Hi,
at the moment I own iPad 1 with 3G. I do not really like iOS and the way the whole device works but I bought it instead of a (any) Honeycomb tablet anyway. There were few reasons behind my decision and they are still valid.
But... from what I have seen playing in the shops with Honeycomb tablets - I really, really prefer Android to iOS (and from what I have read this will not change once the iOS 5.0 is introduced).
I am patiently waiting for a HC/ICS tablet that will meet my expectations but device itself is just a part of the success. I will also need software that I am using now. I would appreciate if you could tell me names of equivalent apps (preferable the same apps) I am using now.
Netflix - it was the main reason to get iPad instead of HC tablet. But since I am based in Poland I want to make sure Netflix app installation will be as easy on Android as it was on iPad (I just needed account in US iTunes - that is it).
I read there is an update to TF that brings Netflix support - is it for all users (regardless of location) or just for TF's in USA?
Buzz Player - beside 720p mkvs it plays everything I have stored on my NAS drive (it is using Samba protocol to access). Subtitles (people are complaining about it) are not an issue since I do not use them.
WD Photos - already know it is available on Android - any one kows how does it look/work on HC instead of smartphone with A 2.x?
VoD apps - ABC Player, BBC iPlayer, 4oD, Crackle, ITV Player - all available ass apps for iPad (unless because I will have Flash I do not need them - but will video from them work on mobile device without any hacks?)
Office - Pages and Numbers equivalent
Facebook dedicated app - as Friendly
iBooks - I got quite a lot of books on my NAS (epub format) and there was no trouble in putting them to iBooks, iTunes was not needed and they look awesome. I want app like this, with page flipping, etc....
Pandora - ?
Google Music designated app - that I do miss a lot nowe as using it through the Safari is a nightmare
XC Currency
Flipboard
MobilesRSS (or something looking as nice that works with Google Reader)
Filebrowser (to access all files on my PC's nad NAS drive)
TeamViewer
Evernote
Skype
Download manager (with support for hosting services like Rapidshare or Filesonic)
Proper support for VPN connections - all I do now is choose a connection to one of VPN servers and click connect (no need to enter password every single time).I use hem a lot because of Netflix, BBC, etc.
Basic I got access to all free apps in US, UK and Polish iTunes store and I did not had to do any Jaibrake or anything like this.
I really hope I will be able to get the same level of usability form Transformer 2 (maybe Archos Gen9) or in general a HC/ICS tablet.
Since I do not have any android based device I am unable to access Android Market myself and check if applications are there and (what is more important) how do they perform.
THANKS for help (I presume a lot my my questions are quite obvious ones - sorry).
I think netflix is US only at the moment if you are unwilling to root. I have no idea about some of the stuff you ask for but ive seen evernote, skype, and some of the other th ings you mentioned. I really like the office app that comes with the device (polaris) and i think i saw some threads mentioning vpn crap. Anyway, if you wanna use android, id say, expect less apps that dont really matter, but youll probably find decent apps that most normal people require. Plus, you get to tinker with it and stuff withiut fear of steve jobs haunting you at night.
Apps mentioned above or their equivalents are the ones that I require. Beside that I do not care home many millions of other software is available for iOS or that Android has a smaller choice because that is the only thing I need. If I can not use services I am using now there is no point in spending money on a new device.
Any ex-iPad owners here?
What i really was trying to get you to do was to hit the search bar and look for these yourself.. since that's probably going tobe the difference betweeb the ipad and android devices.. Notice how i alluded to having seen peple mention these things.
That's a long list of software.
I'll do my best to list off what I have currently installed, or apps that I've heard will work.
Netflix - I'm not sure how to help you with that one. You'll probably need root to get it working properly.
Buzz Player - Dice Player is probably the best Android video player so far, plays 720p mkv with no hassle and has full hardware acceleration. Subtitle support is built in too, just in case you feel like using subs in the future. Currently there are less supported formats than Buzz Player, but the developer is constantly updating. As far as accessing files stored on your NAS, you will definitely need root if you want Dice Player to be able to stream. Once rooted you just have to install the cifs module, then use the Cifs Manager app to auto mount your NAS to a folder that Dice Player can see.
WD Photos - Never used it, but it is listed as being compatible with the Transformer. No idea if it will work.
VoD Apps - Availability of native Android apps is all dependent on your region. Often times though there are Flash-based workarounds for watching them through your browser.
Office - Polaris Office comes pre-installed on the Transformer, so you'll have basic functionality for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.
Facebook - You can side load the phone version of the app, or use Friend Me. Personally I prefer Friend Me.
iBooks - There are several ebook readers available. Asus' MyLibrary comes pre-installed and has page turning animations and native support for epub format.
Pandora - There is a native Android app in the Market.
Google Music - Comes pre-installed on the tablet integrated into the default music player app. You just open up Music and add your Google account, and you're set.
XC (XE?) Currency - Another app that has a native Android version in the Market.
Flipboard - Feedly is a reasonable alternative. Personally I use Pulse for all of my news consumption, but that's a completely different UI.
MobilesRSS - Try the native Google Reader application.
File Browser - File Manager HD is my favorite. To browse Samba shares, you simply add one under LAN Connection in the menu.
TeamViewer - A native Android app is available.
Evernote - A native Android app is available.
Skype - A native Android app is available, although video chat has not yet been implemented on tablets. There are however several other video chat apps available, and Google Talk has native video chat capability on all Honeycomb devices.
Download manager - I would give DownDroid a try. I don't typically do a lot of downloading on my tablet, so I can't attest to how well it works.
VPN connections - Again, several different apps available that do basically the same thing. I've heard good things about NeoRouter VPN, but I would suggest trying several different apps to see which one you prefer.
PPTP VPN is supported natively (not sure about the others). I only use PPTP and OpenVPN (which requires root). For Office, look into QuickOffice HD, although it costs 19.99. I strongly suggest Splashtop HD over TeamViewer, just because its ALOT smoother. For RSS I suggest Reader HD, it looks and works better than Google Reader.
First of all thanks for taking time...
If you do not mind I would like to add additional (NO!!! NOT APPS!!! ) questions.
earlyberd said:
Netflix - I'm not sure how to help you with that one. You'll probably need root to get it working properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- so Netflix as such is still not available for HC tablets?
earlyberd said:
Buzz Player - Dice Player is probably the best Android video player so far, plays 720p mkv with no hassle and has full hardware acceleration [...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Buzz Player on iPad just simply uses Samba protocol and if the Android Buzz Player can do the same than it is no problem. I do not use that many different file formats. So, Dice Player does not support Samba or uPNP (these are supported by my NAS My Book World Edition)? As to 720p mkv's... I still read comments form ppl. that they stutter on Tegra 2 based devices. I suspect that that depends on ripped file itself. But since I know I do not want a Tegra 2 based tablet (lots of threads about it already here) it is not a big problem.
Just a news. Friend of mine came over with his iPad 2 few days ago. Some of my 720p playd fine on iPad 2 but some ot them stil stutter and were unwatchable. All of them play super smooth on my netbook (Atom 330 + nVidia ION). This means that current gen. of ARM SOC's is not there yet. I am really interested how new Gen9 Archos will perform here (with TI Omap 4 1,5 Ghz under hood - all good but why are those tablets so ugly? ;-) )
earlyberd said:
VoD Apps - Availability of native Android apps is all dependent on your region. Often times though there are Flash-based workarounds for watching them through your browser.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In case of iTunes and iOS that simply meant - get account in US or UK store and free apps became available. Setting up such account is also no problem. Has anyone tried to get free apps from let say US in UK or the other way round or (unlike in stupid iTunes) free apps (like those players) are available to download and install for everyone (they might not work due to wrong IP but this is a different matter).
In another words (I do not know sht about rooting) how hard will it be for noob like me to get them?
earlyberd said:
iBooks - There are several ebook readers available. Asus' MyLibrary comes pre-installed and has page turning animations and native support for epub format.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And putting books (epub files) I already have on my NAS drive or PC will not be a problem?
earlyberd said:
MobilesRSS - Try the native Google Reader application.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use it when I am next to my desktop but and app (compatible with Google reader - like this Mobile RSS) and designed for tablets is just much nicer
earlyberd said:
File Browser - File Manager HD is my favorite. To browse Samba shares, you simply add one under LAN Connection in the menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is hjow it works in Filebrowser and in Buzz Player. They both see NAS in the network and both use Samba to get access.
earlyberd said:
Download manager - I would give DownDroid a try. I don't typically do a lot of downloading on my tablet, so I can't attest to how well it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not have plans like that either - but just in case ;-)
earlyberd said:
VPN connections - Again, several different apps available that do basically the same thing. I've heard good things about NeoRouter VPN, but I would suggest trying several different apps to see which one you prefer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmmm... in iOS VPN support is built in. I do not need any additional apps to make it work as I only set-up additional connections under settings -> VPN.
So, HC does not support VPN connection on its own??? Strange as (besied ppl. like me who use VPN to watch movies from USA in EU) it is important business feature...
Also... if I need and additional app to create VPN connection... and connect to the server... question is how and if will it affect apps like Netflix Player or internet browsers as both Netflix and HULU require US IP in order to allow stream.
frosty5689 said:
PPTP VPN is supported natively (not sure about the others). I only use PPTP and OpenVPN (which requires root). For Office, look into QuickOffice HD, although it costs 19.99. I strongly suggest Splashtop HD over TeamViewer, just because its ALOT smoother. For RSS I suggest Reader HD, it looks and works better than Google Reader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that to you as well!
galtom said:
First of all thanks for taking time...
If you do not mind I would like to add additional (NO!!! NOT APPS!!! ) questions.
- so Netflix as such is still not available for HC tablets?
- Buzz Player on iPad just simply uses Samba protocol and if the Android Buzz Player can do the same than it is no problem. I do not use that many different file formats. So, Dice Player does not support Samba or uPNP (these are supported by my NAS My Book World Edition)? As to 720p mkv's... I still read comments form ppl. that they stutter on Tegra 2 based devices. I suspect that that depends on ripped file itself. But since I know I do not want a Tegra 2 based tablet (lots of threads about it already here) it is not a big problem.
Just a news. Friend of mine came over with his iPad 2 few days ago. Some of my 720p playd fine on iPad 2 but some ot them stil stutter and were unwatchable. All of them play super smooth on my netbook (Atom 330 + nVidia ION). This means that current gen. of ARM SOC's is not there yet. I am really interested how new Gen9 Archos will perform here (with TI Omap 4 1,5 Ghz under hood - all good but why are those tablets so ugly? ;-) )
In case of iTunes and iOS that simply meant - get account in US or UK store and free apps became available. Setting up such account is also no problem. Has anyone tried to get free apps from let say US in UK or the other way round or (unlike in stupid iTunes) free apps (like those players) are available to download and install for everyone (they might not work due to wrong IP but this is a different matter).
In another words (I do not know sht about rooting) how hard will it be for noob like me to get them?
And putting books (epub files) I already have on my NAS drive or PC will not be a problem?
I use it when I am next to my desktop but and app (compatible with Google reader - like this Mobile RSS) and designed for tablets is just much nicer
This is hjow it works in Filebrowser and in Buzz Player. They both see NAS in the network and both use Samba to get access.
I do not have plans like that either - but just in case ;-)
Hmmmm... in iOS VPN support is built in. I do not need any additional apps to make it work as I only set-up additional connections under settings -> VPN.
So, HC does not support VPN connection on its own??? Strange as (besied ppl. like me who use VPN to watch movies from USA in EU) it is important business feature...
Also... if I need and additional app to create VPN connection... and connect to the server... question is how and if will it affect apps like Netflix Player or internet browsers as both Netflix and HULU require US IP in order to allow stream.
Thanks for that to you as well!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ex-Ipad2 user here:
- Netflix works! On stock FW, just installed and tried :=)
- Im using MX Player and Diceplayer, nice combination.
- For Google RSS try out d9-Reader! Best there is.
- Using PPTP VPN native for US IP towards Netflix..
reidar.ostrem said:
Ex-Ipad2 user here:
- Netflix works! On stock FW, just installed and tried :=)
- Im using MX Player and Diceplayer, nice combination.
- For Google RSS try out d9-Reader! Best there is.
- Using PPTP VPN native for US IP towards Netflix..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Netflix - are you from US or different country (after sending post saw your flag - stupid question! LOL!) By that question I mean - can anyone download app from the market or does an Android market need separate accounts for US, UK, Poland, etc?
If Netflix was part of an Asus update - was it for everyone or just US owners (than how will I get it in Poland?) - bearing in mind above - how did you get it in Norway?
PPTP protocol is offered by my VPN provider (see my signature) so that should not be a problem.
Do you have to enter password every single time you want to connect (iPad remembers passwords like this)?
galtom said:
Netflix - are you from US or different country (after sending post saw your flag - stupid question! LOL!) By that question I mean - can anyone download app from the market or does an Android market need separate accounts for US, UK, Poland, etc?
If Netflix was part of an Asus update - was it for everyone or just US owners (than how will I get it in Poland?) - bearing in mind above - how did you get it in Norway?
PPTP protocol is offered by my VPN provider (see my signature) so that should not be a problem.
Do you have to enter password every single time you want to connect (iPad remembers passwords like this)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android marked is differentiated in terms of country, device, os etc...
Stock NetFlix that works on latest TF update: http://db.tt/yBGwjeN
I also liked the ipads feature to remember the password for VPN, android does not do that unfortunally.. (as far as I know.. i have to enter pw everytime)
galtom said:
Apps mentioned above or their equivalents are the ones that I require. Beside that I do not care home many millions of other software is available for iOS or that Android has a smaller choice because that is the only thing I need. If I can not use services I am using now there is no point in spending money on a new device.
Any ex-iPad owners here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own an iPad 1 and an Asus Transformer. To be honest, the apps on iOS are usually better - even for the exact same app! That does seem to be changing slowly over time, but iOS still has the upperhand in terms of App quantity & quality.
And I still cannot access my Cisco VPN @ work with my Transformerer either (Cicso IPSec w/pre-shared keys).
In my opinion, the iPad is still a better choice for business use. The apps are better and you have a much better selection on iOS.
That being said, I still haven't touched my iPad 1 since I got my Transformer!!! The Transformer is a really fun device though - and if you can live with the app quality * quantity difference right now, go for the Transformer. If you NEED certain apps, stick to the iPad for now...
jtrosky said:
I own an iPad 1 and an Asus Transformer. To be honest, the apps on iOS are usually better - even for the exact same app! That does seem to be changing slowly over time, but iOS still has the upperhand in terms of App quantity & quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apps liste above (beside some games that I have but are used seldom and are not essential) are the only ones I need and use.
Web broswisn (stupid Safari), e-mails (again terrible client for iOS) and TV/Video, rss new is all I need. So if I can replace them I'm cool.
Thanks mate.
reidar.ostrem said:
Android marked is differentiated in terms of country, device, os etc...
Stock NetFlix that works on latest TF update: http://db.tt/yBGwjeN
I also liked the ipads feature to remember the password for VPN, android does not do that unfortunally.. (as far as I know.. i have to enter pw everytime)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it as easy as with iTunes to have accounts for different regions? As I said with iTunes I got account with US store to get (free) apps like ABC Player and Netflix, with UK store to get BBC iPlayer, 4oD and ITV Player and the rest (that I am actually paying for) are from my Polish account.
Will it be the same with Android Market?
Netflix that I found ther does not list any HC tablets (as supported).
Unless I can check for software updates while using changed IP...? But than again it will only give me apps from one region :-(.
Any insights here? I suppose if its doable on closed system like iOS it has to be doable on Android!
BTW: Thanks for the netflix link. Unfortunatley I do not have an Android tablet yet (waiting for something different than Tegra 2 devices). But I will meka a download and keep it for the future ;-)
The latest Transformer update is supposed to add native support for Netflix, the problem is figuring out how to trick it into thinking you are located in the US. I just don't know from experience if the Netflix app will play nice with your VPN. And there is built-in support for VPN in Honeycomb, but again it's something I don't have a whole lot of experience with, and often times it is better implemented through third party apps.
Most Android apps at this point don't support Samba natively, so that's why you need root and manually set a mount point in Cifs Manager. Once Cifs Manager has mounted your NAS though, it should be visible to all other applications. I like to mount my Samba shares in the /sdcard directory, for instance. File Manager HD is the only application I have installed that has native Samba support, and it also allows you to browse hard drive directories like C$ if you happen to be sharing files natively from a Windows PC. But everything else will require a manually-configured mount point via cifs before you can see what's stored on your NAS.
Dice Player has given me no issues with choppy playback in 720p. It's a night and day difference compared to the stock video player, and that's because it has proper hardware acceleration.
You don't need to root if you just want to stream and view files from your Samba share.
ES File Manager does this perfectly. It will show all samba files and stream videos from there without root.
What are Samba shares everyone is talking about? Is this a Linux thing? Since I am using Windows all I know is DLNA, where ES file manager picks up the folders containing the media.
As a side note really wish those guys at XMBC would care enough to port the platform not necessarily the engine. That is where the IPad really beats Android.
xsacha said:
You don't need to root if you just want to stream and view files from your Samba share.
ES File Manager does this perfectly. It will show all samba files and stream videos from there without root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not just streaming videos that the op wants, though. Certain apps require direct access to the share, and thus you will need to mount them to a folder they can read from. For example, the Music app won't add anything to the library unless it thinks it's stored locally on the internal sdcard or the external microsd, as in the /sdcard and /Removable/MicroSD directories. Setting a mount point in Cifs Manager means you don't have to go through a file manager every time, you can mount to a folder within /sdcard, and media libraries can be generated and organized as if reading from local storage.
AstroTrain said:
What are Samba shares everyone is talking about? Is this a Linux thing? Since I am using Windows all I know is DLNA, where ES file manager picks up the folders containing the media.
As a side note really wish those guys at XMBC would care enough to port the platform not necessarily the engine. That is where the IPad really beats Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samba is the UNIX-based application for managing Windows-based SMB/CIFS shares. Windows users typically right click on a folder and select Share, and that is SMB/CIFS sharing. Samba is the UNIX equivalent.
You can view Android market.
https://market.android.com/
Have a search for what you need
Thanks a lot for all your input, it is really appreciated.
I would be very grateful for few more answers.
1. To European users - do you have Netflix and how did you got it (anyone out there has it without root?)
2. There is an app filmon (from filmon.com) that shoul allow for watching BBC and itv - can you let me know ifit is working on HC (it is on iPad).
3. My NAS drive allows either for smb access or uPNP, do I still need to root? All I have there are some documents, movies, bit of music (most of it is at Google Music already) and photos. My drive is My Book World Edition.
4. Does your stock browser syncs with Chrome? (bookmark bar is quite important to me)
5. Can Honeycomb tablet receive SMS/text messages? (with 3G on board of course...).
6. If you do not use stock browser. What do you use and can it be marked as a default in the system (iPad dose not allow for any change like this - stupid machine).
Thanks in advance for your time and thoughts.
earlyberd said:
The latest Transformer update is supposed to add native support for Netflix, the problem is figuring out how to trick it into thinking you are located in the US.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I signed up for the cheapest StrongVPN service and joined Netflix. Downloaded the '246apk' and it works fine. All done on a standard unrooted TF from the UK.
Related
Hi everyone,
I've been toying with the idea of purchasing a Xoom since it was announced, but before launching myself into a 500$+ purchase, I would like to make sure the device does what I expect it to.
Here is a short list of what I am looking for in a tablet. If possible, could you guys tell me if the Xoom fits my needs.
Microsoft Exchange support
If yes, can I add multiple Exchange accounts? Support for calendars as well?
Video Playback
I watch a lot of 350MB (xvid) and 1.09Gb (mkv) tv shows. Is there a good player that supports playback? Is playback choppy/laggy or loses audio sync? I've seen and read a lot of bad press on this.
Video playback is potentially a deal maker/breaker. Video has to be smooth, and I'd like to avoid having to re-encode video if I dont have to. If a made in china device like the superpad can read MKV files, why not a dual core beast?
Tethering
I have an iPhone 3G and a tethering plan. I can tether to my laptop. Will I be able to tether to the XOOM?
SAMBA/SMB Share navigation
Can I browse network shares stored on my computer? Can I provide logon credentials to browse shares for a domain network? (Ex : DOMAIN\userassword or user(at)domain.localassword). Can I stream video over Wifi and network shares?
VPN
Is there support for L2TP over IPSEC? Certificate or PSK?
I'm quite computer savvy, it just seems difficult to get facts straight on tablets these days.
Thank you all in advance for reading this and taking the time to reply.
ipigi said:
Hi everyone,
I've been toying with the idea of purchasing a Xoom since it was announced, but before launching myself into a 500$+ purchase, I would like to make sure the device does what I expect it to.
Here is a short list of what I am looking for in a tablet. If possible, could you guys tell me if the Xoom fits my needs.
Microsoft Exchange support
If yes, can I add multiple Exchange accounts? Support for calendars as well?
Video Playback
I watch a lot of 350MB (xvid) and 1.09Gb (mkv) tv shows. Is there a good player that supports playback? Is playback choppy/laggy or loses audio sync? I've seen and read a lot of bad press on this.
Video playback is potentially a deal maker/breaker. Video has to be smooth, and I'd like to avoid having to re-encode video if I dont have to. If a made in china device like the superpad can read MKV files, why not a dual core beast?
Tethering
I have an iPhone 3G and a tethering plan. I can tether to my laptop. Will I be able to tether to the XOOM?
SAMBA/SMB Share navigation
Can I browse network shares stored on my computer? Can I provide logon credentials to browse shares for a domain network? (Ex : DOMAIN\userassword or user(at)domain.localassword). Can I stream video over Wifi and network shares?
I'm quite computer savvy, it just seems difficult to get facts straight on tablets these days.
Thank you all in advance for reading this and taking the time to reply.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A quick set of answers for you:
Exchange support - Yes
Calendars - Yes
Video Playback - unfortunately I can't answer that but I'm sure it won't be a problem with all the available apps and answers from other users regarding HD playback/re-encoding/compression
Tethering - Yes, works a treat...I'm doing it from my HTC Desire and Laptop.
SAMBA/SMB - Yes, 'Cifs Manager' from th Android Marketplace is a doddle to use. Streaming video/audio via wifi and network shares is easy.
VPN - not sure
Hope that helps.
Video playback - Yes, moboplayer
VPN - Yes openvpn just look around the fourms
Be aware that not everything (like openvpn) - will work out of the box. You will need to do some work, and possibly void the devices warranty (Unlock/root)
Costco has 90 days .... to return if you have one... Or can Order on line
(As I did)
Thats the way I went thanks and good luck
pyrator said:
Video playback - Yes, moboplayer
VPN - Yes openvpn just look around the fourms
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How good of a playback are we talking about. I've been reading a lot of people (on these forums and other places as well) who are having problems playing back some video files. Stuttering, laggy, things like that.
I'm going to be using this device for personal use first and work second, so smooth video playback is important and is probably the biggest reason for the purchase of a xoom.
For VPN, I've been digging around and found a thread on the xoomforums dot com website (I cant post a link yet, I'm too green). Note that I plan to use L2TP over IPSEC, and not pure IPSEC to connect to a VPN. Apparently there is native support for that without the need for OpenVPN.
Also, does anyone know if there is a Remote Desktop app so I can connect and control windows 7/vista PCs from the tablet?
Thanks to everyone for the replies!
ipigi said:
How good of a playback are we talking about. I've been reading a lot of people (on these forums and other places as well) who are having problems playing back some video files. Stuttering, laggy, things like that.
I'm going to be using this device for personal use first and work second, so smooth video playback is important and is probably the biggest reason for the purchase of a xoom.
For VPN, I've been digging around and found a thread on the xoomforums dot com website (I cant post a link yet, I'm too green). Note that I plan to use L2TP over IPSEC, and not pure IPSEC to connect to a VPN. Apparently there is native support for that without the need for OpenVPN.
Also, does anyone know if there is a Remote Desktop app so I can connect and control windows 7/vista PCs from the tablet?
Thanks to everyone for the replies!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
350MB (xvid) ---> play beautifully using moboplayer
1.09Gb (mkv) ---> choppy as **** on any player or if the video plays smoothly, the audio is non existant.
Im assuming these are "borrowed" videos downloaded from the internet.
I just use Handbrake to convert files to my Android devices. I just run into too many problems otherwise.
And if you are trying to play MKV files with subtitles. I've found no solution for that. Rockplayer kinda works if it's 480p or less. Though sometimes the audio gets out of sync.
If the subs are in text (srt) format, HB should move them over. If they're bitmaps (vobsub/pgs) or have styles (ass/ssa/smi), they can't be converted w/o an intervening translation/OCR step, since MP4 container only accepts plain text subs.
MKV->MP4 conversion is OK if you don't watch foreign films and don't care about subs. It's a PITA otherwise.
Do a search for 'Remote Desktop' on the market place...there are a handful which all work great. I can verify blistering speeds connecting to Windows 7 (32 and 64-bit)
robbiev80 said:
1.09Gb (mkv) ---> choppy as **** on any player or if the video plays smoothly, the audio is non existant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Xoom can't decompress the audio at all? I'm not a huge fan of re-encoding video and I perfer to just drag and drop to play videos, my Desire can just about keep 20-25 fps playing 350Mb HD video, 20 minute anime series, the audio is fine as well. Why can't the Xoom play a 1Gb file with it's dual core CPU?
*edit* That's my Desire playing MKV's, not AVI etc.
For what its worth I just tested an 840mb mkv file on moboplayer and it was flawless, no issues with audio at all. I haven't tried anything over 1gb though.
Hello Guys!
I am planning to get one of the Transformers (probably 32G+dock) and sell my notebook (will still have a desktop computer).
Now, I'm on a performance notebook (with piss-poor battery life), but I do not use it - only for web surfing, chat, watching movies, sending stuff & downloading - and maybe some games (1x a month LOL)
So my question is - what are the features you like or MISS in the Transformer compared to a notebook.
Thank you!
1) Proper browser with adblock.
2) Proper audio player (like Amarok/Clementine/Exaile etc.).
3) USB port for attaching keyboard (I don't have the dock).
Better task swapping(alt+tab) or windowed view.
Text selection. Android NEEDS a better text selection desperately.
Other than that it makes a pretty good laptop replacement for simple things. Using remote desktop to a windows machine, greatly improves #1, and moderately improves #2.
Magnesus said:
1) Proper browser with adblock.
2) Proper audio player (like Amarok/Clementine/Exaile etc.).
3) USB port for attaching keyboard (I don't have the dock).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
firefox is available in android, and you can add the adblock plugin.
also a system-wide adblock via apps.
i have no idea what you would qualify as a "proper" audio player. unless you're refering stictly to that list as "proper", the stock player is also a proper player, as well as plently you'd find in the market.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
gottahavit said:
Better task swapping(alt+tab) or windowed view.
Text selection. Android NEEDS a better text selection desperately.
Other than that it makes a pretty good laptop replacement for simple things. Using remote desktop to a windows machine, greatly improves #1, and moderately improves #2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alt+tab works with the keyboard dock.
Windowed view won't happen until there is a significant increase in system resources available to these devices. Everything currently runs in full screen because 1GB of RAM is just barely sufficient for most of the current apps, and Android devices don't use swap, which means apps get flushed out of memory if the system starts running low on RAM. Windowed apps would crash or degrade under the current Android memory management scheme, which was instated because phones and tablets are so starved for resources when compared to traditional desktops and laptops.
Text selection requires a long press because click and drag on a touchscreen handles panning. I'm not sure what else you're expecting from text selection when many apps allow you to modify the size of the selection to your heart's content. Those that don't integrate nicely with Android's built-in text selection are the fault of the developers.
Thank you for the replies.
Well, Just as finalhit said - firefox has a plugin, and AFAIK Dolphin Browser, too. And by the way, Ad-free is not working on these devices? Like on my rooted Desire?
Proper audio player - I saw the transformer in action and the stock player is great, also have purchased PowerAMP for my phone and the developer says, it'll work on HC 3.2, too. Will see.
Carrying on with Text Input ~
Android needs to be able to support Rich Text in Browser Email Apps (e.g. Yahoo) and also Copy/Paste text into an Email.
Copy/Paste works in Gmail but not in say Yahoo Mail.
What I miss most, is that the TF does not have a digital audio output via USB.
A notebook can simply be connected with a DAC by USB and I can listen to MP3s over my Hifi system ...
FrankRr said:
What I miss most, is that the TF does not have a digital audio output via USB.
A notebook can simply be connected with a DAC by USB and I can listen to MP3s over my Hifi system ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like that too, I tried plugging my USB SoundBlaster in but nothing happened.
What I miss most is a decent productivity suite, WP & Spreadsheets. I am using the beta of SoftMaker Office & it will do the job when it's released, but at the moment it crashes a lot & isn't mainstream.
Printing isn't that easy either ....
1) Definitely better text selection/manipulation - it works, but it doesn't feel right
2) Right mouse button - yes, it has long press, but it's long press, meaning it's not very fast. Make the right track pad button function the same as long press, and it will feel almost like a notebook.
3) Better file manipulation/transfer speed. Copying and pasting/moving files is a pain and is very very slow. Astro works, but it's nothing compared to the ease of windows/linux.
Android has all the functions I want, a lot of them just don't feel natural, or are cumbersome to use.
I like my TF, but I think it can't replace a notebook, unless we can port windows 7 on it..
mikelt89 said:
I like my TF, but I think it can't replace a notebook, unless we can port windows 7 on it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Windows 8 might run on it, as it has arm support and the TF meets the minimum requirements that MS has released so far.
cottinghamm said:
What I miss most is a decent productivity suite, WP & Spreadsheets. I am using the beta of SoftMaker Office & it will do the job when it's released, but at the moment it crashes a lot & isn't mainstream.
Printing isn't that easy either ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Documents to Go works well (given the limitations of the input methods, screen size, etc.)
Printign is a major issue. There are paid apps that I hear do printing OK, but they require a server program to run on a computer already connected to the printer. I have yet to find one that works well with a networked printer (either shared through the native Windows functionality or a dedicated print server).
FrankRr said:
What I miss most, is that the TF does not have a digital audio output via USB.
A notebook can simply be connected with a DAC by USB and I can listen to MP3s over my Hifi system ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can indirectly output to a DAC if you use the HDMI port. I have an Asus VH238H monitor that includes a SPDIF out, so I just hook up the Transformer via HDMI and have the monitor output the sound to my DAC.
For printing I use CloudPrint So far it works greatly (home & office) on my Desire - so that won't be a problem.
finalhit said:
firefox is available in android, and you can add the adblock plugin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firefox for Android is very far from a proper browser (in my opinion, proper browser is for example Google Chrome and desktop Firefox) and it's adblock is far from it's desktop counterpart. Maybe the new version will be better. In my opinion actually Firefox is worst browser for Android (the best being Dolphin Pad).
i have no idea what you would qualify as a "proper" audio player. unless you're refering stictly to that list as "proper", the stock player is also a proper player, as well as plently you'd find in the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try using Amarok, Clementine, Exile or sth similar (or Foobar if you only have Windows, but it's quite bad looking). I tested most the music players in the market and none of them are even comparable. So I resigned from using Tranformer for listening to music and bought USB sound card for my laptop instead (without it the sound quality of my laptop was... well quite horrible ).
Amarok/Clementine/Exile have clear interface with your files or library on the left (you can use both) and a playlist on the right. You can add tracks to the playlist, remove them, shuffle them, star songs, generate playlists based on the stars, select to repeat a track or repeat the whole playlist, filter the library (for example - you type John and you get all John Williams albums listed), the playlist is created by drag and drop etc. Also they play all music formats (flac, mpc included). If you never used a music player like this - try them, they are really good.
Most (all of them?) players in android market are designed for playing one album at a time (no playlist), have interface more suited for phones than tablets and no ability to use folder view (some can but are regenerating the index every time I unmount my samba share - and it takes ages). If I'm wrong - and there is sth like Amarok on the Market - please tell, I'll buy it in a second.
Magnesus said:
Try using Amarok, Clementine, Exile or sth similar (or Foobar if you only have Windows, but it's quite bad looking). I tested most the music players in the market and none of them are even comparable. So I resigned from using Tranformer for listening to music and bought USB sound card for my laptop instead (without it the sound quality of my laptop was... well quite horrible ).
Amarok/Clementine/Exile have clear interface with your files or library on the left (you can use both) and a playlist on the right. You can add tracks to the playlist, remove them, shuffle them, star songs, generate playlists based on the stars, select to repeat a track or repeat the whole playlist, filter the library (for example - you type John and you get all John Williams albums listed), the playlist is created by drag and drop etc. Also they play all music formats (flac, mpc included). If you never used a music player like this - try them, they are really good.
Most (all of them?) players in android market are designed for playing one album at a time (no playlist), have interface more suited for phones than tablets and no ability to use folder view (some can but are regenerating the index every time I unmount my samba share - and it takes ages). If I'm wrong - and there is sth like Amarok on the Market - please tell, I'll buy it in a second.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just because the default Music player doesn't show the now playing and playlist views on the same page together doesn't mean you don't have such functionality. Remember what you're dealing with here; it's just a 10.1 inch screen. It doesn't take much to clutter the UI with a lot of menu options, especially when all the UI elements have to be doubled and tripled in size in order to be legible on the tiny screen.
Now, as far as the features of the default Music app, there's plenty to keep most listeners happy. Upon starting the app, in the upper left hand corner you have the ability to sort your music collection by New and recent, Albums, Artists, Songs, Playlists, and Genres. On the right, you can Search through all of your music, refining your results by the previously mentioned sort categories. Once you choose a specific artist, for instance, you can tap once on the "All songs" option to play all of the artist's selected music, or you can just select one album of theirs to play, either of these options taking you to a list of songs added to the queue. Long press will allow you to add the selected songs to the playlist of your choice. Once in the now playing queue, you can sort the songs by name or by album, or shuffle the whole thing. Then once you finally play a song, the now playing screen allows for toggling shuffle and advanced repeat functions just like what you're used to with other applications. The default player also supports mp3, ogg, and flac, and probably some other formats that I haven't tried yet. The only thing missing is the ability to "star" your music, which is a feature I always saw as pointless.
Seriously, why would you even bother with third party music apps at this point?
And what about the microSD slot on the tablet? I'm planning to get a 32GB A-DATA - will it work normally like with my Desire?
rtadams89 said:
Documents to Go works well (given the limitations of the input methods, screen size, etc.)
Printign is a major issue. There are paid apps that I hear do printing OK, but they require a server program to run on a computer already connected to the printer. I have yet to find one that works well with a networked printer (either shared through the native Windows functionality or a dedicated print server).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
printing works well for me, but yes, requires a server at this point -- free app: https://market.android.com/search?q=printershare&so=1&c=apps
I do use it as a laptop replacement. I find that 95% of the time I do not need to go back to my laptop; however, I do miss the ability to have more than one app on the screen at once (chatting and browsing at the same time is annoying). I also miss a full office program. I have tried DTG and polaris, and both work quite well by comparison to other office apps, but are not a replacement for MS Office or Libreoffice.
I also have a server in the basement for media serving running ESXi 4.1. I have 2 VMs on it: File/media server running ubuntu 11.04 and a windows VM for running various other things like video transcoding. I would not want to do either of those functions on an android tablet either.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
I've installed Google Music on my D2G running Galnet MIUI and I'm loving it.
I have another Android device, a supercheap WM8650 tablet running Uberoid. I want to turn it into a cloud player using Google Music so I can play my music on it without having to buy more high-capacity microSD cards.
So I installed Google Music on it (latest version - I'm not in the USA so I have to download the apk externally), and it promptly stopped working. I googled a bit, and it appears Google Music has trouble running on generic devices. I'm wondering if the reason for this is known, and if there are ways to fix this problem. I'd have no problems using one of the alternatives, but from what I'm seeing Google Music is the only one that doesn't have ridiculously restrictive storage - I have 15 gigs worth of ogg files, so stuff like Droptunes is useless to me.
You could try browsing to music.google.com from a browser that supports user agent spoofing, like dolphin HD, and set it to a Desktop user agent?
I know that's kind of a crappy workaround, but I'm not sure about why GM wouldn't work well on generic android devices...
BroidDrionic said:
You could try browsing to music.google.com from a browser that supports user agent spoofing, like dolphin HD, and set it to a Desktop user agent?
I know that's kind of a crappy workaround, but I'm not sure about why GM wouldn't work well on generic android devices...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds fine in principle, but doesn't work so well on my tablet - it's very slow, and it takes a long time for the site just to load the list, let alone launch the player. I really need a native app.
The only alternative I've found so far is Audiogalaxy (a name I remember fondly from the early days of peer-to-peer... *sigh* ), but that isn't a cloud storage player, just a streaming player. In other words, if I want to have my library permanently available I need to have a computer with significant storage always on and connected, acting as a file server. A Windows computer, so I can't use any old diskless laptop with a USB thumbdrive. And if my connection or power goes down I can kiss my files goodbye. And the server wastes power.
This will do as an emergency measure, but I really need someplace to put my files. Is there a music player that will work from normal ftp storage? I have a website, I could easily upload my music to the space I use for it.
Bumpty bump.
what distro/android version is the app made for (ex: 2.1+). Which version is running on your tablet?
Hey,
I just got an MK808 TV Stick and I it's a pretty neat slick device. Like how small it is, and seems to be pretty fast (but, will probably flash some custom ROM on it soon).
Anyways, I want to use this as a replacement OS for my Smart TV and play Netflix/Hulu (have to root/market enabler to get this)/stream from my personal library, which is all shared on a raspberry pi PC via SMB. My Smart TV is DLNA compliant, but can't play all the different formats that I have accumulated over the years. My new stick TV PC, so far can handle it all.
Whats the best and easiest way to open files stored on SMB drives, and play them in a media play on my stick PC (right now, using VLC do to this). I say easy, in the sense that when my 6 year old kid wants to watch one of his movies he doesn't have to mount a drive via ES file explorer and choose what file from a list of directories like I am willing to do, but more of a "see the cover art, click and play" kind of way. I know XBMC would do most of this (if not all) but it only does software decoding, and I would like to have hardware.
Thanks in advance.
Ive got an ICUBE mk809II, i also have a NAS (nsa310) with my network share on. I use solid explorer and you can map to your network drive with that by adding an SMB share. Hopefully you have root. You can also then do a shortcut on the desktop by doing a solid explorer widget to that network share.
The second way i've used is to download a CIFS/SMB app, MountManager seemed the best, and you a can make a virtual link to your network share which is by default in your mnt folder. If you wanted to use your tv stick as a torrent box, you can map to the network share, and point Adownloader to the virtual link in the mount folder and it will get to your share. Its then easy to bookmark to your SMB/network share by doing a widget in Solid Explorer on your desktop. So with one click from the desktop, your there, I mainly use MX Player over VLC player as VLC was having audio sync problems.
colhavoc said:
but more of a "see the cover art, click and play" kind of way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try MIZUU BETA .
Tried MX Player?
Did, played some of my content, but not all of it. VLC so far is working ok.
Anyone have any idea how to install Finless rom with this? Can't seem to find much information on how to flash it, just what its features are.
Sent from my TF300T using Tapatalk HD
zmaki said:
Try MIZUU BETA .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow zmaki, that was the perfect choice! App works great for streaming from my SMB shares and shows the cotent like XBMC, except with decent rendering!
I have to admit though, I wish the program had its own built in media player with codec support, that would make it the cats ass.
PLEX works awesome, no problems with any streaming and it looks great.
colhavoc, welcome from hfx...
Hi,
The question here is the same issue I have wirh my new android miniPC to let my children (and even my self) an easy access to files stored on my PC.
My device is not rooted (not I'm goind to do so).
The device is conected over the same LAN (wi-fi is disabled).
I saw codlike two solutions ("solid explorer" or MountManager) but both need root, is there another solution?
dannygud said:
Hi,
The question here is the same issue I have wirh my new android miniPC to let my children (and even my self) an easy access to files stored on my PC.
My device is not rooted (not I'm goind to do so).
The device is conected over the same LAN (wi-fi is disabled).
I saw codlike two solutions ("solid explorer" or MountManager) but both need root, is there another solution?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
es file explorer?
I initially thought it would be a much simpler process.. but it seems to be more complicated than it should be. i tried a dozen of apps but still could not get to watch videos stored on my S4 (4.3) and display it on my iPad mini retina (on ios 7.04). here's a list of apps which i tried:
- airsync by doubletwist
- air playit
- remoteplay
- iMediaShare / Flipps
- knockitLive (site closed down)
out of all these apps, AirSync seemed to be a promising app which should work with all Airplay-enabled devices (i.e. my iPad). however, the Airplay icon didn't show up on my iPad even after i broadcasted my S4.
can anyone advise whether there's a simple solution to this? thank you so much !
dylansmith said:
I initially thought it would be a much simpler process.. but it seems to be more complicated than it should be. i tried a dozen of apps but still could not get to watch videos stored on my S4 (4.3) and display it on my iPad mini retina (on ios 7.04). here's a list of apps which i tried:
- airsync by doubletwist
- air playit
- remoteplay
- iMediaShare / Flipps
- knockitLive (site closed down)
out of all these apps, AirSync seemed to be a promising app which should work with all Airplay-enabled devices (i.e. my iPad). however, the Airplay icon didn't show up on my iPad even after i broadcasted my S4.
can anyone advise whether there's a simple solution to this? thank you so much !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! You can use DLNA tehnology. You need DLNA server for S4 device and DLNA player (or streaming compatible player) for iOS device. This pair good working in one Wi-Fi network.
any proven app combination that works well? i've tried a couple but still the same issue (unable to detect my s4 server)
I not have ability for test specific app tandem, because I happy nexus 7 owner. But then I testing this technology, used Ice cold DLNA server and WM player on home network. I can testing this only after holidays (Jan. 9th), or you can try spend series experimental.
I interested subj and test again some apps. Simply and working server - ice dlna server. Best choose for android from tested - BubbleUpnp app. Settings for this program rather convoluted, but capability - universal.
For iOS apps I found blog post, link below. If tested apps, please write, that pair guaranteed worked, please.
http://appadvice.com/appguides/show/dlna-streaming
h33x said:
I interested subj and test again some apps. Simply and working server - ice dlna server. Best choose for android from tested - BubbleUpnp app. Settings for this program rather convoluted, but capability - universal.
For iOS apps I found blog post, link below. If tested apps, please write, that pair guaranteed worked, please.
http://appadvice.com/appguides/show/dlna-streaming
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using BubbleUpnp on my Android worked. Played back on iPad 2 through the VLC app, which detected the server. CineX also worked but I found the VLC app had a better UI. Both had stuttering problems but CineX seemed better, although not sure if it was due to me changing the settings.