Media Button/Control Set-up - Galaxy Tab Themes and Apps

Hi all,
Have had my (Australian) Tab for almost 6 months and love it (even if I am an iPhone user atm). One annoyance was that Android doesn't seem to have an easy-to-use software control for music (like the multitasking bar in iOS). Sure, I could use lock-screen controls or home screen widgets, but then I have to leave my current app.
You can try using ButtonRemapper, but the Tab doesn't really have too many hardware buttons to go remapping. If you're looking for an easy way to control your media without headset controls and without leaving your current app, try this:
1. Download SwipePad Beta from the Market (its free!) and set it up with whatever hot zones you want.
2. Download Media Keys from the Market and install.
3. Now, hold on a shortcut in SwipePad (to edit it), select shortcuts and select Media Keys.
Now you can choose any of Android's media keys in whatever layout you want, all without leaving your current app.
I found it pretty handy as someone who doesn't own many headphones with headset controls.

Related

MortPlayer

Just to let you know, there's a beta of MortPlayer in the Android Market ("MortPlayer Music (beta)").
Don't expect it to be the 50" thick swiss army knife MortPlayer for WM became.
Some features still need to be added (sleep timer, caching database, ...), but mostly I want to keep it simple to use.
So, what you get with "MortPlayer Music" is a simple, folder based player. No "favorites", just a selectable main folder. No playlist support, because that just caused confusion about the current mode and when to save. (However, there might come support for existing playlist files that determine the order of files in the same folder.) No special audio book support - but I plan to offer a separate "MortPlayer Audio Books", which of course will have it's own main directory.
What it does offer so far:
- Simple folder based navigation with folder skip buttons and hierarchical selection (tap cover)
- Selection of current track (tap track information, you can switch folder from there as well)
- Supports all common album art storages: ID3 (currently buggy), cover.jpg, folder.jpg, AlbumArt.jpg
- Shuffle and repeat modes as known from WM version
- Restores previously selected track
- Widgets (Cover = play/pause, track information = "remote control" popup)
What's planned:
- Cache directory structure and tag data in database (except covers, don't want to clutter the device storage...)
- Show tag data in track list
- Some eye candy (e.g. animations, background images)
- "As next track" option in track list
- Sleep timer, maybe alarm clock
- Audio book version (separate app)
- Version history dialog
- PayPal button in Help/About
- Different main screens (selection or skinning, let's see what's possible...)
What won't be implemented (soon):
- Equalizer, effects, other formats. I use Android's playback methods, and Android doesn't offer them...
- Streaming. Maybe some time as separate app, but I think there are already better solutions for that.
Maybe, some day:
- Playlist support (read only, only for files in same folder)
- Temporary folder selection (play some folder(s) not in main directory, don't save/cache anything for it)
- Tag based navigation
- Search function
- Playlist version (similar to MortPlayer for WM in playlist mode)
Sweet! Can't wiat for this when I get my Mytouch 3g.
It looks nice so far, particularly the ability to have it only read from one folder and not grab every audio file on your sdcard like the standard player... (wasn't able to try with audio yet... Left my headset home and I'm at work)
Question though... does it support crossfading or gapless audio?
No other media player I've seen in android does... I'm just starting android programming so I haven't gone through the SDK all that much so I can't see why this might be...
Its a very good idea, to make a good player for android with a good features list.
I hope it will be sucessfull.
ssbfalcon said:
Question though... does it support crossfading or gapless audio?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, afaik the SDK doesn't allow that (at least didn't find something). (OK, maybe I could start a 2nd MediaPlayer instance shortly before track ends... but I think that'd be pretty hard to time correctly...)
But the gaps are pretty small, at least on my Milestone. I had some intro / song follow-ups where I barely noticed the track change.
discine said:
Its a very good idea, to make a good player for android with a good features list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I try to focus a bit more on usability than on features for this one. The WM version became "a bit" bloated and complicated over time...
This is great news! I plan to get an Android as my next phone. It will be great to see my favorite WM application there.
Yet another "New MusicPlayer?" suggestion
Hey Mort!
i really love the idea of a new music player for android (finally someone did it )
however what i (and i guess a big part of the community) prefers is a player with a library like the default android player. I'm NOT telling you to change something on MortPlayer, i am just suggesting that a nice new app would be a MusicPlayer that has:
- Nice library with SIMPLE listview, not extended listview as in default music player
- Tabs instead of those buttons for Artist, Album, etc.
- Backgroundservice that prohibits the player from being crashed when running in the background
- Theme Support(?)
- Widget / maybe even LockScreen plugin? (dunno if that is doable)
just suggesting.... not telling you you have to do this but everyone would appreciate it, as the amount of 3rd party players is in my opinion. Either they are slow, or totally overloaded with features, buggy, or incompatible...
P.S.: Shouldn't be too hard as Android has a MediaService that recognizes and puts the whole Music in a library, so all you would have to do is an interface for that service.
just wanted to say THANK YOU for bringing my favorite Audioplayer at Win Mobile to Android too. I really loved MortPlayer for Win Mobile and I'm shure that I will also love Mort Player for Android. Please do also a decent Audiobookplayer because the players availible aren't even worth to mention.
Like the remote pop-up. So far looks quite good.
Would like it to maintain functionality first- coverflow etc. will be nice, but keep it usable first
Thank you for dev this. Android still needs a good media player that is simple and still nice to use and look at. I was using Meridan player which was fine but just kind of boring. This on the other hand is nice from what I seen/use so far. It shows that you can make app easy to use and still pretty to look at!
the_fish said:
however what i (and i guess a big part of the community) prefers is a player with a library like the default android player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, don't think this will be anytime soon. IMHO there are enough alternatives for that, even the new one from Androi 2.1 probably would too soon become a reasonable alternative.
- Nice library with SIMPLE listview, not extended listview as in default music player
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's wrong with extended listviews? It's not harder to select an item and saves space. I was thinking about it myself.
- Tabs instead of those buttons for Artist, Album, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I add tags browsing, of course this will be the case.
- Backgroundservice that prohibits the player from being crashed when running in the background
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the player window isn't visible, only the background service is running. If Android decides to kill the service, there's not much to stop it from doing so - with all bad side effects. All I can do is restart the service when it's required...
- Theme Support(?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty hard to do while maintaining flexible adjustment to different screen sizes. I was thinking about some selectable themes (i.e. colors, button styles, etc.) and layouts (i.e. where is what) and selectable background images in a later version, but of course that's not even close to skinning...
Widget / maybe even LockScreen plugin? (dunno if that is doable)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Widget's there. I think there's some tool to add a Widget to the LockScreen, but I don't think that's a good idea anyway. Just imagine you start the player accidentally in office...
P.S.: Shouldn't be too hard as Android has a MediaService that recognizes and puts the whole Music in a library, so all you would have to do is an interface for that service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I know that service. It sucks (imho). It seems pure luck when it detects new files, has several bugs in tag reading (some of my files were shown with weird chinese texts), doesn't offer a quick and easy way to get the tags to a given file, ... That's why I use own ID3 and database routines.
sthoeft said:
Please do also a decent Audiobookplayer because the players availible aren't even worth to mention.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As told, it's planned. However, I can only support encodings Android supports, so no Audible and the like...
Branwen said:
Would like it to maintain functionality first- coverflow etc. will be nice, but keep it usable first
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Think so myself.
archboy69 said:
It shows that you can make app easy to use and still pretty to look at!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess nobody would've said that about the WM version...
Well, it's a better system and learned from some errors in the past...
Attached is a preview of the next update. It contains quite some changes (database, sleep timer, headset support, some bugfixes, ...), so it'd be nice if it's a bit tested before I upload a worse than current version to Market...
Next try... I think this one should be stable and fast enough to publish it in Market. But better safe than lots of 1 star ratings...
Bugfix, now folder navigation should work again.
Thx Mort for the great effort again!
I used Mort Player in wm for long time and it works like a charm!!!
And now u are contributing to Android. You are always the best dev i met!!!
Little suggestion, are A2DP and AVRCP possible in ur masterpiece?
Once again, thx and YOU ARE TE MAN!!!!!
rickylcp said:
Little suggestion, are A2DP and AVRCP possible in ur masterpiece?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course. A2DP is done by Android anyway, and AVRCP handling is quite easy (once you discovered MEDIA_BUTTON means all media related buttons...). I wish it was half as easy and stable with WM...
However, on HTC hero you need "headset button enabler" (in Market) because it doesn't send the correct "intents".
Update: New update available in Market.
The latest v0.3.3 works very well!!!
Now the AVRCP works with my Liquid~
5-starred MortPlayer in market! thanks!
You are the MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!
5*'s
<3
thx for your work
EDIT: I found what seems to me like a bug (or at least an unexpected feature...). If I touch the widget it brings up the remote control pane and functions properly on my G1 (cm4.2.13). If i touch "Show main player" it does. From here, if I hit the home button, the next time I touch the widget, I get the Main intent instead of the remote. If I hit the "back" button from the Main player, the widget again shows the remote control pane as expected.
Cheers!
alapapa said:
EDIT: I found what seems to me like a bug (or at least an unexpected feature...). If I touch the widget it brings up the remote control pane and functions properly on my G1 (cm4.2.13). If i touch "Show main player" it does. From here, if I hit the home button, the next time I touch the widget, I get the Main intent instead of the remote. If I hit the "back" button from the Main player, the widget again shows the remote control pane as expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, but I didn't find any workaround to this weird Android behaviour.
Main trouble is Android's Activity handling. An "Activity" is similar to what you'd call window or dialog in Windows. In Android, only one activity is running per app, i.e. if you move from main screen to folder selection, the main screen activity is stopped, and then restarted when you return. Exactly the same happens when you move to the home screen, get a call, open a notification, etc. Only exception is the back button, where the activity is "finalized" (similar to a "real close", but still cached for reuse).
It seems Android doesn't like to start a new activity (the remote screen) when another one of the same app is still running.
I could "finalize" the player at other events as well, but the only ones invoked when pressing the Home button are the same as when you enter e.g. folder selection. So if I'd finalize the main view there, returning from folder selection would return to a no more existing activity, i.e. the app isn't visible anymore. Not exactly what you'd want...
Sorry for the long technical explanation, but I it's a bit hard to put Android's handling in better words...
Just glad to see you've moved over to Android! I used your player for a long time when I was on WM, but I have to say it was getting more complex than I needed. I would like to see many of the features your working on, but stability and simplicity are much more important. Album art seems to plague the players I've worked with, so if you can reliably handle all the methods you mentioned, that would be great...The only one that seems to be a problem for me is the ID3 embedded art.
Keep up the great work!
Mort said:
I know, but I didn't find any workaround to this weird Android behaviour.
Main trouble is Android's Activity handling. An "Activity" is similar to what you'd call window or dialog in Windows. In Android, only one activity is running per app, i.e. if you move from main screen to folder selection, the main screen activity is stopped, and then restarted when you return. Exactly the same happens when you move to the home screen, get a call, open a notification, etc. Only exception is the back button, where the activity is "finalized" (similar to a "real close", but still cached for reuse).
It seems Android doesn't like to start a new activity (the remote screen) when another one of the same app is still running.
I could "finalize" the player at other events as well, but the only ones invoked when pressing the Home button are the same as when you enter e.g. folder selection. So if I'd finalize the main view there, returning from folder selection would return to a no more existing activity, i.e. the app isn't visible anymore. Not exactly what you'd want...
Sorry for the long technical explanation, but I it's a bit hard to put Android's handling in better words...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
makes sense, I figured it has something to do with Activity handling.
Thank you for the technical response. I really appreciate it.
Hrm..perhaps this is why Stericson uses AndExplorer for file selection in MetaMorph (or maybe he just didn't feel like / hasn't gotten around to writing a file picker...)

Ice Cream Sandwich Bluetooth Keyboard Shortcuts

Does anyone know where to find out all the shortcuts you can do with an external keyboard on Android 4.0? Things like the back button, home screen, etc. Thank.
Thread Necromancy, I know, but this is a serious question that remains unanswered. Here's the most info I've found:
Rootzwiki User Gr8gorilla posted a list of shortcuts that work with his Targus Bluetooth Keyboard (I'm editing the list for formatting, and adding more as I find them.)
ESC: Back (woo!)
Targus FN + F* keys: (edit: These only work with the specific model of Targus keyboard. Your FN key may only perform functions as labelled, test it to verify)
FN+F1: Search
FN+F8: play/pause music
FN+F7: Skip Prev
FN+F9: Skip Next
FN+F11: Volume -
FN+F12: Volume +
FN+ESC: Wallpaper, manage apps, system settings.
Alt+Tab - recent apps, task switcher (WOO!)
CTRL + Alpha keys:
Ctrl+A: Market (edit: this opens the "add to home screen" menu for me)
Ctrl+P: Settings
Ctrl+W: Wallpaper
Ctrl+M: Apps
In Browser: (edit: these work in other apps too, if they apply)
Ctrl+B: Bookmarks
Ctrl+A: Select all
Ctrl+C: Copy
Ctrl+V: Paste
Ctrl+W: Close current tab
Ctrl+T: Open new tab
Command/Windows button + : (edit: these commands work from anywhere, even in other apps)
Win+E: Launch Default Email App (brings up a choice dialog if necessary)
Win+A: Launch Calculator.apk
Win+S: Launch Messaging.apk (SMS App)
Win+C: Launch Contacts
Win+B: Launch Browser.apk (not your default browser, unfortunately)
Win+P: Launch Music.apk (not your default music player, unfortunately)
Win+L: Launch Calendar
Win+M: Launch Google Maps
From my own experience: the above work, other than the Targus-specific ones. I've tested them all. I'm looking for more, especially ways to activate "HOME", "MENU" and to open/close the notification drawer.
Also, you can edit your /system/usr/keylayout/qwerty.kl to change which key codes sent by the bluetooth keyboard activate various functions. This would be a rather involved hack, and may be specific to your hardware. Doing it wrong could compromise your ability to use your software keyboard. Also, it would be replaced whenever you flash a ROM, and possibly some smaller updates as well. Here's a guide to hacking keyboard layouts, though it's a bit old, and I haven't tested it. DO AT YOUR OWN RISK, but post your results either way!
I'm looking for a way to enable the Android SDK Emulator Shortcut Keys on real devices. It would give us that which we're missing.
Ctrl+W and Ctrl+T
In the stock browser:
Ctrl+W - closes the current tab
Ctrl+T - opens a new tab
There may be more of these that are similar to chrome shortcuts but those are the only two I really use.
erupe said:
In the stock browser:
Ctrl+W - closes the current tab
Ctrl+T - opens a new tab
There may be more of these that are similar to chrome shortcuts but those are the only two I really use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tested to verify. Works in Chrome as well. Added to the list above!
Thanks for coming up with that list. Really appreciate it.
I'd just like to clarify something: using an app called KeyEvent Display, free on Google Play, you can verify that Android is actually receiving keystrokes from your keyboard. I've tested every key on my keyboard, and found that they correspond exactly with /system/usr/keylayout/Generic.kl (fn key excluded, because that's handled by the keyboard itself, not passed to the OS).
I think the Android Framework doesn't know what to do with:
F-Keys
Mute
wow nice one.

[Q] Lockscreen Music Controls? And a couple of other questions...

1. Maybe I'm just missing an easy setting but I cannot seem to get music controls (using Google Play Music app...but also tried default Music [Samsung] app) on the lockscreen. Anytime I want to pause / change the song I have to unlock the device and then perform the action. Suggestions?
2. Also, I came from an Acer Iconia A100 tablet and with that device, I could select the open apps icon on the toolbar (right of the home icon) and this would display open apps...I could swipe the app to the left and the app would close. This doesn't seem to happen on the Tab Plus, is this just a feature in ICS that is not supported in 3.2?
3. Quicklaunch ^ button in the center of the toolbar...any way to get rid of this or at least change the icons that display when I select it?
4. Any way to get rid of the extra button right of the open apps button on the toolbar? They offer you different options (camera, app launcher, screen shot) in settings but I would prefer the button really not be there period.
Overall, I love the hardware...I just wish Samsung would offer a generic ICS rom as their proprietary stuff either looks bad or just gets in the way. The one proprietary thing I've found I do like is the ability to enable mono audio (if you listen to music with one earphone)...first time I've encountered that (be it from a company or just something hacked together by an individual) and I'll be sad to part with that option should we ever get a generic ICS rom.
1.) Im not sure, as I dont use said APP
2.) ICS Feature
3.) cant' get rid of it. you can use honeybar to hide entire status bar, or make the icon for the ^ invisible/blank. You cant edit/change any apps, but you could delete the mini.apks individually and they will no longer show up. ( you could remove it if you are proficient in google's assembler language .smali)
4.) no chance in removing the button. Its hard coded in. (unless your fluent in .smali, etc.)
Overall, I'd agree I think most of us would like a "Vanilla" Ice cream Sandwich, but instead we will likely get this TouchWiz junk. they should at least make options to turn most of it off.
My best advice: donate/support to the guys porting CM9. Right now I think its only @aorth for the GT-P6200/
Lets hope for the best.
Thank you for the reply.
1. Do you use another music app that does offer lockscreen controls?
i do not personally, but I believe there are a few.
I also am fairly sure there are sne lockscreen replacements with his and additional options.

[APP][Free]Swipe-In :using just swipes, change brightness, WiFi,etc

Lets say you're watching a video(in full screen). You feel the brightness isn't well adjusted. What if you could adjust the brightness with just a swipe instead of going through the hassle of closing the video, and then opening settings.
This app lets you do that.
Swipe-In is a useful tool with which you can change different settings on your phone with just a swipe on the screen.
Unleash the power of swipes to change settings in a hassle-free way.
Another example. Consider you're playing a game in full screen while listening to music. To change a song you would have to exit the game and open the music player app. There's an alternative. You can just swipe to bring the music player widget on screen. Change the song, remove the widget and carry on with your game.
To begin ,simply create a hotspot, select a type and begin swiping. The hotspots can be positioned at any edge.It can also be made invisible so that they do not block the view. Please make sure to read help before you begin using it.
The current version supports the following settings:
1.Brightness
2.Ringer volume
3.Music volume
4.In-Call volume
5.WiFi
6.WiFi Hotspot
7.Bluetooth
8.Airplane mode
9.Data network
10.GPS
11.A launcher that shows apps you select, or recent apps.
12.Place widgets on screen(movable,re-sizable and removable)
Thanks for this app, I find it really useful, well done.
If I have one bug to report, it's that the app name text gets cut off when bringing up the selection of favorite apps.
hmm....looks nice...handy to use...

[Guide] Making AirPlay/DLNA & other streaming audio as painless as on IOS [Root]

Being a subscriber to Google Play Music and someone with several different DLNA renders and even a few AirPlay receivers in my home and car I am deeply disappointed with the lack of integration for either of these services into both GPM app and even just Android in general. Especially since my wife has an iPhone and audio streaming is as simple as a swipe and a click for her. Now AirPlay I can at least give a pass to since it is a direct competitors protocol, but the lack of DLNA support is confusing to me honestly.
Now I am already aware of several solutions out there that allow you to capture system audio and stream via DLNA; my first attempt was with BubbleUPNP's audio cast feature, and although it did what I was looking for I was less than happy with the time it takes to get music playing each and EVERY time I want to use it to stream.
So basically I have found a way to alleviate this with a combination of two applications. Essentially by the end of it I am now able to simply swipe down from the right side of my status bar and simply toggle all the different receivers in my home and car on and off. So if your someone like me, with a lot of audio receivers everywhere, this could be VERY useful, simply by alleviating the hassle of having to mess through so many menu's just to get a song playing. The only downside for some might be that both of these apps are PAID applications and so you might have to shell out some cash to get this up and running. But honestly I am more than willing to support these awesome developers.
So without further ado lets get to the good stuff.
1. Firstly you will need root as one of these apps require it.
2. The two apps you'll need for this are AirAudio and Snap Swipe Drawer
*I know there are other apps that can do it but AirAudio has a few advantages and a critical feature we will need. One it works with a ton of different streaming protocols including AirPlay, DLNA, AllPlay, Fire TV, Google Cast, etc. The critical piece of this software though is that it comes with togglable widgets which we will need to accomplish our goal of simplicity!!*
3. So now that you have both apps up and running open AirAudio first and make sure you locate and connect to all of the receivers your wanting to set up for quick access and least once. It has to connect at least once in order to be able to make a widget out of it. Also run through its settings and make sure everything is set to your liking. You might want to name each of your receivers something unique and simple as well.
4. Now that AirAudio is setup we can go into "Settings > Apps > AirAudio" and completely block all notifications for this app. Technically this is optional but it goes a long way to make this implementation clean and it keeps your notifications drawer free of clutter when its connected. Won't be a loss really since you can control the receivers volume with your hardware buttons anyway and your music app of choice most likely already has a notification.
5. Now we are going to make this truly powerful and convenient! AirAudio comes with some nice widgets that make toggling a receiver as simple as a single click. Only downside is that you can normally only have them on your home screen and they take up screen real estate, while also looking kinda out of place. Thanks tough to our second app: Snap Swipe Drawer, we can create a dropdown of widgets of our choosing that we can access from any screen, any time!
- Open Snap Swipe Drawer and open "preferences" from the top right menu. In here you can set it up to your liking. Most importantly do you want your drop down to come from the right, left or center when you swipe down from the status bar. You may also wish to enable the accessibility service to make the transitions and behavior smoother.
- Now go back to the front page and click the FAB button with the "+" in the bottom right corner. Choose AirAudio widget and choose your first receiver! Once its in the list click it and configure it so that Columns=4 and Rows=1. This is the most pleasant for my taste at least but feel free to configure to yours if you like. Thats it, Now swipe down from whichever side you chose in "preferences" just as if your trying to open your notifications and a new menu will drop down containing your new widget!!
6. Profit!! Repeat for every receiver you need and there you go! You can now toggle audio streaming just as quickly, and painlessly as IOS users can, from any screen! And we have the added benefit of having more than just AirPlay available to us, compared to IOS, thanks to the power of Android!!!
I really hope this guide helps somebody else as much as it helped me. Not everybody uses streaming audio on the daily but for those that do this will be a game changer!!!
---Just a small tip to make it even better. I am an xposed user with GravityBox and in GB under "Satusbar tweaks > Quicksettings Management" I have "quick pulldown" set up from the left and also I have Snap Swipe Drawer setup to open from the right. I also have "auto switch quicksettings" in GB set to "When there are no notifications". Basically what this accomplishes is that if I want to see notifications I swipe down from the center. If I want to get right to my quick toggles I swipe down from the left, and if I want to toggle a DLNA/AirPlay receiver I swipe down from the right.
---Also use your imagination, you can use any widget available SSD app so you can make your experience even more customized and useful by playing around with it some more and getting your moneys worth.
Hi,
I have sound on phone and sonos in same time...
Is it possible to have sound only on Sonos ? Root + Module OK...
Thanks
Hey there,
AirAudio has been kicked by Google because they didn't like a link to a rooting-website inside the description anymore, written 7 years ago.
Its successor is called AirMusic and allows to stream some apps (eg. YouTube, YT Music, Deezer, PodcastAddict , radio.de, Plex and more, you have to try it out) without root on Android 10+.
On rooted devices, all audio can be transmitted.
No Thanks
I have no idea about these but I will try to my best.

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