Android and Me » utorrent

uTorrent client coming soon to an Android device near you

Dustin Earley — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 04:50:02 +0000

Torrent remote controllers, applications that give you access to various torrent clients on your PC from your Android device, are nothing new. However, a bona fide torrent client for Android is. Imagine being able to download and seed any and all types of files directly from your Android device. It may seem a little far fetched right now, but with a uTorrent client in the works for Android, it’s about to become a reality.

As Android inches closer to desktop replacement territory with hardware like the Transformer and software like Ubuntu for Android, traditional desktop apps well suited for post-PC devices are set to evolve at a rapid pace. Photoshop is one application that has made the transition with ease.

Photoshop Touch has set the standard for just how well desktop applications can work on post-PC devices. Advanced photo editing is well suited for the experience a tablet offers. For some who have replaced their laptop with a Transformer Prime, not having the ability to edit photos with their mobile computer would be a deal breaker. The same goes for torrenting.

Plenty of people rely on torrents for legitimate file sharing (not just pirating) all over the world. A complete uTorrent app for Android would likely push millions of users towards tablets and phones that can run the app.

If Google really wants to see Android hit the next stage of evolution, they need to push for software developers like BitTorrent, the folks behind uTorrent, to make applications for Android. Apple’s iPad may have a leg up on Android when it comes to app selection right now, but Android’s open market and flexibility gives it a huge advantage when it comes to which platform is best suited to make a smooth transition from desktop to mobile.

BitTorrent has gone on the record to say there’s no ETA for uTorrent for Android.

Introducing Android Bounty – UPC Torrents

Taylor Wimberly — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:40:08 +0000

I’m not really one for astrology, but I had some spare time to burn while waiting on the pop-a-lock guy today at lunch. As we have been planning for this site and adding new features, a lot of crazy ideas have been tossed around. Some feel almost too big to tackle right away. Imagine my surprise when I read the following on the DailyHoroscope app for Android.

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:

Scan DVD UPC and lookup result.
Send result to torrent search engine.
Allow user to select torrent file from their tracker of choice.
Locate torrent file and send to webUI of uTorrent.
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.

Torrents and Google Android

Bobby Pineapples — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:17:58 +0000

Torrents on a cell phone? Imagine the possibilities(both legal and illegal). You are standing in Best Buy browsing for a new DVD to purchase. What if instead of purchasing it, you could scan the UPC code and “rent it” for a lesser charge? By the time you made it home, the movie would be waiting for you on your PC, Xbox 360, PS3, iPhone, and more.

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?