Related
Please don't get me wrong -- I think the Shift represents a great advancement in UMPC technology. Having WM6 and WinVista (or WinXP) combined on 1 device is, IMHO, a super idea. And the form factor and build quality are very good. I'm impressed and, as Jenn at Pocketables pointed out, it's fun to use -- kind of grabs you. But unlike Jenn, I'm not ready to say I'll not part with it. I've liberated WM6 so I have as full a use of the WM6 side as I believe is so far available. I've got Vista humming, at least as much as the 1G RAM can live with. But if this is as far as I can go I don't see much more than another "gadget" to add to my collection. The 1G RAM limit is a show stopper -- slows the machine down and really limits what I can do in Vista. The 64MB limit in WM6, combined with inability to access the SD card slot (or even the USB slot) means my WM6 is crippled -- hardly any of what I'm accustomed to using can be routinely done. Throw in the 2 hr battery limitation in Vista -- it just isn't a very good "solution" for a road warrior.
I realize there are folks hard at work to improve on these and I commend them (and have contributed to the Shift Project) -- I really hope they succeed. But I have to say that what I'm looking at from HTC is, at best, a "beta" version -- they have so limited what's inside the box that it's hardly useful for anything. Considering the growing competition I doubt HTC will hold much share of this market.
agree
Huib
Interesting comments and many agree with. Given the amount of information available on the net about this device, and its limitations including SnapVue, battery etc etc, what motivated you to buy it? It seems to be a mismatch to me re. your requirements. I bought it even knowing all these things as it matched my needs.
A road warrior it is not. A media powerhouse it is not. A tiny portable always on email and document viewer/editor, plus web browser it is. I get 2.5hrs on Vista browsing the web - same as almost every other laptop I've ever owned, so I'm not surprised really...altho again, Vista leaves much to be desired in this respect - a spinning hard drive kills batteries.
I agree with you regarding the things they didn't get right - SnapVue is just silly right out of the box and Vista is a mistake. HTC really fvcked up there.
This device kind of reminds me of the Sony C1V picturebook I had (with that horrible Crusoe processor - if you think this chip is slow, that thing was lifeless)...awesome for what I wanted but that's where it stops...it doesn't extend beyond that and I'm comfy with that.
To answer the question, I use my Shift when I travel. I used to take my HX4700 but bluetooth 3G connection was slow, Opera was slow for browsing and the screen too small really. I had a b/tooth key board which was OK but another piece of kit that needed batteries and sync'ing etc etc. Now I carry a v. small bag with me when away and it holds the Shift, power packs, Archos 504, headphones and a few other bits and bobs...all I need. On planes I can type my reports in Mobile Word, sync it to Vista and tart them up and send. In hotels I can surf the web at my own pace on HSDPA with it plugged in to AC (on high performance setting). I can adjust my webpage using filezilla etc etc....basically all the things I couldn't do on the HX4700 (which I now use as a support device for the Archos, and as a GPS)....the Shift really filled my requirements. I almost bought the Fujitsu U1010 but the ones here didn't have 3G built in and the keyboard was harder to use that the Shift.
Next version, should HTC shift (no pun intended) enough of these first ones, should ideally have:
1. Higher res screen
2. Bigger hard disk
3. SnapVue fully functional with SD card, WiFi access etc etc
4. XP as an option
5. A battery compartment that allows for an extended one to be added
Aside from that, I still like my Shift and use it almost everyday...
FOOFTR said:
Interesting comments and many agree with. Given the amount of information available on the net about this device, and its limitations including SnapVue, battery etc etc, what motivated you to buy it? It seems to be a mismatch to me re. your requirements. I bought it even knowing all these things as it matched my needs.
A road warrior it is not. A media powerhouse it is not. A tiny portable always on email and document viewer/editor, plus web browser it is. I get 2.5hrs on Vista browsing the web - same as almost every other laptop I've ever owned, so I'm not surprised really...altho again, Vista leaves much to be desired in this respect - a spinning hard drive kills batteries.
I agree with you regarding the things they didn't get right - SnapVue is just silly right out of the box and Vista is a mistake. HTC really fvcked up there.
This device kind of reminds me of the Sony C1V picturebook I had (with that horrible Crusoe processor - if you think this chip is slow, that thing was lifeless)...awesome for what I wanted but that's where it stops...it doesn't extend beyond that and I'm comfy with that.
To answer the question, I use my Shift when I travel. I used to take my HX4700 but bluetooth 3G connection was slow, Opera was slow for browsing and the screen too small really. I had a b/tooth key board which was OK but another piece of kit that needed batteries and sync'ing etc etc. Now I carry a v. small bag with me when away and it holds the Shift, power packs, Archos 504, headphones and a few other bits and bobs...all I need. On planes I can type my reports in Mobile Word, sync it to Vista and tart them up and send. In hotels I can surf the web at my own pace on HSDPA with it plugged in to AC (on high performance setting). I can adjust my webpage using filezilla etc etc....basically all the things I couldn't do on the HX4700 (which I now use as a support device for the Archos, and as a GPS)....the Shift really filled my requirements. I almost bought the Fujitsu U1010 but the ones here didn't have 3G built in and the keyboard was harder to use that the Shift.
Next version, should HTC shift (no pun intended) enough of these first ones, should ideally have:
1. Higher res screen
2. Bigger hard disk
3. SnapVue fully functional with SD card, WiFi access etc etc
4. XP as an option
5. A battery compartment that allows for an extended one to be added
Aside from that, I still like my Shift and use it almost everyday...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree and htc should also use SSD's to save more power and they should make sure they announce the correct specs.
FOOFTR said:
Interesting comments and many agree with. Given the amount of information available on the net about this device, and its limitations including SnapVue, battery etc etc, what motivated you to buy it? It seems to be a mismatch to me re. your requirements. I bought it even knowing all these things as it matched my needs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Point well taken -- I should have added that my comments were stated with the proverbial tongue in cheek. I was well aware of the Shift's limitations and purchased one out of curiosity -- I've followed it since its initial announcement and had cancelled my preorder after seeing the limitations being documented. But I saw this one on ebay for several hundred $ less than retail and decided to look at it for myself.
I agree with the suggestions made and really hope HTC listens (if they decide to stay in the UMPC market -- that's not a "for sure" thing). I've tried five different UMPC's as well as the Sony TZ "subnotebook" and have yet to find what I think I'm after -- a truly business capable device small enough for my purposes (and that's really subjective, I know) yet powerful enough to replace my usual notebook (13.3" XPS). I knew the Shift wouldn't do this -- its very short battery life is a show stopper although I could carry an external battery pack. But the limited RAM and the very limited usefulness of SnapVu make it relatively useless to me so I'll end up ebaying it.
I'd hoped to generate more discussion in the hope that collective experience and wisdom would prove useful to the UMPC market.
There are some very interesting viewpoints here.
I purchased mine after following the news stories for months. I purchased it the moment it was available in the UK and paid nearly £900.
I knew the limitations, but had to buy one of these! It gets used a lot in our house. And I am always doing things to it. It's leberated and its dual boot with XP.
I use it to tinker with, watch movies and surfing. The wife loves it too and surfs on the sofa while watching the tele, she prefers it to any of the laptop we have because of the size. My daughter took it away for the weekend recently too so she could surf. Its such a versitile device. And most of all, PEOPLE STARE AT IT ON THE TRAIN/PLANE WHEN I'M ON BUSINESS!!! I don't really use the liberated Snapvue, I don't need to when its dual boot.
If I had a wish list, I would love to see an SSD in it and another 1GB RAM. The processor is fine for what I use it for, so I have no grumbles there.
My eldest daughter wants it for school, so it'll be used for that full time in September when she is a year 10.
I do understand that to some people its limited in its application, but for us as a family, its one of the better toys we've purchased (and we buy a lot of techy toys/gadgets!) The joys of working in IT means I am addicted to buying new toys!
I'm actually sat here in the garden using HSDPA typing this. Apart from a couple of phones, I don't have another device with this ability. why be inside when its such a sunny evening!
benktlottie said:
TIt's liberated and its dual boot with XP...... I don't really use the liberated Snapvue, I don't need to when its dual boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by "dual boot"? I have mine liberated but I'm not sure it dual boots?
Thanks!
brucewilsonpa said:
What do you mean by "dual boot"? I have mine liberated but I'm not sure it dual boots?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, I have dual boot, as in when powered up it asks whether you want to boot Vista or XP. Next stop, triple boot with Linux installed too, although that will be cutting it a bit fine for hard drive space.
Bruce, I think your comments, and the general community's will help deliver better products...I think they're constructive for sure.
I don't like it when people say product X sucks when indeed product X is not designed to do the very things they are comparing it against. I have read so many appalling reviews of the Shift - I'm ceratin 50% of the people won't have even used one...a classic is when someone said "the poky keyboard makes you wish for full size keyboard real estate..." - um, one cannot have a 7" screen device with an 18" keyboard...get real and take the device in the context it is meant for - maybe that's it, they cannot get their head around indeed what context this device resides/exists in. Maybe because they do not have a need for such a device it must be a failure? I mean, I don't need a concrete mixer so reviewing one would be pointless, and I'd end up saying things like "it doesn't sound as nice as my NAD stereo" - maybe they're the same.
Ah Pantaloonie, was loading XP as easy as booting from an XP disc/ISO (tablet I assume)? Thanks...
FOOFTR said:
Ah Pantaloonie, was loading XP as easy as booting from an XP disc/ISO (tablet I assume)? Thanks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, almost that easy. Use Vista to partition off a few Gigs for XP, install XP, then use a Vista disc to repair the mbr so you can get back into Vista.
Then use VistaBootPro to create a boot menu.
I didn't use tablet edition at the time, and can't be bothered to go back and do it again; maybe next time I'm really bored I will.
FOOFTR said:
Maybe because they do not have a need for such a device it must be a failure? I mean, I don't need a concrete mixer so reviewing one would be pointless, and I'd end up saying things like "it doesn't sound as nice as my NAD stereo" - maybe they're the same.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi FOOFTR,
yes, I like your comparison. Made me laugh. And I think what you say is right in all sorts of contexts. You make up something that wasn't said or done in the first place and then you go on bashing it.
Thanks!
S.
Pantaloonie said:
Yup, almost that easy. Use Vista to partition off a few Gigs for XP, install XP, then use a Vista disc to repair the mbr so you can get back into Vista.
Then use VistaBootPro to create a boot menu.
I didn't use tablet edition at the time, and can't be bothered to go back and do it again; maybe next time I'm really bored I will.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats what I did.
I Used BartPE to make a bootable usb stick with xp pro on it. stole 6gb from Vista and installed xp pro. Viola, dual boot Shift!
Post your user experiences here, what you liked, disliked etc.
I'll start:
Like:
The device feels really solid and well made and has a nice finish
The device is fast, and browsing the web is more comparable to a laptop than a phone (see screenshot). Games look great on it (like Cordy, Dungeon Defenders etc)
I managed to watch iPlayer videos on it via the site in flash, including the live streams - the HD ones don't play at a good framerate though.
Honeycomb is really slick and easy to use
Sound quality is excellent
The built in office suite is great
Gripes:
Absolute fingerprint magnet
Still a few bugs, a handful of FCs, Spanish text in one ASUS tool, Chinese in another!
The bevel when holding it is a bit too wide to make using keyboards like ThumbKeyboard comfortable. With a bit of tweaking it works fine, but its less than ideal.
The weather widget truncates my town name and it looks ugly (Leamington S) an option to tweak the font size would have been nice.
A couple of the default settings provided a less than optimal out-of-box experience, but nothing that can't be fixed by experimentation.
Hate:
Charging cable is ridiculously short and proprietary so you can't replace it! This is my major gripe. When I plug the device in at night to charge on my nightstand I can't use the device in bed - in fact I had to rearrange the stand just to get it long enough to actually let me put the device on top.
Thanks for this. I'm looking forward to picking this up when it launches in Canada. It looks like a really slick device. The price is great. A shame about the bezel, but it's probably something I'll get used to fairly quickly.
I love that all of your issues are either honeycomb related or just tablet related (except the cable, I suppose) everytime I read these good and bad's I recall my Xoom and how I felt the exact same way but I wouldn't consider any of them bad. I kept that screen spotless, even though it was a fingerprint magnet, the FC's and widget issues are normal because HC is new, and when I buy something I always mess around with all of the settings.
I dont think I've read a bad thing about this tablet. There has not been a single dealbreaker!
Thanks for your review As Prof said, I'm also suuuper excited for the Canadian release.
side note: didn't mean for anything I said to sound snappy, I am just overwhelmingly amped for this tablet.
Yeah, the device is great, I suppose my only major problem with this specific device is with the charger - and that will be fixed when the accessories start rolling out. With time greatness can be achieved!
It does seem like the charge/sync cable might be annoyingly short. Why not just use a USB extension though?
bedoig said:
It does seem like the charge/sync cable might be annoyingly short. Why not just use a USB extension though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The cable has an extra pin in it which extension cables do not carry. If you try to use one it just doesn't charge...
icStatic said:
The cable has an extra pin in it which extension cables do not carry. If you try to use one it just doesn't charge...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, that is going to be quite annoying then. Thanks for the info.
icStatic said:
Post your user experiences here, what you liked, disliked etc.
I'll start:
Like:
The device feels really solid and well made and has a nice finish
The device is fast, and browsing the web is more comparable to a laptop than a phone (see screenshot). Games look great on it (like Cordy, Dungeon Defenders etc)
I managed to watch iPlayer videos on it via the site in flash, including the live streams - the HD ones don't play at a good framerate though.
Honeycomb is really slick and easy to use
Sound quality is excellent
The built in office suite is great
Gripes:
Absolute fingerprint magnet
Still a few bugs, a handful of FCs, Spanish text in one ASUS tool, Chinese in another!
The bevel when holding it is a bit too wide to make using keyboards like ThumbKeyboard comfortable. With a bit of tweaking it works fine, but its less than ideal.
The weather widget truncates my town name and it looks ugly (Leamington S) an option to tweak the font size would have been nice.
A couple of the default settings provided a less than optimal out-of-box experience, but nothing that can't be fixed by experimentation.
Hate:
Charging cable is ridiculously short and proprietary so you can't replace it! This is my major gripe. When I plug the device in at night to charge on my nightstand I can't use the device in bed - in fact I had to rearrange the stand just to get it long enough to actually let me put the device on top.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're not joking about the speed, it's faster then my dell inspiron 1300 with 1.6ghz and 1gb ram.
Move to Bath, you'll still have that bathing kudos in the title
The lead is short, it won't let me use a usb extention cable either, but i can cure this by buying another extention lead so it's not really a problem.
Will do this when i get keyboard dock.
love
- just the whole Google experience, my phone, desktop PC and tablet feel totally in harmony now. I add a bookmark on my tablet/PC and it's available on the other device. I star a destination on Google maps on the tablet and it's available on my phone when I get in the car
- certain apps optimsed for Honeycomb are awesome, especially Maps, Gmail, Newsr (Google Reader app), I also love some of the widgets, such as Gmail and Pure News.
- in terms of the device itself, find it light, nice colour (copper), excellent battery life, and great that Asus have enabled the micro SD slot. Also appreciate that they have included a screenshot function on the device.
- really like the system of notification, a touch of Android together with a touch of Windows but unobtrusive at the same time.
- overall, like the control I have with this tablet. With the Ipad I was constantly running up against problems as I tried to get pictures/files either on or off the device. With Honeycomb there are so many ways to get your stuff on and off (bluetooth, USB, dropbox, file transfer). I don't mind the steeper learning curve of the OS if it means I decide what I do with my content.
Dislikes
- while I love aspects of the browser, I also find it quite laggy in places. Certain websites seem to bring it to its knees, ironically the worst culprit for me is the homepage of Xda forums! Trying to scroll down that page is an exercise in frustration.
- some of the widgets are a bit flaky (eg Gmail), often failing to refresh and update.
- the tablet Market app is really poor. We don't seem to have the same version as the US, no special section for tablet optimsed apps, no Google books section; I also find that installing new apps can be a bit hit and miss. Sometimes I press 'install and often the process doesn't complete and I have to go back and do it again.
Overall though, the plusses outweigh the minusses and I've got to hand it to Asus for getting this tablet out quickly and at such a reasonable price. I would find it difficult to go back to the Ipad after a taste of what's possible with Honeycomb. Yes, it still is a bit unfinished, a bit buggy in places but it will only get better with updates and it feels like an OS for grown-ups. I know the Ipad is touted as the tablet that young kids and grandmas can pick up and use, but I belong to neither of those groups and I'm willing to put up with some mildly confusing UI elements if it means I have complete control over my content.
Thanks for the reviews guys!, keep em coming.
I am living the experience through you guys
Is it end of april yet?
Can you try this and let me know if it works?
-Try attaching two headphones/earphones in docked mode (1 in dock and 1 in tablet), do they both work simultaneously?
-Is the Mynet application seeing your DLNA device consistently
-Are you able to stream movies (esp. 720p/1080p) off your DLNA device onto your tablet?
-connect to tv via mini HDMI while in docked mode works right?
-pinch and zooming on dock's trackpad works?
-how much memory (not storage) is available to apps? I am reading on certain websites they list 1GB/512MB RAM, is only 512MB available for apps?
Thanks in advance,
KG
kgdg said:
Thanks for the reviews guys!, keep em coming.
I am living the experience through you guys
Is it end of april yet?
Can you try this and let me know if it works?
-Try attaching two headphones/earphones in docked mode (1 in dock and 1 in tablet), do they both work simultaneously?
-Is the Mynet application seeing your DLNA device consistently
-Are you able to stream movies (esp. 720p/1080p) off your DLNA device onto your tablet?
-connect to tv via mini HDMI while in docked mode works right?
-pinch and zooming on dock's trackpad works?
-how much memory (not storage) is available to apps? I am reading on certain websites they list 1GB/512MB RAM, is only 512MB available for apps?
Thanks in advance,
KG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately no one has the dock yet, it seems that Asus are having some supply issues and only the tablet is available to buy at the moment. So, can't really answer most of your questions, sorry.
The only one I can answer is about the apps. You can use all of the internal storage for apps, so in theory you have about 14GB free for apps..so plenty of space
dreadnought001 said:
Unfortunately no one has the dock yet, it seems that Asus are having some supply issues and only the tablet is available to buy at the moment. So, can't really answer most of your questions, sorry.
The only one I can answer is about the apps. You can use all of the internal storage for apps, so in theory you have about 14GB free for apps..so plenty of space
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, I keep forgetting the dock isn't out yet...
As for apps, I was asking about memory, not storage..
Some more questions, I read on modaco forums about these issues, did you guys run into these as well:
-It cannot handle an episode of Prison Break in 720p for example, without a lot of stutter and out of sync voice. And when I tried a lower resolution video file, it works but again its not smooth (480p). I tried RockPlayer, mVideoPlayer and QQPlayer (which was the best by far, but still not great). Im really waiting for a decent Video player app to come out, something which will take advantage of the processing power inside these new devices! Hopefully VLC will have it up and running soon smile.gif
-An app will not solve this.
Rockplayer, QQplayer uses the CPU to decode, it will _always_ be slow and jerky on HD content
-The Tegra 2 SOC is capable of playing main profile h.264 at 1080p (with caveats), high profile at 720p.
Froyo running on Tegra2 could handle 1080p in baseline profile under the older harmony drivers, It _seems_ like the Nvidia honeycomb binaries are even less capable and content that plays on my tegra2 Vega now stutters on my transformer. Hopefully this (1080p baseline) will be fixed with a firmware update (The harmony platform has been abandoned by Nvidia, the transformer is based on the newer Ventana platform)
Is the above really true? That kills the whole purpose of a tablet in my mind.
Also, another troubling issue:
-little bit worried about the HDMI out. It appears to only do 720p. Whereas the cheaper Vega did 1080p when playing video. The transformer seems to do 720p by "voiding" the bottom 80 pixels. On the screen they still make up the button bar, it just gets a little taller.
If this is true, it will be the final nail in the coffin, i will wait until Tegra3..
kgdg said:
If this is true, it will be the final nail in the coffin, i will wait until Tegra3..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apologize if this is thread-jacking but is there any word on when Tegra3 will be released? At this point the best approximation would probably be in terms of quarters, like Q4 2011. Not sure if I can wait that long.
Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but.......
If the charging cable is that short, and you want to use it while charging in bed.......
What is the problem with using a short extension cord, say a 6 ft..??
I know this isn't optimal, or preferred, for that matter, but that doesn't seem to be THAT big of a deal......a little inconvenient maybe, but not horrible......
Now, I can see where this isn't the best length for being connected to a computer to transfer files, but workable......and from what I am reading, charging from the laptop isn't great to begin with......
Am I under the wrong impression..??
JoeJags said:
What is the problem with using a short extension cord, say a 6 ft..??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was wondering the same thing myself. As technology progresses, I fear that some folks forget about the simple things--like extending the reach of the AC adapter if one can't extend the reach of the charging cable itself.
Reminds me of a time when I was watching a friend eating cookies and milk. He was eating around the edges of the cookies very meticulously, and I asked him, "Why are you doing that?"
He said, "So that they fit in the glass and I can dip them in the milk."
I thought for a moment and then asked, "Why don't you just break them in half?"
Has anyone noticed that the speaker placement is a bit low on the frame and can be easily covered up with your hands? That is to say if you are gripping the tablet with both hands (tablet in landscape mode) on the bottom do your hands cover the speaker ports/grill? If this is the case, do you find it annoying or a down side?
JoeJags said:
Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but.......
If the charging cable is that short, and you want to use it while charging in bed.......
What is the problem with using a short extension cord, say a 6 ft..??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main problem is that the charging cable is barely long enough for me to put the device on top of the nightstand and have the extension cord just below out of sight. I could use the extension cord, but I would have to keep moving the extension cord so I don't trip over it etc.
At work I can't even reach the socket from my desk - all the plugs are either behind the monitors or under the desk and the charging cable will reach neither. All it needs is another 60cm or so really and both problems would be solved! What's really irritating is that it's such a simple thing...
While sorting out my keyboard dock I mentioned it to one of the ASUS reps, and my feedback on it has been fed back to the product manager.
Look at it this way, if the only thing I have to gripe about is the charging cable, consider it a good sign.
yoda715 said:
Has anyone noticed that the speaker placement is a bit low on the frame and can be easily covered up with your hands? That is to say if you are gripping the tablet with both hands (tablet in landscape mode) on the bottom do your hands cover the speaker ports/grill? If this is the case, do you find it annoying or a down side?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are right, the grilles are exactly where your hands will go, but I don't really think it's a problem. If you grip really tightly around it you lose the high frequency treble a bit, but you'll only get this when you are typing. When you are just holding it I doubt you can tell the difference. And if you do, just flip the device 180 degrees and hold it upside down! (The screen auto rotates)
icStatic said:
Yes you are right, the grilles are exactly where your hands will go, but I don't really think it's a problem. If you grip really tightly around it you lose the high frequency treble a bit, but you'll only get this when you are typing. When you are just holding it I doubt you can tell the difference. And if you do, just flip the device 180 degrees and hold it upside down! (The screen auto rotates)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True, I realized that the speaker placement may be a problem when I was playing SpeedX on my Xoom, since I play in landscape mode and hold the Xoom at the bottom with both hands.
How long does it take to get it fully charged?
Seem tablets are going to be even wilder and better this year from some some of the stuff I'm seeing from CES.
What would your "perfect" tablet be?
Here's mine:
10.1"
Gorilla Glass 2
1920x1080 (or even x1280)
Tegra 3
Officially support dual booting between:
....ICS with guarenteed JB upgrade
....Windows 8
Full sized USB on tablet with Host mode
KB doc like the transformer
wifi/bluetooth (pretty much a given)
Front facing camera (don't care about the rear camera in a tablet)
A mic that works
Add sd card slot, ir transmitter, wireless hdmi, rear camera, gps, no-glare screen, 15 hour battery (use), no proprietary charger
FREEEE!!!!!!!
ALL OF THE ABOVE. with real usable accessories Something more colorful.
black and silver does not go well with most of my Shoes .. Boohoo..
OHH I WANT Someone to Buy it for me... HINT HINT.. Giggles..
Birthday in May..
To me the most important aspect would be the OS: all current operating systems are terribly limited in scope and designed with rather lax and inflexible security systems and no Linux, Haiku, Windows, Android, iOS, QNX or other OS fits really what I have in mind. There does exist a few security frameworks for Linux, but they're tacked on, not developed-for from the ground up, and they're a pain in the arse to configure.
Hardware-wise I have no specific, hard-to-implement features in mind, all the things I wish for have already been implemented in one form or another.
In other words: a near-perfect-for-my-taste tablet is still impossible to create at the moment.
---------- Post added at 04:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:04 AM ----------
erica_renee said:
OHH I WANT Someone to Buy it for me... HINT HINT.. Giggles..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll see about that if you'll wear that red lace set for me tonight.
WereCatf said:
I'll see about that if you'll wear that red lace set for me tonight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh.. what have I started...
One that isn't outdated in 6 months!
Sent from my A500
>DARKMAN< said:
One that isn't outdated in 6 months!
Sent from my A500
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but your wish will never come true. You will be lucky if your device isn't outdated in a week!
Euclid's Brother said:
Seem tablets are going to be even wilder and better
Full sized USB on tablet with Host mode
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... got to say I was very disappointed that Acer seems to be dropping the full sized USB on the a700. And no one else is building that into their tablet (though Asus has a USB port on the dock). I've got a batch of little USB/MicroSD holders and use them to carry sets of content when I travel (books, movies, TV shows). More convenient than popping the microSD cards in and out.
perfect? so far nothing has even hit my "minimum" requirements. so I'll put those:
Hardware side:
1. 8-10 inch, prefer 8-9 since that seems to hit the sweet spot better than the A500 size.
2. dual core at least, but I'm more focused on software.
3. HDMI out. full sized is best, but since some phones have HDMI that I'd need an adapter for anyway, I can settle for micro on a tablet. aside from making it a much more versatile streaming device, this also massively increases the potential uses of a tablet. presentations and larger scale demonstrations are made possible. gaming can be revolutionized in too many ways to count. so much more I don't want to go on about here.
4. front facing camera at least, and a good mic or it's pointless. back camera is more useful than you'd think, but not necessary. If it's there though, it should be decent, not like the iPad 2mp crap.
5. no proprietary charging connectors. So far this one's been a fail out of the gate for Acer, Asus, Samsung, Toshiba, and others I've forgotten. People wanting to put up with that flaw tend to get iPads. or if there is a prop. charger, at least also give us a second option to charge through the micro USB port like that one LG tablet.
6. certainly no proprietary data connections like on the Galaxy tabs. Seriously guys? I thought you figured this out when the EU banned these on phones. even people with iPads don't actually like having this problem, they're just willing to put up with it. not every design flaw of the iPad is a good idea to copy.
Software side (with some hardware points):
1. STOCK ANDROID. OUT OF THE BOX. Come on OEMs, people are asking you to do LESS on this one, it's not a burden on you. and they're mostly wifi only devices, so that kills most excuses. At the very least, if you want to bundle some additional apps with it for the less savvy folks, fine, just put them in the usr folder so your other customers can uninstall. everybody wins.
2. full USB support, without ANY accessories or connectors. this also means the software will NEED to support USB mass storage, not just MTP. That's a huge peeve for me, some of DONT use Windows 7, or don't want it (i.e. growing millions of Mac users) and even those that do, still have to use older computers from time to time. (XP computers at work, school, friend's/family's houses, all sorts of other real world situations that Google engineers just don't understand) not to mention backing up saves from game consoles, which I do all the time. speaking of games, we also need full USB ports for controllers, seeing as these are heavily used as game machines and the option to use game controllers allows us the best of casual and hardcore gaming worlds.
3. sd card support, preferably full sized cards on a tablet but can settle for micro SD. The most important thing is, it NEEDS to be fully functional, not read only. that defeats the purpose. It really should have the ability to install apps to it too just like with phones. especially since this is a personal computer we're talking about. My A500 is getting a little packed with apps alone, especially with the Gameloft games and other apps that are small downloads from the Market, but then you load them up and they prompt you to download the rest of the app, at 400MB. 16 gigs runs out fast, which is why I have no music or videos on my tablet.
4. Search button. on the control bar, all the time, particularly when running apps. come on Google, removing this is the most mind boggling thing you've done. not only is there WAY more than enough room to put another icon on that bar, this one is not only INCREDIBLY useful, it's actually necessary in some apps. Many don't have search icons programmed into the interface or menu, neither of which is as good or intuitive as having it present all the time, in one uniform spot, launching in app search with one tap, without having to scour the app interface to find it, IF it's even there. that bears repeating: SOME APPS DONT WORK PROPERLY WITHOUT A SEARCH BUTTON, WHICH WOULD TAKE GOOGLE NO EFFORT TO PUT ON THE CONTROL BAR. It blows my mind how many people try to defend this omission too. It's like when they released the Xoom with a card slot that didn't work, for $700, and people pretended it was no big deal. A feature that's been present and working great on all other versions of the OS, which is even easier for Google to make sure exists on this one, and it's not there.
anyway, these are my minimums like I said. other stuff would be nice, like an ir Transmitter/receiver someone mentioned. also, a case/cover that works, unlike Acer's own case. the tab slips out of that thing all the time when propping it up, despite it being designed to prop up the tab, AND it incredibly covers up the micro SD slot, even though they knew enough to let the volume keys and lock switch right next to it exposed.
Don't forget root and AdHoc WiFi out of the box.
Euclid's Brother said:
Seem tablets are going to be even wilder and better this year from some some of the stuff I'm seeing from CES.
What would your "perfect" tablet be?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5'1" - 95lbs - Green eyes - large "top"
Would sit at my feet, read everything to me out loud in a super sexy voice, so I wouldn't have to strain my eyes
kjy2010 said:
5'1" - 95lbs - Green eyes - large "top"
Would sit at my feet, read everything to me out loud in a super sexy voice, so I wouldn't have to strain my eyes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5'1"? God, she'd be so small I'd step on her by accident.
kjy2010 said:
5'1" - 95lbs - Green eyes - large "top"
Would sit at my feet, read everything to me out loud in a super sexy voice, so I wouldn't have to strain my eyes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ummm ....I think Im in the wrong forum ...is this xda
bytemehard said:
Ummm ....I think Im in the wrong forum ...is this xda
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, XDA just recently started doing dating-services, too. Drop a comment in this thread if you're looking for fun or something more serious.
An iconia with ics will do me.
let's see (1)removable battery
(2)dual. Boot. Win 8. N ics
That is all I want
So maybe I missed it but... were there ANY tablets announced at CES that have actual USB ports? cause that's a pretty serious hindrance, in the end. functional connectivity is what's really setting Android apart from the iPad. I honestly think it's a major reason why Android tablets aren't really taking off. all the manufacturers are trying to mimic the iPad, including its limitations. they don't seem to realize they aren't supposed to be targetin people who want iPads; they're supposed to be targeting people who dont want them.
Only new tab I know of with a USB port is the dissapointing Acer a200
And my perfecct tablet is the transformer prime (the new version not the first, glitched up model) with a USB port built in, and microusb as the charger, not through the dock.
WereCatf said:
Yes, XDA just recently started doing dating-services, too. Drop a comment in this thread if you're looking for fun or something more serious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does looking for something 'seriously fun' count?
kjy2010 said:
5'1" - 95lbs - Green eyes - large "top"
Would sit at my feet, read everything to me out loud in a super sexy voice, so I wouldn't have to strain my eyes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're talking about my dog, Rupee. You can't have her!!!
---------- Post added at 05:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:40 PM ----------
Perfect tablet. One that noobs cannot break into, brick it by virtue of their own ignorance, then ask stupid questions later when they didn't follow instructions. And then make it worse by not following "un-bricking" instructions!
An added enhancement... A HUGE FRIGGIN GOOGLE SEARCH button. Dead center of the tab.
"That"... would be the perfect tablet.
Ok, so here's my dilemma. I want a convertible tablet pc. Problem is though, I think all of the ones on the market are poop. They either run android (I don't see the point still) and iOS, or are clunky and rediculously expensive. But I had a extremley bright idea. Buy whatever laptop I like, slap a touchscreen on that *****, and be happy. Keep in mind that as a poor college student with no job, I will probably never be able to afford this
1. Take apart laptop completley, Rip out the green bullcrap.
2. Mod case to be suitable as a convertible...or just look cool.
3. Rverse USB port to face inside
4. Close USB off from the outside
5. Get a USB Touchscreen conversion kit, which im sure come in many different flavors (Capacitive, Multitouch, Resistive), or better yet use a connector designed for computer internals, making #3 and #4 useless.
6. Add 3rd party accelerometer for Poitrait/Landscape orientation
7. Find a suitable hinge (or make one) and replace it
8. Boot laptop, install drivers for touchscreen and accelerometer
9. Pat myself on the back for custom making a tablet PC?
In my opinion the hardest part would be modding the case to be suitable as a convertible tablet, which can't be too hard. I have access to MIG/TIG welders, sheet metal cutters, grinders, ect. and I know people who know how to use them, so working with metal shouldn't be too dificult. In fact, I probably could just build a case myself from scratch. I also have alot of experience with plastic, so that's not a problem although I'd prefer to use metal for structural parts.
Touchscreen conversion kits seem to be all over the internet with a quick google search, and it shouldn't be too hard to find high quality capacitive touchscreen panels.
Walcom Bamboo Stylus because I'm a G
Accelerometers that work with windows I don't know about, but it cant be too hard Amirite? You can find ANYTHING for sale on the internet.
If I do do this however it will probably be in the summer (when I have a job). The only probelm I might have is the internals, seeing as I've never handled computer internals before. My brother did build his computer though, and I have a friend who also builds computers. It dosen't seem too hard compared to the other stuff like modding the case. While the laptop is dissasembled I'd probably put the parts in ziplock bags to keep them away from dirt and debris while I'm not using them. As long as I'm careful I don't thinkim going to mess anything up.
Good idea or no?
Good idea. Just keep in mind that the whole thing would be much heavier than a regular tablet, so holding it in hand would be difficult.
I have seen an EEE PC modded with a touchscreen, but the keyboard part was still there.
Just get a transformer lol...
What is wrong with Android? What is it you need to do that it won't?
My other idea would be to tell you most android devices are capable of running linux too?
Sounds like alot of work..and there are suitable models on the market, but if you wanna do it?
By the time you get around to it I wonder where technology will be...
PS ziplock bags? NO! Get some static bags..ziplocs are crazy static-charged! Honestly though, sounds like you are a good deal away from being able to deconstruct and reconstruct a laptop..the integrated circuits are ridiculously small and fragile..
PPS The hardest part might be actually getting the accelerometer sensors to function..which is where android comes in..you have to actually write some code into your operating system that will recognize and react accordingly withing the right parameters in your code..devs on this sight have problems with accelerometers that otherwise worked on a stock rom on OEM machines, god knows what it would take to get one working on a machine that never intended to have one by design?
That is all
What's old is new again
It's funny we did something similar a few years ago to build PC's into cars and trucks. For that application and at that time it made sense. Today we essentially just make custom docks for COTS tablets so that they integrate with the car.
If you're opposed to Android and other mobile OS's my suggestion is to start looking around craigslist for convertible tablet/laptops like those from HP and Dell or look for a cheap HP slate. I've seen gently used Slates going for around $200-300 and they run windows 8 reasonably well. I've seen convertibles close to that price as well.
Unless you are just dead set on a fabrication project i'd strongly suggest taking advantage of off the shelf hardware and mass production pricing and spend your extra time and money learning how to get the most of of those components.
If you do go ahead with this then weight and cost will be your biggest issues. I think a better twist on this would be to figure out how to make a transformer type of dock for other popular tablets. If you can make them well and make them cheap then sell a few and buy what you really want.
The reason I don't like android is because It's not a desktop OS. I'll be building this tablet-y thing for graphics/image editing, word processing and a little bit of gaming in between and I'm not 100% sure about android graphics programs. I like to keep it simple and use MS Paint, then GIMP if i need a more powerful program. I'm also a windows fanboy and it's what I've been using ever since I was 2... I also like to build things.
I hate the transformer prime. I want a convertible tablet, not a tablet and a little dock thingy...won't serve my purposes.
I didn't know Ziplock bags are staticy by nature. Thanks for the tip.
As far as the accelerometer, I don't know much about them but if it's super difficult I'm probably not going to bother with it. I'll maybe install a switch?
It's hard to beat windows for functionality but you might check out paint.net as a free replacement for paint.
Over all though I get the idea that you're a little in over your head on this.
Sent from my HTC Flyer using XDA App
LexusFman said:
I hate the transformer prime. I want a convertible tablet, not a tablet and a little dock thingy...won't serve my purposes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you seen the Eee Pad Slider?
Also, Adobe photoshop for android = $10
https://market.android.com/details?id=air.com.adobe.pstouch&hl=en
LexusFman said:
The reason I don't like android is because It's not a desktop OS. I'll be building this tablet-y thing for graphics/image editing, word processing and a little bit of gaming in between and I'm not 100% sure about android graphics programs. I like to keep it simple and use MS Paint, then GIMP if i need a more powerful program. I'm also a windows fanboy and it's what I've been using ever since I was 2... I also like to build things.
I hate the transformer prime. I want a convertible tablet, not a tablet and a little dock thingy...won't serve my purposes.
I didn't know Ziplock bags are staticy by nature. Thanks for the tip.
As far as the accelerometer, I don't know much about them but if it's super difficult I'm probably not going to bother with it. I'll maybe install a switch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, I've got photoshop, an office suite, and tons of games, I'd never have to touch a PC again..I am a graphic designer by trade! I can even watch hulu (something not supposed to be capable of on android platforms), I've got a nice stylus and a full qwerty keyboard and mouse- I'm working on the OG transformer not the Prime, as far as I can tell the Prime was pushed too quickly and has issues with all of it's radios due to the metal shell..the TF101 does not have these issues, and the TF700 (basically the prime with the GPS and radios fixed and better resoultion) is available if you don't want to go for the OG transformer.
Seriously sounds like you're trying feverishly to open a can of worms to get a windows tablet when in reality there is no need and windows is given a run for it's money with the new ICS android on the way. Trying to unlock a windows phone after unlocking a whole bunch of Android devices would quickly turn you off of Microsoft as an OS IMO, that's what made me an Android fanboy (I was a windows guy previously, now I'm leaning more and more towards linux/android for their open source code user-friendly programability). But, if you are determined to do something the hard way = the expensive and labor/time-consuming way, no one is going to stop you
Just remember- in the world of technology things are done: Right, Cheap, and/or Fast. BUT, you can only choose two..
I've done this already with a eeePC 700.
1. The resistive touchscreen. You'll need a stylus for that.
2. Typing with a stylus is horrible.
3. It was heavy. Even when it was only 7inch screen. The battery made it heavy. (but I had 9hours of battery life)
4. You couldn't navigate the boot menu (without an external keyboard)
5. Resistive touchscreen is crap for drawing, because you still want to support your hand on the screen while drawing, which you couldn't do.
6. Moving Items around sucked (no drag and drop)
and many more.
I used it in my bed, for browsing. was good enough, until the touchscreen cable snapped. (I didn't have an external keyboard, so I had to open the tablet, connect the keyboard, and navigate the boot menu when I had to)
Hope this helped. Though it was fun to build it and use it, it's not what you would call an 'every day' tablet
romitkin said:
Good idea. Just keep in mind that the whole thing would be much heavier than a regular tablet, so holding it in hand would be difficult.
I have seen an EEE PC modded with a touchscreen, but the keyboard part was still there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it would be much heavier, in fact I think the idea is perfect for modification of a netbook. It would probably be cheapest. since so much case modding is required and so many enclosure fabrication resources are handy, to put together a frankenstein out of 2 or 3 broken netbooks. Find someone who smashed the screen of one netbook, another one who fried the board of theirs, find a total-loss broken tablet PC (like dropped in lake michigan level of total loss so it will cost pennies) and get the ribbon cable and swivel element from there. I think if this idea is applied to a netbook it would be excellent in size and weight as well as functionality. And with the x86 version of android's progress, it could even be running android like a tablet in screen out mode, and change to webtop mode when its swiveled. Put a netbook mobile broadband card in there, many netbooks have open card expansions under the screw-out panels underneath, if not you would have to choose between wifi or taking the wifi expansion out in favor of a mobile broadband card, and certainly make sure that the card is supported by your wireless provider if you choose to go the mobile broadband route. With verizon or sprint you will most likely have to acquire a mobile broadband card out of a netbook that was originally sold by the company, but be sure to check and make sure the MEID is clean before paying anything for one, if the seller defaulted on a contract they used to acquire it, you might as well flash the thing to cricket or metroPCS and use them as your mobile broadband carrier. With either wifi or mobile broadband, as well as bluetooth, don't forget the antenna! yeah that thing you have to unhook from the other side of the card to take it out, you need that. (oh yeah, bluetooths are included as expansion cards sometimes too, if so you could always remove this to make room for the mobile broadband if you don't use bluetooth. I sure don't and probably wont until they drop the rediculous prices of non-audio bluetooth interfaces to acceptable and competative levels.)
That project actually sounds pretty freakin cool, the type of thing I'd do if I wasn't already swamped with projects. Definetly keep us posted if you decide to go through with it, as I pointed out, if you build it from netbook parts it should be well within your budget, netbooks run much cheaper then notebooks already, but a netbook is comperable in power to most current android devices and thus is suitable to handle most things you'd use a tablet PC for, just not high powered stuff like compiling code or rendering animation or playing 3d online games.
Edit: I'd like to add and point out that as a regular user of an acer netbook running ubuntu, it is wise to refrain from excessive multitasking, the atom had to sacrifice a bit of things we've become accustomed to in notebooks to meet the low power consumption and operating temperature requirements, and a lot of those things are things that mostly benefit multitasking. You will not be happy if you try and run a jillion programs at the same time.
That being said ubuntu's new primary UI, I forget what it's called evolve or something like that, it is an excellent UI for netbooks, perfectly space-optimized, especially in the vertical range which gets filled quick on lil netbook screens. I'm not sold on it and prefer to go with gnome or xfce on desktops and normal-sized notebooks, but it is top-notch on a netbook. I'd also recommend not messing with the accelerometer at first and including it later as it may be a pain to implement correctly in comparison to the limited amount of functionality it brings to the table. I'd rather have something that works personally that I can make additions to then pull my hair out trying to throw everything in the first time right.
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Will_nonya said:
It's hard to beat windows for functionality but you might check out paint.net as a free replacement for paint.
Over all though I get the idea that you're a little in over your head on this.
Sent from my HTC Flyer using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to LMAO @ this comment. If users would ever actually push developers to release for the linux platform, especially hardware manufacturers (which is ridiculous since all they would have to do is release their code open source, or even just parts of their code and the community would do the rest. Doesn't matter much tho, it's mostly crappy chinese hardware that isn't supported by linux, and their HQs more then likely don't speak enough english to be able to request anything, beleive me I've tried to contact MSI before.... most hardware worth running is fully supported tho)
But point is, I feel like it is extremely cumbersome whenever I'm forced to use windows, apart from trying to use unsupported hardware or cross-platform software (although wine and mono have made GIGANTIC leaps in usability). I pretty much never have to deal with drivers, updates to all software happens automatically, it's become so self-maintaining that I'm ashamed of how lazy of a linux user I've become. When I actually do have to do something even remotely advanced I have to think for a minute about it. Usually the only thing that really requires a lot of getting under the hood that I ever have to do is when I set up my audio-production setups which is even a lot easier now that they have dedicated repositories for them, and when set up correctly the real time preemptable kernel will run circles around any windows or OSX setup latency-wise. I was pulling lower latency with computers recording with ardour, and sequencing/synthesizing/sampling with seq24 amSynth, and qsampler, 5 years older then any PC I would test it against running windows with Reason and Protools. the Jack audio drivers that allowed software to plug audio inbetween applications directly across the PCM was just icing on the cake.
Windows is good software, but linux has certainly surpassed it by leaps and bounds. Windows still rules for gaming because of directX and industry unwillingness to port to linux, but the period of time right after Microsoft declared it was removing directX support from XP on further releases saw linux catch up with windows for a little while as they rushed wine to support the newest directX making it actually possible to actually run new releases under windowsXP even. Curses microsoft, foiled again! And off topic, but furthermore, I can't believe people still pay so much money for that god damn talking paper clip, openoffice.org ftw!
As I said windows isn't bad software, I said before in these forums actually that if windows ran a microsoft controlled repository to distribute all software for windows through, like linux, it would have similarly non-existant problems with viruses. Having people go around the wild-west of the internet downloading and installing programs from there without even thinking about it is just asking for the malware and adware problems windows experiences. Windows is good software, linux is just much better software.
Too complicated...
On a second thought how about moding a cheap Tablet with better parts. Is it even possible like are the parts such as a processor, camera, or the radio chip available for tablets and phones.
Why dnt you get a transformer?
In my opinion, it would just be better to settle for an table, prices are gonna drop really soon. The market for Eee PC's alike has diminished since the release of the ipad.
This is a wonderful opinion. The things mentioned are unanimous and needs to be appreciated by everyone.
A lot of things to doo, better start with a simple tablet and try to upgrade it if possible... dont know if its possible btw.
I did something almost like this.
Took apart a dirt cheap acer aspire one with a small 8 GB SDD.
Small 280 Atom 1.6GHz cpu and cheap intel GMA gpu.
Inverted the screen
Added a extra 512MB ram and inserted a 16GB SD card.
My battery however did not stand up to the task so i ordered a 9 cell pack.
It ran quite stable with 6 days standby or 12hours of heavy usage.
The lack of a accelerometer however made it a pain for quite a few games.
But i did have a vague plan to get value's from it into the android OS using a AVR and a few other cheap parts.
Many manufacturers still produce cheap atom notebooks like these.
But hardware specs have gotten better and better, so you should be able to pick one up for cheap still.
http://www.axiotron.com
Soooo 2008...
I'm doing this with an old pentium 3 thinkbook. I know its not really that great of a computer but it at least redeems it as a usable device.
sounds interesting will looking forward for it....
Good Idea!
Hi,
I am sorry if this is the wrong forum, I don't know enough to put it else where. I have a GMC full sized van. My DIN opening is actually larger than 7", I could fit an 8" screen in there if I wanted. I also have other options and tons of room. I could cut the dash, go as big as 15, or even 19". I could have a console where a large screen lifts up with some servo or mechanical assembly. Or just simply a flip.
I bought a Hui Fie (sp?) head unit that matches the van. I like it, the colors match perfect, it's the higher res, with a quad core. However there are few things I'd like to improve. I could almost lose the buttons and relocate key ones, like the "home", "return", "navi" etc for a larger screen. Also, I find the buttons feel rather cheap compared to even the GM ones. And the GM ones are nothing high end, but they feel right.
Is it feasible to build a carputer and run android in it? SW controls possible? Are the keys I mention above possible? Canbus? Or would there be another route available by using the head unit I have and attaching to it to a larger screen? One thing I wish these units had was hdmi in and out, and an RJ45 connector for hardwiring a network.
I have a lot of projects on the go, money I should be spending elsewhere, and time that just doesn't... seem to leave me with the right energy and mindset, but I'd like to know if these things are possible. Of course with money and time, but for an average or a bit over average determined person, can they set all this up hardware wise? Is there other directions to find these means? I could literally do anything, it's just time and resources of learning to code new languages and source parts, etc. that limit me. If we were all rich and retired, many of us could do amazing things.
For me, it's a distraction, a hobby and a way to improve my work life. As long as I get the project done. That's the other downfall, you start on a path of perpetual upgrades that never end. But it's enjoyable.
Some head units (the NU3001 for example) are nothing more than an android box attached to a double din screen and buttons. If you can find a monitor that will fit you can pretty much plug in the android box anywhere.
Hi,
Well, I kind of figured that much. I guess you're the only person I've communicated with that confirmed it. However, how would you manage hooking up a larger LCD? You'll most likely have a ribbon cable to connect and you will be limited to the same resolution right? Some of my ideas envision the box much further from the LCD screen. So even if the ribbon cable and drivers work with the larger LCD, it's a physical problem.
The buttons, I don't think they'd be too difficult. You could either solder a tacky solution with wires to extend the location, or you could use SW controls to a button layout with the same resistance values. Seems simple enough. I'd like to know if a car computer is possible in any highly simple way. I can't deal too much with software and drivers right now, too involved for my head with all the other things. But it would be nice to drop in add ons, have an rj45 connector, hdmi in and out.
Maybe my plans are too excessive. Actually, I know they are as of Friday, some priorities have changed and need to reduce things for the time being. This is just an exercise for thought and a potential path in the future.
I do like that radio. I actually wished I bought it after using mine for a little while. Same specs I believe, but the layout actually suited my desires better. Knobs are good, for the size of mine, I'd rather either have one larger, or none. The home and return are necessities to me now.
dberladyn said:
Is it feasible to build a carputer and run android in it? SW controls possible? Are the keys I mention above possible? Canbus? Or would there be another route available by using the head unit I have and attaching to it to a larger screen? One thing I wish these units had was hdmi in and out, and an RJ45 connector for hardwiring a network.
I have a lot of projects on the go, money I should be spending elsewhere, and time that just doesn't... seem to leave me with the right energy and mindset, but I'd like to know if these things are possible. Of course with money and time, but for an average or a bit over average determined person, can they set all this up hardware wise? Is there other directions to find these means? I could literally do anything, it's just time and resources of learning to code new languages and source parts, etc. that limit me. If we were all rich and retired, many of us could do amazing things.
For me, it's a distraction, a hobby and a way to improve my work life. As long as I get the project done. That's the other downfall, you start on a path of perpetual upgrades that never end. But it's enjoyable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With limited time available, I think the answer is no.
Maybe within 1-2 years, with more "community experience" and threads etc., it may be more feasible for people with limited time.
I think the closest you can get right now is to install an Android tablet. This won't, in and of itself, provide hardware buttons, nor other things you desire.
All you want is technically possible of course (with lots of time/work), and I'm sure several home-built Android HU projects that go beyond installing a tablet will arise over the next few years.
For anyone who disagrees, note that OP does not have time to "mess around". If you still disagree, point me to a project thread or blog etc. where somebody has already done all that OP asks about and which won't require too much time to duplicate. Lets say,... 16 hours maximum.