New AV Countdown app for smart phones

[James]

It took a lot longer than I would have liked, but I've basically finished the AV Countdown app rewrite! I'm not ready to officially announce it though. I'd like some other people to beta test it for me on different devices. Try it out and let me know what you think and any issues you find. (I'm especially interested in Android users. The older devices I have for testing seemed to be very slow loading images. Not sure if that's a problem with the code or just my old devices being slow!)

It's a bit different -- under the hood and the paint job! But I'll explain more about that when its ready to launch. I want to hear your thoughts before I explain what changed and why.

Thanks for any help! Check out the link below on your mobile device.

https://animatedviews.com/countdown/app/

Note: I've archived discussion on the old version of the app here: https://forum.animatedviews.com/viewtop ... f=7&t=4354

[Dacey]

I get a "sorry for any inconvenience" link. Granted, I'm trying it on a laptop, so that may be the reason.

[Ben]

Me too, on my iPad.

[James]

Yep, it's an app designed exclusively for phone-sized devices so I've disabled access to other devices. But now that I've locked in what assets the app uses i can get to work on the calendar web page for other computers, since it will use the same images and film data.

[Daniel]

Oooh, nice! Me like. Love how we're able to see all the posters at a glance, instead of those widescreen chunks. It's like viewing a catalogue, or looking at trading cards in an album. I notice you moved the actual number countdown to the top of the pic, rather than being a part of it. Different, but in a way better. Doesn't take away from the art and easier to figure how many days remain. I'll miss your creative ways to match the font, though!

I'm viewing the app on my four year old Android phone. Seems pretty fast. I like how when you choose a movie and exit, it has a transition like effect. Although it seems to come and go. Think before on the old version it was just instant? The only issue I see is two movies are slightly cropped when chosen. The Angry Birds 2 for example cuts the bottom starting at Red's left eye. Meaning it loses everything that follows. Another one is the Playmobil poster; it cuts off a little of "The" and "Movie" completely. All the rest are intact and look sweet! Color scheme is nice, too.

LOVE it! Great job, James!

[James]

Thanks!

Can I ask what model phone you have? The countdown pages stretch to fit the width of any device, which means the height will be cut off at different points on different devices depending on screen resolutions. So I tried to pick an image size that wouldn't cut off anything important even on phones with short screens. But I may have failed if you're seeing cropping!

[James]

Update to my last post: were you maybe viewing the app via your web browser rather than installing it and viewing it as a standalone app? The browser “chrome” (buttons, location bar, options, etc) make it where you can’t see the entire app at once which would account for the cropping you noticed. It’s really meant to be used as a stand-alone app not as a webpage.

[Daniel]

Yep, thought that was the way you wanted us to check for now. How do I go about installing again?

For what it's worth, I have a Alcatel OneTouch Pixi Pulsar.

[James]

Somewhere in the browser is a menu or settings button (might look like three dots or lines). While on the countdown webpage, click that button. There should be an option called "Add to Home Screen". Choose that!

Just so it's clear, the app does work in the browser. It's completely functional that way. But it's designed to run from the home screen, without all the extraneous browser controls and chrome in the way.

[Daniel]

Got it! Big difference. No cut off or anything. Yay!

[James]

While it took a lot longer than we would have liked, the AV Countdown app is back up and running!

Carry our calendar in your pocket with AV Countdown. Tap one of the movie posters and you’ll get a full screen countdown for that film. Pick your favorite and every time you launch the app you’ll start with that countdown screen. It’s a fun way to get your inner animation geek excited about what’s to come or to just answer your kid’s question when they ask you about an upcoming movie. It’s free and will work with most any smart phone!

Since this is a web app you don't need to download it from the App Stores. You can install it directly to your home screen from your phone's web browser.

Check out our AV Countdown page for details: https://animatedviews.com/countdown-app/

Feel free to ask questions or leave comments about the app here.

[lexiluna14]

The new AV Countdown app for smartphones brings convenience to a new level. With user-friendly features and a sleek interface, it's your go-to for precise countdowns. From events to deadlines, this app ensures you're always in control of your time.

[James]

I couldn't have said it better myself. Which means you're a threat to my job. You should've tried to take me down while I was gone the past few months. You probably would have succeeded. But now it is I who will be taking you down!