Database Users

What is by far the coolest thing you can do with your Hermes

I am currently getting bored with my Hermes, I have flashed about 10 Roms in the past few months and I have followed the herd on almost every customized look we can come up with (Black, Custel, iphone lookalike, kaiser lookalike) you name it.
SO I thought I would reach out and see what other people are using their Hermes for. First and foremost I use mine as a phone. Anyone else? I also use Tomtom for Nav and orb for music and videos. Once and a while I stream XM too because I have an account. But thts about it.
I would love to hear about what else I can do and what other people think the best thing they have found on the Hermes is. I'm curious to see how crazy it can get.

Links to the coolest things folks here have done:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1010449&postcount=5
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=672628&postcount=1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1011991&postcount=10
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1012249&postcount=5
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1209297&postcount=40
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1218608&postcount=17
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1238684&postcount=7
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1213780&postcount=4
Mike

when I'm bored I use it to mess around with other people's phones and pc's,
funny how so many people leave their bluetooth on nowadays on both phones and laptops
I also use it to surf the net in classes (no laptop policy)
anyone else \()/?

afguard17 said:
I am currently getting bored with my Hermes, I have flashed about 10 Roms in the past few months and I have followed the herd on almost every customized look we can come up with (Black, Custel, iphone lookalike, kaiser lookalike) you name it.
SO I thought I would reach out and see what other people are using their Hermes for. First and foremost I use mine as a phone. Anyone else? I also use Tomtom for Nav and orb for music and videos. Once and a while I stream XM too because I have an account. But thts about it.
I would love to hear about what else I can do and what other people think the best thing they have found on the Hermes is. I'm curious to see how crazy it can get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Orb is awesome (I was watching Anchorman on my commute home this evening), also I use my Hermes mostly for work, so tons of email (100 a day or so), attachment viewing\editing). TomTom is a life saver, as is GoogleMaps (saves me lots of 411 charges). Besides that day to day stuff, playing with ROMs and using it to wow friends and co-workers ("I forgot my ethernet cable! how am I supposed to get online now?!"..."Oh, please... allow me" along with a million other examples), wardriving, camera, mp3 player etc.

When I am bored I use the cameras three shot panorama mode to do funny things like getting a friend to do different poses in each of the three shots when the photo is finished its pretty cool. Seeing the same person three times in the same shot doing different things can pretty funny and if you have an imagination you can do some wicked stuff, ill have to look around for some of my shots and post them.
Psiodon

haha Mike Channon you smart ass.. lol.
I use my Hermes as a webcam.. .. The guy mentioned above likes to see me naked for some reason..

I know it is stupid, but I find it cool to run old games using ScummVM. Friends are amazed when they see (and hear) Monkey Island or DOTT on this device. (for the same reason, I have DOOM on my Nokia phone )
The Pebbles application (bluetooth remote control) is fun to play around with, as it offers a great deal of controllers (touchpad, scrollwheel, ...). But I haven't got round to making a proper interface for the softwares I use (at the moment, I prefer to use Puppetmaster on my Nokia to control my laptop, is this also displays data from the application on the mobile screen).
From a technological point of view, the internet sharing via bluetooth is IMO one of the coolest features of the device.
Of course, being able to view movies or get some work done on a plane is great too. And then there is PocketFMS: connect the TyTN to a bt gps, and you get a moving map flight management system (yep, for general aviation!); which can be combined with weather data!
It is a cool device... but could be more stable at times.
Jörg

I have a bluetooth to serial device, which means I can run terminal connections over bluetooth.. so I can use it to configure routers etc.. just plug the dongle into a serial port.. connect via the phone and there's no need to carry round a laptop for that anymore.
I also use it as a phone and pda of course for those things.. For a normal day it can practically replace my laptop for dealing with both windows and *nix machines.. Pretty good if you ask me.
If you really are that bored of it send me it I can put it to good use
(oh yeah and I play scummVM on it too )

sambartle said:
I have a bluetooth to serial device, which means I can run terminal connections over bluetooth..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My I ask what kind of bt-serial device? Does it have its own battery, or does it draw power from the serial port?
I have no experience with such devices, but the reason I'm asking is that I wonder if it is possible to connect a bluetooth GPS to a Nikon D200 (this has a serial port for a GPS, to allow for coordinates to be embedded in the exif header). Of course, a setup like this is not supported (I mailed Nikon with this question), but they didn't say it wouldn't work (they hadn't thought of this).
Thanks!
Jörg

sambartle said:
I have a bluetooth to serial device, which means I can run terminal connections over bluetooth.. so I can use it to configure routers etc.. just plug the dongle into a serial port.. connect via the phone and there's no need to carry round a laptop for that anymore.
I also use it as a phone and pda of course for those things.. For a normal day it can practically replace my laptop for dealing with both windows and *nix machines.. Pretty good if you ask me.
If you really are that bored of it send me it I can put it to good use
(oh yeah and I play scummVM on it too )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what can you do on a windows box via serial? on a unix/linux box: that must be pretty hard given its lack of VT100 support i.e. 80x24, and no wrap around lines.

having a satnav system...
me walking like a walking encyclopedia ..
wealth of info related to work.. (medically.. )
oh forgot to mention is i dont have to worry about mespilling something.

Orb is the best

The Slingbox player is always nice to have when there is time to kill.
The "coolest" (geekyest) thing I've done is use it to control my irrigation system. I have several Insteon home automation devices installed and when I needed to check all the different irrigation zone sprinklers, I just used the phone to remote in to the host PC and turn on/off each area while I walked around the yard and made adjustments. I could also use the same process to control all the lighting in the house as well.

+1000 for Orb.

V J said:
My I ask what kind of bt-serial device? Does it have its own battery, or does it draw power from the serial port?
I have no experience with such devices, but the reason I'm asking is that I wonder if it is possible to connect a bluetooth GPS to a Nikon D200 (this has a serial port for a GPS, to allow for coordinates to be embedded in the exif header). Of course, a setup like this is not supported (I mailed Nikon with this question), but they didn't say it wouldn't work (they hadn't thought of this).
Thanks!
Jörg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its one of these (I actually got it cheaper than this - from the manufacturer who also sells them on ebay himself but has none on there at the minute), expansys also do them
It's powered via a USB cable.. But i have a solar charging unit that outputs via USB and works fine with it.. so i dont need usb to use it.. does the nikon proivde 5v on any ports as that would probably work.. (maybe even the usb port if it has one and supports weird configs (not just to connect it to a pc as that wont suply voltage))
I have no idea if it will connect a bluetooth gps to a camera.. the closest i can try is linking it to my bluetooth gps and seeing if nmea flows to the serial port.. ill give it as go for you this week.

frustin said:
what can you do on a windows box via serial? on a unix/linux box: that must be pretty hard given its lack of VT100 support i.e. 80x24, and no wrap around lines.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
depends whats connected to the windows box .. or what software its running.. or what its purpose is.. (i work in telecommunications)
On a desktop theres probably not much point, but theres switches, analysers, ATM's all sorts of industrial windows installations that all have serial diiagnostics and terminals..
on a *nix box its pretty much the same deal.. if its running a serial terminal i can connect to it with mToken or Mobile Putty.. theres hundreds of different bits of serial kit you can connect too.. serial is serial doesnt matter that its sent via bluetooth to the PPC.
Works on routers and all kinds of switching gear.. it's absolutly invaluable to me!!

Cool things with the TYTN
I assigned VJCandela to one of the side buttons, this help locating the key hole to my door (home, not car, I am a responsible person!) when it's pitch dark and I polished a few with the boys!
This phone belongs in a James Bond movie, period.

possibilities are endless!
Orb is great!
The Slingbox pro is awesome!!!
Im was thinking the same think as far as what else is possible via these phones... the quest for home automation is what brought me here (via search)
I think the links in the 2nd post should keep me busy for a bit...
Thanks!
Xtra

frustin said:
what can you do on a windows box via serial? on a unix/linux box: that must be pretty hard given its lack of VT100 support i.e. 80x24, and no wrp around lines.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wuh?
Methinks you didn't read his reply all that thoroughly.
Routers, at least enterprise class routers have serial managmenet ports - hence him specifically mentioning serial in the same sentence as routers and nothing else.
I'm not even sure I know what you're trying to say regarding VT100 support - which is just one of many types of terminal emulation (based on the old DEC VT100 video terminal). Windows itself doesn't provide out-of-band management compatible with textual terminals, but many servers *do* have serial out-of-band facilities which can in turn talk to Windows running on said server...think lights out managmement. Most Sun servers have serial access to both the PROM and running OS, and you can redirect a serial port to a console in Linux.
I'm betting that when the OP mentioned managing Winders boxen with his Hermes he was thinking RDP.
But you knew all that I'm sure. =)

I'm a musician - I use it as a guitar tuner (PhoneTuner), I have a spectrum analyzer (HASA) for finding feedback frequencies when doing sound checks, I use it to record songs I'm working on with an MP3 recorder(AudioNotes), to record lyrics (Word, Notes, or even putting lyrics into a Task item so it will sync over the air with Outlook). I use ORB for streaming media from my server while on the road. I use the LED light as a flashlight mapped to the push and hold button with VJCandela. I use it as a timer for Texas Hold 'em poker to decide when to double the blind (SPB Time). I have an english dictionary, and a spanish-english dictionary on it. I use it to read ebooks (HaaliReader). I use it as an RPN calculator (CalcNOW). I use INAV for GPS guidance with a bluetooth GPS receiver when on tour.

Has anyone replaced their laptop with the Atrix?

..and how has it worked out for you?

I used it a lot, but there are just too many things I need a computer for. So, even though most everything I do is on my phone, there is still a need for a PC
Ymmv, but try typing anything longer than a couple paragraphs on the phone. It sucks.
Sent from my LG-P920 using Tapatalk

I think within the next 5-10 years you will see the cell phone replacing the laptop, especially for business users. Instead of lugging heavy laptops around airports when travelling we will have a phone, HDMI cable, soft BT keyboard, and BT mouse. Head to your hotel room, place of work, plug into a LCD via HDMI, and good to go.
Right now, replacing a laptop with a phone such as the Atrix would be counter intuitive, as there are so many things you still cannot do on a phone, plain and simple. It's going to happen though..............just not yet.

Actually, I thought of doing that when needed to replace my old laptop. I checked for lapdock abilities and performances. However, as mentioned above, android OS lacks to many features that I need (Especially office features, and some games) so I left it aside.
I believe that the Atrix marks the future in the technological world, and slowly laptops will become useless, especially with quad-core devices, and the coming of WIN8. Mobile device hardware will be powerful enough to run everything that a laptop runs, and WIN8 is expected to support ARM processors.
I think that phones will come with a lapdock-like station, and the phone will power it. The incompatibility of android will be replaced by WIN8 while connected to the dock, and voila a mobile phone that has PC capabilities.

I bought the lapdock for my atrix and have since stopped taking my toshiba laptop to school.
I only really use google docs. notes and such. lapdock is much lighter than my laptop. it's thinner.
i keep my laptop at home now... only using it to download stuff, really.
I use the lapdock to watch netflix, go online, and it handles it well.
The lack of ability to multitask on the lapdock is the crappy part. I liked being able to be online on different webpages at once and listen to music on my laptop.
with the lapdock, I can really only be on 3, maybe 4 sites before I it starts lagging. but i just started listening to music on my mp3 player while I'm online.
so for more involved tasks, laptop. simple tasks, lapdock.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Only as my computer at starbucks. Works great for surfing the net, checking facebook, answering emails, texting people back with a full keyboard, watching youtube/flash videos...
Other than that, I really cannot replace a full laptop with it. There isn't enough cpu power yet for it to be used for everything. Plus the webtop needs to be really hacked with webtop2sd or something similar in order for it to be really useful beyond the basics.
Motorola is defiantly on the right track with this. This can grow if they play their cards right.

raginginferno said:
Only as my computer at starbucks. Works great for surfing the net, checking facebook, answering emails, texting people back with a full keyboard, watching youtube/flash videos...
Other than that, I really cannot replace a full laptop with it. There isn't enough cpu power yet for it to be used for everything. Plus the webtop needs to be really hacked with webtop2sd or something similar in order for it to be really useful beyond the basics.
Motorola is defiantly on the right track with this. This can grow if they play their cards right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, this is identical opinion as mine. For those who is expecting the Atrix (as well as anything eslse) attaching with a laptopdock can be able to replace the laptop then pls give up right now.
But I also confirm that: As for some popular need of entertainment such as internet surfing, gaming, social net browsing..., and for some simple need of office such as noting, word/pdf/xls viewing/revising... you guys can completely leave the laptop at home to carry the Atrix along with its lapdock.
Actually, I have been using my Atrix standalone in the class, library and seminars with amazing conveniences, where the Notes app, OCR app (eg. CamSanner, Scan2PDF...), voice recorder and internet are very important tools for my own job. When I'm at home, I have the wireless keyboard and mouse to use with my Atrix over the TV every evening for facebook, news, XDA...
With the rest of need especially for office taks such as Autocad, Photoshop, rich text editor,... you cannot entrust them for any smartphone like Atrix even when our Google provided good office services such as GDocs, or the power app Open Office for Linux is free out there...
Just as my own experiences.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium

I would like to add my own thought of this question. As my many years experiences of smartphone and laptop, office applications are divided into two groups by usage level as follows:
1. Essential applications includes:
- Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Pdf viewer/tuner
- Files Manager
- Calendar/Task Reminder/Alarm Clock/Contacts manager
- Note/Memo/Voice Recorder...
- OCR Scanner/PDF Converter, Calculator/Dictionaries/Currency, Unit converter...
- TeamViewer/VNC client...
- Stock/RSS/News/Weather app...
- Skype/Yahoo/Facebook/Twitter and other text/voice IM client...
- POP3/IMAP/Web Email client
- Web Browser/Google/Yahoo Search...
- And ofcos, all functions of a feature phone
2. Professional applications includes:
- AutoCad
- Word/Xls/PowerPoint creator/editor
- Photoshop/CorelDraw/3DMax/Visio editor...
- ERP softwares (Accounting, POS, CRM...), Programming (Java, Oracle...)
- Heavy Web surfing
- Full features PC remote
- All kinds of studio application (photo, audio, video)...,
- And any other professional application which requires high memory, large storage, powered CPU, strong GPU, multiple I/O ports, heavy multi-task operation, etc...
You guys are working only on applications in the first group, you can completely sell your laptop to save the money for purchasing a power smartphone like Atrix along with some valued accessories, eg. wireless keyboard/mouse, multimedia dock, laptop dock, high capacity battery...
But if you guys have any need of application in the 2nd group, you will be disappointed if using a smartphone like not only Atrix but also hi-end Android/iOS tablets such as Galaxy Tab, iPad, Transformer Prime... for it.
And for myselft, I am using two devices simultaneously for works.
Just as my own experiences...
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium

Cell phones with accessories still have a long way to go before I could replace my laptop. I need Visual Studio, Visio, and my company's software that I use for consulting purposes. I would love to get rid of a heavy laptop, but I had to go with a quadcore i7 sandy bridge because I really do need the performance. The thinner laptops only have the dual core i7, which cuts my primary apps speed in half (multithreading).

Funny, I actually didn't have a choice about a month ago. I'm a student at UCF in Orlando, FL. My lapdock had actually just come in 3 hours before my hard disk in my laptop bit the dust and I had to wait a week for the replacement to come in, so I had to use the lapdock as my computer for a while. I bought the lapdock to take to class(my laptop is a 17" beast and a pain to carry around with all the other crap I lug around.. I really didn't think that through when I bought it back in 09) and it did the bare essentials. There's no way I'd replace my computer with the atrix lapdock though. Not a chance. The speed, multi-tasking ability, rendering, none of it is up to par to replace a purpose-made computer. It does just enough for the money, IMO.

I have replaced my personal laptop that I used to carry around, I mostly use my full laptop only to burn dvds, rip music, create and edit videos for Youtube and such tasks.
But for day to day things like browsing the web for research, typing memos and multimedia stuff (Photoshopping with GIMP, youtube, Netflix, etc) also I do a lot of Torrenting from my Atrix remotely onto my QNAS home server and website managing through FTP and many other things.
Cheers!
Rayan

My S2 as a Smart TV hub idea

Hi all,
I had my S2 for a while now and I'm thinking of just connecting it to my TV to be use as a smart hub (media centre) as I don't have a smart TV. I'm sure I'm not alone with an aging S2 and moving onto a newer smart phone.
My Idea are:
- connect the S2 via HDMI to the TV
- use a small Bluetooth keyboard with track pad or maybe some other remote.
- try out probably XBMC
- Disable any phone feature from it (ie phone, sms, etc..)
My goal are:
- use it as a online player - Netflix, youtube, etc...
- Skype
- video player
- stream video from network
- audio player
This will be my first attempt and will be spending some money for the accessories.
Has anyone done a similar set up.
It will be great for some opinions or advice. Or issues it might not work.

Interesting idea.
You might want to think about how you're going to use it with the limited battery life first, because you won't be able to charge the phone when connected through HDMI.

I already do this occasionally albiet minus the keyboard atm,... I use it on short breaks away I took my Mhl cable and a short 1m hdmi cable to plug into the tv in the hotel room using Catchup TV app for more channels than they offered and TV Portal for streaming (free hotel Wi-Fi ftw! )... also use it for some other stuff such as watching avis I have already put on my 32gig card and finally playing my music collection through the tv speakers
re: power supply Mhl cable needs power/charger cable to work anyway also it charges at the same time
I always carry a spare charger

crobat said:
Interesting idea.
You might want to think about how you're going to use it with the limited battery life first, because you won't be able to charge the phone when connected through HDMI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
of course the phone charges when connected to hdmi. it does not even work if not plugged into the power outlet first.

Flog your S2 and buy a Pendroid.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B007FR9OIK
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Raspberry pi with xbmc
Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

Thanks guys.
I got a mhl cable and it's awesome. just plug it in and it works straight away. Got the cheap version though but I guess it won't make that much difference. All I need to do is get a mod to permanently set it up as landscape mode and probably increase screen size. Will look for a new rom probably that can cater the mod.
Just need to figure this all out before spending more on a keyboard.

I had pretty much the same idea. Works well. Here is my thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2569613
I am going to try running xbmc and see how that goes.

Just to let you know, I installed xbmc...details on my thread (see the above post!)

I want to use splashtop with my N4 and a mini ITX portable PC without a monitor how?

Guys I just got a great idea.
I can play GTA 4 on a N4 with splashtop right?
Thing is I wanna carry around a ultra mini itx PC in my backpack. They can now carry a AMD richland A10 APU that play everything in medium setting and HD resolution. Its great for work because I work split shift with american airlines and the waiting period between shifts can be anywhere from 4 to 6 hours and if the plane delay well even better more time to kill even if its $3 US an hour I make.
But how would you log on in the PC side? would you need a monitor or can you put it to autostart when you press a button and auto login so you can then control it with a phone
because carrying around a monitor defeats the purpose of why I want to build this.

john5220 said:
Guys I just got a great idea.
I can play GTA 4 on a N4 with splashtop right?
Thing is I wanna carry around a ultra mini itx PC in my backpack. They can now carry a AMD richland A10 APU that play everything in medium setting and HD resolution. Its great for work because I work split shift with american airlines and the waiting period between shifts can be anywhere from 4 to 6 hours and if the plane delay well even better more time to kill even if its $3 US an hour I make.
But how would you log on in the PC side? would you need a monitor or can you put it to autostart when you press a button and auto login so you can then control it with a phone
because carrying around a monitor defeats the purpose of why I want to build this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could have the computer have no login password so it automatically logs in on boot, and put a shortcut to splashtop in the startup folder so it starts when the computer boots. The main issue with it would be getting the computer internet access so that you could actually connect to it

so splashtop needs internet connection?
Remember I work in the airport so I have WIFI internet in both the office and in pizza boys. Ethernet is a no no I only have access to the WIFI password for AA So internet is a non issue for me but if you mean it needs monitor and mouse to connect to the wifi first and then use splashtop I see the issue.
Cant I just autostart it with windows like you said and then control it with my phone from there?
there are monitors in work I could disconnect one and bring my mouse for one day and connect to the wifi and save it? so it always auto connect when the PC starts?
My solution must be cheap and very portable for playing PC games on my N4. This PC must not have any mouse and keyboard and or monitor the only cable it must have is a power.

http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Inte...8600621&sr=8-1&keywords=Gigabyte+Brix+Mini+PC
This is incredibly attractive for what I want aswell. Just need that splashtop to control it with my N4 man. Dude this can fit in a big pocket wtf
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Computi...8600621&sr=8-3&keywords=Gigabyte+Brix+Mini+PC

john5220 said:
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Inte...8600621&sr=8-1&keywords=Gigabyte+Brix+Mini+PC
This is incredibly attractive for what I want aswell. Just need that splashtop to control it with my N4 man. Dude this can fit in a big pocket wtf
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Computi...8600621&sr=8-3&keywords=Gigabyte+Brix+Mini+PC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently built a a10 6800k inside a antec isk 300 case just for tbis purpose. The only problem is splashtop doesnt work unless a monitor is attached to the computer. It is so dumb

Recommend a Android Stick Setup Intended to Be Used As Replacement for PC

I need to replace my parents 7 year old Windows PC with a new one. I was thinking of getting a Android stick instead since their uses are limited to Skype, Hangouts, Facebook, occassional browsing and YouTube. Besides, at least my mom has become pretty familiar with her Android phone.
What I have in mind is this:
Buy a monitor with HDMI port or DVI. The monitor will have built in speakers as well. Connect the stick to it.
Attach a USB hub to the stick.
Attach webcam, keyboard and mouse to the hub. Alternatively, attach keyboard and mouse to the USB ports in the monitor (if available). I don't want to use bluetooth because they will find recharging the keyboard/mouse difficult.
My questions are:
How effective this setup will be for the above mentioned purposes? The reason I ask this is because most people seem to be using Android stick primarily as a media player.
I tried hooking up two tablets to my TV, neither of them gave full screen. Will I face such problems with the stick? Do I need to look for any specific monitor resolutions or aspect ratios?
If I attach keyboard and mouse to the monitor's USB port, will it work?
Are there any sticks which will support touch screen monitors out of the box?
Will it play the sound through monitor out of the box?
In case I have to use bluetooth, can I pair both keyboard and mouse at the same time?
Do I need to shutdown the stick just like a PC or will a simple mains switch off be enough? Or can I leave it running all the time without worrying about the power consumption?
Please recommend a good stick for this purpose.
Am I overlooking something? Will I need any extra components?
I will most likely be telling them over the phone on how to set up the whole thing. So any kind of tinkering with software (like rooting or some form of modding) will not be possible.

unni_kmr said:
I need to replace my parents 7 year old Windows PC with a new one. I was thinking of getting a Android stick instead since their uses are limited to Skype, Hangouts, Facebook, occassional browsing and YouTube. Besides, at least my mom has become pretty familiar with her Android phone.
What I have in mind is this:
Buy a monitor with HDMI port or DVI. The monitor will have built in speakers as well. Connect the stick to it.
Attach a USB hub to the stick.
Attach webcam, keyboard and mouse to the hub. Alternatively, attach keyboard and mouse to the USB ports in the monitor (if available). I don't want to use bluetooth because they will find recharging the keyboard/mouse difficult.
My questions are:
How effective this setup will be for the above mentioned purposes? The reason I ask this is because most people seem to be using Android stick primarily as a media player.
I tried hooking up two tablets to my TV, neither of them gave full screen. Will I face such problems with the stick? Do I need to look for any specific monitor resolutions or aspect ratios?
If I attach keyboard and mouse to the monitor's USB port, will it work?
Are there any sticks which will support touch screen monitors out of the box?
Will it play the sound through monitor out of the box?
In case I have to use bluetooth, can I pair both keyboard and mouse at the same time?
Do I need to shutdown the stick just like a PC or will a simple mains switch off be enough? Or can I leave it running all the time without worrying about the power consumption?
Please recommend a good stick for this purpose.
Am I overlooking something? Will I need any extra components?
I will most likely be telling them over the phone on how to set up the whole thing. So any kind of tinkering with software (like rooting or some form of modding) will not be possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Minix X7, which is my first android mini pc.. here's my thoughts regarding your list:
1. If you connect the mini pc (stick or otherwise) using HDMI cable to the monitor, you will have audio through the monitor.
2. If you buy a mini pc instead of a stick, you wouldn't need an additional usb hub (see X5 or X7)
3. You will need to use a logitech webcam (at least to use stock roms on Minix)
4. For browsing, Facebook, and Skype, the X7 will handle that easily, on a wired/wireless connection
5. Full screen works fine (either 1080p or 720p)
6. I have never used a touch screen monitor, but this thread has some guidance (http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?1802-Touchscreen).. a little more involved than plug-and-play
7. The X7will pair both a keyboard and mouse via bt at once, though I would recommend using the usb ports if you are setting it up at a desk
8. My X7 almost never gets shut off. Usually just shut off the monitor and let it stay on. The power consumption is minimal, especially when not being used.
Also, as far as a recommendation, I find the X7 to be pretty good. You'd probably be ok with an X5 if they aren't planning on using it as a media center and want to save some $$$. A lot of the cheap sticks are made by manufacturers who do not provide updates or product support, but since the end of July, Minix has come out with 3 firmware updates, and another one is almost ready. (They would have released update 005 except Rockchip released an update to their code and Minix want to integrate it prior to their next release, as it improves video playback).
On the negative side, the firmware does still have occasional glitches. Although my X7 has been up for days on end, every once in a while it just freezes up, and i have to pull the power cable, plug it back in, and turn it on. Also, the X7 had some early issues with SD cards, but if you don't plan on using an SD card, that shouldn't be an issue.
If you believe an android device will do everything your parents need in a PC, I think it's a great idea. Low power consumption (4W vs the 160-220W of my HTPC), low heat, no noise, low price, and decent reliability.
One more thought, if you wish to root/update firmware, etc, get the device shipped to you, then ship it to your parents. It'll take a few more days, but you can set it up and make sure everything suits their needs prior to delivery..

Mike_77 said:
I have a Minix X7, which is my first android mini pc.. here's my thoughts regarding your list:
1. If you connect the mini pc (stick or otherwise) using HDMI cable to the monitor, you will have audio through the monitor.
2. If you buy a mini pc instead of a stick, you wouldn't need an additional usb hub (see X5 or X7)
3. You will need to use a logitech webcam (at least to use stock roms on Minix)
4. For browsing, Facebook, and Skype, the X7 will handle that easily, on a wired/wireless connection
5. Full screen works fine (either 1080p or 720p)
6. I have never used a touch screen monitor, but this thread has some guidance (http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?1802-Touchscreen).. a little more involved than plug-and-play
7. The X7will pair both a keyboard and mouse via bt at once, though I would recommend using the usb ports if you are setting it up at a desk
8. My X7 almost never gets shut off. Usually just shut off the monitor and let it stay on. The power consumption is minimal, especially when not being used.
Also, as far as a recommendation, I find the X7 to be pretty good. You'd probably be ok with an X5 if they aren't planning on using it as a media center and want to save some $$$. A lot of the cheap sticks are made by manufacturers who do not provide updates or product support, but since the end of July, Minix has come out with 3 firmware updates, and another one is almost ready. (They would have released update 005 except Rockchip released an update to their code and Minix want to integrate it prior to their next release, as it improves video playback).
On the negative side, the firmware does still have occasional glitches. Although my X7 has been up for days on end, every once in a while it just freezes up, and i have to pull the power cable, plug it back in, and turn it on. Also, the X7 had some early issues with SD cards, but if you don't plan on using an SD card, that shouldn't be an issue.
If you believe an android device will do everything your parents need in a PC, I think it's a great idea. Low power consumption (4W vs the 160-220W of my HTPC), low heat, no noise, low price, and decent reliability.
One more thought, if you wish to root/update firmware, etc, get the device shipped to you, then ship it to your parents. It'll take a few more days, but you can set it up and make sure everything suits their needs prior to delivery..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a great wright up of x7 I love mine and agree 100 % with what you have said here. I've tried the uab sticks they don't work as well plus no heat on the x7 that thing is built well to last. I have set p.o.s. (point of sales) systems up in the past using the x5 cheap and fast browsing experience.
Good luck hope your parents are happy with what ever you end up doing.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4

I have MK808b (dual core with 1GB RAM), and using it as a media center, but also as a PC for browsing INTERNET. It is connected to pc monitor with HDMI, and works perfectly in full HD resolution.
I can't find any reason not to use it as a replacement for PC, especially if you use cloud storage services.

Mike_77 said:
I have a Minix X7, which is my first android mini pc.. here's my thoughts regarding your list...
6. I have never used a touch screen monitor, but this thread has some guidance (http://www.freaktab.com/showthread.php?1802-Touchscreen).. a little more involved than plug-and-play
One more thought, if you wish to root/update firmware, etc, get the device shipped to you, then ship it to your parents. It'll take a few more days, but you can set it up and make sure everything suits their needs prior to delivery..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much for this detailed reply. Really appreciate you taking time to write all these.
I have dropped the idea of using touch screen, since they seem to be 3 times the cost of a regular monitor (in India).
Regarding the shipping, I am in US now and parents are in India. I am not exactly sure if customs will cause any problems. That's why I am thinking of ordering from eBay India itself. Only problem is eBay India seller is charging around $204, probably because this is a new device.
dincdoes.me said:
Good luck hope your parents are happy with what ever you end up doing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If this works as expected for the above purposes, I am the one who will be more happy. In the last 2 years, I have spent a lot of hours through LogMeIn remote desktop updating and maintaining the PC. Where my parents stay, there are scheduled powercuts for 1 hour per day for atleast half of the year, and power comes and goes every now and then even otherwise. This inconsistency in power was another reason that made me lean towards the mini PCs. Besides, my mom, who is the primary user of the PC, has become more familiar with Android (through her phone), and she likes playing the games a lot as well.
draskome said:
I have MK808b (dual core with 1GB RAM), and using it as a media center, but also as a PC for browsing INTERNET. It is connected to pc monitor with HDMI, and works perfectly in full HD resolution.
I can't find any reason not to use it as a replacement for PC, especially if you use cloud storage services.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What resolution is your monitor?
Cloud storage will be a problem, since the internet at my parents house is only 512 kbps.
I am thinking of getting the X7 or X5 mainly because of the software updates, since I won't need to purchase any hub and since I can use my existing Logitech C310 webcam.
I have few more questions regarding the X7:
1. How responsive is the keyboard and mouse? Can I expect a response similar to a normal Windows PC?
2. If I use a monitor that has a resolution between 720p and 1080p (something like 1360x768 for example), will the device handle it properly or will it look odd (like stretched)?
3. Will it get updated automatically? I saw one video in YouTube in which he was manually flashing it using some Windows utility. Is that the only way to update?

I have two devices.
First device is a 70 dollar single core tablet with a broken touch screen. It was to expensive to fix it so I turned it into a server.
1. it runs Servers ultimate pro running a WebDav server, PHP/MySQL server for RSS feeds and a home site for the family, ddns updater and an FTP server.
2. it is running a surveillance app that sends an email to me the moment anything moves in the camera shot.
3. runs a PocketMine-MP server
4. runs an app to auto stop and start apps dring certain times of the day.
All this is remotely accessible VIA webkey.
Second device is an iMito MX1
1. it has a 7 port hub attached.
2. a HD webcam for Skype.
3. two harddrives (a 1 TB driver for media storage and a 720GB for internal memory replacement)(more on that in a min)
4. plays netflix, red box, youtube, Vevo, crackle and XBMC... to name a few
5. has 32 games loaded up with a Logitech F710 wireless controller VIA an app for onscreen touch.
6. Logitech full sized KB and Mouse.
I use this thing for web browsing, shooting vids and pics over to it from my phone for family sharing(DLNA)
The 750gig harddrive is currently the SDCARD but the internal one(NAND). The internal NAND is no longer used and the harddrive is where the OS stores the app's file to SD and the apps extra downloads. This has allowed me to download 15 games that contain 1+gig of extra data each.
All this has replaced two PC's in my house running 24/7. My electric bill has dropped 100+ dollars a month and the house has become quieter.
Let me tell you that two PC's(one was a server and the other a media center) running at full speed just to watch a movie took 280 watts of power. My new setup only consumes 24 at peak! Plus less heat and fan noise! I changed over around a year ago and never looked back or miss my old setup.
If you plan on running one fore a PC replacement I recommend a quad core. Sometimes the browsers can get a bit poky and that is due to the slower CPU. Also Webkey a must for remote management. This one FREE app has saved me more times then I can could. It has tons of functions and features but it's best feature is the remote control. It is just like setting in front of the device but just a tad slower. It is not a perfect app but it is the only remote app that I have found to work time and time again.

unni_kmr said:
What resolution is your monitor?
Cloud storage will be a problem, since the internet at my parents house is only 512 kbps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My monitor is 24" 1080p, and it's perfectly suitable for the purpose
For the office documents, 512kbps is quite enough, but not for pics, videos....

unni_kmr said:
Thanks very much for this detailed reply. Really appreciate you taking time to write all these.
I have dropped the idea of using touch screen, since they seem to be 3 times the cost of a regular monitor (in India).
Regarding the shipping, I am in US now and parents are in India. I am not exactly sure if customs will cause any problems. That's why I am thinking of ordering from eBay India itself. Only problem is eBay India seller is charging around $204, probably because this is a new device.
What resolution is your monitor?
Cloud storage will be a problem, since the internet at my parents house is only 512 kbps.
I am thinking of getting the X7 or X5 mainly because of the software updates, since I won't need to purchase any hub and since I can use my existing Logitech C310 webcam.
I have few more questions regarding the X7:
1. How responsive is the keyboard and mouse? Can I expect a response similar to a normal Windows PC?
2. If I use a monitor that has a resolution between 720p and 1080p (something like 1360x768 for example), will the device handle it properly or will it look odd (like stretched)?
3. Will it get updated automatically? I saw one video in YouTube in which he was manually flashing it using some Windows utility. Is that the only way to update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad to share my experience. I was a bit hesitant to buy one originally, but have been more than happy with my purchase.
I bought mine from http://www.aliexpress.com/item/MINIX-NEO-X7-Android-TV-Box-RK3188-Quad-Core-Mini-PC-1-6GHz-2G-16G-WiFi/1086507000.html# shipped DHL for only $3 more, and had it delivered in 3 days to Hawaii from China.
Updates are kind of a pain until they implement OTA updates, which they say they're going to do. That's why I recommend shipping to you first, and then you can send to your parents. I understand the customs issue though.. tough decision on that one.
I use mine on a 55" 1080p tv, and the picture quality is outstanding. The picture does not looked stretched or odd any any way. I believe it will detect the correct display settings and you can set the resolution you desire in /settings/display/resolution (trying to remember exact menu it's under)
The keyboard and mouse is just as responsive as a windows pc. There are a couple of times there is a bit of lag, but that is just a function of how much stuff is running. Even when you experience lag, it isn't anything significant.
There is a working version of CWM that will allow you to flash updates like an Android phone, but you will have to use the pc utility to install CWM (available on freaktab.com) Once CWM is installed, you can package the update files into a zip that is premade other than your update files, and it'll update for you.
There is a lot more information on freaktab.com. I alternated between that and minixforums.com for a while when trying to decide which android mini pc to buy. After weeks of research, I decided the wait for the X7 was worth it, and haven't regretted my decision since.

Thanks very much for all the replies. Sorry that I didn't reply for a long time. I tried ordering Minix Neo X7 from the AliExpress link. But they rejected my payment due to security concerns (I used an US credit card and gave India adress which probably raised some red flags). Then I ordered from eBay India. Waiting for it to be shipped.
I also came across another interesting product that could have satisfied all my requirements. Its the ViewSonic VSD220. Its a touch screen monitor with speakers, web cam, USB ports and is a Android mini PC. The only down side was that a YouTube review said its processor is not upto the mark.

unni_kmr said:
Thanks very much for all the replies. Sorry that I didn't reply for a long time. I tried ordering Minix Neo X7 from the AliExpress link. But they rejected my payment due to security concerns (I used an US credit card and gave India adress which probably raised some red flags). Then I ordered from eBay India. Waiting for it to be shipped.
I also came across another interesting product that could have satisfied all my requirements. Its the ViewSonic VSD220. Its a touch screen monitor with speakers, web cam, USB ports and is a Android mini PC. The only down side was that a YouTube review said its processor is not upto the mark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you'll get better performance out of the X7. Have you read all the info, etc on minixforums.com? Also, starting with FW006, they are supporting SDCard firmware updates (theoretically, though I haven't tried it)

reddragon72 said:
I have two devices.
First device is a 70 dollar single core tablet with a broken touch screen. It was to expensive to fix it so I turned it into a server.
1. it runs Servers ultimate pro running a WebDav server, PHP/MySQL server for RSS feeds and a home site for the family, ddns updater and an FTP server.
2. it is running a surveillance app that sends an email to me the moment anything moves in the camera shot.
3. runs a PocketMine-MP server
4. runs an app to auto stop and start apps dring certain times of the day.
All this is remotely accessible VIA webkey.
Second device is an iMito MX1
1. it has a 7 port hub attached.
2. a HD webcam for Skype.
3. two harddrives (a 1 TB driver for media storage and a 720GB for internal memory replacement)(more on that in a min)
4. plays netflix, red box, youtube, Vevo, crackle and XBMC... to name a few
5. has 32 games loaded up with a Logitech F710 wireless controller VIA an app for onscreen touch.
6. Logitech full sized KB and Mouse.
I use this thing for web browsing, shooting vids and pics over to it from my phone for family sharing(DLNA)
The 750gig harddrive is currently the SDCARD but the internal one(NAND). The internal NAND is no longer used and the harddrive is where the OS stores the app's file to SD and the apps extra downloads. This has allowed me to download 15 games that contain 1+gig of extra data each.
All this has replaced two PC's in my house running 24/7. My electric bill has dropped 100+ dollars a month and the house has become quieter.
Let me tell you that two PC's(one was a server and the other a media center) running at full speed just to watch a movie took 280 watts of power. My new setup only consumes 24 at peak! Plus less heat and fan noise! I changed over around a year ago and never looked back or miss my old setup.
If you plan on running one fore a PC replacement I recommend a quad core. Sometimes the browsers can get a bit poky and that is due to the slower CPU. Also Webkey a must for remote management. This one FREE app has saved me more times then I can could. It has tons of functions and features but it's best feature is the remote control. It is just like setting in front of the device but just a tad slower. It is not a perfect app but it is the only remote app that I have found to work time and time again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your guidance would be greatly appreciated. What would you reccomend for luanchers or either installing a new system on the Tronsmart T428. I just can't stand using the android with my wifi keyboard w built-in mouse. The android pop-up keyboard takes up half of my projector screen when it pops up even with null keyboard installed. When selecting a link if a similar page ops up there is no scroll bars on the right letting you know to scroll down or if ytou are still on the smae page waiting for stuff to upload. i guess I'm looking for more of an Ubuntu 10x or windows experience. Traditional keyboard and mouse vs touch screen. NOw that I think about it I bet I have to get hulu plus to watch anything on this bc it acts like a tablet.