lapdock usefulness? - Atrix 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm considering picking up a lapdock for my Atrix, but I understand CM (and Neutrino, which I'm using now) may not support it just yet. Anyone have any strong feelings pro or con on the lapdock's usefulness? Could I actually use it for light document work, that sort of thing? I use LibreOffice for my work.
Just wondering if it's more of an interesting idea that wasn't implemented well, versus a nicely useable thing once hacked properly.

beermotor said:
I'm considering picking up a lapdock for my Atrix, but I understand CM (and Neutrino, which I'm using now) may not support it just yet. Anyone have any strong feelings pro or con on the lapdock's usefulness? Could I actually use it for light document work, that sort of thing? I use LibreOffice for my work.
Just wondering if it's more of an interesting idea that wasn't implemented well, versus a nicely useable thing once hacked properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't speak the lapdock necessarily but I have the webtop and I love (well loved, I'm on CM9 now) it. I did collaborative document editing using the web and application version of Google Docs. Can LibreOffice docs be opening with Google Docs? Playing music, browsing the web, and sending texts/gchat, etc are all relatively easy. If you can get a good deal I would recommend it. I used this before I rooted and was forced to use WIFI as opposed to my data connection but I'm sure there is a hack for that by now.

I use the lapdock everyday. I haven't found a rom that I like with the lapdock (settings issues, etc) so I am on stock but the .24 1.3 oc Faux kernel (I run it a 1.1 or 1.3) seems to boost lapdock performance. Keyboard is cramped and I wish the screen would tilt back further but these are minor complaints, particularly if you can get a lapdock for $100. My wife's desktop died so I gave her my laptop and I now generally use the lapdock. For documents, I have access to the Citrix Xen Desktop (from my office) so I can use Outlook/Word and Excel and they work fine (of course the Xen means the lapdock is just being used as a dumb terminal). Only other problem is that the lapdock hogs memory (and it doesn't free it after uplugging) so after I use the lapdock I always reboot the phone..

If you can find a good price, I think you can find them for around $100 now, I would say it may be worth it. I have only used it when I travel for watching movies, etc on a plane or killing time in airports. Its a bit awkward to use without a mouse (IMHO) and if I had a tablet I would probably never use it. Its nice to have, but a little less user friendly than a tablet and more difficult than a laptop for productivity.
As for ROMs, I've upgraded to CM9 which is not compatible with the webtop, but I ran the Alien build for about 6 months with no issues. Its easy enough to just flash a ROM for a day or two that is webtop compatible and reflash back to your preferred ROM afterwards - that is my plan next time I travel.

I don't think the lapdock is particularly useful. It's a memory hog, and pretty darn slow. My netbook is a lot faster. I also detest the lack of multitouch on the trackpad.
I got mine for Christmas, but also got a 7" HTC tablet at the same time. The tablet gets lots of use; the lapdock is sitting in the box. I guess I should sell it while it's still worth something.

While the non-Blur custom roms don't have webtop, they DO have landscape HDMI mirroring.
Mirroring the display is MUCH more useful for me. Everything responds perfectly, and the trackpad and keyboard work well too. The device doesn't feel bogged down, as it did under webtop, and I haven't found there was anything I could do under webtop that was more efficient than anything on the phone UI.

Dudeman Broguy said:
While the non-Blur custom roms don't have webtop, they DO have landscape HDMI mirroring.
Mirroring the display is MUCH more useful for me. Everything responds perfectly, and the trackpad and keyboard work well too. The device doesn't feel bogged down, as it did under webtop, and I haven't found there was anything I could do under webtop that was more efficient than anything on the phone UI.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just wish the OS scaled better for the higher resolution of the laptop dock, but it's a minor inconvenience. The major inconvenience for me is that it likes to reboot once it stays idle while on the lapdock for longer than 10 minutes, but that might be due to undervolting.

paravorheim said:
I just wish the OS scaled better for the higher resolution of the laptop dock, but it's a minor inconvenience. The major inconvenience for me is that it likes to reboot once it stays idle while on the lapdock for longer than 10 minutes, but that might be due to undervolting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found a couple tricks to work around both of these issues for myself.
I use LCD Density Modder Pro and lowered the density to 175, makes things seem kind of small on the phone interface but it looks great on the lapdock and is still usable (for me) without the dock as well.
For the idling, I set up a Tasker profile that sets the display time out to 2 minutes, disables autobrightness, and sets brightness to 1 whenever I'm on a charger. Generally, if I'm actually using the dock I'll touch it within 2 minutes anyway.
I also found that for some reason, my screen won't time out while on the dock at all lately, but if I know I'm not using it I can manually turn the screen off.
Obviously it's all work around and would vary from person to person, but there are options.
Also, Switch User would let you create a second profile for lapdock use (with a different LCD Density, screen time out, ETC) if you don't mind doing a reboot between using the lapdock and using just the phone.
^all of this referring to CM based ROMs without webtop

I think the lapdock is going to see a resurgence in usefulness when the CM9 roms start getting better and include the Tablet interface.
using the phone and then getting a full tablet UI to play with (ICS tablet interface is nice) will be much better than the webtop and yes, I'm a fan of the webtop

V DidDy 210 said:
I think the lapdock is going to see a resurgence in usefulness when the CM9 roms start getting better and include the Tablet interface.
using the phone and then getting a full tablet UI to play with (ICS tablet interface is nice) will be much better than the webtop and yes, I'm a fan of the webtop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1

I use mine often in the house (wi-fi). O pretty much just is it for web based applications. A wireless mouse makes things a lot better. Anyone tried unbuntu yet?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA

+1, cm9 with lapdock in native resolution would bei great

But I can use the lapdock with the cm9?
Inviato dal mio MB860 usando Tapatalk

I have a quick question, does the lapdock feature speakers or is it purely a screen and keyboard + 2 USB ports?

Ultraman1966 said:
I have a quick question, does the lapdock feature speakers or is it purely a screen and keyboard + 2 USB ports?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery, (which charges your phone while it's docked), screen, keyboard, trackpad, speakers, and 2 USB ports.

Thanks. Shame that it doesn't include a front cam (even a cheap VGA would do) as I would love to use it for Skype video calls.

Ultraman1966 said:
Thanks. Shame that it doesn't include a front cam (even a cheap VGA would do) as I would love to use it for Skype video calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, would have been nice given phone has front cam which is useless when docked.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium

CaelanT said:
Yeah, would have been nice given phone has front cam which is useless when docked.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
How responsive is the dock these days? Has there been much in terms of official software updates? I would use it mainly for web browsing and watching videos (on iPlayer for example).

Ultraman1966 said:
How responsive is the dock these days? Has there been much in terms of official software updates? I would use it mainly for web browsing and watching videos (on iPlayer for example).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lapdock is great imo. No updates from Moto other than Firefox from what I see. You want the best out if it you need to install Gentop2, Debian, etc. Much more useful then.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium

Motoblur ICS will include an overhauled Webtop which is just tablet view with a different resolution. Unfortunately, we will be waiting a couple months for that.

Related

[DISCUSSION] I like webOS & my HP Touchpad!

Well guys i have been using this TP for about 2 weeks (I bought the 32GB with touchstone at the firesale price) and I must say its bad ass! Personally I think its a nice looking tablet and it feels good in the hand. It may not be the lightest but I personally dont really notice it " fituging my hand". Now let me say I have been using "Palm" for years and think WebOS is by far the best OS with the worst people behind it... but I digress. After the original Pri and all the promises "Palm" made about new hardware just to keep the loyal customers waiting I dropped them. I am now a loyal android user and am using my romed Epic 4g with no problems (waiting for that Galaxy S 2 to drop).
So after putting my TP to 1.5ghz this thing is an amazing tablet and as far as specs go there is not many duel care 1.5ghz 1gb or ram having tablets out there. Plus the GPU is pretty amazing (and I dont think we have even started to utilize it yet). So for 150 bucks I think I got a good deal. If they where to put honeycomb on it this thing would rock (not that I like HC more the WebOS but all the apps really make it worthwhile). Now my favorite thing by far is the Touchstone, I fell in love with it with the Pri and missed it with every phone since. Why no one else has "copied" it is beyond me (yea there is Power matt but its not even close). It is amazing, not only does it "look cool" but its nice to just set the phone/tablet down and not have to find cords to hook up. The feel of tablet of smooth and I really like it.. even better then the Xoom or Ipad2 (yes I have had both). But one of the best features is the "Beats Audio" speakers. This tablet really sounds amazing compared to any other tablet.
So I just wanted to share ... Thanks for reading.
[DISCUSSION] webOS - A Rock to be polished into a Diamond
I'm a cappy and touchpad owner. I don't feel the hype of android on touchpad. You guys take all that effort and money to make WebOs better. There are a handfull of tablets with android around but there's only one with WebOs. Isn't that unique. Make those hours count on something special, not on something
more of the same. Still, I love Android!
loro1575 said:
I'm a cappy and touchpad owner. I don't feel the hype of android on touchpad. You guys take all that effort and money to make WebOs better. There are a handfull of tablets with android around but there's only one with WebOs. Isn't that unique. Make those hours count on something special, not on something
more of the same. Still, I love Android!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also managed to get a stupidly cheap touchpad and I have to say, I really don't know why webOS has been taking such a beating. Ok, the app support is very limited but I really like it, ok i've OC'd and tweaked a little but im more than happy with its performance. The only thing that I am missing is VNC and yes I know there is a VNC app in preware but it doesnt work on the touchpad, certainly not without a hardware keyboard anyway.
There are several website sites that just don't work on any of the android browsers I've tried but the touchpad handles them flawlessly. I have skype video which I can't get on Android either.
I'll be keeping webOS unless two things happen...
1) Android is available as a dual boot solution
2) There is no performance loss running Android
I feel the hype, but I'm not sure why...
I have a nook color that I ported to android. Yes, I understand that it does not even come close to the hardware in the touchpad but webOS is so much more fluid than gingerbread.
I really do miss all the available apps for android but also really like how webOS handles certain things, very easy to learn. Might have to hold out converting my touchpad over until they get honeycomb.
Wish some devs would put their effort into making apps for the touchpad. With so many sold, there is a good market there. I am willing to pay for apps, I think many people are, but really, there are no good ones right now.
Things the touchpad needs:
FTP client
Be able to connect to ad hoc networks (for tethering) my rooted OG droid only supports ad hoc for tether
Better Browser (firefox!) i'd even settle for an xscope or dolphin port! The browser is surprisingly severely lacking
There are so many more apps I could use but would settle for the above.
This probably isn't the right sub-forum, but I kind of agree. I also have a Nook Color with CM7 and am loving the slickness WebOS. The lack of apps is disappointing, but on the other hand a lot of Android apps are nothing impressive. I'm really not sure if I would put Android on the Touchpad if/when it's easily available (of course, I already have two other Android devices at home).
Like the above, ad hoc networking, some browser options or plugins, and personally a better PDF reader would be great (ezPDF on Android is nice), along with others. Hopefully since the market has grown from the fire sale, some devs will write or port more apps.
ponyboy82 said:
The lack of apps is disappointing, but on the other hand a lot of Android apps are nothing impressive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are far too many pointless apps out there both in the android market place and the store for that "i-thingy" that people are always harping on about
My needs are simple...
1) A web browser that works and has decent flash support - Check
2) Skype Video - Check
3) SSH Client - Check
4) VNC Client - FAIL
5) Occasional HD video playing (Kinda check)
I'm really hoping that a proper VNC client is developed, then I can forget about android.
foobar1977 said:
I also managed to get a stupidly cheap touchpad and I have to say, I really don't know why webOS has been taking such a beating. Ok, the app support is very limited but I really like it, ok i've OC'd and tweaked a little but im more than happy with its performance. The only thing that I am missing is VNC and yes I know there is a VNC app in preware but it doesnt work on the touchpad, certainly not without a hardware keyboard anyway.
There are several website sites that just don't work on any of the android browsers I've tried but the touchpad handles them flawlessly. I have skype video which I can't get on Android either.
I'll be keeping webOS unless two things happen...
1) Android is available as a dual boot solution
2) There is no performance loss running Android
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you guys that WebOs isn't that bad... However, I am going to port Android on mine for sure. The problem is the severe lack of apps. Developers are not going to want to develop for it since the Touchpads are dead. Yes they sold a crap ton of them in a matter of days but who wants to develop for an Os that will most likely be dead in a matter of years.
Something I would really like to see is a split keyboard like Thumb Keyboard or Swifkey Tablet. And Ad-Hoc Support would be nice too.
That's just my 2 cents.
Well my problem is that the SSL web login for my university wifi doesn't even work on the touchpad, which pretty much deem the tablet useless.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA Premium App
I dunno if you knew about this, but WebOS natively supports USB-Host accessories. Look at that video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXRcvN50-nU (i am not the author, and not even an owner of touchpad yet)
it's on russian, but you can get the main idea: without any modifications, using microusb host cable and powered hub you can attach any USB KB to TP.
I have to say I agree with the OP in some sense. I'm an avid Android fan and I was once an avid windows mobile fan. WebOS seems like the marrying of Android, with its openness, and iOS, with its idiot proofness. I am excited about a dual boot but to be honest i won't see myself using android much on this tablet. I'm liking webOS more and more everyday.
i would actually want webOS with a sort of android app emulator if the apps is what you're after....otherwise i'm pretty happy with it, just wish someone would optimise the OS cuz i'm sure there's a lot of room for improvement
Bxsteez said:
I have to say I agree with the OP in some sense. I'm an avid Android fan and I was once an avid windows mobile fan. WebOS seems like the marrying of Android, with its openness, and iOS, with its idiot proofness. I am excited about a dual boot but to be honest i won't see myself using android much on this tablet. I'm liking webOS more and more everyday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't agree more, with the Touchpad updated to 3.0.2, overclocked to 1.8ghz on both cores and all the tweaks installed, it's a pretty good OS. I was looking ofrward to Android, now I think I'll stick with WebOS, or at most Dual-Boot, though as we've seen before, Android 2.3 doesn't work that fantastically on a tablet anyway...
ace9988 said:
i would actually want webOS with a sort of android app emulator if the apps is what you're after....otherwise i'm pretty happy with it, just wish someone would optimise the OS cuz i'm sure there's a lot of room for improvement
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you load preware and overclock that helps smooth out the os quite a bit
Sent from my Droid using XDA App
For me the 1990's era stock browser is the only major problem in the otherwise outstanding OS. I don't understand the logic of using such a basic featureless browser for such a critical aspect of the device.
trialdoer said:
For me the 1990's era stock browser is the only major problem in the otherwise outstanding OS. I don't understand the logic of using such a basic featureless browser for such a critical aspect of the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. The awful browser and no alternatives is what makes webOS useless for me. Love the concept of the OS, but damn is it buggy. Have to reboot mine twice a day because the sound stops working. Haven't rebooted my iPad in over 3 months.
Unrealwolf said:
I dunno if you knew about this, but WebOS natively supports USB-Host accessories. Look at that video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXRcvN50-nU (i am not the author, and not even an owner of touchpad yet)
it's on russian, but you can get the main idea: without any modifications, using microusb host cable and powered hub you can attach any USB KB to TP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried this with my USB Host cable I have for my Xoom and it doesn't work. It does however work beautifully on my Xoom .
Is there something I have to load on the Touchpad for it to Work?
muyoso said:
Yep. The awful browser and no alternatives is what makes webOS useless for me. Love the concept of the OS, but damn is it buggy. Have to reboot mine twice a day because the sound stops working. Haven't rebooted my iPad in over 3 months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't understand how people are saying the browser is awful? Maybe I just haven't experienced the issues people are having. It loads fast, it renders the internet just as a desktop would, flash works flawlessly. This is by far the best web browsing experience i've ever had. The only other thing i would want is tabs and a search function. I know advanced browser has this but advanced browser is super buggy.
I think webos can be a real competitor to the ipad, but many of the blogs I've watched seem to downplay the touchpad. I think a lot of people fear the touchpad is taking all the attention away from other tablets and gadgets. I've seen lots of hope with the Amazon tablet, but if HP comes back with another round of $99 touchpads all other tablets will be sitting on their butts.
It cannot be said enough, webOS is the most complete and most functional multitasking mobile OS out there. My wife has been a webOS fan and we just got 2 Touchpads and we love them, so do our kids. The ONLY thing missing are some key apps (Netflix, Googles) or this pad would be unbeatable which it almost is right now.
Bxsteez said:
I don't understand how people are saying the browser is awful? Maybe I just haven't experienced the issues people are having. It loads fast, it renders the internet just as a desktop would, flash works flawlessly. This is by far the best web browsing experience i've ever had. The only other thing i would want is tabs and a search function. I know advanced browser has this but advanced browser is super buggy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ive posted about it elsewhere so I'll make it short. Doesn't render pages right. Glitches text rendering sometimes. No background downloading in background cards. Multiple cards open leads to the browser never re-sharpening the text when switching between them occasionally (25% of the time prob) until you close the card and reopen a new one. No search in page. Barely any customization. Slower than my Epic4g and iPad 1 at rendering and downloading webpages.
Flash works alright though. I don't really get what there is to like about the browser. It would be awesome if I didn't have an iPad or android phone to compare it to I guess.
I just made a video. Loading engadget. Single core 800mhz Ipad 1 on the left, Dual core 1.5ghz overclocked Touchpad on the right. iPad is using Safari and loading with ads and all and Touchpad has flash OFF and is using an ad blocker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCmUyADNN4w
Pathetic performance by the Touchpad frankly.

[Q] Touchpad with android as daily?

Hi guys, i am thinking about to buy me a touchpad and install android on it. Now, my concerns... is it stable enough to use it as a daily driver that way?
Mostly i am watching video and playing games on my tablet right now, and i wonder if the performance with android on touchpad is good enough for my needs?
I also need to know if it has hdmi out?
If there are any big warnings please advert me now, before i make a misstake..if it all right im getting it =)
infexis said:
Hi guys, i am thinking about to buy me a touchpad and install android on it. Now, my concerns... is it stable enough to use it as a daily driver that way?
Mostly i am watching video and playing games on my tablet right now, and i wonder if the performance with android on touchpad is good enough for my needs?
I also need to know if it has hdmi out?
If there are any big warnings please advert me now, before i make a misstake..if it all right im getting it =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using my touchpad daily with the CM7 last released alpha build. I use it for videos, games, web browsing, etc. Android runs smooth and I have no issues at all. If you score a touchpad at the right price its an awesome device. If you want to spend more get a galaxy tab or an ipad. As for making a mistake, no one can either encourage or discourage you from that. Good luck with your decision.
Edit: No HDMI out port.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk
I've installed it and so far I like it... The sound is choppy and I don't know how to fix it.. However, everything else works great!! I have lots of games like plants vs zombies and it works great!! I also installed dolphin browser and works great!! I have the HTC IME mod keyboard and the landscape looks good and covering the whole screen the horizontal is half screen but works good too.. I like the Android better due to more apps and more things to put..
sent from my HTC EVO 3D using XDA Premium!!
Very few issues here as well.
Daily driver, no problem.
I play Contract Killer...and lack of real buttons (home, menu, back, etc.) sometimes gets you locked in the game...however, ending the task gets you back to where you need to be.
I love WebOS, don't get me wrong, but Android has the apps and games I like to play.
infexis said:
Hi guys, i am thinking about to buy me a touchpad and install android on it. Now, my concerns... is it stable enough to use it as a daily driver that way?
Mostly i am watching video and playing games on my tablet right now, and i wonder if the performance with android on touchpad is good enough for my needs?
I also need to know if it has hdmi out?
If there are any big warnings please advert me now, before i make a misstake..if it all right im getting it =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Video performance is bad, unless you stick to watching youtube vids.
Sent from my HP Touchpad using Tapatalk
I use both CM7 and WebOS. For Flash video and Netflix I boot into WebOS. I use both WebOS and CM7 for music and CM7 for most games, transcoded video, and web blowsing. Love Dolphin HD on CM7, much better than the default browser on WebOS.
You can't go wrong for the price... the harware is very good.
I don't think Netflix works in webOS, but in CM it works great. I got mine not knowing how much I would use it, my wife likes webOS so it was mostly for her. Turns out I use it alot more than I thought I would. I use it to search the web, music, movies and games instead of my laptop most of the time now. It was well worth the purchase.
While it has some minor quirks, its plenty usable as a daily driver. The biggest issue is that the battery life in sleep mode is terrible compared to webOS. It'll get you through a full day of use with moderate usage, so its not a deal breaker.
battery in sleep makes me barf. I wake up friday morning use it a bit, go ona weekend trip and it's dead on Monday.
Meanwhile I wake up on Friday with webOS, leave for the weekend and come back to see my device at like 77%.
Is this just how Android devices are, or is it because the Touchpad still needs some tweaking? And if by tweaking you mean we can get 10-20% better battery life in idle, that's not much. Power consumption needs to be cut in like 1/5th if not 1/10th its current state in idle.
Keep in mind folks that Gingi isn't even officially released. There are a lot of development being done in the shadows. I think it will all work out in the next few months. The source for ICS is released, which does officially support tablets. I would not mind them moving to ICS and skip HC/Gingi all together.
I use Gingerbread on a daily basis. My TP is on the Touchstone 90% of the time, so I don't see the same battery issues as others.

Is it worth buying this tab

It is quite expensive to buy tab so if I decide to buy it I would like to get the best there is for my money.
So please share your experience, are you happy about it? Are there any major problems or bugs which you experienced? Is stock ROM good? Is it worth rooting? Basically whatever you think it's worth mentioning before I buy it.
and also is it possible to plug USB keyboard?
Sent from my Sensation using XDA App
Yes
I have had it for a week now and yes, I would say it was worth it. My only disappointment was that it does not have 2G / 3G voice capabilities. So I still have to carry a regular cell phone. But I have used the data side with Skype and it works great. I am hoping someone on XDA will hack the dialler functionality soon!
Value is a personal thing, very subjective.
The fact that you're asking about plugging in a keyboard indicates the desire to use the tablet for more than content consumption (videos, music, simple web browsing, reading). Not sure if this would be your first tablet but if you're looking to do any type of serious work on one tread carefully.
I got my Verizon LTE version fully understanding that I'd use it purely as a content consumption device. As such I'm VERY satisfied with it. I have no expectations to do any work related stuff on it other than read and respond to emails as the kind of work I do can't be done on a tablet anyhow.
Things I like to do with it include web browsing, watching downloaded TV shows (EZTV.it downloads), watching my bluray rips (be warned, tegra 2 chipset has specific limitations on codec/encoding settings so don't expect all types of 1080p encodes to work) reading news, browsing youtube and listening to streaming music.
My tablet came with Honeycomb 3.1 and that was LAGGY out of the box. Changing to ADW Launcher EX helped a lot but going to the leaked 3.2 ROM and putting on a different kernel is what helped the most so to answer your question - hated stock, rooted . . love being on non-stock rom and kernels.
Thank you guys. Reason why I'm asking is that my laptop died yesterday and I need mobility of a laptop around the house but I don't like them, they are often poorly build, battery is not doing well and it is expensive to change and many more reasons. So I think it's time to end that nonsense and buy desktop PC for all kind of work and tablet for entertainment, Web surfing, Ebay communication. However I do like to write long emails and I'm not a fun of touchable keyboard, that is why I'm asking is it possible to plug regular one.
I never had tablet before, but I have now two Android devices and I am aware about some limitations, that is why I will by desktop PC as well. Waiting for more opinions. Thanks.
Sent from my Sensation using XDA App
Anyone?
Sent from my Sensation using XDA App
played with it 30 min at shop today, wasn't impressed, seem like a good device but it did not dropped my jaw with performance so I decided to w8 few months and I will try to get cheaper from Ebay, bought desktop PC today anyway
Biggest reason why I decided not to buy it is that stock ROM did not impressed me so I will w8 for cheaper opportunity and root it and get custom ROM
Sent from my Sensation using XDA App
if you have patience to wait for transformer prime, don't go for this tab.
Two suggestions:
1) don't judge a tablet just by its specs and performance (it's like a car: just because it has a great engine doesn't mean it's fast, and certainly doesn't mean the seats are comfortable....). A light and easy to hold tablet is worth way more than a fast tablet with many ports and sharp edges (take my word, I tried 6 tablets before I found the GT10.1.). (Just to be clear, the GT10.1 is and will be the fastest tablet you can get until the Transformer Prime is launched).
2) don't judge a tablet by the stock ROM performance. If you know enough to find XDA, you should know that stock ROM and custom ROM are night and day... Keep this in mind for new tablets (it will be a few months before the Transformer Prime ROMs mature).
leyus said:
Thank you guys. Reason why I'm asking is that my laptop died yesterday and I need mobility of a laptop around the house but I don't like them, they are often poorly build, battery is not doing well and it is expensive to change and many more reasons. So I think it's time to end that nonsense and buy desktop PC for all kind of work and tablet for entertainment, Web surfing, Ebay communication. However I do like to write long emails and I'm not a fun of touchable keyboard, that is why I'm asking is it possible to plug regular one.
I never had tablet before, but I have now two Android devices and I am aware about some limitations, that is why I will by desktop PC as well. Waiting for more opinions. Thanks.
Sent from my Sensation using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own all three device types; four if you count my phone and my experience is this: my Tab used to be my wife's tab. Until she broke the screen, but she gave it to me because using it gave her RSI in her shoulder... the kind you need a fysiotherapist to look at and massage out. Holding it in front of you (lifting it) for extended periods time isn't recommended; you need to rest it on your lap or desk once in a while.
My experience with the tablet so far is that it's good for checking your email, your facebook/twitter/g+, browsing and the occasional game (Apparatus is really good on the Tab). However, if you're going to do more typing than 5 or 6 lines (long emails), you're better of with something that has a keyboard, like your desktop. Not only is it faster, it is way more comfortable. I wouldn't use my Tab to post this.
If you're planning on plugging a keyboard into a tablet, in other words: trying to make a tablet into a laptop, in my book you are doing it wrong and you would've been much better off buying a simple laptop. IMHO a tablet is not a laptop replacement. However, I do think it is possible using an OTG usb plug to use a keyboard with the Tab if you really want to; most likely you will need to run a custom 3.2 ROM. A mate of mine with a Transformer had loads of problems with the external keyboard on 3.1.
So what does it add to my desktop/laptop/phone I already have you may ask? Well, I'm gonna try and see if it works as an electronic notepad. My desk is littered with sheets of A5 paper filled with scribbles of meetings and ideas. I've ordered a Dagi P507 stylus (should be accurate with a capacitive screen) and I hope that it will work reasonably well in combination with handwriting recognition.
Also it just looks sexy on the coffee table.
So it's great for occasional use (look up imdb during a movie), but it's just not very good at "normal" productivity. IMHO it's a nice-to-have: I would not buy one if I didn't already have a laptop and a desktop.
If you use a custom Rom and one of the nice kernels this tablet performes well. There are some Keyboards availablefor example
amazon.com/GSAstore-Bluetooth-Keyboard-Designed-Samasung/dp/B005MEHB1K
Thanks for all the opinions guys, I will anyway w8 till price goes down, I am kind of sceptical about rooting and losing warranty on device worth 400 pounds. I already felt worried about this with my HTC sensation which was much cheaper. If the price will drop to about 300 our if I can get it fairly cheap second hand then I will buy it so I guess I will w8 with it.
Sent from my Sensation using XDA App

What Are You Using It For?

Hi,
Just got a 32GB HP Touchpad. Had it charged up last night and spent a couple of hours on it. I also have a Motorola Xoom 32GB and Apple iPAD.
My first thought was immediately install CMW 7, but wanted to hold back and use WebOS for a months first.
Wanted to get everyone opinion on what they've used for so far. Are you on WebOS or you went to the immediate route of Android?
If I go end up going to CMW 7 or 9 and decided to revert back to WebOS, what is the procedure / process to bring back to stock?
Thanks,
i just got a 32GB a few days ago as well
i also have a ipad and a transformer... only reason i got the touchpad is to kinda beat on it
(use it in my car audio setup/media player for my 2 18" BTL's )
i installed android (xron cm7.1) right away as i felt webOS is just not well developed yet and the fact that i LOVE the openness of cm7 and android...
it is easy to go back to complete stock... about as hard as rooting a "new" phone (using CMD/ADB)
i recommend staying away from the android builds if you use it as a daily pad due to the bugs and wifi issues right now...
in my experience my wifi sticks and bugs are minimal but like i said... i use it to beat on and dont really care to much if it gets broken
now i plan on selling my ipad and transformer for a transformer prime in a few weeks but i am really starting to like the touch pad for its simplicity
I use it for web browsing in bed and on the couch. I stayed on webOS for a few days before giving android a try. I greatly prefer webOS for my use. CM7 is gingerbread, and I don't feel gingerbread is a good fit for a tablet. All the apps are just phone apps scaled. At least there are a few tablet apps for webOS.
My biggest reason for sticking in webOS is the cards. Its just so intuitive to multi-task, and navigate.
The next reason is the browser. The stock webOS browser is far better than any browser I have found for android. Its not perfect, but its smooth and has native good flash support. I also really like the TouchPad keyboard with the number row.
I think I will change my mind when ICS comes out for the TouchPad. I have an android phone, and love Android, but don't feel a phone OS is a good fit on a 10" screen.
Check out the forums on webosnation, formerly precentral. There is a great guide there for tweaking webOS, using preware. The add-on I use the most us the thumb controls for the browser, it means a swipe from off the left or right edge gives you back, forward, refresh etc, so I can use my TouchPad one handed most of the time.
Edit:
Another note: you don't replace webOS with Android. Its a dual-boot set up. When you power up the device you get a choice (cyboot in pre ware lets you change delay and default) of webOS or Android (or CWM). Right now there is no way to fully remove webOS. The devs have given the following reasons: most devs like webOS, and it gives you a contingency if something goes wrong, you have a stable usable OS to fall back on
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
I am not sure what someone with a Xoom and an Ipad would use the Touchpad for, but I use mine as a laptop replacement for most things. I got mine the first day of the sale so I used WebOS for a few weeks until they got android on to it. I liked webos, but it was quite obvious that it wasn't anywhere near a finished product (touch not sensitive enough, many MANY browser issues [only some of which were taken care of by purchasing advanced browser], waiting for 10+ seconds for any app to open). Still I liked its concept and it did well enough. I didn't like the lack of apps (I took the TP with the HP BT keyboard to school to take notes), but I would just used the web based version of the things I wanted to do (google docs, etc) which kinda sucked since they werent touch optimized but what can you do?
Then, when it was available, I put android on it. I used android to mess around, but still used WebOS 98% of the time since android was incredibly buggy and unusable for my purposes (plus the Gdocs app didn't work - LOL!). Things went like this for about another month and when CM7 a2.1 came out I installed it and things really started to smooth out. There were still bugs (though I never had wifi issues), but then I found the XRON flavor of CM7 and Leo's tweaks seemed to make an enormous difference in usability. I pretty much have not booted into WebOS since this time.
I use the TP for web browsing, taking notes (cant wait until HC or ICS on here so I can use the ASUS supernote app), playing games, controlling my new Onkyo Receiver, watching TED talks... The BT keyboard greatly increases its usability (for me).
Now once again, there is nothing there that you couldn't do with your existing tabs. You may consider making it a bathroom TV, or a part of your car stereo system. There was more I was going to say, but I can't really remember.
smilepak said:
Hi,
Just got a 32GB HP Touchpad. Had it charged up last night and spent a couple of hours on it. I also have a Motorola Xoom 32GB and Apple iPAD.
My first thought was immediately install CMW 7, but wanted to hold back and use WebOS for a months first.
Wanted to get everyone opinion on what they've used for so far. Are you on WebOS or you went to the immediate route of Android?
If I go end up going to CMW 7 or 9 and decided to revert back to WebOS, what is the procedure / process to bring back to stock?
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1367573
magic search-button works magically
quarlow said:
I use it for web browsing in bed and on the couch. I stayed on webOS for a few days before giving android a try. I greatly prefer webOS for my use. CM7 is gingerbread, and I don't feel gingerbread is a good fit for a tablet. All the apps are just phone apps scaled. At least there are a few tablet apps for webOS.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You typed ALL of that on the Galaxy S II?! Wow! Lol! You must be a professional Text'er
I think that would be one reason and potentially major reason I would hold off CM due to it being Gingerbread. I might rethink once it get ICS.
Thanks for the feedback from everyone on this.
The minute I got the HP and installed Accurweather. The first thing came to mind for me was to Velcro to the kitchen backsplash and use it as a calendar / To-do/ daily weather & news device
The only thing is trying to properly hide the charge cable.
Wasn't really sure what I would use a tablet for when I got it. We have a netbook, a home theater PC connected to the TV, a netbook for the couch, and both my wife and I have smartphones (my infuse and her iphone). To be honest, I haven't used it as much as I would like. We did take it on vacation last week and it was great on the plane for watching a movie (used mobo player) and finding things in the city. Aside from that I'll poke around on in it while watching TV if the wife is on the netbook and I don't feel like coming back here to the office to use the real PC. I have a feeling I'll be using it quite a bit at work to surf and screw off when I should be doing other things lol
I got it and immediately put CM7 alpha 2 on it. Haven't had any wifi issues, but I do have some charging issues (won't charge in CM7 if it gets below like 20 or 30% battery). I think webOS is very pretty, but it seemed very slow to me and the lack of apps just completely killed it for my use.
Trying to figure out of I want to get at BT keyboard for it still....
smilepak said:
You typed ALL of that on the Galaxy S II?! Wow! Lol! You must be a professional Text'er
I think that would be one reason and potentially major reason I would hold off CM due to it being Gingerbread. I might rethink once it get ICS.
Thanks for the feedback from everyone on this.
The minute I got the HP and installed Accurweather. The first thing came to mind for me was to Velcro to the kitchen backsplash and use it as a calendar / To-do/ daily weather & news device
The only thing is trying to properly hide the charge cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of my posts are from my Galaxy S II, I've definately typed some diatribes on this soft keyboard. The 4.3" screen is perfect for me for one handed thumb typing. Good auto correct helps.
The Touchstone may help with the kitchen placement. They are $40 shipped on amazon if you can be a little patient (the prices fluctuate daily). They look like a little easel, you set the TouchPad in, and it charges wirelessly. The TouchPad goes into Exhibition mode, to display a clock, pictures, calendar (I think), or other apps. My favorite is LCARS Clock.
It also works in Android. It enters the clock app to display the time and weather.
It will even charge if you have a case on it. You should be able to hide the cable fairly easily. Then when you want to use it, just grab and go. The Touchstone was the first accessory I bought.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
quarlow said:
My biggest reason for sticking in webOS is the cards. Its just so intuitive to multi-task, and navigate.
...
I think I will change my mind when ICS comes out for the TouchPad. I have an android phone, and love Android, but don't feel a phone OS is a good fit on a 10" screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This basically sums up my feelings. I've only owned my Touchpad for a week, but I find webOS does basically everything I need it to do. It's my only tablet, and I really enjoy the webOS experience.
I'll add that I was also extremely happy when I found out that Dropbox file opening and editing worked flawlessly right away.
There may be a limited number of apps, but the stock apps work really well in my opinion. Most other things that don't have apps can be found through the browser (at least for what I use). For example, a Netflix app might be nice, but Amazon Prime Instant Video works perfectly through the browser.
If there is ever a decent Android ICS release, I'll give it a shot. Until then, I'll probably stick with webOS. I already have a phone on Gingerbread.
I use mine for web browsing, email and basic document editing. Basically a laptop replacement.
When CM7 came out I was using that primarily, but as of late I've switched back to webOS. Not because I prefer it, but because Android simply cant hold a candle to webOS in terms of battery life. Most of what I do in Android can be accomplished in webOS, so while I dont like the OS as much I cant justify staying in Android for long.
If the battery life ever gets better, I'll switch back to Android. Alternatively, once ICS comes out I'll take another look since from what I've seen of it I like the ICS UI far more than webOS enough that I can overlook the battery issues.
Jotokun said:
I use mine for web browsing, email and basic document editing. Basically a laptop replacement.
When CM7 came out I was using that primarily, but as of late I've switched back to webOS. Not because I prefer it, but because Android simply cant hold a candle to webOS in terms of battery life. Most of what I do in Android can be accomplished in webOS, so while I dont like the OS as much I cant justify staying in Android for long.
If the battery life ever gets better, I'll switch back to Android. Alternatively, once ICS comes out I'll take another look since from what I've seen of it I like the ICS UI far more than webOS enough that I can overlook the battery issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life? My battery life on çm7 is tripple what it was on webos. I go atleast 3 days on a charge.
Sent from my Touchpad using xda premium
Used WebOS for 1 day and then dual booted with the XRON ROM. I have occasional wifi issues on Android but it is stable enough to use it instead of a laptop for browsing the web, email, FB, LinkedIn, productivity apps etc. and of course games.
WebOS is nice but the selection of apps is minimal...if you don't care about that it is a nice UI. Install Preware to speed things up...
swaze said:
Battery life? My battery life on çm7 is tripple what it was on webos. I go atleast 3 days on a charge.
Sent from my Touchpad using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get 3-4 days on webOS and 1 1/2 days on Android. While usable, I dont want to wear out the battery since I think good ones might be hard to find later.
Games, games, and more games. I have 150+ apps installed and 90% are games.
Using a sixaxis controller with GTA III, Backstab, Modern Combat 3, and many other games is just to cool!
for photo display
Mainly use it as a monitor during photoshoot.Use with eye-fi card. So far so good.Thanks to the CM7& Drink team
internet emails alerts calender, remote access to my lappy, Facebook, watching bbciplayer, watching movies while trying to go sleep, alarm clock....lecture and meeting notes....infact the only things i use my laptop (Asus G73) for are games Photoshop and design programmes that won't work on the touchpad
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
Larry94 said:
Games, games, and more games. I have 150+ apps installed and 90% are games.
Using a sixaxis controller with GTA III, Backstab, Modern Combat 3, and many other games is just to cool!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same!
I used WebOS long enough to hit the shutdown button only. Alpha 3.5 has treated me well. I have the nes, snes, n64, psx, and gameboy emulators paired with two ps3 sixaxis controllers. This tablet runs emulators wonderfully.
Second to games I monitor my alarm system, control my googletv, adjust my home thermostats, and while not being directly used it is a battery backed up home security camera dvr via ipcam.
Thirdly I use it for book reading, netflix, rdp control of a home media server, and web browsing. The a.I.type intelligent keyboard is free on market and has a split keyboard that allows me to type faster than I could with swype.
Jotokun said:
I get 3-4 days on webOS and 1 1/2 days on Android. While usable, I dont want to wear out the battery since I think good ones might be hard to find later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't "wear out the battery" by using it!
You'll end up getting more life out of it if you "work" it all the time.
You may have issues with battery stats as android battery monitoring is very unreliable so make sure you clear them on ever ROM flash while fully charged.
I got mine a few months ago. I tried to play with WebOS and it wasn't bad but compared to Android it did suck. Long boot times aswell as loading apps.
Nice idea but android is more complete.
Currently updating with each Xron ROM and its been fine, apart from the old issue with wifi and FCs.
Currently use it for a alarm clock and browse the internet in bed.
I agree with the using WebOS for a while. It's not a bad OS. I like the cards too, but i can't say wouldn't want more icons on the dock and it would be nice to have widgets to put on the desktop behind the cards. But I'm sure when the source is released we can expect some better flavors of WebOS.
Android is fun to mess with, but it's still buggy and some features don't work well. It's not as fluid and i can't get the camera to work on mine for skype or taking pictures (with FC'ing.)
Currently I only use Android for a couple games, Google Voice SMS, ebuddy to chat, and browsing the net with Skyfire. As for WebOS, I play some WebOS-specific games, video chatting, Kalemsoft video streaming from my SMB share, ereader, and organizational things. Currently WebOS is more useful than Android by far. Other than not having a good chat program. When android isn't so buggy and is more fluid i'll give it a better shot.

Few thoughts about Lapdock with ICS leak beta

First of all let me start off by saying that I was deeply disappointed with the performance of the Lapdock on the stock Gingerbread ROM. The idea was great in principle, but it just didn't translate to a good or even satisfactory user experience. The entire device was very sluggish and I quickly regretted my purchase.
However, after flashing the leaked ICS ROM, I was encouraged to see the Motorola has scrapped the dual environment of a Firefox/Smartphone hybrid and went with something that makes much more sense; a Tablet/Smartphone environment. Apps load in their default smartphone resolution, but with the click of a button, you can switch to much higher resolution Tablet view. Credit this to ICS.
Gone are the long periods of waiting for the simplest of webpages to load. Gone are the out of memory errors. Gone is the sluggishness of navigating through simple menus. I actually enjoyed using the Lapdock today for the first time since I purchased it. Sure the lack of Firefox closes some Internet doors, but let's be honest, with the slow performance of the browser...who was watching Hulu anyway? Even full screen YouTube crawled on 4g.
I will post again with more thoughts after I get a chance to spend more time with it over the weekend. But Cheers Moto, way to see that your initial idea was a bust and calling an audible.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA
Lapdock 500 or 100?
I'm using the 100. But save for a few hardware differences, the two model perform basically the same.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA
omnia38 said:
I'm using the 100. But save for a few hardware differences, the two model perform basically the same.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. The only thing the 500 has over the 14" screen and a webcam.
I actually prefer the compact size and light weight (2.2lbs). Also a 10.1 screen is plenty big enough for me.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium
Wish I'd read the OP's post before I returned my lapdock 500 for the same complaints he had. Ended up getting an ATP to replace it.
Well even then, i hate the idea because i use the lap dock as a student. The sound is constantly giving me issues and it is definitively Webtop 3.0 because i never had sound issue with the old webtop. The issue being the sound cracking system wide, not just music. I have to reset the lap dock and from 'hit or miss' i get it working. Also office on android is awful. I have used the Onlive Dekstop app and it doesn't fit the resolution of Webtop 3.0 so pretty useless and clicking on the screen doesn't correspond to the desktop displayed, have to guess where to click. and finally i have spend hefty amounts on 3 different office apps for android all of which have turned out sluggish and useless when it comes to making your own document / spreadsheet. Also when you disconnect your phone the screen glitches, constantly flickering for a while until rebooted. in my opinion, lap dock plus ICS = fail. I hope ubuntu for android releases soon!
Where is this ICS leak you are using?
I just ordered the lapdock and wasn't quite sure on the speed since there isn't a lot of reviews or anything for it. I mainly bought it so I can have a full sized keyboard and bigger screen size for watching tv/movies while not at home and didn't feel like spending a few more hundred just for a laptop I would hardly use.
ubuntu for android will still suck. and the real ubuntu will only be released on devices that they put it on. so razr will not get the ubuntu from the distributor. I bet that the ics tablet layout will be the norm on all devices when universal docks are released. I cant wait until moto releases a tablet style dock like the padphone. it has to be coming, and I will definitely purchase it. I am using a modified atrix dock and it lacks multitouch on the mouse, but I am loving it. The ics webtop is in beta, so I expect this to get better as it is updated. and "hefty" is kind of ridiculous considering that the real office is a few hundred dollars.
Really considering picking up a lapdock since they are only $60 right now. Just not sure how much use it will actually get.
I picked up the Atrix version for my razr. Wish it had multitouch on the track pad. I modded it for auxiliary output. Besides that, with ics the webtop beta is amazing. This should be the default with any device eventually. Hopefully they release a tablet dock, then the RAZR will be upgraded to the functionality of the padphone. Seriously check it out if you can the phone apps that have corresponding tablet apps can be switched to run as the tablet mode when running. Then it will automatically switch back and forth when docking and going back to phone.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium
mbh87 said:
Really considering picking up a lapdock since they are only $60 right now. Just not sure how much use it will actually get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
where are you getting them for $60?
Sent from my A100 using xda premium
jahciple said:
where are you getting them for $60?
Sent from my A100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would really like to know where you are getting the docks for $60 also!
jahciple said:
where are you getting them for $60?
Sent from my A100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
depperly said:
I would really like to know where you are getting the docks for $60 also!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are you guys serious?
I mean, I know searching is sometimes too hard but how 'bout looking down 5 posts?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1626603
P.S. not flaming, just mystified.
not really worth it for $70 on a refurb when they went on sale for $100 brand new at verizon a couple months. tried it out and didnt really like the it as much so i returned it, hopefully the update has some better features.
Sent from my A100 using xda premium
IMO, worth it at $70, not worth it at $200 (which is current pricing for the lapdock 100). Works great for me and I'm on the old version, better than I expected in fact. Looking forward to the ICS version as I think that will be even better but it works well enough as-is to not be worth messing with a leaked version.
how do I modify my atrix lapdock, so that my RAZR fits in? Is there a video-tutorial?
silver theyora
Anyone running webtop 3.0 care to say how netflix runs? In 2.0 it crashes after the video is done or if you go back to the netflix queue.
Turkishflavor said:
how do I modify my atrix lapdock, so that my RAZR fits in? Is there a video-tutorial?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take screws off bottom of connector area, 3 of them, 1 center 2 under feet.
Pop to of back plate, a little force is required.
Remove 2 screws from sides of flip out connector area. Take cover off.
Remove 2 screws from plate holding connectors in. Remove connectors.
Pop back plate back, and replace 3 screws on bottom.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA

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