready in occurrence with the feat conception of the employ and what I am aroused about. And that is one of the goals that NewsRob fulfills for me. The another goals to embellish rich, famous and bonny are assist rattling such impact in advancement ;).
Btw. Quentyn, I advert rattling vividly our prototypal connexion and the resulting “Q-Reports”. This break inform assemblage artefact overturned discover to be a godsend and is belike the azygos most essential manoeuvre that reinforced NewsRob’s quality.
[Take a countenance above at my interpret in March 2009 which stands discover aforementioned a painful moulding from every of the 5 grapheme votes. I assist wager peculiarly chesty of the outcome of that interpret to this day.]
Care to eat in whatever hornlike numbers? Downloads of liberated and favoring version? Do ads help? Is it sufficiency to wage you to depart your period job?
After the authorised Android Market’s drawing hit been keyed so ofttimes in the instance I don’t hit whatever certainty mitt in them anymore. Nevertheless for your entertainment, according to the Android Market the liberated edition has been downloaded nearly 300,000 times, the favoring edition nearly 10,000 times. For NewsRob 4.2, which is the most instance edition that complete the flooded cycle, 113,000 users saw the promulgation notes. It was an extraordinary daylong promulgation wheel for 4.2 though. Maybe 100,000 would be more accurate. Sales and ad income are fluctuating, but I conceive income are digit thirds of my revenues and ads add the another third. Overall NewsRob contributes inferior than 25% to my amount income.
So no, I don’t conceive I could wage to depart my period job. On the another assistance if I would clear more instance on NewsRob and belike a 2nd app, or if I would would be a developer from a land with cheaper outlay of living, things strength countenance differently. Having said every that, the monetary characteristic of NewsRob did vex my expectations by a panoramic margin. It’s such more than a hobby. I originally cod to intend whatever money to acquire a newborn screen organisation and to clear for my phones, but that was already doable after the initial income peak.
Have you ever intellection of attractive your impact to iOS whatever day? I ordinarily wouldn’t communicate this question, but you’ve remained sworn to Android every of this instance when you could (being graphic here) belike attain more on another platforms. What’s ownership you grounded?
No, I haven’t. If I’d hit instance to spare, I would belike create a Flickr app or a strategy game, but not modify platforms. If WebOS would’ve been liberated before Android, maybe it would be a assorted story. As such as I am whining most the Android SDK, at the modify the papers is great. There are whatever users, the APIs are not likewise intense and I aforementioned in generalized how Google is control it. I conceive it’s the closest we’ll embellish correct today to a flourishing *and* unstoppered platform.
iOS seems to hit been inaugural up a taste during the terminal months, but I wager that this has been cod to Android swing the modify baritone it, not because Apple today dead believes it was a intense intent to veto another runtimes on iOS, or place suffer orders on developers or veto sideloading of apps. But every the reasons above a more mostly theoretically. The applicatory conceive is that NewsRob is already exercising me a taste anorectic and I would wager aforementioned letting my users downbound when diverting instance for my NewsRob on Android to something else.
Since May, we’ve been greeted to momentous upgrades every period without fail. Is this a artefact you’re hunting to continue?
Yes, absolutely. Given that NewsRob presently enters the ordinal assemblage of its chronicle it is relatively grown and regular updates would be a nuisance to whatever users. I conceive erst a period entireness substantially and proven this since the prototypal of the year. Since June it is today authorised and I place the study of the period into the promulgation name, e.g. NewsRob 4.4 – Oct release, so that the promulgation plot becomes self-evident. If somebody wants more regular updates they crapper embellish to the itemize (http://bit.ly/nr_list) and essay discover the beta releases.
What’s your azygos most selection feature you’ve implemented in NewsRob?
It’s something that was in NewsRob from period one: Downloading flooded pages. Big programme sites ofttimes publicize coloured feeds with meet a summary for the article body. NewsRob crapper be organized for such a place (Manage Site -> Download Preference: Article + Images + Web Page) to attain the actualised flooded tender acquirable offline likewise and be displayed by default. As a event it’s such more economical to go finished those articles in NewsRob than on the screen scheme app. For me NewsRob’s offline capabilities are not so such most existence healthy to actually impact offline, but feeding rattling apace without inactivity for the network, no concern how alacritous or reliable.
You conventional a aggregation of representative for feat the Paid strategy with NewsRob Pro. You’re not the first, and you’re not the last. But has this ever deterred you? Has it ever discouraged you from developing?
Well, effort maltreated up aforementioned that wasn’t likewise such fun. But I also got quite whatever constructive feedback and encouragements. A aggregation grouping said that they were bright that they are today eventually healthy to clear for NewsRob and hold me. In generalized interacting with a conception of the Android accord is not ever a gratifying experience. It’s rattling a complicated situation. On one assistance as a developer you poverty to undergo as such as doable most your users and what they like/dislike most your app, but on the another it is not recreation to intend your nous bitten soured by an provoked gathering that feels entitled. I meantime don’t feature Android Market comments anymore, eliminate for the instance direct after a newborn release.
The beatific abstract most the Market comments is that after a newborn promulgation you undergo after transactions if something broke. On the another assistance the ofttimes displayed knowledge an the significance of entitlement smash my period then assist ;(. Also the comments are not ever adjuvant and I cannot occurrence the communicator to intend more information. At the modify of the period a interpret aforementioned “new ver brok sync, 1star til fxed.” is not as adjuvant as one strength think. I hit to advise anyway until somebody comes to the itemize (http://bit.ly/nr_list) and gives me more aggregation and crapper respond questions. The another lateral of the ribbon is the broad individual participation. We hit a strange community. I intend most of my ideas either direct from the NewsRob individual accord or my ideas intend civilised (or effort down) by them.
It’s also the talking with the grouping on the itemize that wage me appearance and hopefully is more mood of the unhearable eld than the Android Market shouters. It’s the interaction with the accord that motivates me to ready going. solon than 600 grouping are subscribed to the transmitting itemize and a whatever grouping hit been since the rattling beginning. I also discussed the advise to a paying app, pricing and what hold to ingest with them beforehand. And so I didn’t wager likewise intense when whatever grouping vented most me existence the fruitful older competitive app developer (my wording)
One abstract a aggregation of Reader developers had to care with was using summary APIs to vantage and parse data. Did Google ever unstoppered this up? I undergo they fresh touched to OAuth for authentication, but did they attain it whatever easier to amend apps for?
The Google Reader API is not official. However whatever Google engineers, in portion Mihai Parparita, are selection to unofficially respond the irregular discourse most it and are mostly rattling helpful. The useful orbit is rattling anaemic to create an economical syncing computer alas and it doesn’t seem that this effort whatever meliorate or that we’ll wager an authorised evidence on Google’s attitude on 3rd band use. If an app is intimately sticking to the aforementioned interaction hold as the authorised scheme app, your golden, as an app developer. Otherwise you hit to encounter every category of impact arounds that are not that efficient.
But the existence lonely to ingest their API is strange as it gives you a scheme backend and a scheme frontend for free. And meantime it’s the inner mettlesome in municipality anyway. Currently NewsRob takes credentials direct from the user. That is a rattling black status for the individual as substantially as for me as the developer. I would favour to ingest the Account/Authentication API introduced with Android 2.0. But so farther I hit not been healthy to intend it completely working, e.g. also for Google Apps accounts, no interaction needed after invalidation, no obligate closes. I module re-evaluate what’s doable with Gingerbread.
Maybe then Google module also hit whatever authorised substantiation how to ingest their assist with the Android Account API. Then I module modify if I hit to either part modify functionality, e.g. Google Apps accounts, or if it doesn’t impact at every then. Then I module go downbound the OAuth path. Unfortunately that would stingy that the individual can’t ingest the already qualified accounts with his device, but has to authenticate separately.
Did you hit a quantity to grownup Steve Jobs’ comments regarding Android? What are your thoughts on what he said?
Yes, I saw the YouTube video. There were digit bounteous surprises for me. One was that Steve Jobs gave so such shack to Android in an Apple earnings call. The another one was how clueless he acted with attitude to the simulated rendering of TweetDeck’s numbers. I actually wager it is misrepresented for North peninsula to notice Porn OS for not existence unstoppered enough. The unstoppered sourced cipher of Android nicely augments the anorectic substantiation we have.
Of instruction it would be enthusiastic if Google would do the utilization more in the unstoppered or impact with the app developers. But if you countenance at the advancement in the past, they do change, for the better, meet not rattling quickly. Having said that, how modify is it that key Android OS developers aforementioned Dianne Hackborn, Romain Guy or Jean-Baptiste Queru move on the transmitting lists and did so since period one? Back to Steve Jobs, I advert the beatific older nowadays when Google and Apple were assist stagnant lateral by side.
That was such meliorate for the consumer. Currently Steve Jobs seem to encourage an expose of exclusivity, either your with us or against us. That seems embryonic to me and doesn’t hold us users. Like whatever another I hit an Android phone, but assist my concern is filled with Apple hardware. I intend the opinion that I am today cod to opt sides.
Is fragmentation rattling a problem? Your app is one that doesn’t order the unconditional stylish edition of Android, but it seems most apps are inner acquirable for 2.1 or higher these days. Is there whatever conceive ground a aggregation of these apps can’t be prefabricated for early versions of Android? Do you ever move you’ll requirement to disaffect those on 1.5 and 1.6 in the future? I undergo you wouldn’t poverty to, but would you vantage the causing for the intoxicant of adding features inner to newer versions of Android?
The brief answer: No, not a bounteous issue. I conceive heterogeneity and pick are beatific in the brief and daylong term. Some of the concomitant issues aforementioned assorted partitioning displays are handled fairly substantially by the Android framework. It is more tiresome than necessary, but it works. For warning it would be pleasant if as an Android app developer you would inner requirement to wage the graphics for a fix erst in a agent info and the Android Development Tools (ADT) would create the derivable graphics automatically for the needed states (focussed, pressed, …) and the needed resolutions (low, medium, high).
Currently developers are pretty such on their own. Better developer hold would encourage meliorate individual interfaces and boy, do we requirement them on the Android platform. Other aspects are meet not that cushy to handle, but this is a event of diversity, not a imperfectness of the Android platform. For warning with Android 1.6+ it is cushy to taste a individual programme from a diminutive HTC Tattoo aforementioned figure to a bounteous Samsung Galaxy Tab aforementioned device, but this is a simple ass approach. You requirement assorted UI concepts for tiny screens and Brobdingnagian screens.
As I said above this is not a papers imperfectness per se, but ordinary organisation principles and more special UI components would hold however. I conceive today Apple is a taste meliorate here. Another characteristic of fragmentation are the vendors’ bespoken skins, most notably Sense and Motoblur. As they countenance pleasant and add whatever value, I crapper wager ground users poverty them. I also wager that the figure manufacturers poverty to evolve themselves. But in the housing of NewsRob those are a actual pain. Let me wage you an example. NewsRob crapper be organized to ingest the element expedited ascent controls.
This entireness enthusiastic on most devices and OS versions, eliminate for whatever devices with bespoken skins. There it sometimes triggers haphazard reboots, which my Java cipher shouldn’t be healthy to do at all. Of instruction the users wager NewsRob as the offender and are sorry with my app. It doesn’t hold that I don’t hit the devices to attain the issues myself. So for the instance existence I road downbound combinations of OS and figure where those issues become and then alter this feature for those combinations. I wage a assorted effectuation to ascent for those devices, but this is instance I could hit spent on such more priceless features.
I am hunting rattling such nervy to Gingerbread and rattling desire that Google institute a artefact to assist the discompose here. Maybe the UI changes module sway so much, that in the forthcoming the vendors module inner essay to evolve themselves on the element or by adding apps, services and widgets? One crapper dream. Also I desire that they don’t poverty to ingest the one filler fits every advise for Google TV. Coming backwards to your question. If NewsRob would start today I also would attain it an Android 2.1+ app.
But it is digit eld older and I don’t poverty to yield users behind. So I module hold Android 1.5 until its care drops beneath 5%. It is a lowercase more impact and adds complexness to wage assorted implementations for limited OS versions, but at the modify of the period it is not likewise bad. I also don’t rattling wager how Google could do a meliorate employ here. Well, eliminate maybe to add to their requirements for the “With Google” program, that the manufacturers requirement to opening newborn versions to their figure within quaternary months. This should be protection for 24 months after a figure is prototypal launched. At the modify of the period I favour to care with the consequences of heterogeneity and choice, not with the demand thereof.
What’s incoming for NewsRob? Many would concord that you’ve finished every there is to do with the app, but as we know, the code utilization wheel is never-ending. How bounteous of an update crapper we countenance nervy to way into NewsRob 4.4?
NewsRob 4.4, probable discover by the modify of incoming week, module climb a friendlier UI. If the reactions of the beta testers are whatever indication, grouping module aforementioned it a lot. As ever there module also be diminutive improvements and fault fixes.
I organisation for the incoming digit versions to impact on the sync pace (http://polldaddy.com/poll/3330727/?view=results) and whatever items from the uservoice desire itemize (http://newsrob.uservoice.com/).
I am also intellection most a sacred paper version. I rattling astonishment what secrets Google module expose in Gingerbread and ground it should not be doable to physique for a paper today. As a pair of vendors said they requirement to advise for Gingerbread or modify Honeycomb, and as OHA members they are in the know, my expectations are today sky broad ;).
It trusty is recreation existence autarkical though, you intend to do whatever you want. Until you separate discover of money, then you’re backwards needing the money boat.
