So, I'm walking down the street, except that it wasn't a street, it was an alley. Then I get this killer idea for my coffee shop - "What if people could sms their orders to me?" To make a long story much shorter, sms isn't always the best for the sender or recipient because it costs money (sometimes) and, it does not have any 'cloud-like' options as it's based in the phone usually. What I wanted/needed was a system that would receive an sms (and send reply if necessary) but could be accessed from any kind of internet-ready device anywhere, and perhaps, as a last resort, notify my cell as well.
That's when I realized that Twitter DOES have a reason to exist and I might finally have a reason to figure the thing out!
Twitter has:
-free sms (somehow!) functionality
-all sorts of third party apps (open API)
-a reliable user-base that people seem comfortable using
-does not require sharing personal contact information (like a cell phone number)
Win-win-win-win
Before I explain my setup so far, I should preface that I will also be trying this system out with identi.ca in hopes of making the system more open source and 'free' as in 'freedom'.
My hardware
-a cell phone (connected to my store's Twitter account so the notifications are sent there as SMS)
-The ever-famous IMITO IM7 (don't ask, just click) purchased at Light In the Box (so far so good with customer experience). Here is a link to both: http://www.lightinthebox.com/iMito-iM7-Android-2-1-ARM-11-720MHZ-7-inch--Tablet_p144622.html As a plug, they had SUPER fast delivery and good email response...so far. Go China, go.
-small headphone to normal headphone adaptor (IMITO has that small Nokia size hole)
-amplified computer speakers
My software (on IMITO)
-Android
-Twidroyd (or Tweetcaster) - will update final decision later
-Softlocker Free (makes the device functional when screen shuts off)
-Angry Birds (joking)(kind of)
Pre-set up
-make a custom ringtone notifier MP3 file using Audacity or something like that. Or, at least have a file ready for testing assuming you want a unique notifier for your situation. I've provided information below about how to do custom ringtones.
The Set up (so far)
a) Android Settings
-find wifi connection and connect (settings/wirless and networks/wi-fi settings/
-set up your google android stuff on your IMITO. You might want to do a factory reset. FYI the factory reset seems like it's located in a dumb place (settings/privacy/factory data reset) What does factor resetting have to do with my privacy?
-download apps from app market
-reboot (good habit)
-go into advanced wifi settings and tell it not to sleep ever so that you can always get internet stuff even when the screen is off (even though this isn't enough I did it anyways to be sure):
-set screen sleep time to whatever works for you. I'm doing mainly audible notifications and then we'll manually turn the device on when we get that so I'm setting mine to a low number to preserve screen. There is probably a way to wake the screen up with notification, but I've not crossed that bridge yet. Set screen sleep settings under:
*UPDATE!
1. Save yourself LOTS of time and use this tutorial to make some quick audio files:
http://androidforums.com/android-media/890-custom-ringtone-tutorial.html
2. Use this tutorial to load them in your Android device. FYI - All other tutorials and forums failed for me but this one worked perfectly!
http://www.thisandroidlife.com/2009/09/guide-add-custom-ringtones-and-notifications-to-your-htc-hero/
*UPDATE! It seems that Tweetcaster claims a 30second refresh rate but in fact, I couldn't get it to refresh at all. Fail. Not sure why. So, I uninstalled it and installed Twidroyd and although they only have a 1min refresh option but it always seems faster than that and what matters is that it's the first app to actually 'work'!
settings/wireless and networks/wifi settings/ push the hard option key /advanced/wifi sleep policy--->never
-set screen sleep time to whatever works for you. I'm doing mainly audible notifications and then we'll manually turn the device on when we get that so I'm setting mine to a low number to preserve screen. There is probably a way to wake the screen up with notification, but I've not crossed that bridge yet. Set screen sleep settings under:
settings/sound and display / screen timeout (at bottom)
b) specific app settings
TwidRoyd/Tweetcaster
-set refresh rate to lowest settings (or whatever suits your needs)
-under 'ringtones' select something unique from list or get your own. I'm not sure how to do this so more on how to put your custom file in here later. just make it a different sound from other notifications.
b) specific app settings
TwidRoyd/Tweetcaster
-set refresh rate to lowest settings (or whatever suits your needs)
-under 'ringtones' select something unique from list or get your own. I'm not sure how to do this so more on how to put your custom file in here later. just make it a different sound from other notifications.
*UPDATE!
1. Save yourself LOTS of time and use this tutorial to make some quick audio files:
http://androidforums.com/android-media/890-custom-ringtone-tutorial.html
2. Use this tutorial to load them in your Android device. FYI - All other tutorials and forums failed for me but this one worked perfectly!
http://www.thisandroidlife.com/2009/09/guide-add-custom-ringtones-and-notifications-to-your-htc-hero/
*UPDATE! It seems that Tweetcaster claims a 30second refresh rate but in fact, I couldn't get it to refresh at all. Fail. Not sure why. So, I uninstalled it and installed Twidroyd and although they only have a 1min refresh option but it always seems faster than that and what matters is that it's the first app to actually 'work'!
