Show HN: Lekh Diagram for Android – A sketch recognition diagramming app | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: Lekh Diagram for Android – A sketch recognition diagramming app

play.google.com

89 pointsrajeevk46 comments

Interesting, it looks like you made this for the iPhone and iPad and got very little love (no comments and only a few points) when posting as Show HNs.

What do you make of that?

HN is non predictable. You never know if your are going to make your post to main page or not.

BTW, there were good number of comments in my show HN post for iPad. Don't know why the HN is not showing comments of older post now.

But for iPhone show HN post did not do well. It got only few points

For iPad, there’s OmniGraffle[1]. Omni has been making software for Apple platforms and NeXTSTEP for several decades and is loved by many for its quality software and Apple-only approach. That’s not to say there isn’t a market for freehand diagramming software for iOS beyond OmniGraffle, but it has a big head-start (in maturity as well as mindshare).

I don’t use an Android tablet, so I don’t know if anything similar is already offered on Google Play (Omni doesn’t make products for Android). If there wasn’t such a product yet, that would explain why Android users are enthusiastic about this product.

[1] http://www.omnigroup.com/products/omnigraffle-ipad/

I downloaded the app with a bit of bit regurd but I was really really please with how it worked on my nexus 4! can't wait to try it on the nexus 7! Well done!

Nice arm!

I can't decide whether the arm obscuring most of the screen most of the time, lending the video a folksy charm, should have been eliminated through more professional camera positioning. Another option would be to mount the tablet on a vertical surface at eye level, place the camera at eye level, and then the user's arm will naturally come from below. As it is the camera appears to be mounted on your elbow.

agree.. the video recording is very naive. This was recorded with galaxy S4. I am inexperienced in video recording. I still figuring out either this is camera issue or lighting issue.

And there also a orientation (of tablet) issue that you have pointed out.

I sometimes managed to draw shapes that were certainly not what I wanted. I mean, they were recognized and redrawn. "Random" rectangles, ovals with corssing lines, ...

And sometimes shape was not recognized even though I think it was nice. But this isn't as much ofa problem as drawing weird shapes. Perhaps if I could somehow select shapes that I want to use?

sorry i dont give much value, but: wow. i imagine it'd be great to have this for desktop, combined with wacom tablet.

Why wouldn't you give this value? I'm tired of drawing things on napkins and welcome this app.

He meant that towards his comment, not the app :)

Wow! This is great! One question: Why is this free. I think this should be a paid app.

The free version has advertisement. Advertisement can be removed by in-app purchase.

great. Thanks!

I love how ads brings practically no money and are just an annoyance that you monetize for the user to get rid off :)

disclaimer, my salary is paid with ads :(

This is pretty neat.Is there a paid app available, i find the ads to distracting?

You can remove ad by In-App purchase (or by disconnecting internet :D)

I have no need for the app but will consider purchasing because your parenthetical comment made me laugh and I appreciate that kind of honesty from a dev.

thanks

There is nothing to hide the fact that ad does not work if you are not connected to Internet.

I like this. One great feature would be to automatically save to a Dropbox/Google Drive/.. location. Im pretty sure the Dropbox api's support that, don't know about the GDrive apis.

I want this for my desktop!

which os? Mac or Windows

Android...

Is there a way to make it universally available? I'm thinking of a web app mostly. I don't have an Android phone at hand right now, but this looks like something that should have existed ages ago, congrats.

(To answer the question: Linux for me)

I can make it for desktop but without touch screen, the shape recognition is not useful. Probably a web version can work well for desktop.

Actually I think you might be wrong about that, the shape recognition and the way you draw a simple line between two objects to join them would be useful even with a mouse.

Some of us have touch screens on our PCs too :).

Points against that:

- I can have a wacom (or similar) device connected to the desktop

- I can even .. use my android tablet as mouse/touchpad/wacom simluator

The benefit: The result instantly on a bigger screen (and maybe even a really big screen if I connect the desktop/laptop to a projector or something).

If there's not something out there to use an Android/iOS tablet in place of a wacom, there should be!

I know you can't see upvotes here, so I hope it's not useless to post a 'me too' type post. Just to say I'd definitely pay for this on a desktop, I doubt I can draw more accurately with my finger than a mouse and your algorithm isn't bad at all - I have no doubt it'd translate brilliantly.

To make it more clear: a web version would make it instantly available to every modern mobile device holder (let it be Android, iOS, Windows Phone), plus anyone on the desktop with a tablet. I might even prefer using it with a mouse, just drawing things instead of selecting shapes from a list.

drawing shapes using mouse.. IMO, not very usable

This is something I'd pay £20-30 ($30-$50) if it was available on a PC, hell combined with a digital whiteboard (and with a couple more features) and you'd have something most developers would give a left arm for!.

Ubuntu Linux please :) (why not make it cross platform).

Just bought the Android version :)

Nice, this is something I've wanted, half way between the white board and Rational Rose.

If I had an android device I would be downloading it right now!

This makes me nostalgic for my Apple Newton. This app existed [at least] 20 years ago. A shame it was killed off.

Could you please make it available for my country - Georgia. Thanks

In play store, I selected all countries. I am not sure, why this is not available in your country. If Google allows me to do that, I will surely do that.

EDIT: I cant see your country in list provided by play store. That means Google does not allow. I will be publishing the same app to Amazon app store. Check if you can download apps from Amazon app store

Strange. Did you also make available for all the devices? (Mine is nook hd+).

EDIT:

Right. Since you use in-application payments, the app won't show up in countries where payment is not allowed, including Georgia.

Unfortunately, Amazon app store is not supported for Nook devices, but at least I'll get it for the phone.

I have made it available for all devices with Android version 2.3.3+

After I select a shape by tapping it, how do I delete it?

There is delete icon(image of trash bin) on toolbar. Tap that to delete selected shape. The icon will be visible only after you select the shape.

Obvious question: Any plan of porting this to iOS?

Or, Anyone know of an iOS app that does this?

Looks like it was an iOS app first.

http://blog.avabodh.com/2013/03/lekh-diagram-now-available-f...

This is already available for iOS

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lekh-diagram/id576124115?mt=...

I should have google it first :)

Thanks!

OmniGraffle[1] is great and has been around since the iPad’s launch in April of 2010. It’s a mature app, it has had many updates[2].

[1] http://www.omnigroup.com/products/omnigraffle-ipad/

[2] http://www.omnigroup.com/products/omnigraffle-ipad/download/...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com