Has anybody used a Bluetoooth heart rate monitor with this phone and Endomondo (or other fitness app)?
I was wondering if any of the Bluetooth 4.0 (smart) heart rate monitors would work with this phone (Zephyr HxM Smart or Polar H7)
Thanks
I'm using Runkeeper app and the "older" Polar heart rate monitor (non 4+). It is working very solidly for me. I have had it for about 1 month, still haven't changed the battery (I've ran about 10-15 hours with it so far).
I didn't have enough faith in BT4.0 to try the newer one.
Let us know if you decide to try it!
I ended up going with the Zephyr HxM Bluetooth for Android model (BT 2.0) to use with Endomondo. It works great so far!
After reading some posts on the Nexus forums, apparently BT 4.0 isn't fully supported yet on Android. Something about each app maker needing to create an API themselves to support BT 4.0. So most apps don't use it yet. The 4.0 devices may connect to the phone, but the app won't recognize it. Maybe Key Lime Pie will address this soon.
I understand that 4.3 will support Bluetooth 4.0/Bluetooth Low Energy, and more specifically Bluetooth Smart devices.
Does anyone have any experience with any Bluetooth heart rate monitor chest straps- even before 4.3- which were not supported by popular running apps?
To me, if a device has the Bluetooth logo, it meets Bluetooth protocol certifications and should work but these running apps say they only support a Polar or Zephyr (insert model #) here.
I didn't know if that is because that's all they test with or they're trying to hawk their own store products.
Personally, I prefer to invest in one heart rate chest strap that works with multiple apps if I decide I don't like one app at some point and how each of the running apps claim they only support 2 brands or models of something is pretty ridiculous.
jawz101 said:
if a device has the Bluetooth logo, it meets Bluetooth protocol certifications and should work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, Yes, they work -BUT- Android does not work with them.
Most phones do support BLE in their hardware, but android does NOT have the API-calls to access the hardware (until 4.3).
If you have a Bluetooth Smart device ( like your heart rate monitor ) and you try to pair it with any BLE capable device, it will work to a certain point, since it is Bluetooth after all. But bluetooth smart is a "simplified" version of bluetooth, with the intention to cut power usage so you can run on a coin cell battery for months, even years in some cases. The problem is that while they did cut the protocol down they also broke backward compatibility to a certain degree.
So communication from your Bluetooth smart device to your mobile phones bluetooth chip does work, but since "things" have changed, the part behind the bluetooth chip on your phone has to cope with the new differences. That does not happen in android before 4.3 . Some manufacturers like Samsung and HTC and Motorola (SHM) have done their own work (all three different approaches) to cope with the problem.
Me, as an APP developer, could go to all SHM companies and make my app work with their "workarounds" just to support a handfull of phones, coping with the quirks of those workarounds. -OR- I simply wait for google to implement BLE stack on Android in a newer version.
The reason it took Google till Android 4.3 to get BLE working was that google already did want to cleanup the Bluetooth code and waited till all is finished ( that's what I've read online ). I think that was the wrong approach. Since most Handset manufacturers do not update ROMs as fast, the Market share of android devices that truly work flawless with BLE will continue to be low for the next 2-3 years.
I am doing a masters thesis on bluetooth low energy and want to use it with android, although it should be clear that I need a Phone, I am still hessitating to buy a Nexus 4, although I am in need of a BLE compatible Phone.
On the other hand there are reports that the previous nexus phone, the galaxy nexus, has a BLE capable chip and meanwhile did get Android 4.3, but in that case (seemingly) the drivers for the BT-chip do not work with bluetooth smart / BLE. (A good reason to get angry)
To get back to your Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) straps, most probably the old ones did do some "own development" with older Bluetooth. The point is that BLE has a specific profile for HRM devices, so they will all be mix-n-match / compatible-to-eachother once the market for compatible apps, compatible phones and compatible straps is existent. Earlier HRM straps did implement their own data transmission protocol over the well known bluetooth serial protocol. That is the reason they are compatible with only one or two apps (or one app with a couple of straps).
I have a Nexus 4 and just received a Polar H7 HRM which is a Bluetooth Smart device. Loaded 4.3 up, Android recognizes it, no apps do.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Update:
A nerd at Polar finally alleviated my worries.
_______######_____#
We do not foresee any changes made to the H7 as it uses BTLE standard protocol. * It will be compatible with 4.3. *We have seen the recent announcement regarding 4.3 and are working hard to see what it means for Polar Beat application. It is great that so many people would like the Beat app to be available on Android phones. Us too! Stay tuned for further news.
Thank you for training with Polar!
LaKisha
Polar Customer Care Team
POLAR ELECTRO INC.
______##########_##___
For me that means I'll keep the h7 I bought. To hell with apps that won't support it in favor of their own branded HRMs. I want freedom to switch $5 apps versus buying $50 HRMs for each.
Anything new on this front? I have a Galaxy Note II and would like to buy a BTLE HRM belt for it. Is there any belt that's likely to work with v4.3 and apps like Endomondo or Runtastic?
oren_b said:
Anything new on this front? I have a Galaxy Note II and would like to buy a BTLE HRM belt for it. Is there any belt that's likely to work with v4.3 and apps like Endomondo or Runtastic?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I'd love if someone who has paired the Wahoo Blue HR with a Nexus 4 has got Runkeeper to successfully communicate with the heart rate monitor. My MotoActv died and I'm thinking I should have a Bluetooth hrm as a backup.
mversion said:
Yeah, I'd love if someone who has paired the Wahoo Blue HR with a Nexus 4 has got Runkeeper to successfully communicate with the heart rate monitor. My MotoActv died and I'm thinking I should have a Bluetooth hrm as a backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just purchased the Wahoo Blue HR strap to test with Runtastic app and an S3 with Android 4.3 (Cyanogen). I will test tomorrow and if it doesn't work I will return and then try the Polar H7 and let you all know what the results are.
Runtastic recently updated their app to include support for Android 4.3 with Bluetooth 4.0.
-G
Gsus112 said:
I just purchased the Wahoo Blue HR strap to test with Runtastic app and an S3 with Android 4.3 (Cyanogen). I will test tomorrow and if it doesn't work I will return and then try the Polar H7 and let you all know what the results are.
Runtastic recently updated their app to include support for Android 4.3 with Bluetooth 4.0.
-G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That'll be excellent. Can't wait for the status update. My wife also uses an S3, so it will be a definite purchase for me if you confirm that all is good.
I couldn't wait, so I purchased the Wahoo heart rate monitor. I should've done my research but I had to find out the hard way that because there's no support for BT LE in Runkeeper and Endomondo, they didn't work at all. I signed up for the Wahoo beta android app and gave that a go. That was fine. Didn't try Runtastic though.
Luckily I had a coworker who was after one for his iPhone so I sold him mine on the same day for the same price I had purchased it.
I ended up getting the Polar Wearlink Bluetooth (not the Wearlink+ H7 with Bluetooth 4.0 version- because it is pointless if your app of choice doesn't support it). I wouldn't be surprised if Runkeeper announced support soon, but they've been talking about it for over a year now. So it will come eventually, but the time is not now.
I used a Nexus 5 for testing, but I'm sure I would've gotten the same result with a Nexus 4.
Wahoo ble beta
Wahoo beta works with a no name ble heart rate belt.
all "free"app's ask money if you try to enable the heart rate monitor.
mainfraim said:
Wahoo beta works with a no name ble heart rate belt.
all "free"app's ask money if you try to enable the heart rate monitor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which beta? http://support.wahoofitness.com/entries/22766104-Wahoo-Fitness-for-Android-Beta-is-here-
And run keeper works too?
magnus48 said:
Which beta?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This beta.
https://rink.hockeyapp.net/apps/080b26953c056aab2e7f1192361e0f64
the export in the last version don't work. version 1.0.1.0 runs whiteout problems.
Anything that works with Endomondo or Runtastic?
oren_b said:
Anything that works with Endomondo or Runtastic?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Runtastic does support Smart HRMs. I use it with my Polar H7 and Nexus 4 with no issues. I think that's about the only full featured fitness app out there on android that supports it. The other big apps (such as Runkeeper) are just MIA, as far as I know there is no ETA for support, no beta, nothing. If Runkeeper supported smart BT, I would buy it, simply because it is the only app supported by my employer sponsored fitness portal.
grizzlebizzle said:
Runtastic does support Smart HRMs. I use it with my Polar H7 and Nexus 4 with no issues. I think that's about the only full featured fitness app out there on android that supports it. The other big apps (such as Runkeeper) are just MIA, as far as I know there is no ETA for support, no beta, nothing. If Runkeeper supported smart BT, I would buy it, simply because it is the only app supported by my employer sponsored fitness portal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is now 6 months that people request BTLE supports with Runkeeper. Since Android 4.3 has been announced with BTLE supportt.
As today the support still answer: "it's in the pipeline!"
How can such a big app can have this lack of development and not support BTLE yet? Is this a lack of knowledge from developpers? Licensing? Money? A little bit of everything?
For god sake, just update it already! This keep me of buying a Polar...
grizzlebizzle said:
Runtastic does support Smart HRMs. I use it with my Polar H7 and Nexus 4 with no issues. I think that's about the only full featured fitness app out there on android that supports it. The other big apps (such as Runkeeper) are just MIA, as far as I know there is no ETA for support, no beta, nothing. If Runkeeper supported smart BT, I would buy it, simply because it is the only app supported by my employer sponsored fitness portal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, using a heart rate monitor with Runtastic is pointless for me since the app does not consider your heart rate in it's calorie burning calculation. This came direct from Runtastic support. The heart rate is only tracked for informational purposes but not used by the app.
I'm trying to find a workout app that does the following:
1) Syncs with Myfitnesspal or Fitbit
2) Is compatible with BLE heart rate monitors
3) Uses heart rate to calculate calories burned
4) Works with the Sony Smartwatch
Runtastic does 1, 2 and 4 but as I said doesn't to 3.
I know Digifit/iCardio does 1, 2 and 3 but not 4.
What about the Wahoo app? Does anyone know if it works with the Sony Smartwatch and/or uses your heart rate in its calculations?
t-bo said:
It is now 6 months that people request BTLE supports with Runkeeper. Since Android 4.3 has been announced with BTLE supportt.
As today the support still answer: "it's in the pipeline!"
How can such a big app can have this lack of development and not support BTLE yet? Is this a lack of knowledge from developpers? Licensing? Money? A little bit of everything?
For god sake, just update it already! This keep me of buying a Polar...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.. been waiting for this for ages as well, neverending story with runkeeper and BTLE
Guys, just use iCardio. I've been using it for the past week and it works with the Polar H7 HRM.
Forget all the others like Runkeeper and Endomondo who can't keep up with the times. You have other options so use them. I was using Endomondo but I've moved on and have no regrets.
I've been working on a heart rare monitor app. Currently, the amount of features is slim, but this will change soon.. if you participate in testing, it would help me very much.
//play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.restracks.android.ble
This looks like a good start... I am looking for an app that will capture the BTLE or ANT+ output from my new Mio Link when inthe gym. I could use my Forerunner 220 and ANT+, but then I get a cadence track from the internal sensor that I dont want and cant turn off. This then screws up the pace/distance stats.
I have tried the Wahoo app and BTLE, but I seem to get loads of spikes.
Does your app log the heart rate, and is there then a way to extract it for upload somewhere else - ideally in .FIT or .tcx format ??
Any other apps out there that do this ?
I've read that the snapdragon 400 chip natively support GPS.
Is it possible to active it in a custom rom ?
doud1357 said:
I've read that the snapdragon 400 chip natively support GPS.
Is it possible to active it in a custom rom ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, while the processor chip may have support for GPS, the watch does not have the required sensors needed to get a GPS lock and to feed data to the processor.
If the sensor was actually in the device? Certainly there would be a way to enable it with a custom ROM, but that still dictates that the sensor would need to be built into it.
doud1357 said:
I've read that the snapdragon 400 chip natively support GPS.
Is it possible to active it in a custom rom ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It means it natively has support for a GPS, it doesn't mean it has one embedded within the Snapdragon 400 SoC.
How about a portable gps reciever it's small and you can take with you. I have a nexus 6 and a LG G not GPS when I go for a run I have to take my phone to track my run could there be a way to bluetooth a GPS reciever to work with G watch. Like the way some people use there tablets and GPS same Idea?
What about Wi-Fi?
Many sites I follow are currently suggesting that the smartwatches powered by the Snapdragon 400 might have built in Wi-Fi antennas. The LG G Watch has a Snapdragon 400 APQ8026 but this SoC doesn't seem to have it. Can anyone confirm this?
matteo.gee said:
Many sites I follow are currently suggesting that the smartwatches powered by the Snapdragon 400 might have built in Wi-Fi antennas. The LG G Watch has a Snapdragon 400 APQ8026 but this SoC doesn't seem to have it. Can anyone confirm this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I looked at the teardown, the radio chipset is solely BT 4.0 :\ no wifi hardware in sight. However while the SoC supports it, without the hardware, that support is useless. Sorry to say
I read the watches have wifi but no antennas. Is it that they actually have the needed hardware but lack the circuitry for an antenna? Maybe a hardmod? Or no?
player911 said:
I read the watches have wifi but no antennas. Is it that they actually have the needed hardware but lack the circuitry for an antenna? Maybe a hardmod? Or no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. What you are reading is that they have the hardware to SUPPORT a wifi module (Some do actually only lack the antenna, however those will also lack drivers since the OEMs are not likely to make them). Not that there is one built into the SoC. As with the GPS above, even though your SoC supports something, doesn't mean it already has the hardware needed built into it.
@LittleLX: I actually attempted this and attempted to sideload a Bluetooth GPS receiver app to the watch, unfortunately because almost all of them use the Android ActionBar, it refused to start up. Android Wear is restricting applications to the swipe to dismiss action and forbidding the actionbar on versions of Android with Swipe to Dismiss on. That said, there is definitely room for this type of application to be developed for Android Wear, I had sideloaded CF.Lumen and ES File Manager, and while CF.Lumen doesn't open because of it's ActionBar, I had put together a tasker app factory app to attempt to play around and trigger (I had manually installed the CF.Lumen driver) it, it did show that it would work if I had been able to set up location services inside the app (choose the location for the automatic dimming..)
So Android Wear has potential to be a very powerful and extensible platform, developers just aren't interested in it yet it seems. We as a people seem to be stuck looking at a smartwatch as a watch rather than a wrist computer.
I'm looking to get an Android TV device and I am overwhelmed with options. I want something that is fully unlockable with an active development community. What originally got me interested was the Amazon Fire TV but after reading up it seems the new units are no longer rootable/unlockable. That lead me down the path to other devices. I think I've settled on the AMLogic based devices (if there are other suggestion I'm open). It looks like there are basically 3.
S905 - Older chip and stuck with Android 5 roms
S905x - Newer with 4k but performance is not as good at the S905. More dev/roms available
S912 - 8 core. Has DVB S2/T2 support (not sure what that does for me though) Does not seem to be a lot of dev for this. Only one thread I saw.
Based on these assumptions I'm leaning toward a X96 - S905x 2GB/16GB model for $42.99.
Also. Do the non Amazon devices support Amazon video? My current chromecast's do not and that is one reason for the upgrade.
I am in a similat boot here
Decided on the X96 because I found the page for the firmware updates before I found a link to buy the box LOL
Apart from the missing BT a great box considering the usual limitations.
Amazon video only works on Amazon devices AFAIK but I don't use it.
Same story for Android TV, great hype about it but I think it is just a crippled launcher with really limited content showing up - mainly Youtube and Google but nothing else.
The S912 seems to be the affordable alternative if you need BT and a bit more computing power for games but S905D boxes are slowly turning up.
Same for devices running on Android7 and offering up to 3GB/32GB.
But Android7 for TV boxes is in an early beta to say it nice with a lot of bugs and half cooked menu structures - better to wait a bit longer if you ask me.
And since the hardware for these boxes is literally identical within the families it comes down to personal preference and what can be modded or not.
Personally I am starting to think that despite the huge price tag the Shield is still the best option in terms of quality, hardware and support.
DVB is for terrestial and satellite TV.
Thanks. I did not realize there was no BT on the S905x boxes. My only concern there is I was planning to use a wireless BT keyboard with it.
Almost all wireless keyboards that come with a dongle will work, for example the Logitech and MS ones, same for the dirt cheap and tiny touchpad keyboards you get on Ebay.
BT is only a problem if you need it for game controllers, weather stations or to pair some speakers to it.
I see. I went ahead and ordered a X96 that included a mini keyboard last night. I figure for $47.98, including shipping, what the heck right? I'll have a cheap new toy to play with.
Once you played enough you will start playing even more when you try different custom roms
hi please help i flashed wrong twrp recovery i think now my amlogic smartbox failed to boot in recovery mode and the main problem is my smartbox Encryption Unsuccessful Factory reset, when i click factory reset nothing happend please guide how to solve this
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(RNE -L23)
NFC on the Huawei Mate 10 Lite ....Is this a hardware or software consideration? From what I've figured out, its not officially supported. Is there a software update that can make this possible or its a hardware shortcoming?
borderfox said:
(RNE -L23)
NFC on the Huawei Mate 10 Lite ....Is this a hardware or software consideration? From what I've figured out, its not officially supported. Is there a software update that can make this possible or its a hardware shortcoming?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to use NFC on your device, if it not NFC enabled.
NFC: Near Field Communication.
How it works: It's a method of wireless data transfer that detects and then enables technology in close proximity to communicate without the need for an internet connection. It's easy, fast and works automatically.
The tech involved is deceptively simple.Evolved from radio frequency identification (RFID) tech, an NFC chip operates as one part of a wireless link. Once it's activated by another chip, small amounts of data between the two devices can be transferred when held a few centimeters from each other.
Hence, you need NFC chip on both the devices to enable data transfer or anything else.
Thanks for confirming.