Remot.ly

An educational app for Android, written in Java

Written by Jonathan Cruz | Last modified 2022-04-18

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BACKGROUND:

The Remot.ly app provides simple and fun exercises for anyone wanting to hone their remote viewing skills. For the uninitiated: remote viewing is a process developed by Russell Targ and colleagues at the Stanford Research Institute for performing espionage at a distance using unconventional, extra sensory techniques; curiously, this project was later funded by the CIA for several decades.

OBJECTIVE:

In May 2021, I was tasked with writing an Android application in Java for my mobile programming class. The goal was to write an original app that combined object-oriented principles, UX best practices, and thorough documentation standards. I had 3 weeks complete this project.

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Minimum of two activities: This app will have a Main Screen for logging in, an Exercise Screen for doing the exercise, and a Stats Screen at the end of the session.

2. Layouts will have several controls, including Buttons for navigation, Text Views, Edit Texts for entering the user’s name, and Radio Groups for the options describing the user’s sketch.

3. Three technologies covered in class: Shared Preferences to store login information, two-way communication between page fragments, and an SQLite database storing a persistent table score data.

4. Two new technologies not covered in class: gyroscope / sensors to determine if the android device has moved or flipped, and the Media Player to play game notification.