Related
Can anybody recommend what I would need in order to use my XDA-II as a satellite navigation system for my car? I believe I would need a GPS receiver, but unsure of which are the better options. I would be hoping to do this for under £100 if possible. Can anybody recommend anything or give me a link to some reviews?
Thanks,
Allan
PLEASE do a search around this forum before asking such a question.
YES we're ere to help each other
BUT
YES there is load of info allready available.
I have had a search through the forum but all the relevant posts are over 6 months old, and there are no indication of price.
Does anybody have any advice?
Thanks
Allan
I dont think last months discusions on carkits are > 6 months old.
The pricing info is still valid.
Carkits were introduced between may and july this year.
Good carkits are from Expansys (iMate / XDAII carkit), T-Mobile (MDA II carkit), Qtek (Qtek2020 carkit), Yeti.
All have specific (dis)advantages.
Decent cradle is from Carcomm and maybe Seidio.
If i say more, I can just as weel copy the other threads in.
allanmb
I'm new to this too, so I researched the subject as well as I could and this is what I've found since I unwrapped my 'surprise' (!) GPS package at Christmas...
First of all, the package itself. I (sorry, Santa) went for a PDAMods bundle (sixth one down on http://www.pdamods.com/products.asp?cat=104) of Rikaline X7 Bluetooth GPS, TomTom 3 and the Silver Shield powered mount with built-in speaker. Let's look at these one at a time.
Rikaline X7 I was attracted to this model by its replaceable battery, long battery life and no on/off switch. I upgraded my O2 XdaII to the 1.72 ROM from the O2 website before trying to bond it (so cannot comment on different brands or earlier ROMs), but when I did so it bonded immediately. You simply hold a button down for 5 seconds + to activate Bluetooth discoverable mode, pair with the XdaII in the normal manner and that's it. I also use a Jabra BT250 headset in the car, and have tested it with an incoming call whilst in TomTom nav mode - whilst admittedly I don't yet know whether the voice prompts still work during a call (because I was on a straight when the call came in), all that was necessary after hanging up was to close the phone app and there was the map again, bang on as usual. Accuracy is - well, phenomenal, I would guess within 5 metres most of the time, and I see little or no lag, except (slightly) on the heading in turns at junctions. All that is necessary to activate the Rikaline is to start TomTom on the XdaII; likewise, it reverts to 'sleep' mode when you exit TomTom at the end of the journey. There is really no need to turn off Bluetooth on the XdaII, so no chance of you missing calls on your headset because you forgot to turn it back on later.
TomTom 3 My software is v.3.03. I have downloaded the upgrade to v 3.07 to my home PC, but I have not yet installed it on the XdaII because I haven't yet encountered any problems - call it 'on-condition maintenance', or 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. There are some new roads in my area that are not shown, and some of the TomTom-provided POIs are slightly misplaced - although if you were really in the middle of nowhere and looking to fill up a petrol can I can't see you going too far wrong! Personally I find the 3D map presentation very useful - tried the 2D version today and didn't find it anywhere near as intuitive.
Silver Shield Mount The XdaII really needs to be powered whilst you nav. Obviously, the Rikaline looks after itself (I'm already convinced that only on really long runs or stints away from home would the in-car charging lead need to be taken along), but you'll flatten the battery on the XdaII much earlier then your GPS dies if you set it to keep the screen backlight on all the time on the internal battery. The Silver Shield mount also includes a built-in speaker, but as you will know from your searches on these fora the XdaII can only pump out phone audio through the bottom connector - so this enhanced audio facility requires a silly little coiled lead to be connected from the XdaII's headphone socket (bottom right) to the appropriate socket on the mount (top left). I have found that the right-angled jack plug on the provided lead prevents a snug fit on the mount and can cause an intermittent connection which can lose you your backlighting/charging at critical moments. For the mean time, I have stopped using the external speaker, and have found the volume on the XdaII speaker to be adequate for speeds up to 60mph; I will be trying motorway speeds tomorrow on a long run (Oxford - Kent). I think that the problem might well be solved anyway by shaving the offending corner off the moulded jack plug.
All in all, I'm very impressed and enjoying using my new system. I recommend it.
Cheers
Gadget :roll:
I would suggest going to www.ebay.co.uk and search either xda or navigation. There are many low priced systems on offer.
Silly little coiled lead
Hi all
Did Oxfordshire - Bluewater and back yesterday, including a full circuit of the M25, and found the Xda II's built-in speaker quite adequate in my convertible (roof up). Have now decided that I don't really need the silly little coiled lead, although I'm still going to trim the corner off for use in the summer when the roof is down.
Still b****y impressed.
Gadget :roll:
Allanmb
I have gps working on my Jam. If you need further help please E mail me.
Feel free to ask what you like if you can't find what you want in SEARCH, I don't mind helping out!!!
I'm loving destinator 3 on the xda II never crashes and has been updated some 50 times since it had an algorithm problem,
you can take calls and flick back to another screen with no problem. I got the Destinator whole of europe a XDA2 power supply / serial GPS 256MB Ram all for 160 + VAT and very happy since I got badly lost just before it arrived.
have fun
Hi, i have a question for y'all that have GPS working on your xdaII. I have a Bluetooth GPS receiver that does not "communicate" the position to my Qtek 2020 (it seems like it does not find any satellite)! Could it be because of the software i use (Mapsonic)? The receiver uses the NMEA standard 2.2, while the software requires a receiver that requires 2.0 (it's more advanced the one of the receiver...so why should i have problems...?)! Do you think i should find another software? Which one? My receiver is this:
http://www.acte.no/techstuff/gps/BT-R500.htm
In case anybody has this receiver, plesae tell me what software you are using.
thanks in advance
It's pretty good,
My first concern was that the sound quality was going to be rubbish, like when you listen to music with a mono BT headset, something I never did because aswell as being mono it also cut all of the clarity from the music ! fortunatly I can report the music makes it through in hi quality sound
My second concern was that the audio player was not going to work properly fortunatly although not perfect it's working quite well !! most notably the track listing is not showing in the screen, the biggest down side is that it stutters a bit from time to time, not so much that you want to throw it aginst a wall, but enough to be mildly irritating (seems to be linked to a bit rate issue) . also rewind and FF do not work with the universal, but next/previous track does, as does pause and auto pause on phone ring. I am a bit dissapointed that nokia did not include any kind of equalizer settings I personally would like some more bass.
The phone side is quite impressive I like the ability to quickly redial the last number or voice dial however due to the same limitations as the audio player it is currently not displaying peoples names only their number !! otherwise works quite well.
The FM RDS radio is a nice addition, it works well considering the aerial is the strap around your neck
my biggest overall gripe (ie wont be fixed by a firmware upgrade) is the shape of the earpieces, for a company that have been making headsets for this long these are awfull, it's like wedging big uncomfortable lugs in your ears, the real jasjar earpieces are way more comfy (and have better bass response)
So far only tested with media player as reports would indicate that for now A2DP only works with media player
Re: My Review of the Nokis HS-12W A2DP BT Headset
ice_coffee said:
I am a bit dissapointed that nokia did not include any kind of equalizer settings I personally would like some more bass.
So far only tested with media player as reports would indicate that for now A2DP only works with media player
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once the Pocket Music and Pocket Player people get on top of it, you can have remote control with their programs, as both offer equaliser/preamp.
Both are working on it.
Cool I look forward to it !!!
I have got to the bottom of my stuttering !! it is nothing more than signal strength, but I dont see why it is happening !! its hard to explain but the signal is not as robust as when you are just using it for phone calls. it claims 10 Meters and its true that in an open area with devices able to see each other both phone call and music will just about manage 10M however if you put an obstacle in the way (like a door) , where as the phone would continue to work the music player will not !! infact for 100% reliable music you are looking at 1 meter (open air) , and half that again if your phone is buried deep in your pocket.
check my review here:
http://www.mobileplanet.com/forumthread.asp?code=121010&thread=2
Guys whats your range like, i get no more than a meter away from my phone and the sound drops out, also have a hiss in the background that is really annoying at low volumes any thoughts ???
I did mention the whole 1 meter thing in my second post !!! I can't hear any hiss ( none loud enough to degrade the music anyway !!) tested with my Exec at full volume and media player also at full volume but the headset at minimum volume, ( thus giving the headset the best signal to noise ratio to play with )
ice_coffee said:
It's pretty good,
My first concern was that the sound quality was going to be rubbish, like when you listen to music with a mono BT headset, something I never did because aswell as being mono it also cut all of the clarity from the music ! fortunatly I can report the music makes it through in hi quality sound
My second concern was that the audio player was not going to work properly fortunatly although not perfect it's working quite well !! most notably the track listing is not showing in the screen, the biggest down side is that it stutters a bit from time to time, not so much that you want to throw it aginst a wall, but enough to be mildly irritating (seems to be linked to a bit rate issue) . also rewind and FF do not work with the universal, but next/previous track does, as does pause and auto pause on phone ring. I am a bit dissapointed that nokia did not include any kind of equalizer settings I personally would like some more bass.
The phone side is quite impressive I like the ability to quickly redial the last number or voice dial however due to the same limitations as the audio player it is currently not displaying peoples names only their number !! otherwise works quite well.
The FM RDS radio is a nice addition, it works well considering the aerial is the strap around your neck
my biggest overall gripe (ie wont be fixed by a firmware upgrade) is the shape of the earpieces, for a company that have been making headsets for this long these are awfull, it's like wedging big uncomfortable lugs in your ears, the real jasjar earpieces are way more comfy (and have better bass response)
So far only tested with media player as reports would indicate that for now A2DP only works with media player
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please tell me one thing: I've seen the unwired.net review state that the headset can connect simultaneously to a headset profile and A2DP profile, but only if coming from the same device, meaning that you cannot have A2DP coming from your PDA and Headset coming from your phone. Is this true? The guy said it was a preproduction model and firmware can be changed, so could you please tell me if this is in your model too?
Yes, this is true. It can only connect with one device at the same time.
roma said:
Yes, this is true. It can only connect with one device at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That means this device is crippled, as it is very common for one to have music on one device and use another as a phone...
Do you know of any other product that offers the same opportunities in a similar form factor desides this one? I've found this one from Sony Ericsson http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp...der&php=php1_10394&zone=pp&lm=pp4_1&pid=10394 but it does not have radio.
I'm looking for something very close with this Nokia headset. Only one thing left, that I think very important. I want to be able to unplug the earphones from the unit. This is important, so that when we get to the airplane, we can unplug it and still use the same earphones connected directly to the Uni without the BT on.
Secondly, it will enable the unit to be plugged into Car Audio AUX input.
I have saw a couple of headsets that have this feature, from GlobalSat, and from itech. But both do not have caller ID screen.
http://www.usglobalsat.com/item.asp?itemid=98
In short, I want something like this Nokia, but detachable earphones like the Globalsat or itech.
I'll probably be getting this as well very soon. Just one thing, has anyone tried it with wizard and if so, what was it like?
Anyone know where to get one in the US? All links found so far are sellers in the UK.
im sure expansys US are selling it !!
Since my review I have tried it with a nokia phone and it performs better, the issue with signal strength from 50CM or less through you body has been improved. The main problem might be the positioning of the BT chip in the UNI, this may never be fully resolved !!! unless someone can hack the UNI firmware to tell the BT chip to broadcast with more power than it should.
ice_coffee said:
im sure expansys US are selling it !!
Since my review I have tried it with a nokia phone and it performs better, the issue with signal strength from 50CM or less through you body has been improved. The main problem might be the positioning of the BT chip in the UNI, this may never be fully resolved !!! unless someone can hack the UNI firmware to tell the BT chip to broadcast with more power than it should.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, i will look at their site.
I bought the Nokia a few weeks ago but havent really tested until today. After reflashing the rom on my BA and installing the A2DP cab it works very well. Range is good with line of sight and the controls work ok. Only thing is an occasonal sound dropout of under a second, which has already been mentioned. Not enough to be a problem so far. Sound could use a bit more bass but that can be solved with a player that has an eq. Overall im happy with the Nokia.
I've had this headset for a week and am very pleased with it. Before this one I had the bluetake i-phono mini 450rx and they weren't half as good. This headset connects quikly, plays music with good sound, the radio is good with the programming of the radio stations literally being a minutes work. And most importantly, I can have a decent conversation with someone without problems. I experience stuttering ebery once in a while. But as commented above the range isn't great, but it's good enough to live with. The only downside at the moment is that I have to use windows media player that needs the playlist to be set up every time and the remote control doesn't work after a while of listening to music or after using other apps. I hope that this is a software issue. Before I had my mda I always had nokia phones because they were the best developed in their music functions. This headset strikes me as being the same good technology combined with A2DP. So in the whole I am very happy with this headset. I don't mind the earphones, I think they're comfy (far better than the original mda pro headset which gave bad sound and wasn't stable or comfy), everybody their own preferences. If I had to go for an alternative to this headset, I would go for the sony ericsson HBH DS970, but I didn't have the patience to wait for it and it doesn't have a radio built in. The only downside to choosing the universal was that it doesn't have a radio (something I've had in my nokia's for a while). Now my universal it complete and I am one proud universal owner!
ng
you can use the pocketmusic.You have to buy it but it works fine with the HS-12W. All the AVRCP commands works.
The HS-12W its really great. The only downside its that the universal dont use all of his functions. No ID caller, no play list in display, no message alert.
I belive that there is a software problem. I hope someone finds the solution.
But dont getr me wrong: the HS-12W is great.
I wouldnt say the HS-12W was great at all
my review:-
*sounds quality is good, but you can't unplug and plug in your own headphones.
*completely unergonomic design, Nokia should take a lesson from Sony on ergonomic remote designs, each button should 'feel' different. Each time I want to do something on the nOkia I have to actually look at it.
* it's pretty ugly, anyway no where near as nice as the HBH-DS970 (or whatver it's called ) the sony ericson one.
but as far as the basic connection, streaming that all works very well.
all just my humble opinion so take with pinch of salt
Here is a link to a user review of the sony ericsson headset http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?p=7463154#post7463154
I personally prefer the Nokia as it has a radio and the construction is solid. Also no problems resuming music after a call.
Everybody his own opinion, it all depends on what you want from a headset.
In any case I'm happy with this headset but agree that the headset has more possibilities than the universal uses, maybe in time there will be an update or something. But untill that time it works fine.
About pocket music, I'm not sure it works so great. I downloaded the trial version and tested it with some music, but the remote control didn't respond. Maybe I should try it again. I want to be sure the software is worth it for me before I buy it.
I've used three SX66 vairiants of the Blue Angle and all of them have Crappy Bluetooth reception. You have to have the phone is your shirt pocket on the side where the headset is.
I know its not the headset as we have tried 4 headsets and they all work great with other Bluetooth phones. I can answer my Nokia phone from 2 offices down the hall with my Logitech Traveler. On my SX66 I cant answer it from my Cargo Pants Pocket with out getting masive static.
All the SX66s I've used are the BT v 3900...
Any Suggestions?
Same Friggin' problem
I have been up all night searching for an answer to this as I thought it was perhaps a problem related to upgrading. Then I remembered it was doing it before I upgraded. I wonder if it has anything to do with radio version, etc.
I would really, REALLY hate to go back to using the default earplugs that tangle if you think too hard.
Come on guys, is there a BT reception fix I'm overlooking? I was in a conference call yesterday from home and it sounded like someone was balling up candy wrappers in the phone on my end and the other's until I had to disable the headset and continue with the XDA IIs to my ear. :evil:
no bluetooth fix sorry.
radio has nothing to do with bluetooth
Reception really suck.....hope someone here can help....
I've been looking at this issue as well.
Per the nekkid blue angel pictures from the wiki, the bluetooth antenna looks to be a tiny chip looking thing...
Has anyone considered (or even did) replacing it with something a bit more substantial?
The wifi antenna is kind of small as well. GSM antenna looks OK.
try I Tech Clip II mini.
this is what I have been using for the past 4 months and has been great.
I have tried different types of Jabra BT, Mobile traveller.. none has worked and waste of money.
until i find this one... works great.
jdc said:
Per the nekkid blue angel pictures from the wiki, the bluetooth antenna looks to be a tiny chip looking thing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Jdc,
I cant find the pic you are talking about, if you could give me a pointer to where the bluetooth antenna is I see if I can come up with anything.
nuttja said:
Hi Jdc,
I cant find the pic you are talking about, if you could give me a pointer to where the bluetooth antenna is I see if I can come up with anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=BA_Technical
and
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=BlueangelNakedPictures
I can't find the page that lists which one is which now (naturally once I'm looking for it, it hides), but IIRC the wifi antenna is that small clipish looking thing at D-20, the bluish one at H-20 is the bluetooth, and the big green thing at the top of the board (letters C-K, numbers 1-6) is the GSM antenna.
Looking closer at the board, it would almost appear that there is an external antenna hookup as well for the wifi?
If I didn't have a cracked screen, I'd take mine apart to find out. I'm worried that if I did, the screen would totally stop working. :-(
That seems a bad location for the BT aerial to me with the charge socket at the back and all that shielding above.
I read an article about moding a usb dongle :
http://www.pentest.co.uk/documents/bt_dongle_mod/bt_dongle_mod.html
I’m thinking maybe we could try something similar on the Blue Angel but with an internal aerial in a better location, a bit like these ones on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200142840418
what do you all think?
nuttja said:
That seems a bad location for the BT aerial to me with the charge socket at the back and all that shielding above.
I read an article about moding a usb dongle :
http://www.pentest.co.uk/documents/bt_dongle_mod/bt_dongle_mod.html
I’m thinking maybe we could try something similar on the Blue Angel but with an internal aerial in a better location, a bit like these ones on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200142840418
what do you all think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, it is a bad location. Especially if one considers that often, one holds the unit in hand at that location, covering up the antennas.
Assuming that is the bluetooth antenna (I'm fairly sure it is, considering that is looks similar to the one in the dongle you linked to), I would think that it would be better to use one of those wifi antennas in the ebay link (or something similar) and try to keep everything internal to the phone. Since bluetooth does run on the same frequency as wifi, in theory, it should work.
No one wants to use a phone with a bunch of wires hanging off of it, otherwise why would we be complaining about the bluetooth range?
Now, if that other connector looking part is the wifi, the battery normally covers it. Unless there is a way to extend that to another user added jack, the same idea(s) for the bluetooth would apply.
I do not know how tight the clearances are inside the angle, as I've never opened mine. one would think that there might be a way to run the antenna wire on the inside of the back, or along the sides of the plastics. Perhaps around the GSM antenna area? Or would that cause too much interference to the phone/bt/wifi?
smtownsend said:
I've used three SX66 vairiants of the Blue Angle and all of them have Crappy Bluetooth reception. You have to have the phone is your shirt pocket on the side where the headset is.
I know its not the headset as we have tried 4 headsets and they all work great with other Bluetooth phones. I can answer my Nokia phone from 2 offices down the hall with my Logitech Traveler. On my SX66 I cant answer it from my Cargo Pants Pocket with out getting masive static.
All the SX66s I've used are the BT v 3900...
Any Suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Love the read about this, but there was quite a discussion about this problem when the BA was released. I argued it with orange for pretty much the entire length of my contract, it was a faulty bluetooth driver. and surprisingly enough O2 and t-mobile got it right with their XDAIIs and the MDA III firmware's but Orange didn't get it right till almost about a year or more later. needless to say it started working after i pugraded the firmware later on. since then i'm now runnign t-mobiles firmware on it with the o2 active program ( hahaha yea best of both ) and it's been fine for me. So look into upgrading to any of the offical roms from whatever network your looking for, if' you've already unlocked the phone, great as should remain unlocked, if doesn't just re-run the unlocker
cyberjak said:
surprisingly enough O2 and t-mobile got it right with their XDAIIs and the MDA III firmware's but Orange didn't get it right till almost about a year or more later.
So look into upgrading to any of the offical roms from whatever network your looking for
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is an XDA iis form O2 with the last offical O2 firmware wm2003 1.40.242 WWE on, I`ve also tried T-mobiles 1.42 and upgraded the radio to 1.15 but bluetooth still sucks with a headset!
Maybe you got lucky or maybe its the headset you are using.
Bluetooth reception
Has anyone got an update on this subject since Aug 07?
I have the SX-66 version (Cingular/AT&T)
I have had this phone Since the middle of 2006.
I have upgraded to what I believe is the most up to date programming mods that are available: (other than WM5/6, of which I have planned to do in the near future, I have tons of software and utilities that only run in 2003 edition and I would have to reacquire.)
BA---PH20B1
WM2003 2nd edition
Ver. 1.42.00 WWE
Build date: 09/05/05
Radio Ver.: 1.15.00
Protocol: 1337.45
ExtROM: 1.40.125 WWE
BT- PPC/PE Ver.: 1.0.0.3900
The thing about Modding the chip or placing an antennae jack IS that, all of which that is exposed, in the naked pics of the Blue Angel, are all in fact, canned and can be difficult to expose, to do any modding, without micro precision equipment and a steady hand. I have accomplished modding regular cell phones this way, however, this device is a bit more at risk and can get expensive and messy. I have a few boards, I have acquired through buying spare parts for mine in the case of accidents, of which I have performed with ALL the help of these forums. I will work on this, at this point IF you folks do not have any other alternatives, outside hanging pointless wires hanging around (me thinks that is WHY the bluetooth and wireless technologies were implemented?) With any success, I will report, outside failure, with some sort of procedure and details, that maybe someone with a bit more knowledge and expertise can modify to a possible easier closure on this REAL problem. Sure there are maybe better devices that can, maybe measure up to this Blue Angel, but I love my Angel, even with the flaws!
It has been a great challenge and all of the possibilities that XDA development has brought to the table.
In the last 2 years I have had this phone this is my FIRST posting.
The Bluetooth has been my ONLY real problem. I have to carry it in my shirt pocket using a BT headset and it is still really bad at that. I have used some of the best headsets and gone to great expense, to try and alleviate what I thought, by chance, that I could have finally found one that would superceid
the problem, however, to no avail, I still have the same problem.
If by chance that I could actually find a bigger chip, I think I would have to have the right drivers for it and will have to lead a command string, I am guessing through going to the kitchen and cooking up some ExtROM for the 'moddapplication'?
Blackberry has, I think, one of the strongest chips available. I have a 7100t that i could answer from 300 ft of a house with walls. My 650 isn't that good.
I apologize for being long winded, I suppose I am catching up from not communicating in the past, but I followed the rules of this site, and I haven't needed to ask a question and not needed to help someone else, because you guys have had the answers in these forums. Without further a'due........
Finally, if you have any FRESH ideas or direction on this bluetooth delima, outside using a can opener, .........***please***, let me know............
Best regards,
gcopher
http://www.michellebrown-and-mmd.com
A quick bit of background, I have recently sold my car that had a factory fit wince media centre fitted, and although locked down I miss the navigation and ease of use in my new car. The new car is actually a 10 year old Mazda MX5 NC (MK3) and currently has the stock radio which I'm thinking of upgrading.
I have figured I had 2 choices, either an all singing android unit, or a regular manufactures unit which supports Apple AirPlay. I figured that would still give me the basics of what I need, and probably with no potential for things to go wrong Anyway I like a challenge and the though of having more possible functionality I think is winning the argument for getting an android unit, but I have a few final questions from people in the know!
I have bene looking at a couple of units that look pretty similar spec wise (cornet me if I'm wrong) :-
Pumpkin AE0273B, XTRONS TE706PL. I was posting links to them but I'm not allowed yet So you will have to google for the exact details if needed.
So onto the questions :
1. I see a lot of the connectivity is via USB, and If I were to add several of the extras (E.g DAB+, 3/4G, DashCam, Phone) I would ned more USB ports than supplied (The XTRONS has 3, but the Pumpkin only 2). Can I just use a USB hub to get more ports like on a computer? If yes I'm assuming a powered one would be better as those accessories all need power.
2. I currently have a simple dash cam that just records video and audio in a loop onto an SD card all the time the ignition is on. Each file is about 2 mins long and I get about 4 hours recording before it starts to overwrite older files. This works great as I can forget about it and in 3 years, have never had to even look at the footage, and hopefully never will. But it gives peace of mind. I see you can get a USB one that I'm sure will have much better user interface if I want to play back footage. My existing camera has a phono out which I could connect to an AUX input to use the screen, but would still have the fiddly buttons to press on the camera behind my mirror.
Does the DVR app on the unit with the USB camera just crack on and record stuff in a similar I can forget about it way, and its just all there if I need it in the future. Or do I need to do something every time I turn the ignition on? Where does it record the footage, do I need to provide an additional SD card?
3. I see there are often 2 SD card slots, one marked for maps, the other presumably for music. Is there actually any difference, or are these just 2 mount points in the system that get used for anything? This question just came to me when thinking about the camera above. It wasn't actually on my list!
4. I'm worried that with a convertible car I'm not going to be able to see the screen due to the huge amount of ambient or even direct sun light. I have heard that there are anti-glare filters which could help a bit, but is this going to be a problem for me when it comes to navigating etc? Are the screens on the standard manufacture units (e.g. Pioneer etc) any better. In other words would I be better off sacrificing the cool stuff and getting a straight CarPlay unit that would be bright enough to see?
5. Lots os talk about rooting the device. What are the actual advantages of doing this? Are there some killer apps that make this a worth while exercise?
I appreciate its a long post and there are lots of questions, so a big thank you in advance for any of the questions you might be able to answer.
Regards
Ben
EDIT: forgot to mention — almost all units are identical to one another. They all have almost identical MTCD/MTCE MCU boards with the same audio/radio/wifi/Bluetooth chips (there are exceptions). And the main SoC is gonna be a PX5 with 4 GB of ram. So outside of that you want build quality (buttons, screen, plastic) and if it’s made to fit your car already.
First off, check out Joying units which have Carplay built in as well (and they have Octa core 4gb android 8.0 double din universal ones).
Next, yes you’d be able to use a USB hub and yes a powered one is best. Get one that works off of 12v and wire it in for a clean solution (so you always have a powered hub in your glove box for instance)
There are dash cams that the head unit manufacturers will sell you that you can leave plugged into your unit and they will auto record as you say. You basically don’t have to touch them, and just open the necessary app if you wanna change settings, or lock/save a file.
The 2 SD card slots are identical but one of them is meant to be always-in for GPS maps (for the Navi that the seller pre-loads sometimes). Also for firmware updates the GPS slot is the only one it boots from.
Glare depends heavily on the angle that your dash positions the screen at, so it’s hard to say. But yeah sometimes the sun hits it just right and there’s pretty much nothing you can do. Happens on oem units too.
Rooting isn’t super necessary but depending on how much you want to tinker it adds nice features like apps staying open after sleep, and the ability to customize the way everything looks. That said, there’s a lot in the way of customization that’s already available. Check malaysk’s custom ROM though. It’s pretty stable and the inclusion of viper4android alone is worth the hassle (in my opinion)
Hope this helps!
So it looks to me like there are 3 generic systems that have been badged up, one with a knob at the top, one with a knob at the bottom, and one without a knob.
The ones with the knobs seem to have the slightly newer TDA7851 amp chip, and the one with out uses the older TDA7850, which is a shame as I prefer the look of just buttons.
The Xtrons unit has a 3rd USB, which saves having to get a USB hub.
The Joying has the benefit of the built in ZLink, but as its software it does mean you loose that benefit if you use a different rom.
And there are various options on the back of the units, some have small wifi antenna built in, some have connectors for an external one.
It all make for lots of extra decisions!!
After getting Whitehouse support from Pumpkin, I would only buy Dasaita now. I just ordered a Dasaita PX5 4GB Oreo to replace my Pumpkin PX3 2GB.
So today is the day, after doing good bit of reading to try to study up on the the current crop of potentials for new phone.
Wife and I migrating from H918 LG V20's. Gonna miss the replaceable battery, headphone jack, and SD card slot, but had to do something. Down to about a month now, at least according to the SMS alerts from T-MO.
So picked up 2 LE2125's today. Was looking at few others with the OnePlus 10 Pro as my next choice, but since LineageOS is important in my world view, neither 9 or 10 Pro have SD card slots, and the sands of time running low for my wife's V20, I couldn't wait to see if OnePlus ever got around to releasing a *US* unlocked 12GB/256GB version of the 10 Pro, and anything Samsung is fuhgeddaboudit I don't care how nice their displays might be.
Seems like a pretty bleak time, comparatively, to be looking for a smartphone that covers all the bases. At least compared to features my V20 has. Gonna miss those but if nothing else they might make good network video cameras.
I don't have any illusions about OnePlus/Oppo caring much about what I want in a phone, but I would like OnePlus to know that lack of a 12GB/256GB storage OnePlus 10 Pro US model cost them the sale of 2 OnePlus 10 Pro's today. I was also a bit disappointed in lack of mmWave 5G radios in the 10 Pro while the 9 Pro has n258, 260, and 261 bands, but that wasn't really a dealbreaker for my wife's or my own usage pattern or interests
BTW If anybody at OnePlus/Oppo DOES want to know what people are interested in a phone and you really want to stand out from the rest of the crowd, I bet the market would respond favorably if you put a model out that has an SD Card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. I could be wrong, but I don't think so.
These are unlocked phones, we have T Mobile service and SIM's and figure if worst comes to worst for some reason and we decide it is time to move on from TMO, the phones' specs seem to support VZW LTE and the current crop of 5G VZW towers as well. 'bout the only other cell provider we would even consider.
Anywho, the adventure begins.
VelosterM14 said:
So today is the day, after doing good bit of reading to try to study up on the the current crop of potentials for new phone.
Wife and I migrating from H918 LG V20's. Gonna miss the replaceable battery, headphone jack, and SD card slot, but had to do something. Down to about a month now, at least according to the SMS alerts from T-MO.
So picked up 2 LE2125's today. Was looking at few others with the OnePlus 10 Pro as my next choice, but since LineageOS is important in my world view, neither 9 or 10 Pro have SD card slots, and the sands of time running low for my wife's V20, I couldn't wait to see if OnePlus ever got around to releasing a 12GB/256GB version of the 10 Pro, and anything Samsung is fuhgeddaboudit I don't care how nice their displays might be.
Seems like a pretty bleak time, comparatively, to be looking for a smartphone that covers all the bases. At least compared to features my V20 has. Gonna miss those but if nothing else they might make good network video cameras.
I don't have any illusions about OnePlus/Oppo caring much about what I want in a phone, but I would like OnePlus to know that lack of a 12GB/256GB storage OnePlus 10 Pro US model cost them the sale of 2 OnePlus 10 Pro's today. I was also a bit disappointed in lack of mmWave 5G radios in the 10 Pro while the 9 Pro has n258, 260, and 261 bands, but that wasn't really a dealbreaker for my wife's or my own usage pattern or interests
BTW If anybody at OnePlus/Oppo DOES want to know what people are interested in a phone and you really want to stand out from the rest of the crowd, I bet the market would respond favorably if you put a model out that has an SD Card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack. I could be wrong, but I don't think so.
These are unlocked phones, we have T Mobile service and SIM's and figure if worst comes to worst for some reason and we decide it is time to move on from TMO, the phones' specs seem to support VZW LTE and the current crop of 5G VZW towers as well. 'bout the only other cell provider we would even consider.
Anywho, the adventure begins.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have OnePlus 10 pro 12 256.
In public room, will i hear music, and i have no jack port to my headphones. .
So I bought cheap adapter on Chinese website. Now can I hear music with my adapter connected to phone.
I'm using the LE2125 on Verizon Network better Xfinity. You wont miss anythingi it s all working even 5uW. Only thing to do put your SIM-Card inside and go.
JonasHS said:
I have OnePlus 10 pro 12 256.
In public room, will i hear music, and i have no jack port to my headphones. .
So I bought cheap adapter on Chinese website. Now can I hear music with my adapter connected to phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, a US version or Int'l/EU/India or something?
but yea, I resigned myself to having to buy headphone adapter to solve that problem.
The general public gives no care for SD slots or 3.5mm jacks and these phone companies have made clear that they don't wish to cater to the <1% of their market share that comes from people like us who might care (while I wouldn't object to an SD card slot, I would never use a 3.5mm jack and I haven't had an SD slot in so long that I have learned to live without it) so those particular wishes fall on deaf ears unfortunately.
As for your other wishes, you can find what you want on Amazon. Since you're on the T-Mobile network, it's a great fit.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XWHY8ZX/
I get it... headphone jack may not be for everybody. Me, well let's just say that I've got my reasons. For a good long while I was chained to a desk in corporate IT cubeworld, surrounded by noisy people. I needed headphones and a good collection of music to drown out the.... lack of productivity generally going on around me. It was also hard to be very productive in my line of work with music cranked up in my ears, but at least I got to pick the noise, which was never the case there around my desk at the office.
Sadly, in my searching tonight for a USB-C headphone jack adapter, I've not seen one yet with a built-in charger input that you can do both simultaneously (charge AND listen to music at the same time -- or charge and participate in a call over the headset) on a OnePlus, although other brands seem to be able to. So if I ever do have to go back to cubeworld again (hopefully not), especially at the current peanut dispenser, this will surely bite me in hindermost parts at some point, ie, needing to charge AND keep the music going at the same time. Or face the certain peril of my phone having to recharge while the next bagel party is planned or other mindless, non-productive blibber blabber occurs around me...
So I don't see buying a USB-C to headphone adapter as a very good solution. I did find one that looks nice and doesn't cost very much (like a good shrubbery) which I ordered, but I'll have to settle for not being able to charge simultaneously. I'll admit to being a little salty about that.
Musicians are another example of a group of people who tend to prefer wired over bluetooth/wireless monitors/headphones for pretty good reason. Especially drummers. When even what you are hearing in your ears lags behind realtime...
So it has taken me a long time to settle on a phone, lack of headphone jack being among the main reasons. It's funny at least to me how they can justify the real estate for more and more camera eyes and sensors (but still fall so short of truly breathtaking camera performance) -- but on flagship models their marketing people also want you to believe are a pro audio platform, you either have to have bluetooth audio or buy an adapter, because they just don't have the room (or the market demand?) for a 3.5mm headphone jack.
I'm perfectly OK with people not seeing things my way, but in my book, bluetooth cans/IEM's/earbuds are also just something else that have to be recharged when the battery is drained. The marketing people may tell you cords are tangly and a hassle for joggers and other people with active lifestyles -- my take on that is a little diferent. At least when the wired earbuds fall out of your ears, they are still attached to something you can probably grab before they get away from you.
The SD card slot, well it's another thing related to having a decent music collection on my phone and room for backups and various root/mod/etc things handy without using up the device's storage. But with 256GB I will survive. I would not have been able to suffer 128GB though.
These little obsoletions are the sorts of things they call "progress" these days. I tend to have pretty good reasons for knowing what I want. It's just getting harder and harder to find anymore. I'm pretty used to the world going the other way though. It's just really been picking up the pace lately.
But at least I was able to find something well supported by LineageOS and by what I've been reading around, has decent moddability and tools etc.
Hopefully these will last a good long time.
EDIT/PS: I sat down and compared the radio band support of the 9 Pro and 10 Pro, along with coverage bands my current carrier TMO and the only other one we would ever consider switching to supports (if TMO really goes bad somehow, VZW would be most likely escape route but we are not really big VZW fans after many years of customer abuse, why we switched to TMO) . There's not much of difference between 9/10 for bands support really but for those times we do go out and about, those mmWave bands the 9 Pro supports would be useful, and are used/supported by both carriers we care about in our area.
Something like this Y cable is what you would need.
USB c to 3.5mm Headphone and Charger Adapter,2-in-1 USB C PD 3.0 Charging Port to Aux Audio Jack and Fast Charging Dongle Cable Cord Compatible with Samsung S21 S20 S20+ Ultra, Google Pixel 4 3 XL… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GYRH6YM/
I see your argument for 3.5mm, I'm just saying most consumers have moved on to Bluetooth. My Sony WH-1000XM3s have a 30 hour battery life so it would be near impossible to kill them without an opportunity to charge them and I'm plenty happy with the sound quality.
mmWave is largely useless on T-Mobile. I wouldn't make a decision based on that since the coverage is insanely limited. T-Mobile's n41 midband is what you really want.
EDIT: Actually, looks like OnePlus killed the ability to charge and play at the same time in software. It died in 2020 and was still dead in this thread so you may be SOL.
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Yep, bluetooth may be more practical or convenient for others.
It's a shame about the inability to charge and use the headset at same time. But I see this as another example of... well, it could be a lot things. But it wasn't that long ago at all that a simple thing like that would have been a given. Something you could take for granted within a phone's specs or capabilities because, the people defining criteria or design for a phone were not developing in a vacuum. It was just common sense.
Over the many years I have been paying attention and participating in technology at work and at play, there seem to be less of those "no brainer" type of givens. As if the people designing things don't ever use them, and aren't listening to people who do use them.
Great example, totally unrelated but it really reinforces the point, at least to me. Our car is a Hyundai SUV with an "ultimate" package of features, trim, etc. One of the most insane, ridiculously stupid things I have ever seen in the interior passenger compartment of a car is the simulated wood trim the dashboard of this SUV is festooned with, from left to right.
Some genius at Hyundai, or a whole team full of them, probably all with college degrees in marketing, sociology, or business decided that the top of line model of this SUV needed to have a super high-gloss finish on all of the interior imitation wood veneer trim. In their minds, this is probably the pinnacle of bling - I can almost hear them saying "ooooh, shiney!" This was their idea of luxury.
The reality of the matter is quite different, however. As the owner and driver of this vehicle, I dread driving on sunny days when the sun will reflect off the dashboard AND BLINDS ME WHILE I AM DRIVING. Right through my sunglasses sometimes.
Of course I am aware of this and it seldom catches me off guard. But it is inevitable that circumstances will (mis)align from time to time.
Anybody who had any sense would have never put high gloss finish on anything around the dashboard on the interior of a motor vehicle. Nobody in the 60's did. (I used to work on old classics)
But if you asked them why they thought high-gloss imitation wood veneer on the dashboard was a good idea, they would probably have several reasons that would make sense to a lot of people. People who don't have to drive one of them every day....
By the time we realized this was a problem it was too late, the car was ours and the paperwork was signed.
There used to be a lot more things you didn't have to research or think about so hard when you were shopping.
Sure do miss the good old days.
PS: The mmWave support of the 9 Pro wasn't really a make or break feature for us, we aren't out and about all that much anyway even if they do have a bunch of those towers in the (2nd largest in the US and fastest growing) metro area we are kind of stuck living in right now. Just that we might actually get some use out of it from time to time. I *KNOW* I'll definitely make use of the extra storage on the 9 Pro than can be had in a US market 10 Pro model.
I came close to choosing one of a few Motorola unlocked models that were semi-interesting but none of the ones with some attractive specs really quite did it for me. There was always something that killed it for me, like the problems so many reported with green screen tinting on many of the edge models. Or the models that might have had other desirable features and compatibilities, but only supported one carriers tower coverage very well instead of 2 strong players around here.
I know a lot of people aren't really interested in many of the same things I am -- but the case can be made that what a lot of people don't know or realize is how much of what they think THEY want is actually due to marketing and media influence and manipulation -- people TELLING you what you want and how to think -- and how afraid so many -- manufacturers and consumers alike -- are afraid to take even the tiniest of risks and being the nail that sticks out -- everybody is afraid they'll get hammered.
In the end, originality and thinking for one's self become bywords and, oh my goodness, nobody wants to be accused of being "UNSCANNABLE!!!!" (Idiocracy, 2006) or going against the grain. And so it's a lot easier for a lot of the lemmings to end up in a pile somewhere down there below, just outside of public awareness and the news cycle/drumbeat.
i won't apologize for thinking that (proverbially, continuing along the Idiocracy story line) using Brawndo for everything but flushing the toilet with is just stupid. If that's how everybody else wants to go, OK fine, but I really shouldn't have to go to the toilet to get plain old water for the things people used to use water for when more things in life "just worked".
I just wish I had better choices. I don't see that many of the choices being offered these days are coming from people who think about things very much, or know how to plan and execute well.
Anyway, enough of the blabber, I am actually looking forward to getting started with our Oneplus 9 Pro's. I haven't even broken the seal on either box yet - but trying to line up all the info I can to get a quick early backup of the devices before I do much.
Appreciate the conversation!