handyCalc Screenshot

Here’s the first part of a new multi-part series we’ll be doing on applications that didn’t quite make the final list, but sure deserved it. The first application is handyCalc, and you can check out a couple features in the video below as well as the interview with the developer after the break

AndroidBoards: Tell us about the team behind handyCalc, is it just you or are
there others working on the project?

mmin of handyCalc: It’s just me now.

AndroidBoards: What is HandyCalc and how did it come into existence?

mmin of handyCalc: handyCalc is just a calculator. I started to write the code in January of 2008.
I’m a student studying civil engineering in my university and I use
calculators a lot. I want a calculator which is powerful and easy to
use. When I saw Google’s ADC, it looked like a good opportunity to
design a calculator on that platform and win the reward.

AndroidBoards: What goal are you trying to achieve through building handyCalc, how
will it help others?

mmin of handyCalc: When I started to design this calculator, there were three principles in mind:

1. Convenience. people can get the answers quickly without a manual.
2. Power. handyCalc combines most of the functions which other calculators have.
3. Tidy. No one wants to see a screen filled with buttons. handyCalcgives you a tidy interface.

It’s hard to satisfy all three principles. Sometimes I spend lots of
time to design a tiny feature you may never notice.

AndroidBoards: What drew you to the Android platform as the base for your application?

mmin of handyCalc: handyCalc is the first application I’ve written on a handset plarform. I
chose Android because of the $10,000,000 reward. I did not know about Apple’s iPhone SDK at the time.

Android Boards: How did you find developing with Android in comparison to other
platforms, positive/negative aspects?

mmin of handyCalc: I don’t know other platforms. I think Android is easy to understand.
But there are some negative aspects I do not like:
I like Java, it’s a elegant language. But I don’t like it’s speed. The
emulator runs slowly on my poor laptop. I don’t know if it’ll be
smooth on a real device. Google says Android is an open source project. But I don’t see
Android’s source code. I also don’t like Android’s UI.

AndroidBoards: Do you have any plans to release HandyCalc for other devices, for
example the iPhone?

mmin of handyCalc: Yes. I have a plan for the iPhone. I just bought a MacBook last month and
started learning Cocoa, but I don’t know if I have the time to develop
it. I’m about to graduate this month and start to work.

AndroidBoards: How do you feel about not making it in the top fifty for the Android
Developer Challenge?

mmin of handyCalc: I feel sad. But I think the Top Fifty applications are also great.


AndroidBoards: Do you have any other projects in development or currently being planned?

mmin of handyCalc: I started to develop handyCalc 0.3 yesterday. I planned to develop an iPhone version of handyCalc and fix an application about Civil Engineering which I released in 2007. There is no guarantee these projects will be done. As I mentioned, I do not know if I have time to do these things.

Thanks again to mmin of handyCalc for the interview. Here’s one more video for the road featuring a couple more things unique to handyCalc. You can check out the handyCalc Web page at http://handycalc.wordpress.com