apps and android

[vinceASPECT]

Does anybody get interested in Android apps here?

or do you know a good Android app forum.  (Sharing great apps)

over the times i have found masses of TINY android apps that do the same as counterparts
at hundreds of times greater size.

say for example, a 20 kilobyte app that does the exact same thing as something
at 25 megabytes..........and even out-performs it  ( 1249 times smaller )

it's great for keeping low end entry level handsets jammed with great apps

Thanks

Vin.

[vinnie]

A list of good app? there is a lot for android:
- osmand: the best navigator (better than gmaps), open but only for android, no linux
- f-droid / aurorastore: where to pick your apps
- ghost commander: oldstyle file manager, but really good
- hacker's keyboard: if you want to write more complex text, this is a normal keyboard
- netguard: good firewall, but there is alternatives (for example invizible pro)
- termux, the better android app
- open camera: for yours camera
- simple task: for your appointments (really alternative and good, it put also the appointment in the google calendar or better to etar)
- calculator++ (or microMathematics if you need formula sheets)
- newpipe: better than the other, also (a lot) better than official youtube app
- element: for chatting in the new millennium
- qksms: for your sms (better that the stock one)
- orionreader / librera / koreader (you have a lot of choices for ebook)


for the forum, you can try the f-droid forum, they also have an app on their store to consult their forum

You have a lot of good choices (and these are only for generic tasks) but honestrly, buy a pinephone and avoid android
https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/
In this regard, it would be nice if someone thought to port also tinycore on it, but I have the impression that it is not a simple thing and probably the development would take too much time.



P.s. ah, this is all open source apps 

[vinceASPECT]

ahh right winnie.....

......but i am talking about $15 dollar handsets from (Walmart).........  not $200 handsets

You can fit about......**** 900 free apps***** on a $15 handset from Walmart.  (if you know what you are doing)
and still have a GIG spare for songs , videos and photos etc.

These $15 Handsets become extremely powerful computers when you use them together with FOUR other free apps named
"Second-Screen" and "Taskbar" on the handset.................  and "Scrcpy" and "adb bridge" on your win or Lin Laptop.

Then you  plug in your handset  over USB and you get a fully fledged ANDROID desktop computer with proper multi-tasking.
(floating windows) how?.....see below.

Android 7 and above handsets support proper MULTI-TASKING APPS on the same single screen. You just engage the "force activity's to be re-sizable" feature in the droid developer menu. You can energise that feature directly on the handset or over USB and a laptop with the free "adb bridge" lappy tool.

 This "force thing" will give you a true multi tasking handset device.  (floating windows)
( a fast realisation of that free trick is to use it with free multi tasking apps like  "FLoating apps"  from the store which is excellent 
 (41 multi tasking apps .....in floating windows)

BUT MY STUFF MENTIONED FROM THE BEGGINING ABOVE is the most powerful use of a new $15 handset
as a fully fledged desktop computer with 900 free apps on it

i have done this and it works perfectly........it's all free
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, i do know about some of those apps you mention. 

i will try out F Droid.   (i have only been using Play store)........but i would be happy to share my list of great tiny apps.
(there are over 160 of them)

The smallest APP i have is  3.5 kilobytes .....it's very useful and turns off the TELECOMS of the handset among many other
things it can do....

Yes, i enjoy using "Ghost commander" free app for a long time now.....but i do have other much smaller file managers

i am all about the "small size" of  apps for me.......
----------------------------------------------------------------

.....have (Smallest App - 4G Switch and Network Info)...............at just 3.5 kilobytes ( by Nabin Bhandari )

.....have android  launcher. ( Tiny home).................................. ...at just 20 kilobytes   

.....have solitaire (Klondike).........................................................at just 19 kilobytes  (Klondike by Digiwack software)

....have full web browser (Frick Webview) ..................................at .just 21 kilobytes 

.....and i have many more apps  ..................................................at just 20 kilobytes

then there are........

.....have (Gurk) roll playing game..................................................at just 96 kilobytes   

.....have (Naked  Browser)............................................................at just 128 kilobytes 

.... have file manager  (Tiny File Commander)................................at just 132 kilobytes

..... have e-reader. ( Solati Reader).................................................at just 132 kilobytes 

......have PDF reader ......................................................................at 350 kilobytes  (https://tarskitheme.com/apps/net.binzume.android.bookreader/)

..... have "book reader" ebook reader.............................................at 159 kilobytes  ( by Pavel Gudkov )  (search him in play store)

.....have PDF to TEXT converter (reader).........................................at 437 kilobytes  ( by Studio Weilican )

.....have REDDIT client called "Diode"..............................................at 521 kilobytes  (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.shick.diode)

..... have a basic youtube client ......................................................at just 790 kilobytes   (Play Lite)

in total....i have over 160 tiny apps here.........................................and there are many many more.

Thanks

C

[vinnie]

I'm sorry I misunderstood that you were interested in very small applications.
Yes some I know of but I would have a hard time finding them now because I don't remember the size of all the apps.

F-droid you can also browse it from the site and download the packages directly, if you want to save the space of the store application https://f-droid.org/

You can check also this other website https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/
P.s. i was also a player of gurk (i like turn tactics rpg)

[vinceASPECT]

Vinnie,

thanks for replying.

i enjoy your recommendations because your AUROROSTORE app at 16 megs installed.........it allowed
me to first ROLL BACK my play store app to the factory default version at just 25 megs (instead of 109 megs) then
completely DISABLE IT

i know , like you say, i could just direct download APPS and not have any app store on the phone.......saving 16 megs
but i am not that desperate.  (space wise)

so the handset has gained around 80 megs of new spare space and AUROROSTORE works great.

i very much enjoy your OPEN CAMERA free app.

This is way more powerful than the
stock camera app of my phone and only
takes 5 megs space.

it allows me to take reasonable photos
at just 8 kilobytes per photo for Facebook and
social sharing. Also it takes large--lengh videos but
the file size can stay small  (due to setting low bit rate etc)

if you want all my great apps
i can send you the full list and there are some really excellent tiny apps

My handset currently holds  151 user installed apps.......which i hope to increase to about 250.

This handset was only 9 dollars NEW (usd) ........(Christmas sales) ......

This handset is an excellent fully fledged computer (quad core cpu at 1..3 ghz and dual core mali 400 gpu)

 ........i use it as a fully fledged desktop computer. via the methods  described earlier in thread.
 It is really excellent and sometimes better than a win 10 Laptop

i use FORCE ROTATION free app so when this handset is in "full---screen Laptop mode"........ all of the APPS also run in full screen.
(the rotation app has options to force ANY APP into the orientation you desire)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A good free app at (3 megs ) is "Street Panorama View 3D, Live street map 3D".....which is a good
3D street view tool and also has a type of google earth affair inside it's maps........with GPS

......there is a free 60 kilobyte WORDPAD that also allows saving notes as TEXT files to your device storage.  (Export)
It can deal with very large files and very large cut and pastes. It auto saves.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.develish.note&hl=en

.......there is a free 10 kilobyte DRAWING APP and you simply save by pressing handset power and volume down together  (screenshot)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.co.eiconcept.drawmemo&hl=en

.......there is a free 20 kilobyte KEYBOARD. So you can ditch the 60 megabyte GOOGLE thing that is stock on droid phones.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=rkr.tinykeyboard.inputmethod&hl=en

.......there is a nice free RSS NEWS READER at 900 kilobytes.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.boxhead.android.rss&hl=en

......there are also some very interesting apps for common sense.

There is a free FACE TIME VIDEO APP that offers unlimited CALL DURATION
and does not require any connection to cellular networks of WI FI or any router boxes or internet.
( you can even remove the SIM card from the handset.)
The app only uses the CHIPS inside the phone and the "WI FI DIRECT feature" of handsets to communicate..... and it has a range of 4 tennis courts distance.

1) it is useful for unlimited FACETIME CHAT with people in different rooms of houses or for office meetings
 (it supports unlimited GROUP facetime chats)
2) it is useful for ROCK CLIMBERS to communicate difficult climbs or group sports like horse riders where there isn't any network
3) useful for fishermen at different ponds.......... to communicate face to face
4) it is useful for construction workers on site
5) it is useful as a baby monitor. (or watching animals hibernate)
many many uses for it

You just view a few "2 second" adverts. Maybe view 10 of them. That then gives you 10 "unlimited duration" facetime calls in your wallet  (stored)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ednamos.bluetoothlive&hl=en  ( 8 megs) but interesting.

many thanks and i will take your advice Sir

C

[vinceASPECT]

"Freeform mode" in Android 7 or above pertains to this OP's third comment.
https://www.floatingapps.net/freeform
https://blog.floatingapps.net/2018/01/qa-floating-installed-apps-with-freeform-mode/

It pertains to all devices  above 7........and can be used with any apps......... (NOT JUST used with the "floating apps" app.....)