Develop Bugs

Parrot Asteroid

Anyone know anything about this stereo -
http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/bluetooth-hands-free-car-kits/parrot-asteroid
Even, where it can be bought, how much it is? What OS it runs for that matter?

well it says that it has Android embedded, so the OS is Android
it looks pretty interesting too...
as for when/where/how much, the site says "Coming soon in 2011", so I'm guessing that it is yet-to-be-offered and they may not have decided their MSRP yet.
William

First, I don't know if I can post links yet. Second, I'm too lazy to dig it up. They had an article on Androidpolice during CES that included a speaker from Parrot showcasing it. I think he said a Q2 release. I'll be getting this the second its released, regardless of price.

anyone have any more details on this? Q2 is all they're saying...
I want one now!!

For the European markets, they say May. Hopefully the beginning of May
Hope they didn't get a developer team from Motorola, then it's going to takes at least another year

next week
i was infomrmed dynamicsounds expected to be stocked next week

wonder if its worth getting
i am currently considering getting it as i need a car kit any way
apperantly they are avalible as of today at 289 euro in the netherlands

I have one
I currently have an Asteroid sitting on my desk here
When I find some time tonight I'll take it for a testdrive and let you guys know!

Excellent. Please let us know.
What apps are available at the moment?
Im hoping for Spotify and proper navigation once the sdk is released...

Yay, someone that has the Asteroid!
Please, let us now!
And, tell us how the music player works.
I want to hook a big memory card, or if there's room a 40GB laptop harddisk to the unit.
Also, streaming from Bluetooth from your phone. Btw, what kind of phone do you have?
(And hmm.. Gorinchem.. That's not that far from my weekly commute.. )

Asteroid
Been driving around with the Asteroid for a while now and it's a pretty neat radio but not perfect.
Building it into the car was a breeze. With the radio came all the needed cables, like a 3,5mm jack, iPod cable, USB cable for usb-sticks, GPS dongle and microphone for the carkit. All cables were pretty long so you should have no problem routing them to whatever place you want them in your car.
Soundquality is pretty good and there are plenty of connections for subwoofers and external amplifiers so it should suffice even for cars with loads of fat speakers.
Connecting my phone, an HTC Desire with CyanogenMod 7.1 (nightly build), was easy through bluetooth and streaming music over bluetooth went without problems. Answering phonecalls and navigating the menu is pretty easy.
A few problems I ran into though. To use internet on the radio (for google maps, internet radio, coyote speed camera alerts) you can either use a 3g USB dongle (which costs you at least 10€ a month where I live) or tether your phone through bluetooth (maybe usb works, haven't tried yet). To do this, your phone needs to support the bluetooth DUN profile which android lacks. Nokia phones should be no problem though. I've tried using 3rd party apps like PDANet but to no avail.
Furthermore I found that the device lacks some tweaking capabilities. For example, when i'm navigating my contacts from my phone, the device tries to "read" the contacts for me using text-to-speech. I've found no way to turn this off. Furthermore I could find no option in the settings to turn off the traffic announcements from radio. The device now switches to radio when i'm listening to music from my SD card to bring me the traffic information (Which can be skipped by pressing the "back" button). Finally, the device came with a Dutch language setting and i've found no way to turn this to English, which is the language I prefer.
Please note, I have only used this radio for a short while and I might've missed some things! I think this is a very nice radio though and since it is the first model and only out for a week or so now I think there will be some updates from Parrot's side, perhaps expanding the capabilities of this device. The only major drawback is the lack of internet connectivity if you have an Android phone. This is not Parrot's fault though but rather Google's. I heard though that Honeycomb supports Bluetooth PAN and I think the Asteroid supports this for Internet tethering so i'm keeping my hopes up for Android Icecream to bring this feature to my phone.
Pro:
- Lots sources for music: Radio, USB stick, SD Card, iPod, 3.5mm Jack line-in
- Android with Google Maps
- Speed camera Alerts
- Large screen (for a single DIN radio unit)
- Lots of cables came with the Radio (With a Pioneer your need to buy overpriced iPod cables separately)
- Its a handsfree carkit, and Parrot knows how to make those by now
- Lots of tweaking possible with the sound
Con:
- Internet does not work with Android phones (yet)
- Lacks certain tweaking possibilities in the settings menu
Feel free to ask any questions

Thank you for the excellent review.
Those drawbacks are major issues,
but Im hoping Parrot will come up with some patches
soon.
The Asteroid is not on sale here yet, and it might take a while.
But I am going to Holland later this month..
Anyone know a place close to Schiphol that sell Parrot equipment?

I also have the Parrot Asteroid for a few days now. But I can't get thetering trough Bluetooth working on my HTC Desire Z (Android 2.2).
I used an app called "PdaNet" or something, with that I can enalbe "Dun - Dia-up Network". And I can make a connection with the parrort trough Settings > Network > Bluetooth. But as soon as I try to use an application that uses internet, it won't work and says I need a internet connection.
Anyone know how I can use DUN or PAN, because an Asteroid doesn't have WiFi and can't tether trough USB ??
Thanx!

RobertR21,
Android does currently not support PAN or DUN so using that is probably not possible without any 3rd party software. I tried PDAnet aswell but it did not work.
You might try connecting your phone to the 3G dongle port on your asteroid through USB, as android supports USB tethering, I have not tried this myself. I can verify though that DUN works, I tried it with my Nokia and it worked flawlessly.
I hear there's rumours on the Internets though that Android icecream is going to support PAN though, so maybe then we can use our android phones. Maybe before that time Parrot will find a solution.

Does anyone know which 3g USB dongles work with the Asteroid?
In my case: I have a Trekstor/Huawei MiFi which can also be used as a "Stick" - Will this work via USB? My Asteroid Device ships in (wish me luck) tomorrow. Pimpin' my Ride is planned at Saturday ;-)
ThX

Hi, I've got the this Parrot Asteriod also.
And For you guys I can use bluetooth internet though my old HTC Hero. I can do it also with other phones. but there is a trick for it.
First root your phone, this is absolutely nessasary.
Then download from the market 'Wireless Tether for root users'(it is a free app).
This one has internet tethering through bluetooth.
Go to menu and select bluetooth instead of wifi.
then go to access-control and eneble it.
Make the bluetooth visible in the tether program.
On the asteroid go to setting and then network and then bluetooth is will find your phone(again) and press the nice parrot butten and it connects.
then on your phone again give it authorization to use the tether and you have your internet.
One problem is that you have to connect manually every time. (your carkit does it automaticly) but not the internet. But at least you can then enjoy your live radio and google maps if you want to.
You only have to have the tether active and connect only through the radio other steps are not needed anymore after.
Internet through usb with your doesn't work, to bad.
One issue that I've encountered with this radio the front panel will become pretty hot after playing an half hour on a high volume. does anyone else have this problem also?

Hi,
I am also considering getting an Asteroid. I have several questions:
- Is there also offline navigation available?
- Can any app from the normal market be installed? Or is there a special Parrot market?
- What Android version is installed?
- Anyway to root it? (What ever functionality this would add?)
Greetings
karlv

Dysphoria said:
Furthermore I found that the device lacks some tweaking capabilities. For example, when i'm navigating my contacts from my phone, the device tries to "read" the contacts for me using text-to-speech. I've found no way to turn this off. Furthermore I could find no option in the settings to turn off the traffic announcements from radio. The device now switches to radio when i'm listening to music from my SD card to bring me the traffic information (Which can be skipped by pressing the "back" button). Finally, the device came with a Dutch language setting and i've found no way to turn this to English, which is the language I prefer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For disablieng the traffic information go to tuner, select a radio station then press the menu button there you can edit if you want traffic information on or of.
text to speech, try the menu button in the app contacts you can change it there. I like that so I didn't look at it yet.
The most options regarding a app can be found in the app it self. try to look for tweaking option there.
karlv said:
Hi,
I am also considering getting an Asteroid. I have several questions:
- Is there also offline navigation available? NO, not yet at least
- Can any app from the normal market be installed? Or is there a special Parrot market? Special Parrot market, apps that are avaible can be found on the parrot site then put on usb stick and then install.
- What Android version is installed? Android 1.5
- Anyway to root it? (What ever functionality this would add?) No, maybe also later.
Greetings
karlv
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everyone can correct me if I'm wrong

anyone already tried getting in touch with the radios file system?
I assume those usb ports only are usb hosts?

there's a new firmware out:
http://download.parrot.com/Parrot_Asteroid_soft_update/asteroid_update_fr_FR.plf
It's nearly 90 MB, so it looks as a complete android software build.
can we get this extracted? modders, come on
EDIT:
there exist some plftools for other Parrot Devices. Maybe they can be used to extract useful stuff out of the Asteroid firmware files...
Links:
http://embedded-software.blogspot.c...howComment=1311293537224#c8852365956008835373
http://sites.google.com/site/repurposelinux/df3120
EDIT2:
part of the firmware update file:
parrotparts=nand0:256K(Pbootloader),16M(Pmain_boot),4M(Pfactory),241408K(Psystem) console=ttyPA0,115200 loglevel=8 update
maybe it is possible to divide the plf file into parts and mount them somehow? (http://plugcomputer.org/plugforum/index.php?topic=478.0)
EDIT3:
Serial output of AR Drone Update, wich also uses plf update files and is based on linux:
http://kapejod.org/download/ardrone_install.txt

Dodge Uconnect 430 and Sprint SGS3 woes - MAP compatibility

Some of you must own a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep vehicle with a Uconnect stereo in it, right?
I've been all over the google search, the Dodge Forums, calling Chrysler's Uconnect dept, etc. and no one seems to have any clue what their talking about. I know that XDA is knowledgeable about all things phone. Searching doesn't get my exact questions, here's an unanswered one for the HTC EvoLTE (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1667801). The Ford SYNC systems have a similar problem.
I have a 2012 Dodge Durango with a Uconnect 430 RBZ stereo. It announces that my phone (the Sprint SGS3 with 4.1.1 LJ7 stock non-rooted (for now)) is not compatible with the Bluetooth Messaging Access Protocol profile or MAP-profile necessary to announce and control the SMS messages on my phone. There's a service on our phones that runs constantly when the bluetooth is enabled called MAPSamsungService, which after googling/reading/searching, leads me to believe this is the messaging protocol that the Uconnect desires.
My questions are:
1) Why won't this radio identify the MAP process of the SGS3 and connect to it Are there ROMs that do support this? (CM10 reportedly does support this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1916902 - but I don't like the CM10 camera....so...yeah)
2) Has anyone had success in getting the SMS messages functionality on their Uconnect
3) Has anyone had luck with getting your contacts to properly sync? All mine are Google Contacts, and it is VERY random which ones show up. (I have just less than 1000 contacts, which is apparently the upper limit for these radios)
[just in case this shows up in google searches, I have learned that USB drives connected to the Uconnect need to be in FAT32 format and you can only move 2048 songs over at a time to the HDD, so load up multiple flash drives for the transfer. must be constant bit rate not VBR, 1000 folders is limit and 20k songs]

as a former u-connect owner and current audi interface owner, let me offer the following:
When sold, the technology in any car is about 2-5 years old. meaning it was designed to interface with phones 2-5 years ago. so if you have an old phone, it will probably work great!!
Chysler never offered a flash or upgrade to the original uconnect system, but that was supposed to change with the RBZ. My brothers at the LX forum have reported that is not really true. There are some systems that allow you to get around this with aftermarket HU but not what you are looking for.
No way to know what ROM's will work or not because of your specific situation. There is a mammoth black hole where all BT protocols go...no one seems interested in making it generic.
We currently own 2 vehicles under the VW/Audi brand and a Ford with a Pioneer HU in it. My EVO LTE phone book will update in the VW, but not the Audi. Same system, right? In the Audi, it will frequently not sync. one vehicle has different software and Audi cannot flash it. no worries on the Pioneer HU though.

TLDR -> Car companies suck, wha, wha, wha
-----
Thanks for the reply and your experiences. Speaking separately for all the tech they put into every aspect of the car...... I would figure that in 2012, these car companies and their stereos would learn their lesson and start to evolve. I guess we need a Uconnect forum on XDA to really get things heated up! If anyone knows of a site for ROMs and such for these systems, please let me know, I'm willing to take the plunge.
I had an aftermarket Kenwood in my 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee that I traded in. It synced with my phone perfectly, downloaded all my contacts, but didn't have the ability to read SMS messages (it also had a tiny display). Bluetooth worked well, etc. it just became a real piece of **** car that needed to be replaced.
The latest CM10 logs indicate that MAP functionality was fixed on 11/23: http://mobile.cm10log.appspot.com/?device=d2spr
I really wish that the CM10 camera and data connectivity didn't have so many issues, otherwise this would be a non-point and I'd be happy as can be with full functionality. What I find troubling is how many opinions there are about these different car systems and their compatibility. I understand your point about Bluetooth standards being quite a jumble. You should be required to support them all if you are going to use it in your device. I'm going to back to dual booting CM10 to see if I can get the MAP to work with the Uconnect system.
Then there's the confusion of all these systems. I have read links where a Stock Sprint SGS3 running 4.1.1 worked perfectly with MAP in a toyota prius. You ask Samsung and they say that MAP is not supported by the SGS3, their fact sheets would indicate the protocol is missing. But it was supposedly included in Android 4.1.1, but no one can confirm that.
It's just very disappointing when a company touts a technologically advanced car that can do things like read your SMS messages, display album artwork for songs, play songs from USB sticks, has ipod connectivity, etc. Can't seem to A) do any of those things well and B) offer absolutely ZERO tutorials and guidelines for making the above features actually work. You have to sift through forums to find out that a USB drive needs to be FAT32 formatted!
I just added 26.5GB worth of music to my HDD in my Uconnect 430 RBZ. I ensured that the album artwork was correctly linked with the ID3 tags in all of my music, a painstaking venture to say the least that I was meaning to do for a long time, however NO artwork actually shows up. It did finally all sync over and there are some things that it does "well" but far more that just miss the mark for no other reason than laziness and profitability. Just saying you can do these things is more profitable than actually making them work consistently - OR having knowledgeable people that can help you when you call in.
Overall, I guess I should be happy that it does what it does in the least. I understand the product cycles for cars and the tech is most likely 2-5 years old. Like everything else in this world, hopefully they'll improve their cycle time for updates. Then again, out of sight, out of mind. They have your money, who cares if they add any new functionality. Most cars aren't impulse buys like phones tend to be.

You can use any camera it does not have to be the cm camera. You can flash the stock or the 4.2 or even the note2 camera.apk. Also you xan flash your uconnect with a new firmware
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

Looking for an app that I'm not sure even exists

Hi,
I'm looking for an android app that will basically do the same thing as cortana does on the windows phone. I have a for sync enabled vehicle and a subaru with it's generic bluetooth offerings and both systems leave a lot to be desired especially the subaru! I want to be able to queue google now or s voice hands free via both cars but neither have the ability to launch svoice, google now, or in an iphones case siri without the need to push a button the on phone. I would like to do the same thing as with cortana on the windows phone where I just place a fake number in my contacts and use the cars automated dialing system to "call" the app. For instance with wp8.1 you can push the button and tell sync to "Call Cortana" and it will allow you to command cortana as if it were a phone conversation if this makes any sense. I honestly do not know why more car manufacturers don't just allow you do use the bluetooth launch button system like you could with a normal headset.

I also have a Subaru and have searched low and high for a solution to this. There are apps out there that can accomplish what you want (Bluetooth Launch, Hint2Search) BUT not with our car head unit, from my personal experimentation. Not sure of your model but with mine when I use the car Bluetooth controls the car takes my command and has a limited amount of options. Other head units will use the phones Bluetooth commands rather then the cars integrated system, which allows you to use the mentioned apps. I love my Subaru but am not a huge fan of the Bluetooth functions. The one solution that kind of works is turning on the Google now setting where I can say "Okay, Google Now" from any screen. Even if my phone is locked and charging it still picks up my voice and I can use Google Now and it's features from there.

Sony Xperia Z3 and Citroen SMEG+IV2

Hi everyone!
I’m sorry if this is not the right place to post this kind of question - I searched for this information and could not find anything in others foruns.
I have a Sony Xperia Z3 (D6643) with Android 5.1.1.
I recently bought a SMEG+IV2 from Citroen and installed it on my car (a Citroen DS3). This equipment is MirrorLink (and Apple CarPlay) enabled.
I also found that MirrorLink originally is a “crap” feature because I can use only pre-allowed applications (crap navigation app, crap audio app and so on) so I started to search for a solution.
Here in XDA there are many topics about “Samsung Drive Link” as an alternative but unfortunately (and of course) it doesn’t work with my Sony device.
Does anybody have a way so I can fully mirror my phone to my car (use Waze, default Spotfy and etc)?
Regards,
lzsilva

Nobody? :crying:

Hi izsilva,
similar situation here: new Citroen C5 Tourer with SMEG+IV2 (and updated with your R20 firmware, thanks! ), and multiple phones: Z5 Compact, Z1 Compact, Z and SGS7 Edge.
Am in similar situation, trying and experimenting with MirrorLink. The technology itself I'd not call "crap", it relies on well proven things, like VNC (yeah, that VNC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Network_Computing) and other things, so essentially is well grounded. The problem with it, is that despite it calls itself "open", the technology is actually very "closed", is hard to get any stuff working with it in other way than initially designed. But, the reasons for that is, well, law and regulations. MirrorLink must obey US, EU and Japan (three biggest "areas" with different regulations, AFAIK, US is most "relaxed" and Japan is most restrictive, and rest of the world is around EU of strictness: ie. you cannot phone during driving without speakerphone, no driver distractions, etc). Hence, MirrorLink has a very tough criteria to make an android application "MirrorLink certified", it is literally being tested for no distractions (among other things), and then and only then is let to be used. But, we are talking about a lengthy process here, and as we know, time in software development is key, not to mention (and am not aware, maybe it's free) is there any other "fee" to have an app certified. If there is, it is definitely not Open Source friendly either. Me as a person, open source developer am actually shot immediately down.
There are "hacks", like the trick with Samsung MirrorLink server, where Samsung (or whoever implemented their MirrorLink Server) left a "backdoor", a SQLite preferences with "whitelisted" packages + root, see here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNzXjX4mSog). Unfortunately (or not, who knows), Sony MirrorLink server app is based on RealVNC MirrorLink Server (I guess Sony bought it and incorporated it or just outsourced the work to RealVNC, whatever), all in all, the "prefs" trick does not work on Sony MirrorLink phones.
To better understand the problem, let me explain how MirrorLink actually works: you have 3 components: the client (runs on SMEG+IV2), the server (runs on phone, it seems it must be an Android System Application AFAIK, unsure, see http://stackoverflow.com/questions/35456209/implement-mirrorlink-on-custom-rom-android ) and the application (runs on phone). The server uses digital signatures to verify is application MirrorLink certified or not (as part of certification you get a digital signature too I believe). So, there is not much to do here, it is not like "flipping a bit": modding a digitally signed app/payload/something in a way that other (unmodified) component does not detect it's changed (and refuse it as invalid), without having the private key is near to impossible.
Still, there are other possibilities: "development mode" of MirrorLink allows to run "development" software, but, it is instead of a certificate, tied to given IMEI number of the phone it runs on. Am still experimenting with it, not there, but again, this means a) someone needs to code something that suits your need b) you need to have MirrorLink developer account c) the app must run on phone having IMEI you registered with your account. Again, not a "simple case".
Stay in touch, will ping here if anything new crops up.
PS: Any new firmwares lately?
~t~

[MTCD/E/P] CanBus app reverse engineering

I have started reverse engineering the HCTCanBus app.
The reason was that I wanted to display the outdoor temperature in my custom launcher.
But one thing in advance that was only possible because I built my own cunBus box. The radio can only process data it receives and the original canbus boxes only have a very limited number of canBus messages integrated.
The data from the box is transferred to the Android system via the serial port "/dev/ttyV0".
What I found out was that the steering wheel buttons are not transmitted to this serial port.
But all other data with the correct format is transferred there and processed by the HCTCanBus app.
So we can use it to implement our own messages.
I also managed to send data back to the box.
The serial port is not used for this...
The original app processes data on the door contacts, air conditioning, parking sensors and TPMS.
These are at least the things I've found out so far.
In the original app is the handling of the data for the different settings in the factory settings for the canBus.
For each manufacturer there is a file that decides what the message means and how it is to be processed.
I own a Chrysler 300C and use the setting "30 CHRYSLER(Bagoo)".
I have only worked on this. Because I have no access to the data of the other manufacturers.
To read this data from the code is almost impossible with decompiled code, at least for me...
So far I only integrated the door contacts as activity.
For the other displays my car simply does not provide any data (air conditioning) or I have not yet been able to identify the correct can messages (TPMS, radar sensors)
What I have integrated, because of which I have built my own box, is a settings window where I can for example set the events when the radio is switched on or off.
I have uploaded the current state of my work to github.
Even if I am still in the middle of my work it might be interesting for some people.
I would be happy if others would join in and we could integrate the canBus message for the other manufacturers.
github.com/zebbel/MTCD-E_CanBus
Sorry but it's annoying to post stuff here when you can't even insert links...

Hey, zebbel.
You're up to a pretty good start, keep up the good work!
I've also started research in that direction, decompiled HCTCanBus.apk with apktools and started looking at smali code.
(It's pretty readable to my surprise)
But soon I came to the conclusion that there is not much we can do from only the android side.
Canbox itself translates commands it gets from UART into CAN messages using custom firmware on the box. And that is the problem - we don't have access to it.
So, to extend the functionality of "HU-CanBox-Car" system we would need to re-engineer not only CanBox hardware (I've seen some reverse-engineered schematics laying around the forum somewhere) but also it's firmware. A hell of a lot of work, if you ask me...
PS: I personally own Citroen DS5 with HU from Peugeot 508, PX6 platform 4G/64G and PA-SS canbox module. The good thing that almost everything working oob. The sad thing is my pretty "analog" dash clock are not working - That's why I start digging into this, just to find that Canbox App ignores the Time changes completely (e/g not sending to CanBox any information on Clock updates)

Hi All,
I have been doing work on this already, see my post's here, we already have the canbus apk sources.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=81859661
darkspr1te

Hi, totally new on this just a questions with a new head unit 8227L and steering control. My car is a jeep compass 2008, the android unit os 9.1 XY Auto 3.3 seems to have some factory set options with can bus for many models but not for the jeep compass, I already identify the cables can high and low and imagine they need to be connected to key 1 and key 2 on the head unit but at the moment no luck with the right can bus selection, any ideas?

Hector114 said:
Hi, totally new on this just a questions with a new head unit 8227L and steering control. My car is a jeep compass 2008, the android unit os 9.1 XY Auto 3.3 seems to have some factory set options with can bus for many models but not for the jeep compass, I already identify the cables can high and low and imagine they need to be connected to key 1 and key 2 on the head unit but at the moment no luck with the right can bus selection, any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it an MTCD and is the question related to canbus reverse engineering or solving a problem with your headunit.

No, 8227L units are not MTCD/E.