[Q] Using an Android phone on a motorbike - Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi guys,
I use my Nexus 4 in conjunction with a first gen Sena SMH10 for listening to music, Navigation via Google Maps & taking calls. I have a few simple desires to make it operate just so, but I don't know how to make these things work or if it's even possible out of the box.
Google Navigation should either always be on top or allow the phone app to show the caller ID and then return to focus afterwards without prompt or user intervention
Google voice search should work repeatedly for multiple queries without having to exit the app each time. I have to use a third party app (bluetooth launch) to call it using the voice command button on my Sena over the voice dialler app anyway which would be OK but it only seems to work for calling one person and then freezes on that screen.
The reason for the both requests is that I don't want to have to pull pver to get the phone to be back on the Navigation view each time something interrupts the app. The screen will go blank if either I call someone or someone calls me during Navigation and then won't come back sfter the call without me pulling over to sort it out. Pulling over, taking my gloves off and fumbling around through the plastic of the holder I have is a pain and these functions above are quite easy to achieve I'm sure but may need some more customisation than I have the dev skills for. Or perhaps it can't be done without Google's intervention? I don't know but I posted here as it's the forum most likely to have someone who does!
Thanks in advance for your help!

Google Now?

Yep - it's the most reliable for its ability to recognise what I'm asking when riding at 60 or 70MPH. I tried Vlingo but it just doesn't have the same recognition quality when compared to Google Now.
Sent from my GT-N5120 using XDA Free mobile app

Related

Voice Dialer HF

Hi
Has anyone tried this app on the Desire.
Voice Dialer HF
It works on the Nexus One (although you still need to touch the screen as there is no camera button).
My Nexus One has no camera button. How do I start VDHF?
Today, VDHF on the Nexus One may only be started via the icon, since the Nexus One has neither a camera nor a send button. As soon as Google releases an OTA update that activates the Bluetooth "voice activation" feature, we will add support.
It's the closest thing to proper bluetooth voice dialing available at the moment, and since my phone is due to arrive early next week I would be interested if anyone has used this app or will now try it if they didn't know it existed.
Looking foward to receiving feedback.
i can´t DW
miguelromerom said:
i can´t DW
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't download it either
aenis said:
I can't download it either
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the inibility to download beacuse of the restrictions that are seemingly on the Desire at the moment or is there another reason?
Lyrrad said:
(although you still need to touch the screen as there is no camera button).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For this issue, you can try button shortcut in the market! you will love that I think ;-)
Anyone on this app.
Is it a copy protected app or is it just not downloadable because it's not compatable. I haven't received my phone yet, and to be honest I am beginning to think I was too hasty in ordering it.
EDIT: INFO from Voice Dialer HF
# I can't buy any paid app from Android Market. I use a Google Hosted Domain.
* We have had reports that users signing up for Google Checkout with a Google Hosted Domain email address (Gmail using your own domain name) may not be able to download paid apps from Android Market. A workaround is to sign up using an email address with a standard Gmail [email protected] account. Discussions here and here.
UPDATE
Okay
I've spoken with the developer and the UK sales of his prodcut is suspended because initial voice recognition results with the product were not good. However when I get my phone he isprepared to let me try. I get the impression that it is tweakable. For me, a product like this is the difference between keeping the phone when it arrives, or returning it.
You should try Choice Dialer. I got it from the market on my Desire. There's a free version which will voice dial. There is also a paid version which lets you play an album or playlist by voice. Works well but still no bluetooth control as no voice activation seems to work by bluetooth. Other problem I had was that I could not choose a single song track by voice as I seem to have too many. Tony, the developer, has not yet yet been able to resolve this for me. Voice dialling isn't perfect but pretty good for me. You must speak clearly though.
Try it.
Choice dialer works fine as long as you set it up to work only as a phone voice dialer.
If you enable also the voice apps it often gets confused.
I have used it only one day but it seems like it can deliver also via BT headset.
fingers are still crossed but so far so good...
Well my experience after 1 hour is quite different.
I have 600 contacts, most with just a mobile number, but some with mob/Home and some with mob/home/work. I would say sucess rate is about 5% at the moment.
I'm also getting
Sorry!
'The application choice dialer free (process com.resounding.choicedialer.free) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again.' more often than I get a correct call made. Okay Android OS is new for me, so it's unfair to judge, but this is awful compared to MS Voice Command.
norm2002 said:
You should try Choice Dialer. I got it from the market on my Desire. There's a free version which will voice dial. There is also a paid version which lets you play an album or playlist by voice. Works well but still no bluetooth control as no voice activation seems to work by bluetooth. Other problem I had was that I could not choose a single song track by voice as I seem to have too many. Tony, the developer, has not yet yet been able to resolve this for me. Voice dialling isn't perfect but pretty good for me. You must speak clearly though.
Try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried it.
It wouldn't undertand me at all!
Also after dialling it went off and I had to press the phone button to select it again for it to start listening again.
If I have to do that I might as weel just use speed dial..
Maybe I am using it wrong??
Try vlingo.
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk
Choice Dialler Works fine for me even with a slight Welsh accent. Speak slow and it also picks up on contacts mobile, home or work number.

Okay seriously, how bad is the voice command system in this phone??

My wife and I got new Blueant headsets and we're testing them out. The quality of the headsets themselves seem good enough. But oh my God, trying to use the phone's native voice commands, it is ponderous. Trying to call my wife I was successful 1 time out of I don't maybe 50 tries. I tried "open ...." with every possible application... "No results, please try again." And when the voice says "redial", "redee-ill"??? Seriously? Redee-ill???
Anyone have any tips or know of any apps that can replace this horrible system? I come from an iPhone 3gs and while I love this phone so much more, the iPhone voice command system was amazing. This voice command system is pitiful at best.
I got Choice Dialer+ Free for voice dialing since the built in one was complete crap for me.
It works great.
Are you talking about Voice Dialer? Because I have absolutely no problems with it whatsoever. I have tried Choice Dialer + free and that thing is a horrible POS. It thought Market was Latitude yet the native voice system could get "Open Superuser Permissions".
I love the Voice Command on this phone. I think you are thinking of something else though.
It has the best VTT in the biz.
Might be a Mic issue.
Don't use voice dialer. Hold search and say call wife.
Hrmm, maybe I am missing something.
When I hold down search by default it only does a google search online, even if I say "Call Daniel". It just pulls up a google search for call daniel.
Is this configurable? I tried looking in settings but didn't find anything that looked relevant.
Edit: This would rock if so. The search app almost always gets it right. I just have issues with the voice dialer app.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
^^^^i'm having the same problem he is having^^^..
Indeed I also have terrible problems with the voice dialing feature from my bluetooth's (Jawbone Icon, Plantronics 925 and Jawbone 2). All the headsets are amazing and have no problem when on a phone call. Yet voice dialing with them is seriously TERRIBLE. Using voice to text though for SMS,Emails are fine. Odd...
Just to clarify, I'm yalkinggg about the voice dialer. I said voice command because its supposed to be able to open apps as well but that hasn't worked. Voice search is incredible. In fact I tried voice dialing my wife and it failed miserably but saying the same thing inti the voice searched worked perfectly. It even spelled her name right and she has a somewhat unusual name. So its not a mic issue, its a voice dialer issue.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
while i don't use the bluetooth configuration, i can say i do use the voice dialer with no issues whatsoever. i usually hold the phone in front of me (not up to my ear, which is probably what i should be doing, lol), start the voice dialer (or voice search, both will work), and say "call *insert friend's name* mobile", or "call *insert friend's name* home". never had an issue. if it can't guess absolutely, it puts up a list of what it suspects are candidates, i click on it and go. same sort of thing as "navigate to *insert place i want to go*". works like a charm
timothydonohue said:
while i don't use the bluetooth configuration, i can say i do use the voice dialer with no issues whatsoever. i usually hold the phone in front of me (not up to my ear, which is probably what i should be doing, lol), start the voice dialer (or voice search, both will work), and say "call *insert friend's name* mobile", or "call *insert friend's name* home". never had an issue. if it can't guess absolutely, it puts up a list of what it suspects are candidates, i click on it and go. same sort of thing as "navigate to *insert place i want to go*". works like a charm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm looking for this to work over Bluetooth. In my opinion using voice dialer right from the headset is worthless because it takes twice as long as just using the smart dialer in the phone interface. The whole point to me is to have the phone in my pocket and the headset on, use the voice command to make a call without having to touch the phone at all. Like in a driving scenario.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
So I guess you're talking about voice dialing as in "EIGHT-ZERO-ZERO-FIVE-THREE..."? Is this so you can dial numbers that aren't in your phone? Because otherwise if the number is in your phone (or you're looking for a business) then I say, "call ____ mobile," as someone else has pointed out already.
Did the headset have any apps or anything you had to put on the phone? Maybe that part is buggy?
If you have a heavy accent what do you expect?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
pekosROB said:
So I guess you're talking about voice dialing as in "EIGHT-ZERO-ZERO-FIVE-THREE..."? Is this so you can dial numbers that aren't in your phone? Because otherwise if the number is in your phone (or you're looking for a business) then I say, "call ____ mobile," as someone else has pointed out already.
Did the headset have any apps or anything you had to put on the phone? Maybe that part is buggy?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I'm talking about contacts that are entered into the phone.
I tried Choice Dialer Plus and the voice recognition works great. Super accurate. My only issue, and it's a biggie, is if the screen is off, I activate the voice control through bluetooth, I say the command, it confirms, it won't actually place the call until i press the power button and unlock the phone. Then the call connects immediately. That's counter intuitive since I want to not have to touch the phone at all.
I have to admit I don't use it that often. I just noticed that it actually is able to pick up what I say perfectly fine.
I have no accent but every time I try using the Voice Dialer application it shows me a list of names nowhere near what I said. I haven't tried it in 2.2 yet, but I assume it's the same.
wowwww i just tried the voice dialer and holy bajeezus, what a pile of poop.
not one single time did it get anything correct. and it was even putting people names in there that didnt even remotely sound like what i said.
this was via the phones mic, not a headset.
voice search works much better.
I guess my Chicago accent is what works.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
r u on 2.1 or 2.2? 2.2 is way better
however windows mobile still has the best voice dial hand down ... and it had it in 2005
I have a blueant Z9i and it works awesome. Flippin 10x better than the dialer on my old BB9630. I'm thinking it does have something to do with accent. <<<---Midwest here.
topdnbass said:
It has the best VTT in the biz.
Might be a Mic issue.
Don't use voice dialer. Hold search and say call wife.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does that work if you don't have a wife? Does it call my FUTURE wife? LOLZZZ!
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
It works for me just fine. I also find the speach to text to be very good.

setting up the Droid X for my blind sister

edit: I called Verizon earlier and ordered the Droid 2, sending the Droid X back. Reason being, the Android Eyes Free Shell and the Talking Dialer make use of either a trackball or a directional pad. The Droid X has neither. This should also solve the answering/hanging up problem, as im pretty sure on the Droid 2 you can slide it open to answer and slide it closed to hang up. I'm starting a new thread in the Droid 2 General section, but i'll still be watching this one if anyone has anything to add
Ok guys, the Droid X I ordered for my sister arrived yesterday. I personally have an EVO, but I gotta say the Droid X is pretty sweet. Much better designed phone then the EVO, but it is lacking 4g and a front cam (although honestly I dont use those 2 features much anyways). I cannot believe how light it is! My phone feels like a brick compared to the X!
Anyways, this post is not about comparing the X and the EVO, it's about setting up the Droid X for a blind person. My 25 year old sister lost her vision last year from diabetes. I'm hoping to setup this phone so she can use it on her own to make/receive calls and text messages, use the TiKL push to talk app, compose/read emails, have facebook updates read to her, pandora, that kind of thing.
First thing I'll need to do is get rid of the lock screen, not ideally made for a blind person thats for sure! I'll probably try and set it up with a "shake to unlock" app.
Secondly, the first thing I want her to be able to do obviously is make and receive calls. Problem is right now she cant slide to answer a call. I'll need to replace that somehow so she can answer the phone more easily. Any ideas?
SOLVED (double tap home) Next of course is dialing a call. The Motorola Voice Dialing thats built into the dialer is pretty awesome, we don't have something like that in HTC Sense. I need her to be able to press a button on the phone and start the voice dialer. The only way I know how to do that right now is using the search button which launches the google voice search. That's not what I want, I want her to be able to use the one that Motorola built into the dialer, as it's much better designed for a blind person. It re-reads your command and asks for confirmations that that is indeed the right person, and if it's not it goes down the list of the next closest match. The google voice search feature does none of that. If you say "Call OneStepAhead on Mobile" it just starts dialing, it doesn't ask for a confirmation. Any devs out there that could figure out how to remap the camera button on the side of the Droid X to launch the Moto voice dialer? It's for a good cause!
Once I get these things resolved I'll move on to things like facebook. A 25 year old girl with over 1000 facebook friends not being able to use facebook anymore, well, its practically the end of the world to her!
Thanks in advance to anyone that is willing to help with this task, it's very much appreciated.
By default you can press the home button 2 times to get voice command to dial. This should help with your voice dialing.
A phone with no keys is probably not the best for a blind person.
Get her a basic phone that accepts voice commands
Don't mean to be rude, but its not like she's gonna be browsing the web or looking at the big screen.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
Double pressing home auto launches the voice command function. You can do almost anything from there.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
One way I can think to allow her to answer a phone call without having to know where to touch on the screen id to have her use a BT headset. Then all she needs do is press the button on the headset to answer.
sp1kez said:
A phone with no keys is probably not the best for a blind person.
Get her a basic phone that accepts voice commands
Don't mean to be rude, but its not like she's gonna be browsing the web or looking at the big screen.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
umm, actually thats exactly what she'll be doing. maybe your just ignorant to disabilities, but blind people DO use the web, facebook, twitter, youtube (yes youtube), and everything else. and actually touch screens are ideal for blind people, you can use gestures with your fingers, and the bigger screen the better. it's very difficult for a blind person to use tiny little keys on a phone. are you even familiar with the Android Eyes Free project? I fail to see the point in your post, I'm not asking you which phone I should buy, i already bought one.
crashdau said:
One way I can think to allow her to answer a phone call without having to know where to touch on the screen id to have her use a BT headset. Then all she needs do is press the button on the headset to answer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup, thought of that. i ordered one last week, should be here soon. the problem with a bluetooth headset though is it can be an easy thing to lose if your blind! im hoping she'll use the headset a majority of the time, but we still want a way to answer the phone without one.
I called Verizon earlier and ordered the Droid 2, sending the Droid X back. Reason being, the Android Eyes Free Shell and the Talking Dialer make use of either a trackball or a directional pad. The Droid X has neither. This should also solve the answering/hanging up problem, as im pretty sure on the Droid 2 you can slide it open to answer and slide it closed to hang up.
michael_bolton said:
Double pressing home auto launches the voice command function. You can do almost anything from there.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
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Click to collapse
THANK YOU!! That was a big help, now she can pretty much do anything on it! I'm assuming the Droid 2 will work the same way. Awesome!!
I saw you had the evo, grate phone, I am working for sprint, and a girl from work and I both whent out and bought the epic, very nice phone, and if your sister is looking for a good phone she can use, the epic has the slide out keyboard, and eyes free shell now takes advantage of the touch screen, i've been completely blind all my life, and have used talks on nokia phones, mobile speak on windows mobile phones, the iphone and now the epic, the only thing i don't like about the epic is there isn't a quick way to use the talkback feature by turnning it off and on, though now that i've rootted my phone i might be able to figure out a way to rute a key to the talkback software both activating it and deactivating it, not sure though.
anyways, hope your sister's phone is working fine for her, have you found a good app that works for twitter for her? The built in fb app is crap, removed it with titainum backup, so i don'th ave to have that crap on my phone, do most fb work via sms and sutch.
anyways if you want to chat with a blind person using android since start of oct for questions and sutch, send me a pm
michael!!
--Sprint, epic user.
With a Droid X it might be a good idea to go in to Settings > Accessibility > Power Button and check the checkbox (it allows you to end calls by pressing the power / unlock button on the top of the phone. I use it my self as I have a fondness for physical end call buttons...

Access Google Now while the phone is locked in your pocket with headphones

Hello everyone. For the longest time I thought this wasn't possible to use Google Now with your headphone. But apparently it is with the right apps. I got this to work on my Galaxy Note 2 and man, when you go out and use this thing for the first time, you'll know what you've been missing.
Basically you need 2 apps. One is paid if you like the free Trial ($3), and the other one is free. I recommend you don't mess with the single and double clicks. But program it in to the triple and quaduple clicks for Google Now and Lock respectively.
Headset Button Controller Trial (Free Trial, $3 if you want the paid version):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kober.headset
Screen Off and Lock (Free): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.katecca.screenofflock&hl=en
Disable the annoying sound it makes for everything except the quadruple because you want the quadruple click. Some of you with a Samsung Flip cover type cases maybe would find the locking unnecessary. A few things to note. Sometimes it doesn't activate the mic (you'll hear it when it fails to trigger). Maybe 1 out of 10 times. Just do the triple click again and it works no problem. Also it actually doesn't unlock your screen. So the problem you'll run into is that the home button hold won't respond to bring the recent apps list. But all you need to do is hit the home button and it unlocks, this is only necessary if for some reason, you hit the triple click to access google now, and you want to continue using the phone with touch. Which won't usually be the case.
Video Tutorial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sIsA-ZsTwk
Great find, but will this not be possible with tasker,
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
I finally bought headset button controller
Really worth
But I hv two problem
One I'm unable to call my contacts using the voice search because it doesn't recognise my accent most of the time
Is there a way to train my voice or train google now,I no this is not remotely possible right now,but google now will be more practical to many people if they could train their voice,or at least assign speed dial numbers to their favorite contacts
And speak those numbers
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

Does Google Now work hands-free?

As the topic states, does Google Now on the Nexus 10 work hands-free?
Like, i'm on my couch watching a movie and I'm too lazy to stretch my arms out 3 feet to touch my tablet can I be all like,
"Computer, search for the lowest priced airplane ticket to Okinawa, Japan."
and it'll work?
No, you need to be in the Google Now app already to then be able to say "Google" followed by whatever you want. There may be a mod or app you can find though that would make the mic always turned on and when you say Google it could launch Google Now.
EniGmA1987 said:
No, you need to be in the Google Now app already to then be able to say "Google" followed by whatever you want. There may be a mod or app you can find though that would make the mic always turned on and when you say Google it could launch Google Now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that's the case then, doesn't Nexus 10 allow multiple apps to be open at the same time, as is standard for like everything nowadays? So therotically I can just leave the Google Now always on and just yell at it with the prefix "Google" whenever I want to ask a question even if I'm in the kitchen and it's in the living room, right?
All the YouTube vids I found only showed people having to press the mic button on the screen before they could ask a question...
The mic button within Google Now? Or a mic button on the homescreen? Cause ya you can do it either way, but I have never done that. When inside Google Now you can simply say "Google" and it will go into search mode. And entering Google Now is easy since all you do is swipe up from the home button.
As for leaving Gnow open in the background, I am not sure if that will work or not. The app *probably* is required to be the foreground app in order for the talking functionality to work.
Even though I tried to make it "resident" using Xposed, Google Now wouldn't listen to its Keyword while in background. The closest you can get to hands-free would be a custom target on the unlock-ring. This is possible with CM10.1 and AOKP.
Correct me if I'm wrong. Also note that I didn't test CM10.1 on the Nexus 10 myself, so it is an assumption that AOKP took it over from there.
Thx for the help you two.
Sucks that it doesn't work completely hands free. Here's hoping it will though in a future update to the app/Jellybean/OS.
I dont know if it ever will. The reason is because it would have to be a constantly open process, that would take additional CPU since it is always trying to listen for things. Plus there could be security concerns because the mic is always on and listening. At best I would hope that someone makes a mod to allow Google Now to always be in listen mode.

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