Let’s be honest.  Sometimes creating icons for you Android Application can be a bit tedious.  There are three different resolutions you have to shoot for (mdpi, ldpi, and hdpi), and several iterations you have to create (launcher icons, menu icons, notification icons, and, now that Icre Cream Sandwich is coming out, Action Bar icons).  I, for one, can never remember all the proper resolutoins and have to keep running back to the Android Developers Icon Design Reference to get it right.  Even then, I’m a bit artistically challenged, so I’m never happy with the final result.

Enter Android Asset Studio.  This simple tool lets you create most, if not all, or the icons in your application quickly and easily.  There are wizards for creating Launcher icons, Menu icons, Action Bar Icons, Tab Icons, Notification Icons, and device framed screenshots.

For each type of icon, there is a simple to use wizard that allows you to choose, the artwork you wish to display on your button (you can upload your own artwork, use predefined clip-art pictures, or just use text).  After choosing artwork, add in trim, color, and shading values, and viola!  You have a set of icons.  This is a nice tool that all you independent developers should check out!

When it comes to Android development, sometimes too many choices can be a bad thing.  Users complain that Android applications lack a unifying feel or pattern.  AndroidPatterns.com attempts to solve that problem.  By providing developers with a standard set of Android UI elements and instructions on where to use them, the site hopes to make application development easier.

The site includes listings for common developer issues such as dealing with data, getting input, navigation, notifications, screen interactions, and many more.  Each entry includes a wireframe illustration of the pattern, a verbal description of the pattern, instructions on when to use the pattern, and the pros and cons of each pattern.  Finally there are real application examples of these patterns in action.

Currently the site has a small, but useful, number of patterns, with more being added all the time.  Check it out if you’re a developer or if you’re a curious Android user who wants to see the elements that make up many of your favorite applications.

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Rooting has always been the thing to do with Android devices if you were a hacking / modding type.  Now everyone can root their Android device (Provided you have one of the phones listed) thanks to a new website, Unrevoked.com. Now you can root and flash a custom rom on your phone in as little as three clicks.

Currently supported phones include:

• HTC Evo 4g
• HTC Hero
• HTC Hero
• HTC Desire
• Droid Incredible

If you want some more information about the underlying tools this site uses, check their wiki.  Here they go over some of the specifics of the program.  Don’t look here for the details on the exploit they’re using though, that’s staying under locks.  Considering manufacturers are starting to lock their bootloaders, that’s probably a good thing.

If you have one of the phones listed above and desire a little more control over your device, root ‘er up and let us know how the experience went!

E-mail from the Insyde Market

The Insyde Market is gearing up for the age when Android is available on netbooks.  They’re making a separate market for Android apps purely for netbook platforms.  This market will provide the same apps as the Android market, but it will provide versions of these applications optimized for a netbook platform.  Insyde Market offers to work with developers to revise their applications for a netbook platform.  Revisions can include:

• adjusting to the different sizes of netbook screens
• running on vastly different hardware than that provided by Android powered cell phones.  These hardware differences can include:
• Full keyboards
• Multi-touch screens
• other IMEs

Creating an account allows you to upload applications to the Insyde Market.  Other than that the site looks pretty simple.  Expect more additions in the future, especially when more applications are submitted.  Check out the Insyde market here.

Tutorials include helpful snippets about:

• Audio Support in Android
• Starting Service at Boot
• SMS Handling via Android API
• Much More

Lately I’ve found myself relying on this site more and more for simple tutorials to quickly create certain functionality in my programs. Hope you enjoy it!

Whenever I find something interesting / useful with respects to Android, I like to share it and spread the word, just like I encourage people to do with Droidweb.  This site is an example of this.  Hailing from Berlin, DroidNova.com contains an amalgamation of Android tips and tricks in the categories of

• Using the Android Emulator
• Layout Techniques
• Security
• and several others…

The original article and drew my eye to the site was its 5 part tutorial on Playing with graphics in Android.  After a quick preview, I found some articles on topics I’ve been searching for myself, including the usage of SD Cards that I posted yesterday.  Wish I had known about this site sooner.

Earlier, I bought to you news of AndroidStats.com and Cyrket.com. Here’s another site monitoring the Android market and making it available to the general public through the web browser. Androlib.com claims to be a place where users can “find all applications and games available in the Android Market for your Android Phone, HTC Dream, HTC Magic etc…”. The site seems to be comprehensive, complete with listings for the latest Android applications and even listing the latest comments on Android apps. Other than this, the site functions very similarly to AndroidStats, except for the fact that AndroidStats links back to Cyrket.com.

Overall, Andoidstats has a cleaner interface, so I like it better, but feel free to pick and choose what site you prefer to keep an eye on the happenings in the Android Market.

Slide ME is an Android application store- founded last year and headquartered in Seattle. Developers can provide their applications to users at cost or for free.  Slide ME offers developers a forum in which to interact with end-users and promote their applications.  While many of the currently listed applications are free, developers can enter a paypal account to receive donations.  Another useful function of Slide ME is the “Hire this Developer” button, which puts those looking to commission an application in contact with those capable of producing it.  There is also a Slide ME forum where developers can offer their services or be solicited for commissions and for general discussion.

Slide ME has, among other disbursement methods, a prepaid MasterCard.  This is similar to paycards offered by many employers- probably not the best option for some, but available- and available to international developers.

Slide ME also provides a rights-protection section of code, which can be added to applications preventing users from forwarding the application to others. 

Users can search apps by category, view the number of previous downloads an application has had and read user comments.  This community aspect seems to be Slide ME’s focus.  They encourage knowledgeable and interested parties (and writers and the media) to register and add commentary to the community.  There is an “Accredited Member” status for these users and Accredited Members will receive exposure through Slide ME’s newsletter and on the site, so it is a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Payment for applications, of which there are nearly 200 today (most of these being free or under $1) are accepted from Amazon Payments or from a growing number of credit cards and other sources (including plans to accept PayPal, Western Union, direct bank debits, and checks in the future.)

Slide ME features a user-friendly interface and layout and applications currently available range from “aBubblePop”, a free application that simulates popping bubble wrap to “Textecution”, which disables texting and web surfing at high speeds (i.e. while driving) for $9.99.