Droid Pet Widget

**nickmgray** · 10-03-2008, 05:07 PM

Ok, so the idea came to me earlier today when I was writing up a small thread with ideas for future widget ideas for developers. We know that the G1 will ship with a picture, google search, and clock widget, but we all know widgets can be a lot more fun than that.

I present the Droid Pet Widget (Idea).
Ok so I'm not a programmer as all, so this is simply an idea and not something that I am working on. I wouldn't have a clue where to start.

The idea behind the Droid Pet Widget is to have a virtual 3D pet on you Android desktop. The pet would interact with the desktop as if it was it's own back yard. The pet could run over your icons, but would have to do around or interact (climb, chew, move) with other widgets.

snoslicer8 has the idea of being able to share your pets or let them visit friends of yours. An expansion of that idea would be to send your pet to another friends Android phone on a mission, allowing the pet to leave objects or messages behind. VikingDave had the idea of the pet being able to take a dump of a piss on your friends widgets and in order to clean them off you would need to wipe the touch screen.

Since I'm not a programmer, I think I'm dreaming as big as I can. The app should allow for people to create their own pets or choose from a library of pets that other people have created. You could have little fuzzy animal, a dog, a dragon, the Android marcot or even SockBoy (new character for PS3 game Little Big Planet).

Of course you would need to feed any play with you Droid Pet. With the touch screen you could have the pet chase your finger around, flick around a ball of yarn that they would chase, or make them play fetch with a stick.

The main thign that would make this a success is that it has to be a widget and not simply an app. Allowing the pet to interact with your desktop is one of the key feature that would make the Droid Pet more appealing.

Again, I'll say that I'm not a programmer and this is simply an idea that I came up with today. If anyone is interested in creating something along these lines, please let me know. If any of you have any other ideas, please list them below. The possabilities could be endless. Lets just home we can catch someone who knows how to put everyhitn together.

**insight spinner** · 10-03-2008, 05:16 PM

well, i think this is simple and brilliant. great alternative to doodling. not only do I like the idea for myself, my daughters would eat it up and there are many times (of course, they are inheriting the palm to share...). I really love the interactivity part.

It sounds like great fun and I hope somebody picks up on the idea.

**geedup** · 10-03-2008, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by geedup

lol...my Droidpet would be a black mamba!!!

Originally Posted by geedup

That would be sick dude! Then you'd have to wipe ya screen with your finger as if something was on your screen to get the watery dog poop to disappear!

I'm copywriting Droidpet! LOL!

**KaraokeAng** · 10-03-2008, 05:17 PM

I would love dog pets to pick up the clock in their mouth and shake it and for cats to bat at it with their paws.

I would soooo love this app!

**Xondria** · 10-03-2008, 05:19 PM

I'm not very good at keeping up on virtual pets though...I forget to feed them. My poor dog on Facebook should be dead.

Other than that I love the idea of sending it to other people...sounds fun!

**kryptonkid07** · 10-03-2008, 05:23 PM

wow... talk about dreaming big... seems like such a huge thing for a phone...

is this even possible? ( i know you wouldn't be able to answer that question nickmgray, but maybe someone else can)

**360Photographer** · 10-03-2008, 05:24 PM

That sounds fresh!

I would like someone to setup an App called tag. Imagine playing in the city with a fellow Android user. Let's say you link two Androids together, and have one guy run around the city, and hide. The seeker has to find that person who's hiding by using sonar off the the Android. I guess it'll be kinda like hide-n-seek.

I know I saw some kind of sonar app in some video, so the chances of this being done is would be really high.

**dkvitus** · 10-03-2008, 05:34 PM

I hate to sound like I'm bursting the bubble, but I think all the apps can act as widgets (or rather be moved to the main screen - plus there are 3 home screens) .... here is an except:

A touch screen device, the phone includes several Google-type apps, such as location, Gmail, support for several IM clients, as well as a slide out full screen and Webkits- based browser. Applications can be dragged and dropped onto the home screen, allowing a user to build his own main screen, and multiple applications be run simultaneously, with a window shade at the top of the screen for minimized apps. The device also contains the first implementation of presence within the phone book, Cole Brodman, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, T-Mobile USA, said (From Mobile Europe)

Otherwise, the Droid-pet could be some kind of screensaver while your phone is not in use. That I think sounds more reasonable, easy to build and more useful...
On the humor side, you dont want you Droid-dog barking while you are surfing the net or your Droid-bird chirping while you are on a call...

Nontheless, my idea is that the pet should have an attribute for status and/or location thanks to the gps functionality.

**stopcrazypp** · 10-03-2008, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by dkvitus

I hate to sound like I'm bursting the bubble, but I think all the apps can act as widgets (or rather be moved to the main screen - plus there are 3 home screens)

Widgets are different than shortcuts. The apps you drag to your desktop are just plain shortcuts with icons. A Widget is actually an app that runs on your desktop. There were three widgets avaliable on the demo phones: the clock, the google search bar, and the picture frame. Notice all of these are more than just simple shortcut icons.

**dkvitus** · 10-03-2008, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by stopcrazypp

Widgets are different than shortcuts. The apps you drag to your desktop are just plain shortcuts with icons. A Widget is actually an app that runs on your desktop. There were three widgets avaliable on the demo phones: the clock, the google search bar, and the picture frame. Notice all of these are more than just simple shortcut icons.

Roger that, Sir!
But then shouldnt it work like a screen saver, or maybe like the new internet ads that stream over your browser? I assume we are not all going to be glued to our screens all the time, no?

Plus image all the pets decide to have a party at you G-house, now, that would be something!