Advanced ACRA 1: OS Version reporting

Assumption: ACRA is set and running.

Here's how to display in which Android OS version you get the most exceptions. If the exceptions distribution are different from Android OS distribution in the market - the issues might be OS version dependent.

You can use Google Visualization API as described here.

but there's a simpler solution - create a summary with-in the Google Docs spreadsheet.

Steps:
1. Open an active ACRA reporting spreadsheet (containing data).
2. On the main menu: 'Data' -> 'Pivot table report'
3. In the 'Report Editor' do:
3.1. Select: 'Rows' -> 'Add field' and select ANDROID_VERSION
3.2. Select (Optional): 'Columns' -> 'Add field' and select APP_VERSION_NAME
3.3. Select: 'Values' -> 'Add field' and select 'Timestamp'. Click on 'Summarize by' and select COUNT.
3.4. Select (Optional): 'Filter' -> 'Add field' and select APP_VERSION_NAME, and select which app versions to display

Few tips for Android (game) developer

Alternative title: What to do to NOT get NOT featured on Google Play

Here are the main headlines from Google I/O 2012 - Ten Things Games Developers Should Know talk.

1. Very that your app works on the latest version of Android & high-res devices. Verify you're using relevant features for the latest version (not comparability mode).
2. Try to stop pirates & vampires.
   Pirate - steal software. Google solution: use LVL - License Verification Library.
   Vampire - steal bandwidth. Google solution: don't download large resource files - use APK expansion files.
3. Don't mess with the buttons. Make the 'Back' button behave as the user expect.
4. Respect the life cycle. When a device is locked/exited/etc - pause your game. When your game is paused, don't play music.
5. Minimize permissions. Bad permissions: (1) change wifi settings, (2) Receive boot completed, (3) Query running tasks, (4) Obtain fine location, (5) Read system log, (6) Directly call phone numbers, (7) Read/write contacts/calendar, (8) Read/write bookmarks, (9) Display system level alerts & (10) Send/receive SMS.
6. Conserve resources. Minimize battery, memory, storage, bandwidth. Use the APK expansion files in-place, don't unpack them & delete (the Google Play will re-download it).
7. Play by the rules of Google Play. (1) No payment providers other than Google Play, (2) Don't upload an app that downloads another app (e.g. alternative app store), (3) Don't bribe customers for 5-stars reviews.
8. In app payments problems. For example: you app is asleep when the billing message arrives. The correct way for in-app billing: the in-app billing service should directly persist the purchase information to a storage, and your app will read it from the storage.
9. Testing: Input devices, Form factor, OS Version. Driver stack & GPU hardware.
10. Play listings. Problem with the listings, images that do no fit small screens (small subtitles).
    

Unsuccessful app? sell it

There's an on-line market for app developers you might want to try:
http://www.apptopia.com

You might get lucky (or not).

Which SDKs are popular in the Android Market?

It's always good to know which SDKs are trending, and which are niche player. Few weeks ago I found a site that created statistics on the Android Market just for that:
http://www.appbrain.com/stats/libraries/dev

I found it very useful. Hope it helps you too.

Error 2: Failed to connect to device as it is pin locked.

When trying to run a Windows Phone application on a device for the first time, you might get the following error:
Error 2: Failed to connect to device as it is pin locked. 0 0

Solution: Register your phone for development with Microsoft.
Note: if you still get this error after registering the device, you might need to restart Zune & Visual Studio.

No invoice for Windows Phone developer registration fee

I registered to Microsoft's App Hub (Windows Phone developer account), paid the registration fee (~100$), but I didn't get an invoice. Checking online only made it clearer that Microsoft does not send an invoice for App Hub registration fee since more people had the same problem.

I opened a ticket at App Hub support here: https://windowsphone.create.msdn.com/support

I've waited for 4 days and got no answer, than:

(1) I asked a friend from Microsoft what to do. He sent me to Microsoft regional support.
(2) Calling the support they redirected me to MSDN support (since the registration is on create.msdn.com).
(3) MSDN Support told me to send an e-mail to apphub@microsoft.com
(4) The answer from apphub@microsoft.com was to open a ticket at Hub App support..... CRAP.

I still don't have an invoice, but I do have second thoughts about developing for Windows Phone.
Way to go Microsoft.

AdMob: ad pending approval

My AdMob ad was pending approval for 3 weeks until it was approved.

It's a bit more than what I expected.