HOLOX BT-321 Bluetooth GPS Review - 8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam Accessories

Hey guys ive done a pretty quick review of this GPS receiver.
You can find it HERE
You cna buy these things dirt cheap on ebay.

Do not BUY this GPS on EBAY from ANY SELLERS!
This product is sold by several different companies on ebay that are all the same.
NOTE: IF you win it cheaply as I did, THE COMPANY WILL NOT MAIL THE ITEM TO YOU.
This happened to me, I had a very long and nasty process with them, including false feedback from them (They said I didn't pay etc?? thank God for Paypal receipts...)
etc.
I only resolved this by contacting a senior guys there and getting hastled.
TWO WEEKS LATER, another ebayer, who won his cheaply too had the same thing happen to him and asked for my help. SURPRISED?
SO Do not win this item item for 14.99 GBP+ 12.99GBP shipping, they will try not to send it to you. OVERPAY FOR IT. Then you will get it.
Also, The tracking is sensitive (works in my jeans etc) BUT INACCURATE in a City like London, it just jumps around too much, wrong streets. CONCLUSION: not great for urban corridors.
Mine will go back to Ebay. Soon.

If only
If only I had seen this thread a little earlier. Purchased mine today for around £18.50 plus the P&P.
Yeah they are quite obviously the same company etc hence the timing of the auctions, but not sure whether I am bothered about that.
Will have to wait and see if it turns up - as I did not pay the supplement I don't expect it for around two weeks.
Any other comments on performance ? - this will be my first bluetooth GPS. (If it shows up).

crazyC said:
If only I had seen this thread a little earlier. Purchased mine today for around £18.50 plus the P&P.
Yeah they are quite obviously the same company etc hence the timing of the auctions, but not sure whether I am bothered about that.
Will have to wait and see if it turns up - as I did not pay the supplement I don't expect it for around two weeks.
Any other comments on performance ? - this will be my first bluetooth GPS. (If it shows up).
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HMM, after postage etc... it was around 25 quid i payed for it.
As for performance issues i havent had any complaints so far, first time i saw this unit was in Uni (Leeds) where a friend was using it on his Wizard, it was also a very built up area, indoors on the ground floor which is technically the basement but as it is on the side if a hill the room is exposed to the outside. He quickly got a fix etc....
I tested it out this weekend and it worked brilliantly! Hence why i wrote the review!?

It was due to the review that I went for it - total cost inc packaging for me was £31.
I will post as to (a) whether it shows up, and (b) what I make of it, in due course.

Have been emailed to say it is being dispatched.....

It has arrived.
The wife has put it on charge for me.
Could anyone who has one, confirm
(a) how long the first charge should be? and
(b) what lights should be on whilst charging.
It seems that she gets no lights, or all lights if she switches it on. It is currently on charge (I hope) with no lights showing.

crazyC said:
It has arrived.
The wife has put it on charge for me.
Could anyone who has one, confirm
(a) how long the first charge should be? and
(b) what lights should be on whilst charging.
It seems that she gets no lights, or all lights if she switches it on. It is currently on charge (I hope) with no lights showing.
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Just leave it on charge... whilst charging you should have a red(ish) light on... which turns off when its finished charging!

Cheers,
How do you rate it?

crazyC said:
How do you rate it?
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Very Good! I bought mine last year from ebay and compared to my previous GPS unit the Holox is fantastic! very fast satellite lock, easy to use, good battery life, works well in built up areas and can be kept anywhere inside car without the worry of loosing satellites!
My only negative is you can't use it whilst its being charged!

EDIT:: False alarm, Im confused, how come for the past few days the module has had problems getting a fix, then now it gets a fix no problem.
Turning the device back on later and it gets an instant fix.
Could somebody explain how the GPS works before/after it gets a fix?!

OK, keeping in mind I have nothing to compare with.
All seems to work well, seems to take a minute before TomTom settles down and communicates well with it, but once its up seems OK. reception when not under open sky not quite as good as I expected although ok.
the advertising all boasts about tracking 32 satellites but ....
Anyway, seems to do the job for me.
What I need now is a cheap air vent mount (passive as have charger etc) to clip my M3100 into. Seen some on ebay etc but they look as if they obstruct the USB socket.
Brodit one looks good but at at least twenty quid for the mount and vent attachment.....
Any suggestions?

crazyC said:
OK, keeping in mind I have nothing to compare with.
All seems to work well, seems to take a minute before TomTom settles down and communicates well with it, but once its up seems OK. reception when not under open sky not quite as good as I expected although ok.
the advertising all boasts about tracking 32 satellites but ....
Anyway, seems to do the job for me.
What I need now is a cheap air vent mount (passive as have charger etc) to clip my M3100 into. Seen some on ebay etc but they look as if they obstruct the USB socket.
Brodit one looks good but at at least twenty quid for the mount and vent attachment.....
Any suggestions?
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LOL so you werent tempted by the non-slip mat?
My indoors performance is ok upstairs but is garbage downstairs. I wasnt expecting much indoors though. I tested it on the train yesterday and it was working great, even had the speed fairly well on VisualGPSce

Actually I was. Its fine for the Holux but because of the angle I could not see the screen very well at all.....

I'm having a problem connecting it to my TyTN. I don't have the GPS settings that you're talking about in the control panel. I cannot even connect it to my notebook.

hZSoul said:
I'm having a problem connecting it to my TyTN. I don't have the GPS settings that you're talking about in the control panel. I cannot even connect it to my notebook.
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Notice in the review i say you need to unlock the applet first if you are using WM5?!?!
Download HTweakC and you can unlock it using that.
If you are running WM6 (which is not clear from your signature) it should be present in start>settings>system(tab)>external GPS.

I did see that however, I wasn't sure exactly what you were talking about. I couldn't remember the name of the app anyways. I remember downloading it not too long ago.
I just wanted to say that I used this with Google Maps for WM, and it worked like a charm. I had up to 10 sats at one point, with the average being 8. Even indoors right now I have 8. Works quite nice. I have the GPSlim 236 though, not the 231.
Now if I can just get this thing to work in XP I will be all set.
I would also like to note that I have an unlimited data plan, and even using edge the map updated itself very fast, while being locked into my position when driving. That is on the Edge network to!

Anyone tried various buad rate settings - does it have any impact upon usage?
Er Indoors already rations my messing around with the hermes time and I can't really get away with going and playing with it and the BT GPS in the car etc.

Holox Bt441
HI GUYS, AFTER READING ALL THE THREADS ALL I CAN SAY ITS ALL A BIT HIT AND MISS ! I PURCHASED MY BT GPS ON E-BAY FOR AROUND £25 INC PP IT ARRIVED IN 3 DAYS AND AFTER A LITTLE FUN AND GAMES CONNECTED IT TO MY XDA MINI WIN 5. I USE IT LONDON ALL THE TIME AND FIND IT VERY RELIABLE AND ACCURATE, A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS SEEM TO STEM FROM SLOW SD CARDS AND TOMTOM SOFTWARE WHICH NEEDS CONSIDERABLE RESOURCES. I HAVE NOW GOT A T-MOBILE HTC KAISER WITH WIN 6 AND LOTS OF MEMORY AND 400MHZ CHIP ! SHOULD BE INTERESTING !

What software do you recommend to use with this? I tend to lose my way a lot around London. Could you post a link, so I can get it at ~25-30 quid.
NB: My first post

Related

GPS Receiver

Yes another one of these threads sorry, but I was wondering what the general opinion on the holux gpslim 236, 240 and the holux M-1000 as I can not decide which of the three I should get, if it impacts the decision I live in Australia.
They are all new breed of BT GPS and should have no problem for any PPC. Performance wise there are not much difference.
240 is the smallest but has not exernal antenna port. That is probably the idfference you have to consider and whether you require external antenna or you want small size.
Otherwise just get any one which is the easiest, meaning one that can be sent to your country at lowest cost.
ive had a 236 over a year or so now , no issues to report
Ive experience with all three and i can say with out any hesitation
DONT BUY THE 236!
OK. its a great little GPS reciever and when it came out it was the best on the market, (physical power button is a major plus for me) My housemate, My father and I all bought one, and out of those 3 we have had all three fail within 2 years.
This is a common problem and having re-searched it i have found a solution. it appears to be a bad build quality between the PCB layers leading to bluetooth part of the reciever not getting power to startup.
the fix is either re-solder, put in the freezer for 20 mins or pack the plastic case with cardboard. However knowing these problems it's not a good unit to get.
Secondly, the 236 does have an external antenna port however, AFAIK alot of the cheap ebay anntenna dont fit it as the 236 has a small plasic lip JUST above the anenna port.
Aditonaly on the antenna front. I have the 236 (warentee replacment) hardwired on an ignision (GPS battery removed) in my glove box and even in city i find i get pretty awsome reception and it is rarly much of an issue. quick finds from COLD start etc are within 30 seconds or so even when not removed from the glovebox.
SO!... (im draggin on arn't I.. sorry)
the question comes down to the M1000 (which i got for my dad when his 2nd GPS broke just out of warrenty and before i found the BT fix) or the 240.
IMHO i think the decision comes down to what you want it for. If you want the reciever for a lot of WALKING in citys then get the 240, its the size of a pack of gum and so can be put in a pocket and be that little bit smaller.
However for ANYTHING else get the M1000 - OK its new so its a somwhat un-prooven as far as reliability goes but it has one major advantage over the 240 for me and that is the removable battery. the batteries are cheap as anything to get of ebay as AFAIK they were used in several nokia models, so you can keep a spare battery charged up if you're not near power. But more importantly if after time you batter in the 240 starts to not hold power you're stuffed with an expensive fix or having to buy a new reciever, with the M1000 it's a simple ebay option to replace the battery for a new one.
The M1000 is almost exactly the same size as the 236, although it does claim to be more accurate i think its all just a bit of a conn. the 236 is extreamly good and had i not have so many die in the first 18 months id have no isues recomending it.
so unless size is EXTREAMLY important get the M1000 it seems as far as i've used my dads new one to be excerlent, and although its almost 2x the size of the 240 your talking about a unit that is either small or Very small so its not too much of an issue.
I use my 236 for tomtom, and moutain biking, and hill walking with digital ordiance survey maps, i've never considder the size to be an issue, and i walk with a spare battery for it as a kind of emergency backup so im happy.
I hear the M-1000 uses a different chipset? is that anything to worry about? Size or battery life doesn't matter to me as I'll probably keep it charging in the car the whole time. What is the start up time of the M-1000 for a cold start?
Thanks for the responses guys

How is ATRIX GPS? Can someone do a review for us?

How is ATRIX GPS? Can someone do a review for us?
It works very well, smooth & very accurate. I haven't experienced any issues with it.
Its much better than the captivate. I used Google Navigation to go somewhere the other day and it stayed locked pretty much the entire drive. It took a couple of minutes to get an exact lock (not that that was an issue) but after that it was pretty smooth.
dumasymptote said:
Its much better than the captivate. I used Google Navigation to go somewhere the other day and it stayed locked pretty much the entire drive. It took a couple of minutes to get an exact lock (not that that was an issue) but after that it was pretty smooth.
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GPS on Captivate was a joke, it never worked for me.
It seems really accurate and fast. Google Maps/Navigation is smoother than ever on the Atrix. I received my Vehicle Dock yesterday and it's great. If you aren't using navigation the car home app shows your location on the map and the direction and even the speed you are traveling really accurately. Overall it seems even more reliable than either of my former phones the Dell Streak and Nexus One.
Extremely good. I get a 9ft lock, indoors, instantly.
Coming from a Captivate, I am extremely impressed. It seems to lock even faster than my old iPhone 3GS. Needless to say, when going from the iPhone to the Captivate, I was very disappointed in the GPS.
Best GPS I've seen on a phone, ever.
I was pretty happy with the GPS on my G1, but I LOVE the GPS on this. Very fast acquisition times, even in hotels and parking structures.
I've used it a good amount and it's been flawless. I use it with the Atrix car dock. I've used it for nav while streaming Pandoro through bt in the car and had zero issues with it. Mapping is quick and accurate. I can't say enough good things about the Atrix/car dock combination.
tks guys... I'm coming from a Galaxy S, actually I'm suing Samsung Brazil. They didn't want to exchange to a new phone or give my money back cause technical assistance (don't know if you guys call companies that fix defective stuffs) said my GPS was ok. I heard "hey look, you got 1 satellite fixed... it's not a GPS issue"... damn it...
I wish in Brazil companies respect us like in USA.
Squeak22 said:
Best GPS I've seen on a phone, ever.
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+1
...........
mrdlpatterson said:
+1
...........
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+2.... I get accuracy down to 1 to 2 meters with out wifi on. that amazing.
That sounds more like scary lol
very quick compated to my old captivate
It was wonderful for me when I tested it at the AT&T store. It nearly immediately had a lock even being inside the store.
Had a Captivate, and the major reason it went back was the poor GPS. Outdoors with a clear sky view it showed 30-35db signal readings, a full 10-20db less than an obsolete (two generations back) Deluo Earthmate usb "puck" gps sitting right next to it.
The Earthmate and a Nuvi both had signal and position, the Samsung kept saying the signals were too weak to use.
Switch to the Atrix: Outdoors, position within 10 feet (so it says) just like any commodity-grade GPS these days.
INDOORS, in a room with a steel shutter over the windows, it showed 30-35db signal strengths, equal or better to what the Cappy showed OUTDOORS with a full sky view.
No question in my mind, the Atrix has a commodity-grade GPS that works perfectly well. Whether they've done any tweaks or cheats in how it works, I don't know. I find the accuracy reading surprising, since that's pushing what a WAAS-enabled GPS would get and AFAIK no cell phones use WAAS GPS.
Checked position on Google Maps, and it is right on. I'm a HAPPY CAMPER and I'm not an easy customer to please.
Also, when the battery is fully charged on the Atrix? It doesn't wake up and ring and complain it needs to be unplugged. The Cappy tried to wake me up every night. Bad Cappy!
Now, if they'd only enable the FM radio...
DarkSi08 said:
Extremely good. I get a 9ft lock, indoors, instantly.
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Same here, coming from a captivate this seems miraculous. I have a lot of problems with the atrix but GPS is not one of them.
Best gps i've seen on a phone. Very accurate and very fast
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Squeak22 said:
Best GPS I've seen on a phone, ever.
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fade1d said:
Best gps i've seen on a phone. Very accurate and very fast
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
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Just came back from a 3.5 hour trip, one way, round trip (left last night and came back tonight), and the phone "lost" me twice - once was a typical SGS-style issue where it kicked me off the highway I was on and said I had to get back on at the upcoming exit, and the second time, for no reason whatsoever, the GPS kinda turned off.... I say "kinda" because it was still on when I checked my GPS widget but the GPS icon was gone from the notification bar. It wasn't searching for GPS, it just stopped showing up there. I turned it off and then back on, found me again in under 3 seconds.
Those were the ONLY issues I had in 7 hours of using the GPS during the last 24 hours. Tell me that isn't the best data you've ever heard on a cell phone's GPS unit???

OWL Car Pad (Qi Car Charger)

Hey guys,
I went out on a limb and bought the OWL car charger+dock for my DNA.
There is a bunch of discussion on the item here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2029734 along with plenty of pictures.
I wanted to let you guys know some specifics for the DNA:
1. The phone fits perfectly into the clip. I don't have any cases, so I can't test that, but naked the phone fits like a glove and is very secure, even upside down.
2. Even the "second generation" of charger still does not put out enough juice for the DNA, even with the phone at idle.
I have emailed Moon and will update this thread when I hear back from him. I am thinking the problem might have something to do with the controller inside the charger. It switches to red (charging) momentarily when the phone is inserted, but then switches back to green (full).
bmyton said:
I have emailed Moon and will update this thread when I hear back from him.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update 1: Moon has emailed back already to assure me that if the charger doesn't work, he will do what it takes to make it right.
I am hoping we can figure out a way to make the phone work in the charger, since I love the design and the convenience of Qi...
awesome! I have been wondering if it works for our phone since I saw the post you linked above about a week ago. I emailed moon about it, but he was unsure. I'm glad that someone confirmed what I have been wondering. Thanks again
I'm also looking forward to more info on this. Going through the website I couldn't quite follow if it worked or not.
Update 2:
The Qi charging coil built into the CarPad does work to charge the HTC DNA, unfortunately the coil is positioned about 0.5" too low for the phone.
Moon is working on an adjustment to the circuit board to re-position the charging coil.
Tonight I am going to take a look at temperatures during charging. With the screen turned on the battery did get 3-4°C warmer than normal on the Nokia Qi charger, but it was a pretty short charge. I am going to try leaving the screen turned on and the phone charging on the CarPad tonight for a couple of hours to see the charge rate and temperature change.
Other news:
There does not seem to be any scuffing, scratching, or denting of the phone's finish caused by inserting and removing from the clip. I had worried that the spring arms on the side might hurt the matte finish on the back of the phone, but so far I don't see any changes.
Thanks guys,
Ben
thanks for the update, keep us posted. in car qi charging is very interesting.
Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2
Thanks, I got a reply from Moon that he thinks the "autopad" will be the option for the DNA and he'll let me know when it is available. I will post info here if I hear back.
http://owlpad.net/owl-autopad/
Update 3:
Good news tonight. First, I've done a temperature test using the phone at room temperature. With navigation, LTE, and the screen constantly on the CarPad provides moderage charge (+200mAh) and does not cause excessively high heat (under 45°C). This is comparable with the 43°C I saw with the Nokia Qi charger while watching a Netflix Stream.
With the screen off the temperature is also pretty normal (35°C) so I think the coil is good.
Moon at Owl Chargers tells me that he may add a little to the coil to make it more consistent on the charging, and he is going to create a new PCB that has the coil positioned 1/2" higher so that it will line up properly with the DNA.
It sounds like this change could happen pretty quickly, but I will let you know when I have the test board in hand.
Thanks guys,
Ben
Please keep the updates coming, thanks!
Hey everyone, sorry for a few days of delay.
I talked to Moon this morning and he thinks they should have the test board created by the beginning of next week. He is moving the charging coil up to line up better with both the DNA and the Galaxy S3, and he is upgrading to a bigger charging coil to presumably give better charging efficiency.
I have removed the standard charging coil from the phone holding base and have been using it as a standard desktop charger for the last few days (with the Owl-Pad supplied AC Adapter). It has been working well for that as long as I position the phone properly, so with any luck the new board should fix the problem in the car mount.
I will let you guys know when the new part ships, and will be sure to take pictures of the new versus old board.
Thanks,
Ben
Thanks for the updates.
Sudo make me a sandwich.
Good news from Moon at OWL Pad today, the new circuit board is complete, his testing looks good, and he is shipping it out to me to test on the DNA tomorrow.
I will update everyone here with pictures once I have the new board and have been able to try it out, but Moon posted some initial tests on the Galaxy S3 and Note 2 which both charge at the higher position. Those tests looked good so I have to think it will work on the DNA as well.
Thanks all,
Ben
(You can see my pictures and charging screenshots on the OwlPad site)
http://owlpad.net/2013/02/24/owl-carpad-for-htc-droid-dn/
AWESOME! thanks again. for the final product, he will make a new charger right? we wont have to buy the old one and replace the circuit board i hope.
thanks again.
bigjew92 said:
AWESOME! thanks again. for the final product, he will make a new charger right? we wont have to buy the old one and replace the circuit board i hope.
thanks again.
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I'm not sure how he would do that. I'm sure he has a bunch of the units already boxed up from the last production run. It might be that he has to ship the old unit and the new board separate. Honestly, changing the board was incredibly easy. There are four screws and then the old board just lifts out and the new one drops in.
When the new one comes in I had planned on putting up pictures showing how to remove the old one and install the new one.
bmyton said:
I'm not sure how he would do that. I'm sure he has a bunch of the units already boxed up from the last production run. It might be that he has to ship the old unit and the new board separate. Honestly, changing the board was incredibly easy. There are four screws and then the old board just lifts out and the new one drops in.
When the new one comes in I had planned on putting up pictures showing how to remove the old one and install the new one.
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Click to collapse
I think I'd love to get both boards since then I'd be prepared if my next phone requires the "other" position.
breeze94 said:
I think I'd love to get both boards since then I'd be prepared if my next phone requires the "other" position.
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f
Looks like the set is for sale for the DNA on the web page now. Still sounds like he's waiting for test results but you go through with an order now if you want.
Hey Guys,
I got the unit in the mail when I got home from work (30 minutes ago).
So far everything looks GREAT!
I am running temperature and charging tests now, but the new coil position looks perfect, and I'm getting as much or possibly more current out of the OWL charger than I was getting out of the Nokia.
Tonight I should have pictures and screen shots available from my early tests, but I have to say that everything looks great so far.
I also want to add that the level of customer service and responsiveness from Moon at OWL charging was incredible. If I got service half as good from the companies I do business with in the US I would be amazed, and these folks are having to deal with me from the other side of the world. I have absolutely no ties with their company, and hadn't even spoken to them to ask if the charger worked for my phone before I ordered, but they went above and beyond any expectations in getting this charger working.
Once I have a few hours charging I can fill in the remaining details (temperatures, approximate charge time, etc), but right now I would say the newest version is a huge success!
-Ben
bmyton said:
So far everything looks GREAT!
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Click to collapse
I forgot to mention, the +300 mah charging rate was with the screen locked on, LTE, GPS, Navigation, and Pandora all running.
Ben
bmyton said:
Hey Guys,
I got the unit in the mail when I got home from work (30 minutes ago).
So far everything looks GREAT!
I am running temperature and charging tests now, but the new coil position looks perfect, and I'm getting as much or possibly more current out of the OWL charger than I was getting out of the Nokia.
Tonight I should have pictures and screen shots available from my early tests, but I have to say that everything looks great so far.
I also want to add that the level of customer service and responsiveness from Moon at OWL charging was incredible. If I got service half as good from the companies I do business with in the US I would be amazed, and these folks are having to deal with me from the other side of the world. I have absolutely no ties with their company, and hadn't even spoken to them to ask if the charger worked for my phone before I ordered, but they went above and beyond any expectations in getting this charger working.
Once I have a few hours charging I can fill in the remaining details (temperatures, approximate charge time, etc), but right now I would say the newest version is a huge success!
-Ben
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
awesome! thanks for the feedback and being a Guinea pig for us all... i really appreciate it. so to make sure, you are now using the carpad/N2 right? if so, i'm gunna go ahead and place my order.
Thanks again
bmyton said:
I forgot to mention, the +300 mah charging rate was with the screen locked on, LTE, GPS, Navigation, and Pandora all running.
Ben
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Placed my order. I'm willing to give it a shot at this point!

Xperia Active for Fitness! CM10.2?

I recently bought a used Xperia Active mainly to be used as a cycling computer (with the awesome app OruxMaps) and for recording my runs using Endomondo. The stock ROM was bloated with all sorts so after a few days it just had to go.
First I flashed CM10.1 but apparently the BT stack is borked on that so Ant+ is not working, so I flashed CM10 and everything works great or at least everything that I need. It connects to my BT x-fit headphones, BT Polar HRM and Ant+ B'Twin Speed and Cadence sensor without any major issues - the audio cuts out occasionally but I'm not sure if it's an issue with Google Music/All Access or a 3G connectivity or BT issue and haven't bothered investigating to be honest.
I've read that the BT stack in 4.3 is better and supports BT BLE which I might decide to use for fitness accessories - although reading about Ant+, it sounds a far better option for that sort of thing.
So, is CM10.2 likely to come to the Active? I'm assuming there shouldn't be an issue in terms of hardware, is there?
Also, if there are any fellow runners/cyclists with any app suggestions to motivate/record/map/etc I'd like to hear from you!
My setup as I said is OruxMaps for cycling. I tried IpBike which is not bad either, but didn't like the UI. I also tried a couple of other apps, but haven't seen anything that I liked. Apparently Cyclemeter is great on the i-Devices but their FAQ says: "We do hope to do an Android version of our app, but it’s not in our near term plans. We’ve had a great response from customers on the iPhone, and they provide lots of feedback for us about new features they’d like to see. Wish we could have said otherwise, it would be great to have you as a customer!"
OruxMaps uses MapMyTracks.com for live tracking and you can email the GPX of your ride to Strava straight from the app. BTW, I have no association with OruxMaps!
For running I have a premium subscription with Endomondo. I like the flexibility of the audio coach and I just noticed that they have a new beta feature on their website: 'Training Plans' where you enter your goal, goal date, number of training days, pace, etc and it creates a... Training Plan. Probably not as good as getting a customised training plan from a coach, but it's probably on par to the generic ones you can find online. I also export my runs and import them to Strava.
Regarding Strava, they have a much better looking website than Endomondo, and without a doubt the segments for cycling are awesome, but their apps are a long way from being great. Apart from being much less customisable, they only support Zephyr HxM and have no plans on supporting Polar HRMs. Apparently "there are connectivity issues with Polar HRMs and they want to give their customers the best possible experience!". I have used my Polar HRM with a number of different apps, phones and Android versions and it seems to be working fine 99% of the time, so I don't see why they can't support it. Also, it's hard to justify paying almost double of what Endomondo's premium subscription costs - but perhaps their analysis is better?
NT
Hi,
I can tell you to try the uBike.apk
For me is the best for cycling.
Regards
Joao
I've been considering buying this device to be used for working out as well, so thanks for confirming that Google Play Music will work on it! I'll be interesting to see if things get better with different ROMs.
Amazing! I thought I was the only one. I was on a year long quest to find the perfect (and better) substitute for the ever popular garmin 800 series. I do a lot of credit card touring, lots of country riding where I create the route using ridewithgps, DL as gpx and off I go. Oruxmaps has proved to be the perfect app for me when I'm doing any real riding/recording, and I use an app called Osmand+ if I'm doing a little bit more exploratory or want better navigation options (its got far better offline POI capabilities, so it helps if you get stuck in a rainstorm and need to find some kind of nearby shelter). I'm pumped to hear someone else went this route as most of my racing buddies are too high brow to get anything other than a garmin.
On a sidenote, I came up with a pretty incredible and simple (read: easy to do if you're a dummy with epoxy) way to get the male bit of the garmin mount on the back of the xperia so I could use all the low profile and cool garmin mounts. If you're interested let me know and I can give you a super easy step by step.
All that said, I'm really struggling to find a reason to root/mod the phone. I use it purely as a cycling computer right now (but plan to probably get my music on there too depending on battery life). It performs amazingly at this task as-is. Super snappy, the only thing I hate is having to look at the extra icons of the apps I'll never use. One thing I really wanted to get from rooting was the ability to skip the lock screen as that gets pretty annoying during a ride and potentially so I could remap the hardware buttons to something more useful while cycling (perhaps have it cycle through all the available apps? dunno, but it sounds cool). But, I found an app that lets you skip the lockscreen, so that major requirement has already been met.
Aside from the bloatware, have you found any nice advantages to rooting and putting on CM? Thanks in advance -
Rick
Hi Rick,
If is possible for you to send this to mu email acount ([email protected]) I thank you very much.
Regards
laquer09 said:
On a sidenote, I came up with a pretty incredible and simple (read: easy to do if you're a dummy with epoxy) way to get the male bit of the garmin mount on the back of the xperia so I could use all the low profile and cool garmin mounts. If you're interested let me know and I can give you a super easy step by step.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the replies guys! I was sure that there must've been other Active users/fans!
@optiplus Thanks, had a look and looks interesting! I'll have to give it ago!
@tartanblue @laquer09 What I found when I flashed CM10 was that the phone is snappier and the battery lasts a lot longer. Although I didn't do any scientific testing, with the stock ROM I would ride for an hour or so, leave it unplugged overnight and that was that pretty much. (no other usage, just on standby) With CM10 I was really surprised that it lasted a similar ride and more than 48 hours on standby. It's not a huge achievement in the sense that I have turned off all syncing, there's no Facebook or anything running, but the stock ROM has a lot of stuff running. Another thing that CM10 fixed was the super annoying flickering issue and also, at full brightness at CM10 is a lot brighter than stock, which seemed to go very bright as soon as I unlocked it and then dim. I checked the setting and it was not on auto brightness and tried with the Bravia engine on and off. Didn't work. CM10 fixed it.
I like having the screen on during the right to check cadence, speed, etc as I ride, so on the odd occasion that we were graced with a sunny day, increased brightness helped! Although I think OruxMaps has a setting to keep the screen on I use Screebl (I've linked to the paid version, but there's a free Lite version too which works well, but I found it so useful, that I just had to support the dev. I've been using it since the days of my HTC Magic - Oh how far we've come!!)
Also, as a stock Nexus user, Sony's software is just... revolting! Even the little things like the toggles in the notifications drawer is great. (and I prefer the CM way to the Google way... but what can you do?)
Having said that, for purely cycling purposes I guess stock or CM10 doesn't make a huge difference. Also, flashing the Active was a bit more complicated than I would've liked.
Regarding mounts, I got the xperia active bike holder from SportyPal (Review) and it's simple, solid and having the Active on it really looks like it's a Garmin. (when I read it back it looked like I was embarrassed about using the Active instead of the Garmin, but I didn't mean it like that!! Just that the whole mount+Active combo is quite diminutive!)
I also recently heard about the Finn and thought for 12 euros it'd be rude not to get one. When the weather is good I'd like to try recording with OruxMaps on the Active and maybe the Strava Cycling app on the Nexus 4 and see how different the results are.
Honestly though I do wish Strava pulled their finger out and sorted out their apps. How cool (and I imagine relatively easy for developers who are worth their salt) it would be to have proper BT/Ant+ support, customisable dashboard and segment notifier which would buzz to let you know that you're entering a segment!! And they would totally kill it if they added track creation capabilities on their website! But I'm just dreaming!
optiplus said:
Hi Rick,
If is possible for you to send this to mu email acount ([email protected]) I thank you very much.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can email you as well, but I kinda thought other folks might like to see this so I posted it up here. Let me know if you still need the email.
Things you need:
1. The male bit of the garmin mount. These are not easy to find because for the most part, the male bit is part of the plastic mold on garmin devices. However, I found this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006BACP6A/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_i1
2. Epoxy putty - http://spasandmore.com/catalog/quic...ts-to-repair-your-pool-spa-hot-tub-59502.html
3. A razor blade or hobby knife...something pretty dang sharp and fairly rigid. This will be used for cutting the male bit.
4. Like 45 minutes of time
What to do:
1. Take the male bit thingy from the package of stuff - image attached. Cut it around the raised edge. You can see where I cut mine in one of the attached images. The plastic was actually not difficult to cut, at all.
2. Score both the back of the xperia and the male bit pretty good. I used the edge of a scissor to do it and it worked fine.
3. Take out that epoxy, cut a bit of it off, and knead it with your fingers (basically, read the instructions on how to use it. I am not awesome at this kind of stuff and it was really straightforward).
4. Put the kneaded putty on the back of the phone, then simply press that male bit into the putty. Wait the recommended amount of time for setting (pretty sure its between 1-2 hours)
You're done. Go get whatever garmin mount you like (I really like the SRAM one that sits out in front of the bars, but you can use any of their mounts or the sweet looking barfly one.
Couple things to note
- I waaay overused the putty here. This was supposed to be my test case so I was overdoing it on purpose. Functionally its totally fine, but it is a tad ugly. After you plop the male bit onto the putty, you could probably trim a bunch of it.
- Scared its not going to hold? Don't worry, I was too. This is where that what-I-thought-was-completely-useless-lanyard comes into play. I actually put the lanyard in the phone and then ran the lanyard over my bars. I did this maybe for the first week, but I live in Chicago and I tested it using my cross bike / commuter over some really really really crappy roads with my tires at 110. I was pretty convinced after a week and stopped using the lanyard. And then I lowered my psi back to normal chicago 90 so my butt wouldn't hurt anymore Still, better safe than sorry right.
- One cool side benefit, among 100s of others, is the flashlight feature of the phone. Now, I just set it to strobe and turn it on at night...boom, no longer need a bike light
- Using bluetooth headphones and whatever music app you want rules. I didn't know how much I'd adore it before I tried...but having the ability to cycle through songs, albums, playlists....amazing.
- My xperia came with 2 backs...one black and one white. This, my supposed to be test case, is the white one. As you can see, it gets dirty. Might want to use the black one and maybe paint/marker up the putty so it matches.
Let me know if you've got any questions, and good luck. I could not be flipping happier about the way this all turned out, and my racing buddies are starting to get jealous. Lets see...a garmin 810 for 600 bucks, or a phone that has multiple options for mapping/tracking (free), can be your music player and emergency phone call maker (or anything else you can do with the android platform) for a whopping 188 bucks and maybe 20 bucks on the mount stuff.
Win
Rick
Thanks so much for posting this. I wanted to ask you in my previous post to put it somewhere like G+ or a cycling blog or something but I guess here is just fine!
laquer09 said:
I can email you as well, but I kinda thought other folks might like to see this so I posted it up here. Let me know if you still need the email.
Things you need:
1. The male bit of the garmin mount. These are not easy to find because for the most part, the male bit is part of the plastic mold on garmin devices. However, I found this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006BACP6A/ref=pe_385040_30332190_pe_175190_21431760_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_i1
2. Epoxy putty - http://spasandmore.com/catalog/quic...ts-to-repair-your-pool-spa-hot-tub-59502.html
3. A razor blade or hobby knife...something pretty dang sharp and fairly rigid. This will be used for cutting the male bit.
4. Like 45 minutes of time
What to do:
1. Take the male bit thingy from the package of stuff - image attached. Cut it around the raised edge. You can see where I cut mine in one of the attached images. The plastic was actually not difficult to cut, at all.
2. Score both the back of the xperia and the male bit pretty good. I used the edge of a scissor to do it and it worked fine.
3. Take out that epoxy, cut a bit of it off, and knead it with your fingers (basically, read the instructions on how to use it. I am not awesome at this kind of stuff and it was really straightforward).
4. Put the kneaded putty on the back of the phone, then simply press that male bit into the putty. Wait the recommended amount of time for setting (pretty sure its between 1-2 hours)
You're done. Go get whatever garmin mount you like (I really like the SRAM one that sits out in front of the bars, but you can use any of their mounts or the sweet looking barfly one.
Couple things to note
- I waaay overused the putty here. This was supposed to be my test case so I was overdoing it on purpose. Functionally its totally fine, but it is a tad ugly. After you plop the male bit onto the putty, you could probably trim a bunch of it.
- Scared its not going to hold? Don't worry, I was too. This is where that what-I-thought-was-completely-useless-lanyard comes into play. I actually put the lanyard in the phone and then ran the lanyard over my bars. I did this maybe for the first week, but I live in Chicago and I tested it using my cross bike / commuter over some really really really crappy roads with my tires at 110. I was pretty convinced after a week and stopped using the lanyard. And then I lowered my psi back to normal chicago 90 so my butt wouldn't hurt anymore Still, better safe than sorry right.
- One cool side benefit, among 100s of others, is the flashlight feature of the phone. Now, I just set it to strobe and turn it on at night...boom, no longer need a bike light
- Using bluetooth headphones and whatever music app you want rules. I didn't know how much I'd adore it before I tried...but having the ability to cycle through songs, albums, playlists....amazing.
- My xperia came with 2 backs...one black and one white. This, my supposed to be test case, is the white one. As you can see, it gets dirty. Might want to use the black one and maybe paint/marker up the putty so it matches.
Let me know if you've got any questions, and good luck. I could not be flipping happier about the way this all turned out, and my racing buddies are starting to get jealous. Lets see...a garmin 810 for 600 bucks, or a phone that has multiple options for mapping/tracking (free), can be your music player and emergency phone call maker (or anything else you can do with the android platform) for a whopping 188 bucks and maybe 20 bucks on the mount stuff.
Win
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ntoqiakt said:
Thanks so much for posting this. I wanted to ask you in my previous post to put it somewhere like G+ or a cycling blog or something but I guess here is just fine!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem - I'd love to post it on a cycling blog/forum if you can point me to the right one. There are so many out there...I've never actually joined any. I could also put it on G+...PM me your email address and I'll add you into one of my groups and post it there. Even though this solution was simple, it took me a darn long time to come up with and I'd love to save folks the time/effort/money/despair.
FWIW, I used it on a 60mi custom route I made this weekend and it was friggin flawless. Not a single missed turn and the route was perfect. I've recently started listening to music using it via my BT headphones. That is so much win I can barely handle it.
Rick
ntoqiakt said:
I recently bought a used Xperia Active mainly to be used as a cycling computer (with the awesome app OruxMaps) and for recording my runs using Endomondo. The stock ROM was bloated with all sorts so after a few days it just had to go.
First I flashed CM10.1 but apparently the BT stack is borked on that so Ant+ is not working, so I flashed CM10 and everything works great or at least everything that I need. It connects to my BT x-fit headphones, BT Polar HRM and Ant+ B'Twin Speed and Cadence sensor without any major issues - the audio cuts out occasionally but I'm not sure if it's an issue with Google Music/All Access or a 3G connectivity or BT issue and haven't bothered investigating to be honest.
NT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
at the begining i would like say "hello" im new member on xda so BTW...
I'm looking for CM10 working with SE Xperia Active ST17I.
I saw that upgrade was succesfull.
Could You tell me where download (all links "died") or share package of working files to upgrade Xperia Active to CM10 and android 4.1.2?
I ve upgraded xperia to 4.0.4 and I would like try highest version of software. It is great device for active Cyclists.
Please help. Thank You for reply :good:
Regards

First go with TrueSmart

October Edition just arrived, 6 months late, but it did arrive and it did work (albeit with the additional Cradle not in the box)
Charged, set up email to send myself the Google Play apk; double clicked it and everything worked fine. Activated my Android and all working well.
Downloaded some apps, inc spotify and mapmyrun. Added a sim card and sd card - not well designed really. The galaxy s5 shows how simple it is to do and retain waterproofing. The Omate, with tiny fiddly screws, rubber bits, non symetrical cover etc was something I hope not to have to do again; which renders my spare battery a bit pointless. I was expecting to pop off the back and swap a drained battery for a charged one, as I can do on a mobile.
However, with battery at 67% went for a 1 hour run and with GPS, Wifi, Data and Bluetooth active (music to BT Headphones and running data being tracked) battery only went down 20% - impressive! and confirmed I can give up the GPS watch...
All good, but definitely some sticking points. Wifi at one point wouldn't re-activate, without a long reboot. The keyboard can drive you insane, especially entering masked passwords - the keyboard can be supersensitive and fire off several characters at once by accident, so you have to start again. The 'show passwords' option doesn't always work.
The navigation seems awkward and inconsistent - i wish there was a back button, the swipe left often triggers an option or menu unintentionally so you have to go back twice and when the same thing happens again, it's not long before you give up and press the home button...
Maybe it's just some getting used to - day 1 and all that!
Overall this is an incredible piece of tech and will be a big benefit to my lifestyle. It requires a change of thinking I suspect, but one that is welcome, so overall I am very pleased with the first impression.
I think the answer to your question about whether you have day 1 frustrations is: yes and no.
I put on Lokifish's latest ROM and did a few other tweaks (principally Daniel Ortiz's recommended GPS fix) and then started from there. I played with the out-of-the-box version for a total of two minutes before I became monumentally frustrated with the sensitivity of the touch screen, and the keyboard seemed to trigger letters even when I was just hovering over the screen trying to make a more accurate 'tap'. Maybe it was placebo effect but the Lokifish ROM seemed to be better calibrated, though I still avoid using the keyboard for anything other than tapping in passwords to get accounts setup.
The first app that gave me an inkling that the TS is a 'keeper' is Runkeeper. (pun!) I'm actually not so much of a runner, but I use Runkeeper on my main device to track my cycling and I log my circuit and swim training data on the web which integrates across the other apps I use to collect and manage fitness data (Withings Body Analyzer, Myfitnesspal, Fitbit). The thought of being able to dispense with multiple tracking apps/devices and perhaps even leaving the big phone at home (the Z1s doesn't have the brightest screen anyway) was one of the main draws of the TrueSmart. But the real 'killer app' feature for me was the ability to use this TrueSmart as an 'all day wearer' *and* have it work in-water to capture swim data. But After six months of waiting (like you) and seeing the not-really-waterproof drama unfold, I was pretty much ready to put this thing on eBay on day 0.
However, Runkeeper/Ride with GPS plus Cyril Preiss' "SWApps" has just about sold me on keeping the device, or at least rekindled my interest enough to see whether its worth pursuing some form of aftermarket waterproofing approach. (currently being hashed out in another thread here)
So in essence I concur with/confirm your findings. I still haven't found out how to get the auto-correct to behave on the keyboard, but I think that's as much about taking a grand-daddy step back to understand how the Fleksy is designed, and how to properly inflect the gestures to keep things from getting out-of-hand (pun!). I remember having *some* of the same trouble when going from the iPhone 4s to the Xperia Z1 (before the Z1s) and that keyboard drove me kuh-ray-zee until I figured out the whole swipe-your-finger-to-spell-the-word thing worked. Then suddenly I wondered how anyone would type on one of these things any other way.
So - I'm coming around to seeing the advantages of the TrueSmart, and more to the point *really* understanding why Lokifish, Cyril, Kurt, Daniel and so many others here see in the platform - and continue to invest time and effort into it.
Oh - and as to the battery drain, I just ran my TS down to 15% and then connected it to a Waka Waka to charge, and while I didn't have it timed it's already back to 100%. Solar powered smartwatch - now we're talkin'. So instead of thinking about a snap-in/out solution for the battery I'm looking at/for a 'gator glip' charger cable or some other light-weight charger connection for the TS (I thought I saw them online somewhere, and OMate was offering them at first - I'd prefer that to the case for workout/outdoor activities where space is a premium). I'm also looking into how to/whether I can set up profiles that are more like "give me what you got" versus "all-day wearer" mode. On the Sony Xperia Z1s there's a "Stamina Mode" which tamps down on battery drain, but can also kill functionality of apps that are not in the foreground (bad news for Panobike cycling cadence meter, etc) so while I have *some* apps exempted from Stamina Mode, when I'm doing a dedicated outing I just switch it off completely - knowing that I'm going to be putting the device on charge by either using one of the portable packs I'm carrying with me - or when I get back to the car.
Anyway, food for thought...
Thanks for the reply, it's good to share tips and tricks!
I saw that Loki has actually abandoned TrueSmart. Frustrations with their updates and lack of support I think.
Primarily for me this watch was a replacement sports tracker, but my hopes for an all-purpose watch are not looking good as the blue-tooth tethering is not working with my S5; it pairs successfully, but doesn't connect, so the TrueSmart Master app is useless.
The TS also doesn't connect to my BT headset for voice, but it did connect with the JayBird headphones (although the cutting out was super irritating).
In Summary - BlueTooth not reliable and will be a deal-breaker as I would have to carry my phone anyway.
Couple with the infuriating keyboard and inconsistent navigation, (I've now tried the LMT dial thing, which also doesn't work properly) I'm losing interest fast - which is a shame as it could be so good.
For charging, my GPS watch uses a clip as you describe. So much better than the cradle which renders the watch inaccessible while it's charging. But why not a simple USB port with a cover, like the S5....(a proper waterproof phone). Even the solar charger will then require carrying two separate items for the TS...
You can set up profiles on an app called Easy Battery Saver - I used it on my last phone and installed it for TS. It works as described and easy to activate/de-activate.
I will keep with the TS a while longer, but I suspect the next Galaxy Gear, which is rumoured to be stand-alone, will be what we are really looking for...
Hope to hear more from you - I will post my next findings on the TS too.
lphovercraft said:
I think the answer to your question about whether you have day 1 frustrations is: yes and no.
I put on Lokifish's latest ROM and did a few other tweaks (principally Daniel Ortiz's recommended GPS fix) and then started from there. I played with the out-of-the-box version for a total of two minutes before I became monumentally frustrated with the sensitivity of the touch screen, and the keyboard seemed to trigger letters even when I was just hovering over the screen trying to make a more accurate 'tap'. Maybe it was placebo effect but the Lokifish ROM seemed to be better calibrated, though I still avoid using the keyboard for anything other than tapping in passwords to get accounts setup.
The first app that gave me an inkling that the TS is a 'keeper' is Runkeeper. (pun!) I'm actually not so much of a runner, but I use Runkeeper on my main device to track my cycling and I log my circuit and swim training data on the web which integrates across the other apps I use to collect and manage fitness data (Withings Body Analyzer, Myfitnesspal, Fitbit). The thought of being able to dispense with multiple tracking apps/devices and perhaps even leaving the big phone at home (the Z1s doesn't have the brightest screen anyway) was one of the main draws of the TrueSmart. But the real 'killer app' feature for me was the ability to use this TrueSmart as an 'all day wearer' *and* have it work in-water to capture swim data. But After six months of waiting (like you) and seeing the not-really-waterproof drama unfold, I was pretty much ready to put this thing on eBay on day 0.
However, Runkeeper/Ride with GPS plus Cyril Preiss' "SWApps" has just about sold me on keeping the device, or at least rekindled my interest enough to see whether its worth pursuing some form of aftermarket waterproofing approach. (currently being hashed out in another thread here)
So in essence I concur with/confirm your findings. I still haven't found out how to get the auto-correct to behave on the keyboard, but I think that's as much about taking a grand-daddy step back to understand how the Fleksy is designed, and how to properly inflect the gestures to keep things from getting out-of-hand (pun!). I remember having *some* of the same trouble when going from the iPhone 4s to the Xperia Z1 (before the Z1s) and that keyboard drove me kuh-ray-zee until I figured out the whole swipe-your-finger-to-spell-the-word thing worked. Then suddenly I wondered how anyone would type on one of these things any other way.
So - I'm coming around to seeing the advantages of the TrueSmart, and more to the point *really* understanding why Lokifish, Cyril, Kurt, Daniel and so many others here see in the platform - and continue to invest time and effort into it.
Oh - and as to the battery drain, I just ran my TS down to 15% and then connected it to a Waka Waka to charge, and while I didn't have it timed it's already back to 100%. Solar powered smartwatch - now we're talkin'. So instead of thinking about a snap-in/out solution for the battery I'm looking at/for a 'gator glip' charger cable or some other light-weight charger connection for the TS (I thought I saw them online somewhere, and OMate was offering them at first - I'd prefer that to the case for workout/outdoor activities where space is a premium). I'm also looking into how to/whether I can set up profiles that are more like "give me what you got" versus "all-day wearer" mode. On the Sony Xperia Z1s there's a "Stamina Mode" which tamps down on battery drain, but can also kill functionality of apps that are not in the foreground (bad news for Panobike cycling cadence meter, etc) so while I have *some* apps exempted from Stamina Mode, when I'm doing a dedicated outing I just switch it off completely - knowing that I'm going to be putting the device on charge by either using one of the portable packs I'm carrying with me - or when I get back to the car.
Anyway, food for thought...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More success with BT pairing
More success today - got the bt headset (MyVoice 312) paired for calls, plus the jabra sport wireless+ bt headphones for music.... both devices paired and switch automatically when powering on and off.
Galaxy S5 also paired, but no joy with the SWAPPS app. I will keep trying with that, but it's actually a low priority since I have a sim for the TS ($10 per month for second sim with same number as primary sim)
Tonight I hope to try the Endomondo app on the TS paired with the Jabras, since they have a special feature that gives realtime data from the app when pushing a button on the headphones.
I can see it's going to take a while with the TS, but the tech is really good and offers a lot of promise. It's all about expectations I guess.
If the BT goes all intermittent again tonight I will be v disappointed as this is a basic but critical feature.
One problem I have had after exercising is that if you hand/fingers are sweaty then the TS goes nuts when you touch the screen - there really needs a sensitivity option (like on the S5)
Any pointers for best option for gaining Root Access to Omate TS? I notice that you have flashed Loki's 'latest' ROM, so presumably you have Rooted and flashed a Custom Recovery??
Best way to proceed--I would be grateful for a 'Heads-Up'.
BTW--I have, today, just received my October Dev Edition 1 GB 8 Gb 2100 Mhz version--and am looking at flashing Loki's ROM 20140328--is that the one to which you are referring?? or, do you have a different device version?
Any pointers--gratefully received.
I can't help you with the technical nuts and bolts as I am going to keep it all simple and hopefully working. No ROM flashes, install PlayStore and get your BT headset working.
Just that alone gives you a mobile on your wrist which is pretty damn cool for checking email, facebook, text, whatsapp and voice calls. Plus spotify, endomondo and maps!
The keyboard is a problem though, being so sensitive. And if it's raining, forget using it at all - not because of the water resistance, but because the screen just goes crazy with the water drops.
I am going to try Google Search/Voice to see if I can use voice commands on it.
Anyone else had luck with using voice?
haybill said:
Any pointers for best option for gaining Root Access to Omate TS? I notice that you have flashed Loki's 'latest' ROM, so presumably you have Rooted and flashed a Custom Recovery??
Best way to proceed--I would be grateful for a 'Heads-Up'.
BTW--I have, today, just received my October Dev Edition 1 GB 8 Gb 2100 Mhz version--and am looking at flashing Loki's ROM 20140328--is that the one to which you are referring?? or, do you have a different device version?
Any pointers--gratefully received.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey guys, I'm like a dev October backer and I get my watch this week-end. I have just started it today and after reading the lokifish topic I don't think it is a good idea for us to use our watches until we flashed a ROM with a secure kernel (the kernel of the 1/8/2100 is unsecure).
If you want to root your TS there is tons of solutions as it i a mediatek chip.
Can you recommend me a BT Headphone to par with my TS.
Blue-rayer said:
Can you recommend me a BT Headphone to par with my TS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using Backbeat Go 2 with my TS, I love the "minimalistic" approach to it. When not used I wear them like a necklace (you can attach the earbuds to eachother) and it's not in the way the slightest. It works great for taking phone calls, and I've tried it with both walking, biking and running with no issues. Volume controls, checking battery level, taking calls and such works great from the remote. Battery life is ok:ish, maybe a bit more than 3 hours total listening time. That is if you play music or talk on the phone non-stop, with moderate use (taking a few phonecalls during the day and similar) they last for days.
From what I hear the Backbeat Go 2 is more or less a ripoff of Jaybird Bluebuds X headphone (looks very similar), but the Jaybirds have better battery life, fits more securely in your ear for sporting and such - not that I ever had issues with that. The main thing that made me go with the Backbeat though is that it's about half the price.
Ok thanks. I'm gonna give a look to this.
Headphones
Blue-rayer said:
Can you recommend me a BT Headphone to par with my TS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After going through two Backbeats (not the Go, think it was 903 or something similar) I can state they are useless for exercising with, no resistance to water or sweat.
I then tried a pair of Philips SHB6017/10 and lasted a month before starting to randomly calling strange numbers due to shorting out. I'm not a sweaty person, honest!
Finally settled on Jabra Sport and they're awesome, have been using them for a year now.
Thanks to Amazon who refunded and replaced every single failed headphone, even sending out the replacements before I'd sent in the dead ones.
Cheers,
Andreas
I was actually playing around with the voice commands, you do have to setup loads of Google Apps, like Google search and Maps etc and give it permission to everything but it does work... I highly recommend using Nova launcher as it places the Mic search option right on the home screen.... which launches Google search... "Ok Google" and you're off.... I'm not sure how to get it to recognise OK Google without first having started the search app... Anyway some of my favourite things to ask for....
Take me home.... (Starts maps navigation)
Play some music (starts Google music and tries to play music)
Order Pizza (finds the nearest dominos)
What is iPhone (reads out definition of an iphone)

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