OK, so coming from Surface RT, this thing is small, really small, but I like it, because its soooooo much faster than the Surface RT was. I found myself using my surface for consumption 95% of the time, and the other 5% was doing remote access work. Now, I don't even have to use remote access, x86 support is amazing.
- No web compromises at all - Silverlight support (Time Warner Cable streaming TV - device got really warm doing this, probably why its not supported on WinRT), Java, all the Google stuff, just work with x86, no more sad workarounds through crappy 3rd party apps for RT. Not sure what having Silverlight, Java, Chrome will do to the battery, but so far, its pretty great. I streamed NFL game through IE yesterday, still had 70% battery left after 3.5 hour continuous stream. The back of the device gets warm, but not bad at all.
- Install TouchMousePointer - http://www.lovesummertrue.com/touchm...-us/index.html for those times where you need mouse pointer support on your desktop. I tried to use an Android trackpad app, it didn't work. Im going to be getting new Nokia Lumia 929 on release day, hopefully it works in the MS ecosystem.
- Active Pen support (Synaptics) - I have yet to use this, but reviews elsewhere aren't so great. For the most part, they say that if your a printer, its terrible. If you use cursive for note taking, its good. I am coming from a really bad capacitive (almost unusable), so any improvement will be good........not to mention that I didn't have to spend 1200$ on Surface Pro to get active digitizer. (eta on stylus delivery is 11/7), ill update my review then.
- Bluetooth mouse is a bit laggy, not sure if its my mouse, or the tablet. Maybe a driver update is needed. It seems a bit jumpy......going to see if I can try a different one, hopefully its just the mouse, and not the hardware.
- Micro USB - I really wish I could plug in non powered USB drives via an OTG cable adapter, but unfortunately they do not work. I will have to buy a powered hub to get it to work. Kind of annoying, but its the price you pay to have a device this small. The fact that I can connect to home group, and utilize file transfer via wireless network is a great feature of windows 8.
- No wired external display options - I have yet to try using MHL - anyone try this yet? Im hoping that it works. If not, Ill have to try a Miracast receiver - I am concerned with any lag that could occur though.
- Accessories...........or lack thereof - there are no accessories, dell has an overpriced case (40$), and a 35$ stylus that others suggest shouldn't cost more than 10-15$. I would love to find a good case that would prop it up........Not sure why other OEMs don't understand the importance of a good integrated kickstand - really missing this from the Surface. Wondering if a case from a Note 8, or Kindle, or Nexus would work, don't have time to compare sizes, etc........too busy tinkering, and installing real software on this thing.
- Performance - FAST....a lot faster than I thought.......this isn't your typical Atom processor, check out youtube, there are some videos of this thing playing some serious games at 30fps.....it is legit. Windows apps from the store are super fast, switching between them, etc.........see below for some desktop apps ive installed:
(note, I chose older versions of software purposefully because they are much less taxing on the cpu, but still serve 98% of their purpose):
- AutoCAD 2007 - runs great, faster than on my laptop (its an old laptop with core2duo processor, and AMD gpu). I haven't tried anything 3D, but I assume it will handle basic functions fine - im not going to render anything with it - that's what remote access is for, but in a pinch, if I need to I can open files natively. It tells me that its not compatible with windows 8, but files open no problem. I think im missing some fonts, etc, but for the most part, running AutoCAD on a 8" screen is freaking cool.
- Photoshop CS6 - runs great, haven't tried anything gpu intensive - it opens images Pretty quick.
Want to try Lightroom, Google Earth, VLC, Spotify desktop version, Remote desktop - yes, im going to set up so I can remote access my tablet.........don't ask, just because I can - and that's the beauty of Windows 8!!!...........32gb is pretty limited....I might return it for the 64gb version - unless there any way to install x86 apps, and/ or move installed metro apps to the SD card?
Loving it so far, it has some minor issues, so close to being the PERFECT portable device. If I were an OEM mfr, id make full USB port a priority - if you have to have a small hump on one end to support it, then so be it, its sooooooo much better to not have to have an OTG adaptor cable. Also, HDMI out should be standard as well, especially since Miracast is still somewhat new tech.
UBNAS81 said:
- No web compromises at all - Silverlight support (Time Warner Cable streaming TV - device got really warm doing this, probably why its not supported on WinRT),
Not sure what having Silverlight, Java, Chrome will do to the battery, but so far, its pretty great.
unless there any way to install x86 apps, and/ or move installed metro apps to the SD card?
Loving it so far, it has some minor issues, so close to being the PERFECT portable device. If I were an OEM mfr, id make full USB port a priority - if you have to have a small hump on one end to support it, then so be it, its sooooooo much better to not have to have an OTG adaptor cable. Also, HDMI out should be standard as well, especially since Miracast is still somewhat new tech.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Warm isnt why silverlight wasnt support on windows RT (winRT and windows RT are not the same btw, although it is true that there is no silverlight on WinRT I guess). Its obsolete and hardly supported by microsoft, they dont want to bother porting tech that they cant be bothered with on x86 any more to win32 on ARM too.
Silverlight, java and chrome wont effect the battery on your tablet any more than they would on a laptop really.
Its normal windows 8.1, so you can install x86 desktop programs onto whichever drive you want, hence why most software installers specifically ask where to install, just set that to SD card. There is no requirement to use C:/Program Files for win32 applications. That one I thought was common knowledge for all windows users.
Full size USB port would be nice but you wont get full current from it. The battery cannot supply enough current, nothing to do with overall size of the system. The same restriction applies to most windows tablets, android tablets, android phones and more rarely laptops too (although usually old ones).
It really was dumb of dell to not stick a video output somewhere on the device, that almost puts me off the thing entirely.
SixSixSevenSeven said:
Warm isnt why silverlight wasnt support on windows RT (winRT and windows RT are not the same btw, although it is true that there is no silverlight on WinRT I guess). Its obsolete and hardly supported by microsoft, they dont want to bother porting tech that they cant be bothered with on x86 any more to win32 on ARM too.
Silverlight, java and chrome wont effect the battery on your tablet any more than they would on a laptop really.
Its normal windows 8.1, so you can install x86 desktop programs onto whichever drive you want, hence why most software installers specifically ask where to install, just set that to SD card. There is no requirement to use C:/Program Files for win32 applications. That one I thought was common knowledge for all windows users.
Full size USB port would be nice but you wont get full current from it. The battery cannot supply enough current, nothing to do with overall size of the system. The same restriction applies to most windows tablets, android tablets, android phones and more rarely laptops too (although usually old ones).
It really was dumb of dell to not stick a video output somewhere on the device, that almost puts me off the thing entirely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you referring to Silverlight the API or Silverlight the video format xD? The API was integrated in .Net and winRT.
mcosmin222 said:
Are you referring to Silverlight the API or Silverlight the video format xD? The API was integrated in .Net and winRT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was not aware of any video format known as silverlight so you tell me which one I meant.
The API was always .NET based but uses one hell of alot of extensions. Silverlight programs will not run on a bare .NET virtual machine, even the windows 8 one. Easily proven with this lovely thing called trying it at home. .NET was integrated to winRT, silverlights "extra bits" were not.
Last major update to silverlight was december 2011. All releases since have been patch only. Silverlight has poor support outside of windows. Silverlight is entirely unsupported on android, iOS and linux, it seems rather unstable on OSX although that could just be the ancient OSX memory leak (personally witnessed OSX memory leaking on over 10 machines, yet you mention it on the apple forums asking for help in a polite manner and your thread gets deleted or they attribute it to firefox which is great but of the machines I have seen the issue on only 1 had firefox installed, my dads current mac it actually seems to be iTunes, quicktime, vuze and dropbox which are the main offenders) plus my dads mac having hardly any RAM probably compound this. Flash also sucks yet I would choose it over silverlight any day. Any company that limits itself to using silverlight for anything web based is utterly idiotic, except maybe in a thin client environment in some sort of corporation with windows thin clients perhaps, but even then I doubt the suitability in that role...
SixSixSevenSeven said:
I was not aware of any video format known as silverlight so you tell me which one I meant.
The API was always .NET based but uses one hell of alot of extensions. Silverlight programs will not run on a bare .NET virtual machine, even the windows 8 one. Easily proven with this lovely thing called trying it at home. .NET was integrated to winRT, silverlights "extra bits" were not.
Last major update to silverlight was december 2011. All releases since have been patch only. Silverlight has poor support outside of windows. Silverlight is entirely unsupported on android, iOS and linux, it seems rather unstable on OSX although that could just be the ancient OSX memory leak (personally witnessed OSX memory leaking on over 10 machines, yet you mention it on the apple forums asking for help in a polite manner and your thread gets deleted or they attribute it to firefox which is great but of the machines I have seen the issue on only 1 had firefox installed, my dads current mac it actually seems to be iTunes, quicktime, vuze and dropbox which are the main offenders) plus my dads mac having hardly any RAM probably compound this. Flash also sucks yet I would choose it over silverlight any day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, Silverlight was a native API wrapped with .net methods to call from .net language. It was introduced with windows vista and most of it consumed by the WPF API implemented latter. The API itself survives through an open source implementation called Moonlight and is a viable cross platform GUI API.
mcosmin222 said:
Actually, Silverlight was a native API wrapped with .net methods to call from .net language. It was introduced with windows vista and most of it consumed by the WPF API implemented latter. The API itself survives through an open source implementation called Moonlight and is a viable cross platform GUI API.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Errm, no it doesnt seeming as moonlight was scrapped, besides, did you ever try moonlight? The thing did not work at all for anything more complex than hello world. Plus you said yourself, native API, entirely contradicting your previous statement of it being part of .NET, you dont really know yourself do you.
My point still stands. Unsupported on linux. Buggy on OSX. No longer being updated besides patching on windows. Not supported on mobile. Yep, totally a viable cross platform GUI.
SixSixSevenSeven said:
Warm isnt why silverlight wasnt support on windows RT (winRT and windows RT are not the same btw, although it is true that there is no silverlight on WinRT I guess). Its obsolete and hardly supported by microsoft, they dont want to bother porting tech that they cant be bothered with on x86 any more to win32 on ARM too.
Silverlight, java and chrome wont effect the battery on your tablet any more than they would on a laptop really.
Its normal windows 8.1, so you can install x86 desktop programs onto whichever drive you want, hence why most software installers specifically ask where to install, just set that to SD card. There is no requirement to use C:/Program Files for win32 applications. That one I thought was common knowledge for all windows users.
Full size USB port would be nice but you wont get full current from it. The battery cannot supply enough current, nothing to do with overall size of the system. The same restriction applies to most windows tablets, android tablets, android phones and more rarely laptops too (although usually old ones).
It really was dumb of dell to not stick a video output somewhere on the device, that almost puts me off the thing entirely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have Photoshop installed on C - in order to move it to the sd card, can I just copy paste from C/Program files, or do you recommend re-installing to that particular location? Do you think there will be any noticible drop in performance from running application from micro sdhc card?
UBNAS81 said:
I have Photoshop installed on C - in order to move it to the sd card, can I just copy paste from C/Program files, or do you recommend re-installing to that particular location? Do you think there will be any noticible drop in performance from running application from micro sdhc card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience with copy/pasting from C to another drive has been varied. Some applications will do it happily (GTA san andreas survived with a just a broken start menu shortcut, libre office died entirely. I would uninstall and reinstall to guarantee it survives the trip.
SD card read/write speeds should be fairly similar to the eMMC storage of the venue anyway. Application performance shouldnt be altered much.
Only other difference would be wear levelling. SSD's in desktop PC's may be slated for reduced lifetimes compared to old style magnetic hard drives, but SD cards are even worse. But they are cheap to replace and thankfully are replaceable unlike the internal storage on the tablet. Nor are they going to die on you next week, some people are regularly using raspberry pi's which boot the full system from SD card without issue (some people have also had them die from wear levelling in the pi after some heavy usage). If a pi can boot and run a full OS from SD, windows can run an application from an external SD card.
Did you tried out any games? i was wondering whether it can run old games like NFS most wanted or underground II.
rkoforever90 said:
Did you tried out any games? i was wondering whether it can run old games like NFS most wanted or underground II.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Havent tried yet, focusing on getting software I use most..........I do want some NFS, or something like it on the tablet, especially since EA has completely ignored windows 8 from a Racing / Sports game point of view. There are on screen controlers that can be used
What im wondering, is it worth it to install new games on it - say Tiger Woods 2013, and run on lower settings.........or to just go for say, TW2010, and let it run higher. I assume that because of ATOM graphics limitations on full Windows games it might be better to run older games than the newest.
Maybe i try out Call of Duty Modern Warfare from 3 or 4 years ago instead of trying to run Ghosts on the thing. I dont even know if it would run, but im just wondering if goign with older games would be a better move, any thoughts?
Cant hurt to try old and move newer if you have the games available.
UBNAS81 said:
Havent tried yet, focusing on getting software I use most..........I do want some NFS, or something like it on the tablet, especially since EA has completely ignored windows 8 from a Racing / Sports game point of view. There are on screen controlers that can be used
What im wondering, is it worth it to install new games on it - say Tiger Woods 2013, and run on lower settings.........or to just go for say, TW2010, and let it run higher. I assume that because of ATOM graphics limitations on full Windows games it might be better to run older games than the newest.
Maybe i try out Call of Duty Modern Warfare from 3 or 4 years ago instead of trying to run Ghosts on the thing. I dont even know if it would run, but im just wondering if goign with older games would be a better move, any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep.me too thinking of the same ,iam planning to get a baytrail windows 8 tab with 10inch display and a keyboard(not sure know which one to buy though ) .anyway it will be a bit far fetched idea to run new games on a weak processor.but id like to play 1 or 2 old games like NFS underground II or resident evil 4.
How is the Wi-Fi on the VP8? I have the latitude 10 and the Wi-Fi has always seemed sluggish. The 5g always connects at the same speed as the 2.4Ghz band. Glad to hear the bay trail performs well.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
ElAguila said:
How is the Wi-Fi on the VP8? I have the latitude 10 and the Wi-Fi has always seemed sluggish. The 5g always connects at the same speed as the 2.4Ghz band. Glad to hear the bay trail performs well.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do have a 5ghz router right?
Yep and a 5Ghz extender as well. My phone will connect to either of the 5g connections at least 150mb. But not so for the latitude. I am hoping the VP8 would connect faster. It will be here tomorrow.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk
I have an old Linksys G router at home, that desperately needs replacing, but just haven't gotten around to it. It hasn't given me any issues with streaming media, so I just haven't been motivated, but I am really looking to boost my home wifi speeds with one of the routers that can has USB media streaming capability. That being said, my DV8P has had no issues with WIFI. My Surface RT (which I am selling), had so many issues with limited wifi. No issues with this device so far.
Just came across this video...........http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPPY4m8iY0k&feature=youtu.be
full desktop computer in 8" tablet with USB 3.0 docking station. I will be buying one of these asap.
UBNAS81 said:
Just came across this video...........http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPPY4m8iY0k&feature=youtu.be
full desktop computer in 8" tablet with USB 3.0 docking station. I will be buying one of these asap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well not really...
It is plugged into a SINGLE micro USB 2.0 socket.. So you can NEVER get USB3.0 speed and if you use some monitors with the Pluggable, i doubt the data transfer rates will be high (and i am talking about USB 2.0 speed and not USB 3.0).
thE_29 said:
Well not really...
It is plugged into a SINGLE micro USB 2.0 socket.. So you can NEVER get USB3.0 speed and if you use some monitors with the Pluggable, i doubt the data transfer rates will be high (and i am talking about USB 2.0 speed and not USB 3.0).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The micro USB is USB3.0
SixSixSevenSeven said:
The micro USB is USB3.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... And who said this? The Pluggable Guys?
The only thing, which i really trust would be the Dell specs OR if a Owner would present us some speed-tests or details from the Device-Manager in WIN8.1:
http://www.dell.com/us/p/dell-venue-8-pro/pd?oc=fncwv8p01h&model_id=dell-venue-8-pro
"Ports & Connectors
1 x Micro-AB USB2.0 (for trickle charging and data transfer)
1 x Headphone and microphone combojack
1 x 3FF micro-SIM slot (coming soon, optional with WWAN configuration)"
It is not that I would be unhappy about USB 3.0, but it is just USB 2.0..
Edit: The Dell Venue Pro 11!! has USB 3.0.. Not the 8"
Related
I just picked up an HP IPAQ 310 GPS device based on Windows CE 5.0. As far as standalone GPS devices go this one is very highly spec'ed:
http://www.amazon.com/310-Bluetooth-4-3-Inch-Widescreen-Navigator/dp/B000VRYLU2
600Mhz DualCore Centrality Titan Platform with on-chip GPS
300Mhz DSP
128MB RAM
2GB Flash
4.3" 800x480 LCD display
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
USB 2.0
Windows.CE 5.0
It currently runs a variant of IGO 2008 navigation program and has some onboard games from PDAMill.
This is my first Window.CE project. Does anyone know where I can get the appopriate BSPs etc.. to allow me to build a bootable/working CE Image from Platform Builder 5 or 6 with full driver support?
My dream is to put a Microsoft Automotive software stack on this see how close I can get to a converged device like the Microsoft/Ford Sync. It will also be a learning experience.
In particular my end goal is to enable the following scenarios:
Voice recognition
Bluetooth DUN/PAN
Bluetooth Handsfree and voice dialing
Information Services (via web services interface to online services from Google & Microsoft). Think of movie times/locations, traffic, gas prices,address/phone/poi lookup etc..
Full fidelity video/audio player
Launch native and emulated games
Plug-in framework to extend the features
Navigation
The spec of the HP 310 Travel Companion is very impressive and I like the idea of it being a multi-purpose device. The 4.3 inch display is large enough for use as a GPS as well as watching videos. Seriously I wouldn't need GPS function every day so it is great be able to use it for other purposes. I wish one day it would be able to receive free digital TV signal like those from DVB-T or DVB-H. That would make it a truly Travel Companion.
Wow you really are dreaming if you think you can get a BSP for this device.
Or for any device for that matter.
These are never released and I never even heard of one being leaked! Just like any other proprietary code BSPs are highly guarded.
What you are trying to do is pretty ambitious, but if you want to rebuild OS for something by your self you better get a Linux device.
Sorry.
levenum said:
Wow you really are dreaming if you think you can get a BSP for this device.
Or for any device for that matter.
These are never released and I never even heard of one being leaked! Just like any other proprietary code BSPs are highly guarded.
What you are trying to do is pretty ambitious, but if you want to rebuild OS for something by your self you better get a Linux device.
Sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay. Does anyone know much about the Microsoft Sync / Microsoft Automative software stack for Windows CE?
Regarding Windows Automotive:
You must be dreaming if you think you can source an Windows Automotive (or is it Microsoft Auto now?) OEM Adaptation Kit to do this!
As I understand, you need to be a huge OEM/ODM or car manufacturer like Ford and sign an NDA to even get any kind of access to it.
Considering its difficult enough to even source a Windows Mobile kit, I'd imagine its even harder to get Windows Automotive considering the circumstances...
However, there may be another way to source the Windows Automotive OS components besides obtaining an official kit...
Perhaps if there are some firmware updates for one of the Windows Automotive devices from Fiat, Ford, Clarion, etc. you can dump the ROM image and extract the files. Now, even if you do that you might still need to fix the relocations of every dll file...but it still might work on your HP after all that. I'd imagine you would also need to manually figure out the skin format of the Windows Automotive apps since you don't have the actual desktop tools to generate them...
I doubt you would really even need to source a BSP and build an image once you get this far. Chances are the apps you extract will run just fine from an SD card or the internal flash disk of your device if configured properly.
Off topic...
I managed to brick one of these today within the first hour. Just testing out Flux Challenge when it threw up a Please Wait screen. Soft-reset and now it sticks at the HP splash screen; had to get it sent back. Thank goodness I was only testing it.
Given this plus its molasses-slow performance, I think I'd choose something else if I really wanted to do any sort of modding...
Hi i have a 314 UK Version and wants to flash it with the german version.
Has anybody tried it ?
modellbobby said:
Hi i have a 314 UK Version and wants to flash it with the german version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you get the ROM ?
some sort of firmware update is on the HP FTP server (also includes newer maps)
Use the engineering mode to dump and restore the ROM.
have an Ipaq 310 running igo8 and finean4, like to get garmin but seems to have a resolution problem, anyboby can help plz"
[8/23/08 21:36:29 67512KB 4.20.50wp]
GFX_buf_alloc: Invalid area (-20048 480)
[8/23/08 21:36:29 67508KB 4.20.50wp]
Failure 87 allocating bitmap of size (-20048,480) 16 bpp (0)
[8/23/08 21:36:29 67448KB 4.20.50wp]
Read Access violation at data address 0xFFFFFFFC.
Program address 0x00058080 in background thread NULL (CSubAppThread::Run Garmin Mobile XT)
[8/23/08 21:36:30 67440KB 4.20.50wp]
CALL STACK:
0x18156EC0
0x182B7104
0x029FC9C4
0x02A03D24
0x93C0A090
0x93C33EA8
0x93C0DEB4
0x93C09FA8
0x18058080
0x18059900
0x180D18B8
0x180D1CEC
0x182B71E0
0x182B7010
0x182B6C54
0x029DDF04
klingklang01 said:
have an Ipaq 310 running igo8 and finean4, like to get garmin but seems to have a resolution problem, anyboby can help plz"
[8/23/08 21:36:29 67512KB 4.20.50wp]
GFX_buf_alloc: Invalid area (-20048 480)
[8/23/08 21:36:29 67508KB 4.20.50wp]
Failure 87 allocating bitmap of size (-20048,480) 16 bpp (0)
[8/23/08 21:36:29 67448KB 4.20.50wp]
Read Access violation at data address 0xFFFFFFFC.
Program address 0x00058080 in background thread NULL (CSubAppThread::Run Garmin Mobile XT)
[8/23/08 21:36:30 67440KB 4.20.50wp]
CALL STACK:
0x18156EC0
0x182B7104
0x029FC9C4
0x02A03D24
0x93C0A090
0x93C33EA8
0x93C0DEB4
0x93C09FA8
0x18058080
0x18059900
0x180D18B8
0x180D1CEC
0x182B71E0
0x182B7010
0x182B6C54
0x029DDF04
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is seem to be the resolution problem of our GPS... I'm having the same issue also. We need to find some doc to change the resolution... I'm still searching for the solution, any1 know how to cange it???
Regards,
Jeff
iPAQ 3xx Series
This is an old post but I thought I'd confirm a couple things for the record, should anybody be looking into this kind of info in future although the device is technically EOL.
40th Floor said:
As far as I know, this iPAQ is the only device to have ever even used the (exact) processor it's using.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes this is the only iPAQ with a dual core processor for that matter.
40th Floor said:
And funny? Funny is that when it's on a charger (any external power at all) it runs at half speed (300 MHz) but when completely on battery it runs at 600 MHz.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The original USB 2.0 spec called for no more than 500ma to be pumped through the USB line. Around the time WM5 was being rolled out, HP had to wrestle with the USB klan to convince them that wasn't enough to run a device and charge it. HP was making better use of the standard by doing more with it than the authorities thought was needed. They eventually backed off and HP up through the time I'm writing this ships an AC adapter with each device that has a mini or micro USB connector; obviouisly needed since the 22-pin connector died with the 6900 (Moose) device. The adapters provide up to 1000ma of juice.
Now consider this: Prior to dropping the 22-pin connector HP shipped 2amp chargers which provided enough juice to run the device and charge the battery at the same time. The 22-pin standard came out with the h3800 Series which ran a 400MHz ARM single core and didn't have fancy stuff like WiFi built in, and only had a standard QVGA (320x240) screen.
So how could a device with a GPS, such a larger screen, and a dual core 600MHz CPU be expected to even operate with a 1amp charger, let alone charge the battery?
Playing with the OS - Differences between WinCE platforms
For those who would like to play with the OS, understand this device runs Windows Mobile 5 for devices and NOT the Pocket PC OS. Pocket PC was a platform, just like SmartPhone was a platform. Although Microsoft changes the names to confuse the innocent, we're still talking about a few significant differences.
Consider Pocket PC (or WinMo or WinMo classic depending on the wind and Microsoft's mood), a superset of WinCE that adds a few other things to the core WinCE 5 platform. Search the web for posts by people who have managed to get PocketPC apps to run on their Handheld PC (HPC) such as the MobilePro 900c. The same kind of things would apply to the iPAQ 300. The differences are not all that significant if you know which DLLs need to be added.
In short, the iPAQ 300 Series is closer to a HPC than PocketPC OS-wise. The good news is, this version of Platform Builder can be purchased, whereas the one for WinMo is strictly guarded by Microsoft and released only to OEMs like HP and Dell.
The hardest thing you'll run across is that the digitizer drivers were not optimized for fine work, just for finger use. When you bypass the NavNGo "OS" to run the underlying WinCE OS and try to use a soft keyboard, for example, you'll see the jitter I'm talking about.
The iPAQ 300 Series could have been more but it was designed to compete with other GPS devices and that's really all. The hardware was really pretty great, but the device shipped with significant bugs that were addressed post-release.
If you want a PocketPC that also has GPS, the h5900 Series was a better choice. Not dual core CPU though
Anyone still running this fine device?
I've got mine running Igo8.3, works pretty good.
I'd be interested to hear if anyone is running Primo on it.
Also, anyone know where to get a TMC antenna for this unit?
Cheers
i still have a working one
unfortunately i think it have gone into battery shutdown to little charge in the battery for an extended period of time,
it will however come to life if i plug it into the car
i was thinking tonight it would be cool to hack droid onto it
I read good review about Acer W500 and people installing Windows 8 on it. I just bought a used Iconia W500 with the attention to tryout W8. However the tablet package I got does not have any document or CD (restoration CD I assume) with it.
When power up, Win 7 show up, I tested a little bit and quite disappointed with the performance on both the Acer tablet and Windows 7 on it. It is far down away company to Dell Streak 5 and Samsung Galaxy S II.
Questions to the experts:
1. Should I upgrade the tablet (hardware perspective) so that it can run faster? Or just exchange with other brand name tablets, which has more power?
2. I still want to stick with Windows 7 or 8, because of the nature of my works. I need windows. What other android tablet which allow me to install windows 8 on it?
3. As for the Iconia W500 I have right now, please guide me how to back up Windows 7 first? What software do I need to make the back up the entire OS? I do have portable USB external drive about 500 GB. I also have USB portable DVD drive.
Thanks
Alpharetta
1. Should I upgrade the tablet (hardware perspective) so that it can run faster? Or just exchange with other brand name tablets, which has more power?
Upgrade
Hi, keep in mind that windows 7 and the windows 8 developer edition does not support ARM processors (windows 8 will, soon). The processor in the tablet you have now must be a x86 processor for it to be running windows 7.
Also, check the start menu for restoration media creator or something of the like. Machines nowadays do not come with restore media. But they do come with a program to create that restore media.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
I installed Win8 on my HP Mini 500 and there is a performance increase across the board.
Boot up is faster
Ribbon explorer makes it really easy for touch
Win8 has a dedicated keyboard for tablets
Less system resources used by junk processes
alpharetta said:
I read good review about Acer W500 and people installing Windows 8 on it. I just bought a used Iconia W500 with the attention to tryout W8. However the tablet package I got does not have any document or CD (restoration CD I assume) with it.
When power up, Win 7 show up, I tested a little bit and quite disappointed with the performance on both the Acer tablet and Windows 7 on it. It is far down away company to Dell Streak 5 and Samsung Galaxy S II.
Questions to the experts:
1. Should I upgrade the tablet (hardware perspective) so that it can run faster? Or just exchange with other brand name tablets, which has more power?
2. I still want to stick with Windows 7 or 8, because of the nature of my works. I need windows. What other android tablet which allow me to install windows 8 on it?
3. As for the Iconia W500 I have right now, please guide me how to back up Windows 7 first? What software do I need to make the back up the entire OS? I do have portable USB external drive about 500 GB. I also have USB portable DVD drive.
Thanks
Alpharetta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a W500 for Christmas and a 64gb hard drive. I immediately swapped out hard drives before the first boot and put Windows 8 on it. I love this machine with Windows 8. I didn't load any of the Acer bloatware and only loaded what I had to have. It is speedy and very responsive. Windows 8 dp has a lot of room for improvement, but is better than Windows 7 for this machine. Everything works as it should and I don't see any reason to put Windows 7 on it.
beartrap said:
I got a W500 for Christmas and a 64gb hard drive. I immediately swapped out hard drives before the first boot and put Windows 8 on it. I love this machine with Windows 8. I didn't load any of the Acer bloatware and only loaded what I had to have. It is speedy and very responsive. Windows 8 dp has a lot of room for improvement, but is better than Windows 7 for this machine. Everything works as it should and I don't see any reason to put Windows 7 on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is socialite working?
sruthika said:
Is socialite working?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hadn't tried until I read your post. No, it is not.
I've just finished swapping to windows8 on my iconia w500
the first thing is It was not so easy.....I've made it from USB drive and swapped for 64bit one.
System is more responsive
Ease of use comparing to Win7 much better
I see that I need bigger HDD the 32 Giga one that it came with was already on 23.7 from 29.8 avaliable in just 3days of use!!! That was on win7
now on win8 and it is on 17.9 after updates.. so not to good not to bad.
i've already found mSATA 64gb for 83£ wich is the cheapest here in Uk
AFAIK thais the only update You can do to your Iconia W500
my opinion swap ssd and go for win8 you will like it more
Regards
I bought a refurbed W500 cheap the other day. I had W8 up and running within about an hour. I didn't bother backing it up first.
Since then, I've done lots of monkey and have learned a great deal.
W8 32 bit seems to be the best way to go. The drivers from Acers site work to get the g sensor and screen rotation stuff working. The only thing that doesn't work correctly is Firefox. You can't click on bookmarks from the touch screen.
W8 64 works but the drivers don't work. There's also no reason to have 64 bit windows running with so little ram.
BTW I installed from an external DVD. The USB method appears to work, but is seems to be more of a pain. I had to buy an external DVD drive and got a writer for $32.
I'm very impressed with the performance. W8 runs great. Almost was recognized by the OS and all I had to do was install drivers for the G Sensor etc.
The Metro stuff is silky smooth.
After an install and a fairly judicious disk cleanup, I have about 20 gb of space remaining. I disabled hibernation to get rid of the enormous hybernation file.
There are still little quirks in W8 but it's not even a beta. I have high hopes for newer builds.
This thing is the tablet I've wanted for a long time. For $368 and the cost of the external drive, I couldn't be happier.
FYI, I also have Ubuntu running on it now and still have 12 GB free.
Greg
FYI, to get the thing to boot to the dvd: Shut down, hold Windows Button and Volume Up and press Power. Took me a while to find that.
geebake said:
I bought a refurbed W500 cheap the other day. I had W8 up and running within about an hour. I didn't bother backing it up first.
Since then, I've done lots of monkey and have learned a great deal.
W8 32 bit seems to be the best way to go. The drivers from Acers site work to get the g sensor and screen rotation stuff working. The only thing that doesn't work correctly is Firefox. You can't click on bookmarks from the touch screen.
W8 64 works but the drivers don't work. There's also no reason to have 64 bit windows running with so little ram.
BTW I installed from an external DVD. The USB method appears to work, but is seems to be more of a pain. I had to buy an external DVD drive and got a writer for $32.
I'm very impressed with the performance. W8 runs great. Almost was recognized by the OS and all I had to do was install drivers for the G Sensor etc.
The Metro stuff is silky smooth.
After an install and a fairly judicious disk cleanup, I have about 20 gb of space remaining. I disabled hibernation to get rid of the enormous hybernation file.
There are still little quirks in W8 but it's not even a beta. I have high hopes for newer builds.
This thing is the tablet I've wanted for a long time. For $368 and the cost of the external drive, I couldn't be happier.
FYI, I also have Ubuntu running on it now and still have 12 GB free.
Greg
FYI, to get the thing to boot to the dvd: Shut down, hold Windows Button and Volume Up and press Power. Took me a while to find that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey when you say the drivers for 64 bit do not work can you be more specific about what drivers? I installed 64 bit on my touch screen ASUS all in one desktop and it worked, but the touch screen drivers did not work. So it was a very poor experience for me...I mean the whole point is to be more touchscreen friendly....I have not found any solution yet to this issue for my computer and I Was surprised the drivers were not easily identified and working with such a new computer....let me know what you all think. Thanks!
rockhumper said:
Hey when you say the drivers for 64 bit do not work can you be more specific about what drivers? I installed 64 bit on my touch screen ASUS all in one desktop and it worked, but the touch screen drivers did not work. So it was a very poor experience for me...I mean the whole point is to be more touchscreen friendly....I have not found any solution yet to this issue for my computer and I Was surprised the drivers were not easily identified and working with such a new computer....let me know what you all think. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the case of the W500, the G-Sensor driver is where the problem lies. It only means that the screen won't auto rotate when you flip it around. I'm sure you don't do that with your all in one desktop so it's probably not an issue common to both models.
The touch screen on the W500 works perfectly out of the box. In fact, the only driver I had to install to make it work was the G-Sensor driver.
Interestingly, I found another issue. In 32 bit W8, Firefox doesn't work completely correctly. When you open a menu (ie bookmarks) you can't use the touch screen to select anything in the menu. Works fine if you use a mouse. However, in 64 bit W8, Firefox works perfectly. So you're left with a choice. Proper screen rotation or correctly working Firefox. I'm sure this will get resolved with either a Firefox update or perhaps the full beta of W8.
I have Iconia W500 for a month now.
If you would like to keep Win7 (for any reason), connect an ext hdd and create a windows image on it, you can restore it later any time.
I installed Win8 32 bit, you will have a completely different experience - Win7 is a S##t on W500.
Installing Win8 is pretty easy --> http://www.microsoftnow.com/2011/09/how-to-install-windows-8-on-acer-iconia-tab-w500.html
BTW: I faced some minor bugs in W8 but on the other hand, you have a decent windows tablet.
Go for Win8 and you will like it
Good luck.
alpharetta said:
I read good review about Acer W500 and people installing Windows 8 on it. I just bought a used Iconia W500 with the attention to tryout W8. However the tablet package I got does not have any document or CD (restoration CD I assume) with it.
When power up, Win 7 show up, I tested a little bit and quite disappointed with the performance on both the Acer tablet and Windows 7 on it. It is far down away company to Dell Streak 5 and Samsung Galaxy S II.
Questions to the experts:
1. Should I upgrade the tablet (hardware perspective) so that it can run faster? Or just exchange with other brand name tablets, which has more power?
2. I still want to stick with Windows 7 or 8, because of the nature of my works. I need windows. What other android tablet which allow me to install windows 8 on it?
3. As for the Iconia W500 I have right now, please guide me how to back up Windows 7 first? What software do I need to make the back up the entire OS? I do have portable USB external drive about 500 GB. I also have USB portable DVD drive.
Thanks
Alpharetta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
like yourself I also got an acer w500 tablet because I have been reading good reviews about this tablet with windows 8. I bought mine brand new because any tablet after dec 2011 was upgraded to the amd c60 processor, tbh I love it, it is the definition of mobile computing
So to answers your questions
1 only upgrade if you want to spend 1000+ for a tablet as good as the w500
2 stick with windows 8 once you get used to it, its much faster than windows 7 in terms of productivity. And no android tablet will allow the installation of windows.
3 Google will be your best bet for that, because I got mine new, I have all the recovery disks.
Got the W500 less than 2 weeks ago and first thing I did was install Win8RP on it.
Easy as pie. Just extract the Win8ISO directly onto a fresh USB drive and boot off that.
Once Win8 is installed, you will need to install the Gsensor driver from acers site, and the Device Control app to turn on Bluetooth for the first time. (Windows will install the generic BT drivers but they are sorta wonky)
You will want to get the latest ATI Beta drivers (I like them at least) from guru3d.com (The 9.0.0 JUNE base drivers, not to be confused with the 12.X version naming), also the official Realtek drivers from their site (not the Acer ones) and the Atheros Bluetooth drivers from http://www.atheros.cz/ (Just get the DRIVER FILES ONLY download for your OS (x86/64). No need for anything outside of that. To install the BT drivers, just extract the files to a folder, and go into device manager and update all the bluetooth devices it shows by point them to the folder that has the extracted drivers. Once you do that you should be able to turn on and off the Bluetooth from the Wireless tab in Windows 8 Settings and you can delete the device control app from the system.
The Bluetooth remains a bit wonky, My guess because it isnt an official Win8 driver, but it does work for the most part. It may say it cannot turn off the BT on occasion but do it twice and then wait a second, it usually will get the radio disabled on the 2nd try lol.
IM0001 said:
Got the W500 less than 2 weeks ago and first thing I did was install Win8RP on it.
Easy as pie. Just extract the Win8ISO directly onto a fresh USB drive and boot off that.
Once Win8 is installed, you will need to install the Gsensor driver from acers site, and the Device Control app to turn on Bluetooth for the first time. (Windows will install the generic BT drivers but they are sorta wonky)
You will want to get the latest ATI Beta drivers (I like them at least) from guru3d.com (The 9.0.0 JUNE base drivers, not to be confused with the 12.X version naming), also the official Realtek drivers from their site (not the Acer ones) and the Atheros Bluetooth drivers from http://www.atheros.cz/ (Just get the DRIVER FILES ONLY download for your OS (x86/64). No need for anything outside of that. To install the BT drivers, just extract the files to a folder, and go into device manager and update all the bluetooth devices it shows by point them to the folder that has the extracted drivers. Once you do that you should be able to turn on and off the Bluetooth from the Wireless tab in Windows 8 Settings and you can delete the device control app from the system.
The Bluetooth remains a bit wonky, My guess because it isnt an official Win8 driver, but it does work for the most part. It may say it cannot turn off the BT on occasion but do it twice and then wait a second, it usually will get the radio disabled on the 2nd try lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i just installed the acer drivers for this tablet from acer's website, no issues with Bluetooth, rotation, graphics, audio ect. i think you just downloaded the wrong Bluetooth driver, just get the one from acer along with the device control app, it makes everything a whole lot simpler and it works like a charm, no hangs, drops, ect.
geebake said:
In the case of the W500, the G-Sensor driver is where the problem lies. It only means that the screen won't auto rotate when you flip it around. I'm sure you don't do that with your all in one desktop so it's probably not an issue common to both models.
The touch screen on the W500 works perfectly out of the box. In fact, the only driver I had to install to make it work was the G-Sensor driver.
Interestingly, I found another issue. In 32 bit W8, Firefox doesn't work completely correctly. When you open a menu (ie bookmarks) you can't use the touch screen to select anything in the menu. Works fine if you use a mouse. However, in 64 bit W8, Firefox works perfectly. So you're left with a choice. Proper screen rotation or correctly working Firefox. I'm sure this will get resolved with either a Firefox update or perhaps the full beta of W8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey dude. I had a W500 for some time, but sold it, but that's not my point.
Regarding the G-sensor fix, i figured out how to fix it.
What you need to install is:
G Sensor Driver
Auto Screen Rotation Blocker
HID Monitor for acer Ring
(From http://support.acer.com/product/default.aspx?modelId=3853)
If it doesn't rotate after this, try and find the HIDmonitor.exe file on your computer, then run it and try again.
I put the file in startup to make sure it always worked. And it did
Hey guys,
I want to buy one for desktop replace. Is it good for cheap price? How's performance for browsing? Sometimes I need to open few heavy websites.
arpu26 said:
Hey guys,
I want to buy one for desktop replace. Is it good for cheap price? How's performance for browsing? Sometimes I need to open few heavy websites.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends what you use it for really..I haven't used my desktop since I bought this. Love it. Side note, my keyboard only pops up when I use the metro IE and touch a input box but not with the desktop IE. I have to press the keyboard icon on the taskbar for desktop browsing. Any one have any ideas why that'd be?
arpu26 said:
I need to open few heavy websites.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the-wrangler said:
Depends what you use it for really..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My work is testing websites. So I will plug with hdmi to my monitor. Can it handle with second monitor with extended desktop? What max resolution can it have? Also I need to have opened 3-4 heavy websites. Have it enougt power for that?
Now I'm working with very old and laggy Athlon XP 2500+ 1,8 Ghz 512 GB RAM PC.
What is program compatability on Win8?
Hello. I was looking to replace my laptop these days and since i own a desktop pc,i was thinking maybe a tablet would be a solid solution for something more mobile. I own an android smartphone,but i don't know tablets and their limitations. So,to be more specific:
1) Is it possible to read/write data to external devices,like hdd or usb? And if so, does it need root or is it stock enabled?
2)Is it possible to mirror screen to a monitor? I'm reading strange answers about miracast and i am not completely sure if its micro hdmi out enables mirror screening or just movie streaming.
3)You think it is possible to do some programming on it? Obviously i am not talking about serious and heavy stuff, but since it comes with the best processor out on tablets-yet- and 2gb ram and there are many IDE's on play store i'm guessing it should be ok? Also,would it be a near laptop experience if i installed the linux app?
Hope i did't tire you,thanks for reading.
1)https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.homeysoft.nexususb.importer&hl=en <- non root.
2)HDMI out does complete mirroring iir
3)well, you could boot ubuntu if you HAD to. but i don't see why not.
I don't think Android in general is well suited for a laptop replacement. I need things like the ability to view more than one window at a time, particularly when programming.
That said, one of the first things I want to do is work on being able to dual boot Linux and Android. For most entertainment type things Android is best but for productivity I'd prefer to boot Linux.
Same here. I mainly got the Nexus 10 as a laptop/desktop alternative to connect to external LCD monitor, keyboard, mouse and possibly USB storage. It obviously seems powerful enough.
Questions:
Since the built-in display resolution is 2560x1600 and the HDMI output is 1920x1080 does it scale down the built-in display when mirroring?
In mirroring mode can you use the tablet as a touch input (laying it flat next to the keyboard) in place of mouse?
Thanks.
Thank you all for the fast answers.
1)From what i saw,usb importer is for reading only,not writing. So i'm guessing root is needed?
2)Thanks,i didn't know it mirrored to screen.
3)You are right about that part,programming needs many windows. Im guessing apps that offer ide's with multi tabs and possibly extending the display through the hdmi out to two monitors instead of mirror could be possible,right? How does the tablet do with compiling/running speed?
Obviously you are right though, dual boot would be the best option.
Thanks again.
If you are looking for the desktop experience, laptop is still your best choice, there's plenty of processing power, program compatibility, storage and screen space at ~$500. Tablets are mobile devices with limited HW and OS, but in return significantly faster internet, social media and multimedia access, better screen, longer battery life and much comfortable weight allowing the kind of easy use (e-reading in bed etc.) a laptop cannot. The closest tablets to a real laptop are the full Windows8 ones starting around $1000. If I wanted the programs and stuff I'd go with a $500 laptop, if I wanted the larger mobile, multimedia and reading experience, which I do, I'd get the Nexus 10.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Nexus7
That'll most likely happen on the Nexus 10 as well at some point
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.
So, I got the Dell Venue 8 Pro a few months ago, thinking that I'd want this super powerful portable machine that would be running a full version of windows. I've come to realize that using Windows on it is less than user friendly on such a small tablet. I boosted the icon and font sizes, but I think I would like it much more if it just ran Windows RT. The battery life seems to be less than great with full windows, maybe too may process running in the background, maybe I've let it sit too long on the table between uses. Is it possible to put RT on it?
I'm probably the first person to ask for RT over the stock OS.
timmyjoe42 said:
So, I got the Dell Venue 8 Pro a few months ago, thinking that I'd want this super powerful portable machine that would be running a full version of windows. I've come to realize that using Windows on it is less than user friendly on such a small tablet. I boosted the icon and font sizes, but I think I would like it much more if it just ran Windows RT. The battery life seems to be less than great with full windows, maybe too may process running in the background, maybe I've let it sit too long on the table between uses. Is it possible to put RT on it?
I'm probably the first person to ask for RT over the stock OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IIRC: Windows RT runs only on ARM CPUs. So with your Intel Atom you're most likely not able to use RT. Even if you could get a licence (which are only handed out to OEMs)
Windows RT is windows 8 compiled for ARM and with signature checking enabled for desktop apps. It would not help your problem even remotely and is impossible to install anyway.
Yeah, I really don't know what problems you expect RT to *solve* here... RT is just normal Win8(.1) except it blocks most Windows software and uses a different kind of CPU (which your tablet doesn't have).
I think I am just trying to "solve" the user interface problems that I have with full Windows 8.1 vs RT. Win 8.1 is not very input friendly on an 8" screen with no keyboard or mouse. The lack of USB compiled with the not so great battery life makes this not a great option with bluetooth accessories. The power port being the only input jack makes using an adapter pointless. I didn't consider the processor limiting it's use. I guess I'll just put it on ebay...
Thanks.
User interface would be the same so it wouldnt solve anything.
USB-OTG
SixSixSevenSeven said:
User interface would be the same so it wouldnt solve anything.
USB-OTG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By user interface, I meant using the 8" touch screen for full Windows is not a pleasant experience. If I'm using a USB to OTG adapter, I can't charge it. I can't use a mouse and a keyboard (unless I use a hub, and I'm not sure it would work, because I haven't tried that).
timmyjoe42 said:
By user interface, I meant using the 8" touch screen for full Windows is not a pleasant experience. If I'm using a USB to OTG adapter, I can't charge it. I can't use a mouse and a keyboard (unless I use a hub, and I'm not sure it would work, because I haven't tried that).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hubs work, its full windows 8, anything that works on your laptop or desktop works on the tablet. You can get USB OTG cables for simultaneous charge and device although the venue only trickle charges like this. Powered USB hubs would of course be running your USB device from external power not from the device battery (which last time I checked competed with android tablets anyway unless you have gone totally overboard with 3rd party software which permanently runs in the background)
SixSixSevenSeven said:
Hubs work, its full windows 8, anything that works on your laptop or desktop works on the tablet. You can get USB OTG cables for simultaneous charge and device although the venue only trickle charges like this. Powered USB hubs would of course be running your USB device from external power not from the device battery (which last time I checked competed with android tablets anyway unless you have gone totally overboard with 3rd party software which permanently runs in the background)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a recommendation for a USB-OTG cable and a nice portable powered hub? I got a cheap USB-OTG cable from ebay and it is very hard to put in my micro-usb slot, almost to the point where I am nervous about using it because I am afraid that it will damage the port and essentially junk my tablet.
timmyjoe42 said:
Do you have a recommendation for a USB-OTG cable and a nice portable powered hub? I got a cheap USB-OTG cable from ebay and it is very hard to put in my micro-usb slot, almost to the point where I am nervous about using it because I am afraid that it will damage the port and essentially junk my tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also just use a cheap ebay cable, no recommendations here I'm afraid.
Portable powered hubs. I am not aware of any powered hubs specifically marked as being portable per se. The powered hub I use at home for my devices is pretty compact though, its a D-Link DUB-H7 but as with all current powered hubs it is mains powered. Pimoroni manufacture a 4 port powered hub specifically for the raspberry pi, this one is actually pretty compact.
There was a company which used to sell a USB hub which had a microUSB plug wired in the OTG format and an integrated battery, but its no longer in production which is a shame because that would be absolutely perfect now.
But you can buy battery packs with a USB output. If that was combined with a standard (non powered) USB hub and one of the cables I've just posted above then that would allow the hub to run from the battery pack instead of the devices USB power. Or an approach I have personally done before (for other purposes though) would be to take a soldering iron and simply stick a DC barrel jack onto the output of a 5v regulator and an RC car battery pack on the input and use that as a replacement for the mains power supply with a powered hub (although you would have to choose the hub wisely as not all take a 5v input, some take 9 or 12v and regulate to 5 internally, the D-Link and pi ones I mention above are both 5v input though).
timmyjoe42 said:
By user interface, I meant using the 8" touch screen for full Windows is not a pleasant experience. If I'm using a USB to OTG adapter, I can't charge it. I can't use a mouse and a keyboard (unless I use a hub, and I'm not sure it would work, because I haven't tried that).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not just use a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard? You can use both and you get to charge the tablet
timmyjoe42 said:
By user interface, I meant using the 8" touch screen for full Windows is not a pleasant experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So use the "Modern UI" (i.e., apps from Windows Store). That's the same thing you'd get with Windows RT. It's still not clear what difference from Windows RT you are after?
Windows RT doesn't magically make the full Windows UI and all existing apps magically work on an 8" screen, rather it restricts you to Windows Store apps which you can already run on your device.
mdwh said:
So use the "Modern UI" (i.e., apps from Windows Store). That's the same thing you'd get with Windows RT. It's still not clear what difference from Windows RT you are after?
Windows RT doesn't magically make the full Windows UI and all existing apps magically work on an 8" screen, rather it restricts you to Windows Store apps which you can already run on your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't like using bluetooth devices because I hate charging them up daily. I'd rather just plug in and be set.
I've had a Surface RT and found the UI much easier to use. I'd rather have better battery life and live in the Microsoft App store than using full Windows applications. The problem is that with full Windows running, even if I try to stay in the RT mode, I still get kicked out to windows to have to use the control panel, settings, and use other programs, etc. It's not a huge deal, it's just keeping me from really using it because I get a little frustrated with the flipping back and forth between desktop mode, trying to hit tiny buttons (such as minimizing and maximizing windows) and killing process that are using resources.