I recently bought a used Xperia Active mainly to be used as a cycling computer (with the awesome app OruxMaps) and for recording my runs using Endomondo. The stock ROM was bloated with all sorts so after a few days it just had to go.
First I flashed CM10.1 but apparently the BT stack is borked on that so Ant+ is not working, so I flashed CM10 and everything works great or at least everything that I need. It connects to my BT x-fit headphones, BT Polar HRM and Ant+ B'Twin Speed and Cadence sensor without any major issues - the audio cuts out occasionally but I'm not sure if it's an issue with Google Music/All Access or a 3G connectivity or BT issue and haven't bothered investigating to be honest.
I've read that the BT stack in 4.3 is better and supports BT BLE which I might decide to use for fitness accessories - although reading about Ant+, it sounds a far better option for that sort of thing.
So, is CM10.2 likely to come to the Active? I'm assuming there shouldn't be an issue in terms of hardware, is there?
Also, if there are any fellow runners/cyclists with any app suggestions to motivate/record/map/etc I'd like to hear from you!
My setup as I said is OruxMaps for cycling. I tried IpBike which is not bad either, but didn't like the UI. I also tried a couple of other apps, but haven't seen anything that I liked. Apparently Cyclemeter is great on the i-Devices but their FAQ says: "We do hope to do an Android version of our app, but it’s not in our near term plans. We’ve had a great response from customers on the iPhone, and they provide lots of feedback for us about new features they’d like to see. Wish we could have said otherwise, it would be great to have you as a customer!"
OruxMaps uses MapMyTracks.com for live tracking and you can email the GPX of your ride to Strava straight from the app. BTW, I have no association with OruxMaps!
For running I have a premium subscription with Endomondo. I like the flexibility of the audio coach and I just noticed that they have a new beta feature on their website: 'Training Plans' where you enter your goal, goal date, number of training days, pace, etc and it creates a... Training Plan. Probably not as good as getting a customised training plan from a coach, but it's probably on par to the generic ones you can find online. I also export my runs and import them to Strava.
Regarding Strava, they have a much better looking website than Endomondo, and without a doubt the segments for cycling are awesome, but their apps are a long way from being great. Apart from being much less customisable, they only support Zephyr HxM and have no plans on supporting Polar HRMs. Apparently "there are connectivity issues with Polar HRMs and they want to give their customers the best possible experience!". I have used my Polar HRM with a number of different apps, phones and Android versions and it seems to be working fine 99% of the time, so I don't see why they can't support it. Also, it's hard to justify paying almost double of what Endomondo's premium subscription costs - but perhaps their analysis is better?
NT
Hi,
I can tell you to try the uBike.apk
For me is the best for cycling.
Regards
Joao
I've been considering buying this device to be used for working out as well, so thanks for confirming that Google Play Music will work on it! I'll be interesting to see if things get better with different ROMs.
Amazing! I thought I was the only one. I was on a year long quest to find the perfect (and better) substitute for the ever popular garmin 800 series. I do a lot of credit card touring, lots of country riding where I create the route using ridewithgps, DL as gpx and off I go. Oruxmaps has proved to be the perfect app for me when I'm doing any real riding/recording, and I use an app called Osmand+ if I'm doing a little bit more exploratory or want better navigation options (its got far better offline POI capabilities, so it helps if you get stuck in a rainstorm and need to find some kind of nearby shelter). I'm pumped to hear someone else went this route as most of my racing buddies are too high brow to get anything other than a garmin.
On a sidenote, I came up with a pretty incredible and simple (read: easy to do if you're a dummy with epoxy) way to get the male bit of the garmin mount on the back of the xperia so I could use all the low profile and cool garmin mounts. If you're interested let me know and I can give you a super easy step by step.
All that said, I'm really struggling to find a reason to root/mod the phone. I use it purely as a cycling computer right now (but plan to probably get my music on there too depending on battery life). It performs amazingly at this task as-is. Super snappy, the only thing I hate is having to look at the extra icons of the apps I'll never use. One thing I really wanted to get from rooting was the ability to skip the lock screen as that gets pretty annoying during a ride and potentially so I could remap the hardware buttons to something more useful while cycling (perhaps have it cycle through all the available apps? dunno, but it sounds cool). But, I found an app that lets you skip the lockscreen, so that major requirement has already been met.
Aside from the bloatware, have you found any nice advantages to rooting and putting on CM? Thanks in advance -
Rick
Hi Rick,
If is possible for you to send this to mu email acount ([email protected]) I thank you very much.
Regards
laquer09 said:
On a sidenote, I came up with a pretty incredible and simple (read: easy to do if you're a dummy with epoxy) way to get the male bit of the garmin mount on the back of the xperia so I could use all the low profile and cool garmin mounts. If you're interested let me know and I can give you a super easy step by step.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the replies guys! I was sure that there must've been other Active users/fans!
@optiplus Thanks, had a look and looks interesting! I'll have to give it ago!
@tartanblue @laquer09 What I found when I flashed CM10 was that the phone is snappier and the battery lasts a lot longer. Although I didn't do any scientific testing, with the stock ROM I would ride for an hour or so, leave it unplugged overnight and that was that pretty much. (no other usage, just on standby) With CM10 I was really surprised that it lasted a similar ride and more than 48 hours on standby. It's not a huge achievement in the sense that I have turned off all syncing, there's no Facebook or anything running, but the stock ROM has a lot of stuff running. Another thing that CM10 fixed was the super annoying flickering issue and also, at full brightness at CM10 is a lot brighter than stock, which seemed to go very bright as soon as I unlocked it and then dim. I checked the setting and it was not on auto brightness and tried with the Bravia engine on and off. Didn't work. CM10 fixed it.
I like having the screen on during the right to check cadence, speed, etc as I ride, so on the odd occasion that we were graced with a sunny day, increased brightness helped! Although I think OruxMaps has a setting to keep the screen on I use Screebl (I've linked to the paid version, but there's a free Lite version too which works well, but I found it so useful, that I just had to support the dev. I've been using it since the days of my HTC Magic - Oh how far we've come!!)
Also, as a stock Nexus user, Sony's software is just... revolting! Even the little things like the toggles in the notifications drawer is great. (and I prefer the CM way to the Google way... but what can you do?)
Having said that, for purely cycling purposes I guess stock or CM10 doesn't make a huge difference. Also, flashing the Active was a bit more complicated than I would've liked.
Regarding mounts, I got the xperia active bike holder from SportyPal (Review) and it's simple, solid and having the Active on it really looks like it's a Garmin. (when I read it back it looked like I was embarrassed about using the Active instead of the Garmin, but I didn't mean it like that!! Just that the whole mount+Active combo is quite diminutive!)
I also recently heard about the Finn and thought for 12 euros it'd be rude not to get one. When the weather is good I'd like to try recording with OruxMaps on the Active and maybe the Strava Cycling app on the Nexus 4 and see how different the results are.
Honestly though I do wish Strava pulled their finger out and sorted out their apps. How cool (and I imagine relatively easy for developers who are worth their salt) it would be to have proper BT/Ant+ support, customisable dashboard and segment notifier which would buzz to let you know that you're entering a segment!! And they would totally kill it if they added track creation capabilities on their website! But I'm just dreaming!
optiplus said:
Hi Rick,
If is possible for you to send this to mu email acount ([email protected]) I thank you very much.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can email you as well, but I kinda thought other folks might like to see this so I posted it up here. Let me know if you still need the email.
Things you need:
1. The male bit of the garmin mount. These are not easy to find because for the most part, the male bit is part of the plastic mold on garmin devices. However, I found this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006BACP6A/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_i1
2. Epoxy putty - http://spasandmore.com/catalog/quic...ts-to-repair-your-pool-spa-hot-tub-59502.html
3. A razor blade or hobby knife...something pretty dang sharp and fairly rigid. This will be used for cutting the male bit.
4. Like 45 minutes of time
What to do:
1. Take the male bit thingy from the package of stuff - image attached. Cut it around the raised edge. You can see where I cut mine in one of the attached images. The plastic was actually not difficult to cut, at all.
2. Score both the back of the xperia and the male bit pretty good. I used the edge of a scissor to do it and it worked fine.
3. Take out that epoxy, cut a bit of it off, and knead it with your fingers (basically, read the instructions on how to use it. I am not awesome at this kind of stuff and it was really straightforward).
4. Put the kneaded putty on the back of the phone, then simply press that male bit into the putty. Wait the recommended amount of time for setting (pretty sure its between 1-2 hours)
You're done. Go get whatever garmin mount you like (I really like the SRAM one that sits out in front of the bars, but you can use any of their mounts or the sweet looking barfly one.
Couple things to note
- I waaay overused the putty here. This was supposed to be my test case so I was overdoing it on purpose. Functionally its totally fine, but it is a tad ugly. After you plop the male bit onto the putty, you could probably trim a bunch of it.
- Scared its not going to hold? Don't worry, I was too. This is where that what-I-thought-was-completely-useless-lanyard comes into play. I actually put the lanyard in the phone and then ran the lanyard over my bars. I did this maybe for the first week, but I live in Chicago and I tested it using my cross bike / commuter over some really really really crappy roads with my tires at 110. I was pretty convinced after a week and stopped using the lanyard. And then I lowered my psi back to normal chicago 90 so my butt wouldn't hurt anymore Still, better safe than sorry right.
- One cool side benefit, among 100s of others, is the flashlight feature of the phone. Now, I just set it to strobe and turn it on at night...boom, no longer need a bike light
- Using bluetooth headphones and whatever music app you want rules. I didn't know how much I'd adore it before I tried...but having the ability to cycle through songs, albums, playlists....amazing.
- My xperia came with 2 backs...one black and one white. This, my supposed to be test case, is the white one. As you can see, it gets dirty. Might want to use the black one and maybe paint/marker up the putty so it matches.
Let me know if you've got any questions, and good luck. I could not be flipping happier about the way this all turned out, and my racing buddies are starting to get jealous. Lets see...a garmin 810 for 600 bucks, or a phone that has multiple options for mapping/tracking (free), can be your music player and emergency phone call maker (or anything else you can do with the android platform) for a whopping 188 bucks and maybe 20 bucks on the mount stuff.
Win
Rick
Thanks so much for posting this. I wanted to ask you in my previous post to put it somewhere like G+ or a cycling blog or something but I guess here is just fine!
laquer09 said:
I can email you as well, but I kinda thought other folks might like to see this so I posted it up here. Let me know if you still need the email.
Things you need:
1. The male bit of the garmin mount. These are not easy to find because for the most part, the male bit is part of the plastic mold on garmin devices. However, I found this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006BACP6A/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_i1
2. Epoxy putty - http://spasandmore.com/catalog/quic...ts-to-repair-your-pool-spa-hot-tub-59502.html
3. A razor blade or hobby knife...something pretty dang sharp and fairly rigid. This will be used for cutting the male bit.
4. Like 45 minutes of time
What to do:
1. Take the male bit thingy from the package of stuff - image attached. Cut it around the raised edge. You can see where I cut mine in one of the attached images. The plastic was actually not difficult to cut, at all.
2. Score both the back of the xperia and the male bit pretty good. I used the edge of a scissor to do it and it worked fine.
3. Take out that epoxy, cut a bit of it off, and knead it with your fingers (basically, read the instructions on how to use it. I am not awesome at this kind of stuff and it was really straightforward).
4. Put the kneaded putty on the back of the phone, then simply press that male bit into the putty. Wait the recommended amount of time for setting (pretty sure its between 1-2 hours)
You're done. Go get whatever garmin mount you like (I really like the SRAM one that sits out in front of the bars, but you can use any of their mounts or the sweet looking barfly one.
Couple things to note
- I waaay overused the putty here. This was supposed to be my test case so I was overdoing it on purpose. Functionally its totally fine, but it is a tad ugly. After you plop the male bit onto the putty, you could probably trim a bunch of it.
- Scared its not going to hold? Don't worry, I was too. This is where that what-I-thought-was-completely-useless-lanyard comes into play. I actually put the lanyard in the phone and then ran the lanyard over my bars. I did this maybe for the first week, but I live in Chicago and I tested it using my cross bike / commuter over some really really really crappy roads with my tires at 110. I was pretty convinced after a week and stopped using the lanyard. And then I lowered my psi back to normal chicago 90 so my butt wouldn't hurt anymore Still, better safe than sorry right.
- One cool side benefit, among 100s of others, is the flashlight feature of the phone. Now, I just set it to strobe and turn it on at night...boom, no longer need a bike light
- Using bluetooth headphones and whatever music app you want rules. I didn't know how much I'd adore it before I tried...but having the ability to cycle through songs, albums, playlists....amazing.
- My xperia came with 2 backs...one black and one white. This, my supposed to be test case, is the white one. As you can see, it gets dirty. Might want to use the black one and maybe paint/marker up the putty so it matches.
Let me know if you've got any questions, and good luck. I could not be flipping happier about the way this all turned out, and my racing buddies are starting to get jealous. Lets see...a garmin 810 for 600 bucks, or a phone that has multiple options for mapping/tracking (free), can be your music player and emergency phone call maker (or anything else you can do with the android platform) for a whopping 188 bucks and maybe 20 bucks on the mount stuff.
Win
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ntoqiakt said:
Thanks so much for posting this. I wanted to ask you in my previous post to put it somewhere like G+ or a cycling blog or something but I guess here is just fine!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem - I'd love to post it on a cycling blog/forum if you can point me to the right one. There are so many out there...I've never actually joined any. I could also put it on G+...PM me your email address and I'll add you into one of my groups and post it there. Even though this solution was simple, it took me a darn long time to come up with and I'd love to save folks the time/effort/money/despair.
FWIW, I used it on a 60mi custom route I made this weekend and it was friggin flawless. Not a single missed turn and the route was perfect. I've recently started listening to music using it via my BT headphones. That is so much win I can barely handle it.
Rick
ntoqiakt said:
I recently bought a used Xperia Active mainly to be used as a cycling computer (with the awesome app OruxMaps) and for recording my runs using Endomondo. The stock ROM was bloated with all sorts so after a few days it just had to go.
First I flashed CM10.1 but apparently the BT stack is borked on that so Ant+ is not working, so I flashed CM10 and everything works great or at least everything that I need. It connects to my BT x-fit headphones, BT Polar HRM and Ant+ B'Twin Speed and Cadence sensor without any major issues - the audio cuts out occasionally but I'm not sure if it's an issue with Google Music/All Access or a 3G connectivity or BT issue and haven't bothered investigating to be honest.
NT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
at the begining i would like say "hello" im new member on xda so BTW...
I'm looking for CM10 working with SE Xperia Active ST17I.
I saw that upgrade was succesfull.
Could You tell me where download (all links "died") or share package of working files to upgrade Xperia Active to CM10 and android 4.1.2?
I ve upgraded xperia to 4.0.4 and I would like try highest version of software. It is great device for active Cyclists.
Please help. Thank You for reply :good:
Regards
Related
Hey guys ive done a pretty quick review of this GPS receiver.
You can find it HERE
You cna buy these things dirt cheap on ebay.
Do not BUY this GPS on EBAY from ANY SELLERS!
This product is sold by several different companies on ebay that are all the same.
NOTE: IF you win it cheaply as I did, THE COMPANY WILL NOT MAIL THE ITEM TO YOU.
This happened to me, I had a very long and nasty process with them, including false feedback from them (They said I didn't pay etc?? thank God for Paypal receipts...)
etc.
I only resolved this by contacting a senior guys there and getting hastled.
TWO WEEKS LATER, another ebayer, who won his cheaply too had the same thing happen to him and asked for my help. SURPRISED?
SO Do not win this item item for 14.99 GBP+ 12.99GBP shipping, they will try not to send it to you. OVERPAY FOR IT. Then you will get it.
Also, The tracking is sensitive (works in my jeans etc) BUT INACCURATE in a City like London, it just jumps around too much, wrong streets. CONCLUSION: not great for urban corridors.
Mine will go back to Ebay. Soon.
If only
If only I had seen this thread a little earlier. Purchased mine today for around £18.50 plus the P&P.
Yeah they are quite obviously the same company etc hence the timing of the auctions, but not sure whether I am bothered about that.
Will have to wait and see if it turns up - as I did not pay the supplement I don't expect it for around two weeks.
Any other comments on performance ? - this will be my first bluetooth GPS. (If it shows up).
crazyC said:
If only I had seen this thread a little earlier. Purchased mine today for around £18.50 plus the P&P.
Yeah they are quite obviously the same company etc hence the timing of the auctions, but not sure whether I am bothered about that.
Will have to wait and see if it turns up - as I did not pay the supplement I don't expect it for around two weeks.
Any other comments on performance ? - this will be my first bluetooth GPS. (If it shows up).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HMM, after postage etc... it was around 25 quid i payed for it.
As for performance issues i havent had any complaints so far, first time i saw this unit was in Uni (Leeds) where a friend was using it on his Wizard, it was also a very built up area, indoors on the ground floor which is technically the basement but as it is on the side if a hill the room is exposed to the outside. He quickly got a fix etc....
I tested it out this weekend and it worked brilliantly! Hence why i wrote the review!?
It was due to the review that I went for it - total cost inc packaging for me was £31.
I will post as to (a) whether it shows up, and (b) what I make of it, in due course.
Have been emailed to say it is being dispatched.....
It has arrived.
The wife has put it on charge for me.
Could anyone who has one, confirm
(a) how long the first charge should be? and
(b) what lights should be on whilst charging.
It seems that she gets no lights, or all lights if she switches it on. It is currently on charge (I hope) with no lights showing.
crazyC said:
It has arrived.
The wife has put it on charge for me.
Could anyone who has one, confirm
(a) how long the first charge should be? and
(b) what lights should be on whilst charging.
It seems that she gets no lights, or all lights if she switches it on. It is currently on charge (I hope) with no lights showing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just leave it on charge... whilst charging you should have a red(ish) light on... which turns off when its finished charging!
Cheers,
How do you rate it?
crazyC said:
How do you rate it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very Good! I bought mine last year from ebay and compared to my previous GPS unit the Holox is fantastic! very fast satellite lock, easy to use, good battery life, works well in built up areas and can be kept anywhere inside car without the worry of loosing satellites!
My only negative is you can't use it whilst its being charged!
EDIT:: False alarm, Im confused, how come for the past few days the module has had problems getting a fix, then now it gets a fix no problem.
Turning the device back on later and it gets an instant fix.
Could somebody explain how the GPS works before/after it gets a fix?!
OK, keeping in mind I have nothing to compare with.
All seems to work well, seems to take a minute before TomTom settles down and communicates well with it, but once its up seems OK. reception when not under open sky not quite as good as I expected although ok.
the advertising all boasts about tracking 32 satellites but ....
Anyway, seems to do the job for me.
What I need now is a cheap air vent mount (passive as have charger etc) to clip my M3100 into. Seen some on ebay etc but they look as if they obstruct the USB socket.
Brodit one looks good but at at least twenty quid for the mount and vent attachment.....
Any suggestions?
crazyC said:
OK, keeping in mind I have nothing to compare with.
All seems to work well, seems to take a minute before TomTom settles down and communicates well with it, but once its up seems OK. reception when not under open sky not quite as good as I expected although ok.
the advertising all boasts about tracking 32 satellites but ....
Anyway, seems to do the job for me.
What I need now is a cheap air vent mount (passive as have charger etc) to clip my M3100 into. Seen some on ebay etc but they look as if they obstruct the USB socket.
Brodit one looks good but at at least twenty quid for the mount and vent attachment.....
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL so you werent tempted by the non-slip mat?
My indoors performance is ok upstairs but is garbage downstairs. I wasnt expecting much indoors though. I tested it on the train yesterday and it was working great, even had the speed fairly well on VisualGPSce
Actually I was. Its fine for the Holux but because of the angle I could not see the screen very well at all.....
I'm having a problem connecting it to my TyTN. I don't have the GPS settings that you're talking about in the control panel. I cannot even connect it to my notebook.
hZSoul said:
I'm having a problem connecting it to my TyTN. I don't have the GPS settings that you're talking about in the control panel. I cannot even connect it to my notebook.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Notice in the review i say you need to unlock the applet first if you are using WM5?!?!
Download HTweakC and you can unlock it using that.
If you are running WM6 (which is not clear from your signature) it should be present in start>settings>system(tab)>external GPS.
I did see that however, I wasn't sure exactly what you were talking about. I couldn't remember the name of the app anyways. I remember downloading it not too long ago.
I just wanted to say that I used this with Google Maps for WM, and it worked like a charm. I had up to 10 sats at one point, with the average being 8. Even indoors right now I have 8. Works quite nice. I have the GPSlim 236 though, not the 231.
Now if I can just get this thing to work in XP I will be all set.
I would also like to note that I have an unlimited data plan, and even using edge the map updated itself very fast, while being locked into my position when driving. That is on the Edge network to!
Anyone tried various buad rate settings - does it have any impact upon usage?
Er Indoors already rations my messing around with the hermes time and I can't really get away with going and playing with it and the BT GPS in the car etc.
Holox Bt441
HI GUYS, AFTER READING ALL THE THREADS ALL I CAN SAY ITS ALL A BIT HIT AND MISS ! I PURCHASED MY BT GPS ON E-BAY FOR AROUND £25 INC PP IT ARRIVED IN 3 DAYS AND AFTER A LITTLE FUN AND GAMES CONNECTED IT TO MY XDA MINI WIN 5. I USE IT LONDON ALL THE TIME AND FIND IT VERY RELIABLE AND ACCURATE, A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS SEEM TO STEM FROM SLOW SD CARDS AND TOMTOM SOFTWARE WHICH NEEDS CONSIDERABLE RESOURCES. I HAVE NOW GOT A T-MOBILE HTC KAISER WITH WIN 6 AND LOTS OF MEMORY AND 400MHZ CHIP ! SHOULD BE INTERESTING !
What software do you recommend to use with this? I tend to lose my way a lot around London. Could you post a link, so I can get it at ~25-30 quid.
NB: My first post
Has anyone tried this with their Photon? http://www.verizonwireless.com/moto-bluetooth-smart-controller.shtml
Here is a video to see exactly what it does. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nurgwe20cO4
I bought myself this thing for Christmas from Verizon, and I am wondering if mine is defective, of if this thing just sucks. It looks so awesome, and more or less it works, but none of the multi touch gestures work.
This little track pad is supposed to support pinch to zoom, rotate, etc. In webtop it's supposed to support scrolling and other actions. But, it doesn't say it specifically supports them on the Photon. There are videos of it working on the RAZR. The bluetooth calling and answering work perfectly, which is really cool.
But the other problem is that it frequently disconnects for about 10 seconds, then reconnects. It seems to do it more when I try to use one of the multi-touch gestures.
The other con, that I think would be there even if I had a unit that was working properly, is that the mouse speed needs to be turned way up to use this thing effectively. It's too slow natively to navigate quickly around your big screen TV, and I had to swipe over the pad several times to move from one end of the screen to the other.
I still think it has potential. I was hoping it would be the solution I was looking for. Webtop watching Hulu on my big screen, phone rings, and I can just answer from my remote. Go back to watching hulu. Switch to mirror mode and play some N64 games when I am done, all leaving the phone docked. You can even use some of the voice actions to interact with the other features of the phone right from the controller.
Anyway, maybe some of your thoughts? Do you think this is defective, or the multi-touch gestures aren't compatible with MoPho?
That thing looks awesome. Have you tried calling motorola support? Keep us posted on how it works though.
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
Not to be rude, but have you lost your f***in' mind, it's cool and all, but unless you're rich, or have hit the lottery, I doubt it's worth spending that much money for... You can get a Targus Tablet Keyboard for less that does the same thing, sans the trackpad...
I would have to assume that it would be compatible, it may be defective. It appears that the multi touch gestures are a part of the actual device instead of being interpreted on the phone itself. I can only assume this because it works on my Xoom, my RAZR, my wife's Thunderbold, and my wife's Galaxy tab.
And no, I don't think anyone has lost their minds, I have one myself that works very nicely with my RAZR and it was a sound investment given that I use it much like Bradleyw801 does. My phone stays docked, then I pull up Netflix or Hulu or whatever else I want to watch or do on the phone and still be able to use it as a phone if needed. I would say that it is almost a must for any phone with Webtop that will be used while docked.
Side note Bradley, check out a really cool app called Spool, it can pull video from websites for offline viewing...
deedscreen said:
Not to be rude, but have you lost your f***in' mind, it's cool and all, but unless you're rich, or have hit the lottery, I doubt it's worth spending that much money for... You can get a Targus Tablet Keyboard for less that does the same thing, sans the trackpad...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahaha, well, thank you for your opinion. I actually have a targus tablet keyboard, I bought it from Radio Shack back on my OG Evo. It's a great keyboard, but it actually doesn't have all the Android hardware keys working correctly. That keyboard is more designed for iOS devices. It's fine for typing, but I frequently have to re-pair it, and it's a little bit of a pain. If someone is looking for a bluetooth keyboard, I would actually recommend the Motorola Android Bluetooth Keyboard. I haven't been real happy with my Targus, and my friend has the Moto one. It's much more tailored for Android.
Also, you say "sans the trackpad", kind of ironic since that's literally the main reason to buy this. But you also seem to have missed where it works as a bluetooth headset, allowing you to make and take calls from the device while leaving your phone connected. The trackpad and mouse input are what I really want. I have a blutooth mouse, with a scroll wheel and everything, and when I am watching things from my phone on my TV, it's inconvenient to have to find a flat surface to move the mouse on. This made it so I could navigate laying down, with it under a blanket, or just in my hand. It's just much more comfortable and convenient. Plus, if I get a call, and I am super comfortable, I don't have to get up to answer it. I can answer it right there.
If you have never used your MoPho to watch content on your TV from either webtop, or the phone itself, this may seem frivolous, but if you have, then you can see the need for this.
I did call Moto, and they are as expected, pretty useless. They tried to walk me through rebooting the phone, and turning on bluetooth, and all of the really basic stuff, so I patronized them and did, but once it got down to the nuts and bolts, they were stumped and told me to return it.
I am going to take it into Verizon today and try to use it on the Razr or Xoom like another poster suggested. If it has issues there, then I can clearly rule it out as being defective. If it works on those, but not on my MoPho, then I may be back to the drawing board. Thanks for your help guys. I will let you know if I can get this working, as I still think it's something many people would care about.
I have one of these and the bluetooth keyboard coming. I'll let you know how it works on my mopho.
KSmithInNY said:
I have one of these and the bluetooth keyboard coming. I'll let you know how it works on my mopho.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you really that rich and that bored? Really?
I have HDMI out on my Desktop, never used it!
I have HDMI cable for Photon, too lazy to test it.
I have PS3 and 4 controllers, never used that either.
I have 2 laptop computers, I think they work!
I have gas stove, I think it works too!
I have 41" TV in Spare bedroom, never turned it on (matter fact, no sure its still there!)
I have 4-in-1 Game Table, I have not played one game of pool, Air Hockey, Fooseball or Ping Pong!!
Point is, why buy more worthless (and I mean that both ways! Not going to use it and it really is worthless!) crap!
EDIT: I have MoPho Photon, I think I can make calls!!! XDA, text, and internet work. Last actual phone call was 2 weeks (lying, operators called me at 3:45AM 2 nights ago. Phone works!)
dsims7_2000 said:
Are you really that rich and that bored? Really?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol I wish. Luckily the only device specific accessories I've purchased are the car dock and HD dock ($78 together) so I'll sell those with the phone when I get rid of it.
The lapdock 500 (assuming google continues support), the moto smart controller, and moto bluetooth keyboard aren't device specific so I can use them on my Motorola Nexus
Alright so my smart controller arrived today and i gave it a quick 30 minute test drive and here's my initial thoughts:
FYI - I RSD'd a stock 198_7 SBF prior to testing. I did root it, but made no modifications, and the bootloader was locked so obviously, stock recovery.
1) Multi-touch doesn't completely not work as indicated in the OP. Pinch to zoom doesn't work, nor does rotate, but i've found 2 finger scrolling (in apps, in the app drawer, browser, etc) to work quite well. A little drag of 2 fingers up or down gives me a nice smooth scroll.
2) No issues with disconnect/reconnect for me. The mouse icon does disappear from my screen after a about 10 seconds of inactivity, but it's still 100% connected as can be seen by the bluetooth icon in the notification bar still being solid blue and going into settings shows the device is still connected. When i lightly touch the mouse pad, it wakes back up.
3) The OP was spot on with you need to adjust the scrolling speed of a mouse. Prior to turning it to "fastest" it took several swipes to move a couple inches. With the settings for the device turned up to the highest it seems to work just fine for me.
4) The volume rocker on the side of the mouse controls the ringer volume on the phone. Pretty cool.
5) The OP was spot on with the phone function also not working.
6) The USB charging cable that comes with it is the shortest, most unusable POS I've ever seen. It is literally like 4 inches long. No it does extend, no there's no magic involved .... it's just short and provides no purpose.
Final Thought - It's cool but not $100 cool. With it's current functionality, I'd value it at about $30. Once everything is fixed I'd gladly shell out $50 for it, and would begrudgingly pay $70 if I had to. Never though, would i pay $100 for it, even fully functional. Once everything works i could see this being useful if a person has and uses a lapdock and also the HD station. If you don't have either or even if you own them but don't use them regularly, this device is kind of pointless.
Hope that makes sense.
KSmithinNY,
Your opinion as an active forum member is greatly appreciated and valued.
Now, let me give you my opioion. You have too much Damm Money!!!!!
Told you not to get that crap!! But, if you lend me $30.00 (actual worth) I'll take the crap off your hands!!! (God, some days I kill myself!)
EDIT: Look for my "Things that piss off dsims7_2000" thread!
dsims7_2000 said:
KSmithinNY,
Your opinion as an active forum member is greatly appreciated and valued.
Now, let me give you my opioion. You have too much Damm Money!!!!!
Told you not to get that crap!! But, if you lend me $30.00 (actual worth) I'll take the crap off your hands!!! (God, some days I kill myself!)
EDIT: Look for my "Things that piss off dsims7_2000" thread!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha ha ha I hear yah man. I'll keep you in mind if I feel like donating it. I enjoy participating in the community as much as I enjoy contributing so you might be surprised.
Send that crap to my crib and I will have you arrested!!! I'm the one that told you it was crap in the first place!!!
So at the moment I have a couple of phones that I really want to buy and the XS is one of them. It is the best financially apparently but there are a few things I need to know. Hopefully y'all can help me. Thanks a lot !
1) Does the white version attract dirt easily and if so is it easy to wipe it off? I know I can just get a case for it but since on the front there is a large area under the capacitive buttons and Im gonna touch that area a lot so I want to know. (Mini rant: why does it have so many visible seams, make the phone look a tard cheap)
2) How is the yellow screen issue? Has it been improved/ fixed? If I have it do you reckon it's gonna be easy to have Sony fixed it? I live in Australia btw
3) Battery life? I saw a lot of people having issues with the ICS update. My normal usage is 2-3 hours checking social networking sites, web-browsing, 2-3 hours of music, probably 15 minutes of games. Do you reckon if it's gonna be enough to last me?
4) Does this phone have any issue with getting coverage? In my house the coverage is terrible for most carriers. I had an HTC sensation and my mom has an s2 and they seem to not be able to hold on to signal any long.
5) So what do the colours look like w/out the Mobile Bravia Engine? I reckon I wont turn it on to preserve battery but I want to know how much it's gonna affect the quality of the screen. And in so many videos the colours do look a bit washed out...
6) How's the GPS? I dont drive but I use apps that use GPS.
That's all. Thanks again
averygagaanroid said:
So at the moment I have a couple of phones that I really want to buy and the XS is one of them. It is the best financially apparently but there are a few things I need to know. Hopefully y'all can help me. Thanks a lot !
1) Does the white version attract dirt easily and if so is it easy to wipe it off? I know I can just get a case for it but since on the front there is a large area under the capacitive buttons and Im gonna touch that area a lot so I want to know. (Mini rant: why does it have so many visible seams, make the phone look a tard cheap)
2) How is the yellow screen issue? Has it been improved/ fixed? If I have it do you reckon it's gonna be easy to have Sony fixed it? I live in Australia btw
3) Battery life? I saw a lot of people having issues with the ICS update. My normal usage is 2-3 hours checking social networking sites, web-browsing, 2-3 hours of music, probably 15 minutes of games. Do you reckon if it's gonna be enough to last me?
4) Does this phone have any issue with getting coverage? In my house the coverage is terrible for most carriers. I had an HTC sensation and my mom has an s2 and they seem to not be able to hold on to signal any long.
5) So what do the colours look like w/out the Mobile Bravia Engine? I reckon I wont turn it on to preserve battery but I want to know how much it's gonna affect the quality of the screen. And in so many videos the colours do look a bit washed out...
6) How's the GPS? I dont drive but I use apps that use GPS.
That's all. Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I have the white one. It does attract a quite high quantity of dirt. The back is easy to clean. Just use a smooth humid cloth on it. For the lens, it's easier to clean it removing the back cover. The Xperia Logo on the bottom, and on the Camera, HDMI and USB logos on the sides also get dirty quite easily. The dust enters the little "depression" and get stuck in there. If someone knows a good way to clean this, please let me know.
2)It's been quite a long time since the start of the production. Until batch 14, almost all devices had it, on batches 15 and 16 it almost has gone. We must be on batches 30 or 40 by now, so no need to worry.
3)I think it's enough for me, and should be enough for you. Check the battery thread, and look at my posts to see my results.
4)Well, my carrier sucks for that. I badly can enter a corridor on my school without loosing signal. But I also had this with my old X10 MP. I think the coverage is good (not so good now, as I'm using Turkey FW, with a different baseband, but it doesn't make it unusable)
5)I always kept it on, so I can't tell the difference, really. Most people seems to have problems since the first ICS update (I also have this problem, but the screen is still awesome)
6)GPS for that is good for me. I also don't drive (heck, I'm 15 years old), but it is really accurate (with internet connection it's even better, as it have A-GPS)
Hope I helped.
Felimenta97 said:
1) I have the white one. It does attract a quite high quantity of dirt. The back is easy to clean. Just use a smooth humid cloth on it. For the lens, it's easier to clean it removing the back cover. The Xperia Logo on the bottom, and on the Camera, HDMI and USB logos on the sides also get dirty quite easily. The dust enters the little "depression" and get stuck in there. If someone knows a good way to clean this, please let me know.
2)It's been quite a long time since the start of the production. Until batch 14, almost all devices had it, on batches 15 and 16 it almost has gone. We must be on batches 30 or 40 by now, so no need to worry.
3)I think it's enough for me, and should be enough for you. Check the battery thread, and look at my posts to see my results.
4)Well, my carrier sucks for that. I badly can enter a corridor on my school without loosing signal. But I also had this with my old X10 MP. I think the coverage is good (not so good now, as I'm using Turkey FW, with a different baseband, but it doesn't make it unusable)
5)I always kept it on, so I can't tell the difference, really. Most people seems to have problems since the first ICS update (I also have this problem, but the screen is still awesome)
6)GPS for that is good for me. I also don't drive (heck, I'm 15 years old), but it is really accurate (with internet connection it's even better, as it have A-GPS)
Hope I helped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply.
About the batches, do you know how to check what batch it is? Since in Australia the Xperia S doesnt sell very well (I know it since Im working for a phone company now), so I reckon there are a lot of old stock sticking around.
And what is the problem you're talking about? Sorry I should have done my research but Im dong my assignment now and the threads are HUGE
Thanks again !
averygagaanroid said:
Thanks for the reply.
About the batches, do you know how to check what batch it is? Since in Australia the Xperia S doesnt sell very well (I know it since Im working for a phone company now), so I reckon there are a lot of old stock sticking around.
And what is the problem you're talking about? Sorry I should have done my research but Im dong my assignment now and the threads are HUGE
Thanks again !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way I know is to open the back cover of the phone. On it, there is white sticker with info about the phone. On the right side, there is the phone model (LT26i), another info and something like this, 12Wxx, where xx is the batch, W is week and 12 is year. Mine is W10, so I have the yellow spot. Sadly can't trade as Sony Brazil is horrible.
The problem, I meant is that the Bravia Engine isn't working for most on the ICS update.
No more inputs from anyone?
averygagaanroid said:
So at the moment I have a couple of phones that I really want to buy and the XS is one of them. It is the best financially apparently but there are a few things I need to know. Hopefully y'all can help me. Thanks a lot !
1) Does the white version attract dirt easily and if so is it easy to wipe it off? I know I can just get a case for it but since on the front there is a large area under the capacitive buttons and Im gonna touch that area a lot so I want to know. (Mini rant: why does it have so many visible seams, make the phone look a tard cheap)
2) How is the yellow screen issue? Has it been improved/ fixed? If I have it do you reckon it's gonna be easy to have Sony fixed it? I live in Australia btw
3) Battery life? I saw a lot of people having issues with the ICS update. My normal usage is 2-3 hours checking social networking sites, web-browsing, 2-3 hours of music, probably 15 minutes of games. Do you reckon if it's gonna be enough to last me?
4) Does this phone have any issue with getting coverage? In my house the coverage is terrible for most carriers. I had an HTC sensation and my mom has an s2 and they seem to not be able to hold on to signal any long.
5) So what do the colours look like w/out the Mobile Bravia Engine? I reckon I wont turn it on to preserve battery but I want to know how much it's gonna affect the quality of the screen. And in so many videos the colours do look a bit washed out...
6) How's the GPS? I dont drive but I use apps that use GPS.
That's all. Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there,
1. I have the black xps, my friend owns the white version. It does attract quite a bit of dirt but using a case should solve the problem. (recommend nillkin hard case)
2. Yellow screen issue - my first xps had the defect, returned it to the service centre within a week of purchase and got a replacement in 2 weeks. The batch I now have is 12w16. So if it's possible for you to find out the production batch, I recommend you get anything beyond w14.
3. Battery life - immensely dropped after the ics update. Gb battery life was amazing (I'm referring to stock firmware). The issue is due to the phone unable to get enough deep sleep when the screen is off. (culprits being - alarm manager and power saver app, they keep restarting). On stock ics, with 3G constantly on, Wifi for a few hours, display on for about 3 hours, music for 30mins,auto sync on throughout - i get about 12-15 hours of battery life. With auto sync off, I get 3-4 hours more battery life.
4. About network signal etc. The phone doesn't have any issues. But if you're in a low coverage area, it's going to drain your battery even further. One bug I've noticed is that after a few hours or sometimes a day, my data connectivity just refuses to work, in spite of it showing active with the H/3G symbol. Only solution is a restart.
5. I keep my bravia engine off most of the time, honestly I can't really tell the difference cause the screen is one of the best in the market. Love the clarity.
6. Gps - no issues. Fast and accurate.
Hope this helped you.
Cheers!
averygagaanroid said:
So at the moment I have a couple of phones that I really want to buy and the XS is one of them. It is the best financially apparently but there are a few things I need to know. Hopefully y'all can help me. Thanks a lot !
1) Does the white version attract dirt easily and if so is it easy to wipe it off? I know I can just get a case for it but since on the front there is a large area under the capacitive buttons and Im gonna touch that area a lot so I want to know. (Mini rant: why does it have so many visible seams, make the phone look a tard cheap)
2) How is the yellow screen issue? Has it been improved/ fixed? If I have it do you reckon it's gonna be easy to have Sony fixed it? I live in Australia btw
3) Battery life? I saw a lot of people having issues with the ICS update. My normal usage is 2-3 hours checking social networking sites, web-browsing, 2-3 hours of music, probably 15 minutes of games. Do you reckon if it's gonna be enough to last me?
4) Does this phone have any issue with getting coverage? In my house the coverage is terrible for most carriers. I had an HTC sensation and my mom has an s2 and they seem to not be able to hold on to signal any long.
5) So what do the colours look like w/out the Mobile Bravia Engine? I reckon I wont turn it on to preserve battery but I want to know how much it's gonna affect the quality of the screen. And in so many videos the colours do look a bit washed out...
6) How's the GPS? I dont drive but I use apps that use GPS.
That's all. Thanks again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I used to own a XS before upgrade to the Acro S. A white one to be exact. I used a case all the time so there was little dirt to be worry about. I'm sure you'll feel the same. The 3 touch buttons on the front was horrid though.
2. If you buy a brand new one around this time, I doubt you will ever encounter this issue.
3. Battery do fine for me. It's about 3 hours of screen time, not very impressive but not bad at all.
4. Coverage is good. I've ever lost any signal.
5. You'll see a bit different in color, less vivid to be exact but you'll get used to it in tme.
6.GPS is fast and accurate.
Hope this help.
1)I have the older batch, so am having a yellow tint. Will send it for repair when I do have the time. As long as the bootloader is unlocked sony will gladly repaired it for you.
2)sony has said that bravia engine dont impact battery life, so u don't really need to turn it down
3)GPS is really really good, even without A-GPS( data off). Lock into position in seconds!. Must be the whole glonass thing,as other droids I use with data off,will need some time to few minutes to find me.
4)battery life,well as bad as most droids, 5 hours of screen time would drain it almost flat. But fast charging work as advertise, so plug it iN whenever possible,30 minits of charging could get it up around 50%.
5) call signal are really good, well at least I can comform it's better than samsung note,gio & s2.
Sent from my LT26i using xda app-developers app
October Edition just arrived, 6 months late, but it did arrive and it did work (albeit with the additional Cradle not in the box)
Charged, set up email to send myself the Google Play apk; double clicked it and everything worked fine. Activated my Android and all working well.
Downloaded some apps, inc spotify and mapmyrun. Added a sim card and sd card - not well designed really. The galaxy s5 shows how simple it is to do and retain waterproofing. The Omate, with tiny fiddly screws, rubber bits, non symetrical cover etc was something I hope not to have to do again; which renders my spare battery a bit pointless. I was expecting to pop off the back and swap a drained battery for a charged one, as I can do on a mobile.
However, with battery at 67% went for a 1 hour run and with GPS, Wifi, Data and Bluetooth active (music to BT Headphones and running data being tracked) battery only went down 20% - impressive! and confirmed I can give up the GPS watch...
All good, but definitely some sticking points. Wifi at one point wouldn't re-activate, without a long reboot. The keyboard can drive you insane, especially entering masked passwords - the keyboard can be supersensitive and fire off several characters at once by accident, so you have to start again. The 'show passwords' option doesn't always work.
The navigation seems awkward and inconsistent - i wish there was a back button, the swipe left often triggers an option or menu unintentionally so you have to go back twice and when the same thing happens again, it's not long before you give up and press the home button...
Maybe it's just some getting used to - day 1 and all that!
Overall this is an incredible piece of tech and will be a big benefit to my lifestyle. It requires a change of thinking I suspect, but one that is welcome, so overall I am very pleased with the first impression.
I think the answer to your question about whether you have day 1 frustrations is: yes and no.
I put on Lokifish's latest ROM and did a few other tweaks (principally Daniel Ortiz's recommended GPS fix) and then started from there. I played with the out-of-the-box version for a total of two minutes before I became monumentally frustrated with the sensitivity of the touch screen, and the keyboard seemed to trigger letters even when I was just hovering over the screen trying to make a more accurate 'tap'. Maybe it was placebo effect but the Lokifish ROM seemed to be better calibrated, though I still avoid using the keyboard for anything other than tapping in passwords to get accounts setup.
The first app that gave me an inkling that the TS is a 'keeper' is Runkeeper. (pun!) I'm actually not so much of a runner, but I use Runkeeper on my main device to track my cycling and I log my circuit and swim training data on the web which integrates across the other apps I use to collect and manage fitness data (Withings Body Analyzer, Myfitnesspal, Fitbit). The thought of being able to dispense with multiple tracking apps/devices and perhaps even leaving the big phone at home (the Z1s doesn't have the brightest screen anyway) was one of the main draws of the TrueSmart. But the real 'killer app' feature for me was the ability to use this TrueSmart as an 'all day wearer' *and* have it work in-water to capture swim data. But After six months of waiting (like you) and seeing the not-really-waterproof drama unfold, I was pretty much ready to put this thing on eBay on day 0.
However, Runkeeper/Ride with GPS plus Cyril Preiss' "SWApps" has just about sold me on keeping the device, or at least rekindled my interest enough to see whether its worth pursuing some form of aftermarket waterproofing approach. (currently being hashed out in another thread here)
So in essence I concur with/confirm your findings. I still haven't found out how to get the auto-correct to behave on the keyboard, but I think that's as much about taking a grand-daddy step back to understand how the Fleksy is designed, and how to properly inflect the gestures to keep things from getting out-of-hand (pun!). I remember having *some* of the same trouble when going from the iPhone 4s to the Xperia Z1 (before the Z1s) and that keyboard drove me kuh-ray-zee until I figured out the whole swipe-your-finger-to-spell-the-word thing worked. Then suddenly I wondered how anyone would type on one of these things any other way.
So - I'm coming around to seeing the advantages of the TrueSmart, and more to the point *really* understanding why Lokifish, Cyril, Kurt, Daniel and so many others here see in the platform - and continue to invest time and effort into it.
Oh - and as to the battery drain, I just ran my TS down to 15% and then connected it to a Waka Waka to charge, and while I didn't have it timed it's already back to 100%. Solar powered smartwatch - now we're talkin'. So instead of thinking about a snap-in/out solution for the battery I'm looking at/for a 'gator glip' charger cable or some other light-weight charger connection for the TS (I thought I saw them online somewhere, and OMate was offering them at first - I'd prefer that to the case for workout/outdoor activities where space is a premium). I'm also looking into how to/whether I can set up profiles that are more like "give me what you got" versus "all-day wearer" mode. On the Sony Xperia Z1s there's a "Stamina Mode" which tamps down on battery drain, but can also kill functionality of apps that are not in the foreground (bad news for Panobike cycling cadence meter, etc) so while I have *some* apps exempted from Stamina Mode, when I'm doing a dedicated outing I just switch it off completely - knowing that I'm going to be putting the device on charge by either using one of the portable packs I'm carrying with me - or when I get back to the car.
Anyway, food for thought...
Thanks for the reply, it's good to share tips and tricks!
I saw that Loki has actually abandoned TrueSmart. Frustrations with their updates and lack of support I think.
Primarily for me this watch was a replacement sports tracker, but my hopes for an all-purpose watch are not looking good as the blue-tooth tethering is not working with my S5; it pairs successfully, but doesn't connect, so the TrueSmart Master app is useless.
The TS also doesn't connect to my BT headset for voice, but it did connect with the JayBird headphones (although the cutting out was super irritating).
In Summary - BlueTooth not reliable and will be a deal-breaker as I would have to carry my phone anyway.
Couple with the infuriating keyboard and inconsistent navigation, (I've now tried the LMT dial thing, which also doesn't work properly) I'm losing interest fast - which is a shame as it could be so good.
For charging, my GPS watch uses a clip as you describe. So much better than the cradle which renders the watch inaccessible while it's charging. But why not a simple USB port with a cover, like the S5....(a proper waterproof phone). Even the solar charger will then require carrying two separate items for the TS...
You can set up profiles on an app called Easy Battery Saver - I used it on my last phone and installed it for TS. It works as described and easy to activate/de-activate.
I will keep with the TS a while longer, but I suspect the next Galaxy Gear, which is rumoured to be stand-alone, will be what we are really looking for...
Hope to hear more from you - I will post my next findings on the TS too.
lphovercraft said:
I think the answer to your question about whether you have day 1 frustrations is: yes and no.
I put on Lokifish's latest ROM and did a few other tweaks (principally Daniel Ortiz's recommended GPS fix) and then started from there. I played with the out-of-the-box version for a total of two minutes before I became monumentally frustrated with the sensitivity of the touch screen, and the keyboard seemed to trigger letters even when I was just hovering over the screen trying to make a more accurate 'tap'. Maybe it was placebo effect but the Lokifish ROM seemed to be better calibrated, though I still avoid using the keyboard for anything other than tapping in passwords to get accounts setup.
The first app that gave me an inkling that the TS is a 'keeper' is Runkeeper. (pun!) I'm actually not so much of a runner, but I use Runkeeper on my main device to track my cycling and I log my circuit and swim training data on the web which integrates across the other apps I use to collect and manage fitness data (Withings Body Analyzer, Myfitnesspal, Fitbit). The thought of being able to dispense with multiple tracking apps/devices and perhaps even leaving the big phone at home (the Z1s doesn't have the brightest screen anyway) was one of the main draws of the TrueSmart. But the real 'killer app' feature for me was the ability to use this TrueSmart as an 'all day wearer' *and* have it work in-water to capture swim data. But After six months of waiting (like you) and seeing the not-really-waterproof drama unfold, I was pretty much ready to put this thing on eBay on day 0.
However, Runkeeper/Ride with GPS plus Cyril Preiss' "SWApps" has just about sold me on keeping the device, or at least rekindled my interest enough to see whether its worth pursuing some form of aftermarket waterproofing approach. (currently being hashed out in another thread here)
So in essence I concur with/confirm your findings. I still haven't found out how to get the auto-correct to behave on the keyboard, but I think that's as much about taking a grand-daddy step back to understand how the Fleksy is designed, and how to properly inflect the gestures to keep things from getting out-of-hand (pun!). I remember having *some* of the same trouble when going from the iPhone 4s to the Xperia Z1 (before the Z1s) and that keyboard drove me kuh-ray-zee until I figured out the whole swipe-your-finger-to-spell-the-word thing worked. Then suddenly I wondered how anyone would type on one of these things any other way.
So - I'm coming around to seeing the advantages of the TrueSmart, and more to the point *really* understanding why Lokifish, Cyril, Kurt, Daniel and so many others here see in the platform - and continue to invest time and effort into it.
Oh - and as to the battery drain, I just ran my TS down to 15% and then connected it to a Waka Waka to charge, and while I didn't have it timed it's already back to 100%. Solar powered smartwatch - now we're talkin'. So instead of thinking about a snap-in/out solution for the battery I'm looking at/for a 'gator glip' charger cable or some other light-weight charger connection for the TS (I thought I saw them online somewhere, and OMate was offering them at first - I'd prefer that to the case for workout/outdoor activities where space is a premium). I'm also looking into how to/whether I can set up profiles that are more like "give me what you got" versus "all-day wearer" mode. On the Sony Xperia Z1s there's a "Stamina Mode" which tamps down on battery drain, but can also kill functionality of apps that are not in the foreground (bad news for Panobike cycling cadence meter, etc) so while I have *some* apps exempted from Stamina Mode, when I'm doing a dedicated outing I just switch it off completely - knowing that I'm going to be putting the device on charge by either using one of the portable packs I'm carrying with me - or when I get back to the car.
Anyway, food for thought...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More success with BT pairing
More success today - got the bt headset (MyVoice 312) paired for calls, plus the jabra sport wireless+ bt headphones for music.... both devices paired and switch automatically when powering on and off.
Galaxy S5 also paired, but no joy with the SWAPPS app. I will keep trying with that, but it's actually a low priority since I have a sim for the TS ($10 per month for second sim with same number as primary sim)
Tonight I hope to try the Endomondo app on the TS paired with the Jabras, since they have a special feature that gives realtime data from the app when pushing a button on the headphones.
I can see it's going to take a while with the TS, but the tech is really good and offers a lot of promise. It's all about expectations I guess.
If the BT goes all intermittent again tonight I will be v disappointed as this is a basic but critical feature.
One problem I have had after exercising is that if you hand/fingers are sweaty then the TS goes nuts when you touch the screen - there really needs a sensitivity option (like on the S5)
Any pointers for best option for gaining Root Access to Omate TS? I notice that you have flashed Loki's 'latest' ROM, so presumably you have Rooted and flashed a Custom Recovery??
Best way to proceed--I would be grateful for a 'Heads-Up'.
BTW--I have, today, just received my October Dev Edition 1 GB 8 Gb 2100 Mhz version--and am looking at flashing Loki's ROM 20140328--is that the one to which you are referring?? or, do you have a different device version?
Any pointers--gratefully received.
I can't help you with the technical nuts and bolts as I am going to keep it all simple and hopefully working. No ROM flashes, install PlayStore and get your BT headset working.
Just that alone gives you a mobile on your wrist which is pretty damn cool for checking email, facebook, text, whatsapp and voice calls. Plus spotify, endomondo and maps!
The keyboard is a problem though, being so sensitive. And if it's raining, forget using it at all - not because of the water resistance, but because the screen just goes crazy with the water drops.
I am going to try Google Search/Voice to see if I can use voice commands on it.
Anyone else had luck with using voice?
haybill said:
Any pointers for best option for gaining Root Access to Omate TS? I notice that you have flashed Loki's 'latest' ROM, so presumably you have Rooted and flashed a Custom Recovery??
Best way to proceed--I would be grateful for a 'Heads-Up'.
BTW--I have, today, just received my October Dev Edition 1 GB 8 Gb 2100 Mhz version--and am looking at flashing Loki's ROM 20140328--is that the one to which you are referring?? or, do you have a different device version?
Any pointers--gratefully received.
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Click to collapse
Hey guys, I'm like a dev October backer and I get my watch this week-end. I have just started it today and after reading the lokifish topic I don't think it is a good idea for us to use our watches until we flashed a ROM with a secure kernel (the kernel of the 1/8/2100 is unsecure).
If you want to root your TS there is tons of solutions as it i a mediatek chip.
Can you recommend me a BT Headphone to par with my TS.
Blue-rayer said:
Can you recommend me a BT Headphone to par with my TS.
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I'm using Backbeat Go 2 with my TS, I love the "minimalistic" approach to it. When not used I wear them like a necklace (you can attach the earbuds to eachother) and it's not in the way the slightest. It works great for taking phone calls, and I've tried it with both walking, biking and running with no issues. Volume controls, checking battery level, taking calls and such works great from the remote. Battery life is ok:ish, maybe a bit more than 3 hours total listening time. That is if you play music or talk on the phone non-stop, with moderate use (taking a few phonecalls during the day and similar) they last for days.
From what I hear the Backbeat Go 2 is more or less a ripoff of Jaybird Bluebuds X headphone (looks very similar), but the Jaybirds have better battery life, fits more securely in your ear for sporting and such - not that I ever had issues with that. The main thing that made me go with the Backbeat though is that it's about half the price.
Ok thanks. I'm gonna give a look to this.
Headphones
Blue-rayer said:
Can you recommend me a BT Headphone to par with my TS.
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After going through two Backbeats (not the Go, think it was 903 or something similar) I can state they are useless for exercising with, no resistance to water or sweat.
I then tried a pair of Philips SHB6017/10 and lasted a month before starting to randomly calling strange numbers due to shorting out. I'm not a sweaty person, honest!
Finally settled on Jabra Sport and they're awesome, have been using them for a year now.
Thanks to Amazon who refunded and replaced every single failed headphone, even sending out the replacements before I'd sent in the dead ones.
Cheers,
Andreas
I was actually playing around with the voice commands, you do have to setup loads of Google Apps, like Google search and Maps etc and give it permission to everything but it does work... I highly recommend using Nova launcher as it places the Mic search option right on the home screen.... which launches Google search... "Ok Google" and you're off.... I'm not sure how to get it to recognise OK Google without first having started the search app... Anyway some of my favourite things to ask for....
Take me home.... (Starts maps navigation)
Play some music (starts Google music and tries to play music)
Order Pizza (finds the nearest dominos)
What is iPhone (reads out definition of an iphone)
OK. So I'm sure as this tab gets out there more and more, there will be rumblings and grumblings with this generally awesome device. I've had mine (SHT-AL09) for three weeks here in the U.S. and while overall I am very happy, nothing is above some criticism and there are some things I could use some help with.
I've already mentioned in another thread having issues with the position of the volume rocker and power button as well as the overall shape. This device is not boxxy like the X2 I'm replacing and it takes some getting used to.
With this, I am deathly afraid of dropping it because of the shape. I did buy a folio wallet; but ultimately, I want a semi stiff gel case to absorb some shock. I have ordered one from China; but it looks like it could take up to 6 weeks to get it here in the US. So, I can use any advice or links for a gel case for this tab in the US. Also any recommendations for a quality gel case is likewise desired.
Secondly, this tab annoyingly begins playing music ANY TIME it connects to a blue tooth device (not sure if this is Huawei or Android.) This is real annoying when I get into my car first thing in the morning and I am met with Ronnie James Dio blaring at me before I've had my coffee. Anyone know how I can stop this from happening? My sanity demands it (BTW, deleting RJD from my library is not an option.)
Otherwise, I'm loving this tab and totally psyched to have a giant screen with LTE capability and a dialer!! Hopefully, this will set a trend and show the world we are a market best not ignored.
I had been having trouble getting Aquamail to activate the LED indicator on new messages. Supposedly, Huawei is known to make it hard for non-stock apps to activate the LED. However, in this case I eventually realized that the issue was that the LED didn't support the light blue color that was set by default in Aquamail. I changed it to red and new e-mails now trigger the LED.
I have noticed that when I adjust screen brightness via a 3rd party app - i.e. HD Widgets or Setting Profiles Lite - the screen brightness reverts to something different after I turn the screen off and back on again. This might not turn out to be an annoyance, as I kind of like the way auto brightness works on this device.
Is this thing supposed to be VOLTE capable? If so, I imagine it can be enabled via the build.prop file. I don't get VOLTE, nothing I care about too much but it would be nice.
I'd love to be able to customize the appearance/structure of the notification bar and quick settings. I used 'Color Status Bar' for this on my Sony Z3TC and it worked really well. It doesn't seem to work with Oreo.
What opens up automatically to play music when you connect a bluetooth device? That has gotta be an easy problem to solve. Also, I think it has to do with your car stereo more than anything else.
Hey, it's the stock music player. I tried changing the default music player but the stock one still starts playing every time I connect to my car radio. I heard there is a third party app to address this but I'd prefer to stay within the stock system if possible.
What I really find annoying is the bug with keyboard attached: Brightness Controll pops up randomly, interrupting my typing ... really annoying ...
(M5 Pro, Germany)
There are some differences between emui 8 on the M5 and emui 8 on the Mate SE. Didn't expect that. Not pleased about it, as they are things that get used frequently. An AOSP rom would change that of course.
I didn't find the sharp edges very comfortable when typing. Found a soft tpu case that makes things a lot better. Not a fan that the main camera sticks out a bit which seems like it would get damaged when putting the tablet down on a hard surface. Again, the case helped with that.
Didn't like that the navbar was eating up screen space but found an option to use the finger print scanner as the nav bar, which I prefer after getting used to it.
Overall I'm enjoying the tablet, love the display.
Okay, since we're airing grievances
I think the design of their hardware for phones is awesome, works perfectly. I don't think the same design translates to tablets. Tablets are held and used differently than phones, thus need an appropriate sized bezel, weight etc.
Just my .02
AsItLies said:
Okay, since we're airing grievances
I think the design of their hardware for phones is awesome, works perfectly. I don't think the same design translates to tablets. Tablets are held and used differently than phones, thus need an appropriate sized bezel, weight etc.
Just my .02
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I generally agree - but really the only thing I would change on the 8.4 version is the placement of the fingerprint sensor, which is too easy to press on accident when holding the tablet in landscape orientation and typing or what not. It should be nearly to the far right of the tab's bottom area, not dead center.
And really, this would be obvious to any ux designer testing the product, the problem is there is too much emphasis on blindly copying Apple and Samsung. Apple is a cult and Samsung makes extremely high quality hardware that isn't always user friendly.
My two issues right now is that 3rd Party Music apps don't show the album cover and stuff on the lockscreen. And that my device vibrates like twice after rebooting it.
Couldn't find a workaround so far
Here's a minor annoyance - try sending a text message to a number without typing a '1' before the number...you'll get an error message: '(555) 555-5555' is not a valid recipient.' Instead, you have to type out 1-555-555-5555.
Just checkng in. Brought this up when I started the thread, but has anyone found a way to stop the stock music player from starting up every time the tab is connected to any bluetooth audio device?
steveyal said:
Just checkng in. Brought this up when I started the thread, but has anyone found a way to stop the stock music player from starting up every time the tab is connected to any bluetooth audio device?
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Music doesn't start playing automatically for me when I connect bluetooth headphones. Maybe it has to do with my config.
Here are some threads that might help you:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-10/help/bt-auto-plays-music-t3700769
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-10/help/disable-stock-music-player-stop-auto-t3718770
No updates since March on my M5 8.4" Uk wifi?? WTF Huawei, you never change
@kedge probaly you would like to have a look at HFF, there are several new updates available. Either do a manual update using HFF or wait another few days until the update arrives via OTA.
Only update there seems since the one I have is 151 but not approved.
Still really not a good sign not having monthly security updates.
kedge said:
Only update there seems since the one I have is 151 but not approved.
Still really not a good sign not having monthly security updates.
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Click to collapse
Now it seems that 151 is approved... Then it is probably coming
Inviato dal mio CMR-AL09 utilizzando Tapatalk
Anyone got any opinions on the screen/ratio for reading pdfs and web browsing? I'm on the fence about getting one of these.
I have firmware version .122 i found on FF that there is .123 available and approved for install so i use vpn to force update but during install it fails at few percent that it failed to verify. What to do?
Thanks
Also does the storage option for SD install of apps do something?
Still not able to figure out how to stop the damned music app from blaring every time I connect via bluetooth to my car stereo. I'm thinking the problem may be at the car stereo end as others are not having this issue. My latest nuisance is constantly turning on the screen accidentally. Wondering if there is any way to customize the screen wake up options. Maybe changing the behavior of the front facing button or something else. I was also having problems with applications shutting down mid text while using a third party keyboard. (Swype.) I finally had to delete the keyboard and go back to stock.
So for me the screen density was driving me nuts. Everything was way bigger than my previous tablet, even after setting the view mode to "small".
I fixed this by going into developer options and setting the smallest width to 750. More fits on the screen now. Much better.