Mech Specs: Theres an App for that? There could be!!!!!

Ok, so with the recent acquisition of my Nexus 5 (switching over from an iPhone 4) I thought to myself "damn dude, you be stylin" and then I woke up and thought "Hrmmmm, would we like apps for MechSpecs?".

What does that mean? Basically I could make an app for both iPhone and Android phones that would give you an easy peasy interface with which to access the forums from either type of phone.

You can log into Mech Specs ANYWHERE!

Sure phones have browsers and everyone can log into Mech Specs from their browser yeah? But that eats up a lot of bandwidth over time. Trust me, I was doing it on my iphone with my old 500mb a month plan. Now with my Nexus 5 I get 2.5 gb of data and feel like a champ but it did get me thinking.

So lemme just throw up a little poll here and see what you all think. Now one word of warning; I am not sure how the Smurfy crib sheets would translate to the mobile tapatalk system. The only way to really know for sure would be trial and error but it would be an expensive trial and error ($99.00 setup and $39.00 a month for both iOS and Android licenses). Still, anything for you crazy kids right?

Lemme know what you think

 

The Android SDK is free, and you can sideload the APK to test it on your phone (as well as using the included emulator). So start with Android, since it only costs money to develop for if you want to put the app on the Play store. You can use alternative markets like F-Droid (a market for open-source apps) for free.

 

That all sounds incredibly brilliant but on the pain killers I am on right now it also reads like Greek. I blew my back out at work cutting open a Nissan Maxima to get a patient out so am now resting at home thinking of ways to take over the universe. This is one of them.

 

(Feel better, Mason) Goin' all gung-ho savin' lives...

As for an app, it'd be awesome. Steal some of my time away from Reddit while I'm in a car or hotel. (or on the throne) However, those prices seem a bit steep so soon after moving hosts. If there's a way to make it happen, hells yeah. I'd love it! DONATION INCOMING!

 

I agree but a lot of people have PM'd me over the last ohhhh 5-6 months or so (since switching to SMF from vBulletin) asking about whether or not I would make an app. I've really dug into the Nexus 5 since I've got nothing else to do laying in bed resting my back for most of the day, I figured "Hrmmm, now might be a good time to evaluate this aspect of web branding".

There are several ways to make this happen.

Donations in the New Year: Nobody wants to spend money so close to Christmas, myself included, ESPECIALLY since I am not receiving my full pay due to injury. This would allow us to make the app free on both the iTunes Store and the Google Play store.

Benefactors ONLY Usage: Make the app and then release it to the Benefactors ONLY changing their memberships to a $1.50 recurring fee per month (this is for the upkeep of the app and not for my own pocket of course). The more Benefactors use this app the less the cost to each individual?

Download Fee: Charge $1.50 on the iTunes store and the Google Play Store for anyone who wants to use it, whether or not they are a Benefactor or not doesn't matter.

By allowing the app to be free we maximize the usefulness to the community and honestly I like that option best but it all comes down to what YOU guys want to do cause Mech Specs has really become a crowd funded sort of project and you guys certainly have a say in the home that you helped build.

Right now I am really just collecting data; who would use a feature like this, who wouldn't etc.

Coding a module from scratch for both iPhone and Android is quite an undertaking so using a place like tapatalk makes things easy peasy.

 

Dude, this is an AWESOME idea! I would consent to a $1.50 a month recurring fee just so I could sit at work or on the "throne" as Cpt called it and surf Mech Specs. iPhone POWER! Please make sure there are no embedded ads though. That would get really kind of annoying.

 

I use android, and if anything I would support an android edition. Well, you can just give out the apk or charge it with the donation here. The process is relatively free (other than the programming charge) and you don't have to go through the varification process like iphone apps if you don't need to put it on google play. Even then the process is much easier then apple's piece of sh*t people that complains like 5 billion times before you can have a chance to successfully get an app on shelf, not to mention the fee.

For iphone you need to deal with those bastards.

But personally I don't think it is worth the effort. Unless smurfy also has an app which can be linked (which he would not, and smurfy is a b*tch to use on handsets) then having mechspecs only as an app is less convenient than reading it on a web browser on your phone.

 

I'd use it for my android and it would be cool to have a app for it but to be honest, I am rarely in need of reading stuff on my phone. I use my iPad (which is with me every weekday to, during the workday and from work) or a real PC on weekends and weeknights.

 

What he is trying to say is: download yourself an IDE (Eclipse for ex) and the Android SDK (both free small downloads) and you can pretty much start developing and testing Android apps on the spot. For iOs it is not that easy (and free).

 

Cool shit, Michael! I´m using Tapatalk 4 for some other forums, it´s a really nice and (working!) system imho.

When it comes to payment, i would prefer a fee for downloading over smth. like $ 1,50 revolving each month, but i´d be fine with both.

Thumbs up!

 

Sooo many Android owners out there over iPhone. Why am I always last to the party?!?!?!? LOL Once Google pushes out a patch to those of us with the Nexus 5 in Canada, so we can get our voicemail notifications without power cycling the phone, I will be super happy. Maybe a slight camera and speaker volume patch too.

Anyways, in regards to downloading SDKs, IDEs and ABCs it just ain't gonna happen folks. Now that it is first thing in the morning, and I haven't yet taken a pain killer, I was looking up essentially what that is and the amount of work it would entail. Rather staggering; both from a learning standpoint then from an implementation standpoint. Then there would be bug hunting. It isn't really "Oh look, this is cool lets plug this in" it is more like "ok, from the ground up, 1..2..3.. go!"

Tapatalk, and places like them, are turnkey solutions for specific criteria like this; they are easy to implement and already bug free (for the most part).

 

I would be down for the iPhone app. I say make it free and you will get a lot more people downloading it and using it.

Also, please don't shove ads in there. Really annoying on a small screen to avoid those stupid things.

 

How about this. Android Version, free app (so you don't have to go through google play if it acts like a b*tch)
Use ads, but it can be disabled with a premium mechspecs account (aka benefactor account)

everyone is happy then.

 

So far 14-6

More folks are plugged into their phones than I realized.

 

I'd pay for an android app. Especially if there was smurfy integration. Hell get smurfy online, make two apps, and I'll buy them both.

 

I would definitely like a mechlab/smurphy integration to the app. I tried using the mechlab through my tablet's browser, and all I got was a glitchy headache. Having a better/smoother way to read and reply to posts other than the integrated web browser would also be good, but the the mechspecs site is workable on a mobile browser (workable, not optimal.) Even if all you did was make an app to access the forum, I probably would get it, especially if it was free (the best price for a broke guy like me.)

 

Right now we are looking at forum access only. I'm not Smurfy and have no input on his projects. At one time I suggested full integration with him retaining complete control however he declined soooooo it is what it is lol

 

Thought so, but a man can dream. I still would be interested in a Mechspecs app even without a mechlab

 

The forums work just fine through my mobile browser (Chrome). Thing is, a bulletin board should be simple enough for a mobile browser to handle. I'd focus on more core functionality like more consistent default font sizes.

I'd like to see a more mobile-friendly version of Smurfy's. It still works, but the layout of the page definitely lends itself more to a desktop experience.