Reader Widget Pro Update

Inspired by Jeff Sharkey’s excellent Sky Weather Widget for the Pro version of Reader Widget I have decided to provide multiple widget sizes in one package:

• Small 1×1 cell to show unread count for a particular tag (or all tags)
• Medium 2×2 cell with list of unread items for every tag
• Large/Wide 4×1 cell with rolling headlines configurable by tag

Here’s a preview of the medium version:

Notice the handy refresh button on the top left.
Other features will include:

• Configurable click action to:
• Refresh (small version only)
• Open browser
• Open dialog with list of tags that when clicked go to correct page in Google Reader
• Display last refresh time or newest item time

Reader Widget 1.4

Reader Widget V1.4 is out on the market and in the usual place. Changes include:

• https used for API calls
• Orientation locked to portrait for configuration screen
• Minor “under the hood” tweaks and tidying up

This will be the last update to it for a while because I want to concentrate on the Pro version.

Reader Widget “Pro” Preview

This is a little preview of the pro version of the widget. Unread counts for every tag in my Reader account:

Excessive? Perhaps a little.

Reader Widget 1.3

Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback on xda developers, Android Community and the Market. Version 1.3 is now up on the market. Changes include:

• Loading from cache when network is down fixed
• Dialog box shown when opened from Market after installation (it showed an error message before)
• Small performance tweaks

Reader Widget 1.2

After some feedback from the guys over at xda-developers I changed the background of the Reader Widget to a more standard one:

I have also fixed the onclick action so that it work for browsers other than the default e.g. Steel.
The layout of the configuration screen is improved and it scrolls when the phone is horizontal now.
Get the updated version at the usual place.

I have also uploaded this version to the Android Market as a free app. Search for “reader small” and it should appear. If you download it from there please rate it. Any feedback is welcome.

PubCrawler HTML5 geolocation

I’ve been neglecting the PubCrawler a bit recently because of my current widget fetish. I made one quick change to it last night though. It now has HTML5 geolocation for browsers that support it. I tested it in Firefox 3.5 beta 4 which is a bit flakey when it comes to the geolocation stuff even on other peoples’ sites. Ideally I need someone to test it with a new Palm Pre which it should work for. Please contact me on webmaster at ubikapps.net if you do. Either that or I will have to wait until iPhone OS 3.0 comes out and try it on my iPod Touch.

I have lots of changes I want to make to PubCrawler. One thing that is high on my list is updating it for Google Maps API V3 which has a much improved mobile experience. I may have to create a separate version though because V3 is not fully featured yet.

Update: just installed OS 3.0 on my iPod touch and it works.

New Reader Widget

I have made a second update to the Reader Widget. Changes include:

• New icons
• Update period of 24 hours fixed
• Config cleaned up when removed from home screen
• Background thread for retrieving data to prevent “App Not Responding force close/wait” pop-ups
• Signed properly with non-debug key
• Logging reduced to minimum

Get it in the usual place. Please uninstall any old versions before re-installing.

Reader Widget Update

I have fixed some bugs with the Reader Widget:

• Text fits better in layout when phone is in horizontal position
• Zero unread items condition handled
• Loads properly after reboot

Get it from the same place. Please uninstall the old version before installing the new one (SettingsApplicationsManage Applications).

My First Android App: The Reader Widget

I’ve been developing an Android widget over the past few days. It uses the Google Reader API to find the number of unread items in Google Reader. It also displays the most recent unread item time. Get it here.
After installation go to your home screen, press Menu, Add, then Widgets and it should be in the list.

Requirements:

• Android 1.5 (cupcake)
• Google Reader Account
• Install applications from unknown sources enabled (in SettingsApplications)

Features:

• Compact 1×1 cell size
• Automatic authorization against Google Reader API (no username and password required)
• Configurable update period from 10 mins to 24 hours
• Most recent unread item time displayed
• Touch or click on it to launch Google Reader browser window

Give it a try. I might even upload it to the market. The reason its called “ReaderWidgetSmall” is because I’m planning on creating larger versions that show more info about what’s new in your Google Reader feeds.