[Bragi]

I finally released a first version for the android platform. It's still pretty early, there are some things that need fixing (including speed ups), but all in all, it's starting to work.
It can currently make a phone call to one of your contacts, send an email or sms, get the weather info and change a few phone settings (limited feature set). It also has a few basic chatbot features as well (most of the topics that have been included, can be found as separate downloads on my website).
It's available on google play or from my downloads.

[Freddy]

Finally some one has given me a reason to charge up my Tablet - thanks !

Will report back, and thanks for providing an alternative link to the Google Market place - my tablet is only able to access the free stuff and there is no way to register it as a device with Google - so yeah....expensive door stop...

[Bragi]

I haven't been able to test it on a tablet yet. I'm not certain what will happen since the android manifest specifies that the app needs phone access (to start a phone conversation). The big screen will also be interesting. In the menu, there is a button 'info', this pretty much lists what's currently possible.

[Freddy]

Well it will be 3 hours before the darn thing has charged.  I was just looking at some cheap Android 2.2 phones, there's a few good deals around now, I might pick one up.

[Freddy]

I noticed you have made it available for Android 1.5 and up...

Did you run into any obstacles in catering for the earlier versions ?

Or to ask another way - what kind of impact would say only basing it on Andorid 3 have ?  There must be pros and cons hey ?

[Bragi]

I had to put the minimum so low to get it to show up on the android market (google play, these days). The 'targeted' version is the actual required one, which is 2.2
It's still pretty low. It plays a role for the available features. At the moment, this is not a problem, but there are some things missing in the lower versions, like a proper API to talk the to agenda or some missing UI objects (like frames).

Getting back to the google play, this was a b*** to get it loaded up there (had to redo it like 15 times, spend a whole day at it). It simply wouldn't show up and it takes a while before it did. So I might have gone a bit low on requirements.

[Freddy]

Hmm, well I tried to install it and it seems to require SpeechSynthesis and that won't install on my tablet.  Piece of junk...

Anyway, I will get a 2.2 phone and try it then

[Bragi]

Will it simply not install?
It should detect if TTS is availabe or not, when not available, it doesn't use it.

[Freddy]

I *think* your app installed as I could type in a question.  However as soon as I enter the question it goes to this speech thing.  I don't really know what its trying to do - it appears to want me to install it, and like I said it will not install.

I wouldn't worry about this particular tablet, it's useless.

[Bragi]

Ahh yes, when it can't find TTS, it tries to go to the google market place. Probably that's it. I can put in an option to disable speech. I'll do that (pretty easy).
Also, as a side note, I am making my own TTS engine (so I can have lip-sync), so in the next releases (not the very next, but in 2 months or so), It wont have to rely on an external app.

[Freddy]

Thanks, I tired to install TTS on this before and it did not work.  Not to worry I have a phone on the way now 

Making your own TTS sounds great, especially the lip sync - I would love to make some characters for it.

[Art]

Freddy,

Ummm...just what brand is the tablet with which you so dearly have this Love/Hate relationship? Inquiring minds want to know.
European  / UK branded item or Dell, Windows, Android, etc.? TIA!! (maybe that way we can likewise avoid them).

[Freddy]

Funnily enough they are not available any more - wonder why...

But since you ask it's a brand called 'Cambridges Sciences' - don't be fooled though I think this is nothing but a re-branded cheap import job.

And yes avoid them.  Trouble here is that Android 2.2 is really for phones, they just managed to get some of it working for tablets, but without a full job done.

[Bragi]

are you able to put a new android version on it? I haven't done this yet, but with the samsung devices it appears to be possible.

[Freddy]

I don't think it can be done with the tablet or I would have hoped they would have been able to instruct me how to do it.  I did ask them if they had worked on getting it upgraded, but they said no - and kindly offered to sell me a newer version.  Since I bought this one less than six months ago I felt like telling them where they could install it.  But I will have a dig around, maybe there is some site that explains how to do it.

It's no biggy as my Android phone is here now   Galaxy Ace and it is everything the tablet is not. Really very pleased with it so far and it's possible to upgrade.

So I had a brief chat with with your bot and it seems to be working well.  I was really impressed with the voice it comes with and voice recognition is cool if I speak clearly enough for it.