Related
I just received my G Tab yesterday (non-woot) and so far I love it. I installed CWM then flashed Vegan. Something about it didn't feel right, so I switched over to TNT Lite 4.4. I also installed Launcher Pro and have figured out how to use it to customize my "desktop" a little. Basically I have a few random questions.
1) Is there a way to disable the "dock" screen?
2) Is there a way to disable the lock screen that comes up after the screen has turned off?
3) Any recommendations on a good replacement for MS Office that can open, edit, and create documents that are compatible with Office?
4) Any recommendations on a good remote desktop app I can use to access files and software on my laptop?
5) Any recommendations on a compact, portable, hopefully inexpensive Bluetooth mouse?
6) How do I copy files from my laptop to my external micro SD card? Do I have to put the micro SD card into my laptop, or can I leave it in the tablet and copy them somehow? When I plug the tablet into my laptop it only appears to give me access to the internal SD.
7) Any other random apps I should look into getting? I plan to use my G Tab to basically replace my laptop, which I only ever use for surfing the web, email, facebook, etc.
8) In particular, any particular apps I should get for playing video/audio files?
9) Is there a tutorial somewhere I can read about how to find movies and get them onto my tablet to watch?
Sorry to barrage you with so many questions. Feel free to answer none, any, or all of them! Thanks in advance for your help!!!
3) Any recommendations on a good replacement for MS Office that can open, edit, and create documents that are compatible with Office?
Documents to Go.
4) Any recommendations on a good remote desktop app I can use to access files and software on my laptop? Several search.
6) How do I copy files from my laptop to my external micro SD card? Do I have to put the micro SD card into my laptop, or can I leave it in the tablet and copy them somehow? When I plug the tablet into my laptop it only appears to give me access to the internal SD. Easiest way is to insert uSD into laptop and copy files.
Lots of answers/ choices here best answer is search.
Easiest way to move files (other than sneakernet) is to install Dropbox.
So I've been having a blast obsessing over my NT. I find that I actually like the stock Home for reading & browsing books, pdfs & comic book archives. These are some quick observations:
Sideloading via USB to My Files... will use the "reserved for B&N" space.
Any compatible formats will show up in the Library, Home Screen & the Daily Shelf if they're side loaded via USB. But if they're transferred over a network, using ES File Explorer, they won't. You can still find them through search, or browsing through "my stuff" in Library. I'm wondering if there is a way to "refresh" the Library, so they know they're there, as is done when transferred via USB.
PDFs: Covers don't appear. Titles & Author will be displayed if the info is available. I used PDF-Xchange Viewer to edit Title & Author in unlocked PDFs. Cover art does NOT display, which doesn't make sense because they work with CBZ.
CBZs: Comic Book Archives that are ZIP work really well. I used a batch script that I found here: http://www.advogato.org/person/AlanHorkan/diary.html?start=363 to convert all CBRs to CBZs. It's way quicker than manually converting. The first page will show up as cover art, which is really cool.
epub: Some, obviously, are better produced than others. If there is cover art, it'll show up. If not Title & Author will be displayed over the generic icon if it's available. I was able to edit (add) that information in FBreader (a super simple windows epub reader.) I wish there was just as simple way to add cover art.
gaaamer said:
Not only can you get good covers for your epubs, but I actually know the ideal resolution. And even covers that are embedded in the epub that are misaligned, crappy resolution, or generally garbage I've learned how to fix and perfect.
I WAS going to make a tutorial video showing how to do all of this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Omg nirv come back again xD
Thanks for your observations. Its good to know sideloading will go into the B&N space rather than the 1Gb of space. Now I know you are doing it for books etc - but can you tell us if sideloading mp3s and say a movie file will do the same and go into the reserved space? Please try it out and let us know.
Its a shame that the covers of PDFs dont show. Thats kind of a bummer. I don't even understand why that wouldn't just work by default. Is there somewhere official we can go to complain about that so they might fix it? I want to throw lots of pdfs on there and hope to see the covers!
PDFs are legit and supported files, so it wouldn't hurt to comment or suggest that the stock home support PDF covers.
The stock library or home page does not display videos as far as I can tell. The way that media, like pics, music and video work they show up join the Media Gallery, which sucks. But again those are supported file formats, so it's something worth commenting and makings suggestions about. Email their support at [email protected]
I second the notion that cbz work very well on the NT.
Though the lack of some features that actual dedicated comic reader apps offer is really evident when you're stuck with the stock viewer.
Double pages are often shrunken down onto one page, you can't automatically advance to the next comic, you can't create shelves within shelves so you can organize your comic series, etc.
It'll do in a pinch, but the stock reader will never replace stuff like comic reader mobi and perfect viewer. If only those would show up in the B&N app store and become "official."
reverenddak said:
epub: Some, obviously, are better produced than others. If there is cover art, it'll show up. If not Title & Author will be displayed over the generic icon if it's available. I was able to edit (add) that information in FBreader (a super simple windows epub reader.) I wish there was just as simple way to add cover art.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download calibre. It is a free program for windows (maybe mac too..dunno) that you can add/edit any information for the epub books and convert from/to most formats. I have a lot of mobi ebooks that I have converted to epub and added the cover art and it shows in the stock library. It also has a nifty search program that automatically searches for cover art from multiple sources.
Has anyone experiamented with pdfs > 50mb? I am mostly worried about RPG pdfs... hoping to not have to lug a ton of books to the gaming table...
reverenddak said:
Sideloading via USB to My Files... will use the "reserved for B&N" space.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you or anyone please explain this in detail for a noob?
You're saying this uses the 11GB of B&N "reserved" *hijacked* RAM, not the 1GB left for the user?
When I plug my rooted NT into my computer, the MyNOOK drive is mounted, but it's only 1GB. (Also my SD card mounts). Copying to My Files reduces the 1GB. So there must be more to 'sideloading via USB' than this, so what am I missing? Or is it just certain files and formats go to the B&N space?
You can still find them through search, or browsing through "my stuff" in Library. I'm wondering if there is a way to "refresh" the Library, so they know they're there, as is done when transferred via USB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far the closest I've found is clicking 'Edit' in the My Shelves section- a list will pop up with media on either internal or SD card and let you individually select each item to add. Would be a real PITA with a large number of files though.
Thanks for the conversion to CBZ script. I was batch-extracting my .CBR files, zipping them, then changing the extension to .cbz but the script is obviously much faster for large collections.
PrinceMorganti said:
Has anyone experiamented with pdfs > 50mb? I am mostly worried about RPG pdfs... hoping to not have to lug a ton of books to the gaming table...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock reader works great for RPG book PDFs. I've used files with sizes ranging from 1-2MB to upwards of 75MB (I've got all of DnD 3rd,3.5, and 4th ed and quite a bit of 2nd scanned and OCRed), and only very rarely notice lag, even when reading off of SD. Only real downside is the PDF cover problem that has existed since the NC. For me, it was enough of an annoyance that I started using Mantano Reader (the paid version) on my rooted NT until such time that it ever gets fixed, since it allows browsing by cover thumbnail.
PrinceMorganti said:
Has anyone experiamented with pdfs > 50mb? I am mostly worried about RPG pdfs... hoping to not have to lug a ton of books to the gaming table...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've loaded a few 60MB+ pdf files that I use for work. Paging through them is reasonably fast. The stock viewer has really clumsy navigation and bookmark controls though.
I'd rather use QuickPDF, but it has an issue where all the options are trapped under the status bar
zaptoons said:
I've loaded a few 60MB+ pdf files that I use for work. Paging through them is reasonably fast. The stock viewer has really clumsy navigation and bookmark controls though.
I'd rather use QuickPDF, but it has an issue where all the options are trapped under the status bar
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was reading on another post where someone turned off the status bar, accidently at first, but then liked it better that way.
Here it is:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=19761265&highlight=status#post19761265
Nook native reader chokes on some PDFs
I got my NT to be a universal ebook reader. It works great for that with Calibre.
The native PDF reader is good for selecting text passages, but it will choke and hang on certain PDF's that don't appear to handle text flow correctly. I get a PDF subscription to Monitoring Times, and I've run into that problem. The reader will hang, and then suddenly present you with two sentences of selected text smushedtogetherwithoutspaceslikethis.
The NT comes with QuickOffice Lite and you can read PDF's with it. I decided to buy the Pro version--I needed to be able to edit Word/Excel docs, and the PDF reader on QO Pro is quite a bit smoother. It's worth $7 bucks (and I can't stand Angry Birds anyway...)
I haven't yet found an upper limit for PDF size--a lot of files I have are scanned computer manuals from bitsavers.org, but I regularly read PDF's of 50-60 megs or more on the device.
Otherwise, it's a great first tablet. I had whole folders of PDF's, .mobi, Plucker, .doc and plain text files that just went right in, at least after I used Calibre to convert them.
HMG10 said:
I was reading on another post where someone turned off the status bar, accidently at first, but then liked it better that way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, yeah that was me. Unfortunately, this was specific only to GoLauncher. No way to turn it off in QuickPDF.
Fortunately, it doesn't matter; I got rid of the paid QuickOffice entirely. (I got it free from Amazon. I'm glad I didn't pay for it, because it sucked on the NT)
I've since found (thanks to someone here) that I prefer Mantano Reader Free. It's available straight from the market.
It has an awesome interface, it's own bookshelf, it generates/shows PDF covers, and it's blazing fast. It seems tablet aware; it only shows the status bar when you tap the bottom of the screen, and it's own menu is high enough not to get stuck behind it. I highly recommend it.
dmoisan said:
I got my NT to be a universal ebook reader. It works great for that with Calibre.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2nd this. Calibre is amazing. I use the 'Fetch News' feature to gather content from various sources, and it creates a perfectly formatted mini-magazine out of them. I was surprised when I attached my NT; Calibre recognized it as a Nook Tablet, and automatically copied my news 'digests' to My Files.
reverenddak said:
So I've been having a blast obsessing over my NT. I find that I actually like the stock Home for reading & browsing books, pdfs & comic book archives. These are some quick observations:
Sideloading via USB to My Files... will use the "reserved for B&N" space.
Any compatible formats will show up in the Library, Home Screen & the Daily Shelf if they're side loaded via USB. But if they're transferred over a network, using ES File Explorer, they won't. You can still find them through search, or browsing through "my stuff" in Library. I'm wondering if there is a way to "refresh" the Library, so they know they're there, as is done when transferred via USB.
PDFs: Covers don't appear. Titles & Author will be displayed if the info is available. I used PDF-Xchange Viewer to edit Title & Author in unlocked PDFs. Cover art does NOT display, which doesn't make sense because they work with CBZ.
CBZs: Comic Book Archives that are ZIP work really well. I used a batch script that I found here: http://www.advogato.org/person/AlanHorkan/diary.html?start=363 to convert all CBRs to CBZs. It's way quicker than manually converting. The first page will show up as cover art, which is really cool.
epub: Some, obviously, are better produced than others. If there is cover art, it'll show up. If not Title & Author will be displayed over the generic icon if it's available. I was able to edit (add) that information in FBreader (a super simple windows epub reader.) I wish there was just as simple way to add cover art.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you get the items you sideloaded into the reserved space via USB?
When I copy files from my computer to "/media/my files/Books" they go into the 1gig space.
Are you sure they are in the 12gig reserved space? In which directory do you see them with root explorer?
I have the same experience.
I did not root my NT coz I am scared (noob here), so I am just sideloading.
Most of the ebooks I downloaded actually go to my library which means it uses the 11 or 12gb that BN reserved for "their" content.
I am not sure if this go to all other files but all the things I downloaded from the browser go to the MyFiles (Downloads) folder of the library, be it ebooks or apps. I haven't tried to download anything from the browser other than ebooks and apps at the moment.
I am using an mp3 download app from the market and the mp3s I downloaded from the app goes to the sd card...
You will load into My Files/Books. If it's on the main storage, this folder is in that 1G area. If you have a SD card, then it's on the SD card. SD card shows on your desktop as another drive.
Possible PDF Cover solution?
PDFs: Covers don't appear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been annoyed by this issue for a few months now, I think I might have made a little headway though.
I made a post on the nookdevelopers.zendest.com, where one user recommended dropping a PDF into an ePub since it's basically a Zip file. It took me awhile to learn the ePub format since it's a little more involved than just zipping the cover/pdf together.
My final product was a PDF w/ a cover, which showed up nicely on the Nook Tablet "Desktop"!! However now when I open the PDF (well, it's like an PDF/ePub hybrid now), it renders horribly, the page turns are slow, and if I navigate to any page past 80 or so it crashes. This blows my mind because the naked PDF works just fine in the reader app.
Here is a link the now unresponsive Zendesk post: Can't link yet
Here is the ePub/PDF & Cover I created: Can't link yet
Here is a link to the raw PDF: Can't link yet
(Until I can link, head over to the zendesk and search for 'pdf in epub with nook tablet', there are 2 different threads, the newest one has links to the PDF and ePub wrapped PDF I created)
I'm hoping this is a clue that will tip someone off to breaking this problem wide open.
Once the kinks are worked out, I can throw together an app to auto-wrap PDF's into ePubs. A complete bandaid to the problem, but since the Nook developers are asleep at the wheel, it's at least something.
I am currently on my 2nd Prime. The first was returned after 4 days. This one is as close to 100% as I can imagine.
Anyway, I had grand visions of all sorts of things I could use it for; however, they haven't really come true.
I also own an Asus Netbook (slow, but at least 3 times the computer that the Prime is), and a Dell laptop running both Win 7 & Simply Mepis Linux. I also have a very good desktop box (which I triple or quad boot).
I do not have the docking station for the Prime.
I desired to use it to view Instrument Approach Plates (Aviation Stuff). They are downloadable as a very large PDF file (598 pages for Alaska) which does not have a linked index (not the fault of the Prime). As you may guess, scrolling to the "Y's" is very slow.
Without purchasing an external Bluetooth GPS, it cannot be used with a moving map--even is one can be found.
I have found it very difficult and cumbersome to move files between the Prime and any of the other computers.
I have attempted to use the bundled browser (POS, in my opinion), and Firefox for Android (FF is my preferred browser on the computers) and found it lacking on the tablet. I have finally settled on Opera Mobile--Not great, but at least useable. (It doesn't even have a HOME key/button, for goodness sakes.)
I attempted to transfer files via Bluetooth from my laptop (yes, they can see each other), but gave up in frustration.
So, without seeming to be whining, what do other owners use the Prime to do?
Jerry in Anchorage, Alaska
Undocked:
1. Random surfing
2. RSS reading
3. ebook reading (my #1 use)
4. Video watching
5. Email triage
6. XDA forum browsing
7. Light gaming
Docked:
1. Draft writing
2. Note taking in meetings, seminars, etc.
3. Responding in email
4. Posting to XDA forums
Undocked:
- browsing the web
- emails on the road or office or on the can
- some games
- Google maps and navigation
- check movie times
Docked:
- browsing the web
- documents and emails
- watch movies (MX Player is the best and NetFlix)
- transfer data from mini SD to micro SD to move files between laptop and Prime
I do video and music editing on the laptop still and if I am really getting down and dirty on writing emails or documents, I would switch to the laptop and use Word 2010. Other than that, I can't see myself using the laptop for anything and prefer the Prime as it also lasts 12 hours on the tablet alone and I have not done a full test on how long it lasts with the dock.
Just have to know what it can and cannot do and work with it. You sound like you need something a little more robust than a tablet. I wouldn't dare to think of doing any kind of video editing on the Prime or even music.
Porn. Basically just porn.
Heh, ok not really
Web surfing, email, games, watcing videos, etc. Normal stuff you would use a computer or laptop for.
Reminisce on what else I could have spent $500 on.
other than that:
Games
Web Browsing
Music
Movies
some word processing
Emails
Navigation (Oh wait thats right my prime has never seen a satelite, I dont think it knows what one is or what to even do with it if it found one) Thanks ASUS!
I think if you want to figure out whether or not a tablet is for you, it's best to consider exactly what makes a tablet different from a notebook. It's those differences that make the tablet much worse for some things, but much better for others.
They are:
1. Instant-on: tablets can be turned on and off instantly. That means they can be used for quick tasks like checking email where booting/waking a notebook is simply less convenient and/or less efficient.
2. Standby battery life: can sit there for days unused, which along with #1 makes them great for doing ad hoc stuff where often a notebook will often be out of power and need plugging in.
Note: Ultrabooks and Macbook Airs mitigate some of the advantages here, but I think even with those wake and standby times are still tablet strengths.
3. Form facter: tablets can be used in more settings and positions than notebooks. For example, lying on a couch or in bed, standing in line, etc.
4. Mobile OS: touch-based, relatively simple interface makes casual tasks easier and more pleasant. Modern tablet OSs provide a more natural interface for many things, getting rid of mice and trackpads for direct manipulation of on-screen elements.
These things combine to make tablets great for things that don't require a great deal of content creation (the Prime's keyboard dock changes that equation a bit when you're talking about raw data entry). No, they can't beat notebooks for heavy duty tasks, but then again that's not their strength: they're best for all the non-heavy-duty tasks we use computers for. If you stop and think about how you use a computer, I think you can probably come up with a good list of such tasks.
A tablet won't replace a notebook for many people, but it makes a great adjunct device. Even here at the office where I have a decent notebook (HP Envy 14), I still use my tablet for some things because it's more comfortable, efficient, and/or just more fun.
Pure entertainment:
games - Really diggin Blood and Glory right now
netflix
youtube
web searching
gmail
Haven't tried an ebook yet
To help transfer files use Dropbox. It has clients for Windows and Linux and mac and Android so very easy to move stuff around. Between that and having a freeNAS box that I can easily browse with es file explorer I have no troubles with it.
I personally use it mostly for Web browsing and forum posting. I also ssh into my university Linux system often to work on labs and whatnot. I do watch some video on it when bored and it's my primary email device.
Do you own another Android device with a GPS? Bluetooth2GPS is free and works fine between my Prime and Nexus.. solved my only 'slight' issue with the device
I run in performance at 1.5 with vc and I'm mainly in Browser -much easier to use with touch than on my notebook (Toshiba 16" i7) ive actually forgotten and touched the screen on that by accident!! just my preference I guess seems just as fast as Chrome on there. Facebook, Netflix, GTalk and Gmail ...also makes my notebook pretty much just for games now. Transferring files I simply hook up over USB and drag and drop... ASTRO or the native Asus file manager that came with it to mess with them once they are loaded.
rand4ll said:
To help transfer files use Dropbox.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even better, add in Dropsync, to sync files locally. I do that so I have my important files synced but available when I'm offline.
When I download a DRM free mp3 like from openbsdorg/lyricshtml, using a browser, it arrives in the Download folder. I can then see it with the included ap "Downloads". If I click on it, it plays just great.
When I sftp the same file into the Download folder with Turbo Client it shows up fine in the in the "local" view provided by that ap. I can also see other files that I previously downloaded normally (using a browser) sitting beside it.
However, when I exit the Turbo Client, and try to view the file name with the built in Downloads ap, the file name is invisible, and obviously I can't play it either.
What is the difference between the files in the two cases? Is there an additional info file parallel the mp3 data file when I use the standard download process? If I go back into Turbo Client, I can still see the file that was sftp'd into the folder. It is still there. That's why I suspect additional information needs to be stored somewhere.
Can I avoid learning a whole new operating system for what is supposed to be a consumer friendly device?
How can I create the additional information that is needed?
AustinHook said:
When I download a DRM free mp3 like from openbsdorg/lyricshtml, using a browser, it arrives in the Download folder. I can then see it with the included ap "Downloads". If I click on it, it plays just great.
When I sftp the same file into the Download folder with Turbo Client it shows up fine in the in the "local" view provided by that ap. I can also see other files that I previously downloaded normally (using a browser) sitting beside it.
However, when I exit the Turbo Client, and try to view the file name with the built in Downloads ap, the file name is invisible, and obviously I can't play it either.
What is the difference between the files in the two cases? Is there an additional info file parallel the mp3 data file when I use the standard download process? If I go back into Turbo Client, I can still see the file that was sftp'd into the folder. It is still there. That's why I suspect additional information needs to be stored somewhere.
Can I avoid learning a whole new operating system for what is supposed to be a consumer friendly device?
How can I create the additional information that is needed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried seeking help from the developer of Turbo Client? He seems very open to support requests according to his thread on xda (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2023646). I feel like this issue you are having is more closely related to the app you are using and not so much the device, so this forum probably is not the ideal place to pose your question.
Download vs SFTP file visibility question
NasaGeek said:
Have you tried seeking help from the developer of Turbo Client? He seems very open to support requests according to his thread on xda (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2023646). I feel like this issue you are having is more closely related to the app you are using and not so much the device, so this forum probably is not the ideal place to pose your question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I have now posted on his forum as well, however, I have the feeling it is a generic issue, relating to the move to more Apple like total control of use of the device. My HTC ONE X+ is Android 4.1.1 (I should have mentioned earlier). I only resorted to sftp because I couldn't mount it as an SD drive. I am coming from an HTC Desire running Android 2.2 where I could just mount the device like a memory stick. That was nice. Now under Jelly Bean it seems there is an intent to take away user control. This is rotten. I'm not a cell phone guru. I don't want to have to learn about "rooting" the device, reflashing the ROM or whatever, I just want to use what should be a consumer friendly device, but I suspect an attempt to redefine the meaning of consumer friendly, to make us jump all kinds of hoops to get straight forward access to the data it deals with.
I'm sorry you've been having such trouble, but your skepticism regarding MTP (this has been Android's internal storage standard since ICS) is quite unfounded. An Android engineer talks about it a little more in this reddit post, but the general idea is MTP was done to make things easier, not harder, and you should most certainly still be able to access your device's storage by plugging it into your computer. You should be able to do this "out-of-the-box" so to speak, without rooting or unlocking the device. You might, however, need to install the necessary drivers for your phone. Android is all about giving the user a healthy amount of control over their device and what files come and go from it (to a certain degree), though I'm not sure I can say the same thing for HTC Sense...
edit: upon reading your post in the other thread, I think I understand your issue. The developer's response was unfortunately not terribly informative for someone who is not well-versed with Android. In order to access your mp3 files you will need to download a file browser app from the Play Store (like this one ) and navigate to your sdcard/Downloads folder.
I probably should have read your post a little more clearly, particularly where you mentioned you were trying to view the files with the Downloads app
Hi everyone,
I have a big problem with this box and I hope someone with experience will be able to help...
I got a 2TB hard drive to use as media storage (videos, music, pictures...) with my Mi box, but it seems there is no way I will be able to do that, I hope someone will prove me wrong.
What is possible is:
- for the box to hijack the whole drive, encrypt it and use it as internal storage. Unacceptable because I want to be able to use the drive with the data on other systems in case I want to transfer files (I don't even want to try transferring 2TB of data over wifi) and in case something happens to the box or I decide to upgrade to a different one, all my data would be lost.
- to use the external storage as read-only, which is useless, I might as well connect it to my TV then and play the contents...
I want to be able to download stuff to it in Android. For instance I could just remotely send torrent files to it while out and about and by the time I get home they would be downloaded. Or I can set all my pictures to be synced with a folder on that drive...
Regular versions of Android generally don't have a problem with this, but Android TV seems to lack the in-built Documents Android file manager functionality that allows for writing permissions once you select the drive (or an SD card) from within an app like Flud for example.
I was hoping upgrading to Nougat would fix this problem, but it seems it won't. The nVidia Shield has the same problem, but it's rootable and using the SDFix app when rooted saves the day.
Rooting would also allow me to use my PS4 controller with the box and other fun stuff, so I really wouldn't mind doing it, but a lot of people had bad experiences with rooting the Mi Box, so I would do it only if I'm sure it'll work.
Does anyone have any suggestions or is this a hopeless endeavour?
Thank you!
an app called airexchange allows you to access your tv box over your wi-fi and do anything you need, download, delete, move...this is the only and easiest way i found to transfer files from my mi box 4 to my pc. might help. just download and follow the instructions, super easy to use.