I have no idea if this is possible, but I'd love to be able to use my athena as a handset, not just a speakerphone. I know it's huge, but I've had my device for three months and am still not happy with the headset solution. I've tried the popular jabra, jawbone, and lg style-I options, but don't like having to carry and charge another device, or wearing a headset (even just for calls), and although it's not awful, the sound quality (especially outgoing) often just isn't good enough for business calls.
What I'd like to do, if it could be done, is come up with a makeshift handset mode where the left speaker is turned off and the lowest setting for the phone volume could be much softer (so that the whole room doesn't have to hear the incoming sound). I don't know if it would be necessary to adjust the mic gain down any, but I don't think so.
The ideal solution would have something akin to a phone profile setting that would allow me to toggle between the default speakerphone setting and the new handset settings. But, it would be acceptable even if I had to just stay in handset mode (maybe with the ability to just turn up the call volume to have a mono speakerphone).
I am a total novice here, but is there a way to hack the registry (or better yet, some audio manager app) to change the balance settings on the speakers and to decrease the lowest possible volume settings for the phone?
Of course, I'd probably carry the device without the keyboard so that I didn't have to take it off and put it somehwere every time a call came in.
Is anyone else wanting something like this? Can anyone help? If I'm just nuts, please be kind in saying so
Thanks.
It sounds like for what you desire, someone would have to write a program to do that. If there was a program that did that, I would be interested in trying it out.
basically you have to accept the fact that its JUST TOO BIG
to ever be used as a conventional phone.
After I took ONE call on mine , i went straight out and bought a headset and its much better than using any phone which i loathe to do anyway.
I dont think of my athena as a phone , its a mini laptop that can make phone calls, you have to accept that or get another phone
erm... it could possibly be done.
However: the speaker(s) on it are clearly not usable as the kind that would permit you to humiliate yourself by having it to your ear; they're too loud for that and in the wrong place.
However, it should be possible to make some sort of speakerphone mode (like with video calling) that you can just talk into the mic with.
the question is, do you *really* want to make yourself look like that big a bellend in public?
i understand your dilemma but the only other real solution i can think of is to use a wired headset, it has better outgoing sound quality and you don't need to charge it.
Thanks to all for the quick replies.
Irus, I tried the wired headset for a while, but always had trouble with trying to both check to see who was calling and get the headset untangled and in my ear before the call went to voicemail. Tried a couple of the retractable headsets, but they broke pretty quickly.
Olipro, um never heard the term "bellend" before, but I think I have a pretty good idea what it means And, well, I guess the answer is, "Yes, I *really* do." I know it will look strange, but I personally am even less fond of the bluetooth headset look (I know most here will TOTALLY disagree with that, just my opinion).
Anyway, I realize that the hardware is far from ideal for this, but I think the right side speaker (though pointed in the wrong direction) would be right at my ear if I were speaking into the mic. Olipro, you say the speakers are way too loud. Are you saying that they aren't capable of producing softer sound? I just assumed that they could be set to a lower volume. Is it actually a qualitatively different type of speaker and sound? (I'm honestly asking.)
Can a program be written to mute the left speaker and drastically reduce the volume of the right speaker on calls when in "handset" mode?
What do you say, Olipro? If it wouldn't take too much time away from your much anticipated rom cooking, would you consider working some of your magic to help me "humiliate" myself "in public" I'd even gladly send you pics of myself in the act of "bellendizing" myself afterwards.
evermore said:
Thanks to all for the quick replies.
Irus, I tried the wired headset for a while, but always had trouble with trying to both check to see who was calling and get the headset untangled and in my ear before the call went to voicemail. Tried a couple of the retractable headsets, but they broke pretty quickly.
Olipro, um never heard the term "bellend" before, but I think I have a pretty good idea what it means And, well, I guess the answer is, "Yes, I *really* do." I know it will look strange, but I personally am even less fond of the bluetooth headset look (I know most here will TOTALLY disagree with that, just my opinion).
Anyway, I realize that the hardware is far from ideal for this, but I think the right side speaker (though pointed in the wrong direction) would be right at my ear if I were speaking into the mic. Olipro, you say the speakers are way too loud. Are you saying that they aren't capable of producing softer sound? I just assumed that they could be set to a lower volume. Is it actually a qualitatively different type of speaker and sound? (I'm honestly asking.)
Can a program be written to mute the left speaker and drastically reduce the volume of the right speaker on calls when in "handset" mode?
What do you say, Olipro? If it wouldn't take too much time away from your much anticipated rom cooking, would you consider working some of your magic to help me "humiliate" myself "in public" I'd even gladly send you pics of myself in the act of "bellendizing" myself afterwards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are so desprate to use the athena this way, I think the safest and easiest way is to put adhesive tape over the speaker holes to muffle the sound, and then punch a few holes in one to your liking
You could Just superglue it to the side of your face
you really will have to face the fact that you may have to develop this programme yourself if you wish to use the ameo as a normal handset - i use the term loosely - the problem with it is that whilst the ameo is the coolest gadget going as a mini pc, it is the most embarrassing thing in the world to press against your face, and also leaves you open to a VERY easy snatch if you get it out in public. And yes people who look like bellends are more susceptible to street crime. That's a fact, i'm sure of it. I chose my ameo knowing of its failings and devised my own solution of using it for data purposes only with wifi or a bluetooth dialup connection to my phone, which in turn i use for making calls and texting. Other people use bluetooth headsets and seem to get along with them fine. Until a kaiser quality device with a vga screen comes out i am happy to accept the ameos inconveniences and love it for what it is.
evermore said:
.......
.....Are you saying that they aren't capable of producing softer sound? I just assumed that they could be set to a lower volume. Is it actually a qualitatively different type of speaker and sound? (I'm honestly asking.)
Can a program be written to mute the left speaker and drastically reduce the volume of the right speaker on calls when in "handset" mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to try PocketZenPhone, a software that does profiles for the phone. It is an on-going project and the developper handles requests which he incorporates into the soft. It might just be a case of developing another profile for you called "semi-mute" or something .
Or just stick with a BT headset, like the rest of us.
Thanks very much, Abram. Will check that out.
Guys,
I have been using Athena as a normal phone.Reduce the in call volume to zero and yes u can talk like a normal phone.If u are in very quiet environment, then fellows might listen what u r talking,but in any normal circumstances no one can hear what u are talking and eventhough the incall volume is zero, orther person can hear.Looks like HTC made an alternative arrangement, but any way it works fabulously
hdubli,
what do you mean when you say "reduce the in call volume to zero"? Do you just mean moving the slider all the way to the bottom? For me, that's still pretty loud. I can hear it easily well away from my ear. Or, do you mean something else? Thanks.
evermore said:
I have no idea if this is possible, but I'd love to be able to use my athena as a handset, not just a speakerphone. I know it's huge, but I've had my device for three months and am still not happy with the headset solution. I've tried the popular jabra, jawbone, and lg style-I options, but don't like having to carry and charge another device, or wearing a headset (even just for calls), and although it's not awful, the sound quality (especially outgoing) often just isn't good enough for business calls.
What I'd like to do, if it could be done, is come up with a makeshift handset mode where the left speaker is turned off and the lowest setting for the phone volume could be much softer (so that the whole room doesn't have to hear the incoming sound). I don't know if it would be necessary to adjust the mic gain down any, but I don't think so.
The ideal solution would have something akin to a phone profile setting that would allow me to toggle between the default speakerphone setting and the new handset settings. But, it would be acceptable even if I had to just stay in handset mode (maybe with the ability to just turn up the call volume to have a mono speakerphone).
I am a total novice here, but is there a way to hack the registry (or better yet, some audio manager app) to change the balance settings on the speakers and to decrease the lowest possible volume settings for the phone?
Of course, I'd probably carry the device without the keyboard so that I didn't have to take it off and put it somehwere every time a call came in.
Is anyone else wanting something like this? Can anyone help? If I'm just nuts, please be kind in saying so
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well I think evermore had a very good and valid question to ask,I too have just bought the same phone and I too am faced with exactly the same problem. I don't mind walking around with this phone in my hands holding it to my ear,if anyone wants to try and grab it,good luck to them,I would trash it first and them second. But what really P****D me off with the replies to this posting was the number of muppets who couldn't come up with a constructive and helpful answer to this problem. OBVIOUSLY they are used to little girlie phones and don't remember the old days of BIG phones or their limited intelligence doesn't allow them to post a constructive reply, and as for the comment of "bellend" well I am surprised the originator managed to find the internet,let alone use a mobile phone!!
So if there is some intelligence out there for us novices,please lets read it,otherwise use the superglue to permanently glue your laptop shut
John
A Constructive Idea
johnmcavoy said:
well I think evermore had a very good and valid question to ask,I too have just bought the same phone and I too am faced with exactly the same problem. I don't mind walking around with this phone in my hands holding it to my ear,if anyone wants to try and grab it,good luck to them,I would trash it first and them second. But what really P****D me off with the replies to this posting was the number of muppets who couldn't come up with a constructive and helpful answer to this problem. OBVIOUSLY they are used to little girlie phones and don't remember the old days of BIG phones or their limited intelligence doesn't allow them to post a constructive reply, and as for the comment of "bellend" well I am surprised the originator managed to find the internet,let alone use a mobile phone!!
So if there is some intelligence out there for us novices,please lets read it,otherwise use the superglue to permanently glue your laptop shut
John
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The originator of the 'bellend' jibe just happens to be the man who devised a working CID and SIM unlock solution for this device: he would have been somewhat ancapacitated if his laptop had been glued shut.
I think that the use of such informal and slightly crude words as "bellend" is acceptable given the incorrigable nature of the problem: the idea of pressing a mini pc up against your face is crude in itself.
Given that I used to believe I could make a flying machine out of a monopoly board, a leather jacket and a tricycle, perhaps the same naive 4 year old might have thought it possible to turn a handset large enough to eat a ploughman's lunch off into a pocketable handset. I've grown up a little since then, and I use the Ameo for what it does best, rather than trying to make it into something it isn't.
YES I remember BIG phones. I also remember BBC Microcomputers, Shellsuits and televisions with teak surrounds but fortunately I've seen fit to move on since then, and find them a little embarrassing now.
If members wish to inform other members of the fruitlessness of their ideas then I don't think this is a problem (particularly if these members [Olipro] have a track record and know EXACTLY what they are talking about): the solutions of course are obvious and oft-discussed: bluetooth headset; turn volume down and press against ear; or don't use it as a phone at all.
Maybe you can't have your cake AND eat it.
johnmcavoy said:
well I think evermore had a very good and valid question to ask,I too have just bought the same phone and I too am faced with exactly the same problem. I don't mind walking around with this phone in my hands holding it to my ear,if anyone wants to try and grab it,good luck to them,I would trash it first and them second. But what really P****D me off with the replies to this posting was the number of muppets who couldn't come up with a constructive and helpful answer to this problem. OBVIOUSLY they are used to little girlie phones and don't remember the old days of BIG phones or their limited intelligence doesn't allow them to post a constructive reply, and as for the comment of "bellend" well I am surprised the originator managed to find the internet,let alone use a mobile phone!!
So if there is some intelligence out there for us novices,please lets read it,otherwise use the superglue to permanently glue your laptop shut
John
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feel better now? ;-)
Olipro said:
erm... it could possibly be done.
However: the speaker(s) on it are clearly not usable as the kind that would permit you to humiliate yourself by having it to your ear; they're too loud for that and in the wrong place.
However, it should be possible to make some sort of speakerphone mode (like with video calling) that you can just talk into the mic with.
the question is, do you *really* want to make yourself look like that big a bellend in public?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I would like to request a hack for the phone so I can make myself look foolish and like a big bellend (whatever that means) in public.
I don't think I can look either foolish or like a bellend...no matter what I do. I just got it like that. LOL ;-p
I may even start a new trend. he he he
Hi to all and hope you guys are having a great day! YEA BABY!!!
hdubli said:
Guys,
I have been using Athena as a normal phone.Reduce the in call volume to zero and yes u can talk like a normal phone.If u are in very quiet environment, then fellows might listen what u r talking,but in any normal circumstances no one can hear what u are talking and eventhough the incall volume is zero, orther person can hear.Looks like HTC made an alternative arrangement, but any way it works fabulously
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite frankly, this works with me, if I feel like holding the x7500 to my head. Of course, the call volume you hear depends on how good your hearing is, so YMMV. I find myself using a BT when I'm around others, either the LG Style-I or the Jawbone. (I'm eyeing the Jabra BT 8010 also). But the bottom line is you can use the x7500 as a handset this way if that's your preference.
Perfect solution!!!
Okay, get ready for this guys!
I found a perfect solution for everyone wanting to use the Athena like a regular phone. It'll take a little bit of work but it seems to be worth it. Check out the project site I found. It enables you to make the Athena or ANY other cell phone work like a regular phone. Just need to adjust the instructions for the Athena and it looks like we have ourselves a real solution.
Hope this helps someone ;-)
http://www.vonslatt.com/proj-handset.shtml
Ok, ok...all kidding aside, one of the coders may want to write something to make this possible. I would use it. I've been caught without my headset before and didn't want to answer the phone because there were people around me. This is a good backup solution and I would use it as that...a backup i ncase my headset battery went out (even though I have a spare headset) and in case I forgot my headset at home....GOD forbid!
ltxda said:
I found a perfect solution for everyone wanting to use the Athena like a regular phone. It'll take a little bit of work but it seems to be worth it. Check out the project site I found. It enables you to make the Athena or ANY other cell phone work like a regular phone. Just need to adjust the instructions for the Athena and it looks like we have ourselves a real solution. http://www.vonslatt.com/proj-handset.shtml
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love it! My only suggstion is the guy in the picture needs to ditch his hat in favor of the tin foil model with the built-in antenna.
Hi, I own a G1 at the moment and I'm going to be buying my Nexus one in the UK soon.
Can anyone who has previously owned a G1 give me some sort of comparison on volume levels ? The ring and notification volume on the G1 is very quite and I'm wondering if this has been improved on the Nexus at all ?
Also, I use ringolite to control a couple of different ringtones for different contacts. Does anyone know of any method that will allow you to set custom notification tones for emails from different people ?
Thanks in advance.
Different ringtones for different contacts are built into Android 2.1, so I'm pretty sure you won't need ringolite anymore. Couldn't find anything to change notification sounds on e-mail on a per-contact basis though and I haven't seen an app that could do that, but maybe someone else has?
Thanks for the reply, that's good with the different ringtones. i'm still wondering about the volume difference between the g1 and the nexus though if anyone can help with that.
Thanks for the reply, that's good with the different ringtones. i'm still wondering about the volume difference between the g1 and the nexus though if anyone can help with that.
I actually owned a g1 and now i have a nexus and can pretty much confirm that the sound is much much louder on the nexus. its quite good unlike the g1 where you cant feel it vibrate or even hear it when in your pocket!!!
great ! That's just what I wanted to hear The g1 is sooo quite haha. Thanks. Also, I don' tknow how I did that double post as I wasn't even here !
I would have to disagree and say the phone is almost impossible to hear when its in your pocket.
The big problem for me is the tiny speaker on the back of the phone. Lying the phone down on any sort of soft surface..or even hard..semi mutes that speakers sound. I miss tons of calls because of it.
hello.
i have a problem with my nexus s.
during a regular cellular call, i hear really bad the other side, really blurry, so i need to figure out what they are saying to me sometimes.
is there something to do? did someone else experience what i do?
thanks.
What does really bad mean?
Static? No sound? or low volume?
it means very blurry sound, the volume is good, no static problem, just hard to figure out what the other side says to me.
Regardless of if it's speaker or not?
Are you rooted?
What kernel/rom are you running if so?
Sorry, gonna be asking a few more questions to find the root cause of it.
You might want to install a voip program and see if that sounds blurry in order to see if its the hardware or not.
no problem i'll answer whatever you ask.
it's mostly on the earpiece.
i'm not rooted.
version 2.3.2
kernel version is 2.6.35.7-g7f1638a
[email protected] #1.
which VOIP program do you recommend?
If you have a Skype account then you can probably install that and call someone.
Fring has a test call thing for sure so you could also use that.
ok i just tried the fring test call and i think i can point out the problem.
when it asked me to say something and than it played it back, i said high frequency stuff like "tssssss" or "tsshhhhh", and it lacks the high frequency.
Interesting, so it sounds watered out like a low quality mp3 does then.
You might want to check out the warranty for that cause it might be the actual speaker piece that's messed up.
thats quite a problem for me, because i bought the phone in the US but i live in israel.
isn't there something to do? maybe a fresh install of the phone with no apps?
i'm not sure, but its possible that when i bought it and it had no apps, the sound was crisper.
You could try this thread - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=884093.
It should get you back to stock.
There is the chance to put (or try at least) an improvement in sound mic? Sometimes people said to me that they are listening me bad, others too down... Anyways, I'm using 2g connection only (in order to improve sound quality), even so, if I speak "with my normal voice" almost all people have a bit difficult to ear me!
I saw "hwVolumeFactor.cfg" , but there's no line to mic volume....
At least 2 other people have the same problem:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1157111
I have the same problem too. Tried to find some volume file. Solutions?
Sent from my u8800 using XDA App
+1.
I tried to find the file AudioPara, AudioFilter et similia,but i haven´t found anything in u8800 rom....
FabryXY
I have the same prob too.I have to speak loud to hear me
The hwvolumnfactor certainly cannot modify the internal mic and earpiece levels. It's to be done at the application framework stack or even the core library stack.
Sent from my IDEOS X5
any chance of those people with problems have a defective unit?
skinniezinho said:
any chance of those people with problems have a defective unit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say it's a defective unit, because that would mean more than 30% of the whole sold units of U8800 were defective and a company big as Huawei wouldn't do it. Would only create mass amount of angry people and paybacks. So I am guessing some setting is bad.
Hi
I not think that this unit are defective.
For me the microphone position isn´t ideal, so is necessary boost the mic volume,
expecially for people with deep voice.
I hope that in future this become possible.
FabryXY
fabryxy said:
Hi
I not think that this unit are defective.
For me the microphone position isn´t ideal, so is necessary boost the mic volume,
expecially for people with deep voice.
I hope that in future this become possible.
FabryXY
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Think this is the problem, i have a deep voice too... although using 2g only helps a lot, there's no a excellent quality and every time I reboot the phone i have to configure 2g again!
I've posted this problem before, in another post. Just posting here too, simply to join the club. Same mic issue for me. Others cannot hear me well while I can here them crystal clear.
P.S. I replaced my first X5 device within 4 days from purchasing it and apparently the problem exists in my current (2nd) device too. I didn't replace the 2nd one because the mic issue appeared after "root". That's weird...
P.S. 2 I really love this phone. It's a high end device in an extremely affordable price and I DO NOT WANT to replace the specific model whatsoever. However, this has been a very frustrating thing and still no one has come up with a solution!
same problem here. have to speak really loud to be understood... hopefully someone is able to fix it. otherwise a great phone!
I also have the low mic volume problem. It's very frustrating. Not everyone seems to be complaining it seems so I'm wondering if it's possible that there was a bad batch of these phones?
Can anyone confirm that their mic levels are normal - i.e. the person you are calling can normally hear you loud and clear? That would be useful to know.
The mic itself should not be problem.
Since I have bad reception in home, I generally prefer talking to people with viber, skype and such. I do not have any mic. issues with such programs.
However people really have hard times to hear me if I am talking on GSM -or make me have hard times because of shouting-
Good tip, hopefully maybe some dev could look into it, with the idea to solve this problem... In small forums that i use, other peoples complain too about this strange behavior. I think the problem are related to the secondary mic that are erasing outside sounds, but it is very responsive and maybe it erases more than the outside sounds, it erases a little of our voice... The normal think is people telling me something like that: "Are you talking from the bottom?" or "Are you talking from the Chilean Mine?" xD
I agree. Once I changed the value of hw.secondary_mic=0 to hw.secondary_mic=1 in /system/build.prop. I noticed that people on the phone could hardly hear me and I heard weird noise from the earpiece. Then I switch the value back to 0, it works fine now.
You guys may need to check this value in your phone's current setting.
Sent from my IDEOS X5
BookBu said:
I agree. Once I changed the value of hw.secondary_mic=0 to hw.secondary_mic=1 in /system/build.prop. I noticed that people on the phone could hardly hear me and I heard weird noise from the earpiece. Then I switch the value back to 0, it works fine now.
You guys may need to check this value in your phone's current setting.
Sent from my IDEOS X5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine was at 0 already. Changed the values to 1,2 just in case, but the problem remains. Changed back to 0 again.
Same here I was thinking about trying the hw_secondary_mic thing, but you say it's to no avail... It's a very nice phone, but what's the use if people can't hear me. I've sent a message to Huawei and I'll call local warranty service if this problem is salvageable for this line of phones. If not, the return path is the way ...
Hello,
as I mentioned in another Thread I have the same problems you have. There have to be some settings wrong in the comparison of the signals of the two microphones.
Also I played with "hw.secondary_mic=X" and it didn't help me. I tried 0 and 1. It changed, but 1 was worse than 0, without changing something else.
Maybe one of the more experienced Dev's can have a look at this problem, at least where we can find the source for comparison or the adequate settings. Thanks in advance
But for now I have a working workaround
I use the void#draco rom with the kernel from #eridanus (should also work with other roms)
In "system\build.prop" are the settings
hw.secondary_mic=1
...
ro.config.hw_optb=
hw.secondary_mic=1
...
ro.config.dualmic=true
important. Maybe someone can explain me what the second and third entry exactly do?
And now comes the trick. You have to cover your secondary mic on the back (next to the 5.0 Megapixels print). Either with your finger (cumbersome) or with 2 layers of adhesive tape or something like that.
I've tested this yesterday evening and it worked quite fine for me. Those were my best gsm-calls (exept those with the cable-headset).
Maybe it also works with other settings in build.prob, those above worked good for me and I didn' test all the 16 combinations (3 settings + dumb microphone).
So, please try it and share your experience
Edit: Just tried it with latest oxygen. Stock experience was as annoying as with stock void, but after changing values to those above (you have to write the last two of them by your own) and making the microphone dumb the call quality got much better. Try it for yourself
I thought about covering the secondary mic too, but it's a bit non-classy Hmm. From instincts, setting ro.config.dualmic=false should disable the secondary. Have you tried it? I'm gonna try it when I have the time...
Also I feel that there should be some settings regarding those microphones but, I'm not sure if they can be easily found without spending some time with the OS code. Having heard that Huawei has released the code as open source (?) I hope they have comments there
I tried ro.config.dualmic=0 a few minutes ago, and with the uncovered microphone i was hardly understood. With the covered microphone everything was good.
Seems that the phone is unimpressed by this setting...or it is because I use Oxygen at the moment. There wasn't such a setting in build.prop, I wrote it there by myself.
Now I tried hw.secondary_mic=0 without the other settings (commented out)
and with an uncovered mic you are hardly to hear as like as the other settings and with the covered mic it's acceptable. But I think it's a bit worse than the settings I mentioned above with everything enabled.
Somehow the phone doesn't react on these settings as we want it to do.
So I will set the three values to 1 and use my tiny piece of adhesive tape until a better solution is available. As I said this is a workaround, not a fix.