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I have ordered a Zenithink ZT-180-102A and plan to use it to view sheet music for the band I play in, and turn the pages with a USB foot switch that sends a PgDn key to Acrobat Reader.
Has anyone tried this before? Any gotchas?
I would think that the tablet will be (just) big enough to view A4 PDF sheet music at 10.1" (would have preferred slightly bigger)
I'm hoping Adobe Acrobat Reader for Android can go full screen and respond to PgDn messages
Battery life seems a bit light, but figure I can run it from the power adapter if required
Hopefully no outside gigs, as I don't know how well the screen would work in sunlight
If I'm reading the foot switch description right, I can configure the key press via the software on a Windows machine, then plug it directly into the Zenithink as a standard HID device. Anyone tried anything like this?
Zilch said:
I have ordered a Zenithink ZT-180-102A and plan to use it to view sheet music for the band I play in, and turn the pages with a USB foot switch that sends a PgDn key to Acrobat Reader.
Has anyone tried this before? Any gotchas?
I would think that the tablet will be (just) big enough to view A4 PDF sheet music at 10.1" (would have preferred slightly bigger)
I'm hoping Adobe Acrobat Reader for Android can go full screen and respond to PgDn messages
Battery life seems a bit light, but figure I can run it from the power adapter if required
Hopefully no outside gigs, as I don't know how well the screen would work in sunlight
If I'm reading the foot switch description right, I can configure the key press via the software on a Windows machine, then plug it directly into the Zenithink as a standard HID device. Anyone tried anything like this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, did you get this set up yet? I was looking at something similar for my band. Does the ZT180 have usb slot in it for the foot switch?
Yeah - that particular tablet is pretty iffy in build quality and design. I posted some details on it here.
The main limitation is the screen size for displaying A4/Letter. Since it's a 16:9 (or 16:10?) ratio, you get black bars at the top and bottom if you display the full page, so it's more like A5 size. For most of my music that is readable, but not ideal.
In landscape the size is about right, but you can only see half the page at a time.
The Adobe Reader software lets you do Cntl-N to move to the next page (dunno why PgDn doesn't work). The cheap footswitch I got of eBay works fine (you set it up once with some Windows software and then plug it into the USB port of the tablet)
I've ordered a 3 pedal one to try though, (cheaper than the 2 pedal ones strangely) so I can do Forward/Backwards, a maybe some sort of Scroll with the middle switch if I have it in landscape mode.
A proper A4 one would be nice though. I think I would actually take an eInk based one in preference - if I could find a reasonably priced A4 one - as the battery life would be so much better. Or maybe a Windows tablet so I could also run GuitarRig or similar for FX/MIDI stuff at the same time. Still thinking about it though. Let us know how you go.
Any update?
I would love to hear how this is going.
I am planning on getting a tablet for guitar music and would love foot pedal options.
Any suggestions? Tablets, apps, pedals etc...
I haven't used it much to be honest. The screen is a bit small, esp at 16:9 ratio for A4/Letter sheet music. The pedal idea works pretty well though, I'm using on my Thinkpad (sitting on it's side on a a music stand) for now.
I'll revisit when some genius invents a tablet which is greater than 10.2", and when a decent build quality model with Gingerbread is out.
I have to admit I'm slightly tempted with the 14" (?) EEE Windows slate that has come out recently. I think it's an i5 or so, and this would allow me to run guitar rig etc while viewing sheet music.
I purchased a Viewsonic G tablet for this very same purpose. I can read my music using Adobe in the Portrait mode ok but I would like to put it in landscape mode and use my cicada by page flip foot pedal to do a page up and page down. Have you come across anyone who can remap the keyboard to recognize page up and page down or as you have found out control N for page down.
I got my Gtablet a few weeks ago and have been playing with a few apps.
Chord Reader (pretty much just a phone), eSongBook and GuitarTapp
The each have nice features but I really need a combination of the three. I don't own a foot pedal but would like to have that feature and hear how that is working for other people.
Features I would like:
1. Change keys
2. Make setlists
3. Nice, big display
How are people mounting this for a stand? Or do you just set it on a music stand?
Best rig would be with a 13 inch macbook I believe. Check out Modbook http://www.axiotron.com/index.php?id=modbook
New Sheet Music Reader: MobileSheets
For anyone that happens to come to this thread looking for information, I recently released an android sheet music reader app called MobileSheets. It's currently only available for 10'' tablets. The app is designed to let you take images or PDFs you have (either from scanning, taking a picture with the tablet camera, or from files obtained on the internet) and create songs from them. You can organize your library based on album, artist, and genre, and create setlists. It also comes with a built-in metronome, and companion app for your PC. Please check out zubersoft.com/mobilesheets for more information.
One of the best reasons to get a tablet ever! How does the footswitch work?
An update is coming out this Sunday, Dec 4th that's going to add support for any bluetooth pedal for hands-free playback. Examples of supported bluetooth pedals include the Cicada PageFlip and the Airturn BT-105. I'm going to start offering a deal soon where if you buy the Airturn BT-105 through a link on zubersoft.com/mobilesheets, you will be given a free copy of the paid version of MobileSheets.
As for how the pedal works, the previously mentioned devices have two pedals. My app supports multiple modes - the default mode is the left pedal goes back one page, the right pedal advances a page. Another mode is the left pedal scrolls the page while the right advances to the next page (great for landscape mode). Once you try hands-free page turning, you will never want to go back
hmmh... this seems to be just what i was looking for... i am planning on going completely digitla on my students, as in: have 'em watch their sheetmusic on the tablet in lesson (in this case motorola xoom), then afterwards send 'em the sheets for them to print out by themselves. i'm just sick of lugging 10+ kg of sheetmusic around all day actually i was planning on buying an inexpensive printer and hook it up to the zablet via usb, wifi or bluetooth and print the stuff for them on site, but as there's no pc or router nearby and usb doesn't semm to work either, i settled for the paperless approach (which does have it's pros and cons).
one thing i'd like to know about your program though: i've got several realbooks in pdf form that i'd like to use, each containing around 2-300 songs on about as much pages. how would i go about organizing those? simply bookmark each song seperately? or would i have to split the huge single pdf into small, single ones?
[/quote] from blue powder --- one thing i'd like to know about your program though: i've got several realbooks in pdf form that i'd like to use, each containing around 2-300 songs on about as much pages. how would i go about organizing those? simply bookmark each song seperately? or would i have to split the huge single pdf into small, single ones?[/QUOTE]
I use ezPDF viewer. (available on Android Market) It allows me to use my foot switch (cicada page flip) and allows me to mark my .pdf sheets with notes for corrections or whatever. I agree with a previous poster, once you use a foot switch you won't want to go back. I am in a JAM that has about 500 songs. It took two 3 inch binders to carry them every night. Well we have now converted 16 of the 21 members to electronic viewers. It is the only way to go.
As far as organizing my folders I simply created 26 folders labeled "A" to "Z". Then every time I add a new song I simply put it in the appropriate folder. You can leave them all in one giant folder but it takes longer to find the song you want later. I found a little pain up front saved a lot of pain later.
Enjoy
do you mark your pdf's using a pen? if so, which one? if not - how DO you do it? that's one thing i would be missing in a purely digital surrounding, being able to mark up certain things etc. i don't think i'm going to have much need for a footswitch in a teaching situation, though, and as far as gigs are concerned, i play mainly jazz, and most of the leadsheets i get are a page long. if not - tough luck, i'll play better from memory anyway ;-)
the folder a to z folder-approach seems absolutely feasible, i'd probably go even more ballistic and create several mainfolders (like fingerpicking, theory, leadsheets etc), then have the a to z folders inside those. something like that. i'm more worried though that my students will be turned off by not getting physical handouts anymore. may take them a while to get used to it
ezpdf app and boxwave pointing devices
bluepowder said:
do you mark your pdf's using a pen? if so, which one? if not - how DO you do it? that's one thing i would be missing in a purely digital surrounding, being able to mark up certain things etc. i don't think i'm going to have much need for a footswitch in a teaching situation, though, and as far as gigs are concerned, i play mainly jazz, and most of the leadsheets i get are a page long. if not - tough luck, i'll play better from memory anyway ;-)
the folder a to z folder-approach seems absolutely feasible, i'd probably go even more ballistic and create several mainfolders (like fingerpicking, theory, leadsheets etc), then have the a to z folders inside those. something like that. i'm more worried though that my students will be turned off by not getting physical handouts anymore. may take them a while to get used to it
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Click to collapse
OK first I would recommend looking at ezpdf on the android market. The developer has been very quick to make certain changes. I can say that the program has really improved 800 % over the past 4 months I have been using it. The developer updates the product about every 4 days. New features and bug fixes. Granted I don't use all of it's features but I think it is better than Adobe. I tried to embed a copy of the annotations page but I could not so go here "https://market.android.com/details?id=udk.android.reader&hl=en"
Pen - I do use a pen/pointer to write on my pdf's. I use the boxwave products as they were rated the best and most reliable on a capacitive screen. I have bought others but I keep coming back to the boxwave products. I even have one with an actual writing pen on the other side of it so I can take paper notes if I have to.
Folders - I do the same thing with my music folders. I have it broken out to Christmas music A - Z, Our Regular Music A - Z, Then stuff that I am practicing for my self A - Z.
Sheet Music - If you are going to stick to one page and you are young enough to be able to see clearly then forget the foot pedal. It is just one more thing to have to carry. I am 60, the old eyes are not as sharp as they used to be.
Students - I don't know how you are planning on giving them the files or where you teach, ( private classes, class room setting, high school etc) But - Hey when I was learning (still am) I would have loved it if the instructor gave me a downloadable file with all of my music for the semester. Then I could either print it or put it on a tablet. My choice. Most parents today think that if they don't buy their kids the latest gizmo they will be stunted or social outcasts, so I bet most of your students already have tablets.
Another thought - Another thing to keep in mind. My buddy teaches banjo. He was going to get a tablet for himself then we talked and he decided to get a tablet and a notebook and a projector. He then calls up the sheet music on his laptop and projects it on the screen for the class of 6 students. He uses the tablet for private instruction with out the projector.
Hope that helps.
Really take a look at ezpdf
Hello -
My solution to this problem was:
1. Scan in all my sheet music as high resolution files (300 or higher).
2. Use a photoshop technique on each image to eliminate grey and make sure the blacks are black and the white background is white - (there is a great way to do this with the eyedropper tool which you can find on youtube). At this stage I also straighten the image of each page.
3. Use a photoshop action to import the individual scanned image of each page as 'layers' on a single photoshop document --- and then save as a photoshop document.
4. Use a photoshop action to stack each photoshop layer (on a given document from step 4) out in a long continuous sheet of music and then flatten the image and save as a bitmap (so now the image would look like a flat, opened out, long, scroll).
5. Use a photoshop action to set the canvas size the correct dimensions and dpi for your given display/tablet.
6. Manually open each 'scroll' and move around the systems of your music to fit in the window you have made in step 5 ---- and save each window as a high res jpeg. Save the jpeg as the name of the piece followed by the page number.
7. Use a photoshop action to add a text layer of the same value as the file name. Save as a pdf.
8. Combine the individual pdf pages into a single pdf document for each individual piece.
9. All done. I now have 3 hours of music as PDFs that are perfectly viewable in my tablet AND can be searched for using the find feature of the PDF reader (thanks to step 7). What could be easier!
----
The lenovo A4 size tablet is an ugly looking brick - I wouldn't like that compared with this ipad solution
Fakebook
For many of the above reasons my favorite gigging tool is the Fakebook. It does PDF very well (even importing and indexing huge collections like a real book or vocal book), but at the same time it has thousands of built in chord charts (transposable). Nice annotation or scribbling, search, links to YouTube and Spotify performances and great playlist editing.
Best $1.50 spent on my Google Play account! play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skrivarna.fakebook.android
The Adobe Reader software lets you do Cntl-N to move to the next page (dunno why PgDn doesn't work). [/QUOTE said:
Yes. ctrl + n gDn. But what could be the code of PgUp?? If anyone knows the answer, please describe it is very important to me. . And there's a code table of Adobe Reader for Android?
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Click to collapse
I recently got a gtab last week and have been looking to use it to stream line my grad school and work life. I'm running vegan 5.1.1. So far I use
Documents to Go (Reading/editing/creating docs)
Drop Box (synching my work/school files)
Gtasks (to do list that syncs with google tasks)
Handwrite & Genial Handwriting (for use with a stylus to hand write notes, style trying to decide which one to go with)
Repligo Reader (to annotate pdf files)
Thinking Space (to make mind maps, haven't really used it much but could be useful)
Sketchbook Mobile (for drawings, mostly for fun haha, but could be good to draw up a quick diagram)
Thumb Keyboard (alternate Keyboard with lots of customizations for better use on tablets)
iDisplay Wow this app is amazing, allows you to wirelessly use your gtab (or any android device) as a second monitor for your comp. If you have a case with a stand, or an independent stand, you'll really be amazed at how useful it is
How do you guys use your tab for Business or School?
What are some other useful or productive apps you guys use for business or school?
Also, can anyone recommend a good solution for handwriting notes on the gtab? Genial Handwriting and Handrite both work pretty well. MaplePaint seems alright, but not good for longer sessions. Most of the paint apps fail for this reason.
Anyway, I just thought this thread could be really useful for the Enterprise and Educational users. I'm trying to get to the point where I can use my laptop less and less, that way I don't have to carry it with me to class or meetings.
You hit a lot of the good ones I like. Checkout Springpad for an on the fly catchall note/reminder/organizer app. I really like Business Calendar. its a paid app but looks great on the gtablet. I sometimes use mNote for the quickest possible text cloud notes (like stuff i dont need in a word doc or springpad).
Titanium Media Sync is a great app for syncing a folder to your Dropbox account. Its the app dropbox should have been. careful on the first sync though - make a new folder in dropbox jus for this because it will erase the folder and make it identical to the one on your gtab on the first try. i lost a whole day if shoulder notes that way.
I think thats the stuff i go to daily. Thumb Keyboard is a great keyboard that is optimized r tablet use. you can customize where the break is, and how tall the keys are.
Oh yea I forgot to put thumb keyboard on there. I completely agree, makes typing on the tab way more bearable. I'll check out the other ones you mentioned too
Business user
I don't do a lot of heavy lifting on the gTab. I have a beefy laptop that has enterprise apps I use for work and use LogMeIn Ignition on my gTab to remotely access my work laptop to do "real work".
Yea the gtab can't replace a laptop (no tablet as of now can). Like you I still need my laptop for the more intensive tasks. I guess a better way to think about it is rather than replace a laptop, I'm looking to better incorporate the gtab into my workflows that way I can use it for the tasks that don't require a laptop.
Another app to add to the list "Idisplay", it allows you to use your gtab as a second monitor and works insanely well. No chords needed. Its been incredibly useful when typing while having another document open to reference.
any of you know of a good pdf reader like adobe but with bookmark option?
Great list, I'm going to have to try out that iDisplay!
I've also been searching for a good stylus and note taking application to replace onenote... anyone find any comparable solutions?
I use for fun at this moment
Wuala-for password protecting mu cloud files
Team viewer-for remote dedktop access
Touchdown for full exchange sync
Lazy droid to easily transfer files beteeen computers and tabs
World mate live-for tracking my travel
For business use, I like to have lots of calendars all integrated into one, and Executive Assistant and Business Calendar are two apps that help do to that.
opnsrcaddict said:
Great list, I'm going to have to try out that iDisplay!
I've also been searching for a good stylus and note taking application to replace onenote... anyone find any comparable solutions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For stylus notes i've been bouncing back and forth between "genial writing" and "Handrite". Genial is prettier, but handrite seems more functional
RE: Business Presentation
Hello...I want to use my gtablet for business presentation...I want to hook my gtab to the TV to show my presentation...is there a special cable and application to do this? thanks
I set my gtab up for work. Some of my favorite apps are:
VPNC Widget for connecting to our Cisco VPN.
CifsManager for connecting to Windows file shares.
Quickoffice for viewing and editing Word docs and Excel spreadsheets.
Password Safe Pro for storing user IDs and passwords.
Daris
Foxit reader beta for android is out! I have been test-riding it and works smoothly so far. The ink annotation capabilities are better than repligo in my opinion, plus this is free! Got it directly from the foxit site (could not find it in the market):
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/products/mobilereader/android/
Enjoy!
As an instructor, I've loaded my lesson plans on it and use Docs2Go to read them during class. I've also used androidVNC to control my desktop and server. I've used netstat and other network tools to monitor network traffic during my class. And have used ConnectBot to access my UNIX server.
And of course I use it for entertainment purposes after class as well.
Jerome,
If you had the Malata dock, you could just use an hdmi cable to connect your Gtab to a tv. I'm not sure about other adapters, but you might be able to plug an RCA via the headphone jack. I haven't tried that, I might when I get home because I have one of those for my vibrant phone and that works.
pyro6128 said:
Yea the gtab can't replace a laptop (no tablet as of now can). Like you I still need my laptop for the more intensive tasks. I guess a better way to think about it is rather than replace a laptop, I'm looking to better incorporate the gtab into my workflows that way I can use it for the tasks that don't require a laptop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I commute everyday for work and don't want to bring with me corporate laptop. What I do is leave the laptop in my office and bring home/clients my gtab. It works fine if you only need mailing, browsing, reading,... (simple tasks). Office productivity is limited. I have tried all office suites for android. Powerpoint will only allow to read, it's impossible to edit. As for excel yesterday it took me 1 hour to make some easy spreadsheet calculations.
To all business users, I must add that android has some connectivity issue when it comes to corporate wifi. Like many other people, I'm not able to use my company's wifi PEAP network (sadly my workmates with ipad have no issue!!).
aldo.caruso said:
I agree. I commute everyday for work and don't want to bring with me corporate laptop. What I do is leave the laptop in my office and bring home/clients my gtab. It works fine if you only need mailing, browsing, reading,... (simple tasks). Office productivity is limited. I have tried all office suites for android. Powerpoint will only allow to read, it's impossible to edit. As for excel yesterday it took me 1 hour to make some easy spreadsheet calculations.
To all business users, I must add that android has some connectivity issue when it comes to corporate wifi. Like many other people, I'm not able to use my company's wifi PEAP network (sadly my workmates with ipad have no issue!!).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried writing a wpasupplicant file to connect to PEAP? The TNT settings framework doesn't have the option but i believe the hardware supports it.
Thats how i connect to my university's secure network.
ønline student
Has anyone attended online school using their g tablet?if so let me know how it was or is and if it means anything im going to attend, JONES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY.
THANK IN ADVANCE
I was messing around today taking pics and doodling on them with the pen then decided to see if it would print. I didn't expect much but turned on my printer (HP Photosmart C4780) anyway then clicked print. The Flyer scanned for printers and found mine without a hitch. The model I have was not compatible with the Flyer so I just picked one from the drop down that was and that was it, my pic printed right out. I printed out a Google search too just to make it wasn't a fluke. What's even better is the Flyer saves the printer so there's no need to configure each time you print. You can also print black + white or color, landscape or portrait, and print only the pages you want opposed to every page.
The more I use the Flyer, the more impressed I am with it's quality.
Damn, no one cares about printing?
Yup it is a neat feature. I test it here at work. Is your printer an IP based printer? I don't think it can see shared USB printers, but could be wrong.
I just tried it based on what you discovered. Damn, that's a nice feature.
I agree, it's nice to have printing built into the device. The Flyer picked up my Canon printer in seconds. My old iPad never would recognize my printer.
I have the lexmark s600 series. It's is not supported and when I choose a random printer from the dropdown it just says checking status and never prints . You got lucky !
If you use Google chrome and download google cloud print you can print from it as well. this will only work after you set it up and you have to have your PC on for it to work
On google chrome side all you have to do is
1) open browser and hit the wrench icon
2) go to options
3) go to Under the hood and look near the bottom for Google Cloud Print and hit set up
4) sign in to the login box
5) hit manage print settings
6) go to printer tab and find your printers
On phone/flyer
1) go to market and search for google cloud print
2) once it is installed open it
3) follow the on screen instructions until it says refresh printers
4) then choose what you want to print and print it
Stuke00 said:
Yup it is a neat feature. I test it here at work. Is your printer an IP based printer? I don't think it can see shared USB printers, but could be wrong.
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Click to collapse
Not sure about usb based but mine is shared wirelessly on my home network.
Gumby63 said:
I have the lexmark s600 series. It's is not supported and when I choose a random printer from the dropdown it just says checking status and never prints . You got lucky !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are there any Lexmark printers in the drop down menu? If there is not then that brand may not be compatible.
I'm looking to be able to use my Galaxy Tab as a second PC display. I've been searching for hours for a way to set this up and I've found a few solutions, but so far they've all been lacking. I'm hoping others might have some experience or thoughts on the subject. Here's what I tried or looked into so far:
iDisplay - Available on the Market. So far about the only solution that works, but it's god awful slow. If you try to use a browser with a couple tabs open, it practically stands still. It also disables Aero on Windows 7.
Screenslider - Available on the Market. Disables Aero. Doesn't like web browsing, FF and IE won't redraw when clicking anything (links, Java objects, tabs, etc).
Air Display - Available on the Market. Disables Aero and DirectX. This one was extremely responsive, but you just can't do anything on it. Not compatible with FF9 or later and can't handle dynamic web content.
Remote View - Available on the Market. Disables Aero and Background. Honestly, I don't even remember why this one didn't work. Pretty sure browsers just froze. Have to jump through hoops on their website to even get the server.
Splashtop XDisplay - iOS only. Looks like it would be perfect, but it's not on Android yet. They said they were working on it 6 months go, so I'm not holding my breath.
Virtual display + a VNC connection - This is the most promising, so far. The idea is to use software to create a virtual display that's normally hidden, then use a VNC server (that can deal with individual displays) to send that extra display to a VNC viewer on the Android device. It seems like this would be the most responsive, plus you shouldn't lose Aero or specific applications since you're essentially just sending out a video stream (I think). Some apps even combine the virtual display and VNC server into one. In reality, actually setting this up has been a royal PITA (due in no small part to my complete lack of experience with this sort of thing).
Other Android RDP or VNC apps that have this sort of functionality built in - ?
So, has anyone actually accomplished this, or have any interest in figuring it out?
I'm looking for a similar application for my Galaxy Note's display. I want to use it as a live display tablet for Photoshop. I tried iDisplay and Remote View. Both were too slow to update phone display. iDisplay also BSODs my Samsung laptop (primary work machine), so it's not a viable solution. I could always use my phone as a regular tablet (one that just moves a cursor on screen), but hey, it'd be cool to have!
Virtual display+VNC? Sounds too contrived, but I'll try to read up and figure out how to get it running. If that's as responsive as a regular display, I'll post the method here.
bloodyhippo said:
I'm looking for a similar application for my Galaxy Note's display. I want to use it as a live display tablet for Photoshop. I tried iDisplay and Remote View. Both were too slow to update phone display. iDisplay also BSODs my Samsung laptop (primary work machine), so it's not a viable solution. I could always use my phone as a regular tablet (one that just moves a cursor on screen), but hey, it'd be cool to have!
Virtual display+VNC? Sounds too contrived, but I'll try to read up and figure out how to get it running. If that's as responsive as a regular display, I'll post the method here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i guess it didnt work..
Personally, I never went back and gave it another shot. Still think the VNC thing will work well with some effort.
Hi all,
I know there is a lot out there regarding ways to print from android devices (Cloud Print, HP reprint, etc), but I am running into a slightly different problem, and I am sure I am not alone.
Fairly often, I am on a webpage, and after completing an order form or something, I end up with a secure (HTTPS) confirmation page. Unless I thought about it ahead of time and used the cloud print web browser, the is absolutely no way to print these forms. Sharing the page to cloud print will only take me back to the login page since the confirmation page was secure.
Am I missing something here? I can't be the only one needing this functionality... the frustrating thing is that my wife can even do this on her iPad with ePrint. And with surface, web pages can be converted to PDF right in Internet Explorer for printing later. Android seems to be the only platform with this huge limitation.
I really don't want to have to return my Nexus 10 and get a Surface, buy it may have to be a consideration.......
Thanks for the help!
Am I the only one with this need??