Android > 5.0.2 for Samsung Galaxy Tab A (SM-T357) - General Questions and Answers

I have an old Samsung Galaxy Tab A (specific model in the title), and sadly, T-Mobile/Samsung updated Android up to 5.0.2. It is also a very slow tablet, given its hw.
Does anyone know about any Android/Linux Distro that could run in this tablet? LineageOS?

Device has a 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU and only 1.5 GB RAM. Changing device's Android OS doesn't make it faster run.

jwoegerbauer said:
Device has a 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU and only 1.5 GB RAM. Changing device's Android OS doesn't make it faster run.
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I partially agree.
As you know, many manufacturers' Android distros come bloated, so a Vanilla one, with no vendor's "extra services" may help.
There is also the factor that most applications are no longer supported in it due to the Android version. For example, I'm a fan of termux, and I use it extensively in my phone, but the only way to install the latest versions is via F-Droid, and either F-Droid, or its version of termux (I don´t remember which one at this time), don´t work with Android 5.0.2.
I'm just trying to breath a little more life to this old tablet, so I can donate it to anyone that needs it. If I can't I will just throw it away.

Related

Dual Core Question

I am just wondering. I am a huge fan of android and am using Desire HD now. But I was wondering if a dual core tablet can be installed with Windows 7? I only need the W7 just to sync with my android phone. Maybe I can install RUU or any other ROMS in the future using my tablet.
Not quite sure what your asking here... Dual Core x86 processor tablets would probably run windows 7, Dual Core Arm Processor can not as windows is x86 processor specification and Android is Arm. All android devices are compatible to the best of my knowledge with windows 7 so if your worried about getting an android tablet and not having support for it then don't worry. Other than that i hope i answered your question.
Moved to general
Windows 7 can only be installed on x86 systems. Older versions of Windows NT could be installed on other CPUs like Alpha and Power PC and Windows server has a version that can run on Itanium/IA-64 but they are dropping it.
Microsoft has claimed Windows 8 will run on ARM systems so when it comes out you may be able to use it but most programs won't run it.
The Old One said:
Windows 7 can only be installed on x86 systems. Older versions of Windows NT could be installed on other CPUs like Alpha and Power PC and Windows server has a version that can run on Itanium/IA-64 but they are dropping it.
Microsoft has claimed Windows 8 will run on ARM systems so when it comes out you may be able to use it but most programs won't run it.
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Does the dual boot Viewpad 10 use (x)86 processors? Is Android 1.6 the last or latest Android OS that can run on the (x)86 platform?
I'm just curious as to how Viewsonic gets both OS's to run on viewpad 10 platform, so this looks like a good place to ask about that.
Yes, Atom x86 CPU and Android 1.6 (last version to support x86).
Does the dual boot Viewpad 10 use (x)86 processors? Is Android 1.6 the last or latest Android OS that can run on the (x)86 platform?
I'm just curious as to how Viewsonic gets both OS's to run on viewpad 10 platform, so this looks like a good place to ask about that.
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GaryHypnosis said:
Does the dual boot Viewpad 10 use (x)86 processors? Is Android 1.6 the last or latest Android OS that can run on the (x)86 platform?
I'm just curious as to how Viewsonic gets both OS's to run on viewpad 10 platform, so this looks like a good place to ask about that.
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Viewsonic's Viewpad 10 uses the intel atom cpu to my knowledge. I don't know the details behind it but have read that Android 1.6 is the last version of Android that can run on x86 architecture. Maybe a dev. will be able to explain that part.
It would have made lots of sense for Google to make 2.x and up compatible with x86/x64 but I suppose there may be politics involved (imho, it can't be much else, since Linux runs on everything and Android is based almost entirely on Linux)....or maybe it would be more work or too much code needed. Since 2.2 is meant primarily for phones first, maybe they didn't see a need to bloat it up.
I wouldn't mind if Android needed a 650MB-1GB install as long as it works well.
Here's a snippet, you will be able to find more if you google it....though I can't find a reason as to why myself.
Hi,
I don't know if VS did their own work or may have used stuff from the Android X86 project:
http://www.android-x86.org/
or something similar (I think that there are other efforts like this)...
As you can see, the project is currently on 1.6, but:
http://www.android-x86.org/#What_we_are_working_on_now
says their working on Froyo:
What we are working on now
Port Froyo to x86 (froyo-x86 branch)
OpenGL hardware accelerator to froyo-x86 (olv, cwhuang)
New x86 toolchain (cwhuang)
Ethernet update (Yi)
Automount for new vold (cwhuang)
New target sparta (Doug)
New target viewpad10 (Al Sutton)
New target viliv s5 (okwon)
Mplayer porting (okwon
BTW, if you have a Windows PC, you can actually run that Android (1.6) on it. I had done that earlier, before getting my Gtab.
Jim
As one of the members pointed out, and if you check out the hands ons that have been done recently, ViewPad10 does indeed use Androidx86 project. GREAT News is, they just released Froyo-x86 (http://www.android-x86.org/releases/release_2_2) and there is a specific ISO for the ViewPad10. I actually just ordered 5 from one of my vendors (1 to keep and 4 to sell) so I am definitely going to pop that Froyo-x86 in mine and see how it whirls! I'm very excited by the prospects of a dual boot Froyo7 tablet!
Did you load the 2.2 iso onto one, and if so how well did it work? I just want to use a copy of android so I can use the apps I already bought for my phone.
Some of the latest so called 'dual-boot' tablets are actually going to be using an android virtual machine which will run within windows.
If anyone's comfortable compiling their own kernel and drivers then they stand a chance of 'rolling their own' VM otherwise unless someone with the knowhow takes up the banner for a particular device, I would consider this option out of reach.
Which tablet devices have you seen running an Android VM? I ran the 2.2 live USB on my VPad10 but it was missing wifi. Everything else seems to run great. Its fast and functional! Except the wifi. :-(
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the v10 specific iso didn't support wifi?!?!?!?
VPad and Froyo
I've picked up a VPad10 and have tried upgrading Android to 2.2 and have found that the interface buttons seemed out of place . I had a hard time moving backwards through the various pages - I had to tap the upper right corner on the bar and tap a second time in order to move back to the previous screen.
I found the interface too different from the standard to make it useful. I've since reverted back to 1.6
I had difficulty loading the Froyo (.img.gz) version. I've tried opening the gz on my Linux machine (vcersus my Windows box) and still get the same problem. Can the Froyo beta be loaded as iso image like the others, it would make my life easier?
I placed an order for the 10" gtablet the other day. This thread saved me from some dissapointment by trying to save a couple bucks.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

No Honeycomb for dual core device ? O_o

Hi guys,
Just use this as info, but Optimus 3D is a dual core Cortex. Device shipped with 2.2. Expected update to 2.3.
Multicore support for Android starts from Honeycomb (3.0).
Check where the problem is
It all runs on Linux, which is multicore.
Does it mean that the android OS runs on one core, while apps can use 2 cores on 2.3 and older?
Umm yes and no. Android is a type of Linux but no the phone version 2.x and lower don't have multicore support. As of now only 3.0 does. When it comes out later this year 2.4 might have support as it is suppost to be 2.3 and 3.0 combined for phones since from. GOOGLE 3.0 will never be on phones for tablets only
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jhare said:
Umm yes and no. Android is a type of Linux but no the phone version 2.x and lower don't have multicore support. As of now only 3.0 does. When it comes out later this year 2.4 might have support as it is suppost to be 2.3 and 3.0 combined for phones since from. GOOGLE 3.0 will never be on phones for tablets only
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Pretty much this. 2.4 (the updated version of Honeycomb) is due to have dual core optimisation.
I do hope so, since I don't wanna buy a $600 phone to get lots of power loss
Just like setting up Windows 98 on an Intel Core i7 : funny but a bit idiot
Royal rumor. Multi threaded support already exists in the os.
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eallan said:
Royal rumor. Multi threaded support already exists in the os.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
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Not quite sure...
You can run Windows 98 on a dual/quad core, but it's pretty useless. Isn't the same with Froyo/GBread ?
Perceval from Hyrule said:
Not quite sure...
You can run Windows 98 on a dual/quad core, but it's pretty useless. Isn't the same with Froyo/GBread ?
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No, not really the same at all. Android has had SMP support since the first versions I think. Honeycomb is just optimizing the Dalvik VM to better utilize the multi-core CPUs. The support has been there, but until now, there hasn't been reason to optimize it as much since all Android devices had been single core. How much of a boost this gives us will really remain to be seen.
Perceval from Hyrule said:
Just like setting up Windows 98 on an Intel Core i7 : funny but a bit idiot
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Uhh...my PC has that right now....
Does Windows 98 not support that or something?
(...Google Searching...)
Crap.
apwhitelaw said:
Crap.
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http://help.lockergnome.com/windows2/98SE-dual-core--ftopict485285.html :
"98 will run on a dual-core CPU. The 98 kernel was not written with
multi-processor operation in mind so it will not perform the necessary
housekeeping and organization to activate both cores and allocate
processes to them. So 98 running on a dual-core will only use 1 of
the cores."
Of course, Core i7 changed lots of things so it will definitely not work with it
BTW, I also have a Core i7
Pretty sure that the poster a few before me is correct, dual-core is and always has been activated as part of the linux architechture, but Honeycomb (and probably LG's official 2.3 upgrade) will provide further optimisations.

No Dual Core Cpu support yet ?

Still can't find any indication that IceCreamSandwich (Android 4.0) supports dual core cpu
http://developer.android.com/sdk/android-4.0-highlights.html
We all know that any kernel already supports smp so it should't take so long for Google to make android OS support it too...
If you find anywhere a clue for that please reply
it should support.
but, this is the wrong section to post this question. The Nexus S isn't dual core. You may get better answers in Android General Questions
You won't find anything about it because dual core support has sort of been there since before 1.0, and really since before android. Linux has been multithreaded pretty much from the beginning, it isn't' something google needs to add to android, its all there. The huge performance boost we'll see with ICS will be from hardware acceleration in the UI, not some magical unicorn dual core support.
The reason all these dual core phones aren't living up to the hype is because the software the OEMs made for them really sucks, its not google or android's fault.
As far as I know IceCream Sandwich DOES support Dual Core CPU's.
imneo1 said:
Still can't find any indication that IceCreamSandwich (Android 4.0) supports dual core cpu
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Maybe the fact that EVERY SINGLE Honeycomb tablet uses a dual core processor is proof enough...
063_XOBX said:
Maybe the fact that EVERY SINGLE Honeycomb tablet uses a dual core processor is proof enough...
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Click to collapse
Just because Android runs on such device does not automatically means that is uses both cpus(cores) for each process. for that to apply we should see threads of an app processes.
so my question remains...
Orangestrat said:
You won't find anything about it because dual core support has sort of been there since before 1.0, and really since before android. Linux has been multithreaded pretty much from the beginning, it isn't' something google needs to add to android, its all there. The huge performance boost we'll see with ICS will be from hardware acceleration in the UI, not some magical unicorn dual core support.
The reason all these dual core phones aren't living up to the hype is because the software the OEMs made for them really sucks, its not google or android's fault.
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Click to collapse
you said the same thing i said ... well, almost ...
I said that Linux support dual core (smp) but there is much more to that.
we should see that the VM actually uses the Linux(Kernel) support managing to provide a correct data to the kernel, so that the process will be threaded (run on both cores)
Can you (or anyone owning a dual core device) provide a proof for that ?
Can we see a process of an app runs on both cores ? (a screenshot from shell showing that it uses both cpus/cores)
also, you should read about SGS2 for example.
even though it has a dual core CPU Android only uses on core to run itself (VM) and apps
so the answer is not that simple as you pointed
and my question remains...
ICS actually supports multi-core cpu's, not just dual. Meaning it supports up to either 4 or 8 cores (I can't remember which)
Add edit: When there are more cores in phones, multiple cores will be used to run (like you said) the apps AND the system. Quad-core phones are supposed to be coming out this summer.
063_XOBX said:
Maybe the fact that EVERY SINGLE Honeycomb tablet uses a dual core processor is proof enough...
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Click to collapse
That's funny, considering we're running Android 4.0.3 on our SINGLE-CORE phones. And add the fact that there's a small mod that will change it to the tablet interface, and you've got proof that you dont need 2 cores.
Just because multi-core devices are now standard doesn't mean that ICS 4.0 requires 2 cores. Our phone alone is proof. It's not a different version of Android. ICS on a tablet is the same ICS as on a phone, in a nutshell. That was the whole point of ICS in the first place -- to unify phones and tablets into 1 OS.

Android System Requirement Bloat

I'm using Gingerbread, and I tried Kit Kat, and my phone was super slow on it, so I downgraded back. I looked up the system requirements, and found that all version 4.x require a minimum of 512Mb of Ram. I think Gingerbread was 384Mb. I have read that Lollipop has even higher system requirements. My question is, what are they adding? I don't miss anything having gone back to Gingerbread. What are they doing to Android, that it requires such faster cpu, gpu, and ram?
I read about how "improved" these new versions of Android are over their predecessors, but as an end user, I don't find anything worthwhile. Granted, support will continue to be dropped for Gingerbread... but at the moment, my set of apps do everything I need. Can someone tell me something I can't do right now on Gingerbread?

Will.i.am iAm+ Puls loading another ROM

Hey,
I recently acquired a Will.i.am iAm+ Puls, and want to see if I can load full android on it (it's currently running a forked version of 4.1). It's an awful product, but heck figured it might be fun to try to load full android on it or even android wear and see what I can do. Problem is, it does not look like it has any USB connectivity, so would need some suggestion on how to load a ROM on it otherwise as I'm unfamiliar with how to do it.
If anyone could provide any guidance that would be great
For the curious here's some specs:
1.7-inch PMOLED Display
dual core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon
1GB RAM
16GB of storage
GSM 3G
WiFi
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS
pedometer (not actually sure if it has it.. isn't surfaced in UI)
accelerometer (not actually sure if it has it.. isn't surfaced in UI)
Sorry.. I'm new, but should this have actually been posted in Q&A?

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