The Android Bounty idea was so popular we turned around the next month to see if we could bribe someone to port a fully working copy of Quake to Android. It was an ambitious project for sure, but several developers tried their hand at the challenge. This spawned a wave of Doom and Quake ports, but iD Software didn’t like people distributing their work on the Android Market and the pulled the apps down.

I was starting to think we would never see a fully working port, but two new developers have stepped up to the plate and are working on open sourced projects.

First we have developer Julien who is working on a port of Quake 2. His project is called Quake2Android and he just released the source code. He claims network games are working and he even implemented touch and accelerometer based controls. It will play on first gen phones like the G1, but a Motorola Droid is suggested for a playable frame rate (30-40). Unfortunately it does not work on the Nexus One yet, but the dev has invited those who can help to jump on board.

I loaded Quake2Android on a Droid and it ran quite well. The frame rate hovers around 30 fps and jumps to 50 in smaller parts of a map. Even when the action gets intense with multiple players, the Droid is able to keep it playable at over 30 fps.

Next we have developer Thunderbird2k who has ported Quake 3 to the Droid in a project he is calling kwaak3. It took him about a day to compile and to load the Quake3 main-function and then he spent the next few weeks adding support for touchscreen input, networking and sound.

I installed and setup kwaak3 on a Motorola Droid just to see if the game was playable. To my surprise it ran around 20-30 fps, but that was on a small map with only two players. On larger outdoor maps with four players, the frame rate dropped considerably. This project is also open source and I’m sure it can be improved with some contributions.

Conclusion of the bounty?

I really liked the Android Bounty concept, but the Quake game was such a bad idea because of the scope of the project. We never found a true winner and it faded away into darkness.

No action happened for a long time and I honestly forgot about it until the developer Julien emailed me with Quake2Android. After testing his app on a Motorola Droid I can see he met all the requirements of the original bounty.

Even though this entire project did not materialize as I envisioned it, I’m still a man of my word and I’m going to award the bounty to Julien for Quake2Android.

Now that both of these projects are open source, the community can take them and improve them as they see fit. I still don’t know if fast paced, first person shooters are going to be enjoyable on a smartphone, but maybe someone can produce a game that shines.

I’m really just happy to close this chapter in the Android Bounty saga. We still believe it is a great idea and it will be making a return in an overhauled fashion. I think we learned our lesson about picking app ideas that are too ambitious and we will try to focus on more specific apps in the future (and ideas that do not infringe on intellectual property).

The following is a message we received from one of the developers of a Doom port.

Some of you may have noticed that Doom for Android (FREE) no longer shows up in the market.  ZeniMedia, which owns iD Software had filed a DMCA notice with Google Android Market and requested all Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein games be removed do to copyright infringement.

Although the Doom source code, was open sourced, and the application was based on a port of the PrBoom engine, the application is still suspended.  My mistake was allowing the download of the Plutonia  and TNT WADs, at least that is what I suspect. Although I may not be able to distribute the application through the Market, the APK can still be downloaded and installed through the web.

L!TH!UMAndroid Developer

The developer goes on to say he is trying to contact ZeniMedia to see if he can make necessary changes to get the app listed again.

We may have played a role in this when we attempted to bribe developers to create a multiplayer Quake port with one of our Android bounties. Android still lacks quality 3D titles and we were trying to bring the open source 3D engine to the platform. (It looks like that has happened, but I’ll save for another post).

Below is a snippet of the fax that was sent to Google.

A portion of the DMCA complaint.

Last month, Apple announced it had hit 1 billion downloads on the App Store in only 9 months.  A quick glance of the top paid and free iPhone downloads and you will find many games.  According to a recent survey, games were the most popular type of download with 79 percent of iPhone users having a game installed.

Apple App Store vs Android Market

So how many games have been released for Android?  Compared to the overall number of applications in the Market, the answer is not many.  The following chart shows a comparison of paid vs free and games vs apps.  You can see over the last two months, that the number of applications continues to increase, but games have lacked behind.

Comparison of different types of Apps.

So what can we do to increase the number of games on Android?  Mostly, we will just have to wait.  A lot of the larger iPhone developers have no reason to port their titles to Android because of the smaller customer base, but that will change.  Now is the time to begin Android development if you want to have quality titles in place for the coming Android explosion.

The Future

As part of our effort to lobby for more games we began our Android Bounty for Mobile Quake and recently started our Top 10 Games list.  Our second bounty got off to a slow start, but has recently received some good news.  One of the developers we featured last month has been hired to start a tutorial site for Android.  His first topic:  OpenGL ES for Android with a section on a Java port of Quake.  Mike has already demonstrated his OpenGL ES talent with a demo of a Quake 3 map running on his G1.  The following is a letter from Mike posted on our Google Group for Android Bounty II Mobile Quake.

Greets,

Well I have some exciting news as my next project at Tactel US (I’m a
software architect working on Android projects) is to start a
technology blog/tutorial site for Android. I proposed basing the first
tutorial sections on OpenGL ES and with a section on a Java port of
Quake 1 as there is very little information specifically targeting
Android, OpenGL ES, and 3D engines (let alone for desktop Java on this
topic). With a bit of good fortune this topic was approved and I’ll be
providing educational tutorials on core OpenGL ES techniques and
dissect a bit of the Q1 engine and initially provide a port for the
level renderer and model loader. This will provide a kick start for
the native Java Q1 port effort and a foundation to complete the rest
of the port to Android for those inclined to do so.

Here is an overview of the sections. Note Section 3 will draw from
the NeHe tutorials that are pertinent to Q1 tech and may include new
material for Android that is not a part of the NeHe tutorials. Section
4 is on the Q1 engine and will likely contain more sections.

I’d like you guys to review this outline and let me know if there are
additional topics you’d like to see covered that fit into the general
goals of the site.

My plan is to work pretty furiously on this project and launch it by
Google I/O with at least the Q1 level renderer and model loader
completed if possible and all goes well.

Regards,
–Mike

If you are interested in the different sections of the coming OpenGL ES tutorials, visit our Google Group for a full outline.  For more information on this project, be sure to subscribe to our feed for updates.  In case you missed it, I have included a video below of the first demonstration of Auriga3D for Android.

[Market data via Sam Lu of a0soft]

Tim’s blog, the O’Reilly Radar “watches the alpha geeks” to determine emerging technology trends, and serves as a platform for advocacy about issues of importance to the technical community.

I particularly enjoyed the parts of the keynote where he describes how the web is growing and learning like a child.  I have used the same comparison when referring to our site and I think it perfectly describes the Android platform.  Google may have severely crippled the Market left out some things, but the community has stepped up to fill the holes.

Speaking of changes, we have a lot in store for our regular readers.  We are always open to new ideas though.  Our goal is to provide value to our readers, so let us know how we can help.

O’Reilly Media, Inc. has also just released their first Android book “Android Application Development: Rough Cuts Version“.  You can pre-order a copy now for only $24.99.

Tim O'Reilly Talks About BarTor.

Thank you Andreas from 3banana for the tip.

Both programs make use of an open source software from ZXing (“Zebra Crossing”).  Other Android developers can use intents to bring the functionality of Barcode Scanner into their own program.  One example of this would be Torrent Droid, which was the winner of our first Android Bounty.

Sharing Information with a QR Code.

In addition to normal UPCs, ZXing has added support for the following codes.

• UPC-A and UPC-E
• EAN-8 and EAN-13
• Code 39
• Code 128
• QR Code
• Data Matrix (‘alpha’ quality)
• ITF

A QR Code (“Quick Response”) is a 2D barcode that can store much more information than a standard UPC.  Inside a QR Code you can find text, hyperlinks, contact information, geo location, and more.  They are capable of storing up to 250 characters.  QR Codes have become common in Japan, but have yet to take off in the United States.

One of the cool uses of QR Codes can be found via the share option in Barcode Scanner for Android.  By pressing menu then share, users are able to easily send contact infomation, bookmarks, and text from their clipboard to other G1 phones.  Users can create their own QR codes from one of the free online generators.

Scanning a QR Code From the Web

After you create your own QR code, there are many creative uses.  They can be placed on the back of business cards so that your contact information can be scanned to someone’s phone in seconds.  Advertisers can place them in print media to send customers to their product website.  Bands could place them on the back of a CD case allowing you to hear an audio preview or purchase concert tickets.  Secret messages can be hidden inside for people to find.

I’m already planning to place a QR code on my next order of business cards.  We might even use them in some future promotions too.  What other innovative uses can you come up with?

Several days later, I was surprised to get a call that my idea was selected for review.  They asked me more questions and sounded interested.  The following week I was told that I was chosen by a board review to advance, but there was a catch.  They wanted $800 from me to generate some market research.  A big red flag went off in my head and I ended the process.

What the heck does that have to do with Android?

Google has placed very minimal hurdles for entry to the Android Market.  All it takes is $25 and and your application to join the club and begin releasing code to the masses.  Any kid with an idea can instantly throw it out there and get feedback.  When his app is mature enough of a product, he can then sell his app and begin to turn a profit.  There have been mobile and open source markets before, but Android brings that to a new level.

Torrent Droid was created by Alec Holmes but it sprung from an idea I had the first time I saw Shop Savvy demonstrated.  I’m not a coder, so I offered money through our Android Bounty program in order to encourage development.  This demonstrates how easily ideas and developers can come together and bring a project to reality.  Android excels in this area with their use of application intents.  Intents allow different apps to share information and functions with each other.  When you have a mashup of apps, each part can be developed separately which allows for faster deployment.

In a way, the whole Android operating system is a mashup.  Every part of the phone can be replaced and upgraded.  If you want a different contacts list, txt app, dialer, home screen, boot screen, or theme then take your pick.  Allowing every part of the phone to be modded and swapped out grants the power of choice to the user.  We have seen with the recent desktop replacement apps how fast the look of Android is changing.

Once we posted the first preview, I submitted the story to Torrent Freak thinking they would find it interesting.  From there it went to Digg and a host of other social sites.  By the end of the first day there was 30k views and I thought the traffic would die down.  I learned that It takes awhile for some news to travel around the globe.  The story was still gaining traction 3 days later in countries like Russia and France.  As of earlier today, it has not passed 100k views.  I know this is peanuts in the YouTube world, but it still demonstrates the viral nature that buzz spreads.

What will be the next killer app?  Who will create the next sensation?  Could you possibly turn $25 and some hard work into a fortune?  Maybe…

Bonus Content

I love analytics and I found this Insight data from YouTube very interesting.  It is a breakdown of fans of Android/Torrents.  I’m not really sure if you can draw real conclusions from this, but I’ll share the information and see what you guys think.  This is data from over 100,000 YouTube views from the Torrent Droid preview.  If you like this kind of information let me know and I may share my Google Analytics information.

YouTube Insight Global Views

Here is a video of total views from around the globe.  You can see the 2nd day had the most views as it took time for the story to spread.  The United States had the most views with Poland, France, and Canada following behind.

YouTube Insight USA Popularity

Here is a view of the popularity rankings from different states.  This value is caculated by comparing the number of views with other videos on YouTube.  As expected, California ranks first.  Rounding out the top five are:

1. California
2. Texas
3. Washington
4. New York
5. Oregon

YouTube Insight Demographics

Next, we have age and gender demographics.  I was surprised to see the highest age group was 35-44.  For some reason, I expected a younger user base when talking about Torrents, Android, and cell phones.  The gender gap is also significant.  Keep in mind about 1/10th of this traffic is coming from Torrent Freak.  Still, I expected to see a more balanced gender distribution.

Finally, the following is a list submitted by one of our readers of his favorite quotes about Torrent Droid from around the web.

• “I was waiting for the point when Torrent and Direct Download users started a stupid verbal fight…” – dominicabra
• “hah ridiculous response. 1st of all anyone who is scared of best buy employees is a p***y. 2nd of all they dont carry plastic handcufss now i wish i had one of these just to scrap with some idiot best buy employees” – crazytodde
• “It won’t ever take off.” – monkeyman1140
• “That music makes me want to stab my ear with a fork.” – sardonicBastard
• “LET ME SEE YOUR PIRATE FACE!” – InturnetHaetMachine
• “I’d love to be a fly on the wall when the MPAA sees this one :-)” – CatsAreGods
• “i enjoyed the heavy breathing too” – TITISIMO25
• “…if you’re in the store, why the hell not buy the movie? Eh? Why waste money on something you can get for free? That’s good money that could otherwise be used for more important things, like beer, drugs, and h****s.” – Mike Rofone
• “Seriously, I cannot think of anything more inconsiderate than this app. Waltzing right in, waving your expensive gadget phone around, no intention of buying anything, just going to take a few photos and walk out. This is like five popped collars and two cans of Axe body spray douchebaggery.” – WTF
• “What happens if you scan a bannana? or a box of cereal? Something awesome I bet!” – jayrodathome

[post image via Flickr]

ScanTorrent Features Numerous Trackers

ScanTorrent is an application that scans product UPCs, searches for torrent files, and remotely downloads them.  Like Torrent Droid, this is mashup app that demonstrates the power of the mobile, open source Android platform.  Torrents have changed the music distribution model for the better and I hope they see more commercial use.

To find out more, we spoke with Justin:

This was a lot of fun for me. I am one of those people who needs a little nudge to get things going and the “bounty” idea was just that.  The app, which is nearing its initial release, aims to provide a unique experience when dealing with torrent downloads.

A large part of my work has been with parsing usable data out of un-usable formats. With ScanTorrent, I wanted to work with a number of features of Android that I hadn’t yet worked with (databases, threading, web requests, and some others) and I think the results are pretty good.

ScanTorrent comes with numerous options that give the user a lot of power.  Some of the highlights of ScanTorrent include:

Torrent search results

• Search by scanning barcode
• Search by entering title
• Google Base product lookup
• isoHunt torrent search
• Ability to omit results originating from certain torrent sites.
• Multiple “Client Sites” or uTorrent WebUI configurations.
• Download history
• Search history

ScanTorrent is currently in beta and new features are still being added.  Not yet implemented, but planned are:

• Group results by originating torrent site
• Sort search results by seeds, leechers, downloads, etc.
• Support for legal services

The following is a short video demonstration showing how the app works.  Please visit YouTube for a higher quality version.  You can see that all the action takes place inside the app and the browser is never launched like Torrent Droid.  Also note the many different torrent trackers that are available for searching.

[YouTube Link]

ScanTorrent is not currently available for release, but Zerofate is looking for alpha testers for Torrent Droid.

Torrent Droid Home Screen

New visitors can read the original article, but our first idea we set out to create was a Torrent client for Android that could also scan barcodes.  The idea sprouted as a technology demonstration to explore the potential, marketable uses of Torrent files.  Even though Torrent files are sometimes associated with piracy, there are many commercial uses for distributing media.  We do not condone the use of piracy.

Several developers stepped up to the challenge, but Alec Holmes was the first to produce a working application and claim the bounty.  His app is named Torrent Droid and meets all the requirements we set.  Following is a short video demonstration of the app in use.

Alec had this message to share:

“This version of Torrent Droid is a work in progress but the video shows the core features work. The full consumer version will be released within a month. I enjoyed making this application, and look forward to releasing it soon! To stay up to date visit Zerofate.com“

(YouTube video link)

Call me crazy for uploading this to YouTube, but I wanted to show the app in use.  All DVDs seen in the video were purchased by me from Amazon.  In this short video I scan a DVD barcode, locate a torrent, and send the file to my laptop.  For speed purposes, I performed this demo over a local WiFi network.  However, I have also tested it over the Edge network and had no problems.

Torrent Droid Settings

Stay tuned to our site and Alec’s for further developements on this app.  If you have any suggestions, comments, or hate mail, please leave a comment.  We are also accepting ideas for our next Android Bounty contest.  Hopefully for the next contest we can atract more pledges and sponsors to offer a larger bounty prize.

Even if you do not care for this application, do you think the Android Bounty program is something to expand?

UPDATE: Torrent Droid is now featured on TorrentFreak.