Android Development in Basic

[Paul Squires]

Hi Guys,

I have certainly not given up on FF.

FF3.5 will be out soon. Don't worry about that.

[Rolf Brandt]

Did you hear that rumbling noise? That was the stone that just dropped from my heart.

Rolf

[Douglas McDonald]

I've never used Android. Not on a cellphone or anything else. But there is a project that I'm looking for a tablet to be able to do.

We keep all our manuals (.PDF's) on a server. Now each time a Technician needs a manual they have to print it. We want to use a tablet with Android at each workstation to display the manual directly from the server via WIFI and save a LOT of trees. Could this be done using Basic4Android? Can it connect to a domain server? Even better would being able to connect to a FoxPro Database on the server from an app on the tablet. Being able to connect a USB barcode scanner would be cool too.

The prices are coming way down to the point that just in paper savings it would pay for its self over time. We'd put a cheap desktop at each workstation but there is really not enough room.

Thoughts?

[Dennis Hoskins]

Hi Douglas,

Take a look at the Cellica database (www.cellica.com).  It will synch wirelessly to any ODBC compliant database.  I have had little experience with it but the basic functions seem to work as advertised.  The support forum is moderately active and the developers seem pretty responsive.

Dennis

[Ivan Iraola]

I've never used Android. Not on a cellphone or anything else. But there is a project that I'm looking for a tablet to be able to do.

We keep all our manuals (.PDF's) on a server. Now each time a Technician needs a manual they have to print it. We want to use a tablet with Android at each workstation to display the manual directly from the server via WIFI and save a LOT of trees. Could this be done using Basic4Android? Can it connect to a domain server? Even better would being able to connect to a FoxPro Database on the server from an app on the tablet. Being able to connect a USB barcode scanner would be cool too.

The prices are coming way down to the point that just in paper savings it would pay for its self over time. We'd put a cheap desktop at each workstation but there is really not enough room.

Thoughts?

That can be done with B4A, and no need to hook up a barcode scanner, you can use the camera on the tablet/phone to read barcodes.

[Haakon Birkeland]

Adding a little JavaScript to the toolbox alongside a fair understanding of HTML and CSS and one will be at a good starting point for addressing several mobile platforms. Shouldn't be such daunting task for Basic'ers really!

Then there are tool like PhoneGap for cross platform "compilation". Heck, even Dreamweaver 5.5. can be used ...

[Cho Sing Kum]

I've never used Android. Not on a cellphone or anything else. But there is a project that I'm looking for a tablet to be able to do.

We keep all our manuals (.PDF's) on a server. Now each time a Technician needs a manual they have to print it. We want to use a tablet with Android at each workstation to display the manual directly from the server via WIFI and save a LOT of trees. Could this be done using Basic4Android? Can it connect to a domain server? Even better would being able to connect to a FoxPro Database on the server from an app on the tablet. Being able to connect a USB barcode scanner would be cool too.

The prices are coming way down to the point that just in paper savings it would pay for its self over time. We'd put a cheap desktop at each workstation but there is really not enough room.

Thoughts?

Hi Douglas,

For the PDF manuals, there is no need to develop an app for it. If you have a webpage on your LAN and on this webpage are links to the PDF manuals, then they can be downloaded via the browsers on the Android tablets.

I am able to access my router setup page 192.168.xxx.xxx but I do not have LAN webpage/PDF to test so I tested downloading PDF from the Internet on the following devices. I have Adobe Reader app installed on them:

Android - Motorola Xoom
webOS - HP Touchpad
iOS - iPad 2

On the Motorola Xoom, after downloaded, a downloaded icon (down-pointing-arrow) appear on the bottom taskbar next to the clock. Touch it and choose your reader to open the PDF.

On the HP Touchpad, a list on the right side of screen will open to show the file downloaded. Touch the file to open the PDF.

On the iPad 2, it opens automatically.

Hope this info helps.

[Haakon Birkeland]

On the HP Touchpad, a list on the right side of screen will open to show the file downloaded. Touch the file to open the PDF.

It can then also be reopened from the Adobe Reader application â€" at will.

On the iPad 2, it opens automatically.

But if the browser crashes or is closed the file has to be re-downloaded since it's embedded in the browser window â€" ain't it so?!

[Cho Sing Kum]

On the iPad 2, it opens automatically.

But if the browser crashes or is closed the file has to be re-downloaded since it's embedded in the browser window â€" ain't it so?!

If the browser crashed while downloading, the problem will be common accross all tablet types and will obviously require a re-download. Same problem when a dedicated app crashes.

You can chose to open it with Adobe Reader too. The file will be saved and can be re-opened anytime. Have you try it?

[Douglas McDonald]

Thanks a lot to everyone. Now I just need my boss to get me one to play with.

Doug

[Haakon Birkeland]

My point was to highlight a (...nother) stupidity on the iOS platform. I once "downloaded" a magazine to read off-line on an iPad, but the browser crashed after a few pages and then I had nothing to read.

On a TouchPad one would not be required to keep the browser alive to keep the magazine available.

[Cho Sing Kum]

My point was to highlight a (...nother) stupidity on the iOS platform. I once "downloaded" a magazine to read off-line on an iPad, but the browser crashed after a few pages and then I had nothing to read.

On a TouchPad one would not be required to keep the browser alive to keep the magazine available.

On all the 3 platforms, I never have a need to keep the browser alive since the Adobe Reader is the Reader and the PDF doc cannot usually be read completed in one instance. On the iPad 2, there is also the iBook app that support other formats. Even in other formats, there is no need to keep the browser alive.

All tablets of all OSes are never designed to read books, magazines or manuals with the browsers. At least with those I am using and that covers 3 OSes. The only one I have not tested is the Playbook.

[Rolf Brandt]

Anywhere Software has a sale (30% down) on all versions of Basic for Android right now. Sale will end on the 25th of Nov. 2011.

http://www.basic4ppc.com/android/purchase.html

Rolf

[Douglas McDonald]

Well I just ordered Basic4Android while it was on sale for $69. Now I just have to wait for my Asus 10.1 EeePad Prime. I decided to get the Asus since it has the Nvida Targa 3, 4 core cpu, Full 1080 HD,  will run Android 4.0 and cost the same as the Samsung with a 2 core and half the memory. Sounds like an iPad killer for sure.
If I add the docking station it has full USB and some other stuff that will make it great for development, I hope. For now I can get used to Basic4Android in emulation mode.

Thanks

[Haakon Birkeland]

Transformer Prime seems indeed tempting, although my little experience with Android have turned me off a bit. I assume and hope they inspire more products in that direction, with synergy between ARM and traditional x86 architecture.

There is a company working on a CPU with both architectures, and I welcome a combination of traditional Windows for doing "actual work", and some mobile environment that can lightly talk to the Windows part â€" sharing files at least.

The cute part about the "four'n a half" core Tegra 3 CPU is actually the fifth companion core, running with extremely low power consumption at 500Mhz for tasks that don't require lots of guts â€" saving battery juice.

As for Full HD, the screen on the device itself is only 1280x800, while offering a mini HDMI connector as alternative output. And the option of using a mouse for input through USB as well.