Ghost Hunting and My Galaxy Gear - Samsung Galaxy Gear

Hey Everyone:
If my off time I am a paranormal investigator and I'm looking to see if there is an app or an alteration I can do to my gear to have unlimited video and voice recording. I could very well eliminate a need for multiple recorders. Essentially I would like to be able to push everything that is recorded from the gear to my phone via Bluetooth like it normally does. I'm also looking to run a specific wave pad s.w that I use for my audio to put it on my surface rt but have ran into a but of a issue not being able to run desktop programs on the surface. Would be nice not to have to log my laptop around. But the RT stuff is all in the RT threads back to the gear.
I would like to be able to record anywhere from 45 mins/hrs with the gear. I know the battery doesn't last the entire time of an investigation but I usually bring the charger with me so I would like to leave it in a room that I am investigating recording and then plug it in if need be depending on the location im at.
Just a FYI if there Is a way to do this and it includes side loading or running command line on the gear I am a complete noob on that and will need dumbed down instructions.
Thank you for any info
Shawna

Related

Security surveillance on Athena?

Does anyone know of any systems comprising about 4 cameras that can be set up to stream its videos to the Athena?
x10
i belive the X10 system can be configured for this type of thing as well as running macros for heating lights etc etc and designed to be used with pda's !!!
spzero said:
i belive the X10 system can be configured for this type of thing as well as running macros for heating lights etc etc and designed to be used with pda's !!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
spzero, thanks for the tips mate. I'll investigate this.
edit: it looks very very good. This is EXACTLY what I'm looking for. But they only ship to US and Canada
I'll see if I can find another website that sells to Australia.
BTW, are you using this yourself? If so, care to share your experience with this product?
It looks very very exciting, and I really want to be able to watch my office on my Athena.
The X10 system is probably better, and I am going to look into it myself but currently I have 2 things that im doing
1) The easiest is to get a webcam (or for better pic quality) a cheap TV capture card (either USB or PCI) and plug a security camera into it, I then open my webcam/capture card in a simple program (I use VLC) and use remote desktop to view on my PDA. (even better I have full remote control over the camera PC from my PDA) the pic quality is like fast updating stills 1 or 2 frames per second
2) Install software like webcam monitor this will monitor your camera for you, if it detects motion it will photgraph it via your webcam and email it to anywhere you like, if you setup win live on your phone you will receive pics like text messages every time the cam pics up a disturbance !
I forgot to mention (because I have not done it myself yet I plan to do it next time Im away from home) Orb is free video broadcasting software, if you have a TV capture card or USB device connected to your computer not only can you watch live TV streamed to your PDA on the go but you can connect a camera and get that streamed to you aswell !
ive not used it my self 'the gadget show' did a revie of it some time back you may be able to see it at their website chanel5.com or .co.uk or .tv im not sure which its a uk tv station a quick google should help, its really impressive stuff and i had considered it before when i was renting a place but never got round to it, i own my home now and considering it again. ive only heard good things about it and i belive its what bill gates has at his house for his home automation,
I tried using orb, it was excellent ! Full motion video of my living room !! it was kinda boring though as nobody was in.
I would imagin you only want to watch it when your alarm system has been triggered to call your mobile. The camera allows you to confirm if it is a false alarm, and if not what's going on in your house.
No point watching it when nothing is happening.
eaglesteve said:
I would imagin you only want to watch it when your alarm system has been triggered to call your mobile. The camera allows you to confirm if it is a false alarm, and if not what's going on in your house.
No point watching it when nothing is happening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh I don't know. It would be more interesting than Neighbours
eaglesteve said:
Does anyone know of any systems comprising about 4 cameras that can be set up to stream its videos to the Athena?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thought you might like to see these links, they will do what you are looking for and Z-Wave is awesome
Hardware:
http://www.basshome.com/hawking_technology_z-wave_automation_1973_ctg.htm
Preferred Software:
http://www.prlog.org/10029340-crayo...ith-wave-alliance-firms-at-cedia-expo-07.html
Alt Software 1:
http://www.smarthome.com/12924.html
Alt Software 2:
http://www.smarthomeusa.com/ShopByManufacturer/HomeSeer/Item/HOMESEER-V2.0/
If you have any questions you can PM me...
v/r
Bob

Sound from PC to Dream?

Is there a way to send the sound coming from one's soundcard over wifi to a Dream phone?
Note: NOT to stream music or radio or video, there are lots of apps for that.
pardus said:
Is there a way to send the sound coming from one's soundcard over wifi to a Dream phone?
Note: NOT to stream music or radio or video, there are lots of apps for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you trying to do then.
well, i dont know about transferring the sound coming out of the soundcard, but you can setup a samba share and then use Estrongs File Explorer to connect to it and you can play your music from your pc on your phone, but honestly you didnt give alot of in-depth info about what youre trying to do, so i dont know if thats what you want. I mean if you want to hear it in both places at once then thats not the way, but if you just wanna listen to music from your pc then its good.
You should always leave AS MUCH INFO AS POSSIBLE for people when you post looking for help, that way people dont have to GUESS how to help you.
So like i said, if you just wanna listen to music without keeping it on your phone, get Estrongs (free in market) and setup a samba share (Windows Share) and connect to it and play away...
Please reply back with more in-depth info about what it is you're trying to accomplish, and maybe youll have a better chance at getting some decent help...as it stands your request is rather vague and your chances of getting a decent answer are slim so just let us know EXACTLY what it is you're trying to do and see if that gets you anywhere....hope this helps...
-BMFC
Well the question sums it up pretty well and it's fairly simple, I want to hear what my PC's is playing through the phone speaker or headset, eg if it's playing from a tuner card I want to 'pipe' the sound to the phone
You're going to need a compatible sound server running on the phone.
Look at pulseaudio.
Note: this is not going to be a simple project -- you need to get the pulseaudio server running on android. That means coding, compiling, etc.
Once pulseaudio server is running on the android phone, it is trivial to set the pulseaudio client on your computer to use the android phone pulseaudio server as its default output.
Good luck.
Bluetooth?
Not sure but is there a way to turn your phone into bluetooth headphones? That would probably be easier... Dunno.. Just putting it out there... If the phone supports it, programs like BlueSoleil (for pc) can pipe out all sounds over bluetooth.
do you have a wireless router? If so, you can use an app called Gmote. From there you can play music that's on your computer through your phone speaker. Also, you can use your phone to select music and have it stream through your computer. Finally, it also acts as a wireless mouse with your touch screen and you can use it to navigate instead of using your mouse if you are across the room. It's pretty convenient. I use it all the time.
I have Gmote and it's amazing, but one can only play files, I don't see a way to play the sound from the tunercard for example. Anyway not serious was just wondering if it were possible.

Nexus 7, Note Phone, Tablet Talk, Copilot Navigation, Ford Sync, Griffin car charger

I just took a small trip and used the Tablet Talk linked via bluetooth to my Note phone with the Note synced via bluetooth to Ford SYNC. Purchased a Griffin car charger allegedly rated for 2 amps.
The good news. It worked, mostly. The charger does charge but no way in heck it puts out enough to run the tablet - didn't keep up with the battery so I will have to replace it.
Got a call - it showed on the nexus and I talked via SYNC. When I received the call the Copilot paused and Tablet Talk popped up, showing the name of the caller. I hung up the call from the Nexus. Everything worked great except I had no audio out of the Nexus 7. Gonna have to try to troubleshoot this.
I miss my Fusion
Sounds like quite the setup there...
If it's any consolation, in the brief time I've had when playing with Tablet Talk, I don't have audio-out either. I can control whether it goes to speakerphone or answer/hangup, amongst other things, but it's just acting like a remote and and audio sent or received is handled by the phone, rather than the tablet. I'm thinking it's a limitation of the app at this stage and that it may be fully functional in future versions. There was a message that came up when enabling the option to show incoming calls but I can't remember what it said now..
refx said:
If it's any consolation, in the brief time I've had when playing with Tablet Talk, I don't have audio-out either. I can control whether it goes to speakerphone or answer/hangup, amongst other things, but it's just acting like a remote and and audio sent or received is handled by the phone, rather than the tablet. I'm thinking it's a limitation of the app at this stage and that it may be fully functional in future versions. There was a message that came up when enabling the option to show incoming calls but I can't remember what it said now..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply.
It appears at this point that enabling Tablet Talk ALSO cuts audio from Co-pilot. I still haven't had time to really attempt any troubleshooting though; could be some type of setting is wrong or it could be Tablet Talk does need to work on their software. I do like (not in car) the ability to send and receive texts but do wish the interface was a bit different.
Now to find a car charger that actually works.
If you want to use the phone part of TabletTalk, you must go in and enable it. It will make your tablet act like the phone when incoming calls comes in.
I just talked to dev a short bit ago, and there is a newer version about to be put up on Play Store..
i love that app, along with theming it to change the look and feel of it. it works flawlessly.

Nexus 7 Car Head-unit Install

Nexus 7 Head-unit Install
Hi all, long time reader, first time poster. I'm working on a Nexus 7 Car Head-unit install, and figured I would post my working through the install, hardware, software, and kinda just help all the tons of people I see out there who have the same idea, but just have no idea how to go about it.
This is ment to be half a tutorial (once everything is done) and half a brainstorming to give me idea's for things I haven't thought of or considered. I'll be coming back and updating this OP with pictures, and the build as it gets worked on.
Goals of the Install
I want to be able to run my entire car off the Nexus. I have already set up wifi tethering from my S3 to get internet into the Nexus, and thus open up a realm of possibilities. Necessary features are Nav, and Music. I rarely call from my car, but in car calling would be a nice feature to have as well. I also go out to the track ever now and again, and adding car stats (boost, RPM logging, acceleration, mapping) would be great. The biggest reason to do the install is that one the hardware is configured, you literally have a ultimately customizable setup that will take years to outdate.
The Hardware
1 x 2003 Subaru WRX
1 x Nexus 7
1 x Samsung Galaxy S3 (T-Mobile)
1 x MRX-V60 - Alpine 5-Channel Subwoofer Amplifier
1 x 7 Channel Equalizer
lots of hacked wiring
The Software
This is where I would love some feedback on on what I may be missing, better solutions to what I have suggested, and just some general awesome idea's!
Music:
Pandora, Play Music, DI.fm, Soundcloud, Radio.com
In Car Phone/Text:
Talkatak, Google Voice
OBDII Support: (Future Project)
Right now this is not a nessiacty as the hardware to do this could get very tricky. However I know I can read from the OBDII port with a bluetooth OBDII dongel and an app like Torque Lite. However I do own a tatrix cable, and am considering if it would be possible to go from the USB to the tablet, and find an app/write one what allows for the tablet to control the car in real time.
Nav:
Google Navigation, Local
Track Apps:
aLapHD
The Two Builds
There are two ways to go about this. The first would be the simple and easy way which is to hack together a charger wired to the power source of the car, and use that to keep the tablet charged. Then run a 3.5mm audio into the amp, and have sound run from there. There are a few issues with that. 1. There will be no volume control, as the Tablet's buttons will be part of the center console. I suppose I can run a controller to the amp, that will let me adjust volume. 2. This will not allow for the possibility of adding OBDII support.
The second option is to purchase a micro USB dock that does audio out. Hack it apart, and run the audio to the amp, and the power to the power. This would be necessary if I want to do a full USB ODBII connection (I believe, please tell me if I'm wrong), and would be much "cleaner" when it comes time to take the tablet out of the car for any reason (hardwire sync, parking in the "ghetto").
What I need Help with
Have any idea's. Tried something similar and have some tips. Have suggestions for apps, hardware configurations I haven't listed, or just generally want to say "sick man". Please let me know. I would love to have some people who are also interested in doing this join in on my build, and we can work together to eliminate any issues to make tablet installs easier. I will be coming back and updating this OP throughout the entire process so please look for updates!
Thanks All!
(reserved for pics)
Check out a half-DIN equalizer or crossover to solve your volume, fading, equalizing concerns... can't post a link because this is first post!
I'd like do do this in the future... I hope someone comes out with a custom set of apps that make this really cool and easy... maybe even a custom ROM.
Basically what I'd want out of this is:
Auto-on with power. Auto off after 10 minutes of no power. FM radio tuner. Maybe the ability to connect a rear-view camera (wifi?). Bluetooth OBDII would be good enough for me.
I'd also appreciate the ability to connect to at least one camera and use it as a DVR, but I think that it would probably be beyond feasibility with the Nexus 7...
What I really want to see is the ability for the Nexus to be a full Bluetooth head unit. I want it to pair with my phone for both internet (already do this, works great) and have it act as a headset essentially. This is the part that appears to not exist anywhere. The ability for the Android Tablet to act as a hands free device. I mean if a car stereo can fully integrate with your phone read your address book, start and answer calls hands free, stream music, everything from your phone then why the heck not the tablet! Someone needs to write the BT stack that can handle that. Apparently it doesn't exist for android. It exists for Windows, but not Android. That is just wrong. Are there any car stereo head units running Android as their OS? If so can someone dump their rom so we can see what all it can do for a project like this?
I really want this!
I have had mine in the dash for a couple weeks now, streaming Bluetooth to the radio which I relocated, also using NFC sticker to turn on WiFi, bluetooth , set audio volume, screen brightness and start playing music. Tasker to put unit into car mode, its sick! I'll be following, really interested to see what you come up with. My car is N 06 altima and the Nexus 7 fits almost like a glove where factory stereo use to be.
Nexus 7 in altima
sneakk said:
I have had mine in the dash for a couple weeks now, streaming Bluetooth to the radio which I relocated, also using NFC sticker to turn on WiFi, bluetooth , set audio volume, screen brightness and start playing music. Tasker to put unit into car mode, its sick! I'll be following, really interested to see what you come up with. My car is N 06 altima and the Nexus 7 fits almost like a glove where factory stereo use to be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi!
Can you upload a picture of your install? I own a altima and I am looking to install the Nexus 7 on my dash as well. And also, did your factory stereo have bluetooth? If not, what are you streaming bluetooth to?
Thanks
Just gonna subscribe as I thought of doing something similar
Sent from my LG-E739 using Tapatalk 2
Look into this thread
http://www.mp3car.com/worklogs/152658-nexus-7-android-in-a-2001-audi-s4.html
here's a video also
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdLi9wCFZ7M
timskyline86 said:
Look into this thread
http://www.mp3car.com/worklogs/152658-nexus-7-android-in-a-2001-audi-s4.html
here's a video also
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdLi9wCFZ7M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If anyone can post on his site, tell him to connect two middle pins in usb plug, then it will start charging from the lighter socket.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk 2
Does anyone know of a micro USB dock/cable that then splits to power, usb, and audio? I know of one's that will do 2 of the three, but nothing that does all three. Maybe just a USB and power one, and run the audio straight out of the 3.5mm on the N7.
Amp was ordered, and will be here next week. Prelimanary fitment pics coming soon...
Hello, I'm considering permanently mounting a nexus 7 in my car. It seems like the perfect in car device.
With this in mind I have updated my CarHome Ultra app to better accommodate the Nexus 7 screen. I will be posting a new video soon showing it running on the 7.
I've looked at doing this as well, I've always been prevented by the issue of the FM radio. I use the car a lot in places where I get no or poor connection via the phone, but the radio works fine, so loosing it would not be an option as I use the FM radio quite alot.
I've been trying to figure out away to control an FM radio via the Nexus so if anyone out there has any info it would be greatly appreciated.
Jonnym
Jonnym said:
I've looked at doing this as well, I've always been prevented by the issue of the FM radio. I use the car a lot in places where I get no or poor connection via the phone, but the radio works fine, so loosing it would not be an option as I use the FM radio quite alot.
I've been trying to figure out away to control an FM radio via the Nexus so if anyone out there has any info it would be greatly appreciated.
Jonnym
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Load a hand full of mp3s on the device. Then use Tasker to switch to switch to your favorite music player when reception is bad
Sent from my LG-E379 running ICSyndicate 2.0
I am actually currently doing a very similar project with a Nexus 7 and my Nissan 350z
I am planning on installing the Nexus 7 inside my dash (to replace sat nav dash)
HOWEVER
what about routing the power button on the tablet? Because If you cant access the power button the tablet will only get power when the car is on and if you dont use the car for a day or two the tablets battery would go flat and next time you turn on the car the tablet would go into charging mode (screen with charging battery only) and not boot up into android jelly bean.
Theres 2 potential solutions:
1. Open the tablet and wire the power button to a custom one, however on opening it I have found the button is actually a physical push press button and cannot be wired.
2. There is potential to change a file on the android system to tell the tablet to boot up when a charger is plugged in, check these threads:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1187631
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1815131
Any updates from the OP?
Here's my install. Kept the factory radio intact, if not using the nexus, everything looks totally stock.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1847452
regalpimpin said:
Here's my install. Kept the factory radio intact, if not using the nexus, everything looks totally stock.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1847452
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What OBD ll connector are you using?
tallyforeman said:
What OBD ll connector are you using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
xitech xr7 purchased off amazon over a year ago.
http://www.amazon.com/XiTech-ELM327...TF8&qid=1347466620&sr=1-3&keywords=xitech+xr7
Never had any problems with it.
Despite working in the car industry and loving gadgets and mod-ing...I haven't really seen what people are up to these days in terms of car mods. The Nexus 7 makes so much sense and looks great!
Hey all
Just to add to the discusion;
Radio/DAB
Frontier silicon are the only company that I can find that do an app that can control an external radio and stream it's signal to the tablet as opposed to picking up the signal over the cellular network.
App:
Their page
http://www.frontier-silicon.com/products/software/DOK_App.html
Play store
http://tinyurl.com/d24gwm4
Module:
http://www.frontier-silicon.com/products/modules/briefs/Venice6_PB.pdf
now the problem with this is, aside from building the module in somewhere' the audio out as it feeds out of the module, but I was thinking I could use some form of y split cables near to my amps 'in'.
Media storage and playback
As far as storage for everything video/audio atc and a player to match I was thinking of useing xmbc
http://xbmc.org/
andriod port;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1813089
and pairing this with a WiFi DLNA HDD that I would wire in remoted off (say in the boot)
GPS
For improved gps I was going to use an external bluetooth gps reciver then allow mock locations on the tablet, there are also a few apps that help with this.
This app seems to have good support and a nice help page.
App:http://tinyurl.com/a9s7gvo
An example of a external GPS receiver
http://tinyurl.com/a339vu7
Hands Free
The only work round I seem to have found atm though far from perfect is this
http://www.scosche.com/consumer-tech/product/1919
it allows you to to 'cut in' the audio stream, but (can't fins the tread now will keep looking) the guy who was playing round with this was having audio issues.
not an idea solution but workable.
before my mind starts melting again;
How I plan to implement the tablet is to use tasker to wake the tablet when power is supplied then shut of down after, if I disable all kinds of connectivity when tablet shuts down then reactivates when it wakes up everything should run smoothly. Power will be cut because I'll wire in the ignition live, like you do in a stereo anyway, an this shouldn't put a drain on my battery to much, an if the dash build is good it shouldn't be too much of an issue extracting the tablet to hard boot anyway.
Volume and Audio
Volume and audio quality is another issue that needs to be addressed.
http://tinyurl.com/d2zbbnf
Seems like an ok work round.
Another way would be to install a direct in-line volume control as suggested in other threads, and put in an external DAC or hardwired EQ.
On a side note I came across this........ http://www.crutchfield.com/p_773AIRDAC/NuForce-Air-DAC-Receiver.html?tp=59282 ........ although you need to use their plug in senders but I'm sure this can be worked round with the knowledge on this forum, an would provide a very nice solution. then again there are quite a few bluetooth devices around. this probably wouldn't allow for in-line controls though.
well thats it for now, hope this helps push this forward to a working system
ben
nice build thread containing alot of theses ideas;
http://www.mp3car.com/worklogs/152658-nexus-7-android-in-a-2001-audi-s4.html

Android Auto and the Nexus 6.

I thought it may be interesting to have a thread where Nexus 6 users with the supporting hardware systems could post: Tips, How to's, experience, etc. about the Android Auto APK and Nexus 6 devices. Please feel free to enlighten all who enter. :good:
Android auto is just a remote display and sound, isn't it? I don't find it particularly interesting since it *depends* on the phone for the "android" aspect. It is a much better option to install an Android HU in the car, then it isn't functionally dependent on the phone.
Not sure if you're asking or telling.
doitright said:
Android auto is just a remote display and sound, isn't it? I don't find it particularly interesting since it *depends* on the phone for the "android" aspect. It is a much better option to install an Android HU in the car, then it isn't functionally dependent on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a mobile application for using your phone in a car. It displays on the cars touch screen and is controlled by voice commands. It only uses the bluetooth stack for phone calls, all other sound and video comes from the phones usb port. This equates to better audio and clear, crisp video. By the way, it only works on the latest Android HU.
i've been using it with my Pioneer 4100-NEX, it works quite well. i wish you could swipe away cards and have more notifications push though (ie, sms and hangouts come through, but not facebook messenger)
all in all i'm pretty happy with it, it's fast, simple, pretty and i've been pleasantly surprised with how responsive the resistive screen on the HU is.
vvveith said:
It is a mobile application
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Its an interface.
for using your phone in a car. It displays on the cars touch screen and is controlled by voice commands. It only uses the bluetooth stack for phone calls, all other sound and video comes from the phones usb port. This equates to better audio and clear, crisp video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Translate to what I said.
By the way, it only works on the latest Android HU.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HU does *not* require android to work with android auto.
If you want to try out Android Auto you can sign up for the beta of the app called AutoMate. First you'll need to join the beta group in Google+. Next you'll have to agree to be a beta tester with google play. Then you'll finally be able to download the app. I have been using the app for a couple of days now and I personally think that it is great. Its just like Android Auto, at least from what i've seen in all of the android auto demos. I have a pretty good car mount that can fit the nexus 6 so when I took a 4 hour trip this weekend everything worked flawlessly. The best part is that you've already got a giant 6 inch capacitive screen, why not use it instead of paying at least $800 for the cheap resistive screen version of the pioneer head units.
I have a pretty interesting issue where my Android Wear watch (Moto 360) is being CONSTANTLY pinged by my Nexus 6 while plugged into Android Auto. For the life of me, I can't figure out why. Maps is the only app I use regularly in Android Auto and I have it muted on Android Wear...yet, it's draining my Moto 360 battery QUICKLY every time I plug in. It's the strangest thing. I've had to start putting my 360 into Airplane mode to avoid problems while driving. As soon as I unplug the Nexus from my Android Auto HU, I then have to reconnect my 360 in the Android Wear app...or else it won't reconnect and continues to drain battery.
Seriously the weirdest thing.
yeah I have the pioneer 4100nex and originally was using a Moto G and it works great and then I preorderd the ATT galaxy S6 Edge and received it on tuesday, well the S6 edge doesn't work with the Android Auto, so I returned it and just bought google play edition Nexus 6 64gb, and works perfect, I really like the google navigation, reads texts and you can voice reply to the texts,you can play your google music, I`m very happy with it.:good:
That is not the purpose of this thread.
blakedunc235 said:
If you want to try out Android Auto you can sign up for the beta of the app called AutoMate. First you'll need to join the beta group in Google+. Next you'll have to agree to be a beta tester with google play. Then you'll finally be able to download the app. I have been using the app for a couple of days now and I personally think that it is great. Its just like Android Auto, at least from what i've seen in all of the android auto demos. I have a pretty good car mount that can fit the nexus 6 so when I took a 4 hour trip this weekend everything worked flawlessly. The best part is that you've already got a giant 6 inch capacitive screen, why not use it instead of paying at least $800 for the cheap resistive screen version of the pioneer head units.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like to believe we all know how to use our phones hands free in a car and need no special app to do that. That's the way most of us have been doing it for the past six years or so since the smartphones came out. A simple bluetooth radio used to give you all you needed paired with your phones screen. But now it's much easier to get into your car, plug your device into your hidden USB port and let it charge with screen off and have a heads up display on your radios big screen while the audio is streamed through USB and the only thing using the bluetooth stack is the phone part of the phone. Sound quality is vastly improved and everything runs so much smoother. Plus the steering wheel controls for answering calls, activating OK google and other voice related options allows you to keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel.
vvveith said:
I like to believe we all know how to use our phones hands free in a car and need no special app to do that. That's the way most of us have been doing it for the past six years or so since the smartphones came out. A simple bluetooth radio used to give you all you needed paired with your phones screen. But now it's much easier to get into your car, plug your device into your hidden USB port and let it charge with screen off and have a heads up display on your radios big screen while the audio is streamed through USB and the only thing using the bluetooth stack is the phone part of the phone. Sound quality is vastly improved and everything runs so much smoother. Plus the steering wheel controls for answering calls, activating OK google and other voice related options allows you to keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First if your car already has Bluetooth like mine then you still have all of the same controls as the actual android auto head units. Also just like on my phone it's not like you can just say OK Google with the music playing but if the music isn't at least I can just say OK Google even with the screen off as well and will get a response. More that likely a person will still end up looking at the device or take their hands off of the wheel when giving a command. I mean come on, Google now works but everyone knows that it's still not perfect yet. Even on my phone I still have to type out what I'm saying even if I'm annunciating perfectly just FYI... Bluetooth audio has also vastly improved over the years. I would argue that the average person would not even notice the difference between Bluetooth audio and being playing directly over USB. Also don't say that it runs 'so much smoother' because most of us have seen the videos and they are still laggy and still not as responsive as our phone themselves. I was simply giving an option to people who wanted to try out android auto without having to buy a crappy resistive screen head unit unless you wanted to shell out over $1000 for one. Also is not a heads up display... A heads up display would be something out in the area of where the driver will be looking out of the windshield as to not having to take their eyes off of the road ahead.
Please.
blakedunc235 said:
First if your car already has Bluetooth like mine then you still have all of the same controls as the actual android auto head units. Also just like on my phone it's not like you can just say OK Google with the music playing but if the music isn't at least I can just say OK Google even with the screen off as well and will get a response. More that likely a person will still end up looking at the device or take their hands off of the wheel when giving a command. I mean come on, Google now works but everyone knows that it's still not perfect yet. Even on my phone I still have to type out what I'm saying even if I'm annunciating perfectly just FYI... Bluetooth audio has also vastly improved over the years. I would argue that the average person would not even notice the difference between Bluetooth audio and being playing directly over USB. Also don't say that it runs 'so much smoother' because most of us have seen the videos and they are still laggy and still not as responsive as our phone themselves. I was simply giving an option to people who wanted to try out android auto without having to buy a crappy resistive screen head unit unless you wanted to shell out over $1000 for one. Also is not a heads up display... A heads up display would be something out in the area of where the driver will be looking out of the windshield as to not having to take their eyes off of the road ahead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please try and understand what I started this thread for. It is for those of us who are using Android Auto with a supporting head unit. Just like back a few months ago, I was using the sync system in my car. I have never had any issues with my voice to text, every once in a while a word would be incorrect, but the more you use it in a quite environment the better your results get. My text messaging reads back my response before it sends and I can either allow it to send or say the message again. I have not had to touch my phone in a car for five years and don't plan on doing anything like that today even with the radios display. The idea of hands free is exactly that, Hands Free. If you don't have the tech to support and help contribute to developing apps that help alleviate the use of hands in the car, this is not the forum thread for you. I don't know what music application you prefer, but the ones I use I pay a premium for because they offer me higher bandwidth and truer sound. And you can immediately here the difference between bluetooth and wired. It's been rumored already that Bluetooth is soon to become extinct and it seems that is the way mobile tech is rolling. BTW, HU the way I was using it my Head Unit not heads up.
The good part is.....
doitright said:
Android auto is just a remote display and sound, isn't it? I don't find it particularly interesting since it *depends* on the phone for the "android" aspect. It is a much better option to install an Android HU in the car, then it isn't functionally dependent on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be the ideal, but very few cars come with a built in cellular connection, I know they are available but this is the inexpensive way to go. What I like the most about it is the ability to put the phone in my center compartment where the USB outlet is hidden, shut the compartment while the phone is charging and still have access to all of my phones functionality straight from the steering wheel. It's wonderful not to have to look at a screen, and if I do glance at the screen to see a turn that might be coming up or what song is playing on a stream, it is big and clear and takes not even a second to see. Luckily, the Navigation in google maps is pretty trustworthy and gives voice commands with plenty of time to spare so it's rare to even have to look at the Map when moving. My next car will have built in cellular service, it was just still to expensive four years ago when I bought my car and my service provider did not have a system in place for plugging in their tech. They do now but I won't be in the market for another car for at least another year. The thing that got me into having a Android Auto supporting HU is my text messaging application and the sync system, would not play nice together anymore because of changes in Lollipop from kit kat. Sync kept crashing the bluetooth sharing feature anytime I received a text. And since I was using that tech for the past four years, there was no way I was going back to having to touch a screen or try and type a text in the car. The developers I work with tried many fixes to see if we could alleviate the problem, but every thing we tried failed. The problem was immediately remedied with the new HU. Now I'm trying to find others that use the same tech, so we can share our experiences and any other useful features we find or help each other with certain problems one might experience. That is what this thread is about. If you have a Android Auto compatible HU and a Nexus device, this is a place to share.

Categories

Resources