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Does anyone have the Ca-Fi Android car stereo? It seems it was recently released. I really want one, and will probably get one.
ca-fi.com/en/
Im debating on ordering one too.... though they list a 800mhz and a 1.2ghz version. Seems the 800mhz version is the only one available
Wish XDA would make a section for it and some custom **** was done with it!
total junk. save your money
I got one yesterday and installed it. Save your money. Its total junk. Was definatelu rushed to market.
No android market (yes you read that right)
Navigation requires data connection either through hsdpa gsm 3g or wifi (meaning you have to provide data for navigation to work at all)
Voice navigation doesnt work (it asks you to install additional files via the market, which again doesnt exist so it fails)
Every time i start the unit it goes to fm radio even when i dont want it to. Force closing the radio app does nothing.
The list goes on and on and on. NEVER AGAIN
shassouneh said:
I got one yesterday and installed it. Save your money. Its total junk. Was definatelu rushed to market.
No android market (yes you read that right)
Navigation requires data connection either through hsdpa gsm 3g or wifi (meaning you have to provide data for navigation to work at all)
Voice navigation doesnt work (it asks you to install additional files via the market, which again doesnt exist so it fails)
Every time i start the unit it goes to fm radio even when i dont want it to. Force closing the radio app does nothing.
The list goes on and on and on. NEVER AGAIN
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh that's disappointing. I'm still considering buying one, just to see if I can root it, and fix some of the problems that you listed.
Xitdis said:
Oh that's disappointing. I'm still considering buying one, just to see if I can root it, and fix some of the problems that you listed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually thkught about that too. Problem is you really cant connect it to a pc so any rooting work woukd have to be done via microsd card and run natively in 2.2. Not only that even if you root it theres no gurantee the android market would be installed as the "default" market. This means the voice navigation may never be solved.
Long story short, i am veey disappointed. :-(
that unfortunately, I wanted one for my birthday
shassouneh said:
I actually thkught about that too. Problem is you really cant connect it to a pc so any rooting work woukd have to be done via microsd card and run natively in 2.2. Not only that even if you root it theres no gurantee the android market would be installed as the "default" market. This means the voice navigation may never be solved.
Long story short, i am veey disappointed. :-(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't it have a USB port on it?
I made the same mistake of purchasing one. I have been unsuccessful in trying to root it. Z4 will just freeze the device requiring a power cycle. I attempted to connect via USB but did not have any luck using this method either. The problem is that the radio runs both USB ports in Host mode. This keeps it from showing up as a device when you connect it to a computer. I have tried both the front and rear ports with Windows and Linux.
I did manage to get the Android Market app installed. It took a good bit of work and involved copying the Google apps including first boot to an SDcard and sideloading them. The first boot app did break my home button, it currently does nothing and I can't figure out how to re associate it with the launcher.
Once I was able to connect my Google account, I was able to sideload the market apk. Of course, this required working wifi. The dumb device is configured for wifi using a wpa_supplicant file which specifies that 802.1x authentication is required. Seeing as I'm not using this on my wifi, I needed an app called wifi fixer to override this setting. I also needed to setup an unsecured wireless network because I couldn't get wifi-fixer to connect to a wep or wpa network. Once connected, the wireless was very spotty but worked long enough for what I needed.
After all this was completed, I was able to download an offline navigation app, copilot live, that would allow me to use the device as a nav while I wasn't sitting in the driveway connected to the wifi. I did try connecting to my rooted DroidX with CM7 using wifi tether but could not get the radio to complete the connection.
As shassouneh pointed out, it boots into FM Radio every time its powered on. This allows it to start playing music quickly, but is very annoying. I typically stream music from my phone over bluetooth which requires the volume to be much louder than when listening to the FM Radio. When you start the vehicle, the volume is remembered and will be deafening. The FM radio application is very buggy and it will take several attempts to save your radio presets with an acceptable name. It tries to use the digitally broadcast station information as the preset name, but often it just returns garbage. After trying some twenty times, I was able to get most of my presets to read the frequency and the FCC station name. (ex. 93.1 WPOC).
The touch screen is very disappointing. It's a low-quality restive type which requires that you touch below the point you're aiming for. This makes getting to buttons at the very bottom of the screen a challenge. I tried calibrating the screen, but was sent into and endless loop of touching the cross-hairs...
The "Phone" app has all the bluetooth configuration including pairing, contacts, music, etc. it is very rudimentary. The radio frequently fails to connect to my phone on its own and needs to be forced to connect. Sometimes the play button will start the phone playing music and other times it won't. I haven't found a rhyme or reason for it yet. It doesn't support AVRCP and as such you get three buttons when streaming music over bluetooth: Previous, Play/Pause, and Next. There's no indication of which song is playing nor is there any way to browse the music on the phone from the radio.
Overall, the device is absolutely terrible. Perhaps if I could root it, I could fix a number of its annoying characteristics and it wouldn't be so bad. I was most disappointed by the poor wifi and the FM radio at boot. There is such potential here to make an awesome device... Do not waste your money on this piece of garbage no matter how tempting it may be.
Bought one also !!!
I discovered that the product seems to be sold has with another brand :
http://www.ekoore.com/web/en/product/car-hi-fi-2/elija-2/overview-6.html
The point is that they are providing an update.zip containing files and probably could be used for rooting the device. Found the link http://www.ekoore.it/download/elija/update.zip in the italian forum.
From what I understood, this is a 2.3 device ...
Confirmed mine is 2.3.3
Tried several rooting tools (Z4, GingerBreak, Visonnary+, Universal Androot ...) none of these are working.
Wasn't able to dump the rom (no ADB, used terminal with RomDump V7.2) but found that there is a physical switch inside the box. I can have a message displayed "No signal received", just by starting the device while the switch is pressed. Didn't manage to konow if this is bootloader mode or not.
Found a Quick Start guide explaining how to build kernel and so on http://wendang.baidu.com/view/6545cb13a216147917112879.html
Chip TC8900 seems to be used widely for several chinese tablets. So rooting shouldn't be as difficult as it seems. My guess is that the only way to have it rooted is to modify the update.zip above....but I don't know how to do it !!
From what I understood, the radio, BT etc ... parts are not running Android and are something completely different. The only way to switch to an android environment is to go to navigate mode.
Guys,
I'm surprised, I've had this installed in my car for a couple months now and it works great and I do use it daily and thoroughly.
I have installed Android market (couple of minutes, easy to do), have my email, contacts, everything setup, I even get auto updates for installed apps
Bluetooth pairing with both my HD2's works flawlessly and synced all contacts from both phones
The dedicated iPod interface works great with my 160Gb iPod, I have a USB hub in the glovebox with a 2.5" HDD , WiFi dongle and 3g dongle all connected in.
Navigation doesn't require a data connection, I have a several different SatNav apps installed - some online and some offline, but I stick with Waze as I like it..., Waze unfortunately starts up in portrait but that's easily sorted with a press of the home key and Waze also puts up a single warning about battery being flat, but there's no battery, so what would you expect.....
can also listen to good quality internet radio on the move
If you buy a device like this, you've gotta expect a data connection to be required for initial setup of your apps and how you want them, I've run the device without internet, through my phone and through a 3g dongle.
It works properly and reliably with my original steering wheel controls and the way it sets this up is the best I've seen on a in car device and simplicity itself.
It also boots to the last source being played, in my case normally iPod, but if the iPod etc is missing, then it will default to the radio.
The touchscreen isn't the best in the world, but is very useable, if the alignment is out then recalibrate it by holding the back button until the calibration screen appears..
Only thing I really don't like is if you burn some mp3's to a cd/dvd, they play through the dvd interface, not through the android media players.
I genuinely like the unit, it's a nice toy to have in the car and has no more issues than any other android device I've used...
J
Should say that the FM quality is really awful ! Can't even get the RDS working ...
French translation is missing sereval items (or completly false). Got the wifi + market without too much trouble. The touchscreen is usable.
I definitely love to have it rooted
Xitdis said:
Does anyone have the Ca-Fi Android car stereo? It seems it was recently released. I really want one, and will probably get one.
ca-fi.com/en/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got that stuff from their dealer in Russia, I think juliabrothers.net
Cool device. I loved it sound quality, pure, very sharp image. Very quick response. Yes, the touch screen isn't as good as we used to have on smart phones. Still works o.k. Just look at others DVD player made on Windows CE6.0 platform. They ain't better in anyway.
---------- Post added at 04:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:33 PM ----------
naboleo said:
Should say that the FM quality is really awful ! Can't even get the RDS working ...
French translation is missing sereval items (or completly false). Got the wifi + market without too much trouble. The touchscreen is usable.
I definitely love to have it rooted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you please give me a hint how you manage to install Market on that thing?
Still working on it. Which Android version do you have? I have 2.2
You see, Android Market which built for smart phones doesn't work very well for CAR stereo devices. That Market doesn't differentiate between "good" and harmful applications, which can shut down your system forever.
Remember most of software designed for smart phones doesn't work under CA-FI platforms. Supplier said so, I 'd be happy to be wrong.....
---------- Post added at 06:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:39 PM ----------
naboleo said:
Confirmed mine is 2.3.3
Tried several rooting tools (Z4, GingerBreak, Visonnary+, Universal Androot ...) none of these are working.
Wasn't able to dump the rom (no ADB, used terminal with RomDump V7.2) but found that there is a physical switch inside the box. I can have a message displayed "No signal received", just by starting the device while the switch is pressed. Didn't manage to konow if this is bootloader mode or not.
Found a Quick Start guide explaining how to build kernel and so on
Chip TC8900 seems to be used widely for several chinese tablets. So rooting shouldn't be as difficult as it seems. My guess is that the only way to have it rooted is to modify the update.zip above....but I don't know how to do it !!
From what I understood, the radio, BT etc ... parts are not running Android and are something completely different. The only way to switch to an android environment is to go to navigate mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that possible to use that manual for building a kernel, which could be used instead of pre-installed software? Seems interesting. Any thoughts?
Market came from the 2.3.3 build already installed on device. You probably can try the apk within the update archive http://www.ekoore.it/download/elija/update.zip . As the italian website is quite slow i extracted it. From what i understood update seems to not working on all devices.
Regarding the manual, of course I was thinking it could help for anything like root, recovery image or enabling adb. But honestly i don't have enough knowledge to do myself.
Hi Everyone, just found this thread. I have this unit as well and have been building info on the MP3car site about it, overall i'm happy with the unit although i haven't been able to do everything i want to it.
The audio quality for me is good and i can tether data off of my phone to play internet radio and navigate through waze or otherwise. I'd definately like to see some development in this area myself as there are some welcome improvements to be made. i've sideloaded the market but was never able to update it. the player will default to the last built in media that was played when it shuts down and there seems to be several volume streams built in, i've heard people haven't been able to adjust these with volume apps.
here is the MP3car thread: http://www.mp3car.com/android-tablet/150109-innotrends-ca-fi-on-order-will-review.html
Upon request, here is the update zip from the italian forum. Rename from update.zip to elira-update.zip
elija-update.html
I recently purchased and installed the Ca-Fi "Universal" 620 to replace my JVC head unit that died after 5 years. Because there isn't much information out there about this product, not even from the manufacture, I thought I'd provide the good and bad from an audiophiles perspective(...and I only coin the term audiophile because I have a full on sound system in my car, not because I'm into the lossless debates and all that BS).
The Bad (or the ugly):
-Has an individual RCA jack for subwoofer output. (left/right(white/black, red) is pretty standard. Now I have to buy a sum'er to join the channels. What if I had two subs running left and right channels of bass...I'd be up a creek and would have to buy splitter then a line driver...blah come on.
-Although there is individual subwoofer level control there is no subwoofer (low) frequency control. So, my lows that run to my subwoofer are the lows that will run to my speakers and I can’t do this cause my front stage was meant for highs and mids.
-The Graphic EQ, although having 10+ frequency to set they provide automatic roll off of nearby frequencies so, it's hard to fine tune.If you’re going to give me that many frequencies then please let me control each one of them.
-The balance controls (and all other touch screen sliders)were OK but, they sorely need increase/decrease buttons (i.e. “+” and “-“). Trying to configure a good sound stage is hard with resistive touch screen sliders.
-The P.CNTL (I assume Power Control, again no documentation) is switched off and on when you change sources (or I think actually when no sound is “sensed”) whaa? So now, because my amps have delayed starts, each time I switch a source (or Pandora even buffers a new song) the relay power drops to my amps and I have to wait for my amps to power up again. Not to mention the pops because of the high current switching on and off..man. So now I have to find an off delay relay so my amps don't turn off when I change the source. Now I could very well be the idiot on this one and need to use the P.ANT (I assume power antenna) but, the reason I didn’t is because P.ANT is solid blue wire, whereas P.CNTRL is a blue with white strip which is more industry standard for relay control.
-The boot up source is always going to the Radio. I read some other folks already discuss that here and there but, come on, really, you can't just remember the last source I had.
-Bluetooth (or lack thereof) yes, it will play your music from your phone (in my case HTC Sensation) but, that's about it. If I want to change an artist or song or whatever I have to do it from my phone. I thought it would have this to make me a safer driver so I don't have to look/mess with my phone to get new songs, guess that's what I get for assuming?
-Auto screen Dimmer doesn't work or isn't that great cause I still have to manually dim the screen at night.
-Resistive touchscreen I gotta hammer the screen to push buttons. Each push takes my attention away from the road, no bueno!
-Wifi doesn't support WEP or WPA no biggie since I'm driving and I don't think hackers do drive by hackings (or do they?). But, still sucks cause when I use it at the airport I have to turn it back on. Just a nuisance but, wifi WILL tether (provided you buy the additional USB Wifi Adapter).
-Some Apps don't recognize my wifi connection and thus will not work. Case in point, Google Maps. wft! the whole reason I got the thing was to wifi tether with my phone and control goolge maps from ca-fi. Nope can't do it. booo.
-Double DIN – not really. I don’t know what standards they followed but, my original brackets from my original Double DIN HU (head unit) didn’t work. The unit sticks out so far my radio door won’t close and there’s a gap of about .25 inches on both sides. No install kits will work with this because it’s not truly a standard Double DIN.
The Good
-The bluetooth phone capabilities work good. Contact list is ok. Of course it sucks for me because of the whole P.CNTRL thing. Yes, when I switch to Phone it turns off and on my amps…grrr.
-Mini SD card slots and a miniUSB port in front, very nice/convenient.
-System isn’t as slow as one might think for such a “slow” processor. My HTC Sensation runs circles around this thing ;p.
-Nice interface for the radio.
-You can run Apps. Although a lot of them crash (i.e. Force Close) every now and then for no apparent reason.
-Pandora works (with wifi tether) very nicely.
-Push button (knob) for mute and knob volume control.
….that’s all I’ve got for now but, so far the goods don’t out weight the bads so, I’m not happy with regards to the amount of money I spent vs. what I’m getting vs. what actually works. I’m not upset because I went into this fully knowing I was going to be a guinea pig but, if you’re a music first, apps and other **** second, kind of person like me steer clear my friends.
Not that any manufacture ever cares or even reacts to forum post, I’m going to try and communicate this to the manufacture and hopefully see if a) they’re aware of these issues and b)if they plan to release fixes/patches to help their “new adopters” out. Don’t get me wrong this company has a great product and great idea but, they’re seriously mistaken if they think they can compete with the big boys (Android Apps or no Android Apps).
What do jou Guys/girls think about this product....... http://www.chinavasion.com/2-din-ca...chable-android-23-tablet-panel-wifi-gps-dvbt/
I find it very interesting
I have a weird situation and not sure if I may have done something to cause it (most likely). My rezound cannot see any Bluetooth devices when it does a scan. I've tried using most of the ICS and GB images out there and even went back to the stock ROM at scottsroms.com to see if I could get it to work again. I know Bluetooth works, because it will pair with a device if that device can scan my phone and start the pairing process.
Can anyone think of what would be causing my phone to not see BT devices?
My phone is HTCDev unlocked and I have the anan ra 3.14 on it for the recovery image.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
The assumption is that you have put the device that you want to scan into discover mode..... If so, then you may have a problem with the hardware.
If you haven't, the phone will only see devices which are in discover mode.
This may sound like an obvious thing, but I ran into a user the other day that didn't know that.
Completely understand the need to clarify. Yes, I put both the devices in discover mode and I press the scan for new devices continually.
I'm hoping it's a software issue since it works if another device handles all the pairing. That doesn't work with headsets though.
For instance, if I have my laptop search for devices, it will see my phone, pair with it and stream music from it. So it appears the hardware works, just doesn't scan, which I'm hoping (losing hope quickly) that it's a software issue.
Also, I have tried a few different ROMs on this phone, so I'm not sure if one of the kernel images may have messed it up or if the initial root software I used broke it.
A few days ago I bought a device called GMATE ($80), a type of smallcell without display or keyboard which is inserted a normal simcard and communicating via Bluetooth to the Samsung Galaxy Player, which means an application is integrated with android, receiving and making phone calls, and SMS, in addition to allowing internet access GPRS.
It's a perfect combination that increases the possibilities of Our Player
IPhones must be jailbroken, a repo is added to Cydia, and then the Gmate app is installed for the integrated Gmate functionality. How does this work in Android?
In GooglePlay you can download a Gmate aplication that integrates the gadget with your android player (also convert your android phone in a double sim phone) and uses android phone's features like dialer, contacts, or any thirtd party aplication likes rocket Dial.
Received and Make calls don´t need special features, if you uses the Gprs/edge to internet (in places with no WIFI) need to be rooted.
The application is not compatible with my U.S. 5.0 Player.
CreekDirt said:
The application is not compatible with my U.S. 5.0 Player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to skyroam webpage and ask for a .apk file, i have Intl 5.0 and working great, sometimes any aplication in GooglePlay seems to be incompatible for my SG player but, on a external apk source works fine.
Dutch 5.0
Thank you for the info! I will definitely buy one if it works in The Netherlands.
That does look interesting.
Anyone using it with the USA version?
Is there something similar that i can connect it to my player or to put it in the galaxy player? So this wey i dony have to worry if i get out of 10 neters or jf i fodget it at home
Sent from my YP-G70 using xda premium
Wow, wonderful find. I was looking for exacly something like this. Unfortunately, With ICS CM9 installed on my GP5 Bluetooth doesn't work =( (neither does the camera or hardware acceleration. They really need to fix that.)
So I can make phone calls/sms without having wifi?
oncaribe said:
A few days ago I bought a device called GMATE ($80), a type of smallcell without display or keyboard which is inserted a normal simcard and communicating via Bluetooth to the Samsung Galaxy Player, which means an application is integrated with android, receiving and making phone calls, and SMS, in addition to allowing internet access GPRS.
It's a perfect combination that increases the possibilities of Our Player
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the Gmate app, can your SGP connect to a regular cell phone with bluetooth or it can only connect to the Gmate?
testrider said:
With the Gmate app, can your SGP connect to a regular cell phone with bluetooth or it can only connect to the Gmate?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gmate only.. I tried it with my other android phone and it doesn't work.
I came further when I changed my phone's Bluetooth id to "Gmate". It didn't connect because of a password failure
It's seems good
I don't quite understand... So besides buying the Gmate, would i need a sim card as well? secondly so would i practically be using a sim card with a data plan to use with gmate? but wouldnt that defeat the purpose of just using a smart phone with a card in it?.... these are all continuation Q's if the first is a yes lol.
This seems like a stupid question, but I'll ask anyway. How well does the device actually work? Does it keep a connection throughout the day, sending and receiving text messages without too much delay? I'm considering using this to replace my old dumbphone, but I'd rather not plunk down a sizable chunk of change with little indication as to how well this thing actually works.
Gmate calling speaker sound
Question: Does the sound come out of the front speaker while calling?
(I don't like to call everywhere with loud back speakers)
crowelfly said:
Question: Does the sound come out of the front speaker while calling?
(I don't like to call everywhere with loud back speakers)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about GMate, but on Groove IP (and probably others), the front speaker on the 5.0 is quite functional and is used for calls.
Mevordel said:
I don't know about GMate, but on Groove IP (and probably others), the front speaker on the 5.0 is quite functional and is used for calls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the info!
P.S. I like your rom a lot!
Cool!
Sent from my YP-G70 using xda app-developers app
EDIT: I HAVE FIXED THE MAIN ISSUE WITH MY GMATE, MORE INFORMATION BELOW
Well, my Gmate+ came in the mail today, and I've been playing with it for a little while now and am able to give first impressions. First off, the device is much smaller than I imagined, it easily fits in my palm, the vibration (on the plus version) is very loud. As for the function itself, it works. You can call and send and receive text messages (haven't tested the web access yet) with a few minor (and one major) annoyances. My device is currently a US SGP 4.0 running Terrasilent 1.1 and EtherealRom 2.3.
Minor annoyances I have found with the Gmate+:
- Notifications (read: texts) do not make noise/vibrate while the screen is locked. Once the screen goes on, if you do have a new text, it notifies you, kind of ruining the point of the notification.
- Text messages you send have proper time stamps, for some reason, the ones you receive are off by a few hours, as if the sender is in a different time zone
- Seems to be no way to delete contacts from the address book, even uninstalling, wiping data, reinstalling didn't do anything about this.
Major annoyance with the Gmate+:
- It disconnects, and by that I mean it disconnects ALL THE TIME, the device is pretty much useless because of this, it will be fine for a few minutes, then disconnect, regardless of how close the Gmate is to my SGP. Every few minutes, I'd check it, and guess what? No connection. Sometimes it would reconnect, sometimes I'd have to manually do it, sometimes I'd have to restart one or both devices to get it to work again.
Seeing as everything the device does it actually does quite well when actually connected, I want to rule this problem to some battery saving tweak in my kernel/rom. As such, I'll be returning to stock and trying the Gmate again to see if any of these issues are cleared up. As it stands, I have a 75$ paperweight that buzzes occasionally.
EDIT: After flashing back to stock and noticing no change, I began searching around and found other people having similar problems with similar devices, mainly connecting their smartphones to the bluetooth sound system in their car. Turns out in Deep Sleep, the device has issues keeping constant bluetooth connection. After downloading an app (Bluetooth KeepAlive: ~$1.30) on the market that keeps the device from entering this mode, the Gmate no longer disconnects, and has remained connected for several days, having no problem with calls or text messages at any time. In summary, with this app, I am now happy to recommend the Gmate to anyone who is looking for this kind of functionality. Guess it goes to show that non compatible apps are listed in the Play Store as non working for a reason
UPDATE 20141110 : You can perform a screenshot on the Gear S by clicking the power button AND swiping from left to right.
The screenshot is stored in Gallery. I suppose you could transfer the images via the Gear Manager or MTP from the PC.
This is the 2nd part of the review off my Google+ share here
https://plus.google.com/+JoyTestwick/posts/U4uqfTrQd4u
UPDATE 20141102: Text of the 2nd review is here, posted on 02 Nov 2014.
_Review_ of *Samsung Galaxy Gear S*, _part 2_
*135 pics* from start to app installation and GPS use.
Part 2 from my earlier review on 30 Oct 2014
First review is here: 2014-10-30
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JoyTestwick/posts/HojMwRq1jMS
I spent a little bit more time with my Gear S today, sort of accidentally again. I'm discovering more of what this device does.
What happened was that I thought I would pair the Gear S with my Note 4. It was originally paired to my Note 3.
I downloaded Samsung Gear Manager from the Samsung App Store, and tried to pair both the Note 4 and Gear S.
Surprise, surprise..............it asked me to FACTORY RESET the Gear S !!!! It needs to reset when pairing with a new device. It makes sense though, since this is supposed to be a companion device. If you changed the main device, the companion device should follow the new main device.
This is probably going to a slight inconvenience, but again I say it makes sense, IF you use it as a companion device.
However, if you decide to use it mainly as a phone, then I suppose you will not need to bother with a re-pairing.
Firmware Update
The good thing is that while I got this new pairing going on, Gear Manager tells me that there's a firmware update, around 25Mb in size.
I cannot recall the prior firmware version, but after the update, it was R750XXU1BNJC, which is version 2.2.1.3 Singapore firmware.
See the pic from Sammobile.
The series of 136 pics in the album show almost chronologically what I was doing with the Gear S while setting it up.
The first pic shows the screen while it was undergoing the factory reset. The immediately following screens were from the Gear Manager on Note 4, with various EULA screens and you need to click yes to all of them.
Immediately after, the notification for the 25Mb update showed up, and I accepted the download.
After the firmware update, it shows the welcome screens. This was not present during the earlier fimware when I first switched it on.
Pairing Connectivity
I tested that the following connections work for pairing:
Bluetooth
3G
The 3G connection will show on your phone that you are Remotely Connected to the Gear S. This probably means that notification CAN be sent even though your phone is not with you.
Anyway, I downloaded a few apps, tried playing with Here again, downloaded the map for Malaysia at 120Mb.
Here GPS
I wanted to actually confirm that Here would work properly since I was now pairing it to the Note 4, which is supposed to be its built-for-purpose companion device, launched together.
I found that the same WTF still happened.
I saw that, even when I disconnected the Gear S, once I started Here, it will fire up and look for the bluetooth connection, connect it, and trigger the phone's GPS. Lock on was less than 30 seconds.
Then I purposely tried Here again, this time by turning off the bluetooth on the Note 4 completely. This time, the Gear S *COULD NOT* find the location.
I tried this twice with the same result.
During this second test, the Gear S was connected remotely. I saw that it did not trigger the GPS on the phone.
I hope this is not how you intended for this to work. I hope someone can clarify.
Someone was also asking about Nike Run+, it needs the app to be on the main phone and you need to login. I didn't try further.
Anyway, now I have a fresh slate on the Gear S again, and will observe the battery. It was fairly good the last 2 days when I did not use it with a bluetooth headset.
Please share your thoughts in the comments.
The first review is re-posted from my original Google+ share here
https://plus.google.com/+JoyTestwick/posts/HojMwRq1jMS
UPDATED with a pic showing how it is when worn normally compared to being worn WITH the charging dock.
You wouldn't typically want to wear it with the charging dock attached. I did it just to show it could be done.
An overview of using the Galaxy Gear S SM-R750 Tizen smartphone since I got it on 15 October 2014, during the launch event at The Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
I got mine on 15 Oct 2014, and initially was a little unsure what I would do with it.
Still, thank you Samsung for letting the invitees to the pre-launch get one for free (of course with full price purchase of a Note 4).
After about 3 days of thinking how to deal with all my devices, I settled on getting a Multi-SIM from my telco for both my Note 4 and Gear S.
The Gear S uses a nano SIM, and I designated it as the primary SIM. This means I can make and receive calls and SMS on the primary SIM. The secondary SIM can only make calls and send SMS.
The upside is that there is a USSD code that allows switching of primary and secondary between SIMs, so if I feel like it or if the Gear S battery is low I can switch it to the Note 4.
The included set of photos (all taken with the Note 4) show the key features of the phone. I would rather call it a phone than a watch, since it is a fully fledged phone.
The Power On Screen
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Boot Animation (just like the Note 4)
Pin Unlock Screen
Main Screen
What can I say....it makes and receives calls, it sends and receives SMS, it can store files, photos, and music, and can display photos, play music over bluetooth or its built in speaker.
Rear
SIM Tray opener
nano SIM Slot
Thickness with Dock attached
Worn NORMALLY
Wearing it with Dock attached
Since this is a Tizen device, and Samsung being the current primary driver behind Tizen (there's another set of politics around that, you may Google it), apps are all from Samsung's Tizen "app store" for now.
That being said, it is no surprise that to setup, sync and update the phone, you need to pair it with a recent (2012 and later) Samsung Android phone.
You manage it using the Gear Manager app that is installed, and it gives you options like sending files to the Gear S, backing up, restore, system updates etc.
It picks up notifications from whatever app you set it from the Notifications manager in Gear Manager on the main phone.
Most of the time, you would pair this via Bluetooth, but it also pairs via Wifi and supposedly even via 3G networks.
I set it up using my Note 3 at first, then paired it via bluetooth for a couple of days before plugging in the nano SIM.
Overall, I enjoy using it, although I found a few quirks.
I guess I'll start with the cons, then the pros.
Cons
Battery life, as expected, doesn't really last all day. I believe for those who do not use it as a phone and just tether it to a primary device will experience longer battery life, up to maybe 2 days.
GPS seems to only lock if tethered to a phone. What ???? Then what is the built in GPS for???? Samsung please clarify.
Default call answering is via built-in speaker. Again what??? I need to quickly tap on the headset icon to transfer the call to bluetooth.
Charging Dock a little unwieldy and proprietary.
Pros
Hell it's a PHONE !! yeah 50 years of geek wet dreams come true.
It's a full blown computer yes it is, all shrunk to 2 tiny inches. Apps are still limited, but then, what do you want to do on a 2" screen? However I know this is XDA....
Health apps are useful OK I'm your sedentary geek-type person so it does raise awareness by giving alarms and cheers you on by telling "You've hit 50% of your daily steps target, another 8 hours to go"
It's a customizable watch yes, that's what all devices of this category promise....custom watchfaces, notifications etc.
I know I wrote equal numbers of pros and cons, and the pros do not seem entirely objective, but then again, I just find that having a phone and computer on my wrist is just incredibly cool (to me).
I believe most people would use it as a bluetooth device tethered to a phone, so they should be able to have most or all of the same type of functionality as an Android Wear device, and I'm sure the battery life will last longer.
My take is that at least for the next 18 months, before those supposedly mega-capacity battery breakthroughs come to market, _ANY_ wearable device will suffer from low battery life.
XDA on Gear S
Well, do look at it from this perspective....the first few of generations of mobile phones had seriously bad battery life, yet people still bought them in droves, and technological progress has brought us to this stage.
As I wrote in an earlier brief overview on G+, the Gear S today, in 2014, is about equivalent to the Nokia N82 which I bought way back in 2008. I still needed to charge the N82 daily.
The future will be even better.
I hope this serves as a sufficient introductory real-world user experience review.
Click to expand...
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If you have any questions, feel free to post in the comments.
#GearS #Tizen #Review #SMR750
This seems like an obvious stupid question, but with the nature of how the watch/phone works I do want to ask...
Will it work with the iPhone?
Obvioulsy limited functionality, but if one SIM is your primary the other is your iPhone (or other way around), can it still technically work with an iPhone? (Your real number is in the watch, but a secondary number in the iPhone which forwards to the iPhone or something)?
I'm still really confused how everything works together (as are other people), so thought I'd ask.
MattAAron said:
This seems like an obvious stupid question, but with the nature of how the watch/phone works I do want to ask...
Will it work with the iPhone?
Obvioulsy limited functionality, but if one SIM is your primary the other is your iPhone (or other way around), can it still technically work with an iPhone? (Your real number is in the watch, but a secondary number in the iPhone which forwards to the iPhone or something)?
I'm still really confused how everything works together (as are other people), so thought I'd ask.
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Click to collapse
There was some tech site I read which compared all the Gear smartwatches from Samsung nicely. None of them work with iOS. I am not very certain if other Android Wear devices work with iOS properly.
As to call forwarding, there are 2 types of forwarding in question.
1. Bluetooth paired forwarding ie the Gear S functions as an extension of the paired device, phone number notwithstanding. Any calls received on the phone will get displayed on Gear S and you can use Gear S to serve as a handset or swipe to answer/reject. No SIM card used.
2.a. Pairing via Multi-SIM. This is a telco function and beyond your control. Apart from having the same phone number and some billing related stuff, there is no link between primary SIM or secondary SIM. No call forwarding is needed, and primary/secondary swapping can be done arbitrarily.
2b. Telco call forwarding. I think this is going to be the most likely scenario in your case, since you are in the US. You set up call forwarding from the device you want to forward from, setting the number to be forwarded to. I think this is the only way it would work with an idevice.
joytest said:
There was some tech site I read which compared all the Gear smartwatches from Samsung nicely. None of them work with iOS. I am not very certain if other Android Wear devices work with iOS properly.
As to call forwarding, there are 2 types of forwarding in question.
1. Bluetooth paired forwarding ie the Gear S functions as an extension of the paired device, phone number notwithstanding. Any calls received on the phone will get displayed on Gear S and you can use Gear S to serve as a handset or swipe to answer/reject. No SIM card used.
2.a. Pairing via Multi-SIM. This is a telco function and beyond your control. Apart from having the same phone number and some billing related stuff, there is no link between primary SIM or secondary SIM. No call forwarding is needed, and primary/secondary swapping can be done arbitrarily.
2b. Telco call forwarding. I think this is going to be the most likely scenario in your case, since you are in the US. You set up call forwarding from the device you want to forward from, setting the number to be forwarded to. I think this is the only way it would work with an idevice.
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Awesome, thanks for the reply! As far as TEXTING, how would that work in each scenario above? You can't forward texting can you?
My ideal scenario would be leaving my 'iPhone' at my house, while I wear this one around... so call forwarding could work for calls, but I think the big problem would be how to get texts on both devices (I do want to get real texts on my iPhone so I can use handoff with my mac/ipad/etc
Edit: btw great review and thanks for all the pics/info! Been looking everywhere for details of this thing.
MattAAron said:
Awesome, thanks for the reply! As far as TEXTING, how would that work in each scenario above? You can't forward texting can you?
My ideal scenario would be leaving my 'iPhone' at my house, while I wear this one around... so call forwarding could work for calls, but I think the big problem would be how to get texts on both devices (I do want to get real texts on my iPhone so I can use handoff with my mac/ipad/etc
Edit: btw great review and thanks for all the pics/info! Been looking everywhere for details of this thing.
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Click to collapse
Hey! I might have some great news, but I cannot find the darn article... I read that Apple was coming out with a watch that works for the iPhone! Not sure on any details for you but it might be what you're looking for. The problem is Apple doesn't usually work with Andriod, they're kinda two different things. Like it's weird, but the chargers don't even work...I've can tell you that cuz I've seen them. My cousin has an iPhone. I'm like you, I thought that Samsung would have made the Gear S to work with iphones too. We'll that stinks. Maybe one day Samsung will wise up and make their products work with Apple, iphones mac's ipads etc.
wow thanks so much for this review and i can see that indeed surfing on this thing looks great (for a watch and the images look crisp too)
BTW for anyone noticing, those are smudges from my sweaty fingers and not a scratched screen.
Thank you for your input op. So you think you could do an in depth video review of the watch? Because most of the ones on YouTube are on a non understandable language ?
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
I've posted an update to the review, and found that the GPS quirk is still there....I don't know if this is default behaviour.
joytest said:
I've posted an update to the review, and found that the GPS quirk is still there....I don't know if this is default behaviour.
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Click to collapse
Does Bluetooth tether work? Can we use another browser besides Opera?
So for forwarding of calls to work, do you have to have your Note 4 on for this to work if your using 3g? I dont mind this as I always have my phone with me and then can just leave it in the car when I go running but was wondering what would happen if the main phone was turned off
rfs830 said:
So for forwarding of calls to work, do you have to have your Note 4 on for this to work if your using 3g? I dont mind this as I always have my phone with me and then can just leave it in the car when I go running but was wondering what would happen if the main phone was turned off
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Click to collapse
Assuming that your sim card on Gear S has a different mobile number from your Note 4, you can just set the call forwarding in Note 4 with the telco. Please check charges with your telco before doing that though. I believe both mobile number will be charged.
This way, you can leave your Note 4 in the car while having your run. Just remember to disable the call forwarding on your Note 4 when you are back in the car.
I hope I dont have a diff number here in the US. I wanted to just make sure I use my one number. Dont want another number that I have to remember. I guess I will find out this friday when I go to get mine.
I hope there is clarity on the GPS. I find if the Note is in my pocket in busy crowded London, that the GPS signal drops off which defeats the idea of transferring the navigation to an external device like a watch. So the built-in GPS was a "YES" moment for me, but now you find out it isn't being used! I suspect that this may be because the Here software is still Beta....at least I hope so. However will we see a navigation app that runs on the watch completely independently? There is enough storage to do it, or even retrieve maps via data as needed.
What can you do without a companion phone other than make calls and text? I saw a screenshot of XDA website on the phone.....how was that achieved? Is there a Tizen web browser app?
jonstatt said:
I hope there is clarity on the GPS. I find if the Note is in my pocket in busy crowded London, that the GPS signal drops off which defeats the idea of transferring the navigation to an external device like a watch. So the built-in GPS was a "YES" moment for me, but now you find out it isn't being used! I suspect that this may be because the Here software is still Beta....at least I hope so. However will we see a navigation app that runs on the watch completely independently? There is enough storage to do it, or even retrieve maps via data as needed.
What can you do without a companion phone other than make calls and text? I saw a screenshot of XDA website on the phone.....how was that achieved? Is there a Tizen web browser app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Opera mini browser is available for the S - see here and here
Bit worried about the GPS too - I want to leave my phone at home and go out with just the watch. Bad news if the GPS doesn't function independently. Can't see why it wouldn't though?
Uniquebarbee said:
Does Bluetooth tether work? Can we use another browser besides Opera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bluetooth tether as in network tethering via the phone for mobile data? I think it does, but I have not tried it. I use a 3G SIM in the Gear S. There is another browser called GearWeb. At present there are only 2 browsers avaiable. However from a usability perspective, you'd only want to use it for emergency browsing at most.
jonstatt said:
I hope there is clarity on the GPS. I find if the Note is in my pocket in busy crowded London, that the GPS signal drops off which defeats the idea of transferring the navigation to an external device like a watch. So the built-in GPS was a "YES" moment for me, but now you find out it isn't being used! I suspect that this may be because the Here software is still Beta....at least I hope so. However will we see a navigation app that runs on the watch completely independently? There is enough storage to do it, or even retrieve maps via data as needed.
What can you do without a companion phone other than make calls and text? I saw a screenshot of XDA website on the phone.....how was that achieved? Is there a Tizen web browser app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bisto321 said:
Opera mini browser is available for the S - see here and here
Bit worried about the GPS too - I want to leave my phone at home and go out with just the watch. Bad news if the GPS doesn't function independently. Can't see why it wouldn't though?
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Click to collapse
I got confirmation from 2 other users on my home forum that the GPS does not work when it is not tethered to the phone via bluetooth.
This is a serious WTF Samsung....
See here
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=3392810&view=findpost&p=71238465
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=3392810&view=findpost&p=71239757
and here
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=3392810&view=findpost&p=71241325
It does not work either in Here or S-Health GPS Lock. I'll start a thread for this.
Yes my plan is to pay full price for the Gear S and pair it with my phone enable always on Bluetooth tethering and use the phone Internet to use on my Gear S I will forward my calls and text to my watch and Bluetooth over apps that I have to download onto my phone. Basically I do not intend to ever use the Gear S standalone Internet the data allowed per month is very little I would have overage fees. My Note 4 is "unlimited" everything
Can you please check if u can read pdf file from it please ? try it
Fatadxb said:
Can you please check if u can read pdf file from it please ? try it
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What app would do that onTizen?
ronaldheld said:
What app would do that onTizen?
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Maybe try to read an email that has PDF content. this page says you need a 3rd party app no API for Tizen for PDF yet
https://developer.tizen.org/forums/.../viewing-pdf-files-odt-files-tizen-native-app
I want to copy the system image and then examine it on my computer. I have windows 10 home and also Kali Linux but I am a beginner and learning it still.
I have been having strange stuff going on with all my electronics.... but my phone is my fix first. My Bluetooth head set has been connecting to devices with out me telling it to. my xbox is doing weird things and my laptop is hacked(confirmed) they are using registry keys to ignore user inputs, permissions locked to registry changes, and the list goes on.
Anyhow. I want to get my Samsung S7 system image, then change from Verizon rom to US cellular Rom 930F but I am confused to which version of odin I need and what other stuff I need to do to achieve my goal.
]
after flash, how would I set firewall to drop connections that do not fit rules, disable remote screen view, and need advice on securing Bluetooth pairing requests. Would be nice to disable infra red too.
Thanks in advance for your help