No Cardock-Mode, no fast charging... - Galaxy Note II Accessories

I want to modify my brodit car dock (Note 1) for my Note 2.
The first problem is, that the 619k resistor for tiggering car dock mode with fast charging (AC-Mode) isn´t recognized by the Note 2. Here ist the thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=820275&page=18
Okay, the fast charging-mode only (shown as "AC") can be triggered with pins D+ D- connected. But this isn't working too.
It seems, Samsung want Note 2-owners to buy original accessories only?

Frank2 said:
I want to modify my brodit car dock (Note 1) for my Note 2.
The first problem is, that the 619k resistor for tiggering car dock mode with fast charging (AC-Mode) isn´t recognized by the Note 2. Here ist the thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=820275&page=18
Okay, the fast charging-mode only (shown as "AC") can be triggered with pins D+ D- connected. But this isn't working too.
It seems, Samsung want Note 2-owners to buy original accessories only?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the amperage of the adapter in mAh?

Frank2 said:
I want to modify my brodit car dock (Note 1) for my Note 2.
The first problem is, that the 619k resistor for tiggering car dock mode with fast charging (AC-Mode) isn´t recognized by the Note 2. Here ist the thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=820275&page=18
Okay, the fast charging-mode only (shown as "AC") can be triggered with pins D+ D- connected. But this isn't working too.
It seems, Samsung want Note 2-owners to buy original accessories only?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI, on the S3 in the official jelly bean releases, car dock mode is totally broken, this may be the same for the note. car dock mode not triggered, charging not triggered and audio is not routed out of the car dock.

I have the Samsung Note 1 car dock.
It will charge the Note 2 but it will not put it into car mode. The usb connection is very slight between connected and not connected. It's not a perfect fit.

Frank2 said:
I want to modify my brodit car dock (Note 1) for my Note 2.
The first problem is, that the 619k resistor for tiggering car dock mode with fast charging (AC-Mode) isn´t recognized by the Note 2. Here ist the thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=820275&page=18
Okay, the fast charging-mode only (shown as "AC") can be triggered with pins D+ D- connected. But this isn't working too.
It seems, Samsung want Note 2-owners to buy original accessories only?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly what you're asking, but I use Tasker in a similar situation to engage car dock mode. In my case, I'm using BT connection as a trigger (battery life is so good now I dont see the need to cut BT on and off as I did with Note1), instead of charging as a trigger. With Note1 I used charging as a trigger to cut BT on, the BT connection as a trigger for car dock mode (or absence of connection for 60 secs to turn BT back off). Bottom line, Tasker gives a lot more flexibility in creating scenarios than a hardwired solution, and with a lot less effort.

The Perseus kernel was updated recently, with this in its changelog, maybe you should give it a try?
Enabled OTG car dock, smart dock and music dock charging. Alternatively this can be triggered if you short pins 4 and 5 of the USB connector with a 40.2kΩ, 64.9kΩ or 619kΩ resistor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Hi hchxoom
That's an excellent idea. Just wondered if you were already doing this or is it just theoretical. Like others, when I use the original note car dock, it will charge but not route the speakers through the dock. I can plug the audio cable in to the headphone socket but that's fiddly and crappy sound. What you are saying is that I can force the audio to be redirected by using tasker to select dock mode?
Thanks
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

nijinski said:
Hi hchxoom
That's an excellent idea. Just wondered if you were already doing this or is it just theoretical. Like others, when I use the original note car dock, it will charge but not route the speakers through the dock. I can plug the audio cable in to the headphone socket but that's fiddly and crappy sound. What you are saying is that I can force the audio to be redirected by using tasker to select dock mode?
Thanks
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doing it now. Set it up a few weeks ago, or rather tweaked my Note1 setup. Still tweak it periodically as I find ways to improve it. I started down the nfc path briefly, and will experiment further, but havent yet found added asvantage.
The biggest difference btw current setup and Note1 setup is due to the phenomenal battery performance on Note2. On Note1 BT and GPS on all the time were killers, so my setup included scripts to turn them on and off, which complicated matters sifnificantly and, in the case of GPS, required root.
Now, I just leave BT and GPS on all the time (well, I also have tasker setup to begin cutting them off if not in use when batt hits 25%, but that is rarely triggered).
So, when I get in the car and turn it on, BT connects automatically. Tasker recognizes that change in connectivity and launches my CarMode actions. In my setting, it looks specifically for the connection with MY vehicle, not just any BT. The actions currently launched include: 1 turn on car mode, 2 turn off wifi (so I dont get offers to connect evry time I drive by McD's), 3 disable my lock screen (after first successful unlock), 4 load Ulysses Speedometer app (my preferred card dock base app), 5 /6/7 turn up BT volume, media volume , and incall volume to max (just in case I ever turned them down). IF charging (meaning I've also put it in my dock) it also disables screen sleep. Then end result of this is that I get my car setup every time I drive, even when I don't dock it... so it can stay in my pocket for a quick trip to the store and still have full features avail.
When the BT connection terminates (car off and exit), Tasker launches my exit actions, including: 1 car mode off, 2 turn on wifi, 3 go to home page of launcher, 4 reset my lockscreen password. I don't have to ask it to terminate the speedo app, bc that functionality is built into the app.
To make the above work (specifically lockscreen disable and reset) I also needed the SecureSettings plugin app.
Hope this helps.

Thanks for the info. I tried it out. Unfortunately just switching on car dock mode doesnt seem to output audio via the dock. All the other stuff seems to work well though. I just hope there is an official note 2 powered car dock in the not too distant future.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

nijinski said:
Thanks for the info. I tried it out. Unfortunately just switching on car dock mode doesnt seem to output audio via the dock. All the other stuff seems to work well though. I just hope there is an official note 2 powered car dock in the not too distant future.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Worka fine for me via BT, but sounds like you're trying via usb... perhaps they changed the wiring a bit.

nijinski said:
Thanks for the info. I tried it out. Unfortunately just switching on car dock mode doesnt seem to output audio via the dock. All the other stuff seems to work well though. I just hope there is an official note 2 powered car dock in the not too distant future.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All, we at iBOLT are working on finishing up the car-dock for the Note 2 with a release date around the 4 weeks from now. It will work with all cases too, including Otterbox Defender type. The big challenge is that there is no car-mode and no aux-out through the micro-usb in the latest Jellybean firmware version from Samsung for the Galaxy Note 2. Although anyone can still download and automatically start (using an NFC tag) any of the "vehicle interface" apps from the Google Play store, type applications like CarHome Ultra, it will not work as intended.
Without integrated car-mode support in the Jellybean firmware the "Car Home App" will not default as the new home screen. As a result pressing the "home" button will take the user back to the standard Samsung "home" screen instead of the "Car Home screen" from the app. A core value of car-mode, in our opinion, is that a user should be able to "toogle" between GPS Navigation apps, music players apps, camera, speed camera warning apps etc and any time press the "home" button on the phone and it should take the user back to the "car-home" interface. This is also how it has worked for the past few years and for reasons beyond anybody's understanding (including people working for Samsung) the latest Jellybean firmware does not have the great aux-out and car-mode functionality turned on.
If you want these features, help us out by contacting Samsung telling them to re-active these features in future upgrades.

Without integrated car-mode support in the Jellybean firmware the "Car Home App" will not default as the new home screen. As a result pressing the "home" button will take the user back to the standard Samsung "home" screen instead of the "Car Home screen" from the app. A core value of car-mode, in our opinion, is that a user should be able to "toogle" between GPS Navigation apps, music players apps, camera, speed camera warning apps etc and any time press the "home" button on the phone and it should take the user back to the "car-home" interface. This is also how it has worked for the past few years and for reasons beyond anybody's understanding (including people working for Samsung) the latest Jellybean firmware does not have the great aux-out and car-mode functionality turned on.
If you want these features, help us out by contacting Samsung telling them to re-active these features in future upgrades.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it my understanding that the iBolt Hardware will support aux-out through the micro-usb once the firmware is updated? Also is it known if all firmware versions/ carrier models have this feature disabled?

MikaelPe said:
All, we at iBOLT are working on finishing up the car-dock for the Note 2 with a release date around the 4 weeks from now. It will work with all cases too, including Otterbox Defender type. The big challenge is that there is no car-mode and no aux-out through the micro-usb in the latest Jellybean firmware version from Samsung for the Galaxy Note 2. Although anyone can still download and automatically start (using an NFC tag) any of the "vehicle interface" apps from the Google Play store, type applications like CarHome Ultra, it will not work as intended.
Without integrated car-mode support in the Jellybean firmware the "Car Home App" will not default as the new home screen. As a result pressing the "home" button will take the user back to the standard Samsung "home" screen instead of the "Car Home screen" from the app. A core value of car-mode, in our opinion, is that a user should be able to "toogle" between GPS Navigation apps, music players apps, camera, speed camera warning apps etc and any time press the "home" button on the phone and it should take the user back to the "car-home" interface. This is also how it has worked for the past few years and for reasons beyond anybody's understanding (including people working for Samsung) the latest Jellybean firmware does not have the great aux-out and car-mode functionality turned on.
If you want these features, help us out by contacting Samsung telling them to re-active these features in future upgrades.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but some people are reporting that USB Audio does work for the note 2?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1891086
or is this via OTG?

Related

Micro-usb keyboard questions

So I was a Messagpad 2100 user, and I have been looking for a device to really replace it since I stopped using it in 2007 (yeah, I know it was canceled 10 years before that -- it was a pretty amazing device though). I think the N7 might finally be the device. Anyway one of the key's to using the Newton was it's case/keyboard setup:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atow/4314242537/
It was super handy to be able to pop the Newton out for a meeting etc
So, questions:
1. If I were to plug a keyboard into the N7 (possibly using an adapter to go from USB to micro USB), will it work?
2. Does anyone know of a keyboard with a micro USB out? I looked in the most obvious places and couldn't find one.
Yes, I know about BT keyboards (I've been using one and it works), but I want to avoid the charging/battery issue if at all possible.
..
Get the logitech bluetooth keyboard for android 3.0+. Given your question you may not realize how much better (and how much lower power consumption) bluetooth is now. You'll get dedicated android keys and won't have to worry about wonky keyboard mapping issues; not to mention the hassle of using a wired setup (can require using an app to set it up each time). Also, you can connect more than one device with bluetooth, so you can have a keyboard and mouse (with the USB you'll be limited to one).
BTW- the wired keyboard will drain the battery on your nexus (not sure how it compares to battery drain from bluetooth though).
slack04 said:
Get the logitech bluetooth keyboard for android 3.0+. Given your question you may not realize how much better (and how much lower power consumption) bluetooth is now. You'll get dedicated android keys and won't have to worry about wonky keyboard mapping issues; not to mention the hassle of using a wired setup (can require using an app to set it up each time). Also, you can connect more than one device with bluetooth, so you can have a keyboard and mouse (with the USB you'll be limited to one).
BTW- the wired keyboard will drain the battery on your nexus (not sure how it compares to battery drain from bluetooth though).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used a couple different wired keyboards with no need for a OTG adapter. Didn't check for battery usage, but I did notice that both wires were very thin and susceptible to break. For that reason only, my next keyboard will be a bluetooth.
Wireless vs. wired keyboard and battery life
slack04 said:
Get the logitech bluetooth keyboard for android 3.0+. Given your question you may not realize how much better (and how much lower power consumption) bluetooth is now. You'll get dedicated android keys and won't have to worry about wonky keyboard mapping issues; not to mention the hassle of using a wired setup (can require using an app to set it up each time). Also, you can connect more than one device with bluetooth, so you can have a keyboard and mouse (with the USB you'll be limited to one).
BTW- the wired keyboard will drain the battery on your nexus (not sure how it compares to battery drain from bluetooth though).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer my wired, USB, mobile keyboard over my Bluetooth wireless keyboard because of the wired keyboard's size and layout. However, I want to maximize the battery life on my Nexus 7.
The posts in this forum seem to be inconclusive. So, does anyone have a solid answer as to whether a wired, or a wireless Bluetooth, keyboard is best for the Nexus 7's battery life?
Thanks!
Chaps, thinking out the box but can you get a USB keyboard WITH a battery built in to help power the device..
ccinco said:
I prefer my wired, USB, mobile keyboard over my Bluetooth wireless keyboard because of the wired keyboard's size and layout. However, I want to maximize the battery life on my Nexus 7.
The posts in this forum seem to be inconclusive. So, does anyone have a solid answer as to whether a wired, or a wireless Bluetooth, keyboard is best for the Nexus 7's battery life?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would expect the Bluetooth keyboard would use no more power than the USB keyboard, as the keyboard would draw power from the USB to drive it's electronics, whereas the Bluetooth keyboard would have a battery. I would prefer not use a USB keyboard as I wouldn't like to damage the USB port if I bumped the OTG adapter - there have been reports of port damage from simple knocks and drops.
I just bought the Motorola keyboard with trackpad for $29 (woot), and expect it to turn up any day now. I previously used the older Motorola bluetooth keyboard with the N7, but sold it with my old Acer A500 before I realized I'd prefer a keyboard with my N7...
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Wireless-Keyboard-Trackpad-Packaging/dp/B006291K7A
I am back to trying to find a solution for this. I'm not opposed to a BT keyboard, if I could find that's small enough without being too small. Most these days seem designed to work with an iPad, and tend to be 13" long or so -- too big. I'm hunting for something not much larger (so 9" or less than the N7 but also not utter crap. I suspect that when the 7" ipad finally is released, we'll see a bunch of design smarts applied to this.
I've been using a Stowaway BT keyboard I bought years ago for my Windows Mobile 5 phone. I still think it's the best portable keyboard.
http://www.amazon.com/Stowaway-Ultra-Slim-Bluetooth-Blackberry-Handhelds/dp/B0002OKCXE
It's an aluminum clamshell design that locks opens into a 4-row keyboard with full-size keys. They feel like my laptop's keys, and have just enough resistance to let you know they've been pressed. Two function keys give you access to the full 101-key character set. There are other functions like "save" and "new", but they don't appear to work because under Android. There's also a built-in stand that seems flimsy at first, but has no problem holding the N7 in either orientation. However, this keyboard does NOT like your lap. It must be used on a stable, flat surface. Even though it does lock open, there's enough "spring" due to the thinness of the keyboard that typing is difficult.
The Stowaway is pricey - around $70, although you can find them discounted to $50 if you shop around. Maybe some of the cheaper clamshell designs may work as well. YMMV. My co-worker bought 3 different keyboards that were just unusable. #1 had "clicky" keys - impossible to touch type on. #2 had those rubbery "chiclet" keys - again, impossible to accurately touch type on. #3 was OK to type on - if you had little pixie fingers. The key spacing was only 3/4 of the norm.
That is *exactly* what I'm looking for -- the thinkoutside keyboards were awesome. That someone isn't making something like this now boggles the mind, but I guess there isn't really a market for these when the device most likely used with it these days (ipad) is much larger. I'll bet we see more of these when the smaller ipad is on the market.
Can anyone here can comment in new feed of Facebook with extended keyboard. I had used logitech keyboard, can comment in wall, chat, but can't comment in new feed
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

HowTo: Wake car mounted Nexus 7 from sleep without power button (2002 Mustang)

I have looked high and low for a way to turn on my Nexus7 without using the power button while it is in sleep mode.
The reason is because i am putting my tablet in my 2002 Mustang GT to replace the stock radio. Once installed , the power, and volume buttons are no longer accessible. I have bought an AMP and use the remote volume knob to adjust the volume. Next my issue was getting the tablet to wake from sleep.
After some serious thinking, i have found a way.
This does not require flashing,hacking, taking the tablet apart to rewire ANYTHING.
What i am going to do is connect the charging cord to a secondary cigarette lighter, then plug in a USB adapter.
On the power side of the secondary cigarette lighter connect a toggle switch. (The secondary cigarette lighter will be hidden behind the tablet)
Mount the cool looking toggle switch somewhere in the car where it is easily accessible.
When you want to wake the table, and or charge it, turn on the toggle switch. (This SHOULD work with any tablet)
You may want to download an app to put the tablet to sleep for when getting out of your car.
If anyone else tries this please let me know how it worked out for you.
LOL
A great solution to a unique problem.
Let's see pics when you are done dash mounting your N7.
I still have to cut out a small piece of the dash to allow room for the charging cable. That will be done tomorrow, along with a better video. I just wanted to show my progress.
Copy and paste link.
youtu.be/1psLH24ZsiE
Here is another video i made during the day, and after it was all mounted.
Copy & Paste.
youtu.be/P89paX9fcYw
Here's a thought, couldn't you just wave a little magnet over the bottom right part of the nexus screen? This should wake it up just as if you were opening a cover.
fangthorn said:
Here's a thought, couldn't you just wave a little magnet over the bottom right part of the nexus screen? This should wake it up just as if you were opening a cover.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While that is a good idea, that doesn't help with charging.
I personally would want the battery in the tablet to cycle threw its charges instead of always staying connected. (in case i ever wanted to take the tablet out)
Thanks for the videos. Looks like quite the fun project. You did some great work there.
RumoredNow said:
Thanks for the videos. Looks like quite the fun project. You did some great work there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks RoumoredNow. Its still a work in progress.
1. Better mounting of the tablet.
2. Add DC 4 port USB hub.
3. Add front and rear cameras.
4. Add 2 Standard USB connections built into the dash. (for passengers to charge there phone or play threw the audio system)
5. Another AMP
6. Replace the stock 8 speakers.
7. Add Sub-woofer.
8. Anything else i may think of, or suggestions i may like.
This is just an update to anyone wanting to mount there tablet in a mustang.
I have found that a simple piece of plywood does the job well. the area to mount a tablet in a mustang (without cutting up the dash) is about the same thickness as the tablet.
So using a piece of plywood, you can screw it to the BACKSIDE of the stereo mounting bracket. A couple of pieces of Velcro added to the plywood and tablet will keep it centered and in place while putting the radio bezel back on.
The Velcro also added cushion and a space filler to snug the tablet up to the radio bezel.
See images.
Just remember that baking a tablet in a car all of the time _will_ destroy the battery, and rather fast. Maybe that's fine. Just warning you.
As for turning the device off. If you have bluetooth in the car or something, you could use Tasker to watch for the BT device. When it goes away, start a timer, maybe 30 minutes or something, then shut down. That way quick runs into the store or it's not powered off/rebooting etc. There are many posts on this exact same subject in this exact sub-forum... Nexus 7 seems to be popular for cooking in vehicles for some reason.
But yes, the "unplug it from the power" solution is always the solution. Using a "pretty" switch is one way to do it. Some cars have lighter ports which are only powered when the car is powered, but I know mine are hot all of the time and a lot of cars these days are.
Use mKernel and a ROM that supports it and you can use the double tap to wake function, works great on my tablet, just tap the screen twice to wake it up.
U can use timur's kernel, And a otg-y cable, so when power unplug nexus go on stand by, And when plug power nexus start.
That rom is created Just for car installation.
Inviato dal mio Nexus 7 utilizzando Tapatalk
**EDIT: The ebay item i bought below does not fit well in the nexus7.
While it does fit, and does charge, it is loose and sometimes gives a bad connection then disables charging. I suggest to NOT buy it for a nexus7.
I just wanted to update that i have got my OTG cable for my nexus7 (2012) and it works great with timur's rom. Here is a link to the 1 i bought from a USA seller.
I have used a 16gig USB stick with it for testing till i get a larger 1.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=111423491796
A couple of things i wanted to point out about having a toggle switch connected to wake my tablet.
PROS:
1st. This will allow you to charge the tablet when your not in your car.
2nd. Your car does NOT have to be running or in accessory mode to charge your tablet.
3rd. Depending on how you wire your amp, you can still listen to music on your tablet when the accessory is off.
4th. You can still use ftp, AirDroid, ES File Explorer, ect.. (As im typing this, i'm transferring over 600 songs to my tablet in the car.)
CONS:
1st. Tablet does not wake when switch is moved to accessory mode. (toggle switch must be pressed)
There may be more cons, but i haven't found any related to my setup yet.
I'll add to this as i run across PROS and CONS.
my sETP N HELP PLEASE
02sonicblue said:
A couple of things i wanted to point out about having a toggle switch connected to wake my tablet.
PROS:
1st. This will allow you to charge the tablet when your not in your car.
2nd. Your car does NOT have to be running or in accessory mode to charge your tablet.
3rd. Depending on how you wire your amp, you can still listen to music on your tablet when the accessory is off.
4th. You can still use ftp, AirDroid, ES File Explorer, ect.. (As im typing this, i'm transferring over 600 songs to my tablet in the car.)
CONS:
1st. Tablet does not wake when switch is moved to accessory mode. (toggle switch must be pressed)
There may be more cons, but i haven't found any related to my setup yet.
I'll add to this as i run across PROS and CONS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have it set up with my acc line just connected to my ligheter cable and when ever i turn off ignition my tablet turns off and goes on airplane mode.. what i did was i bough a usb addapet that conects to positive n negative line. outputs 2 amps.. its located in the glove box ran the wire through the back and its pluges to the tablet.. so when i turn on the switch the table goes out of airplane mode, turns on my wifi (Wifi Teher) and Bluetoot (For bluetooth gps reciever) and lastly plays my music. . very pleased with the process.. now im hving one issue wich im trying to fix.. since i have booth bluetooth and wifi my tablet seems to drain more battery than it charges... im running c-rom 4.4.4 and i was looking into tfinding a fast charge. if anyone can help me setup fast charge please let me know and good luck. im pretty good with electrical in case you need any help..
****VERY IMPORTANT OPINION*****
I RECOMEND YOU SET A FUSE BEHIND EVERY WIRE TAP YOU MAKE, I HAD TO REPLACE MY ENTIRE WIRING HARNEST DUE TO A SHORTAGE.. SO A FUSE WOULD JUST BLOW AND NOT CAUSE SHORTAGE> :good::cyclops:
This post is old but I still have problems. Anyone had luck or did you just threw away your old and got a new model instead?
yattamove said:
This post is old but I still have problems. Anyone had luck or did you just threw away your old and got a new model instead?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got everything set up perfectly let me know if you need any help
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Free mobile app
Good project! Have you tried timur's kernel yet? Maybe it will solve your problem.
yattamove said:
Good project! Have you tried timur's kernel yet? Maybe it will solve your problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing im using 4.4.4 rom and I believe timurs kernal is only for 2013 version of nexus 7. (Might be wrong) what I ended up doing is making a switch wich in case my battery dieson the tablet I can turn on the switch and charge the tablet over night even when the car is off..
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Free mobile app
egren58 said:
The thing im using 4.4.4 rom and I believe timurs kernal is only for 2013 version of nexus 7. (Might be wrong) what I ended up doing is making a switch wich in case my battery dieson the tablet I can turn on the switch and charge the tablet over night even when the car is off..
Sent from my GT-I9505 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have 2 nexus7 (2012) models. My first one, i had timurs USB ROM for Nexus 7
I never could get it to fast charge even when fast charging was turned on. i was backing up my music and the rom went into a boot loop while it was backing up. So i tried to clear the cache and that didn't help. i then tried to revert back to factory (4.4.4) and i bricked it. It was hung at writing the bootloader. So i left it all nite while i went to bed and the battery died.
My 2nd tablet i left stock (i haven't even tried rooting it yet).

[RESEARCH] External touch screen instead of AA head unit

Seeing videos of people integrating Raspberry Pis into their cars with OpenAuto got me interested in Android Auto. There is one thing I don't like about it, however: you're just adding another device to pass on audio/video/touch to an external display, from the phone. Why not cut out the middle man?
Back in the good old days of my Xperia S, phones had a dedicated micro-HDMI output. Delicous 60fps 720p (and even 1080p, with the UI drawn at 720p, but for instance video playback in full 1080p), and a free charging/OTG port. However, nowadays, we're stuck with MHL, and unless you have a Samsung phone, which has a proprietary connector, you can't use MHL and OTG at the same time, nor does MHL properly support touch functionality (only in theory), so we need the OTG.
DisplayLink to the rescue. We're going to sacrifice a lot of display smoothness/responsiveness here unless you have a modern phone with a USB 3.0 Type-C port (so you can use a newer high performance DisplayLink adapter), but we can use an OTG hub to get both HID touch functionality and HDMI through the DisplayLink adapter at the same time. More on this later. Also, I originally bought a $6 USB to HDMI adapter off eBay thinking it would be DisplayLink (or a compatible off-brand clone), but it turns out to be the really dodgy Fresco Logic FL2000, which is so cheap because it does none of the clever things that DisplayLink adapters do, and instead just spits out full resolution frames as fast as it can, which is completely incompatible with USB 2.0 or low power devices like phones. I found an affordable HP DisplayLink DVI adapter second hand from a Chinese seller that works.
On to the next hurdle: charging while using OTG. This is an interesting one, as it's not something I really gave a lot of thought initially. I mean surely just using a powered hub and giving the phone 5V over its micro-USB port would work, right? Well, it's a bit more complex than that, but Sony used to have an OTG dock that could charge, so I'm confident once I get the right OTG hub, it will work fine on my Z5. The one I got off eBay wouldn't do anything but charge, and when I opened it up, I saw it doesn't even use the 5th OTG pin, which would explain why it didn't work. I soldered a regular Type-A plug onto it and used my Sony OTG adapter to test, and I can get either charging or OTG, so something a bit less hacky is required. I ordered the Acasis H027, so when it arrives, we'll see if that works.
Touch: I haven't tested it yet. I have an HDMI touch screen in storage at my brother's house, so next time I visit I'll see if I can get touches to register on the phone. Based on my Googling most people on the internet seem to have gotten this to work fine, although there is no touch calibration on Android as far as I'm aware, like there is on Windows.
Portrait mode: this is my personal pet project and what I've been struggling with the most so far. It would be by far the easiest to just use a touch screen in landscape mode, but hear me out. Because HDMI (touch) monitors are cheap anyway, and in the 7 inch to 24 inch size range, bigger usually means cheaper, I want Tesla-style portrait mode. In portrait mode we can fit more screen estate in the centre console of the car than in landscape mode, and a bigger screen = bigger text = quicker glancing = safer driving. And it also happens to look extremely cool. If you have a big car you can probably fit a 20 or 24 inch screen, but I think I'm going for 13 inch. However. Using the DisplayLink Presenter app or the DisplayLink Desktop demo app which as far as I can tell does exactly the same things, I cannot for the life of me get native portrait mode to work. Android insists on pillarboxing portrait mode, and no amount of forcing rotation, setting build.props like ro.sf.hwrotation or persist.demo.hdmirotation works to change its mind. More worryingly, it seems that for the HDMI rotation prop to work, you need to also set persist.demo.singledisplay, which prevents apps from accessing secondary displays, which means DisplayLink Presenter, which itself is an app, cannot mirror the screen output any more and you get a sad single stripe of garbage pixels on an otherwise completely black screen. I probably need help here from an XDA developer, to hack the DisplayLink app, or to develop an Xposed module that causes all apps to draw themselves in portrait mode while the system is actually in landscape mode, or something along those lines. I've tried most things in my power that I could think of, and since my phone is unlocked, rooted, magisk'd and xposed, that is actually quite a lot, but nothing helped. So, uh, help?
Lastly there is DPI, which is one of the easier hurdles that I did solve. Android Auto (in phone mode, so not connected to any head unit) has a ridiculously huge UI on my phone's native dpi, and while I understand the reasons for it, with a larger external touch screen attached it just becomes unreasonably huge. With Tasker set to run "wm density 240" the entire Android UI becomes a lot more suited to a large screen, and even though Android Auto is still pretty huge compared to other apps, it's what I would consider reasonable.
More to come!
So, quick update:
While the screen portrait mode issues were "simple" to fix (although root was definitely required), the touch orientation issues as well as charging-during-OTG require kernel modifications to be fixed. I managed to compile a modified kernel with charging-during-OTG support thanks to @nlra 's work on that front, but I couldn't get the new image to boot.
A few things happened in the mean time:
- I discovered scrcpy
- I got an Xperia XZ3 (which I haven't rooted yet)
Scrcpy seems to be basically what Android Auto does, but for the whole Android desktop instead of only one app. I kind of don't like it because it involves adding a computer in between the display and the phone again (probably a Raspberry Pi), but the advantages are so huge it's basically the only realistic option right now.
Scrcpy:
- Basically always runs at 60fps, even on USB 2.0
- Handles portrait/landscape gracefully
- Integrates display, touch, (audio in a future version), and charging in a single connection
- Doesn't require root (although automatically setting the Android resolution to 1920x1080 and keeping the display on at 0% brightness are things that can probably only be accomplished with Tasker, which requires root)
So basically this simplifies and moves the project further immensely, however there are still some blocking issues right now. Touch screens only work on Windows because in addition to generating touch events, Windows also generates fallback mouse click events for touches, something that Linux doesn't do, and because there is no formal touch screen support in scrcpy, multi-touch doesn't work at all. Audio support also seems to be in an experimental state currently, and is not enabled for regular builds.
I hope ROM1V will eventually implement touch screen support (it's been in his GitHub issue tracker since March) as I have enough work to do as it is. I will focus on the hardware part (Raspi, cabling, VESA mount etc.) first and if by that time touch support is still missing I'll take a crack at it myself. Thankfully scrcpy is built on SDL which I'm fairly familiar with, although I've never worked with the touch input API before.
For the charging you need hub with usb-c PowerDelivery passthrough and HDMI. I am testing ones with less power consumption right now. I am not sure why you weren't able to use it.
I think people would be better of using following app for changing resolution, etc. using SecondScreen (I think root is required to run HDMI in portait mode, because it is grayed out for me).
I am doing the same project, but I keep the screen 1600x1200 horizontally and use apps in split view mode. I don't want root. I was thinking of using SamsungDEX for it, but the menus are too small.
The good thing is though, that on Samsung it is possible to create two-apps split screen pair (e.g. google map + music) as a launcher shortcut (using Good Lock (MultiStar plugin) from Galaxy Store). Unfortunately, I don't think it is possible to automate launching two apps in split screen automatically, nor create a split-pair shortcut on other launchers.
It would be good to have some multiwindow manager since I also wanted my BMW-tuning/logging gauges app to run in a floating window on top or minimized to a floating icon. It is possible naturally but it is a lot of manual clicking :/
One more thing that I don't think will be possible, is to completely turn off the phone screen. With the screen on, Note8 doesn't do fast charging. Can the screen be off with scrcpy somehow, I don't think?
So this dead?

Tasker, Pixel 4, and setting ring profiles when docked, based on which dock I'm using

Hey guys,
Looking to up my game with automations on my phone and set ringer profiles. I have WiFi on all of the time anyway, so I'm setting ring profiles based on being at work, being at home, night, day, etc.
But I'm thinking of kind of next-leveling it, and wanted to see just where I would start, if I need add-ons for Tasker, stuff like that.
So I have only gotten around to making a 'night' routine for Tasker. IF I'm home and IF the time is in a certain range, it goes silent. That way, if I'm lucky enough to actually be out, the phone still makes sound, but not when I'm trying to sleep. The next level I would like to try is different profiles based on what I'm doing at home or at work, using NFC. More specifically, I have a wireless charging dock at my desk, and one at home. I work IT, so I spend about half of my day at the desk, and half working the office floor. The floor is a little louder than my office (OK, a LOT louder), so I would prefer a different ring volume for each.
So when docked (At the dock at work), I'd like my volume to be minimal. As soon as I take it off the dock (But still at work), I'd like it to be mid-range. Re-dock it, goes to the low volume again. Leave work, full volume.
Similar thing I'd like to try at home. Any time of night, if it's not docked (In the home dock), it's a relatively normal volume. Dock it, and the hours fit into the specified range, and it goes silent.
I'd also like to change the behavior of the screen based on these. At work, the clock is on, at home(When I'm trying to sleep), the clock is off and the screen is dark.
So I know to do this, I need NFC tags on each charger, I've looked up interference from the chargers, and it seems to be a mixed bag. I could play with where to place the tag exactly, that's not an issue, but if I'm going to automate, I'd love to do this as automated as possible, if you know what I mean. Rather than tap it on a tag, I'd love to just set it in the dock or pick it up to activate it. So that's it. Anyone have any suggestion on a brand of tag, a specific criteria I may need to look for (I don't know if these things have ratings or anything like that), and any extensions or companions I need for Tasker to do something like this? Any help, as always, will be greatly appreciated, and feel free to ask followup questions if I was unclear on anything.
I don't really see why you NFC. Assuming you know whether you're at work or home based on the WiFi, then you can know whether you are on a wireless charger based on a profile state of power -> power -> wireless.
As a completely unrelated idea, if your P4 is rooted, and the device spends a bit of time on a charger, you might look at Advanced Charging Controller (ACC) (XDA thread
ktmom said:
I don't really see why you NFC. Assuming you know whether you're at work or home based on the WiFi, then you can know whether you are on a wireless charger based on a profile state of power -> power -> wireless.
As a completely unrelated idea, if your P4 is rooted, and the device spends a bit of time on a charger, you might look at Advanced Charging Controller (ACC) (XDA thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Part of it is on the dock in the office vs. off the dock, walking around the office. Part of it is on the dock at home, vs. plugged into power, sitting next to the TV in the living room. Same with work. If I'm working in a conference room, I might just bring a charger and cable in there, but might still want the ringer loud. SO I'm kind of compartmentalizing both work and home, based on which area I'm in.
Part of it is also playing with Tasker, NFC tags, and all of those possibilities.
And unfortunately, a Verizon phone, so they've hosed me(As usual), and I don't think, even with it being a Pixel, that I can root it. :-
Since I think your question is, do I need any plugins to read NFC, the answer is no.
ktmom said:
I don't really see why you NFC. Assuming you know whether you're at work or home based on the WiFi, then you can know whether you are on a wireless charger based on a profile state of power -> power -> wireless.
As a completely unrelated idea, if your P4 is rooted, and the device spends a bit of time on a charger, you might look at Advanced Charging Controller (ACC) (XDA thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh wait, I see the part now about wired vs. unwired power. Got it!
I'll try that, see how it works for me.
Thanks, your basic tips have helped me. I now have a work day profile, a weeknight profile, and a weekend profile(Morning noisy time is later on the weekend), all based on whether it is charging wirelessly or not and where I am.

Question Recommendations for a new Tab S8 Plus

I ordered it over the weekend for my birthday -- was going to go through Best Buy but they were only going to offer me $40 trade in for my 256gb Tab S4 -- Samsung offered $300 plus a free set of Galaxy Buds2. So I took the deal.
Questions:
1) To root or not to root -- will rooting disrupt normal software upgrades? Any compelling reason to root (or not)? Are there guides to root the S8 Plus?
2) Are there any guides for debloating, even if this is just disabling bloatware?
3) Is there any real need to update accessories? I've got aa DVD/CD player, a HDMI + USB C hub, wireless mouse and keyboard, most other adaptors.
3A) What about power bricks? Most of my power bricks are either Samsung lightning chargers or USB C 20 Watt PD plugins.
4) Is there any way to optimize wireless transfer to shared drives on a PC? I usually use Solid Explorer; on the Tab S4 transfer speeds are really slow
5) I use Nova Launcher on my Tab S4. Is there any reason to switch to a different launcher?
6) With Nova Launcher Backup, I can easily get the app icons in the right places (assuming I keep Nova Launcher). Is there any way to backup your DEX desktop in a similar way?
7) Any other thoughts on the move from Tab S4 to S8 Plus?
Thanks,
Joe
Prepare yourself. WoT (Wall of Text) incoming.
drjoe1 said:
I ordered it over the weekend for my birthday
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, Happy Birthday, whether it's late or soon.
drjoe1 said:
-- was going to go through Best Buy but they were only going to offer me $40 trade in for my 256gb Tab S4 -- Samsung offered $300 plus a free set of Galaxy Buds2. So I took the deal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not bad at all. Awesome!
drjoe1 said:
1) To root or not to root --
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root for me, always.
drjoe1 said:
will rooting disrupt normal software upgrades?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Click the yellow "How To Guide" quick filter at the top of the list of threads in this section and you'll find a thread with directions on how to root in the first place and how to update while rooted. TL;DR: From memory, the process is nearly identical - one of the differences between first-time root of the device versus updating is flashing one particular file instead of another particular file.
drjoe1 said:
Any compelling reason to root (or not)? Are there guides to root the S8 Plus?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See above answer for guide(s). It all depends on what you want out of root. I like full backups of every single app and app data including system apps. There are other things but I can't remember off the top of my head regarding root of Samsung devices - on my Pixel 6 Pro there are six or a dozen things I definitely like root for.
Edit: Just remember something else I like root for, but I'll cover that below (two questions down) in my answer to your accessories/hub question.
drjoe1 said:
2) Are there any guides for debloating, even if this is just disabling bloatware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I saw one also here you'd likely find in this section with either the "How To Guide" or "General" quick filter. I rarely debloat anymore, but my main mobile device being a Pixel I don't have any reason to want to debloat, and on my Samsung, I'd rather not micro-manage and take the chance I'll hinder some capability that I would normally have, and now I would have to troubleshoot what I debloated that I shouldn't have. Plus firmware/system apps change, and what's safe or not safe may change. It's just too much. I used to debloat like crazy, but I just don't anymore.
drjoe1 said:
3) Is there any real need to update accessories? I've got aa DVD/CD player, a HDMI + USB C hub, wireless mouse and keyboard, most other adaptors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. If they're all USB-C or you have reliable adapters to use them with USB-C, then you're set. The only possible reason I could think is if you want a USB-C PD (Power Delivery) compatible hub that handles at least 45 watts so that you can externally power your hub and have the hub in turn charge your tablet at full power. I like the capability plus I wanted to be very minorly future-proof (no such thing) so I got a 100-watt GAN generation 3 three-port PD compatible charger, and a 100-watt USB-C hub where the hub's cable is a regular detachable USB-C <-> USB-C cable.
There's only one USB-C port on the tablet, so if you need to use a hub and charge the tablet at the same time, a PD-compatible charger and hub that support at least 45 watts would be ideal. Your mileage may vary with lower wattage of either.
Note that I treat my batteries relatively carefully. For all my devices, I try to not let go below 25%, I don't fast charge unless I really need to (so very rarely for my usage), and I only charge the device up to 75%.
Now for how this is related to root. I use something called ACC along with a GUI-front end app called AccA that allows you, using root, to turn off charging the device automatically when it reaches a top % you configure, and not charge the device until it's a low % you configure - more or less.
drjoe1 said:
3A) What about power bricks? Most of my power bricks are either Samsung lightning chargers or USB C 20 Watt PD plugins.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See above. Tablet handles up to 45-watt, but you can use lower. I don't quick/fast charge my devices at all unless I really have a particular need to.
As you probably know, the tablet does not come with a charger. I don't even know if the USB-C cable it comes with handles 45-watt, or if it supports data speeds faster than USB 2.0. I have a surplus of previous plus new OEM and third-party cables.
drjoe1 said:
4) Is there any way to optimize wireless transfer to shared drives on a PC? I usually use Solid Explorer; on the Tab S4 transfer speeds are really slow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmmm. I don't have a great amount of experience with this. For heavy-duty (great quantity and/or size) transfers I only use cable. I've used X-plore File Manager's Wi-Fi mode to transfer wirelessly but only small files normally, and it's done fine. Maybe someone else has more experience.
drjoe1 said:
5) I use Nova Launcher on my Tab S4. Is there any reason to switch to a different launcher?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heck no. Nova Launcher (Prime) FTW and forever as far as I'm concerned. I used to try new devices' OEM launchers and other third-party ones, but I don't even bother anymore. I actually restored my phone's Nova Launcher (built-in app) backup to my tablet and will tweak from there when I have time. I like having the same things available at the same places on every device I use, and from old devices to new devices.
drjoe1 said:
6) With Nova Launcher Backup, I can easily get the app icons in the right places (assuming I keep Nova Launcher). Is there any way to backup your DEX desktop in a similar way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't had any successful experience with DEX period, so I can't speak to that.
drjoe1 said:
7) Any other thoughts on the move from Tab S4 to S8 Plus?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my first Samsung tablet, and only the second Android tablet I've ever bought for myself (and my wife). The other was back in 2014-2015 - the LG G-Pad 8.3.
drjoe1 said:
Thanks,
Joe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome! Hope this helps and you enjoy whichever decision you make. Good luck!
WrT
Thanks a bunch. That was a lot to digest!
My birthday was yesterday (5/22). Another year older, thankfully not deeper in debt this year!
I started out with a Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, then a Tab S2, Tab S4 and now Tab S8 Plus. Climbing the ladder. For all people disparage Samsung, the Note 10.1 was a great productivity tool ten years ago; we are getting closer and closer to "laptop" as time goes by.
I've wanted an upgrade from the Tab S4 for a long time -- really missed a fingerprint reader, and feel the Tab S4 was really limited by only 4GB RAM. I played around for a while with DEX, but had multiple crashes related to too many apps open at one time. I really wish they would have opened up the Tab S8 Plus to a 16GB option. I just didn't want the size that goes with the Ultra.
I'll look over the guides; I haven't been active on XDA for a long time (since the Tab S4 was new), and the layout of the main page is different than it was. I see the guides for rooting and debloating.
Most of my accessories are either USB C, USB 3.0 or have adaptors/adaptor cables. My main hub is a UGREEN 70411 6-Port adaptor that claims it accepts up to 100W PD. It was necessary when using DEX on my TV -- with other hubs, I would lose power over time. But 20W PD on this hub was enough to the Tab S4at full charge. I'll look around for a 45W PD brick.
take care,
Joe
drjoe1 said:
Thanks a bunch. That was a lot to digest!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You bet, you're welcome!
drjoe1 said:
My birthday was yesterday (5/22). Another year older, thankfully not deeper in debt this year!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear that. Me too (not deeper in debt)!
drjoe1 said:
I started out with a Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, then a Tab S2, Tab S4 and now Tab S8 Plus. Climbing the ladder. For all people disparage Samsung, the Note 10.1 was a great productivity tool ten years ago; we are getting closer and closer to "laptop" as time goes by.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think Samsung makes great hardware, but I don't like their software anymore for my phone.
drjoe1 said:
I've wanted an upgrade from the Tab S4 for a long time -- really missed a fingerprint reader, and feel the Tab S4 was really limited by only 4GB RAM. I played around for a while with DEX, but had multiple crashes related to too many apps open at one time. I really wish they would have opened up the Tab S8 Plus to a 16GB option. I just didn't want the size that goes with the Ultra.
I'll look over the guides; I haven't been active on XDA for a long time (since the Tab S4 was new), and the layout of the main page is different than it was. I see the guides for rooting and debloating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
XDA changed the software for their forum out of necessity roughly two years ago, maybe a little less, I don't recall exactly. I was an RC at the time and I, too, wasn't very active. Since I got my Pixel 1 in 2016 and was very satisfied with it, I spent less and less time until the Pixel 6 Pro with 512 GB of storage was announced last year. Right around the time for the pre-order of it was when I started being just as or even more active on XDA as I used to be.
drjoe1 said:
Most of my accessories are either USB C, USB 3.0 or have adaptors/adaptor cables. My main hub is a UGREEN 70411 6-Port adaptor that claims it accepts up to 100W PD. It was necessary when using DEX on my TV -- with other hubs, I would lose power over time. But 20W PD on this hub was enough to the Tab S4at full charge. I'll look around for a 45W PD brick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very nice. If you don't know, the "GAN" technology used in some chargers the last few years makes chargers noticeably smaller, although it's not a requirement so it's just whatever your preference is. It's not specific to any one manufacturer, and the 3rd generation GAN that I referenced is even smaller than the 2nd generation was.
drjoe1 said:
take care,
Joe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You too, see you around the forum!
WrT
Keep in mind rooting a new device will void whole warranty completely and it will trip KNOX permanently so apps like samsung pass, secret folder and so will stop working since they require working KNOX chip.
So I would never root a brand new device that has 1-2 years valid warranty since if the device decides to lay off or get issue with graphics or similar then warranty can cover it. But that won't be available if you have rooted because of bootloader is unlocked and has triggered the KNOX chip permanently.
drjoe1 said:
I ordered it over the weekend for my birthday -- was going to go through Best Buy but they were only going to offer me $40 trade in for my 256gb Tab S4 -- Samsung offered $300 plus a free set of Galaxy Buds2. So I took the deal.
Questions:
1) To root or not to root -- will rooting disrupt normal software upgrades? Any compelling reason to root (or not)? Are there guides to root the S8 Plus?
2) Are there any guides for debloating, even if this is just disabling bloatware?
3) Is there any real need to update accessories? I've got aa DVD/CD player, a HDMI + USB C hub, wireless mouse and keyboard, most other adaptors.
3A) What about power bricks? Most of my power bricks are either Samsung lightning chargers or USB C 20 Watt PD plugins.
4) Is there any way to optimize wireless transfer to shared drives on a PC? I usually use Solid Explorer; on the Tab S4 transfer speeds are really slow
5) I use Nova Launcher on my Tab S4. Is there any reason to switch to a different launcher?
6) With Nova Launcher Backup, I can easily get the app icons in the right places (assuming I keep Nova Launcher). Is there any way to backup your DEX desktop in a similar way?
7) Any other thoughts on the move from Tab S4 to S8 Plus?
Thanks,
Joe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As roirraW has already respond with plenty of useful info, I won't go into AS much detail, but I'll still give some.
1. I personally root any device I have that can be rooted. Unless it can't be rooted, it's absolutely gonna get rooted. If your device is rooted and your device offers you a software update (which it shouldn't unless you somehow managed to make your device status show up as official) then allowing it to install will just fail. Even if you don't have a custom recovery installed, having a modified rom will not allow updates to be installed. You'll have to patch some newer firmware with Magisk and use Odin to flash the newer firmware. There is a guide to root the S8+, along with the S8 and S8U. Just use the "how to / guide" filter and it should be the first thing you see. Very easy to follow.
2. There is also a guide to debloat in the same "how to" section as the root guide. I've seen it, and while it's pretty lengthy, it's essential as there is quite a bit of bloatware.
3. There's only the one USB C port on the tablet, so I'd just plug em all in and see what works and what doesn't, but you shouldn't have much issue with it.
3a. Like roirraW said, the tablet supports fast charging up to 45W, but I personally use the Anker 65W charging brick as it's from a company I trust and is less expensive than the official Samsung ones.
4. Not really sure about this one. If you're referring to an FTP server than I'd recommend you to keep using Solid Explorer, as it's the one I use for wirelessly transfering files from one device to another.
5. I used to use Nova Launcher, and I'd still recommend it as it's super simple to use and offers a lot of customization. Even so, I really enjoy the OneUI Launcher, enough to where I've fully switched over to it. OneUI has gotten so much better over the years, and it feels great to not be basically required to use a 3rd party launcher to have a nice UI. So, I'd either use Nova or the stock OneUI launcher. Up to you though.
6. I used Nova Backup to get my apps in roughly the same positions as they were before, but there are bound to be some issues if not every single app you used on your previous device is present on your newer one. Regardless, the backup system works well and you can use it no worries. However, the same can't be said about Dex as you can't change your Dex launcher. You can't even open Nova in Dex last I checked.
7. I actually switched from the Tab S4 to the Tab S8+ (used the S7+ for a short time before upgrading), and it's night and day. I love this tablet so much, and I use it every day for all of my needs. Whether it be gaming, productivity, or anything that I used to do on my Tab S4, it's so much better on the Tab S8+. I even got the keyboard attachment that comes in two pieces; the magnetic back cover which protects the S-Pen, and the keyboard with the trackpad. The trackpad is on the lower-end side, so I'd just use a wireless (or wired) mouse instead, but the keyboard feels nice to type on, has sufficient spaces for your palms to rest on, and has the F1-F12 row that serves various, useful functions.
Here's another text wall for you to read. Hopefully this gives you some more useful info alongside roirraW's.
Thanks also for your thoughts.
Regarding file transfer: I have drive sharing enabled on hard drives attached to my windows 10 laptop. They are mapped in Solid Explorer as network drives. I've got my video library on them, as well as the backup for my eBook's library, my pictures library, music backup, documents archive, etc. Usually I download videos on my tablet and then transfer them to the video library on the laptop. Then I stream from the laptop to Chromecast on my TV, with the Tab S4, video conversion to allow Chromecast sometimes leads to choppy video when casting. Or I stream directly on my tablet. But anyhow, the transfer speed to the hard drives is very slow... Less than 20 Mb/s which means it takes a long time to transfer multi GB movies (or multiple episodes of a seasonal show, which can add up fast). Direct copying to/from the drives from the laptop is 100MB/s. What kind of wireless transfer speeds do you get?
The new tablet is supposed to be delivered tomorrow!
Take care,
Joe
@drjoe1 the Tab S4 10.5 (I assume is the same) used Samsung's UFS 2.1, and the Tab S8+ uses UFS 3.1. Here are speed differences listed. It could offer some improvement in speed if it was part of the bottleneck, although I'm not sure if it was. The "3 x enhancement" etc for 3.1 is probably with respect to 3.0, which I cut out of the quote.
UFS 2.1​Following are features of UFS 2.1.
• Introduction year : 2017
• Memory options : 512 GB, 1 TB, Automotive versions
• Sequential Read (Mbps) : 860 Mbps ( with 512GB )
• Sequential Write (Mbps) : 255 Mbps ( with 512GB )
• Random Read (IOP/sec) : 42,000 ( with 512GB )
• Random Write (IOP/sec) : 40,000 ( with 512GB )
UFS 3.1​Following are features of UFS 3.1.
• Introduction year : 2020
• Memory options : 256 GB, 512 GB
• Sequential Read (Mbps) : 2100 ( with 512GB )
• Sequential Write (Mbps) : 1200 Mbps (3 x enhancement) ( with 512GB )
• Random Read (IOP/sec) : 100,000 (1.6 x enhancement) ( with 512GB )
• Random Write (IOP/sec) : 70,000 (1.3 x enhancement) ( with 512GB )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UFS 4.0 has been announced and speculated that the Galaxy S23 will use it.
I got my Tab S8 Plus yesterday!
First impressions:
1) It's big.
2) An inch or two extra in each direction compared to the Tab S4 is big. I can't imagine carrying an Ultra around. I'm sure I'll get used to the larger size, but maybe an S8 would have been a better size.
3) Transfer to the new tablet was smooth. Nova Launcher is awesome -- I restored the settings from my old tablet, and it put all the icons in the right places. Then tap on the icon to open Play Store, or side load the app and it is good to go. I used SmartSwitch to transfer contacts, messages, and home screen, and I was surprised that it didn't only copy the home screen images, but it copied the DEX desktop layout. I didn't run DEX until I had already reloaded all the aps, so I had nothing to do to set up the DEX desktop.
4) DEX is weird -- less options in the settings. I was fooled by one of the few -- it does screen mirroring by default If you plug in an HDMI cable & then turn on DEX -- The only way not to screen-mirror is to enable "start DEX on HDMI connection" -- in which case you get the TV in DEX and the tablet in Android.
5) Did I mention it is BIG?
Thanks all for your helpful information,
Joe
6) Trusted places no longer is an option I can find for unlocking the tablet. Not that unlock on 4 character pin + unlock on face recognition + unlock on thumbprint aren't options enough, but it was nice making my apartment a "safe place".
7) Also about face recognition -- so much better than iris recognition on the Tab S4! I wear strong prescription glasses, and had to remove them for iris recognition.. No more! I still have a problem with the location of the tablet /direction of the camera related to "where the camera points" and "where my face is" related to the tablet stand I use.... the angle and height of the tablet make my face half below the field of view of the camera
8) Apps not optimized for tablets are a much bigger problem (pun intended) on the Tab S8+ than on the Tab S4 if nothing else because of the bigger size of the tablet. I like Catan Classic, and it is close to un-playable on the Tab S8+.
9) DeX over PC -- I thought the Tab S4 couldn't do DeX over PC because it was too old... Turns out the Tab S8+ can't either. Samsung Tablets in general don't support DeX on PC. How stupid is that? Let's take the productivity platform and make it less productive! I tried for at least an hour to get the damn thing to connect before I found some references that tablets are left out. Rotten!
take care,
Joe
drjoe1 said:
6) Trusted places no longer is an option I can find for unlocking the tablet. Not that unlock on 4 character pin + unlock on face recognition + unlock on thumbprint aren't options enough, but it was nice making my apartment a "safe place".
7) Also about face recognition -- so much better than iris recognition on the Tab S4! I wear strong prescription glasses, and had to remove them for iris recognition.. No more! I still have a problem with the location of the tablet /direction of the camera related to "where the camera points" and "where my face is" related to the tablet stand I use.... the angle and height of the tablet make my face half below the field of view of the camera
8) Apps not optimized for tablets are a much bigger problem (pun intended) on the Tab S8+ than on the Tab S4 if nothing else because of the bigger size of the tablet. I like Catan Classic, and it is close to un-playable on the Tab S8+.
9) DeX over PC -- I thought the Tab S4 couldn't do DeX over PC because it was too old... Turns out the Tab S8+ can't either. Samsung Tablets in general don't support DeX on PC. How stupid is that? Let's take the productivity platform and make it less productive! I tried for at least an hour to get the damn thing to connect before I found some references that tablets are left out. Rotten!
take care,
Joe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Face recognition isn't as safe as iris recognition. Since you can manipulate the face recognition and unlock the device easy. It even states a warning when setting upp face recognition that it is not as safe than password/pin is.
Jake.S said:
Face recognition isn't as safe as iris recognition. Since you can manipulate the face recognition and unlock the device easy. It even states a warning when setting upp face recognition that it is not as safe than password/pin is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course you are correct. But I don't expect an experienced hacker will ever try to break into my tablet. As far as I'm concerned, the security is there so someone can't pick up my tablet and have direct access to my file. If I leave it in a public place, or have it stolen, someone probably won't have my picture or know what I look like. I'm not particularly worried that a thief will take my picture then steal my tablet. I'm also not terribly worried about the FBI or law enforcement breaking into my phone -- I don't know why they would.
Face recognition is so much more convenient than iris recognition when you wear strong prescription glasses. By the time I take my glasses off, the camera has timed out and needs to be restarted.
I think for a casual tablet owner, it isn't such a risky thing. Of course, not so necessary when you have the fingerprint reader available.
Joe
drjoe1 said:
Of course you are correct. But I don't expect an experienced hacker will ever try to break into my tablet. As far as I'm concerned, the security is there so someone can't pick up my tablet and have direct access to my file. If I leave it in a public place, or have it stolen, someone probably won't have my picture or know what I look like. I'm not particularly worried that a thief will take my picture then steal my tablet. I'm also not terribly worried about the FBI or law enforcement breaking into my phone -- I don't know why they would.
Face recognition is so much more convenient than iris recognition when you wear strong prescription glasses. By the time I take my glasses off, the camera has timed out and needs to be restarted.
I think for a casual tablet owner, it isn't such a risky thing. Of course, not so necessary when you have the fingerprint reader available.
Joe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to be experienced to fool face recognition which is why warning appears since it's quite easy to manipulate it. So anyone can do it without skills.
Another update and more impressions...
1) I followed Jake's advice and wiped face recognition. It really isn't needed with the thumbprint reader placed in easy access when holding the tablet in landscape orientation. Plus the feature that the four-digit PIN automatically unlocks after you put the correct four digits makes putting pin in very fast.
2) I love super fast charge. This is the first device I have with it (my phone is a Galaxy S10 Plus). It really is fast enough that you can charge the phone between planes in an airport terminal.
3) [Charging rant on] Charging is and has always been more mysterious than it should be. I found out that all cables were not the same back with my first tablet in 2014. And that you had to read the fine print to determine the gauge of the mini- and micro- USB cables. Then that chargers weren't the same. There is table at https://www.digitalcitizen.life/fast-charging-standards/ that has over TWENTY EIGHT different standards. And Samsung doesn't use the standard standards! My understanding is that Samsung Adaptive fast Charge was really a castrated version of Qualcomm Quick Charge 2! And now they have Samsung Super Fast 1.0 and 2.0 as separate standards again from PD! So how do you know if a brick supports Super fast 2.0? You'd think it would have gotten better with PD and USB C, but no! Samsung is still Samsung!
So I got an awesome charger that is also a power bank ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DC99CB5 ), and I get the Super Fast Charge with it. But I still don't have a clue how the damn thing works. First, they rate the primary charge on the native 3.8V lithium ion batteries. 10,000 mAh. But the battery pack has to convert this (with losses) to a USB standard voltage. This used to be 5V, and they do still tell you the rating at 5V. 5,800mAh. But the PD (Power Delivery) standard uses 5V, 9V, 12V, 15V, and 20V. I have no idea what the battery rating is for the higher voltages. And then, the tablet has to take the 20V, 15V, 12V, 9V, and 5V and convert them with losses back to 4V to charge the internal battery. And if the internal battery is charged and you are maintaining the battery level, I don't know if it is powering the tablet directly (and at what voltage) or topping off the tablet battery at 4V as it discharges. And what the efficiency is. So how much charge do I get with a battery pack? I don't know!
And now there is more USB-C cable madness. Again, you have to figure the gauge of the cable! And it seems sometimes they rate cables by current rating not gauge. Sometimes they tell you descriptively it is for fast charging sometime they don't. And add to that the mysterious "Super Fast Charge 2.0" (not to be mixed up with "Fast Wireless Charging 2.0")! It seems you need a cable with an "E-Mark" chipset to run at currents over 5A. And maybe for 20V -- it isn't clear to me if E-Mark is related to "Super Fast Charge 2.0" kicks in. And I can't find any documentation for it except references on the S20 series phones ( https://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/what-is/super-fast-charging/ ). The S20's seem to be 45W just like the Tab S8+. But other info on Super Fast Charge 2.0 suggests it is for 65W or 100W laptops.
So does "Super Fast Charging 2.0" exist on the Tab S8 series? I don't know. When does it kick in? I don't know. How much faster is it? I don't know. Why do they need to make this so confusing? I don't know. I have a PhD in Physics and work as an engineer in a semiconductor factory that makes wide band-gap chip products for chargers, and I don't know!
Hahaha.... [Charging rant off] Very frustrating. But liking the tablet. Still getting used to the size.
Joe

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