The Android Market has a comments section where users who have purchased a program can rate and/or comment on an app.  Developers however are not able to reply to any of these comments so I thought I would post some of the comments here and reply.  First off here are a couple from Tropical Skies:

Comment - Anna (July 1, 2010):
The Atlas is very limited, why not incorporate Google Maps for coordinates?

Reply: Google Maps is incorporated.  Unfortunately there was no room on the data entry form to put a Maps button BUT if you select Menu then you will see the Maps Icon in the menu and a Google Maps screen will come where you can select a location and will be copied into the location coordinates.  Also Jyotish Tools and Quick Jyotish provide Google Maps.

Comment - John (June 19, 2010)
Default location doesn't work. Needs orb settings, more options and better help section

Reply: Default Location is a place you want to use for transits instead of GPS providing them for you.  If you have "Use GPS for Transits" unchecked in the Settings then the Default Location will be used.  To set the Default Location select or enter a chart for the location you want and then select Use as Default Location from the Tools Menu.  However most astrologers will prefer the GPS feature.  Orbs settings may be a bit beyond the scope of a basic program.   And be sure to check the Online Help which is updated and includes more information.

For Quick Jyotish:
Comment -  matthew (June 9, 2010):

Very Basic...but only program of Jyotish for Android. Thank you for doing this! Can you give smaller dashas? Navamsha? And make a panchang?

Reply:  Maybe Matthew is in a country where the paid apps aren't available on the Android Market but Jyotish Tools has the pratyantar dashas and varga charts.  Jyotish Tools for Android is also available for purchase on the Jyotish Tools website for locations where paid apps aren't yet available on the Android Market.   However the Navamsha is provided in Quick Jyotish not as a chart but as a listing under "Navamsha Signs."   MoonCast provides the Panchang.

Many of the other comments for Jyotish Android programs were either addressed with an update or in some cases the users didn't understand the programs were for Vedic not Western astrology.  One of the problems with the Market is a lack of space to put features so users are encouraged to visit the Jyotish Tools website for a more complete listing.

Some of you may have noticed I recently added a western astrology program "Tropical Skies Astrology" to the product lineup.  It was launched a couple weeks ago the Android Market and just recently announced here.  I first wanted to see how it did with putting it on the Market without any fanfare here.  It has been doing well probably because the western astrology market is 15-20 times larger than the Jyotish market.

I created the program because no one had yet to release a western astrology program for Android and I had libraries ready for use.  It is a fairly basic tropical astrology program providing the four most popular house systems and displays the major aspects.   I am planning an update which will list the minor aspects too.  The program also has a built-in atlas and you can also save locations not found in the atlas to a personal atlas (this is also available in Jyotish Tools for Android).   I can also use Google Maps for locations as well as GPS .

Uranus and Neptune calculations are both VSOP87 calculations as are the other planets except Pluto.  Unfortunately Pluto was never added to VSOP87 and may never be since astronomers no longer consider it a planet.  Therefore the current calculations may be a little rough as there is not much out there for Pluto and because it was only discovered in 1930 hence not observed for very long and has a highly erratic orbit  so even the best calculation engines may not be all that accurate especially for any future longitudes.  I am seeking to improve those terms so they match as closely as possible to engines like the JPL ephemeris.

(Android Market Barcode for Tropical Skies Astrology)

iPhone and iPad

I still keep getting numerous requests for iPhone and iPad versions.  Unfortunately Apple puts too many obstacles in the way to invest any time and money on such products.  They are frankly a risky investment and by already publishing for Android would probably get rejected.  Developers with Macs can gamble with that market.
 

For people interested in purchasing Jyotish Tools for Android who have Android phones without the Android Market or do not have access to paid apps on the Android Market I've set up a version of the program for sale on the JyotishTools website which may be purchased and downloaded from SWReg.  For those ordering this way be sure on your phone to go to the phone's Menu and under Setting and Applications check Unknown Sources.  The latter has to be checked to install programs from third parties outside the Android Market. If for some reason you recieve your receipt from SWReg on your desktop instead of the phone be sure to forward it to your phone to properly download the program.

As always this is a new program and if you encounter any bugs (outside of bad data entry such as getting latitude and longitude reversed)  be sure to contact me at support@jyotishtools.com.  The program has an online help section which will be updated with FAQs as questions arise.

And as some of you are aware there is a video demo of the program at  http://jyotishtools.com/android.php
Interest and viewing of the demo spiked after Professor Choudhry showed the program at his recent conference in India.

SWReg is planning to add a mobile interface so you can order from your phone too.

Jyotish Tools for Android has been released.  You can see a video of the demo on the Android page on JyotishTools.com.   The program has some new features and uses updated Systems Approach rules.   Charts are stored in an SQLite database which is exportable.    I've also added western glyphs to the program.  Android phones are becoming very popular since they are available from many wireless carriers throughout the world.  The program is available on the Android Market for and introductory prices of $9.95 USD.



(Android Market barcode for JyotishTools).

I recently updated Quick Jyotish for Android to version 1.0.3.  This fixes some entry bugs and changes input to the way it works on the desktop making it cleaner and faster.  Checking entries realtime seemed to bog input down.  It seems that though the Maps feature to find coordinates works well in the US they may be a little sluggish elsewhere from reports I'm getting.

I've begun work on a version of Jyotish Tools for Android which will include an atlas.  Though Google Maps can find the coordinates of about any location on the globe it doesn't return the time zone.  The atlas is the same that comes with the current Jyotish Tools and the Indian atlas will also be included.  The atlas will also return whether DST was in effect with cities in the US if the date is 1966 or after.  Also the program will use the latest Systems Approach rules.

If for some reason you've purchased a 64-bit processor machine be  aware Jyotish Tools for Windows may not work on it.  Be sure to download the trial version and run it before you purchase.  Personally I don't see much andvatange for an astrologer to own a 64-bit machine but marketing often makes people feel they are getting the "coolest" machine if they buy one.   However there is not much software that really takes advantage of a 64-bit processor.  The main advantage of such a processor is to access larger hard drives.

I have updated the Android program GPS Prasna so that it now listens for GPS location updates while running.  Thanks to rather lacking documentation by Google I originally thought the implementation I had was sufficient but later learned that the program needed to have a "location listener" implemented to work properly.   Now it works flawlessly as I can attest using my Android phone.  When GPS is available and turned on you'll see the satellite dish icon in the Android top bar as shown here.  With this free software you can get a prasna chart with the correct ascendant for your present location.  Try that on an iPhone.

GPS Prasna is available for free on the JyotishTools.com web site on the Android page or on the Android Market.

I finally got an Android phone, an HTC Eris.  Here is a picture of Quick Jyotish on the Eris. Since I can now see my software in action (as well as debug) on a device instead of just the emulator I can provide a few tips for use of the software.

First off, there is no problem with the software keyboard as far as entry goes.   Just be sure to use the return key for each field.  Unlike the Java, Linux and Windows versions of Quick Jyotish the Android version checks your entries to see if they are legal when you enter them.  For instance if you enter 29 for a date in February when it is not a leap year it will change the day back to 28.  If you don't hit the return key the field may not register and you'll have to type it in again.  Also hitting the return key will advance you to the next field.  When finished with entry hit the "back" button on the phone and the keyboard will clear so you can hit the OK button.

Also  I will be adding the GPS function for the NOW button in Quick Jyotish so if it is turned on you will get your current coordinates.  It was in the program originally but turned off when GPS stopped working with the emulator.

GPS Prasna also worked with GPS as long as the user had used another program to get GPS coordinates.  However I am going to add a "GPS listener" so the need to run another program won't be necessary.  To work GPS has to be turned on and you will see a little satellite dish in the status bar when it is on.  Watch for the update. 

My apologies also to anyone who has an Android phone but not access to the Android Market and tried to download either GPS Prasna or Quick Jyotish from the JyotishTools web site.  Unfortuantely the PHP script did not set the MIME type properly so it would not install.  That has been corrected and those two downloads will install on your phone.  Just download and then click on them and you will be asked if you want to install the program.

I am planning some more astrology applications for the Android phone.  One may be a "lite" version of Jyotish Tools as well as a full version late on.   I will be implementing the same built-in atlas that Jyotish Tools has with one improvement, it will detect DST if you enter a place in the US and date 1966 or after.  You will also be able to use Google Maps to find coordinates.  Unfortunately at this time Google Maps does not return the time zone and if it did it would only be the current one not the historical one for the date.  But one can always look up the time zone with the default atlas for a nearby city and use then find the location by Map.

I'm enjoying the phone and it has many capabilities including I can use my wifi network with it.  If found the displays quite readable which was a concern for my programs.   Verizon's big launch seems to have prompted other wireless companies who do not have Android phones to make announcements.  There are even rumors that AT&T will be launching an Android phone.  If you're wondering why I chose the Eris over the Motorola Droid, I don't use mobile phones that much.  The Droid is larger, faster (dual processor), has a hardware keyboard and a good choice for someone who uses a mobile phone quite a bit especially for business.   The Droid is also more expensive than the Eris.  When choosing a phone take into consideration how you will be using it.  Try to go to a store that  sells them and see the different units (unfortunately many store don't have live demos so far).

Here in the US we just changed back to Standard Time and I was inspired to create a Python script to generate the start and end dates for Daylight Time since 1966 when the US standardized those dates.  The idea was to add the ability for the atlases in my new programs to provide DST if the date is 1966 or later and a US chart.  I also generated the tables for the European Union but those only begin after 1996 when they were standardized.

DST can be the bane of an astrologer's existence.  So many states experimented with it and some states like Indiana differed from county to county.  Wouldn't it have been nice if the birth certificates could have also included GMT or UT?   And I'm sure legislators won't resist changing rules again in the future.   Arizona never has had DST and Hawaii being close to the equator has no use for it.  Neither do many countries close to the equator.  China, India and Japan do not observe DST either.

So you can print out the tables which are available at http://jyotishtools.com/dst.php

Sprint and Verizon have both launched their Android phones.  Also more than 50+ Android phones have been announced.  HTC has also released a smaller Android phone the HTC Tattoo.   The Verizon phone is the Motorola Cliq and they will also be offering an HTC phone.  Sprint has the HTC Hero and a Samsung Android phone.  Google has also released Android 2.0 and I will be updating some of my current apps to take advantage of those features.

I've just updated the Jyotish Tools web site with a cleaner Web 2.0 (whatever that means) looking design.  It looks cleaner and should be easier to navigate.  I've also added a current planets display on the home page.  This is also driven by a simple PHP script and is also available for mobile phones and devices at mobile.jyotishtools.com .   It provides the current planetary position regardless of where you are.  I have to muse that I was looking at what few astrology programs are available on iPhone and someone has an ephemeris and one of the comments was "but I don't live in Greenwich."  I would hope all of you would chuckle at that comment but sadly too many astrologers have lost touch with how planets are calculated or never even learned to calculate them by hand or they would realize that the current planets GMT or UT are good for any place on the planet.  When we calculate a birth chart we add or subtract the time zone to get the GMT time for that birthdate because calculation tables and data are for GMT.  A web server can provide the current GMT so that step is unnecessary when providing the current planets.

I've also made the Android free programs available for download too as more Android phones are becoming available in places like India and China.  Some of these phone services may not have access to the Android Market so I have also made them available on the JyotishTools site on the Android page.

And finally if blogging weren't enough JyotishTools is now on Twitter or "microblogging" as I call it.  The address is:
 http://twitter.com/jyotishtools

I am happy to announce that MoonCast for Android has been released.  Along with the features that were in the Palm version I have also added Tithi information.  If you have an Android phone you may download the demo version in Demos on the Android Market.   With the demo you can enter your birth information and get a reading for June 16th, 2009.   MoonCast for Android is available in the Android Market under Lifestyle (they don't have an astrology section yet) on sale for the introductory price of $2.99.  Now that Palm has released their new Palm Pre product some of you may be thinking of upgrading to it.  Though the Pre does not have the Palm emulator that previous models had one company, MotionApps , has an emulator available that can run your legacy Palm apps such as JyotishToGo and MoonCast.