Alrighty haunters and ghouls, the Halloween Countdown Widget is complete and available for free from the Android App Store. As you can see in the screenshot that I’ve taken a completely different approach from where I was going the first time. Battery tests show that updating every second did put a noticeable strain on the battery. I decided that if I was dump the seconds off the display that the really only important thing at that point is the number of days.
So I completely revisited the design and put together something that I feel is far better than what I had before. Something that’s not simply a knock of all the other countdowns out there (although I couldn’t find any Halloween related countdowns out there for Android). There’s a candle in the display that melts away a little each month the closer it gets to Halloween then starts over on November 1. If I can find a way to animate the candle flame without impacting performance or battery life I will add it in a future version.
Also of note is the skull being interactive meaning that if you tap it you’ll get one of four random Halloween sound effects. This is where I met my biggest challenge being new to Android development. It took hours of research to find a working sample of how to implement a button on a widget, especially one that doesn’t open a separate app.
Overall I’m extremely pleased with the final outcome. My daughter loves touching the skull to make it play sounds (wait till she sees my next project muhahaha, I might never get my phone back).
The Halloween Countdown Widget is up on the Google Android App store and can be picked up freely there, just search for “Necropolis Labs” and you’ll find it. Or just hit the QR Code below using a barcode reader from your Android phone.
Enjoy and keep your eyes peeled for more Android goodies from Necropolis Labs.
My first ever Android app – A Halloween Countdown Widget is up and running on my phone. I haven’t put the APK up on the Android market yet. Running some battery tests to see if the widget updating every second puts a drain on the battery.
I’m not certain about the pumpkin on the left or the blood font at the top. Open to criticism and suggestions.
As some of my friends and family already know, I’m hoping to get my hands on an Android phone soon (if all goes well by the end of the year, if not then for my normally scheduled upgrade in 2010). In particular I’ve been eyeballing the HTC Droid ERIS (aka HTC Hero) which, while not sporting a physical keyboard or flash for its 5mp camera, is just a much better all around phone than the Motorola Droid (yes I realize the Droid is running Android 2.0 while the ERIS is still on 1.5 – but what they won’t mention at Verizon is that Android 2.0 will be available for ERIS come January 2010).
Anyways I’m looking at getting some hands on Java and Android development going and putting some new tech skills under my belt. Mobile Apps are the new hotness right now but I still refuse to get on the iPhone bandwagon. I much prefer the openess of Android.
So with that in mind I’ve been looking for some fun starter apps to build and ran across this page while searching for mobile horror games (always good to check potential competition). Yes the page is all iPhone stuff but it was enough inspiration to get the gears turning. Now I’m hoping to turn out some fun apps for the haunt community. I have a buddy of mine who does iPhone App development so who knows maybe even some ports in the future as well.
When working on props and design concepts most of us ask the question (even if subconsciously) “Is this TOO scary?” Really it all comes down to knowing your audience and how they’ll react to your display or walk-through. Typically I stay away from gore in my work and displays but I don’t tone down the creepy for anyone. When I work on stuff I let the art take control and whatever gets built gets built. In the end if my house is too scary skip it and move on to the next one. You stop in for candy at your own risk.
Personally (and I’ll probably get some hate mail for this) I think this generation of parents coddle their kids way too much. Earlier in the year I read a great article over at Grimvisions which addresses this – and I’m in total agreement with it. I believe a little fear is a good thing especially when it’s a safe fear such as a movie, tv show, or a simple Halloween yard display. Children should be taught to face their fears and not to run from them or pretend they don’t exist. The key is all in good parenting. Kids need to be taught the difference between whats real and whats fantasy. Are there real monsters in the world? You betcha! But they don’t look anything like the Hollywood creatures or what we put out in Halloween displays. In fact real monsters look just like you and me. And the real scary part? You never know who they are. Stranger-Danger is an IMPORTANT lesson for all kids.
I think parents play a critical part of the night. If your kids are old enough to go out in packs with their friends, they’re old enough to see fake corpses rising from graves, fake hangmen, and fake blood and gore. If your kids are still pretty young and might be a bit traumatized by images of corpses in bondage or distress, you can simply pass up the house and move to the next one. It’s probably even easier than monitoring what your kids watch on TV. On Halloween night, a parent is pretty much in full control of their little one. Not trying to dodge responsibility either. It’s just me exposing the relationship that exists between yard haunter and parent/chaperone. Parents are our safety net.
So I completely revisited the design and put together something that I feel is far better than what I had before. Something that’s not simply a knock of all the other countdowns out there (although I couldn’t find any Halloween related countdowns out there for Android). There’s a candle in the display that melts away a little each month the closer it gets to Halloween then starts over on November 1. If I can find a way to animate the candle flame without impacting performance or battery life I will add it in a future version.
