Android Town - social community application

**BeerBelly** · 05-13-2010, 01:51 AM

Ok, Android Town is now an obsolete name and application on the market. It was renamed to Peeples. Peeples is a seperate app on the market so you would need to download that one. It uses the same DB as Android Town so all your information is saved.

Peeples is a social community application which is location based. It enables users to see other users of the application on the map and strike up a conversation with them. Privacy options are also available.
So far the application has over 11k users.

Peeples has the added options of:
- uploading profile pictures and avatar through the application
- sending files from SD card with messages as attachments (5Mb limit for now)

Try it out and let me know what you think.

**Jerry Hildenbrand** · 05-13-2010, 01:54 AM

Thanks! I'm grabbing this now to try it out.

**BeerBelly** · 05-13-2010, 03:44 AM

Application can now also be found on the market. (userbase up to 70 now).

**Foxman** · 05-13-2010, 07:32 AM

Anyone want to take a transatlantic trip tip try this with me? No? *sigh*

**magellanous** · 05-13-2010, 08:23 AM

I downloaded this. It's pretty cool. I hope more people in New England join up.

**BeerBelly** · 05-13-2010, 08:41 AM

Users are joining quite steadily so far. Around 180 across the globe right now.

And thank you all for helping. If you have any ideas, pleast let me know. I want to improve on this.

Some ideas so far include:
- integrating with other social networks (FB,Twitter); this way other users can see your public information without needing to fill out the profile yourself (maybe even include post to FB integration)
- adding a friend straight from the notifications screen
- including a public chat channel (at some point it'll have to be divided into regions)
- searching for people based on filters (age, sex, interests at some point)
- sending an invite (drink, date,...) to people near you. Of course people need to have the option enabled

What do you think?

**avacomputers** · 05-13-2010, 08:45 AM

Just joined in nyc. No one near to me.

**BeerBelly** · 05-13-2010, 08:56 AM

Did you choose a larger radius with a select box at the top?

**avacomputers** · 05-13-2010, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by BeerBelly

Did you choose a larger radius with a select box at the top?

Sure did, I found only two people.

**alphabets** · 05-13-2010, 10:43 AM

im in, in PA. i like this app. it could turn into sumthing pretty cool.

**DERacing** · 05-13-2010, 10:51 AM

No one around Cincinnati yet!

**NVR2ND** · 05-13-2010, 11:14 AM

Im signing up, and will be adding all future customers/ friends. So should have a good network in Des Moines area.

**88 FLUX** · 05-13-2010, 12:04 PM

Looks like a great start and I would definitely be interested in using it in the future. But within three minutes, I had two forced closes, 100% failure at finding my location, and took about six clicks before settings even opened. I will keep it installed so that App Market will notify me of updates. But I'll wait for some bug fixes before I use it again.

Good job so far though. The concept is great.

**BeerBelly** · 05-13-2010, 12:07 PM

Thanks for trying it out ock. Can you tell me a bit more when the force closes happened and what phone are you using and if it's rooted or not?

Oh...and if there's any chance of a log when it crashed that would be a life saver. Since I can't get it to force close on my stock Desire.

**BeerBelly** · 05-13-2010, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by avacomputers

Sure did, I found only two people.

Strange...there should be more than 100 people visible in the US. What radius did you choose?

**NVR2ND** · 05-13-2010, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by ock

Looks like a great start and I would definitely be interested in using it in the future. But within three minutes, I had two forced closes, 100% failure at finding my location, and took about six clicks before settings even opened. I will keep it installed so that App Market will notify me of updates. But I'll wait for some bug fixes before I use it again.

Good job so far though. The concept is great.

Wow, I didnt have any of those issues. Seems like it could be a more enjoyable app as more people start to down load it. Right now I have to go out 500km to find someone else that has it.

I did send out notices to 5 friends of mine that have android phones. If they relay the info to more of their friends it could really take off. So I hope that it works.

**alphabets** · 05-13-2010, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by ock

Looks like a great start and I would definitely be interested in using it in the future. But within three minutes, I had two forced closes, 100% failure at finding my location, and took about six clicks before settings even opened. I will keep it installed so that App Market will notify me of updates. But I'll wait for some bug fixes before I use it again.

Good job so far though. The concept is great.

yeah, fo some reason it is showing my location as my home, but im at work, and installed it at work, so how does it even know where i live and why is it saying im there? im scared. haha.

**88 FLUX** · 05-13-2010, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by BeerBelly

Thanks for trying it out ock. Can you tell me a bit more when the force closes happened and what phone are you using and if it's rooted or not?

First force close was when I used the my location function. After about 30 seconds or so of waiting, it just hung up and had to force close. Second time was while within the settings menu. I clicked the second tab on top (I believe it was notifications), got a black screen, and then the forced close.

Using a Nexus One, non-rooted.

Also, just a suggestion... I suggest a preference option to switch it from kilometers to miles for the distance measurement. Not a biggie, but one that many people may enjoy. If it is already in there and I didn't see it, I apologize and ignore this suggestion.

**NVR2ND** · 05-13-2010, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by ock

Also, just a suggestion... I suggest a preference option to switch it from kilometers to miles for the distance measurement. Not a biggie, but one that many people may enjoy. If it is already in there and I didn't see it, I apologize and ignore this suggestion.

Agree. As I have no idea how far away people are from me. Once again not a real current issue for me as nobody in Iowa has it last time I checked.

**kicko** · 05-13-2010, 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by magellanous

I downloaded this. It's pretty cool. I hope more people in New England join up.

Haha, is that you the lonely one in RI? I was just on it i'm just outside Boston.

**BeerBelly** · 05-13-2010, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by ock

First force close was when I used the my location function. After about 30 seconds or so of waiting, it just hung up and had to force close. Second time was while within the settings menu. I clicked the second tab on top (I believe it was notifications), got a black screen, and then the forced close.

Using a Nexus One, non-rooted.

Also, just a suggestion... I suggest a preference option to switch it from kilometers to miles for the distance measurement. Not a biggie, but one that many people may enjoy. If it is already in there and I didn't see it, I apologize and ignore this suggestion.

Thanks for helping.
Were you using GPS or network location for location lock? Was your internet connection on?

about the distance units: a switch between metric and US/UK units is already in the works. Seems logical tbh.

@alphabets:
the application uses your last know location for either GPS or network location as it's first fix. It could have picked up your home location if that was the last stored value.

I'll try to get those fixes ready as soon as possible. The force close is really bugging me. I'd like to get my hand on some logs for that.

@ock: can you run the app for me again and see if you experience the same force close? Another user said it happened just on the first run through.

One more thing that could be causing the slower reactions from the phone are user updates. Atm the app is set to update every 5 seconds when viewing the map (not when on other screens or outside of the app). So if you're looking at a larger radius it might get the phone to overload itself.

I guess an update of the app on the marker with users having to relog should fix that. The setting I'm talking about btw is "minimum time between user updates"

**88 FLUX** · 05-13-2010, 01:01 PM

Originally Posted by BeerBelly

Thanks for helping.
Were you using GPS or network location for location lock? Was your internet connection on?

about the distance units: a switch between metric and US/UK units is already in the works. Seems logical tbh.

@alphabets:
the application uses your last know location for either GPS or network location as it's first fix. It could have picked up your home location if that was the last stored value.

I'll try to get those fixes ready as soon as possible. The force close is really bugging me. I'd like to get my hand on some logs for that.

@ock: can you run the app for me again and see if you experience the same force close? Another user said it happened just on the first run through.

I actually just gave it another try when I was out for a drive about 20 or so minutes ago. The first attempt earlier was using network location since I was in an office. However, this attempt was using direct GPS since I was in my car. And since at that time, I was located just across the Hudson in NJ, I saw a few users on the map over in the city. So it seems to now work ok. Didn't have any force closes on this use.

**Jerry Hildenbrand** · 05-13-2010, 01:12 PM

Rooted N1 running a customized version of CM - installed app, opened app, set up account. All fine. Could not get my location, after ~120 seconds app forced closed. Reopened app, worked perfectly. Set radius for 5000km and see users as far away as Europe and South America. Can not get app to FC again, and seems to be working well. If I can get another FC, I'll shoot you the relevant portion of the log.

BTW - that lonely little guy in West Virginia is me

**cadman** · 05-13-2010, 01:21 PM

PA here.
Didn't sign up yet, but what does this do that latitude doesn't?

**BeerBelly** · 05-13-2010, 01:37 PM

@tony:
Latitude basically shows the location of only your friends. AT shows the location of every user using the app (if you choose the worldwide setting - 25000 kms; about 230 users atm) or users in a certain radius around you. They don't need to be your friends. It's basically showing a network of android users across the globe. The end all, be all goal of the app is that you can walk up to a guy at the train station and say: I like the Bears, too.

@gbhill: I'm glad it's working now for you. If a FC does happen again though, a log would be a god send

@ock: seems strange to only happen on the first run...maybe too many things happening at once...might update the app so it does nothing until you register...