Android app?

question
#21

The character encoding issue is client-side, since the newsblur.com site uses the same API. It’s UTF-8, if that helps at all.

#22

@Ben @Samuel Thanks for that info, I was able to fix the character encoding.

#23

I noticed a bug! Even if I select “display only yellow or better”, it shows me in a couple of feeds red items (notably Lifehacker and Ars Technica).

#24

@dukkokun Does that still happen with the latest version, 1.11? I think it should be fixed in that version. You can check which version you have in the Applications -> Manage Applications -> Blar section of your Android preferences.

#25

Yes, latest version and still red items…

#26

@dukkokun I pushed another new version in the last hour or so, let me know if that helps.

#27

Solved! May I suggest something else, but related? (I know, I’m really boring) Why don’t you hide the stickers for those feeds that we decided to hide? I mean, I see in the feed view ALL the feeds, even the red ones. I don’t care about them, so it’d be great to hide also that :slight_smile:

#28

@dukkokun I’ll work on that, thanks again for the suggestions.

#29

@dukkokun I’ve implemented that in version 1.20, pushed just a moment ago.

#30

I really like how you’re listening to customers :slight_smile: For now, only thing missing is notifications, but I already said this. So, happy! :slight_smile:

#31

This is great! As Fabian suggested I submitted it to the FDroid alternative market app where all the apps are free software: https://gitorious.org/f-droid/fdroids…

More info on FDroid market at http://f-droid.org/repository/

#32

@Jan-Christoph I’m glad you like the app! However, if you take a look at the license, you’ll notice that distribution of APK files is prohibited, so this would not be a good fit for the FDroid repository. I will look into putting it up on some other alternative markets, though. Please remove or edit your merge request/forum thread to clarify this. Thanks.

#33

@Hanoran: That’s unfortunate. As it said in the source I thought you licensed it under the GPL. See my full reply in the merge request and please let me know if you have any questions. I would love to see this app remain free & open-source software.

#34

You can now grab the app on the SlideMe market, in case you don’t have access to the official market. Here’s a link.

#35

I’ve now updated the license thanks to some information from Jan-Christoph and Luke. The license is a modified two clause BSD license, allowing for source redistribution, but disallowing binary distribution without my permission. See source for details. I hope this license will be more clear and satisfy your needs. Thanks again!

#36

Thank you. I would be happy if you consider removing the modification after you sold enough.

I’d recommend for you to put up a donation option / wire transfer info. The main issue here really is that people who use Blar (e.g. self-compiled) and want to give money to you directly can not without using Google / some Market / PayPal which you would also need to share the revenue with.

#37

I will certainly consider removing the modification once sales drop off.

I would, of course, appreciate donations, but unfortunately I am unable to accept wire transfers at this time. You can find alternative donation options here. To be completely clear, donations are absolutely not required or expected if you’re compiling your own copy, but they are certainly appreciated.

Thanks once again for the feedback and info, Jan-Christoph.

#38

I find the app to offer a pretty poor user experience:

  1. Crashes 75% of the times I use it (i.e. Force close)
  2. Can’t read ‘all unread items’ even though I’m logged in w/ premium account
  3. Since I can’t read all feeds I have to do 4 extra clicks to get to the first item in the next feed
  4. The next button greys out until the story is fully loaded making the app feel unresponsive if you decide to skip a story based on title before full story is available

Was excited to replace Reader w/ NewsBlur but I read from my phone a lot and have grown used to Reader’s fantastic mobile app.

Everyone else here seems stoked… anyone else have these issues or is everyone having a great time w/ Blar?

Peace,
Mike

#39

I haven’t heard a ton of positive feedback about Blar, but the developer (it’s built on the API) has open-sourced the code. So if somebody wants to come in and take over, it’s totally possible.

Now, the iPhone app is my responsibility and you bet your buns it’s top-notch and well supported. It also doesn’t crash (at least much, I use it myself everyday and it’s pretty solid) and keeps up with new features. If you were to purchase an iPhone anytime soon, you would be pleasantly rewarded with the NewsBlur iPhone app.

Blar was built in only a few days, so it’s understandable that this is happening. The developer didn’t charge enough for it, so I don’t know if he has incentive to keep working on it. But open-source means somebody can pick it up and run with it. And remember that I’d be thrilled to open up the API even further to help out and make things easier for an app builder. There’s a golden opportunity for somebody to grow with NewsBlur.

#40

Hey mbannister, I’m the developer of Blar. I know there are some issues with the app, but I was not aware of some of the issues you have pointed out (particularly the 75% crash rate). I’m not seeing a lot of crash reports on my market dashboard, so please be sure to report any force closes you get and I will try to get them fixed.

I do plan to improve Blar as soon as I have time. I’m sorry that you’ve had a poor experience so far, I will do my best to make it up to you. I’ve issued you a refund for your troubles.