Android Market | Robot Media

Android Billing Library: in-app billing made simple

Posted on June 14, 2011 by admin

Android Billing Library is an open-source Android library to work with Android Market’s in-app billing service.

The library provides high-level functions (as simply as requestPurchase(“android.example.purchased”)) for the full in-app billing specification, in addition to an obfuscated transaction database that is automatically populated and can be easily queried. The code also works as an example in-app billing implementation.

This is our third open-source contribution, with more to come shortly. If you’re interested in in-app billing, we invite you to fork the code on github and contribute with issues or pull requests.

The Adventures of Simon Pegg featured on the Android Market

Posted on February 9, 2011 by admin

The Adventures of Simon Pegg is currently being featured in the Android Market. The app is the comic book tie-in of actor Simon Pegg’s auto-biography, Nerd Do Well. While the Android version is only available in the UK, the iPhone/iPad is available worldwide.

This marks the third time that an Android app developed by Robot Media is featured by Google on the Android Market.

The Adventures of Simon Pegg was produced by Cornerstore Publishing, an imprint of Random House UK. Learn more about the app on its official website.

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WP Android Shortcode: a WordPress plugin to add links to the Android Market

Posted on December 29, 2010 by admin

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Linking to Android Market apps is somewhat problematic. Because Android Market links only work from Android devices, the most common way to link to an Android app is to offer a QR code of the app link that can be scanned with an app like Barcode Scanner.

However, when browsing from an Android device, a direct link to the Android Market is preferred. What works well for Android devices does not suit the rest and viceversa.

To solve this problem in our website we have created a very simple WordPress plugin called WP Android Shortcode. The plugin uses the [android] shortcode to convert Android Market links to the best option based on the platform. Android devices get a direct link to the Android Market, while the rest get the corresponding QR code. In both cases our nifty Android Market badge is used to clearly indicate that this is a link to an Android app.

For example, the following shortcode…

[android]market://search?q=pname:net.robotmedia.findtherobots[/android]

…is rendered as:

You can also specify the app name like this:

[android href=”market://search?q=pname:net.robotmedia.findtherobots” title=”Find the Robots!”]

…which is rendered as:

We encourage you to download the WP Android Shortcode plugin from WordPress.org and use it on your website.

Droid Comic Viewer breaks the 250,000 mark in the Android Market

Posted on September 23, 2010 by admin

Droid Comic Viewer, the leading Android comic and manga reader by Robot Media, broke the 250,000 Android Market downloads mark this week.

Unlike other landmark apps of the Android Market, Droid Comic Viewer has not been featured by Google yet. Its growing success comes from the strong support of its community, who actively contributes to make it the best comic reader for Android.

Droid Comic Viewer is the de facto comics and platform for Android devices worldwide. It has been localized to 7 languages and uses the ACV open format, which allows creators to adapt their comics for mobiles.

With an upcoming version that includes major feature, performance and usability upgrades, as well as more localizations, Droid Comic Viewer is on its way to become an essential app not only for comic fans, but also for all Android users.

Learn more about Droid Comic Viewer.

Google features Scott Pilgrim in the Android Market

Posted on August 23, 2010 by admin

Since August 22th Google is recommending Scott Pilgrim to all owners of Android devices. The free sampler of the Scott Pilgrim mobile comic is one of the 15 apps featured on the Android Market front-page.

Described as “pure awesome” by AndroidHeadlines.com and rated 4.5/5 by Android users, the Scott Pilgrim Android app is initially available in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and UK.

Scott Pilgrim’s precious little app is published by the innovative HarperCollins imprint, Fourth Estate, and developed by Robot Comics/Robot Media, the leading comics provider for Android.

Robot Comics has translated Bryan Lee O’Malley’s comic book to mobiles through movement, sound and vibration, creating an original reading experience tailored for Android devices. An experience which also becomes interactive and social when readers discover secret content carefully hidden in the scenes of the comic, as well as use an in-app commenting system that utilizes Twitter and Facebook to share the clues.

Scott Pilgrim is the second mobile comic featured by Google in their Android marketplace. The first one was the indie hit Robot 13 by Thomas Hall and Daniel Bradford, also produced by Robot Comics, which has been downloaded by almost 200,000 Android users to date -a number rarely reached by print editions.

With a launching price of £3.49 per volume, well below the print version, the Scott Pilgrim app is on its way to become the best-selling mobile comic for Android devices, and the first of many mainstream comic titles that finds a new audience in the Android Market.

The Scott Pilgrim app is also available for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Visit http://www.scottpilgrimtheapp.com for more information.

How to send an useful Android bug report with Bug Reporter

Posted on August 6, 2010 by admin

Android developers often get bug reports from their users that lack context. With so many Android devices and versions out there, it is vital to properly identify the device that had the problem. This brief tutorial will teach you how to send an useful bug report to an Android developer using Bug Reporter.

1) Download Bug Reporter from the Android Market if you do not have it already. If you do not have the Android Market you can also download Bug Reporter from AndAppStore.
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First comic app featured in the Android Market

Posted on July 26, 2010 by admin

An app released by Robot Comics, the comics branch of Robot Media, has become the first comic app featured in the Android Market.

The app features Robot 13, a comic by Thomas Hall & Daniel Bradford, and combines transition effects with vibration to create an unique reading experience.

After being featured Robot 13 was downloaded by more than 50,000 additional Android users in just a few days. These are some of their comments:

“Absolutely brilliant. Fantastic illustration and the way it moves from page to page is brilliant. Never seen anything like it before!” -Laura

“This is so cool. It’s the perfect balance between interactive and traditional comic book. It’s a lot of fun to read.” -Aaron

“Very cool I don’t really like comics but this is something I could get addicted to” -john

“Excellent way of writing a story. Love the extras like vibrations and zoom. Awesome. Purely Awesome.” -Cesar

Curious? Download Robot 13 #1, available for free both for Android and iPhone.

Installing non-Market Android apps

Posted on April 27, 2010 by admin

In some cases you might want to install an Android app that is not available in the Android Market. This brief tutorial will show you how.

Enabling unknown sources

The first step is to enable the installation of non-Market apps from your Android device. Simply go to Settings > Applications and enable Unknown sources if not already enabled.
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Android comics top of mind

Posted on March 20, 2010 by admin

Our comics branch, Robot Comics, appears as the top Google result for the search term “Android comics”. Our comics are the top paid apps in the Comics category in the Android Market. And our comic reader for Android, Droid Comic Viewer, is the most popular comic reader app of the platform.

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