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.

You’ve been excited about a new project or goal you want to get started on. But you haven’t started it yet — even though you’ve been talking about it for a long time now. And people are starting to wonder if you’re someone who follows through with their promises. It’s time to get going and put your energy into making your ideas a reality. Put things in motion today. Because if you don’t, you could get a reputation for being flaky. Don’t risk it.

Which brings me to today’s announcement.  Android and Me is proud to launch our first promotion we are calling Android Bounty.

Android Bounty is an exciting new idea designed to bring customers the apps they are craving for.  The system is very simple.  Users submit original ideas for apps they would like to have and then pledge money toward the potential developer who will create the app.  Ideas are voted up by other users in the community by the amount of money they pledge.  When a working app is submitted, the dev is then able to claim the bounty.  The dev can release the app however he sees fit, but anyone who pledges will receive a free copy.

The aim of this program is to foster new ideas and push the Android platform to its limits.  With the open source platform of Google Android, anything is possible.  These are some of the benefits participants will be able to enjoy.

Customer Benefits

• Watch your ideas turn into real apps.  User who submits original idea will receive recognition.
• Contribute to the development of an app by suggesting features and testing submissions.
• Receive a free copy of any app you pledge to.

Developer Benefits

• Review of your app featured on Android and Me.
• Free web services to market your app, including web design, domain name, and hosting (Courtesy of ClarkLab)
• Retain full rights to your app to distribute however you see fit.
• Launch your app with an already engaged user base.

As the project evolves and pick up community support, we will be running several bounties at the same time.  We will place limits on the number of simultaneous ideas until we refine the process.  A separate section will be created on this site that will only feature Android Bounty content.  Now lets reveal our first bounty.

Bounty Name: UPC Torrents

Current Pledge: $90 USD (contact us to pledge more)
Submitted By: Taylor Wimberly
Purpose: A simple app to scan UPCs and match them with torrent files.
Bounty Sponsors: Android and Me, ClarkLab, Backngear (your name here…)

Summary:  Earlier this week we posted a story Torrents and Google Android which explored the current possibilities available to G1 users.  All the pieces already exist for this app to happen; someone just needs to glue them together.  We do not condone piracy; this is mainly a proof of concept app that will encourage the idea for legal purchases.

Getting Started: If you want to try your hand at developing this, use whatever method you want to achieve the requirements.  Here are a few hints for getting started.  To the right you will see a video demonstration of the OilCan app which is just Greasemonkey for the Android Browser.  Using intents, you can insert a button to launch the program Barcode Scanner.  After that all you have to do is parse the results to a torrent search engine and give the user choice over which torrent file to select.  The file can then be transfer to a home PC running the uTorrent client with webUI configured.

Requirements needed to claim Bounty:

1. Scan DVD UPC and lookup result.
2. Send result to torrent search engine.
3. Allow user to select torrent file from their tracker of choice.
4. Locate torrent file and send to webUI of uTorrent.
5. No keyboard entry should be required from user.

Anyone wishing to participate in this first Bounty, please contact us or leave a comment.  You can also contact us if you wish to submit an idea for a future Bounty.  We would love to hear your feedback, criticism, suggestions, or praise on anything mentioned here.

Sign in screen

Everyone knows that if you give the customer more options for purchase, they are likely to convert and take advantage of it.  This is exactly why we will see this feature coming soon to a phone near you.  The technology already exists; we are just waiting for someone to type up the code and get legal to approve it.  Allow me to demonstrate what is already available on the T-Mobile G1.

ShopSavvy is an application that allows you to scan any UPC and check online for better prices and local availability.  In the latest version, you can even make the purchase right on your phone using Paypal.  Amazon also allows 1-click purchases of physical goods and MP3s while browsing their site from a mobile device.

No Torrent clients have been developed for Android and I’m not really sure you would actually want that.  If you were downloading torrent files directly to your phone this would use up a lot of CPU and battery power as well as eat a lot of bandwidth.  The ideal solution would be to remotely control a torrent client from your mobile phone.

Downloading a torrent

To great joy I found remote control of torrents is currently possible on Google Android devices with the utorrent client available for PC and Mac.  The default installation of uTorrent comes with a remote web user interface.  All you need to do is turn on the WebUI feature, install the miniUI for mobile phones, forward the correct ports, and go to the login page your Android device.

Once you are logged in with the miniUI you have full control over your desktop client.  You can browse all your torrent files, view active downloads, and add new torrents for download.  Adding a torrent file is easily performed with Android’s built in copy and paste functions.  You can also upload torrent files saved on your phone by using Opera mini.

The search options

So right now it is possible to:

• Go to a retail store
• Find a DVD you want to watch
• Locate the torrent file
• Start the download on your home PC

The only thing that is missing is the ease of use for the end user and the legal ability for purchase and download to other devices.  The real question: who will put this feature in the customers hand first?  Will it be a company like Big in Japan who develops Android software or will it be some hacker from The Pirate Bay?