Hey guys, have a lot of questions, so bare with me.
Some background info, ive been with android since the droid 1, every single phone ive owned is rooted and had a custom rom. I am currently using a HTC Rezound with sense 4.0 as my phone. The Atrix 4G i am using is just a phone to play around with for me. The main purpose i bought it for, was to use it as a HDMI out entertainment hub. I also bought one of those Atrix Lapdocks, and wanted to make better use out of it then the portable LCD monitor i was using it for.
Right now im running NottachTrix4G 2.3.6 rom on the phone, Faux 1.3ghz kernel, along with the full GenTop2 webtop as well. At the moment, it is the full rom i am running, i haven't stripped anything yet but i do plan to since i don't need any of the mobile data/phone stuff, just wifi.
The first thing i did was i put the rom on, then got GenTop2 working. After that, i then tested the HDMI out separately to my hdtv. I noticed when i plugged in the HDMI out, the Gentoo login showed up till i changed it to hdmi mirroring on the phone. This was my first concern about how all of this functions.
My questions are as follows:
1 - Does webtop run the entire time the phone is on? I assumed that it wouldn't turn on till the MicroUSB host + hdmi both connect and then it fires up. It seems like i am wrong on this.
2 - Does having Gentop2 running the entire time hurt performance of the phone? My main usage of the device is either for the Gentop2 via the lapdock, or HDMI out mirror'd for Emulators (snes/nes/genesis/n64/PSX) which are all performance heavy and Netflix. I noticed things weren't as crispy and smooth via the hdmi out as they are on my HP touchpad, wondering if having webtop running is hurting performance.
3 - If having Gentop2 does hurt performance like i am suspecting, how does CM7/CM9 perform when it comes to HDMI mirror performance and emulators/netflix? I could dual boot via Boot Manager or even the 2 partition method i've seen in the Android Development forum for the atrix. That way i could have a Gentop2 setup via blur for the lapdock, and reboot into a different rom (either CM7/CM9/Blur but without webtop) for usage of HDMI out for a HDTV.
4 - Is there perhaps something better then the Gentop2 i am running? I went with that because its still being worked on and i liked the performance on it, but i would not mind having Ubuntu or Linux Mint instead. There is not much centralized info about Webtop flavors and comparisons, its very scattered and hard to know what is what.
Overall i absolutely love the device, pleased so much with it. Thanks.
1) X (and the webtop desktop) starts the first time the doc is plugged in and stays running. I beleive it detects the USB device ID but am not certain.
2) All X based webtops will take some resources, in particular RAM. This means your forground tasks will have less available for them. I beleive you can execute /etc/init.d/webtop-shutdown.sh to spin it back down. (Then maybe /usr/local/bin/webtop-restart if it will not start back on its own).
3) Mirror will not take resources AFAIK.
4) If your issue with Gentop2 is lack of functionality, there is a mod "Full Debian" or such that does a similar mod with a standard debien. There are also notes there and how to do a custom distro. Note that Gentop will be most efficient.
A couple side notes. The true webtop concept (an X based distro on the dock) might well be history. Moto is going to mirror + tablet mode in ICS and it will be a challange to keep the current stuff working from then on (unless somebody wants to stay with gingerbread).
I suspect from then on the ability to run X based linux applications will be via the vcn method. A "headless" linux distro is used with a vcn server and the 'droid vcn client is used to present the screen. This can be done now on gingerbread (some like it), but on ICS we need some help from moto on the drivers before we can get a decent enough resoloution to do that right.
Related
I always wondered how Honeycomb had a hidden Gingerbread mode but since that never had any call/radio support it wouldnt really be possible or worth having anyone boot Honeycomb on the Atrix.
However now we have ICS which still has the same feature of different DPIs and tablet mode launcher support.
So I figure, how cool would it be that when ICS is working on the Atrix, someone manages to make HDMI mirroring basically be Atrix pushing Tablet resolution onto the webtop with the full Tablet environment. (all you would need is something similar to ICS for other tegra devices)
It has full Mouse and Keyboard support already and it would for once make the lapdock actually useful.
Also, it wouldnt be too hard to do since technically all we would need is HDMI mirroring (with automatic DPI/resolution change) and the Mouse and keyboard should already be functional.
This means that your phone would operate ICS without issue. Plug the phone to lapdock and it changes resolution and DPI to the Tablet mode and that becomes your extension. This would be the most baller thing to do and there would be no more need for the crappy webtop/lin environment.
What do you think?
that sounds like an awesome idea seven.... thinking about it blows my mind.
Nice thinking ahead.
Im about to check for myself, but does ICS have landscape HDMI mirroring? I know Ricardo Cerqueira posted a picture on his G+ of I think an O2X landscape mirroring, but I dont know if thats device specific.
Edit: Nope, doesnt work, its all effed up.
+1
seven2099 said:
I always wondered how Honeycomb had a hidden Gingerbread mode but since that never had any call/radio support it wouldnt really be possible or worth having anyone boot Honeycomb on the Atrix.
However now we have ICS which still has the same feature of different DPIs and tablet mode launcher support.
So I figure, how cool would it be that when ICS is working on the Atrix, someone manages to make HDMI mirroring basically be Atrix pushing Tablet resolution onto the webtop with the full Tablet environment. (all you would need is something similar to ICS for other tegra devices)
It has full Mouse and Keyboard support already and it would for once make the lapdock actually useful.
Also, it wouldnt be too hard to do since technically all we would need is HDMI mirroring (with automatic DPI/resolution change) and the Mouse and keyboard should already be functional.
This means that your phone would operate ICS without issue. Plug the phone to lapdock and it changes resolution and DPI to the Tablet mode and that becomes your extension. This would be the most baller thing to do and there would be no more need for the crappy webtop/lin environment.
What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's defiantly a good idea to use the tablet interface in the laptop.
I think I had the same idea earlier. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1410273
I'm glad more people are thinking like this though. I hope it means that eventually this becomes a thing.
Call me crazy alright, but it is possible to get old 2.0 webtop on an ICS system? Flashing it via Fastboot, cwm or Rsd?I just can't get used to it and found it very disappointing specially the lack of:
-A descent mobile view.
-Full featured firefox.
-The ability to run linux and per se, a most competitive laptop environment.
-Real multi-tasking with lots of windows opened at once.
-Best integration with Lapdock keyboard and trackpad.
-Capability to run dedicated os programs like openoffice.org (not this joke of quickoffice...)
-A true laptop resolution at all for God sake!
-Many more
I know that this 3.0 is very light-weight and almost "flawless" but still not that useful for me specially coming from an Atrix with the webtop2sd mod, pure laptop experience... OMG what have I done!!! Lol!!! Neh... I wouldn't trade my razr for anything... at least in 17 months!
Have found something googling it but the info is not very useful as well, so looking for the advice from somebody here willing to point in some direction to get this working, if this it is even possible.
Thanks!
General consensus will probably be no. Until I get home tonight, I can't look at /dev/block/webtop to see if its possible. In theory, so long as the files are 100% separate, I don't see why it wouldn't be possible. Problem being, I think they tie into the system files somehow and aren't completely separate as they'd need to be.
Anyone else have any ideas on this? I plan to put ics on my clns replacement tonight, but i might not since I want the full featured webtop.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Webtop 2.0 seems intact on ICS
I'm interested in this as well. I only acquired a lapdock post-ICS, so I unfortunately don't know exactly how things worked before.
It seems like all of the pieces are still in place for the real Ubuntu webtop. The old webtop does not appear to have been not removed in the update; mounting the /dev/block/webtop partition (ext3) reveals a 1 GB linux filesystem. I would be surprised if the Linux environment is broken, as chroot Linux environments such as "Free Linux Installer" work identically in both GB and ICS.
The big question is how the webtop is launched; I'll try and figure this out, but if anyone knows or has a copy of whatever script launched the Ubuntu-based webtop this would be very helpful!
I don't currently own a Webtop enabled phone but I have wanted one for a while now. I am on Sprint and have a SERO account which I would like to hang onto so when I heard about the Motorola Photon Q I watched it with a lot of interest. As more info kept being released I got more and more disappointed. Finally I noticed that the phone won't come with Webtop.
Seems strange considering it is going to be priced like a high-end phone yet it is missing a relatively important feature most high-end Motorola phones have. Even the Atrix HD won't have Webtop but according to Motorola they didn't include it to make the phone more cost effective.
So those 2 phones won't have Webtop but on top of that the lapdocks are being sold for really cheap yet there hasn't been any announcements of a successor or refresh. The last lapdock released, as far as I know, was the 500 Pro and that came out 8 months ago. It hasn't been a year yet but that is still a really long time without a refresh to a phone accessory.
I know it is a little too soon to tell if Webtop has been discontinued and we won't know for sure till Motorola comes out and confirms it but I was just curious what others thought about it.
Sorry if this has been discussed before but I did a search and couldn't find anything.
Android 4.0 doesn't use webtop anymore because it just switches into tablet mode when plugged into a tv or external monitor via hdmi.
As long as I can run my phone at higher resolution through an hdmi cable, who cares what they call it?
MrCavity said:
Android 4.0 doesn't use webtop anymore because it just switches into tablet mode when plugged into a tv or external monitor via hdmi.
As long as I can run my phone at higher resolution through an hdmi cable, who cares what they call it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it that way with all android phones using 4.0 that have video out? Thought most android phones that can do video out just did screen mirroring without switching to a tablet mode.
Anyways, the main reason I am interested in Webtop is because of the lapdock. I wouldn't use Webtop on a TV or monitor but the lapdock would be the sole reason for me wanting Webtop. I know I could get a cheap android tablet but I'd rather have a lapdock since it is laptop-like and it would contain everything on my phone. Don't really want 2 separate devices.
As far as I know the lapdock will only work with Motorola phones that have Webtop. Correction welcome if that assumption is wrong.
You don't have to do tablet mode, you can choose to just mirror your display.
The thing is that despite webtop was based on linux, you only had one desktop program, Firefox, and better resolution.
The only difference at ICS is that you will use either the android version of Firefox, or just the Chrome. It's a faster solution, but it lacks at the flash support part.
Sent from my XT910
No, sorry, thats not the only diffrrence!
Its much bigger. With the real Webtop you have got a real Linux system so you can use libreoffice, gimp and so on.
With tablet mode you have an fuc* android on an untouchable lapdock display.
With linux you can get n programs on the screen. With android you have only on. To change through the open programs, you get illness...
There re many differences!
Sent from my XT910 using xda premium
Hi Guys,
as I'm thinking of getting a new phone sooner or later, I was thinking how to use my Atrix and my Multimedia-Dock later on.
I never used the Lapdock mode or HDMI mirroring, but I bought the multimedia dock because it was really cheap and I can use my Atrix as a digital clock also.
So please forgive me if I'm asking questions that only work with the lapdock mode
My idea is:
I want to use the Atrix as a media-station for music (on storage and streaming).
As the multimedia dock as a 3,5mm line-out, I thought this might work. I'm on MIUI V5 with JB right now and just plugging in something in the 3,5mm line-out won't let me listen to any music, as I guess this line-out only works in lapdock-mode, because it will get the audio signal from HDMI (?).
I want to know if this might work with any rom that supports lapdock, because for the functions I want, I don't need the newest Android with the latest features.
Another function that would be awesome is to pair the Atrix via Bluetooth with other devices so the Atrix can play music via BT from other devices. Is this possible, too?
Like: Music on new phone --> BT --> Atrix connected to speakers plays music.
If there are any threats like this already, I'm really sorry, but a quick search didn't give me any results
Thanks!
P.s.: Can I put USB-storage on the multimedia dock when the Atrix is in lapdock mdoe?
Indeed, you need to go back to gb or atrics to fully use the hd dock.
You can connect any pendrive to those usb, phone will mount them.
Not sure about bt. Guess is possible
Enviado desde mi MB860 usando Tapatalk 2
andresrivas said:
Indeed, you need to go back to gb or atrics to fully use the hd dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the quick reply! Going back to gb won't be the problem
Snap
I recently received back an Atrix that I purchased on behalf of a friend sometime ago. I also figured it could perhaps be of use at the mother-in-laws when my son is there. I have another account with xda though it has been so long since I used the forum to post that I could not remember my username! So I just clicked to log in via G+. Its been great seeing that such an old (at least in terms of android developement) device has still got some very good support and excellent contributers. Before my Nexus4 I had a Galaxy S and that got flashed regular from the great work that goes on here.
It didn't take much reading to work out that Atrics looked as if it would suit my needs best for some simple internet use and perhaps media viewing on the Bravia the phone will be hooked to. I am hoping I may also find an XBMC build that will be stable enough to enhance the system! So today I found the time to get the basic Atrics 2.0 up and running, One or two little bugs too work out but am sure they will have been covered already. Installed FlashFox browser to make sure flash works without any hassles and just completed a rom backup and upgrade of the kernel to 14-02-05. The difference is noticeable straight away Krystian, good work.
I'll try to keep up with my project and how it goes. How is your project working out muhski?
Thanks again to just about everyone within this forum who has posted, I narrowed initial problems down quickly due to the very useful guides and information
setup restrictions
So I set up everything up nicely using the atrics ROM. Due to the TV and setup at the mother in laws, using the stereo out on the dock was not viable. This forced me to roll back to Nottatrix4g for a quick fix of using the HDMI to pass sound as well as audio. As a result I have a nice portable setup which will reside at the mother in laws for my son to use and perhaps his grandad too. I kept the ROM install as slim as possible without removing any functionality that may be required if we take the system on holiday for example. I installed several addons in xbmc and went through each to check the ones that wouldn't work easily for example asking for an external player, (the ones that did work easily all diverted to mxplayer). I added both Firefox and dolphin for flash based browsing, a couple of the games he plays on my Nexus 4 and an emulator to play the games I still have from the NES. The emulator is tied into wiimote for an easier experience for him although I would have preferred a more manageable pad but since that's as good as free.
So the the real test will start tomorrow, my main concern would be the system recovering from any crashes but up to now with the exception of xbmc occasionally closing, I have only had one issue with Bluetooth and the mouse showing paired but not. I deleted the db and that resolved the issue which I was unable to replicate.
So my experience would be to tell you if a similar project was looked at, check your hardware and see how the audio can connect best. If you can only do audio with HDMI stay on 2.x.x ROM, if you can stereo from the dock into the TV by RCA's or an amplifier you can use atrics ROM or a 2.x.x based ROM. Other than this you shouldn't need to spend too long finding a good use to a redundant Atrix.
The xbmc version came from xbmcandroid as the official xbmc does no longer support tegra² chips. If your reading this regarding a newer phone then the official version may suit you better.
Thanks to everyone who has made this possible I will try and name everyone and their apps in a review of the system in the hands of the young and the old in a week or two!
G_or_Gazz said:
So I set up everything up nicely using the atrics ROM. Due to the TV and setup at the mother in laws, using the stereo out on the dock was not viable. This forced me to roll back to Nottatrix4g for a quick fix of using the HDMI to pass sound as well as audio. As a result I have a nice portable setup which will reside at the mother in laws for my son to use and perhaps his grandad too. I kept the ROM install as slim as possible without removing any functionality that may be required if we take the system on holiday for example. I installed several addons in xbmc and went through each to check the ones that wouldn't work easily for example asking for an external player, (the ones that did work easily all diverted to mxplayer). I added both Firefox and dolphin for flash based browsing, a couple of the games he plays on my Nexus 4 and an emulator to play the games I still have from the NES. The emulator is tied into wiimote for an easier experience for him although I would have preferred a more manageable pad but since that's as good as free.
So the the real test will start tomorrow, my main concern would be the system recovering from any crashes but up to now with the exception of xbmc occasionally closing, I have only had one issue with Bluetooth and the mouse showing paired but not. I deleted the db and that resolved the issue which I was unable to replicate.
So my experience would be to tell you if a similar project was looked at, check your hardware and see how the audio can connect best. If you can only do audio with HDMI stay on 2.x.x ROM, if you can stereo from the dock into the TV by RCA's or an amplifier you can use atrics ROM or a 2.x.x based ROM. Other than this you shouldn't need to spend too long finding a good use to a redundant Atrix.
The xbmc version came from xbmcandroid as the official xbmc does no longer support tegra² chips. If your reading this regarding a newer phone then the official version may suit you better.
Thanks to everyone who has made this possible I will try and name everyone and their apps in a review of the system in the hands of the young and the old in a week or two!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you ever get around to making the list of applications used in your media center build?
Also, does the remote control work with it?
Good afternoon!
Last time I was on the xda threads I learned how to install Linux Ubuntu Jaunty within the Webtop feature of my now ~5 year old Motorola Atrix. It was so sweet because it would launch on HDMI out to the TV while the touchscreen became the mouse & keyboard.
The only downsides were that
1. Had to carry around >= uHDMI adapter
2. Ubuntu was unstable
3. Weak CPU/GPU performance.
Now I am looking to do something similar with a more recent device so I can stream video from the web-browser. (The Motorola Atrix was just not powerful enough, unless SD and non-fullscreen, which a few years ago was still pretty awesome.)
I am comfortable with any hacking that may be necessary; rooting, flashing, developing, etc. Just want to know what's possible and what would work best.
Any ideas?
Thanks, guys!!!