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Phinder Phamily Suite

Hey,

My dad and I released a trio of apps last week on the Android Market, and I wanted to get all of your input on them, as they're pretty new and we're still making improvements. You can get to them by searching 'MTR' on the Market, or you can go to:

www.sourcecode-llc.com/fph

That site has more detail, and you can download/purchase/sideload the apps from there as well.

Fone Phinder - just like what it sounds, we think it's a better answer to the "lost your phone on silent" dilemma because you don't have to remember to turn it on; you actually engage FPH to silence (or vibrate) your phone, then it's no worries after that. Secret SMS to turn up your volume. Customization and GPS capability available through the paid versions.

My Phinder - Free version will save any 1 location that you'd like to return to for later. Popular use is for the car in a large parking lot, but it could be for your Hotel when you're on vacation, your spot on a crowded beach, etc., etc. Paid version allows for 6 saved locations, with Name and Date organization, and customization. Another huge thing for this app is that once you EXIT My Phinder, it will turn off your GPS, so you're not constantly draining battery.

Phriend Phinder - Always free, this allows you to GPS-connect with any one of your "phriends" (that is any one else with an Android Phone). It's a two-sided interaction, where one person is "finding" and the other person is "waiting to be found" so there is none of that weird Stalker stuff you can get with Latitudes, and the like. This is for finding your friends at a crowded concert, on the beach, in a city, in a bar, etc. A newer version, potentially paid, will be run using a Server, rather than SMS. This will really make the app extremely fast and efficient!


Let me know what you all think!

Thanks,

tjob
 
Hey,

I wanted to provide a bit more detail on the new apps we have out, and hopefully get some feedback from anyone who'd like to offer it..

The first one is called Fone Phinder, and it does what the name implies. Ours differs from others in that to help make sure the user doesn't forget to turn it on, rendering the app effectively useless, we made it so that when you turn the app on, it will automatically kill all of your volume for you; ringtone, media, notification, system. So, it's a one step process to go into "meeting mode" as well as protect yourself from losing your phone. It works with the same tried and true secret SMS to your phone, which will start increasing your volume until you find your phone.

We've also added another feature that should prove helpful in those situations that you (the phone's owner) don't find your phone, but it is instead found by someone else. Once the phone receives the SMS, a pop-up dialog box appears that allows the choice to turn off the alert, or initiate a call-back to the phone that sent the SMS. This way, you can directly talk to the person who found your phone to figure out where they are.

The DELUXE version ($4.99) also provides a GPS feature for any other Android phone with Fone Phinder. If you are using this feature, you simply text the SMS word to the lost phone, and you can pull up a Google Maps screen for long distances, and then switch to a Radar screen with zoomability for close proximity locating. The locations are continuously updated so you have an accurate and up-to-date view of where you are in relation to your lost phone. This version also includes your full ringtone list for alert sounds, and 16 different background color choices. Finally, when you're ready to turn your volume back up, just open Fone Phinder and hit your menu button, then Normal. It will bring all of your volumes (ring, media, notif., system) back to whatever level they were set to prior to going Quiet.

The Free version has full functionality, but does not offer a Vibrate Mode, or GPS capability. It provides 6 different stock alert sounds, and all 16 different background colors.

We're on the web at www.sourcecode-llc.com/fph

Or you can search 'MTR' on the Android Market to see all of our apps.

I'd appreciate any and ALL feedback, and if you think it would be useful for you, please download, purchase, comment, and rate!!!

Thanks,

tjob for MTR Productions
 

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Hey,

Here's some more info on the My Phinder app:

My Phinder is essentially an answer to the question, "where is my _____?". Hotel, spot on a crowded beach, car in a crowded parking lot, etc. Any spot you want to be able to return to later, you can save in My Phinder. It uses your phone's GPS location and saves that data. Most importantly, upon exiting My Phinder, your GPS is turned off, so you're not draining battery.

The DELUXE version ($2.99) allows up to 6 locations to be saved, and the app let's you keep track of them by adding a Name of the location, and the Date that you saved it. When you choose to recall a certain location, a Google Maps screen is employed for long distances, and then you can switch to a Radar screen with zoomability for close proximity locating. Your GPS location is continuously updated so you have an accurate and up-to-date view of where you are in relation to the location you saved. This version also includes 16 different background color choices.

The Free version offers everything above, except you can save 1 location instead of 6.

We're on the web at www.sourcecode-llc.com/fph

Or you can search 'MTR' on the Android Market to see all of our apps.

I'd appreciate any and ALL feedback, and if you think it would be useful for you, please download, purchase, comment, and rate!!!

Thanks,

tjob
MTR Productions
 

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The third of 3 Phinder apps, here is more detail on Phriend Phinder:

Phriend Phinder is basically just a way for you to be able to find your friends in places that aren't particularly conducive to doing so. Places like crowded concert venues, on the beach, in a mall, in a City, etc. It's a two sided interaction between both "phriends" so you can't locate the other person if they don't want to allow themselves to be found. This way, it is only person-to-person, friend-to-friend. Not a publicly published GPS location. Just pick a friend that you know has Phriend Phinder (or call/text them and tell them to DL it) out of your contacts list. They can either be the "phinder" or the "phindee", wherein one of you is searching, the other is waiting for contact. Then, just follow the Google Maps screen, and subsequent Radar screen until you find each other. This is specifically geared towards those times when a phone call and a vague description of your location won't suffice.

This is a Free app that will soon employ a Server-based communication, rather than SMS. This should prove to make the app faster, and more efficient.

We're on the web at www.sourcecode-llc.com/fph

Or you can search 'MTR' on the Android Market to see all of our apps.

I'd appreciate any and ALL feedback, and if you think it would be useful for you, please download, purchase, comment, and rate!!!

Thanks,

tjob
MTR Productions
 

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Thats exactly what i was talking about in my previous post here: http://androidforums.com/android-applications/194496-my-new-apps.html

Glad to see you did a full write up on it with images. Again, best of luck with your apps!

Thanks again for the advice.. I'm not sure why all of these got jumbled into my first post 'Phinder Phamily Suite', I was kind of hoping they would be their own separate entities so people could (hopefully) reply to each one individually, but I suppose something is better than nothing. If you know a quick remedy for that, let me know. Also, these goofy screenshot guidelines seem to ONLY make it possible to put up your screens sideways.. I wonder why they do that?!

tjob
 
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Hey,

New changes to The Phamily..

Fone Phinder Deluxe / My Phinder Free/Deluxe -

We're now showing you exactly how many Satellites are in view of your phone, and how far along you are, progress wise, before we can grab your location. This way, User isn't just looking at a spinning circle that says, "getting location". At its simplest, it just lets the user know that the app hasn't frozen. If you see that you're not getting good satellite coverage, you can move around looking at the screen until you're somewhere that has good visibility.

We also added a function that won't allow your phone to "sleep" while it's trying to find your location. Hopefully you're in a place that it shouldn't matter because the signal comes quick enough, but just in case, you don't have to worry about your phone going to sleep and having to start the process over again.

Fone Phinder Deluxe -

We also changed the ringtone alert process so it won't play over itself upon alerting your phone, now the alert will wait until your ringtone has finished playing before starting it over again.

We also added faq and revision history to the website: www.sourcecode-llc.com/fph and we plan on incorporating these into the apps as well.

tjob
MTR Productions
 
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::UPDATE::

Phriend Phinder is in the finishing stages of a Server Based make-over. Engineering Department is entering into Test phases now, should be complete before the end of the month! No more SMS build-up for location updates... we've got the server, and everything runs through that way. Much cleaner, and more efficient! Let you all know when it's done.

tjob
MTR Productions
 
Upvote 0

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