So I know the Nexus Player has an atom processor, so its running some form of Android x86. I have an Asus Chromebox, which I have previously loaded up with Android x86 in the past. Does anyone know if there is a way to get the Android TV interface on generic Android x86, or is Google doing something different here (and not entirely open sourced)? I am pretty interesting in trying to get the Android TV experience on the Chromebox to see how well that works.
-If this should be in one of the dev areas please feel free to point me in that direction.
It is (kinda) possible.
You need to be running Android 5.0+ already and then the Leanback Launcher can be installed (it's working on my Nexus 5 and on my oDroid C1 running 5.1)
Be aware that it's not a perfect solution
koperniczx3 said:
It is (kinda) possible.
You need to be running Android 5.0+ already and then the Leanback Launcher can be installed (it's working on my Nexus 5 and on my oDroid C1 running 5.1)
Be aware that it's not a perfect solution
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip.
In your case, on an oDroid, you'll still be running an arm variant of android. When you say its not perfect, what exactly isn't working?
I've read on the android x86 project's forum that video playback is an issue on Android 5.0 and up, as recently as May of this year. Need to find some more recent threads regarding that, and determine how well supported Intel's graphic drivers are in Android. I know the Nexus Player is using a 3rd party gpu.
Separately, just so I understand, is Android TV just essentially stock Android with the leanback UI and Launcher?
Related
Last night Google announced the Google Chrome open source OS.
This OS will be available for small ARM based devices up to full scale desktop/laptop x86 based devices. Google aims to create a nearly instant on OS with a high reliabilty and the ability to use the applications for Chrome in any (HTML5 Compatible?) browser on any other platform.
ANY WAY... ARM compatibility is nice
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html
Possible for it to run on the xperia?
dadeadman said:
Possible for it to run on the xperia?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nobody knows. For now, it's just an initial announcement with no further details. We'll have to wait for them to release before we see, but it's basically just another window shell on top of a Linux kernel.
Which is fine with me. If google can release an OS that can be flexible enough for ARM to x86, and it WORKS, I'll be happy. I'd love to see a proper Linux ROM on our HTC devices.. it's a shame to be limited to a haret 'side boot' instead of a native ROM
l3it3r said:
Which is fine with me. If google can release an OS that can be flexible enough for ARM to x86, and it WORKS, I'll be happy. I'd love to see a proper Linux ROM on our HTC devices.. it's a shame to be limited to a haret 'side boot' instead of a native ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering WM devices have a REALLY bad habit of booting quite differently from maker to maker, I wouldn't be holding your breath for anything other than a haret based solution for quite some time...
Sense UI is slow on first-generation Android phones, and all the attempts to make it fast only result in a flaky, weird experience.
The framework and everything else is closed-source, what do you expect?
All we can do is extract the APKs and modify images and maybe tweak the AndroidManifest.xml or other xml files. Even if we can extract the bytecode (if that's what it's called for the DalvikVM), it still isn't as open as an AOSP build.
The only reason I flashed Rosie/Sense UI ROMs were to get a nice homescreen (which was slow) with nice widgets and a browser with Flash (that was slow and incompatible but still useful for simple stuff).
I would have fun with the ROM for a while, but when I needed to be productive, like Google something quickly or add a note in AK Notepad, it was painfully slow.
Android 2.2 Froyo is amazing. It has many features, the most important IMO being a reliable JIT compiler for the DalvikVM, and Flash 10.1 coming to the browser OFFICIALLY!
When the source for Android 2.2 is released and Cyanogen makes a release for the G1/Dream, I'm stuck on that until I get a super Android phone with a full QWERTY like the G1
Sense is also UGLY.
As for this flash thing... its not going to work on your phone. Compiled for a different CPU.
Nothing lost there though, flash is terrible trash that the world would be MUCH better off withOUT.
lbcoder said:
Sense is also UGLY.
As for this flash thing... its not going to work on your phone. Compiled for a different CPU.
Nothing lost there though, flash is terrible trash that the world would be MUCH better off withOUT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did Flash murder you in a previous life?
It seems 50% of your posts here are about how Flash is the end of civilization?
Flash is a dreadful battery/CPU hog, and I suspect the 'net, as Apple claim, would be better off without it.
That said, given the propensity of web designers to use nonstandard, bloated, un-necessary flash widgets that break navigation everywhere in their pages, making them utterly useless to those with old machines, accessibility needs/disabilities, etc I guess it's probably better to have it than not. Flash 10.1 under FroYo is only marginally quirky on my Desire. Getting there!
Sense, OTOH, I miss... LauncherPro just isn't as pretty. But I think on older hardware like the G1, I'd agree with the OP. It's not necessary to get the most out of Android and if it's causing slowdowns, it's a bit counter-intuitive to the actual purpose of a mobile phone.
Azurael said:
That said, given the propensity of web designers to use nonstandard, bloated, un-necessary flash widgets that break navigation everywhere in their pages, making them utterly useless to those with old machines, accessibility needs/disabilities, etc I guess it's probably better to have it than not. Flash 10.1 under FroYo is only marginally quirky on my Desire. Getting there!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about just not visiting those websites? Most even halfway marginal websites will provide "if (no flash) then show these links instead", of the rest, you can certainly get the information somewhere else, or failing that, you probably don't want it anyway (the developer is obviously retarded...)
The big important thing to note is that the web is changing. There is MUCH MUCH MUCH less flash around than there was 10 years ago. In fact, I can't think of a single site that actually still *requires* it (except maybe a few sites hosting videos of retards doing stupid crap). I can think of a few that have flash ads -- in these cases, NOT having flash dramatically improves your experience.
Different architectures
I remember a while back that there was a bug in Sense on the Hero where the package name (com.google.maps) would be displayed instead of the actual application name (Maps).
HTC acknowledged the problem and fixed it, but that's the problem with Sense; if it were open-source, someone (probably on xda) would release a tiny patch to fix the problem. Like if Google made the same mistake in the default Launcher, it would be fixed by the devs online quickly.
And now about Flash: What!? Wasn't it built for ARM? Or do the N1 and other superphones use a slightly different architecture? This is weird...
Another problem is that there are netbooks and all sorts of smartphones with Android.
Most netbooks will have x86 processors (Intel, AMD) and though most smartphones are expected to use ARM, some might use a different architecture like MIPS, or even x86 in the future.
Normal Android applications that are made with Java are fine, but how about all the apps with native binaries built with the Android NDK?
What Google should do is implement a way to compile the same program to all popular architectures, and keep the different binaries in the APK.
Apple did something similar in Mac OS X when they switched from PowerPC to Intel... application files in Mac OS X are basically a package that holds basic information, icons, and the binaries, which make this file format similar to Android APKs, except that when someone compiles their program for OS X, both PowerPC and Intel binaries are compiled and stored in the application.
If Google does this for Android, there will be no problem with different architectures (like with Flash not being able to run on the G1)
PSP_Hacker said:
I remember a while back that there was a bug in Sense on the Hero where the package name (com.google.maps) would be displayed instead of the actual application name (Maps).
HTC acknowledged the problem and fixed it, but that's the problem with Sense; if it were open-source, someone (probably on xda) would release a tiny patch to fix the problem. Like if Google made the same mistake in the default Launcher, it would be fixed by the devs online quickly.
And now about Flash: What!? Wasn't it built for ARM? Or do the N1 and other superphones use a slightly different architecture? This is weird...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just like i686 binaries won't run on an i486 CPU, ARM7 binaries won't run on an ARM5 CPU. There are architectural changes that break compatibility of new binaries on old hardware.
Another problem is that there are netbooks and all sorts of smartphones with Android.
Most netbooks will have x86 processors (Intel, AMD) and though most smartphones are expected to use ARM, some might use a different architecture like MIPS, or even x86 in the future.
Normal Android applications that are made with Java are fine, but how about all the apps with native binaries built with the Android NDK?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not all native applications are built with the NDK. Flash is a big example -- it has a lot of HAND WRITTEN ASSEMBLY CODE. There is NO automatic way to generate hand written assembly code. Each additional platform you support MUST have its own manually written code.
What Google should do is implement a way to compile the same program to all popular architectures, and keep the different binaries in the APK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://developer.android.com/sdk/ndk/index.html
Might not be a bad idea to read up on the ndk.
The applicable line is "You can also build for both architectures at the same time and have everything stored in the final .apk". Seems that they already thought of this
*** but it isn't applicable to flash since flash is partially hand-written. They could easily include the various binaries within a single APK file, but that won't happen unless they actually build the arm5 binary, which is extremely unlikely.
If Google does this for Android, there will be no problem with different architectures (like with Flash not being able to run on the G1)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For reasons mentioned above, this doesn't help.
I am running Sailfish OS on my Nexus 7 and when I use Android there is some lag. But when I use Sailfish there isn't. I know with ios they have rendering performance over apps and on Android its vice versa. Is sailfish doing the same?
DavidLattimerii said:
I am running Sailfish OS on my Nexus 7 and when I use Android there is some lag. But when I use Sailfish there isn't. I know with ios they have rendering performance over apps and on Android its vice versa. Is sailfish doing the same?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't answer you're question technically. But if you compare the specs of an android device and the jolla phone you'll see there is a huge difference. The sailfishos work on much lower hardware quite flawlessy and is not so ressource hungry than android.
It runs very smooth until it's memory is free... if you use a bit much of memory it start sometimes to lag a lot. It's a low memory problem around that the Jolla crew it's working, the next update (january 2015) hopefully will fix it.
DavidLattimerii said:
I am running Sailfish OS on my Nexus 7 and when I use Android there is some lag. But when I use Sailfish there isn't. I know with ios they have rendering performance over apps and on Android its vice versa. Is sailfish doing the same?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It clearly depends on your device(not exactly, the GPU drivers)
Some shaders can be more or less efficient depending on HW and the driver(not much for Sailfish as it uses LibHYBRIS)
You should note, that Sailfish OS does not run Java Virtual Machine. All apps are compiled to machine code. This makes Sailfish bleeding fast.
enedil said:
You should note, that Sailfish OS does not run Java Virtual Machine. All apps are compiled to machine code. This makes Sailfish bleeding fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It runs the Dalvik or ART JVM for Android compatibility.
Only if you run Android apps!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
enedil said:
Only if you run Android apps!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to explicitly run it without Android support...
(if it ran it on demand, launch times would be terrible)
Hi,
is there any chance we will see Android 10 on Xperia Tablet Z? If is, then how likely?
I know that Android is getting more and more demanding. For example my Xperia on Android 9 is now unable to smoothly play 1080p 60fps YouTube videos. Only [email protected] or [email protected] (but even that sometimes stutters).
TheCynicalCris said:
Hi,
is there any chance we will see Android 10 on Xperia Tablet Z? If is, then how likely?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it will be possible to compile android 10 from sources and install on our device. But question about it's stability and support of native android features is open, keeping in mind, that official nighties are still based on android 8, and android 9 ROMs still have some issues (though not major) unresolved.
Currently running amaces oreo rom for both devices and well, they aren't completely stable with bugs for wifi and video, and it has been a number of years since i moved on from android 5, 6 and 7.
I'm looking for something for 1080p playback, if possible, on the hd+ and solid wifi. With no show stopping bugs.
Maybe android 6 or 7?
Thanks.
Currently running the last Nougat rom on both Hummingbird and Oviation.
No wifi issues on both. HD playback works great on both. Full hd playback plays on hummingbird with issues, oviation however is not able to.
Maybe a MM rom for both.
w1ll1m said:
Currently running the last Nougat rom on both Hummingbird and Oviation.
No wifi issues on both. HD playback works great on both. Full hd playback plays on hummingbird with issues, oviation however is not able to.
Maybe a MM rom for both.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My husband ran the last version of CM 13 (hummingbird) with HDMI-out capability for several years before moving on to different hardware. Other than the shutdown issue it performed very well for him with both MX Player and Kodi.
nmyshkin said:
My husband ran the last version of CM 13 (hummingbird) with HDMI-out capability for several years before moving on to different hardware. Other than the shutdown issue it performed very well for him with both MX Player and Kodi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info!
I'm currently running amaces last aosp mm rom on the oviation and fullhd playback isnt an issue on vlc and newpipe for youtube. Just needed to downgrade twrp and install it alongside magisk for root.
I was planning on getting a newer device, which would have better hardware obviously, but i'm reluctant to contribute to ewaste when i have a working device.
i'm keeping the hummingbird on nougat since i don't really need it for media usage.
Both devices still work incredibly well as ereaders, duh, when paired with the fantastic app Koreader. Which is what i mainly use them for.
Thanks and i hope this helps someone.