[phone9]

Inspired perhaps by the famously successful "Screen Muncher", but with CrackBerry orange instead of monster pink, here's an apparently bug-free, release-ready beta test of a FREE screenshot app with a screen-cracking CrackBerry-themed animation:

< Link Removed - No Longer Available by CrackBerry's Choice >

It's based on QuickShot

You should be able to take a shot of anything, including the menu, because you can initiate a shot from the menu, the app switcher, QuickLaunch, or a direct convenience key. The "best" way is using the menu, that's the fastest and lightest -- but for apps that don't have menus or won't allow items to be added to their menus, or when you want to take a shot of the menu itself, you can select one of the icons at the homescreen or via QuickLaunch or convenience key to "arm" CrackShot, and then when you're ready for a shot you use the app switcher (or QuickLaunch or direct convenience key) to re-select that same icon, and that takes the shot.

If you select the "CrackShot" icon, it arms, takes one shot, then dis-arms.

If you select "Multi CrackShot", it re-arms after each shot, so you can go on taking more shots without having to go back to the homescreen. You can then end your screenshot-taking spree by selecting the regular CrackShot icon.

The icons "crack" when they're armed. There are pop-up explanations at first, but you can turn those off after you're an expert by un-checking "Learning Prompts" in the options.

CrackShot's options are in the homescreen Options icon, under Third-Party Apps on OS 6+, or just in the main Options list on OS 5.

If you have screenshot mania, then you can set a convenience key or QuickLaunch to "Multi CrackShot". The 1st click arms CrackShot, and subsequent clicks take shots. Leaving it armed is harmless, it takes negligible additional memory.

So, if I haven't confused you yet please let me know and I'll add to this monologue.

enjoy...

[BigBadWulf]

I've been excitted about this app since LS first talked about it with me. Tested it over the weekend, and I love it. The access from appswitcher is a bit of brilliant inspiration on his part, expecially in light if all the new BlackBerries having only one convenience key.

Hope everyone likes CrackShot at least as much as I do.

[phone9]

Thanks to BBW for taking the time to coordinate this while he was very busy with other things. And to CBK for authorizing it.

[SCrid2000]

Very cool


Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[MADBRADNYC]

Very cool

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
LoL. Shane, Your hybrid work is great, so what's the deal with the clocking?

Looks great!
Another bomb drop by LSPhone!

[lmoreno21]

Thanks, love it!!

[Laura Knotek]

Does it have features that lets one email a screenshot or send a screenshot to Photobucket like Zonasnap, or is it limited to saving screenshots?

[phone9]

Does it have features that lets one email a screenshot or send a screenshot to Photobucket like Zonasnap, or is it limited to saving screenshots?

That's something that might be added in the future, but at present it just focuses on doing its main job as well as possible, with a bit of coolness -- a screenshot app that can take a shot of anything because it can be triggered in multiple ways -- from the menu, app switcher, QuickLaunch, or convenience key.

If there's strong demand for post-shot options such as sending directly from the post-shot pop-up, then hopefully either I or someone at CrackBerry will find time to add that in the future. My personal view was, why replicate what's just a few clicks away already, since most of us don't take screenshots so often that a few extra clicks matter.

[Azensun]

I'm already a huge fan of Quickshot (2nd app I loaded onto my new Torch 2) and of course, CB! Two faves in one! Awesome! Truly inspired idea! And great effects!

[rrrebo]

Neat, but gimmicky, and huge! 1.4MB for a screenshot app is just too much when so many lighter and/or multi-function apps exist for this. I already have QL, and I hear Zonasnap is excellent.
Honest question: What justifies the size of this app?

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[phone9]

Neat, but gimmicky, and huge! 1.4MB for a screenshot app is just too much when so many lighter and/or multi-function apps exist for this. I already have QL, and I hear Zonasnap is excellent.

QuickShot is still light (38k at CB, 44k at AW).

Honest question: What justifies the size of this app?

Honest answer: Usually I'm frugal with memory, but for an app with images & animation scalable to any display, I thought 1-1.5M was to be expected, and not a big deal. It's nothing on an iPhone for even a minor app to be 1-1.5M, because it's so graphics-oriented. BB is finally past the 8300 era where we were all out of memory; now most of us have big memories where 1M is less than 1% of the RAM or application memory. I think we'll start getting used to larger apps as the trend continues, just as happened with computers.

What's made it big is not the app but the images:
- CrackBerry watermark, 22k
- CrackBerry stamp, 43k
- CrackBerry stamp with motion blur, 38k
- Spinning CrackBerry stamp (10 images), 550k
- Full-screen cracked-glass overlay, 442k
- Center cracked-glass overlay, 78k
- CrackBerry logo etched in glass, 31k

So, that's 1.2M of imagery, half of which is for spinning and motion-blurring the stamp.

edit: I mean if we don't care about the finer points then I can make it 700k smaller, just slam the stamp, crack the glass, and fly it off without spinning, blurring, or etching a CB on the screen.

[Greenbean]

Any chance of dedicated folder on MicroSD card for CrackShot pics. Or at least an option to choose where they are stored.

Love the animation and the way it works.

[EveryApp Mobile]

QuickShot is still light (38k at CB, 44k at AW).



Honest answer: Usually I'm frugal with memory, but for an app with images & animation scalable to any display, I thought 1-1.5M was to be expected, and not a big deal. It's nothing on an iPhone for even a minor app to be 1-1.5M, because it's so graphics-oriented. BB is finally past the 8300 era where we were all out of memory; now most of us have big memories where 1M is less than 1% of the RAM or application memory. I think we'll start getting used to larger apps as the trend continues, just as happened with computers.

What's made it big is not the app but the images:
- CrackBerry watermark, 22k
- CrackBerry stamp, 43k
- CrackBerry stamp with motion blur, 38k
- Spinning CrackBerry stamp (10 images), 550k
- Full-screen cracked-glass overlay, 442k
- Center cracked-glass overlay, 78k
- CrackBerry logo etched in glass, 31k

So, that's 1.2M of imagery, half of which is for spinning and motion-blurring the stamp.

edit: I mean if we don't care about the finer points then I can make it 700k smaller, just slam the stamp, crack the glass, and fly it off without spinning, blurring, or etching a CB on the screen.

Is the spinning crackberry stamp a .gif? If it is you can reduce the size about 500k or more by using a "framed" .png file.

I've attached a .png example.

[phone9]

Is the spinning crackberry stamp a .gif? If it is you can reduce the size about 500k or more by using a "framed" .png file.

I've attached a .png example.

Didn't know BB supports APNG. It was rejected as a standard a few years ago, and BB is not listed as one of the platforms that supports it. I'll check on that.

If it were an iPhone I wouldn't need to embed frames but a BB can't rotate an image in a reasonable time.

[EveryApp Mobile]

Didn't know BB supports APNG. It was rejected as a standard a few years ago, and BB is not listed as one of the platforms that supports it. I'll check on that.

If it were an iPhone I wouldn't need to embed frames but a BB can't rotate an image in a reasonable time.

It doesn't support APNG.

Look at attached file. When drawing the bitmap

Parameters:x - Left edge of the destination region.
y - Top edge of the destination region.
width - Width of the destination region.
height - Height of the destination region.
bitmap - Bitmap to draw.
left - Left edge of region within bitmap to draw <---- This is used to draw different sections of the bitmap.
top - Top edge of region within bitmap to draw.

[phone9]

Any chance of dedicated folder on MicroSD card for CrackShot pics. Or at least an option to choose where they are stored.

Love the animation and the way it works.

Yes, but it wouldn't matter, the card would be too slow, and inaccessible when plugged into a computer, it would ruin the app.

I guess this is just for people who have memory to spare and want a CB animation when they take a screenshot. Personally I can afford it, with 212M free app memory, 200M free flash, and 88M free RAM, with CrackShot installed and just used. 1M is no concern there.

[phone9]

It doesn't support APNG.

Look at attached file. When drawing the bitmap

Parameters:x - Left edge of the destination region.
y - Top edge of the destination region.
width - Width of the destination region.
height - Height of the destination region.
bitmap - Bitmap to draw.
left - Left edge of region within bitmap to draw <---- This is used to draw different sections of the bitmap.
top - Top edge of region within bitmap to draw.

Understood, now I see what you mean. Encoded as a single image like a filmstrip.

10 concatenated images is much smaller in PNG than 10 separate images of the same total area? That I didn't know.

I'm sorry but I'm no longer developing CrackShot, it's been turned over to CrackBerry c/o Shao128 now. It's their privilege where to go with it, whether to cut out some graphics or slash the size one way or another, or add a toaster or s'more maker.

[rrrebo]

QuickShot is still light (38k at CB, 44k at AW).



Honest answer: Usually I'm frugal with memory, but for an app with images & animation scalable to any display, I thought 1-1.5M was to be expected, and not a big deal. It's nothing on an iPhone for even a minor app to be 1-1.5M, because it's so graphics-oriented. BB is finally past the 8300 era where we were all out of memory; now most of us have big memories where 1M is less than 1% of the RAM or application memory. I think we'll start getting used to larger apps as the trend continues, just as happened with computers.

What's made it big is not the app but the images:
- CrackBerry watermark, 22k
- CrackBerry stamp, 43k
- CrackBerry stamp with motion blur, 38k
- Spinning CrackBerry stamp (10 images), 550k
- Full-screen cracked-glass overlay, 442k
- Center cracked-glass overlay, 78k
- CrackBerry logo etched in glass, 31k

So, that's 1.2M of imagery, half of which is for spinning and motion-blurring the stamp.

edit: I mean if we don't care about the finer points then I can make it 700k smaller, just slam the stamp, crack the glass, and fly it off without spinning, blurring, or etching a CB on the screen.

Way more detail than I expected, but thank you! All valid points. I appreciate the work you did on this, and it is nifty. My first device was an 8300, then a 9700 with OS 6, so I guess I'm still breaking out of that frugal mindset. Still, I'm not a fan of redundancy in my apps. Old habits die hard.

[maxrdlf]

It would be better if you have an option for DIsabling Animation and the Saved pictures on memory card!

[anon(5140585)]

The OTA is no longer working! any other place i can download this?

[Spawn12]

The OTA is no longer working! any other place i can download this?

Yep the link for the OTA no longer works...anyone got a copy that they can post up or if the OP can give us a working OTA link.

Thanks

[phone9]

That link was just a beta test; think it served its purpose, the consensus was, "it's too big, we hate the watermark, and we want post-shot features included!" I'll try to get a fixed-up and hopefully-smaller version to CB's developer today, and if 'n when they release it, it'll be in the CB store.

[Blacklatino]

Looking forward to trying this app.

[Spawn12]

That link was just a beta test; think it served its purpose, the consensus was, "it's too big, we hate the watermark, and we want post-shot features included!" I'll try to get a fixed-up and hopefully-smaller version to CB's developer today, and if 'n when they release it, it'll be in the CB store.

Thanks bud, i personally had no issue with the original beta version actually but am looking forward to getting it back as i lost it when my device needed an OS re-load and i hadnt backed up my apps.

[Spawn12]

Any word on when the new version of this app will be available for download??