FlyCast for Android Public Beta Version 0.8.4

[FlyCastBob]

FlyCast for Android Public Beta (Version 0.8.4) Now available in the Android Market!
We have released public beta version 0.8.4 of the FlyCast player for Android. You can help all future Android users by posting questions, comments, and issues in detail here in the FlyCast for Android forum. ( http://forums.flycast.fm/)

This 0.8.4 version focuses on Guide Errors and excessive growth of data cache. This is an interim release so it works better in the short term. There are more improvements already under development that require deeper structural changes and testing before release. Watch for additional releases in the near future.

You may have noticed the data size of FlyCast Growing while you use it. In this release you can clear that data by shutting down FlyCast (click MENU, then click "Shut Down FlyCast"). Remember that clicking the HOME button does NOT stop FlyCast so you can continue playing music whiling doing other things on your phone. The Shut Down FlyCast function stops all background services and stops the main FlyCast Activity. Future versions will prevent the data size buildup while FlyCast is active.

Two issues are preventing us from being totally happy with playing streams. First, there are some deficiencies in the current Android SDK that make it hard to do our steaming as elegantly as we can on other devices. We believe this will improve in future Android SDK releases and we will update our code as soon as this happens. Second is the state of EDGE network connectivity. We have been tracking EDGE network performance and it has proven to be highly variable in terms of speed and reliability. Sometimes it is fast enough to even play high quality stations, but other times there is serious degradation of quality, sometimes it even disappears completely. Hopefully the quality of the network will improve as more users come onboard and the carriers continue to build out their networks.

Version Upgrades
FlyCast versions 0.8.2 and higher should automatically detect when a newer version is available and assist you in installing it. If you had installed an earlier version you will have to manually find the new version in Android Market and install it over your existing version.

Connection Speed during Installation It is preferable to install FlyCast while you are connected via 3G or WIFI network. If you must install when you are connected via Edge network please be patient, the initial startup and contact with our servers can be somewhat lengthy.

Operation When starting, FlyCast creates three services (FlyCastService, FlyCastServiceBoot, and FlyCastServiceStream) that play stations in the background independently of the FlyCast User Interface activity. If you press the Home button on the device the User Interface will go away but FlyCastService will remain and continue to play. If you restart the FlyCast application the user interface will start back up and resume control of the play services. FlyCast and its services can be completely shut down together by pressing the MENU key on the device and then touching Shut Down FlyCast. If you change your mind the MENU can be cancelled by pressing MENU key again. The following potentially lengthy operations can be canceled by pressing the BACK key on the device. - Entering Search, Favorites, History, and Settings modes - Starting play of a station. The rest of the time the BACK key is ignored while inside FlyCast.

Known Issues with This version These are known issues that are already being worked on. There is no need to report these items to us. - Some buttons do not give good user feedback that they have been clicked and action is underway. Be careful not to click repeatedly in such cases or unintended results may occur. - Canceling station play startup is not as robust as we want it to be. It is a little tweaky, especially if running on Edge network. Please be patient and wait for system to catch up, do not keep clicking on things which may confuse it. - The user interface does not always return to the same exact state that it was before hiding/pausing it. In an upcoming release the state of the User Interface will be retained when paused and restarted. - Skip functionality is not yet implemented - Info Buttons are not yet implemented - This version has only been tested on the T-Mobile G1 device. It is very likely that any other Android device will have additional issues.

[hacheriya]

Do android phones on tmobile and verizon share the same apps store? by that i mean if i have a verizon android phone like the droid, will it have the same apps and app store as the g1 on tmobile? or are they seperate app stores?
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[flycastjohn]

Yes, they share the same app store. However the developer of the app can target the app for a minimum andriod version. That means that if the developer specifies the target of 2.0 and you have a 1.5 android, the app will not work.

[ctclark1]

Just wanted to pop in with some admittedly late observations...
Background: I've been using both 0.8.4 (which doesn't show up in the market for me, I got the link in a email in response to a message I sent through the market regarding 2) and 2.0.0 on a Moto Devour (running Android 1.6, "Donut"). I've noticed a few thngs I haven't yet seen mentioned:

• with 084, starting without wifi turned on at the phone level causes the program to claim no service is available. However with wifi turned on, even when not actually connected to a network (I know its not connected to one because I've tested this where I know there is no wifi available), the program will start normally, with the exception of claiming that its connected via wifi.
• with 084 and 200, if I return to the home screen, and then click on the flycast 084 icon to return to the program, it stops playing and starts from scratch, making me go back through the menus to my favs to start playing again. 2.0.0 exhibits this same behavior even when retrning to the program from the service indicator in the status bar.
• I know this is the 084 forum, but the 200 version will occasionally just repeat the same segment over and over again.

Just wanted to make sure you guys were aware of these problems too. Thanks!

Sorry if there are grammar or spelling mistakes as I'm actually typing this on my devour's tiny keyboard.

[RAZORBMO]

I do not see this Beta Version in our Market? Is there a website & link I can access from my smart phone?

[FlyCastSupport]

To get the direct link to download the Beta version of FlyCast, please refer to the link below -

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=996&p=3442&hilit=android+previous+version#p3442