How Do I Forward Texts Messages To Email

Many a times we feel the need to forward the text messages we send / received to email.

This could be just to take a backup of the messages or even for some legal proceedings etc.
For example :

• Messages send/ received from the landlord having the word 'rent'
• Messages send/ received from ex partner
• Messages from selected contacts having specific words.  etc 

There are many ways in which you can forward the texts to email. In this post I describe the simplest method for this in Android phones - Install a simple application from PlayStore.

1. Install the below application from Play Store

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fortytwo.mytextstoemail

2. If you want select all messages from/to specific contacts , then choose the specific contacts by clicking on the 'Enter Mobilr Number' field.

3. You may also search for specific contacts.

4. If you need to provide more conditions like From/To Date, containing specific word etc then select the 'Advance' option.

4. Once all the messages are collected (this will happen in seconds) you can view the report Or share the report as email/ Google Drive etc.

Challenge for Java programmers

Published a BeerBotChallenge for the Java developers. This is inspired from the FruitBots program.

You can find the details here :
https://github.com/RatheeshRavindran/BeerNinja

Using Multiple or Split Screens in Mobile device

One frustrating thing when using large screen mobile devices is the lack of support for using multiple screens.
I have a 10inch Tablet, Why shouldn't I be able to browse Wikipedia and take notes at the same time?

For unknown reasons, there is no support for this yet from Google Android.
Samsung tried solving this by supporting multiple screens but it is available only in the high end devices And there is mixed feedback from the user base.

There are number of applications in the Android market which are trying to fill this void at-least to some extent.

One such application I tried recently is 'Multi Screen Split' from 42 Labs.
I would rate it 4 star, do try it out if you are looking for a Productivity improvement application.

Get it here

PHP Equivalent for DESede/CBC/PKCS5Padding

Recently I tried porting an encryption implementation to PHP from Java.

It was not possible to touch the existing encryption/ decryption implementation So the requirement is to have the similar encryption implementation in PHP which will give same result as in Java.


The Java implementation is

    public String encryptTest(String message) throws Exception {
     final MessageDigest messageDigest = MessageDigest.getInstance("md5");
     String keyString = "AB12CD3EF4";
  final byte[] passwordDigest = messageDigest.digest(keyString.getBytes("utf-8"));
     final byte[] keyBytes = paddKeyString(passwordDigest);
     final Cipher cipher = Cipher.getInstance("DESede/CBC/PKCS5Padding");
     cipher.init(Cipher.ENCRYPT_MODE, new SecretKeySpec(keyBytes, "DESede"), new IvParameterSpec(new byte[8]));
     final byte[] encryptedText = cipher.doFinal(message.getBytes("utf-8"));
     return Base64.encodeBase64String(encryptedText);
    }

 private byte[] paddKeyString(final byte[] passwordDigest) {
  final byte[] keyBytes = Arrays.copyOf(passwordDigest, 24);
  int pos = 16;
     for (int index = 0; index < 8;) {
      keyBytes[pos++] = keyBytes[index++];
     }
  return keyBytes;
 }

After couple of hours of trial and error , got the following PHP implementation which will produce the same result as the Java counterpart.

function encryptText_3des($plainText, $key) {
 $key = hash("md5", $key, TRUE); 
 for ($x=0;$x<8;$x++) {
  $key = $key.substr($key, $x, 1);
 }
 $padded = pkcs5_pad($plainText,
        mcrypt_get_block_size(MCRYPT_3DES, MCRYPT_MODE_CBC));
 $encrypted = base64_encode(mcrypt_encrypt(MCRYPT_3DES, $key, $padded, MCRYPT_MODE_CBC));
    return $encrypted;
}

Note: pkcs5_pad method is available here http://php.net/manual/en/ref.mcrypt.php
PHP is fun , I am going to give it little more time :)

Links for Configuring Apache , PHP in Windows with SSL

Installing Apache with PHP and SSL is relatively easy, But still there were couple of tricky steps. Following are the links I used for installing and configuring Apache with SSL, PHP (including cURL module).

Installing Apache in Windows

Follow this link http://www.thesitewizard.com/apache/install-apache-on-vista.shtml 

Remember to download the correct Apache binary. For example - the one I downloaded is 'httpd-2.2.25-win32-x86-openssl-0.9.8y.msi' as I required SSL also.

I choose to go with the default options.

If everything succeeds , you will be able to see "It Works!" when you try the URL "localhost" or "localhost:8080"

Installing PHP and configuring Apache

Follow this link http://www.thesitewizard.com/php/install-php-5-apache-windows.shtml

Quick summary- following entries will need to be added to httpd.conf file 

1. LoadModule php5_module c:/php/php5apache2_2.dll
2. AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
3. PHPIniDir "c:/php"

Create a sample php file PHPinfo.php in the htdocs folder with content 

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<?php
PHPinfo();
?>
</body>
</html>

 Try the link 'http://localhost/PHPinfo.php', You will see the information about PHP if everything succeeds.
If you are planning to use cURL module remember to enable those lines in the php.ini file
e.g.- extension=php_curl.dll
Note: If this is not working , add 'c:\php' and 'c:\php\ext' to PATH environment variable.

Enabling SSL

Follow this link http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4221874/how-do-i-create-https-for-localhost-apache or http://www.neilstuff.com/apache/apache2-ssl-windows.htm

For me things worked only after creating a symbolic link for 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Apache Software Foundation'.

Android Free Preschooler Number Learning Application

Kids Number Learning app is a free Android application which will help the preschoolers in learning numbers and the parents in checking the skill of their kids. 
If you are looking for a free and simple app for your preschoolers then this is a must.

Rating : 4.5/5

Game Play
The application has three modes

• One digit
• Two digit
• Three digit

The application will display a number in letters based on the mode selected. Child should enter the number in digits. The app uses randomization so that the child gets different numbers every time.

Links
Market URL : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fortytwo.mathapps.kidsnumberlearning.activity

You may also search for 'com.fortytwo.mathapps' in PlayStore to locate the application.

Screen shots

Top Free Android Game Beach Buggy Blitz Review

Beach Buggy Blitz is a gyroscopic game which is a combination of end less running and racing.
If you are a fan of games like Subway Surfers then you will love this game.

Rating 4.5/5

Game Play
Use your beach buggy to go as far as possible. You will start with 30 seconds and there are different check points on the way which will extend the time.
There are various obstacles on the way like giant Crabs, huts , birds and so on. Though it is kind of cool to hit these , it will slow you down from reaching the next check point.

Positives

• Good customization and controls.

            It is possible to control the vehicle through 

1. Tilting the device
2. Touching the edges of the device.
3. Using the Game Pad.
4. Controls for break

• Customized for Tablets.
• Customized version available for tablets to make use of the full potential. 
• Graphics is good.
• Integrated to Google Play Game Service.
• One of the early applications to do this.
• All together one of the best free games available in Android market.

Negatives

• Graphics can be still improved.
• Even though Graphics is good and enjoyable , at some times it clearly shows the need for improvement.
• For example, the way the birds move , behave when they get hit is not good. Some times the birds just sync in to the sand.
• The time gets added in each check point is too short for the children.
• Children try hitting the different obstacles on the way, so even reaching the first check point is difficult for them.
• Other riders are not collecting the gold coins. 
• It will be more interesting if other riders (CPU) also collect the available gold coins.

Other Details
Description from Google Play Store

Drive your hot-rod beach buggy as far as you can into the uncharted depths of a mysterious tropical island!

Swerve and smash through a gorgeously detailed and completely destructible world packed with Tiki statues, grass shacks, giant crabs, lava monsters...even yetis! Explore sun-swept beaches, secret caves, fog-shrouded swamps, ruined temples and erupting volcanoes in this action-packed quest of discovery and mayhem!

Build a performance-boosting collection of upgrades and powerups! Unlock new vehicles like the Lightning muscle car and Rock Stomper monster truck. Upgrade your cars and customize their paint jobs. Collect wacky new characters. Unlock and upgrade amazing powerups like the fire-spitting Boost, the coin-tastic Coin Bubble, and a Shield that turns you into a unstoppable smash-everything force of destruction!

Developer Website
http://www.vectorunit.com/

Screenshots