Opinions wanted: new feature vs. app size

[RavenSoft]

Definitely resize photos that are sent via email, perhaps the option to attach the full size or option to attach much smaller size.

[beerlao]

I do have a bunch of apps installed: web-browsers, navigation (Google Map, Waze), travel (TripAdvisor, Kayak, Yelp, "My" airlines), communication (Skype, Viber), developmental games for my kid (reading, math, etc. - those are usually large, 20-50 MB each). Together with the preinstalled bloatware that is disabled but cannot be deleted, they take close to 3.5 GB.
As a results, the "available" space (for the system and apps) varies from about 460MB (when the OS starts complaining about being short on storage and that some functions might not be available) to 600 MB, - depending on how much space is used by cache and data. When I am doing an update for the larger apps (e.g. TripAdvisor), - I must clean all the cache, to have sufficient space for the update to be installed (downloaded apk, overhead space [unpacked app or whatever it is?]).

[...]

4. Personally, I am happy with the functionality that QuickPic offers for resizing.

It is not very easy to fulfill you're needs, as you're using a phone with not that much free space although you're using a bunch of apps that eat up the space. In the end you're vote is to not extend AquaMail with a good functionality, but rather install another third party app to have this functionality.

Result: More apps, more clicks (touches), more space used.

[amirage]

Request: edge screen lighting up... Pleaaaazzzzeeee....

[mikeone]

It is not very easy to fulfill you're needs, as you're using a phone with not that much free space although you're using a bunch of apps that eat up the space. In the end you're vote is to not extend AquaMail with a good functionality, but rather install another third party app to have this functionality.

Result: More apps, more clicks (touches), more space used.

@beerlao:
As far as I understand StR is voting for a "plug-in" solution... not to install another third-party app

6. I agree with others (Pyler, ..) - who proposed this functionality to be an option in the settings menu that calls for plug-in to be installed.

.

[mikeone]

Summarizing all the posts - and my own thoughts indeed - I'm tending to prefer a plug-in solution.

I suppose the handling could be something like the "Threema Voice Message plug-in":
> see attached screenshot:
"YES" is a direct link for downloading the plug-in from Google's Play Store ...

Thus, the option "Resize image(s)" would always been displayed (... when attaching images) but the user has to install the plug-in first for using this feature.

This solution could satisfy most users.

[pyler]

In this could everywhere age, I doubt somebody sends his/her tons of vacation photos via mobile email apps. But ofc, I have no really usage data or data of most wanted features but this is my opinion.

Btw, Kostya, Is resizing via Java code impossible? or will it take ages?

[mikeone]

@mikeone, too complex. Users will rate 1-star the app.
Many users don't like regressions, changes,... See TypeMail, a large size app, but with very good rating. Gmail is large, many games are huge, I'm confident that the size (+1 or +2MB) does not matter, for all users. It's less than 1 picture size

I don't think that this procedure will be too complex for the user (but maybe for Kostya - I don't know), since the necessary installation of this plug-in has to be done only once... with just two "clicks": "YES" > "Install"...

Personally, I have no concerns about too large app-size - neither pure apk file nor the installed size -.

On the other hand I think it could be a nice solution if users are able to customize the app's additional features (*) depending on their own needs.

(*) e. g.:
     - Image resizing
     - Message translation
     - ...

[pyler]

Yes, in app translation for messages. But low priority, vey low for Kostya.

Maybe Kostya can just add dedicated option "Translate" which basically shares app text to Google Translate or similar app. Saves click or two

[mikeone]

... not always but even more often.

[pyler]

Some Spanish/Italian spams or so

I already suggested to create "uservoice" (simple poll like) page where they can vote what they want to see in AquaMail. Unique features make app famous

[mikeone]

Some Spanish/Italian spams or so

I already suggested to create "uservoice" (simple poll like) page where they can vote what they want to see in AquaMail. Unique features make app famous

Hi Pyler,
Good idea. However, I recommend this should done only after conversation mode... 

[Kostya Vasilyev]

Uservoice is just a mechanism, nothing more, it's not going to magically write new code, fix bugs, or provide support (which takes a lot of my time).

I had a "suggestions" section here and closed it down because I couldn't keep up.

My big priority is conversation / threading, and image resizing is a little side project while dealing with the fallout from the 1.5.9 update.

Perhaps I should clarify: every "major" update causes an avalanche of emails from users:

- Questions, suggestions
- "Why did you have to fuck up your app"
- "TypeMail and CloudMagic can do X and MyMail can do Y, and you and your app are pathetic"
- "My Yahoo account doesn't work anymore, fix immediately"
- "My corporate mail system was upgraded, what are the new settings"
- Many people think it's the right time to ask about some pet feature "how about moving that menu item up, above that other menu item"

It's pretty much impossible to work on anything "significant" when it's hectic like that.

So I use this time to work on smaller, easier, self-contained projects.

This time it's image resizing, which has an impact on the app's size, and I wanted to get opinions on how to best package it. Thank you everyone who's responded.

I did not mean that this is the only future feature that I'm considering or ever going to implement.

[Kostya Vasilyev]

@pyler

In this could everywhere age, I doubt somebody sends his/her tons of vacation photos via mobile email apps. But ofc, I have no really usage data or data of most wanted features but this is my opinion.

Apparently a lot of people do that.

And apparently they "absolutely will not" change their camera settings to some reasonable image size to begin with.

Btw, Kostya, Is resizing via Java code impossible? or will it take ages?

It's not about performance, it's about memory usage.

With Android Java APIs, an image has to be fully loaded (all pixels, as if for rendering) and then you can resize by making a new image at the smaller size, again, fully in memory.

Let's see -- an 8 MPx original needs 32 megabytes of memory.

An 2048*1024  (approx.) output image needs 8 megabytes.

And then there are devices that have 12 Mpx cameras, maybe even 16 Mpx or more.

( yes, I know you can down-sample by a factor of two while loading, but that's still a lot of memory and may not give good quality )

With native code, it's possible to decompress one scan line at a time, compress one scan line at a time, and the actual resizing code only buffers a few scan lines at a time, just enough for filtering.

That makes for hugely lower memory usage, and I don't have to worry about next generation phones with I don't know, 20 Mpx or 24 Mpx cameras.

[julio66]

@pyler

In this could everywhere age, I doubt somebody sends his/her tons of vacation photos via mobile email apps. But ofc, I have no really usage data or data of most wanted features but this is my opinion.

Apparently a lot of people do that.

And apparently they "absolutely will not" change their camera settings to some reasonable image size to begin with.

Btw, Kostya, Is resizing via Java code impossible? or will it take ages?

It's not about performance, it's about memory usage.

With Android Java APIs, an image has to be fully loaded (all pixels, as if for rendering) and then you can resize by making a new image at the smaller size, again, fully in memory.

Let's see -- an 8 MPx original needs 32 megabytes of memory.

An 2048*1024  (approx.) output image needs 8 megabytes.

And then there are devices that have 12 Mpx cameras, maybe even 16 Mpx or more.

( yes, I know you can down-sample by a factor of two while loading, but that's still a lot of memory and may not give good quality )

With native code, it's possible to decompress one scan line at a time, compress one scan line at a time, and the actual resizing code only buffers a few scan lines at a time, just enough for filtering.

That makes for hugely lower memory usage, and I don't have to worry about next generation phones with I don't know, 20 Mpx or 24 Mpx cameras.

Kostya....10 points for this TOTALLY PERFECT AND TRUE reply:
And...to add something....MORE AND MORE people ARE using their phones INSTEAD of their computers...even for sending photos, so this is absolutely an actual, important and VERY USEFUL new feature.
Then to not forget the most important: Kostya is developing an email app for PHONES...not computers...aka...he needs to think of the users of the phones...and then I mean us people THAT ONLY USES PHONES and no computer...which Kostya has done so excellent until now...
Kostya...You show so clearly that you understand and knows the need and requirements a phone user has today....THANKS A LOT FOR THAT...keep up that good work, and a small suggestion: looking at THE AMAZING email app you have developed until now...start trusting your own judgment of needful features.
I know you ask us users for opinion to let us be a part of the development but with small additional features you should just DO IT with the belief that an increase of the filesize this small is not significant at all.

Hopefully I didn't misunderstood you Kostya, but didn't you ask for our opinion regarding the image resize feature???
If so...don't let us drag out this tread with our wish list of new features...remember what Kostya said....we had a tread with a "wish list" but its closed and the reason given....so....

I almost beg you Kostya to not start "screwing things up" by start adding "add-ons" to the app, because we all know that this is the reason too many people look away from the apps where they need to start installing plug-ins with their first use....people wants effectiveness, simplicity and beauty in an app and until now THIS IS ALL AQUAMAIL!!!

Keep it up Kostya, you still have a lot of MB to go on 

[anil2653]

Thanks Kostya
I will vote in support of more features

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