Sony SmartWatch and BlackBerry 10

Not so long ago, I got an amazing Z10 from Marmalade (thanks to them once again), and it’s such nice hardware and OS, I’m using it as my main device ever since. One of the things I missed, however, was my SmartWatch, which works only with Android devices.

However, not much was needed for it to be able to work with BlackBerry 10’s Android player, main thing was Bluetooth. Thus, I was really excited when I heard the announcement that the next version of BB10 would include Bluetooth support. And when I found a leaked version of that OS, it only took some repackaging and simple tweaks to get the SmartWatch connected to the phone.

Here’s a video demo, which uses some of my apps: the Dialer, SMS Composer and Sound Meter.

[youtube CqxXBn8KRDo]

Not everything works, as there are still some BlackBerry limitations on its Android player, but if Sony and BlackBerry fancy this combination, all that can be overcame very easily.

Spelling suggestions for all

Glad to announce that spelling suggestions for the SMS Composer app are available for all phone models, since v.5.0 of the app. At the moment, the spelling suggestions are available only for the English language, but more languages are on their way!

The SMS Composer has also been updated to work faster and better on the new SmartWatch2.

See the SMS Composer with the spelling suggestions in action:
[youtube 6oXgRGLCWkA]

The Sound Meter for Sony’s Smart Accessories

Here’s my latest app for Sony’s Smart Accessories, the Sound Meter.

It works with these products:

  1. SmartWatch2
  2. SmartWatch
  3. Wireless Headset Pro

Sony have announced a few more Wireless Headsets which are said to support Android – if so, they should also be running my apps without problems.

So, the Sound Meter uses your phone’s microphone to determine how loud your environment is. It’s possible that the measured values would not be the same as those of a professional equipment for sound measurement, but what the app offers is still very handy.

Check out the app today on the market: Sound Meter for SmartWatch

[youtube t2KMJpct7Q0]

The overlooked app

It’s perhaps the app I use the most on my SmartWatch, but it has not been so popular among the other SmartWatch owners.

The Log is a simple app that displays the history of calls and SMS communication. It allows you to see the call details (exact and relative time, and call duration), and to call back. Very, very useful on the wrist.

Now, the SmartWatch 2 portion of the app has been updated to handle incoming SMS (text messages) notifications, thus offering alternative to the default Messaging extension for the SmartWatch.

The main advantage of the LOG over the default app is the possibility to display the SMS messages in whole, and to directly reply with an SMS – in case you also use the SMS Composer app.

Here’s a short video (in forever alone style ;-)) that demonstrates these cool new features:

[youtube XG7ZSYImlTA]

Check out the app today on the market: Log for SmartWatch

E-mail Writer for Sony SmartWatch

Write and send Email messages from the Sony SmartWatch on your wrist!

IMPORTANT:
* Uses GMail only, and requires the sender account to be set-up on your phone / tablet.
* Before using the app, select the account through which the E-mails will be sent, and allow the requested permissions
* The recepients are the contacts in your address-book(s).

Type the message directly, or choose from the templates which you can define in the app settings. Use codes such as %name, which will be replaced with the recipient’s name upon sending 😉

INSTRUCTIONS:
====================
Step 1.A: Write the message
----------------------------

Swipe RIGHT to input SPACE
Swipe LEFT to DELETE
Swipe UP to enter CAPS
Swipe DOWN to switch between keyboards.

When done writing, LONG TAP the blue area to confirm the message contents.
(On SmartWatch 2, you can also press "Menu" and then "Choose recipient")

Step 1.B: Choose from a template
---------------------------------
LONG TAP the "Use predefined message?"
(On SmartWatch 2, you can also press "Menu" and then "Select template")

= Template list mode =
Swipe UP and DOWN to find the template you want to use.
LONG TAP the template to preview it (i.e. switch to Template preview mode)
LONG TAP the blue area on the left to directly select the template, without previewing.
Swipe LEFT to switch to Template preview mode

= Template preview mode =
Swipe UP and DOWN to find the template you want to use.
LONG TAP the blue area with the text "Use this one" to select the template.
LONG TAP on the gray area with the text "Cancel" to return to Step 1.A
Swipe RIGHT to switch to Template list mode
(On SmartWatch 2, you can also use the menu button)

Step 2: Select the recipient from your contact list
--------------------------------------------------

Swipe LEFT: to delete the last typed number or character
Swipe RIGHT: to delete all
Swipe UP / DOWN: to switch to T9 search
Swipe UP / DOWN: to list through the search results in T9 mode

LONG TAP on the green area to confirm the selection / input.
(On SmartWatch 2, you can also press "Menu" and then "Send message")

Here’s a short demo of all that in action:

[youtube h2YWYw34ONY]

Get the app from Google Play!

Reader for Sony SmartWatch 2

The brand new Sony SmartWatch 2 is quite an impressive improvement since the previous model, which was already great by itself.

The new APIs and functionality give inspiration for a lot of things, like for example this simple Reader app. The demo below illustrates the app nicely.

Note that the app currently supports only .txt files, and the location of those files is set in the preferences.

[youtube nepOpKBz5zY]

Get the app from Google Play!

Fast Dialer for BlackBerry 10

Announcing the Fast Dialer app for BlackBerry 10 devices!

Fast Dialer is a neat little app that makes the usage of your phone super-easy. Instantly find and dial contacts by name, number or company name, with only a few taps (statistics say average of 3 taps to find your desired contact).

The only BlackBerry 10 app that lets you search through your contacts using 2 different languages alphabets at the same time, the first one is Latin-based (and includes all European Latin-based languages by default), and the second can be one of the following:

  • Cyrillic (Russian, Belorussian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Bulgarian…)
  • Greek
  • Hebrew
  • Arabic

Other key features:
* Twenty nice skins.
* Convenient large letters for an easier search. (Four different display modes are available)
* Speed dialing.
* Company name is displayed (and searched by).
* Wildcard search.
* Highlighting of starred contacts.
* Sort contacts by last name
* Pauses in the dialed number.
* Landscape mode.
* Quick redial.
* Localized in Russian, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Polish, Czech, German, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Dutch and Spanish!

Download the app from BlackBerry App World: http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/content/36955887

Log for SmartWatch2

Log for SmartWatch2, list view

The Log for SmartWatch app has also been updated to work on the new SmartWatch2. Finally, Sony added the API support for the items I improvised implementing on the “old” SmartWatch: lists, with smooth scrolling, and gallery view. Way to go Sony, nice to see that you accept developers’ ideas and suggestions!

Get the app from Google Play!