Bad Digitizer - Turning Phone into PDA - Motorola Droid and Milestone General

Note: I'm still working on this, and this guide may miss a few things/be incomplete. I'll subscribe to this thread but if I don't reply you can PM me.
I had a Droid 3 but the ribbon cable developed a nice hearty tear. I haven't taken the money to buy a new one to put it together, and since my wife's Droid 3 has a busted glass screen but everything else works, she'll probably assemble it herself. So that left me phoneless. To save a buck, I got a cheap wireless plan locally ($19.99 unlimited talk/text), but I am on a dumb phone. I really only wanted a MP3 player and the ability to surf the web casually without getting on the computer.
The biggest problem is that Android is too dependent on touch interface, which I didn't have due to the infamous bad digitizer ghost issues. So that left me a little irritated, since it was sitting in my drawer and collecting dust. So after much research, tweaking, and playing, here is what I got so far:
1) Download your ROM of your choice. I wanted Jellybean since we had it and I think ICS/JB look prettier than GB anyway. So I chose CM10.
2) The biggest problem will be the lack of touch input. This causes three problems: setting up the phone, using the back/home/menu/search buttons, and unlocking the screen. I got past this by first using a data cable and connecting via ADB. I can't find the app since I'm at work but it's on Google Groups and a bit of searching should help you find it. If you scroll down a bit someone updated it for JB. You just need Java and ADB.
3) The next problem was the keys. In /system/usr/keylayout/sholes-keypad.kl edit this file (adb pull /system/usr/keylayout/sholes-keypad.kl is your friend then adb push). Remap key 100 (right alt) to home wake_dropped, key 54 (right shift) to back wake_dropped, and 139 to menu wake_dropped (menu key don't work on JB on keyboard until this).
4) Install v6 Supercharger (easy to find and plenty of guides so I'm not going to hash that out). In there is a section of Bulletproof apps. Download from the Play Store the app Argus Touch Blocker and add it to the Bulletproof list. Then Enable the service and block the screen on any shaking.
5) The only browser that seems to work (have to use remote control over ADB to accept EULA) is Opera Classic.
If anyone else has suggestions/tips I'm open as well.

Related

[Q] Standby wifi and OS differences with GS2

I have a Samsung GS2 (with 2.3.3) and I just got a P970 which I upgraded to (2.3.4) for use with a foreign SIM.
I didn't do much research and thought 'they're both Android GB, they'll be the same' - ho ho. Had a bit of a fight with the p970 but eventually got all my apps etc installed so it's very similar to my GS2 which is what I want... Not that the GS2 way of doing things is particularly better I just want them both to be usable in exactly the same way to avoid frustration.
I've noticed some things that I really want to fix:
1. The GS2 leaves wifi on all the time, whether it is asleep or not. I want this because I use push email with K9. The p970 turns the wifi off when the phone is asleep - so K9 uses mobile data for email, which is a pain. I used titaniumbackup to move the K9 install and settings from the GS2 to the p970 - I also later removed it and installed it through the market. No difference. Can I force wifi on while the phone is asleep?
2. The scroll feel of the p970 was very light with no friction - pages scrolled on forever gradually coming to a stop. I managed to fix that (removed the lgscroller in the build.prop) but the p970 has a 'glow' effect when you try to scroll beyond the end of a list (the list doesn't move any more, the bottom of the list glows blue) whereas the GS2 has this 'elastic' effect (you can scroll the list right off the screen but it moves at half speed and springs back into place when you let go.) Can I replace this somehow?
3. In Dolphin HD, the GS2 scroll snaps to axes - if I scroll vaguely vertically, it knows I mean 'scroll vertically'. The P970 interprets anything other than a very deliberate vertical scroll as meaning 'scroll diagonally'. It's a pain. What on earth causes this?
4. The included mms.apk is crap. Can't insert contacts as plaintext? I want the GS2 mms.apk - I tried to adb install it but it failed on dependencies. Is it possible? I am using Handcent on the p970 now after trying Go SMS, tbh not really liking ether.
Apart from all that it's fine albeit a bit slow. Biggest gripe is the positioning of the unlock button.
Any advice?
I really don't know the others, but for #1 you go to settings>wireless>wi-fi settings>advance[press menu button the square one]>wi-fi sleep policy there you can choose to never sleep
Thanks for that, didn't even know there was a submenu to the wifi menu. Wifi now remains on regardless!
#2 you would have to install a Cyanogen ROM, there you can choose what to happen when you scroll past the end of the list (Glow, Bounce or Glow+Bounce). The official Rom (and those built on it) don't support changing the way the "scroll past end of list" animation, it's only present in ROMs built on Cyanogen (for example the MIUI one).
Now, i don't know how stable the Cyanogen ROMs are, you'll have to read about it in the forum and decide if it's worth it for you or not.
#3 i saw that the Optimus Black interprets pressing/dragging on the screen a little different from other phones, probably comes from the way LG implemented the digitizer interface, i don't think you can change that (i very often drag icons on the launcher instead of starting the apps even though i do the exact same movement as i do on my Samsung Spica and there i never had this problem).
#4 the applications bundled with the SG2 have dependencies on libraries on the phone, you would have to also copy the files from /system/lib the problem is that you can't just copy all the files since many will be present on both phones but with different version and dependencies.
You would probably have to experiment by adding different libs and seeing if it works or not.
I tried only once to port and app and after several hours i got to a point where the lib required by the app was already present on the phone but a different version, i tried adding the other version which crashed many of the already existing apps so i gave up
Thanks for that - I understand the Cyanogen ROM isn't stable yet (?) so I'll wait a bit before trying that... need the thing usable as a phone, can't keep bricking it!
For the last point, is there a way to identify from the APK which libraries it's looking for? Something like the 'ld' command in Linux?
bluetooth locked
hello everybody!
I can't use bluetooth.
I open settings, open wireless and network settings, tap bluetooth, enter access bluetooth settings, tap make discoverable, (untap make discoverable then), but:
1.) I can't scan for devices: tap and press but nothing happened,
2.) I can't modify my device name, I have one, but can't rename,
3.) I have a long list of bluetooth devices discovered but not paired, but I never allowed, and
4.) I can't remove these devices from my Bluetooth pairing list:
when I press and hold on the name of the device I want to remove, applications close and get out from settings.
5.) I can't discover and pair my bluetooth headset.
Get out the baterry, get out SIM, get out micro sd: not working!
I have 2 same smartphones. the another optimus black in working very well, including the same headset.
can you advise me, please?
thanks.
oalgvi17 said:
hello everybody!
I can't use bluetooth.
I open settings, open wireless and network settings, tap bluetooth, enter access bluetooth settings, tap make discoverable, (untap make discoverable then), but:
1.) I can't scan for devices: tap and press but nothing happened,
2.) I can't modify my device name, I have one, but can't rename,
3.) I have a long list of bluetooth devices discovered but not paired, but I never allowed, and
4.) I can't remove these devices from my Bluetooth pairing list:
when I press and hold on the name of the device I want to remove, applications close and get out from settings.
5.) I can't discover and pair my bluetooth headset.
Get out the baterry, get out SIM, get out micro sd: not working!
I have 2 same smartphones. the another optimus black in working very well, including the same headset.
can you advise me, please?
thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it on another ROM maybe? If so, which one do you use? Or did you maybe restore a backup of another phone?
Sent from my LG-P970 using XDA

Coming from an android note to a HTC 8x

Thinking of trying out windows phone, have opportunity to swap my note for an 8x, how will I find WP, can I still use my google calendar, mail etc....not to bothered about games.
No chance at a nokia 920 instead of the 8x? Nokia has far superiour extra apps.
Gmail support used to be good but i'm not sure with Google dropping activesync how well it is. Hotmail / outlook push works really well though.
If you configure it before July it will continue to work (GMail Sync via ActiveSync). Everything after that point depends on the next WP8 Update (GDR2) and Microsoft's implementation of CardDAV and CalDAV. What you will lose if reconfiguring to CalDAV/CardDAV will be Push Mail as WP does not support Push via IMAP. Until now there has been no indication that Microsoft would implement it.
If it's not too late I wouldn't recommend it unless you've had a chance to use the phone personally. I'm going back to android asap. Firstly a few little grievances with my Lumia 720.
The notification bar that you're used to in android in automatically hidden with no chance of changing it not to. You'll have to minimize whatever app you're using just to check the time etc.
No forward button in the browser.
It just took me 20 attempts to move the cursor to the start of the sentence after '720' so as I could hit the enter button without highlighting the word 'The' (if I didn't it would have overwritten it.
That's just the start. I understand it is a very new operating system and that it will get better with time but I'm not going to wait for months for things that shouldn't be happening in the first place.
Sounds like a case of PEBTAWIBY (Problem Exists Between Touchscreen And Whatever Is Behind You). Even in apps that hide the notification bar (most don't), you can press-and-hold Back to bring up the task switcher; it has the bar. You can also tap Power twice to go back to the lock screen, it has the bar (and the time in great big numbers). The lack of a Forward button I'll grant you (although Histroy does well enough at some times) but it's trivially easy to add back though bookmarklets; check my sig (also things like View Source). As for moving the cursor, did it never occur to you to tap-and-hold on the text and bring up the cursor mode (same as on both Android and iOS, incidentally)? Single taps are generally intended to select words.
With all that said, anybody making a multi-hundred-dollar purchase without knowing what to expect is making a big mistake. You definitely should try out WP8 before buying.
1- I think all google services will work with no major problems except for google maps navigation which you can replace with HERE Drive, there are also alot of Google maps clients available but no turn by turn navigation AFAIK
2- It is confirmed that the GDR2 update coming in June/July will bring CalDAV/CardDAV support
3- UC brower it is a bit more customizable than IE

Very 1st Things to do After Activation?

Hi everyone, just got my N3 last night and I am pretty excited about it.
I am a long time Mac Rumors member and my past phones have been ...... JB 3g, JB 3gs, JB 4, JB 4s
I am very upset with the tiny screens on my iphones and I refuse to wait another year for the 6 to come out.
So now I am a 1st time Android user and what to really check out the Android scene.
What are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away? (different keyboards, apps, etc)
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
edit: does Google Play offer any rebates/coupons/freebies for newly purchased devices?
Hey I would use smart switch to get your things from iPhone to your new phone but that is after you have it activated
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
XiphoneUzer said:
Hi everyone, just got my N3 last night and I am pretty excited about it.
I am a long time Mac Rumors member and my past phones have been ...... JB 3g, JB 3gs, JB 4, JB 4s
I am very upset with the tiny screens on my iphones and I refuse to wait another year for the 6 to come out.
So now I am a 1st time Android user and what to really check out the Android scene.
My N3 arrived Wednesday evening, and it's STILL not activated, (and its killing me).
The reason being, I wanna know if there is anything I should do BEFORE I call ATT and activate it.
(I do NOT want to close any windows, so is there is anything you folks recommend I do before I activate it)?
Once activated, what are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away?
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
edit: does Google Play offer any rebates/coupons/freebies for newly purchased devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by call ATT and activate it? All you have to do is put your SIM card in and it is ready to go with a few account setups. After that it is up to you except for rooting and modding. Cant be done right now without voiding your warranty.
First thing you do is scratch off the att emblem since they locked the bootloader
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
XiphoneUzer said:
Once activated, what are the first things I should do with the phone, what should I install right away?
Is there a thread around here with tutes instructing how to transfer my contacts etc?
I surely will appreciate all replies, so thanks in advance. I really wanna get the very MOST out of this device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
XiphoneUzer said:
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the keyboard, i prefer the google keyboard over the samsung one. It provides functionality similar to the iphone and is easy to switch between the iphone and android if you use them both in daily life.
As for apps, here is a small list of apps i like to have on all of my devices.
GOOGLE CHROME. Its much better than the built in browser and is able to synchronize with my desktop browsers favorites, etc.
Skype: Perfect for if you are travelling over seas at all with your device.
Google Hangouts: A good replacement for the built in SMS app.
Facebook & Twitter: If you need an explanation, you shouldn't be useing these apps.
Battery Doctor by KS Mobile: Simple app, but is helpful to save battery life and know exactly how much you have left.
Google Music: I have most of my library stored on google so it makes my life easy to have this.
Google Books: The book equivalent of my music library. Syncronizes what i have read across devices and browsers.
Kindle for Android: For the ebooks you buy on amazon.
Google Keep: Great for taking quick notes and having them on all your devices.
Dropbox: Great cloud file storage. Comes with free storage and you can pay to get more.
Google Drive: Google version of dropbox.
MX Player: This video player will play any video format you throw at it.
Google Maps: A must have for all smartphone users.
Zedge: While its quality has gone down a fair bit from what it once was, its still a great place to find ringtones and notification sounds for your android device.
GPS Status: Great for calibrating your devices sensors and ensuring that it works properly.
Now for the ROOT ONLY apps.
Titanium backup
SuperSU
Triangle Away
Hopefully this is a useful list to get you started. I have all these plus many more installed on my devices, and I find I use them all fairly regularly.
djdelusional said:
Skype: Perfect for if you are travelling over seas at all with your device.
Google Hangouts: A good replacement for the built in SMS app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer Hangouts to Skype because Hangouts features free video multi-chat.
But I use Google Voice for SMS because it provides free unlimited texting. Hangouts insists on using the phone's native number rather than your Google Voice number, so you have to pay extra for a text plan or for individual messages.
Doesn't anyone else have any advice for a first time Android user?
XiphoneUzer said:
Doesn't anyone else have any advice for a first time Android user?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your new to android I'd stay away from root for a while.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I467 using Tapatalk 4
XiphoneUzer said:
Hello?
Looking for some help here. This keyboard is way different than iphone, is it something you get used to, or should I install something else?
Please tell me what are some of the things I should change/install right away, (there's got to be some "must haves" no?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel like for every-day typical phone use cases, there aren't that many gaps that stand out as needing to be filled by a third party app. You'll probably need a new music player, the defaults are crapola - but I can't be much help here; I keep my music as folders full of MP3 files (like God intended!) and play with Music Folder Player, and shun the dirty S&M ("sync and manage") apps.
There's a big list of stuff that I did when I first got the phone to get it to where I'm happy with it, but all of this was root required stuff. There are apps that come pre-loaded on android devices and can't be removed or disabled without root. Also, customizing stuff that can't be customized without root. I couldn't abide by some of the not-changable-without-root defaults. Getting rid of the "screen turns on so you can unlock it when you hit the home key" behavior is probably the most glaring example for me; my ass* was unlocking it constantly - but coming from iPhone, you probably view that as the Right Thing for home button to do.
I think most people use a custom keyboard. Swiftkey and Swype are the most popular. The phone comes with Swype, but it's an ancient version with limited support for changing the dictionary, you want the newest one.
I use Hangouts for gchat, but not for SMS. I actually prefer default app for SMS..
Settings:
Pull down status bar, long press on wifi, WiFi -> menu -> advanced settings, uncheck auto connect to AT&T hotspots (unless they don't suck where you are. Around here, they often don't have internet behind them, and just break your connectivity for the 30 seconds or so it takes for the phone to connect to them, determine that the wifi is no good, and fall back to 4G. At least this phone does that; Original note would just sit there like a fool trying to use non-functional wifi... I've also yet to find a hotspot that performs better than the 4G does. But I live in a city, so the situation may be different elsewhere).
Pull down status bar, long press on GPS. Uncheck "Use wireless networks" - on newer versions of android, this drains battery while idle; the damned thing wakes the phone periodically to check the networks around it - if the phone is nearly idle, this can halve battery life (!!!)
Pull down status bar, swipe to the left along the options at the top (woah, did you know you could do that?), tap multiwindow to enable multiwindow (this was a headline feature for the note 3, but comes disabled by default). If I long-press back button, that makes the multiwindow tab hide or unhide (once it's enabled), but I don't remember if I had to do something to get this behavior.
General must-have things:
AppOps Starter (to kill permissions from apps that request permissions you don't want to give them)
Battery Monitor Widget (gives you a realtime readout of battery usage)
ES File Explorer
If you want to pretty-ize clock + weather widgets:
DigiClock
Eye in Sky
If you work in IT or have need of these (if you aren't sure what these mean, you don't need them ):
ConnectBot (telnet/ssh client)
AndFTP (ftp/sftp client, supports scp if you pay)
RDP Client (remote desktop and VNC client)
FEAT VPN (OpenVPN client)
Hacker's Keyboard (you'll tear your hair out trying to use swype/swiftkey for terminal sessions or RDP)
If you want to root the phone:
Root it, then immediately install titanium backup and "freeze" AT&T software update, so it won't update your phone (breaking root) while you're not looking
Titanium Backup - freeze all the useless bloatware that AT&T and Samsung included (there's a list of what apps you can freeze here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmzC8GFarItSdGpOZzBfWlR4MC03aDMyZ1BDUFNqU0E - not my work)
Root Explorer
Pen Window Manager for adding apps to the pen window feature
Xposed Framework
Wanam - general huge amount of customization, including selecting apps for multiwindow.
Keyboard Manager (almost a necessity if you use ConnectBot/RDP frequently - keyboards designed for messaging and such are garbage for doing administration of non-phone systems, while hacker's keyboard is garbage for messaging and everyday phone stuff)
Terminal Emulator (gives you a command prompt on phone. Doesn't require root, but there are very few use cases for terminal on android that don't also need root)
*Well, I keep it in my front pocket, so technically it wasn't my /ass/ unlocking the phone....

Glass control

So being very new to Glass (only got it on Wednesday 25/06) it is my understanding that the firmware after 16 disabled the 'normal' control via the touched? So versions after this are only capable of back and scroll?
Is there anyway of configuring a program like Remodriod or Tablet Remote so you can use the controls from your phone on Glass? Might sound silly as you could just say use your phone for what your doing but I was more thinking of using it to control the likes of YouTube so I log in and obtain my play lists, also it would stop the need to plug in for control via ADB, for which as a newbie to ADB I'm struggling with commands.
I was playing around with Remodriod and it asked me to set the input in Language and input, for which it didn't pop up like it did on my phone, I assume it is because there is no native option for this on Glass and therefore couldn't obtain the screen for it? Would I need to install the language and input options? Of so where can I get it from?
Has anyone else tried this idea?
Regards
Giles
GiGoVX said:
So being very new to Glass (only got it on Wednesday 25/06) it is my understanding that the firmware after 16 disabled the 'normal' control via the touched? So versions after this are only capable of back and scroll?
Is there anyway of configuring a program like Remodriod or Tablet Remote so you can use the controls from your phone on Glass? Might sound silly as you could just say use your phone for what your doing but I was more thinking of using it to control the likes of YouTube so I log in and obtain my play lists, also it would stop the need to plug in for control via ADB, for which as a newbie to ADB I'm struggling with commands.
I was playing around with Remodriod and it asked me to set the input in Language and input, for which it didn't pop up like it did on my phone, I assume it is because there is no native option for this on Glass and therefore couldn't obtain the screen for it? Would I need to install the language and input options? Of so where can I get it from?
Has anyone else tried this idea?
Regards
Giles
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad you've done your research, it gets old telling people the same things over and over again.
As you mentioned, there was a time where you could easily control most apps with the touchpad, but that functionality has since been removed. Besides, there was no way to enter text without some sort of remote; many people managed to use bluetooth keyboards to achieve this, and the combination worked quite well.
In XE16, Google apparently decided that they wanted to make a clear distinction between Glass and Android controls. Apps that don't implement the Glass-specific gesture listeners can't be controlled at all. Even native Android popup windows don't allow you to choose which button you want to select (even if the Languages and Input popup did show up on Glass, you couldn't select the button).
So here we are today, either using the stripped-down, masked version of Android that Google gives us, or fumbling with ADB commands attempting to get that one video on YouTube to play. But there is hope yet. Google gives us rooted boot images, presumably hoping that we will show them something that they haven't done themselves. This tiny 5.5MB file opens up a ton of possibilities, but someone needs to be the middle man that brings these possibilities to the masses.
Thanks to the beauty of open source, we have a clear model of what needs to be done for Glass to work like so many people wish it would.
Port a working recovery image to flash zips to the Glass system folder (Done)
Modify Superuser to function properly given Glass's limited control set
Modify XposedInstaller in the same manner
I have a proof-of-concept Xposed module for Glass that lets me control the Netflix app with the touchpad. It's dirty, and it takes a lot of work to get working, but the concept is solid. Xposed is an incredibly powerful utility. The end goal is to create a Glass-oriented keyboard (think oldschool arcade video game high score screens - "Enter Your Initials").
While my goal is solid and my intentions are pure, I worry that there is a reason Google didn't do this to begin with.
TLDR; I'm working on it.
Many thanks for the response, so the short answer is no. That's a big shame and I hope I haven't just wasted 1k on a peice of eyewear that needs charging halfway thru the day!
I assume there is no way of going back to version 16?
I think it's strange how little development there is with Glass on XDA (I could be wrong but if you look at the likes of the smart watches there seems to be considerably more development) and how inactive this part of the forum seems? considering the idea and in my eyes (no pun intended) cool Glass is hence why I ordered mine as soon as I could here in the uk, so far I haven't met anyone with one, and I'm still getting some strange looks lol
The things that are possible with Glass are amazing. Really wish they had added a rear facing camera, eyes in the back of my head, no, but I can see behind me lol
I am eager to see your work and I will experiment on trying to build your xposed modules (never tried building an apk before) no harm in learning on what is probably the most expensive peice of tech I own lol
GiGoVX said:
Many thanks for the response, so the short answer is no. That's a big shame and I hope I haven't just wasted 1k on a peice of eyewear that needs charging halfway thru the day!
I assume there is no way of going back to version 16?
I think it's strange how little development there is with Glass on XDA (I could be wrong but if you look at the likes of the smart watches there seems to be considerably more development) and how inactive this part of the forum seems? considering the idea and in my eyes (no pun intended) cool Glass is hence why I ordered mine as soon as I could here in the uk, so far I haven't met anyone with one, and I'm still getting some strange looks lol
The things that are possible with Glass are amazing. Really wish they had added a rear facing camera, eyes in the back of my head, no, but I can see behind me lol
I am eager to see your work and I will experiment on trying to build your xposed modules (never tried building an apk before) no harm in learning on what is probably the most expensive peice of tech I own lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't say I'm surprised by the lack of activity. Rooting Glass voids the warranty, and with the high price in addition to so many reported issues, not many people are willing to take that risk at the moment.
If you want to get touch controls back, then you'll need to flash down to XE12. See https://developers.google.com/glass/tools-downloads/system. Please be sure to read any warnings and notices. XE12 still doesn't have many options for keyboard input, but you'll have better luck than using XE16+.
Also, the strange looks won't be going away any time soon
jtxdriggers said:
I can't say I'm surprised by the lack of activity. Rooting Glass voids the warranty, and with the high price in addition to so many reported issues, not many people are willing to take that risk at the moment.
If you want to get touch controls back, then you'll need to flash down to XE12. See https://developers.google.com/glass/tools-downloads/system. Please be sure to read any warnings and notices. XE12 still doesn't have many options for keyboard input, but you'll have better luck than using XE16+.
Also, the strange looks won't be going away any time soon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The really frustrating thing with my Glass is that I'm still waiting for Google to get back to me about the 'split framed' version they should of sent me instead of the current standard version I have!
I requested a call from Google shortly after I received them asking the above question but they couldn't find my order, sure enough they have taken my money but can't find my order number, nor my Gmail address or the serial number for my Glass device! A little concerning that Google of all people couldn't find my info! I'm still waiting for an email back 3 days later! Longest Google search in history lol

Gear VR Development Tips & Tricks

If you've been to the official forums, you may know it's mostly questions about when updates are coming or how to fix a specific crash. There is a lot of useful information floating around, but very little open development on / for it. These are some of the tips and tricks that have either been posted and updated, forced out of Oculus, or generated through personal testing.
Adding your own oculussig file to an apk:
Obtain your device ID by connecting the Note 4 and using "adb devices"
Enter the number into the form at https://developer.oculus.com/tools/debug/
Download https://mega.co.nz/#!ssB0ALwR!dLKy0OUv7H7aGZQ1YiqXKfDgUc3fnOIghCiEFAFtt4g
Extract the zip and copy the game and signature file into the extracted folder
Run the command to repack for your computer platform (available in USAGE.txt)
Running any app as vr_dual (without Oculus Home):
Install any Gear VR app with your device signature (app can downloaded, compiled, or backed up from an official install)
Go to your device Settings -> Application manager -> Gear VR Service (usually in the "Downloaded" section but could also be in the "All" section).
Tap on "Manage storage"
Tap the "VR Service Version" number six times.
Wait for scan process to complete and you should now see the Developer Mode toggle on this screen.
You should now be able to launch your app without the headset and also dock the headset at any time without having Home launch.
Don't forget to disable developer mode to restore regular functionality after you're done playing the game and enable it again before returning.
Unity game development shortcuts:
So you need a bunch of characters and environments, but the Unity asset store is expensive and you haven't had enough experience in 3DSMax to make your own. There is another way to get tons of content both fast and cheap:
MMD4Mecanim : http://stereoarts.jp/
mmd-for-unity: https://github.com/mmd-for-unity-proj/mmd-for-unity
UnityXNA: https://github.com/mvi/UnityXNA
MMD4Mecanim and mmd-for-unity are extremely similar. The difference between them is that MMD4Mecanim adds the necessary plugins to Unity (and the platforms you build against) to allow you to use models and motions that it converts, while mmd-for-unity performs a fairly complete conversion that allows you to use the items as Unity components with minimal scripts to control some of the aspects that don't fully convert. It is personal preference which is used. When building a scene that is mostly MMD, it is probably better to use MMD4Mecanim. When attempting to mix MMD into a scene built primarily with Unity, mmd-for-unity is probably a better choice.
There is a quick overview of how mmd-for-unity works available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSC2hKaG5AA
Many developers using the Gear VR favor MMD4Mecanim because of the other plugins that have been built on top of it, such as lip sync. In terms of game performance, mmd-for-unity may have a slight advantage due to decreased overhead. It is unnoticeable, though.
4 more days
I need a noob proof setup guide lol
friedrich420 said:
4 more days
I need a noob proof setup guide lol
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Don't worry, I am bringing over all of the stuff I put together from the Oculus forums and personal testing.
I am going to put together a small folder on Mega with tools and some samples.
Thank you so much for starting this thread. Great idea and hopefully I'll learn a lot. One question when i try and enable developer mode after the scan I get the message "you are not a developer" and it closes
sawdoctor said:
Thank you so much for starting this thread. Great idea and hopefully I'll learn a lot. One question when i try and enable developer mode after the scan I get the message "you are not a developer" and it closes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My professor had the same issue. He had to reboot and wait a minute, then go in and try it again. It could also be how fast the clicks are. I know he wasn't rooted and didn't do anything other than reboot. When I did it, I tapped fast.
twistedumbrella said:
My professor had the same issue. He had to reboot and wait a minute, then go in and try it again. It could also be how fast the clicks are. I know he wasn't rooted and didn't do anything other than reboot. When I did it, I tapped fast.
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I've tried it twice but will keep trying. You obviously know which kernel i'm using but I'll keep at it
sawdoctor said:
I've tried it twice but will keep trying. You obviously know which kernel i'm using but I'll keep at it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could also try clearing data for the service, then open Home, then try. When they were setting up, they clicked around but didn't really say what they did. I was in a video conference with like 7 people trying to tell one lol.
What I know for sure was it didn't require root or any additional apps.
I just found a Miku archive with some 1,000 models... Looks like it's time to make a Unity orgy. Speaking of, I should post the Miku to Unity stuff. It's a cheap way to get models and they work with the new animations.
Moved to post 2
Same issue for me, keeps telling me I'm not a developer. Tried multiple data clears and restarts.
Jstylen said:
Same issue for me, keeps telling me I'm not a developer. Tried multiple data clears and restarts.
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That's odd. I just noticed mine was cleared out after doing the last update and I activated and enabled it just now.
Edit: I think I figured out what's happening. It works for me because I have my own game with my signature installed. It didn't take any special app for the other tests because their copy of my game had their signature and I bet they installed it between attempts.
I think you have to have any VR app that contains your own signature installed to "qualify" as a developer. I updated the instructions to include that step.
This is what I was suspecting but hoped I was wrong. I don't have the money for the gear VR right now and hoped to try some things out with an stm32fdiscovery board instead. I suppose now I'll have to compile something with my signature in it.
I didn't realize there actually was a small section for the Gear VR, so we moved over there.
There are some video conversion tips on the official forums. I haven't tried them, but I'll try to gather up what I can and add it here.
We need more positive, productive threads in this section....
I am moving all of the content from a few other threads here, since the Gear VR section has a bit of a troll problem.
One possible way to improve the range of focus / clarity when using the Gear VR:
I found this trick while trying to figure out why no adjustment to the Durovis Dive (moveable lenses) seemed as clear as I expected. The solution was to move where the headset sat on my face, despite it not feeling like that was the "intended placement"
Whether or not you use the nose piece is up to you. I honestly never took the time to compare the two foam blobs, so whichever is the default is the one I use. Most of the trick involves using the tension of the top headband, so adjust the one that wraps around your head to wherever it is tight, but still comfortable.
The next part is where it varies by user. You will want to put the headset on and adjust the focus wheel to get as clear as possible for you. After you are comfortable with the view and about to come back here and say WTF, hold the headset by both sides and move it slightly higher on your face. If the view gets clearer, adjust the top band to keep it locked in place. If there is no change, try moving it lower on your face, and again adjust as needed.
While this may not fit into a scientific explanation of pixel depth, it is a rather simple concept. By moving the headset up or down, you actually slightly alter the angle in relation to your eyes. Most games and apps are intended for a view "level to the eye" and when the headset is too low, your nose can cause it to angle slightly downward. When it is too high, the upward tilt can cause your eyes to strain a bit more.
Hopefully that can help some to solve their issue with clarity before running off to cut up or pack in any additional parts.
I have been meaning to bring over a lot of other stuff from the Oculus forums, but I got wrapped up in having them delete my account.
It appears that some people feel the need to respond to every single thread with public service announcements. Whether or not that is the reason this section has all of 5 active threads and if that led to the Oculus Gear VR section being flooded with the same nonsense cannot be proven without a massive survey. All I can say for sure is that the development sections are safe and hopefully this being a development thread means it is, as well.
Anyway, as for that stuff I was going to bring over:
Controller Mapping by Drash (https://forums.oculus.com/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=20070)
In my Unity apps I use an input layer that requires me to map from an HID to a set of button mappings, and then the rest of my app just deals with with the device-agnostic things like Left Bumper, Start Button, etc. I know a lot of developers out there do something similar, and a few of the third-party input solutions do this as well. There's only one gotcha -- developers are responsible for ensuring setting up button mappings (or profiles) for a reasonable variety of controllers.
As far as I can tell, the most-used controller on Gear VR is the Samsung EI-GP20 Gamepad that optionally comes bundled with the Gear VR. That's good news for the developers that so far aimed to support that at a minimum, but as far as I can tell is a variety of other semi-popular gamepads in use as well:
Moga Pro Power
Moga Hero
PS3 Controller
Gamestop Gamepad
Moga Pro
Steelseries Free
ipega (I think there's a few different versions, not sure which ones people actually use)
So far, I've ordered and tested 6 different controllers now for both the desktop and for Android, and this helps because most of their mappings vary, but this is clearly not a future-proof way to go. Am I going to have to keep buying every controller to find out their HID and mappings? So until I take a different approach, at the very least I would like to throw out there some of the button mappings I've picked up from testing physical controllers, and perhaps others could do the same?
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1.
"Gamestop Gamepad" aka "Red Samurai Wireless Controller for Android Tablets". I heard this cheap gamepad mentioned several times lately. Dirt cheap. And yet it feels great in the hand and all buttons feel very usable. Solid choice. It has two modes, one that seems to send keyboard commands, and one that actually acts as a normal bluetooth gamepad (Mode G).
Here are the button mappings for Mode G.
HID: "GS gamepad"
Button 1 - Button 0
Button 2 - Button 1
Button 3 - Button 2
Button 4 - Button 3
Left Bumper - Button 4
Right Bumper - Button 5
Left Trigger - Button 6
Right Trigger - Button 7
Left Stick Button - Button 8
Right Stick Button - Button 9
Start - Button 10 (says "Enter" on the controller)
Select/Back - Button 11 (says "Escape" on the controller)
Left Stick X - Analog 0
Left Stick Y - Analog 1
Right Stick X - Analog 2
Right Stick Y - Analog 3
Dpad Left/Right - Analog 4
Dpad Up/Down - Analog 5
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2.
Moga Pro Power - This one holds a charge that you can use to recharge your Android device. Very nice controller, quality is top-notch, but pretty expensive. Also has two modes, one that is specific to Moga games, and one where it acts as a normal gamepad (Mode B).
Here are the button mappings for Mode B:
HID: "Moga Pro 2 HID"
The button mappings are exactly the same as the Gamestop Gamepad, except that the visual labels for the Start/Select buttons actually say Start and Select, and it doesn't seem like the Select button works in HID mode. Not 100% sure about this.
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NOTE: The Samsung Gamepad does not have triggers, nor does it have stick buttons (pushing in the thumbsticks), so you may want to keep that in mind when designing a control scheme with wide gamepad support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gear VR Input Diagrams (download includes the Samsung controller and headset button images):
https://forums.oculus.com/viewtopic.php?f=67&t=17926
Streaming video (using Kodi / XBMC)
Nevermind, this should probably be a thread...
Hi! Thanks for posting this! I followed the instructions here, successfully installed a signed apk (one that wasn't on the phone previously), then turned on dev mode as described through the tapping and switch. Nothing seemed to have changed. I then toggled dev mode on and off (via the switch) and restarted the phone several times each. However, I still get the Oculus Home launching every time I insert the phone into the Gear VR as if nothing changed. I'm on the T-mobile US ROM and device, and I don't have the 5.0 upgrade yet. No root.
Does anyone have any ideas? I want to run cardboard apps in my Gear ! Thanks!
TriOptimum said:
Hi! Thanks for posting this! I followed the instructions here, successfully installed a signed apk (one that wasn't on the phone previously), then turned on dev mode as described through the tapping and switch. Nothing seemed to have changed. I then toggled dev mode on and off (via the switch) and restarted the phone several times each. However, I still get the Oculus Home launching every time I insert the phone into the Gear VR as if nothing changed. I'm on the T-mobile US ROM and device, and I don't have the 5.0 upgrade yet. No root.
Does anyone have any ideas? I want to run cardboard apps in my Gear ! Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If nothing is running, it will launch home.
There is also a possibility it only works for Gear VR apps. In that case, you could just disable the whole Gear VR service temporarily.
Either way, you don't really need to quote the OP to ask. It's implied.
twistedumbrella said:
If nothing is running, it will launch home.
There is also a possibility it only works for Gear VR apps. In that case, you could just disable the whole Gear VR service temporarily.
Either way, you don't really need to quote the OP to ask. It's implied.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. Sorry to violate posting etiquette, I didn't realize I had quoted that entire post - I will trim it down if I can find edit (I am new to posting here, so forgive me).
I have FPSE or any other cardboard app running, and gear home still pops up over it when docked to the usb port of the gear vr. I can't freeze Gear VR service without root, which I'm looking in to as the next best option I suppose. Force stopping it doesn't seem to work either. Reports on Reddit threads indicate this works with Cardboard apps, allowing them to run without home launching, but not for me.

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