[Q] Alternate uses for old Androids!? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Ive been trying to think of good uses for all my old android devices. I dont want to sell them as i love them and have memories with them all and besides they arent worth anything haha.
reply with your favorite alternate uses! also, any information about ways to make them good for different tasks, ie. potentially, how to control one from a distance if used as a media player? best setup for using one as a car gps, media player?
this regards any device from the D1 and up!

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Streaming audio, using ORB, alternatives....

Simple problem. I have several thousand mp3s at home and want to stream them to my phone so that I have all my songs regardless of my location. Even an 8GB MicroSDHC card will not hold all the songs, so streaming is the next best alternative.
I've tried using ORB, and it's a great idea, but the interface through PIE leaves much to be desired. It's difficult to drive around and click the little links, even on large font. Also there is no easy way to queue songs up without making a playlist prior.
Are there any alternatives to ORB that have a better front-end? It'd be nice to have a touch-friendly scrolling type of "catalog" of my songs, and then stream/queue them when I select them. Doesn't seem so hard.
I even tried creating a home web page with IIS, and that worked to a point, but there's got to be something better.
Thanks!
cpujunky said:
Simple problem. I have several thousand mp3s at home and want to stream them to my phone so that I have all my songs regardless of my location. Even an 8GB MicroSDHC card will not hold all the songs, so streaming is the next best alternative.
I've tried using ORB, and it's a great idea, but the interface through PIE leaves much to be desired. It's difficult to drive around and click the little links, even on large font. Also there is no easy way to queue songs up without making a playlist prior.
Are there any alternatives to ORB that have a better front-end? It'd be nice to have a touch-friendly scrolling type of "catalog" of my songs, and then stream/queue them when I select them. Doesn't seem so hard.
I even tried creating a home web page with IIS, and that worked to a point, but there's got to be something better.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read in one of the other threads that SanDisk has announced a 12GB micro SD available this summer and they speculate that it may be a 16GB by the time it comes out.
I agree 100%...I love ORB but it is way too difficult to navigate.
They really have it all down except the few things you mentioned
Anyone else??
SelectRadio 4.0.2 ?
This prog has such an option, and I do use the program but have not tried it out for that so I do not know how well it works.
Lobster Tunes will do it for you. It's not free, though.
http://lobstertunes.com
Lobster looks pretty cool. I'm going to check it out and see if it offers a better experience than what I currently use (Andromeda - http://www.turnstyle.com/andromeda/home.asp).
sputnik said:
Lobster looks pretty cool. I'm going to check it out and see if it offers a better experience than what I currently use (Andromeda - http://www.turnstyle.com/andromeda/home.asp).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you find bad about Andromeda? I was thinking about giving it a try...
Here is one I have been wondering about. What software can you use to stream your local radio stations to your phone? I know about tuned.mobi and such, but the problem is that when a game comes on, they usually block the broadcast of the audio stream even though it is playing on the local AM radio station. I want to be able to broadcast my local radio stations (AM and FM) to my phone so I can still get the games.
I wonder if someone could not write a program that integrates everything available through orb into you wmp library i.e. some sort of plugin maybee we could put together a donation pot to get one of the dev's to work on the project
djlenoir said:
Here is one I have been wondering about. What software can you use to stream your local radio stations to your phone? I know about tuned.mobi and such, but the problem is that when a game comes on, they usually block the broadcast of the audio stream even though it is playing on the local AM radio station. I want to be able to broadcast my local radio stations (AM and FM) to my phone so I can still get the games.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you cant...if it isnt streamed, it cant be made out of thin air. get a radio.
dtrell said:
you cant...if it isnt streamed, it cant be made out of thin air. get a radio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, I have a radio...multiple radios. I think you may have misunderstood me. If I got something like this device would I be able to stream it to my phone? I travel... when I am in another state, I can not stream my local radio station broadcasts through the internet to listen to games (blacked out). However, they are playing on the radio station if I were at home and able listen to my radio.
well I think I finally found my cream of the crop... saw this thread and I have to say, andromeda is the BEST solution I've found for getting my music to my PPC...
it works very well with PIE and is very zippy zippy zippy...
I've tried:
1) lobstertunes - buggy, slow, doesn't work with all ROMs
2) gnump3d - buggy perl script, cool features but crashes a lot
3) orb - as you all have stated, interface sucks in PIE and too hard to navigate
4) andromeda - FAST, stable, and CLEAN... worth every penny of the $20 lol
I like the interface of Andromeda the best, not to mention it's speed. Although you can create a playlist, you still can't just "queue" one up...unless I'm missing something.
Took me some tweaks to get it to work too. Have to rename the asp to m3u and make it executable on the server. I also had to use a third party player.
What player are you using? Also, when I click on a file to stream, it always asks me if I want to overwrite the existing m3u. I say yes and it works fine, but ya know
cpujunky said:
Took me some tweaks to get it to work too. Have to rename the asp to m3u and make it executable on the server. I also had to use a third party player.
What player are you using? Also, when I click on a file to stream, it always asks me if I want to overwrite the existing m3u. I say yes and it works fine, but ya know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup gotta do a few tweaks but it ends up workin'... yes same thing with overwiting the file but that's typical... I use TCPMP and it works flawlessly.
Zenoran said:
well I think I finally found my cream of the crop... saw this thread and I have to say, andromeda is the BEST solution I've found for getting my music to my PPC...
it works very well with PIE and is very zippy zippy zippy...
I've tried:
1) lobstertunes - buggy, slow, doesn't work with all ROMs
2) gnump3d - buggy perl script, cool features but crashes a lot
3) orb - as you all have stated, interface sucks in PIE and too hard to navigate
4) andromeda - FAST, stable, and CLEAN... worth every penny of the $20 lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like both mundu and resco radio, but they are streaming only. I may try andromeda, PM me with details please.
Do you have a mac?
I'm not sure this would work for you, but it's something that I'm going to try once the needed adapter comes in.
I feel slingbox works really well on my phone and I use it to stream live TV. For my media files I'm planning on using my mac mini which has an IR sensor for the remote and Front Row. The front row interface is very similar to the interface on an ipod and the commands are supposedly supported by slingbox. Once I get the adapter for vga-svideo I will set it up. The only downside I can think of is that audio when watching TV doesn't come over in good quality unless I have it in audio only mode, but this might not be a problem with Front Row where there will be very little visual data transmitted for audio files.
The reason a mac mini is nice is that it has a built in IR sensor. This bet this will work with windows media center too if you have something to control it with IR. Another potential downside is that the computer pretty much needs to be dedicated to working as a media server lest you forget to put it back into media mode.

Best app for streaming video from pc to vibrant

Hey everyone-
I've been doing a bunch of searching lately for an easy-to-use and convenient application for streaming videos from my pc to android device (like airplay for the iphone). And I can't seem to find one specific app that makes it simple and easy, they all seem to be a pain in the ass. I know this question has been asked before, but not for a couple months, so what in your opinion is the best application and/or method for streaming content from a pc to an android device? Thanks in advance for any help.
-bobofosho123
bobofosho123 said:
Hey everyone-
I've been doing a bunch of searching lately for an easy-to-use and convenient application for streaming videos from my pc to android device (like airplay for the iphone). And I can't seem to find one specific app that makes it simple and easy, they all seem to be a pain in the ass. I know this question has been asked before, but not for a couple months, so what in your opinion is the best application and/or method for streaming content from a pc to an android device? Thanks in advance for any help.
-bobofosho123
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use gmote, but thats only over wifi...
It doesn't really matter to me whether or not it uses wifi, as I'm to cheap to pay for a data plan (as in I bought my phone sans contract lol). But I've used gmote for this before and it only seems to support certain formats, many of which I don't use. I guess what I'm really looking for is an android equivalent of airvideo.
Have you tried ORB? It may not be the easiest to set up, but you can stream anything you want from your PC over wifi and mobile data.

Is it possible to stream audio from phone to network?

Hi!
As the title says, i wondered if Android allows you to stream audio from the device to the network? Specifically for Airfoil, is it possible to play music from spotify (etc.) from the phone, on my other airfoil units?
I contacted the developer, and he was unsure wether this was possible with the current APIs or not, i would sure be willing to pay for such a program at least
Such a program exist for iOS already: http://itunes.apple.com/app/reemote-for-airfoil/id396381723?mt=8
Thanks!
Will this thread be of any help:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1104692
That seems to be the opposite way of what i am interested in. Have found that my DoubleTwist media player supports streaming to my Mac Mini running XBMC, so i dont see why this wouldnt work for Spotify/wimp instead.
An app that "hijacks" the audio source, and sends it via WiFi to Airplay/Airfoil/DLNA supported devices would be what i am looking for i guess.
Mixy said:
An app that "hijacks" the audio source, and sends it via WiFi to Airplay/Airfoil/DLNA supported devices would be what i am looking for i guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is something i really want too, what Apple has done with their Airplay is something that would be awesome to have in our Android devices.
agreed, need to audio-hijack all system sound to send to airplay. want to be able to sent pandora, etc controlled from my phone to an airplay receiver.
There is some development going on towards this. I use Shairport on an old phone to act as an Airport express :
http://code.google.com/p/vavi-apps-shairport/
The Airports keys were 'Cracked ' so there will be something eventually.
http://m.engadget.com/default/artic...-unofficial-airp/&category=classic&postPage=1
Regards
I bought winamp for android.
It will be nice if this development can be as you mention.
Hope I dont have to buy doubleTwist since I like Winamp.

[Q] Bluetooth Android to Android remote

Now, before I get flamed, I know that there are plenty of bluetooth remote control apps for controlling your PC from your Android device or controlling your Android device from your PC etc. What I was wondering was, is there an app that allows your to control one Android device from another Android device? Would that be useful, especially with all the tablet devices that are coming out now? How cool would it be to connect your phone to your tablet via bluetooth for the purposes of sending and receiving texts, or making and receiving phone calls etc? Is there any development on such an app?
Comments? Thoughts?
Nothing? Nada?
I don't have an answer for you but I've had the same thought as you that this would be a great app.
I've released two data transfer apps that are used to send data between Android devices, (BlueMuze and Listables if you're interested).
The reason I mention this though, is because I think that for specific tasks like sending music or a photo, or as you suggest, making a phone call, the tech is there. But full-on remote control of another device is a bit more difficult. I'd imagine it would require root and possibly some very clever hacking of the Surface Fliger and Event stream.
That's not to say it's impossible, but it would be a really decent technical challenge. There certainly is a permission related to injecting events into the event stream, that could be a good place to start (if anyone wants to try this).
http://developer.android.com/reference/android/Manifest.permission.html#INJECT_EVENTS
hope that helps
Another quick thought, it's also entirely possible someone will port a VNC server to android someday. There are already VNC clients available...
alostpacket said:
Another quick thought, it's also entirely possible someone will port a VNC server to android someday. There are already VNC clients available...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would certainly be cool! However, the functionality you mentioned in your previous post is something I think would be more functionally useful. Like, say your phone rings, but you answer can answer the call on your tablet as if the phone saw the tablet as a hands-free device, or just answer on the phone (whichever you prefer). Or you dial on your tablet, and then it engages the phone to place the call. Or SMS strings automatically synchronize, and you could answer/respond on either device and they mirror each other in their own respective SMS clients.
That sort of thing I think would be beastly! Y'know, something that gives your tablet and your phone more of a synergistic relationship to each other. Like, rather than two separate devices that fill specific functions, it'd be more like two devices complementing each other and working together to cover all your bases seamlessly.
I just wish I had the knowledge and development-fu to do it myself...
I have also been looking for this kind of thing - primarily so I could run videos from my tablet to my TV, and then use my Android HD2 to control the playback from the comfort of my sofa.
What would be ideal for me would be someone knocking up a bluetooth (or Wifi) solution which sends control commands to something like VPlayer, QQPlayer, MoboPlayer, RockPlayer whatever
smeddy said:
I have also been looking for this kind of thing - primarily so I could run videos from my tablet to my TV, and then use my Android HD2 to control the playback from the comfort of my sofa.
What would be ideal for me would be someone knocking up a bluetooth (or Wifi) solution which sends control commands to something like VPlayer, QQPlayer, MoboPlayer, RockPlayer whatever
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I pretty much already to that with my SGS2 by using a bluetooth mouse. I know it's not the same as pushing a specific button and having a specific action happening on the other device, but the effect is similar enough.
Bump! Trying get some visibility on potential devs for this idea.
any news for android-android remote access?
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Moving to Q&A
Ive also been looking for a app to control my xoom tablet from my HTC phone,there are a couple of simple apps on the market such as "tablet remote" but im looking for one that has more media (music/film) capabilities,i guess the app would involve installing it one both devices then syncing via bluetooth
then you could control the playlist of music,stop pause fw rw any film,the ability to actually stream the music from your phone to table would be awesome !
in my personal situation my tablet is docked with speakers attached,i like to be able to access its music playlist then control that play list with my phone,and maybe even add extra tracks from my phone to the tablets playlist
is there already an app out there that will allow me to do this via bluetooth or wifi ?
has been years since this thread exist, any news?

[Q] Would you be intersted in a new Android media player?

Hey guys I am contemplating on developing a media play that will be able to play both audio and video within a single app and designing it partly around the vanilla KitKat experience. I was thinking I would list it anywhere between $1 to $3. What do yall think. Is it a good idea? Do you think it would sell? Would you buy it?
Bump
I think people use their phones differently when listening to music or watching media, at least I do and the people I know do as well
So if I'm to listen to music, be it with head phones or streaming I go to one app, and I don't keep videos on my devices so all streaming is done through various apps
If you really want to do this I would suggest a free version with either limited options or ads so users can test and you will see if there is a market for it
But I think this is a case where you need to sell the user the idea that one app is better than two or three or....
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
yeah i think this is a great idea especially with the kitkat UI implemented into it, and the idea to be able to have both music and videos within one app is great but what i think you should do is have different section for music and videos such as having a sub menu or something where you can select what you want to do and from that you could also implement a photo viewer and maybe even a stream type thing or something
I think a very simplistic "android player" with the new kitkat UI that plays all major video and audio would be useful. Possible features like playlists and album art would require the paid version. The focus of it would have to be the modern theme and simplicity since one app is simpler than two. It can still be very powerful without all the extra options that are in many applications.

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