Amazon Fire tablets are relatively low cost cost and very popular. Since the first models it has been possible to run the Android edition of Plant Base on Amazon Fire tablets (then called Kindle Fire). We have recently tested the latest version of the Plant Base app on a 7th generation Fire 7. It installs and runs perfectly and we have no reason to doubt that it will work equally well on newer generations and other model variants.
Android Plant Base updated version
An updated version of the Plant Base Android app is released – version 1.42. Also a new version of its File Support app – 1.07.
This update has several bug fixes, mostly to resolve issues introduced in the previous version due to the larger changes required in adapting to newer Android releases. There are no other major changes.
Android Plant Base New Version – now FREE
An update for the Plant Base Android app is now available – version 1.41. Also a new version of its File Support app – 1.06.
The new versions resolve the problem of installing on the latest Android versions. They have been tested up to Android 14.
Android Plant Base not available on Google Play
The Plant Base for Android app and its small Data Support helper app have been removed from the Google Play store.
This is due to a restriction introduced by Google a little while ago and which comes into full enforcement in a few days. Although this change was introduced for the sake of improved security, it has an unfortunate impact on the Plant Base app. Compliance with the new standard would make the app unworkable as it conflicts with the basic design. Plant Base is very unusual because the app opens a large on-device database in a dedicated separate folder. This is no longer allowed for apps on Google Play, so there was no choice but to remove it from the store.
Extra Keys for Linux
Been a long time coming but finally here! There is now an Extra Keys for Linux.
Just one edition equivalent to Extra Keys Pro on Windows. There is no ultra-simple basic edition as I didn’t feel it had much appeal on Linux. Also I first made this Linux version primarily for my own personal use and I mostly use the Pro edition. The only significant difference from the Windows edition is that it does not have the option to type into a named application window, it just enters characters into the active window exactly the same as the physical keyboard.
Plant Base Android now free for licensed users
The Android edition of Plant Base is now free for all users who already have a licence for the other editions. The APK for the app can be downloaded from the website after entering the licence code as validation. The app is then “sideloaded” onto the phone or tablet (instructions for the sideload install are on the web page).
New versions of Extra Keys and Extra Keys Pro
These are major updates taking both Extra Keys and Extra Keys Pro to version 3.0.0. The user interface of the panel has been extensively revised to give a cleaner and more consistent appearance regardless of the operating system release it’s run on. There are a number of other changes plus some improvements for the Armenian and Georgian key sets.
Update to Extra Keys Pro – version 2.2.8
This release of the Pro edition of Extra Keys adds a new key set for the International Phonetic Alphabet. There are also a couple of other very minor changes such as adding selection options to the pop-up menu on the System Tray icon.
Linux Plant Base Beta 13 update
A Beta 13 update for the Linux edition of Plant Base is available on the Downloads page. This fixes a scaling bug with the Print Preview display, which was introduced in version 2.1.15 Beta 12 due to a last minute attempt to improve the print quality problem that is a known issue for Linux program. The bug fix is the only change and the other editions are not affected.
Plant Base new version – 2.1.15
A new update of Plant Base has been released today and available on the Download page. This is for desktop/laptop editions – Windows, MacOS and Linux.
Primarily a maintenance release with the main objective of cleaning up and optimising some of the code. It also improves synchonisation between OS editions where a few sections had got out of step. The changes result in some improvement in run-time efficiency but the end-user will be very unlikely to notice any difference!