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Bikerdude

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Evening

 

I'm getting my first android based handset tomoz, Ive got 7 days to decide wither I'm gonna keep it or not, so have any of you got an android handset and some advice or knowledge to impart..?

 

Well I have one small tip thus far, I found that I've i signed up for a google account via google.co.uk the cheeky gits asked for my mobile number for verification... so what to do if like me don't trust most companies let alone google... First I tried to browse to google.com, but as you all know google keeps redirecting us back to google.co.uk. so we have 2 choices -

  • Install the 'customize google' addon for FF, but this has to be forced since Mozilla got all holoier than thou with addons etc.
  • or
  • Install 'googlesharing' add on for firefox, this is a free proxy service that block all google tracking and cookies

Then I browsed to google.com and signed up for an account with no invasive request for my mobile number, just the usual email verification method.

Edited by Bikerdude
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  • 3 years later...

You know what would be a nice feature? This device has an accelerometer, but just volume buttons on the top. If you want to change the song playing, you have to pull it out of your pocket, turn on the screen, and do it.

 

Instead, the accelerometer and volume buttons should function together as a toggle. If you have the device vertical, the volume buttons should change to the previous and next song. If you have the device horizontal, the volume keys should change the volume as normal. This would result in no need to turn on the screen just to change songs, and thus longer battery life as a music player. I should pull an Apple and patent this idea!

 

Seriously though, I actually have the ability to obtain the source code for this Android player and hack this feature into my device by hand. That is pretty cool.

Edited by lost_soul

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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Heh, the 1st post is ancient now, I'm several handets in now and trust google even less than I did back then. For the most part I nuke all google apps, services and sync adapters from what every handset and what ever daily rom I use. The only google app that remains is google play, but its getting to the point where I use that so little I may nuke that as well.

 

What I would like is a version of android or android compatible os with ALL google related shit removed, that said just searching for any info on this and just get pages and pages of the same brainwashed crap. Can you believe in 2013 that a lot of people still think you can't use an android phone without signing up for a google account, its actually scary. Anyway moving one, maybe when firefox OS sees the light of day that might be a viable alternative ( I was about to suggest ubuntu mobile, but they have been caught embedding amazon spyware)

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Looks like there are a LOT of people wanting the ability to change songs without taking the device out of the pocket and turning the screen on. Apparently some firmwares let you hold the volume key to skip to the next/prev track.

 

About the apps being non-removable: My tablet has the Youtube app built in. It is non-removable, but it is also non-functional! lol

It just tells me :sorry, the video can not be played".

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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Does using a bluetooth device for external input cause significant battery drain on the tablet? In theory, it should barely draw more power than an fm radio receiver.

 

For example, if you're using wifi to listen to Internet radio, your tablet/phone still has to "transmit" every few moments to tell the router that "i'm still here", or the router will drop the connection.

 

However, a properly designed protocol for low power usage and remote control would do the following.

 

*establish the link

*the phone/tablet would go into pure receive mode, not having to send heart beats to the controlling device to keep the connection active.

 

This would save power.

Edited by lost_soul

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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Funny thing, is it even possible to launch thief games on android? I mean it is Linux right. Or maybe convert it to Unity 3D and then to android Redo controls to touch

Is it even legal?

 

What excuse do we have not to sculpt, and sculpt, and sculpt, until the job is done?

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No, at least not now. Thief is for X86 CPUs and no handheld android device is using an X86 CPU. Of course, given time, it will be possible to brute force the game on android devices through the use of emulators that emulate an entire X86 system with enough grunt to run the game. Android slabs will need to get faster for this to happen though. You can already run Windows 95 on Android for example. Don't get excited though. It has no 3D acceleration and performance is not good. This will change, given time.

 

As for Google, one of the things they do is keep you signed in if you use e.g. Gmail. This happens even if you close and re-open your web browser. Thus, when you do a Google search, it keeps record of whatever Google searches you perform, associates it with your Gmail address, and also keeps track of the results you visit. However, *everybody* wants to force you into an online relationship these days with a GUID (globally unique identifier), from games, to operating systems, etc... So, if we aren't going to have any privacy, a product should at least be cheap. That's why I like google. Other companies will do similar questionable things, and charge you craploads while they do it.

 

Some examples:

http://www.theregist..._siri_voice_eu/

http://www.zdnet.com...nside-look/1803 (instead of checking you once, they want to check you again and again and again)

http://www.businessi...ity-2012-9?op=1 (consider the masses that don't even comprehend this)

 

I use constant private browsing mode in Firefox to help avoid this sort of thing, but that results in a crappier web browsing experience for me. All cached data gets flushed when I close the browser, making it necessary to redownload all assets on a web site whenever I go there. e.g. If you go to CNN, we don't have to redownload the pictures, because we already have them cached locally and pages load MUCH faster as a result.

Edited by lost_soul

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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No, at least not now. Thief is for X86 CPUs and no handheld android device is using an X86 CPU. Of course, given time, it will be possible to brute force the game on android devices through the use of emulators that emulate an entire X86 system with enough grunt to run the game. Android slabs will need to get faster for this to happen though. You can already run Windows 95 on Android for example. Don't get excited though. It has no 3D acceleration and performance is not good. This will change, given time.

 

As for Google, one of the things they do is keep you signed in if you use e.g. Gmail. This happens even if you close and re-open your web browser. Thus, when you do a Google search, it keeps record of whatever Google searches you perform, associates it with your Gmail address, and also keeps track of the results you visit. However, *everybody* wants to force you into an online relationship these days with a GUID (globally unique identifier), from games, to operating systems, etc... So, if we aren't going to have any privacy, a product should at least be cheap. That's why I like google. Other companies will do similar questionable things, and charge you craploads while they do it.

 

Some examples:

http://www.theregist..._siri_voice_eu/

http://www.zdnet.com...nside-look/1803 (instead of checking you once, they want to check you again and again and again)

http://www.businessi...ity-2012-9?op=1 (consider the masses that don't even comprehend this)

 

I use constant private browsing mode in Firefox to help avoid this sort of thing, but that results in a crappier web browsing experience for me. All cached data gets flushed when I close the browser, making it necessary to redownload all assets on a web site whenever I go there. e.g. If you go to CNN, we don't have to redownload the pictures, because we already have them cached locally and pages load MUCH faster as a result.

Your assumption that no Android device has an x86 CPU is actually incorrect, there are several devices that use Intel Atom processors that run Android for example the Orange San Diego that runs an Intel Atom CPU at 1.6ghz, Intel ported Android over to the x86 architecture themselves for this purpose. There are also Intel Atom based tablets running Android that are going to be released in the near future.

The Intel port of Android can also run certain native ARM applications through its own emulation.

Edited by mass/cls/
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You're right. There are even Android laptops/netbooks starting to show up. That's pretty awesome to see, even though I'm happy with my I7 laptop.

 

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/30/new_chromebooks_2h2013/

http://www.amazon.com/WolVol-NEW-Android-4-0-Notebook/dp/B0080F3B94/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367346279&sr=8-1&keywords=android+laptop

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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No, at least not now. Thief is for X86 CPUs and no handheld android device is using an X86 CPU. Of course, given time, it will be possible to brute force the game on android devices through the use of emulators that emulate an entire X86 system with enough grunt to run the game. Android slabs will need to get faster for this to happen though. You can already run Windows 95 on Android for example. Don't get excited though. It has no 3D acceleration and performance is not good. This will change, given time.

 

As for Google, one of the things they do is keep you signed in if you use e.g. Gmail. This happens even if you close and re-open your web browser. Thus, when you do a Google search, it keeps record of whatever Google searches you perform, associates it with your Gmail address, and also keeps track of the results you visit. However, *everybody* wants to force you into an online relationship these days with a GUID (globally unique identifier), from games, to operating systems, etc... So, if we aren't going to have any privacy, a product should at least be cheap. That's why I like google. Other companies will do similar questionable things, and charge you craploads while they do it.

 

Some examples:

http://www.theregist..._siri_voice_eu/

http://www.zdnet.com...nside-look/1803 (instead of checking you once, they want to check you again and again and again)

http://www.businessi...ity-2012-9?op=1 (consider the masses that don't even comprehend this)

 

I use constant private browsing mode in Firefox to help avoid this sort of thing, but that results in a crappier web browsing experience for me. All cached data gets flushed when I close the browser, making it necessary to redownload all assets on a web site whenever I go there. e.g. If you go to CNN, we don't have to redownload the pictures, because we already have them cached locally and pages load MUCH faster as a result.

I mean port it somehow. Theese days phones are quite capable of running 3d

What excuse do we have not to sculpt, and sculpt, and sculpt, until the job is done?

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  • 1 year later...

Woohoo! Even my el-cheap-o tablet can read the shiny new 128 GB MicroSD card. All I had to do was get rid of the shitty EXFAT structure, which is the latest Microsoft standard designed to put other platforms at a disadvantage, corner the market, etc... Business as usual in Redmond.

 

It would be nice if we were allowed to use Ext4 on memory cards in Android, because that is what the freaking thing uses internally. However, it will not read cards with Ext4. You would hope Google would allow this, but since Google tried to do something as brain-damaged as removing Ext4 support from Chromebooks, I would not expect it any time soon.

 

So basically we're stuck with FAT f***ing 32 on Android, a file structure from the 90s that can not even accept individual files that are larger than 4 GB. I'm not a movie guy, just a music guy, so it really does not affect me. Its still f***ing retarded, though.

Edited by lost_soul

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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So basically we're stuck with FAT f***ing 32 on Android, a file structure from the 90s that can not even accept individual files that are larger than 4 GB. I'm not a movie guy, just a music guy, so it really does not affect me. Its still f***ing retarded, though.

 

That's something I don't understand either. Why do modern cameras, which generally offer HD movie recording features that might well want to produce files in excess of 4GB, insist on sticking with an obsolete, patent-encumbered filesystem designed for use with the floppy disk when there is a free and open, modern, cross-platform alternative available — UDF — which doesn't suffer from such limitations and can be read and written out of the box on every mainstream desktop OS released in the last decade?

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Wow! They have HD camcorders that exclusivly use FAT32? I would return that thing as defective. We users are trying to escape from FAT by adopting platforms other than Windows, yet the manufacturers push FAT even when some of them get sued for doing so, like TomTom.

 

Are manufacturers being threatoned or bribed? "Either you adopt our new file structure, or we raise your Windows license costs". This is the same thing that happened in the 90s with OEMs. "Either you ship Windows exclusively on your PCs, or we raise your license costs."

Edited by lost_soul

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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Wow! They have HD camcorders that exclusivly use FAT32? I would return that thing as defective. We users are trying to escape from FAT by adopting platforms other than Windows, yet the manufacturers push FAT even when some of them get sued for doing so, like TomTom.

 

Probably not dedicated HD camcorders (at least I would seriously hope not), but my Nikon DSLR is capable of recording video but still insists on using FAT for no obvious reason other than tradition. Maybe they just don't care about the file size limit because DSLRs aren't designed for continuous movie recording and will overheat before the limit is reached.

 

EDIT: Apparently ExFAT is what the SD card-based camcorders are using now, which doesn't have the 4GB limit but is still needlessly proprietary and patent-encumbered (and with limited cross-platform support). I guess institutionalised Microsoft-fellatio is a habit difficult for manufacturers to break.

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Will a windows machine read the memory card if it is in UDF? I've never tried this before. However, I saw some guy say that XP cannot write to UDF volumes, because UDF was to be used with optical media, not flash media.

 

 

XP is dead now though.

Edited by lost_soul

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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The only thing I can imagine is that it's a compatibility thing. Put a SD card from any smartphone or camcorder into any computer and it will be able to read it...

 

This will work with UDF too (but not with ExFAT, which has limited support outside of Windows). Compatibility between different cameras might be an issue, but how often do you need to copy data from one camera to another? I suspect most people just format the card in the device it's in, since this is a very quick and easy way to delete all its contents prior to a shoot.

 

Will a windows machine read the memory card if it is in UDF? I've never tried this before. However, I saw some guy say that XP cannot write to UDF volumes, because UDF was to be used with optical media, not flash media.

 

Anything that can play DVDs or Blu-rays will be able to read UDF, and if it can burn DVDs and Blu-rays it should be able to write to UDF media too, which I'm pretty sure applies to Windows XP and newer although I haven't specifically tested.

 

EDIT: This table suggests that only Windows Vista and newer can write UDF, so maybe that is the issue.

 

There's nothing specifically "optical" about UDF; it's just a filesystem. Not as full-featured as NTFS or ext2/3/4, but certainly better than FAT and its derivatives.

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400 bucks for a tablet with 16 GB of NAND, and no expandable sd slot? Please, stop... I'm laughing so hard that it hurts!

 

http://www.dailytech...rticle36823.htm

 

Why would I buy this thing when I have an older tablet that accepts 128 GB cards? This old tablet also cost less than half that new model. The screen is not nearly as high-res, but its 7 inch, so I can not even tell.

Edited by lost_soul

--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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I'm going to have a Windows convertables laptop-to-pad soon, a Dell XPS 12 is the one I like best so far. Sort of a gimmick, but converting it to a pad allows me to play all my piano sheet music right off the screen, and flip pages with a flick. And I'm curious to explore pad gaming with a machine with real muscle (some possibly on an Android emulator).

 

I'm even curious how much work it'd take to convert TDM to be pad friendly, since I imagine it'd largely be controls. Well I aim to find out! Easiest way is virtual buttons in the corner. But if I can rig it to move by tapping the ground, and then special taps for special controls, all the better.

What do you see when you turn out the light? I can't tell you but I know that it's mine.

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This will work with UDF too (but not with ExFAT, which has limited support outside of Windows). Compatibility between different cameras might be an issue, but how often do you need to copy data from one camera to another? I suspect most people just format the card in the device it's in, since this is a very quick and easy way to delete all its contents prior to a shoot.

 

Anything that can play DVDs or Blu-rays will be able to read UDF, and if it can burn DVDs and Blu-rays it should be able to write to UDF media too, which I'm pretty sure applies to Windows XP and newer although I haven't specifically tested.

 

EDIT: This table suggests that only Windows Vista and newer can write UDF, so maybe that is the issue.

 

There's nothing specifically "optical" about UDF; it's just a filesystem. Not as full-featured as NTFS or ext2/3/4, but certainly better than FAT and its derivatives.

 

Maybe there are no special software libraries or chips that can be used in cameras, or the manufacturers simply don't know about them?

 

And there is:

Max. volume size

2 TB (hard disk), 8 TB (optical disc)[1][2]

 

 

Still plenty of room for for SD cards and USB sticks,

 

But the manufacturers work and think in strange ways, anyway. My LG TV set formats the HD with JFS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JFS_%28file_system%29) - so it must have some sort of Linux/UNix/BSD inside (The menus are written in Java. Yes, that means even changing the channel invokes a Java app..).

 

But the recorded content is encrypted, and while you can read the disk in a computer, you can't use the contents. Likewise, with LG, you cannot reformat the disk (or create a second partition) to have your own content on the same disk.

 

That works with Samsung (at least some models), but not LG. And since my TV has only one usable-for-HD-USB port (the second USB port only takes peripherals like mouse), you can either record to the HD, OR play your own content from the other HD. But never both at the same time.

 

Even more stranger is that the TV detects when you plug in a USB hub, and have the HD on that hub - and then complains and won't take it. It's understandable, because there could be power issues, but even with external power to the hub the disk is not taken. So, the OS on the TV makes an extra effort to detect an USB hub...

 

Propritary shitty stuff that breaks, is incompatible, and cannot be upgraded, either....

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

 

"Remember: If the game lets you do it, it's not cheating." -- Xarax

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