Twelve Tile Puzzle Published

I finally completed my port of my M12 Java applet to Android. Since I added some additional puzzle modes I decided to name it "Twelve Tile Puzzle". I created a small page for it where you can see a screenshot.

Since it's rating isn't as high as I would have hoped I've learned some lessons about what people like in there cell phone applications. The point of the application and they way it is supposed to be used should be made clear as quickly as possible. In my case people got frustrated when they started with a solved puzzle, hit a couple of buttons and were congratulated with "Congratulations! You solved it!" Although it seems odd to me that it didn't occur to people that they should have either scrambled it up more or pressed the random button I decided I should have a different message for the case of the puzzle being randomized and solved and it being solved in a lesser way. Now if they hit "Flip" twice they get "You restored the puzzle to it's solved state, but it was not randomized. Try pressing "Random".".

I tried to explain the double flip issue using an analogy with a Rubik's cube in the comments for the puzzle. If that seems a bit abrasive it's due to the limited space allowed for comments.

I have not had any luck contacting the any of the people behind the Scientific American puzzle that inspired mine. I don't know if they have any interest, but maybe our puzzles could be combined somehow.

Anyway, I've had fun working on an Android application.