Develop Bugs

[ROM][New video demos]Schap's 5.00 ROMs with TouchXperience UI-Call to beta testers

As some of you know, I am currently working on a touch user interface (since more than 10 months), fully compatible with HTC Diamond, it even takes advantage of G-sensor and touch-sensitive control pad, and I plan to develop a 3D user interface in a future version.
I will prepare soon a private beta, and if there is no major issue I would like to release a first public version in about 2 weeks. But please don’t take too much into consideration this date, be aware that contrary to other ROM cookers who only take programs from other ROMs I have developed the whole user interface from scratch, so it’s a really huge work (more than 1000 hours at the moment) and it’s hard to fix a release date.
As for other devices, Diamond ROMs will be multilingual and available in two versions: Full (with TouchXperience User Interface) and Lite (maximal storage space).
I am looking for some motivated and experienced people to participate to this private beta. I need only about 20 people so I will choose first people who could really help me, better is if you have WM cooking or development knowledges. I don’t want to get thousands of messages asking “please please send me the ROM” like it was in the other threads, so please don’t ask me to participate if you don’t have solid arguments. If you are interested, let me a post here (explaining in what you are good, if I don’t know you) and I will contact you later by PM if you are selected.
More info about TouchXperience User Interface and video demos:
http://www.touchxperience.com/
TouchXperience is the Next Generation User Interface for Windows Mobile, finger friendly and highly customizable, it offers many interesting features: program launcher, contacts manager, home screen, appointments, messaging, task manager, profile and event manager, call log, control panel, communication manager,...
TouchMenu is probably the most powerful and customizable menu, replacing original Start Menu for an innovative touch interface. TouchMenu supports finger scrolling and gestures, for example you can switch from a menu to another by sliding your finger left/right, or display context menu by a long press on the screen. You can also scroll menus using G-sensor. Each menu has four different views (large list, small list, large grid, small grid). As the rest of the future user interface, TouchMenu has a nice Vista/WM7 look.
TouchMenu has various built-in menus :
- All Programs (Start Menu replacement)
- Active Programs (Task Manager)
- Recent programs
- Favorite programs
- Settings (Control Panel)
- Documents
- Favorite websites
- Contacts
- Messaging
- Appointments
- Tasks
- Calls (Call Log)
- Communications (Comm. Manager)
- RSS feeds
- Power Actions
- End Actions
- One Touch Settings
But you can do much more by creating your own custom menus where you can add contacts, program shortcuts, website links, system actions (for example: reset device, rotate screen, sound profile, clock, brightness backlight, WMP status,...) or links to other menus. You can also replace icon for each program/folder/contacts/menu with a custom image.
TouchHome is a fully customizable screen where you can add various widgets and graphical elements (clocks, indicators, today items, texts, images,...). By default, TouchHome displays when you turn your phone on. You can make your own graphics and layout using XML. TouchHome can be also used as screen unlocker (unlock screen by sliding finger, by double tapping, by shaking device, using navigation scroll wheel,...).
Use GPS or cell-based geo-positioning to determine current location and create profiles for each location.
Custom Events is a powerful application which execute predefined actions when custom events occur. The principle is simple, each custom event is defined by:
- A basic event (application changed, location changed, new message, new incoming call, battery charging, device cradled, headset connected, Wi-Fi network detected, internet connection detected, ,...)
- Eventually some conditions (date/time, current application, current location, specific words in message, caller identity,...)
- An action (launch application, display notification, enable flight mode, turn on Wi-Fi, change profile, send message, ,...)
There will be hundreds of events and actions, so possibilities are very large! Here are some examples:
- Enable flight mode during nights
- Connect to Wi-Fi while battery is charging
- Deactivate alarm when I turn my device face down
- Put phone in silent mode at workplace
- Remind me to buy bread when I’m near to the bakery
Supports finger gestures on touch-sensitive control pad (experimental, for HTC Touch Diamond/Touch Pro only) to execute different system actions, in this way you can have up to 8 “virtual buttons” on your device.
Supports display auto-rotation navigation using G-sensor (experimental, for HTC Touch Diamond/Touch Pro only).
TouchXperience User Interface is designed for a future usage of hardware accelerated 3D graphics for an outstanding experience!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

WOW!!
Good to see you......Let me know what I can do for you
Peace
Mike

very nice shaps! I hope this post will be more serious and wont end like ur thread in hermes forum..
Realease it when it's done! no preasure!

Schaps!!! Count me in mate... great to see you here.

WOW! i can't wait. Looking forward to your work.

Cool!!!
Looks great!!!!
Tell me if you need a beta tester for this project...

i would be glad to help

Sounds really really nice.
If I can be of any help I'll be glad to, comes from Hermes and Kaiser and now has Diamond.
Tried some of your roms before and liked some, but not all, but this seems really exciting.
Garcia

Network and database admin here (though mostly unix). Lemme know what needs to be done.
^.^
Good luck schaps.

Sounds great. I'm happy to check this for ya.

I'd like to volunteer, I have experience with graphics.

Count Me In... Deeep Within !!!!!!!!!!!

THANKS!!!!!!! (sorry 4 the caps) but this is coooollll!!!!!

Very Very Good Schap's

I can Help
Hello mate,
I have cooked (mostly my own) ROMs for Elf, Niki and Cruise so I have considerable background on the components of the WM OS and the overall structure of the devices (not so much the Diamond to be honest as I'm still trying to get to understand its internals).
If you like, I would more than willing to help out with Beta testing whether it's to focus on a specific area or just overall testing. I also have experience in QA so I can pick out little things that need ironing out
Cheers from Dubai!

WOAH! Schaps, this sounds awesome. I'd be happy to beta test your TouchXperience UI. Coming from an iPhone background, I'd love to see more thumb/finger friendliness in our Diamonds.
EDIT: Checked out the site and the screenshots and it looks fab so far !
Couple of questions, would there be a new finger/thumb friendly Calendar app? (I totally despise the stock WM one) Also, do you plan on integrating a more thumb friendly keyboard for input? The standard Diamond one is okay but I tend to be a fast typer and because the screen on the Diamond is relatively small, it is prone to keystroke errors and the Diamond keyboard does not have any type of correction method (i.e. as included with the PCM Keyboard - I use this but a lack of VGA skins is highly disappointing).
All in all I can't wait to test this - I thought the Diamond would have been more thumb/finger friendly but tend to find myself pulling out the dreaded stylus now and then.. Something I hoped I could have gotten away from. Cheers for the great effort Schaps!

WOW
Love to test the new interface.

Moral Support!!
Schap,
im not a pro in any of these programming. But at least i can sent some moral supports!!
It's a great development All the best to you

Very nice ...I will pleasure, when i test this program...

schaps said:
P.S.: I will soon work on a new Advanced Config. version fully compatible with Touch Diamond and Touch Pro. Advanced Configuration Tool V3 will come with a new finger-friendly interface.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@ Schaps, could you look into the possibility to add "default mediaplayer chooption" in order to link Bluetooth devices to other players not forcing to use WMP linked with TF3D .
There is a cab out there from RuffRuff (still need to test it) , but including this possible solution in AdvConfig V3 would be a big added value.
As for the Beta testing , it starts to look like recruting for La Legion etrangere (The Foreign Legion)
People want but how many can give ?
Anyway, success with the new UI + Rom combination. Looking forward.

[UTIL][10 APR 09] Phone (numeric only) keypad for WVGA screens

I use XPERIA and I need numeric keyboard. I didn't find it, but I wrote it. It's free.
Unlike many software input methods Phone Keypad covers large screen area
and has keys that are large enough to be typed with finger-tips, not with
a stylus. It is very handy for entering numbers. Phone Keypad also features
a close interaction with other Pocket PC programs. It runs as an input method
in Soft Input Panel (SIP), Pocket PC native technique for entering text.
I can be safely removed. Simple uninstall, without restart.
Future plans:
Your suggestions welcome.
Screenshot portrait and landscape is attached. These bitmaps is used as keyboard layout and may be changed, if you create any better.

Sounds nice, but do you have any screenshot of it?

Screenshots
yeah, screenshits will be great. just to know what were installing, because i'm tires of installing things that replace the original stuff, and have to hard reset to get back.

arci01 said:
I use XPERIA and I need numeric keyboard. I didn't find it, but I wrote it. It's free.
Unlike many software input methods Phone Keypad covers large screen area
and has keys that are large enough to be typed with finger-tips, not with
a stylus. It is very handy for entering numbers. Phone Keypad also features
a close interaction with other Pocket PC programs. It runs as an input method
in Soft Input Panel (SIP), Pocket PC native technique for entering text.
Future plans:
Your suggestions welcome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, this is just awesome! Exactly what I made a thread about a week ago, although no one bothered to answer me. I'll install in a few minutes.
Suggestion: I'm swedish, and in the swedish language the letters å, ä and ö features prominently. Is it possible to map this to get swedish letters too, like on swedish cell phones? Å and Ä appears when you press the number 2, since it's the button used for the letter A, because Å and Ä carries resemblance to A. With Ö, it's mapped to appear at number 6, since it's similar to an O. Please consider this

screenie please

this very good idea.and it looks perfect.could you please put english letters as well?if you can make it like nokia keypad that would be lovely.good work mate.thanks.

AbdullaBHR said:
screenshits
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Be careful...

Amazing idea Arci01, but please let me make some positive suggestions:
1- add some screenshots, I recommend "cap sure": simple, free and small screen capturing app
2- you can improve the thread's title description following XDA-DEVS rules: [UTIL][10 APR 09] Phone (numeric only) Keypad of WVGA screens
This way more users will be aware (and interested) of thread contents
You can edit the thread's title by clicking "edit" (lower right corner) and then clicking "go advanced"
I use tinypic.com to upload screenshots taken with "cap sure", then I link them in my posts
Hope my 2 cents help
And again: congrats for your great contribution to the community

This SIP keyboard don't replace any installed software and can be safely removed. Simple uninstall it.

nice, very nice indeed..
I Don't suppose you want to carry on and create a full KB? it looks really good..

@arci01
Excellent work - and it is NOT black !!

I think it's good to have like this software.

quick question before i try this, does this mess up the SIP? (au button, word suggestions and such)
Looking good anyway

Creating a shortcut to tab-button and others?

Hi!
They removed the tab-button (at least on the swedish keyboard) which I use frequently. I can´t find it in the virtual keyboard either. How do I create a hardware keyboard shortcut?
There are some other shortcuts I would like to create as well (to calender and maybe more).
Please be concrete, I don´t know how to change registry and such.
/Derik

Anybody have an idea?

The D-pad buttons act sort of like the tab button. Press the desired direction followed by the enter button to activate the filed you wish you had tabbed to.

haha
emwdava said:
The D-pad buttons act sort of like the tab button. Press the desired direction followed by the enter button to activate the filed you wish you had tabbed to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where are the D-pad buttons on TP2? Did I miss something?

Did you mean the directional keys?
The things is that I use it within Worddocuments to make indentations (Swedish: indrag) in the text with with list bullets. So I really need a tab-button.

I´m just reviveving the thread again.
There must be some way to be able to use a tab-function? All the hightech here... It´s essential in my writing, which is the main reason I have the TP2.

Problems selecting text - in SOME apps

I have just upgraded from a TyTN2/Kaiser to a new TP2/Rhodium running WM 6.1 .. and am enjoying the experience except for one fly in the ointment.
Text selection in certain apps is incredibly painful: using the stylus to select a portion of text is almost always interpreted as an attempt to drag-scroll the display. "Almost always" because if you time it properly, waiting a second or so and start dragging before the context menu pops up, then it sorta kinda works. But the selection seems to kick in quite some time AFTER beginning to drag, and therefore doesn't start at the beginning of the target. And Double-clicks (to select a whole word) no longer stretch word-for-word as I drag.
Most apps still work fine, but the following key apps suffer this annoying misbehaviour:
Contacts - But only the "Notes" tab. All text in the "Details" tab behaves as expected!
SMS texting - This occurs when selecting "Send Text Message" from a contact's Summary display (which is actually my preferred method as it is the quickest!). And it also occurs if you start an SMS from the messaging app via menu options Menu\New\SMS. But if you compose an SMS in the threaded view of a conversation in the same app, then the text selection is ok!
I can't find any posts by others who might be experiencing something similar, so is there a solution for this? A registry hack maybe? Am I the only one who has noticed this problem, or am I the only one who is annoyed so much by it?

Notes tab of Contacts app: I experience the same here. But it doesn't really bother me too much since I rarely have to select text here.
Messaging App: I didn't know you can select text like that (ie. tap and hold for a bit and drag) until you mentioned it! Anyway, if you want to select text here, you can always tap "Menu" and then "Select Text".

ohyeahar said:
Notes tab of Contacts app: I experience the same here. But it doesn't really bother me too much since I rarely have to select text here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the contact notes extensively, so it is extremely frustrating to have it compromised and complicated now (compared with TyTN2).
ohyeahar said:
Messaging App: I didn't know you can select text like that (ie. tap and hold for a bit and drag) until you mentioned it! Anyway, if you want to select text here, you can always tap "Menu" and then "Select Text".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh - thanks for that! Now if only i could find a way to keep that as the default

** UPDATE **
** UPDATE **
I just noticed that everything works properly .. if and only if you use "My Mobiler" to remotely control the phone. So you can use your mouse and your desktop monitor to drag select text in the above compromised apps (including Active Tasks by the way) .. and everything will be fine.
But when it come to using the stylus on the phone's touch-screen directly, the selection still misbehaves!!
This is not a workaround, just mentioning it in the hope that it might help someone enlightened enough to be able to piece the puzzle together

http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=85583
Here's a solution to your problems.

digitaliceblast said:
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=85583
Here's a solution to your problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but i'm not sure how exactly does it solve the problem? If you mean the post by orlandojumpoff (post #16) about pressing and holding and then dragging when the animation starts, then that's actually the problem itself.
The animation goes by so fast, that each time you do this, it takes a few false starts before you manage to time it right. The overall effect is to give priority to TF3D scrolling at the expense of functionality in terms of text selection. It makes me want to rip out TF3D by it's heart, which of course is a bit overkill.
I'd settle for being able to tell TF3D to stop interfering in specific apps, or simply to stop interferring while editing. Actually, come to think of it .. another viable option might be to find a way to get that animation to take a little longer ... hmmm

One thing you can do to mitigate it somewhat is to double tap on a word to select a word, triple tap to select an entire line. I use Pocket Informant and it too won't allow me to drag to select unless I try to time it like you do. Another trick is to use the hardware keyboard, and your arrow and shift keys combined to select text.
Sure wish the good things we like about WM would stick from version to version, and the bad things would be fixed and stay fixed. Hey, it could happen

trids said:
Text selection in certain apps is incredibly painful: using the stylus to select a portion of text is almost always interpreted as an attempt to drag-scroll the display...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a similar problem on Topaz (Diamond 2). It seems finger scrolling sensitivity was made too high and it can no more tell finger from stylus. I found a (partial) solution. Maybe it works on Rhodium too.
- Find the registry key "HKLM\Software\OEM\TFLOSettings".
- It should contains a subkey named "TFLOIgnoreAPPs". If it does not exist create it.
- For every application where you want to be able to select text add a string value called "IgnoreAppXY" where XY are two characters different for every entry.
- As value enter the name of the application EXE file as seen in file explorer (warning: case does matter).
From then on for that applications finger scrolling is suppressed and text selection works as expected.
This is a sample from my registry
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\OEM\TFLOSettings\TFLOIgnoreAPPs]
"IgnoreAppST"="WiFiNetwork.exe"
"IgnoreAppYT"="YouTube.exe"
"IgnoreAppPH"="PIMHelper.exe"
"IgnoreAppNP"="NOTEPAD.exe"
"IgnoreAppCE"="ContactEditor.exe"
"IgnoreAppTM"="tmail.exe"
"WiFiNetwork.exe" and YouTube.exe" were already there. I added "PIMHelper.exe" (editing inside SPB Diary Today plugin),
"ContactEditor.exe" (editing for Contacts), "tmail.exe" (editing for SMS and email) and "NOTEPAD.exe" (Orneta text editor).
Hope it helps.

That method worked for me for Pocket Informant, using "ignoreappPI"="PocketInformant.exe".
Thanks!

SOLVED!
oruam57 said:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\OEM\TFLOSettings\TFLOIgnoreAPPs]
"IgnoreAppST"="WiFiNetwork.exe"
"IgnoreAppYT"="YouTube.exe"
"IgnoreAppPH"="PIMHelper.exe"
"IgnoreAppNP"="NOTEPAD.exe"
"IgnoreAppCE"="ContactEditor.exe"
"IgnoreAppTM"="tmail.exe"
:
:
Hope it helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brilliant - Thank you! This is EXACTLY what i was hoping for! Awesome!

Update:
I posted this brilliant solution to the standard thread for Rhodium Cabs,Tips,Tweaks etc
.. Thanks again oruam57!
Just a word of caution. My device already had [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\OEM\TFLOSettings\TFLOIgnoreAPPs], with YouTube as the only exclusion, but i notice that the board seems to introduce a space into the "TFLOIgnoreAPPs" portion, which might cause problems for some folks who want to try this out.
And for the record, this solution does not solve the problem for the standard editor for Contacts and Tasks, which doesn't have a Process whose name you can use. So I'll start looking at custom editors for Contacts now, but it's good to have this handy tweak within reach!

trids said:
And for the record, this solution does not solve the problem for the standard editor for Contacts and Tasks, which doesn't have a Process whose name you can use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe I do not understand exactly your problem but on my Topaz:
- in the first tab of standard Contacts and Task editor text selection does work (do not know why, I suppose Touch Flow has some internal logic);
- in the second tab (Notes) of Contacts text selection can be forced working by inserting the process "ContactEditor.exe";
- in the second tab (Notes) of Tasks text selection can be forced working by inserting the process "poutlook.exe".
At any rate using Dotfred's Task Manager (http://www.dotfred.net/TaskMgr.htm) you can inspect processes and windows on your phone and with a little patience you can find the owner process of any interesting window.

Hooray!
oruam57 said:
Hope it helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you soooo much oruam57! I searched for hours yesterday for a fix for this issue. It was driving me crazy. I made two of my own for ListPro and eWallet and they work great now too. THANKS!

oruam57 said:
Maybe I do not understand exactly your problem but on my Topaz:
- in the first tab of standard Contacts and Task editor text selection does work (do not know why, I suppose Touch Flow has some internal logic);
- in the second tab (Notes) of Contacts text selection can be forced working by inserting the process "ContactEditor.exe";
- in the second tab (Notes) of Tasks text selection can be forced working by inserting the process "poutlook.exe".
At any rate using Dotfred's Task Manager (http://www.dotfred.net/TaskMgr.htm) you can inspect processes and windows on your phone and with a little patience you can find the owner process of any interesting window.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@ Oruam57, you're right, thanks again! I was in fact using DotFred's Task Manager to discover the processes .. but i came to the incorrect conclusion (that there was no identifiable processes, for Tasks and for Contacts) because i saw no change in the processes listed between editing and not editing their notes, as poutlook.exe was still running after i edited the notes and while the list of tasks/contacts was still displayed.
And this is how I overlooked the possibility that poutlook.exe itself was the editor
BTW, i notice that the exclusion for poutlook.exe works for the notes of both Tasks AND Contacts, they seem to use the same editor. I have no ContactEditor.exe listed at all, must be for your custom editor.

I tried with on WLMMessenger.exe, but it didint work.
I still cant select ( highlight ) text from a conversation. When i do it begins to scroll..
Has anyone the solution?

Starting launcher app (firestarter) on keyboard event

I'm using a replacement launcher (Firestarter) and a 3rd party wireless keyboard /mouse (Mele F10 Deluxe) -- things are working well, but one issue is that the "home" button on the Mele acts like the "HOME" key on a QWERTY keyboard. Instead of returning to the home screen, it sends keyboard event "KEYCODE_HOME" (Constant Value: 3 - 0x00000003).
On a (rooted) AFTV2, is there a way to assign a keyboard event (in this case, "KEYCODE_HOME") to launch a particular app (in my case, firestarter) regardless of what else is open?
Alternatively, is it possible to have the keyboard event "KEYCODE_HOME" perform the system "home" event?"
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159538
Thats five minutes on google.
The way I have solved this was to remap the keyboard layout of my Macbook Air to adb commands - whenever I run a script that can only be exited by clicking a button on a prompt. I actually remapped the entire MBA's keyboard to send the corresponding keys to the Fire TV as adb keyevents.
Code:
adb shell monkey -p your.app.package.name -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1
does what you want in that case (de.belu.firestarter is the package name btw).
I dont think every button press will show up in the Fire TVs logs the same way HOME does ("nice little keylogger you sell there, A."), so instead you might have to do the remapping at another point. Your keyboard itself is too dumb to even know what being scripted means - that leaves you either messing with the OS itself - or forfeiting the keyboard in favor of an Ultrabook. Which by the way - allows you to actually work, or browse the net - and still control the Fire TV in the background.
But people seem to be happy with their Bluetooth keyboards - because, single purpose = neato.

On my k900 plus keyboard it has a home button, why not Just map Firestarter to start up when you press home twice, then you just press the home button twice on your keyboard?
Hope this helped press thanks button

harlekinrains said:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159538
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the links. For anyone else using a media airmouse such as the Mele F10 (with a "home" button that does not send the same code as the amazon remote), it's very straightforward to create a custom keyboard map that makes it function like the Amazon remote:
1) For each button that you would like to remap, use Ketest App to discover its ScanCode (for example "102" is the "Home" button on the Mele F10 Deluxe).
2) Determine the Product ID and Vendor ID for your input device with "cat /proc/bus/input/devices" and create a copy of /system/usr/keylayout/Generic.kl with the name Vendor_XXXX_Product_XXXX.kl. This custom key layout file contains your new mapping (for example, I changed the entry next to "Key 102" to "HOME" instead of "MOVE_HOME").
3) Set ownership (chown system.system) and permissions (chmod 644) for your custom key layout file.

deanr1977 said:
On my k900 plus keyboard it has a home button, why not Just map Firestarter to start up when you press home twice, then you just press the home button twice on your keyboard?
Hope this helped press thanks button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing your experience. The issue is that on the Mele F10 Deluxe (and other combo devices that aren't designed specifically for the Fire TV box), the home button does not send the same key code as the Amazon remote -- requiring that the user create a custom key map file.

harlekinrains said:
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=159538
But people seem to be happy with their Bluetooth keyboards - because, single purpose = neato.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Given the cost difference (plus, portability, and the fact that it lasts longer on a charge), I can understand why people might choose a media remote instead of a script-friendly keyboard with a screen (like an Ultrabook). Fortunately, if your 3rd party remote doesn't work like the Amazon remote out-of-the-box, it is easy to create a custom keymap. Unfortunately, this still means that, by default, FireStarter has to use ADB to listen for the home key. I was hoping that if I use a different button instead of the home key on the amazon remote, I can have the OS "listen" in a simpler way (that doesn't tie up ADB), and simply have the OS launch firestarter when this button is pressed.

Bluetooth keyboards are less clunky - thats right. So portability and also price are valid arguments for them.
But - there is also a lot that you "lose" by not using an ultrabook (beside the remote which at some point becomes just an easy to use muscle memory extension).
The argument here goes as this way -
1. Screen Mirroring is a very, very, stupid idea. Let the battery powered device do all the processing, then let it encode a video feed on top of that, and then let it transfer...
2. Link sharing on the other hand is "where its at". So for the Fire TV this means, you use the Chrome Plugin "Play to Kodi", which covers youtube and a few other sources - and you also use Video Download Helper (Chrome Plugin available as well) to get any direct video link that isnt a rtmp stream and heavily segmented and a little script that launches http://www.multilinkr.com/ in your browser, then you paste the url in your clipbord into that, use the site to generate a clickable link and then use rightclick and Play to Kodi to cast the direct video link to the Kodi Box.
Which brings me to -
3. Discoverability is pretty lousy on remote based interfaces (Kodi has the best interface for it there is out there.). Its also pretty bad on phones (which is part of why more and more content becomes facebook native and why you are so dependent on content surfacing within an app "you like") or tablets. Its actually pretty excellent on laptops. So in some sense - I see the ultrabooks as the last bastion of non curated content and real discoverability out there.
Kodi with keyboard at that stage simply doesnt cut it. Also if you are more than a novice user you need a device you use to do maintenance on Kodi - so again - why not an Ultrabook...
-
Regarding your previous question - I know that the adb way of Firestarter noticing "that the Home button was pressed" depends heavily on certain lines within a log that only indicate that _that_ button is being pressed. I dont know how its dev handled the non adb implementation - you have to ask him. It is very unlikely - that you'd find the same or an equivalent "event indication" when you press a random key on a connected keyboard.
Remember that the watcher routine has to look for something occurring, and that in the case of Firestarter this preferably has to show up on non rooted devices also. In fact - that Firestarter (and its predecessor) exist is a little miracle in its own right - because Amazon could make a very small change and it would never be able to work again. In that sense its a hack - that relies on a very specific pattern showing up in something the OS is reporting and that is accessible by any app (userspace).
Its not based on a featureset, its based on a hack.