8" Android Head Unit Review

[Nagare]

Cold boot video didn't come out as I expected (some other stuff interrupted the video), but here come some videos

First one is Google Maps/general demo
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[Nagare]

This one has the radio app then back to GPM, clicking around, and the stock launcher

[ame]

 

[Nagare]

A2DP and a phone call

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One of them had the top buttons and the next one (whenever it finishes uploading for me to download it to edit out my number to reupload it...) has the backup camera.

Think that knocks out everything you asked about @randy_tho

 

[Nagare]

[MENTION=32012]randy_tho[/MENTION] [MENTION=30139]nancy[/MENTION]

Here's the last video, hope they help you guys.

[ame]

 

[nancy]

A2DP and a phone call



One of them had the top buttons and the next one (whenever it finishes uploading for me to download it to edit out my number to reupload it...) has the backup camera.

Think that knocks out everything you asked about @randy_tho

Thanks for the videos! The headunit looks really good, super impressed

 

[Nagare]

I'll grab that full boot video eventually, but probably not for a week or so because that uploading process was a pain that took way longer than it should have.

So far I'm happy with the unit, I probably will open it up again in the near future to test something on the USBs because I'm pretty sure I could skip the glovebox one and have the 2nd builtin one working without a problem, maybe both if I get some kind of USB hub to throw in the middle.

 

[Fray_s550]

Yeah..... I wish the tesla screen was as smooth as this unit is. #Ragrets

I might be interested in one when they officially launch it

 

[HotBadgerFart]

I did some tinkering, and the potential is opening up on this quite a bit. I was able to successfully utilize the SIM Card dongle and get 4GLTE signal to it.
It also looks like the potential for this to replace SYNC2/3 units is there too, but I'll have to talk to some of the guys with the Tesla units to find out what the difference was in cabling for them.
This thing has so much more potential than the Tesla IMHO. After talking to someone last night who uses a Tesla unit, we were comparing screen sizing with landscape apps (such as Torque Pro and whatnot) and you actually have more usable screen on this unit, since it doesn't have a persistent Top & Bottom bar, plus it allows apps to run full screen.


I also have a soft-brick recovery, working on one for hard-bricks, but I'd need more help from Android Development people. I'm hoping the Beta program happens soon, so we can get a bigger blanket for updates/improvements.

Oh, and while Nagare and I are trying to provide you guys with as much info as possible, try to keep in mind we have our daily lives going on, plus we're using a lot of time testing out what we can to provide feedback to the company on the tests, so we can't always get every request right away, but we'll try!

 

[Marvinmadman]

Wonder what options we have for the guys that enabled Drive Modes with the Tesla?

 

[Nagare]

I think that's a whole nother boat that won't be touched here. I think it was a combination of the Tesla being based on the premium hvac board and strange integration back to base model units. Could be something a tester with a premium could try but who knows for sure if this unit will even work on one.

 

[5pointOh]

I did some tinkering, and the potential is opening up on this quite a bit. I was able to successfully utilize the SIM Card dongle and get 4GLTE signal to it.
It also looks like the potential for this to replace SYNC2/3 units is there too, but I'll have to talk to some of the guys with the Tesla units to find out what the difference was in cabling for them.
This thing has so much more potential than the Tesla IMHO. After talking to someone last night who uses a Tesla unit, we were comparing screen sizing with landscape apps (such as Torque Pro and whatnot) and you actually have more usable screen on this unit, since it doesn't have a persistent Top & Bottom bar, plus it allows apps to run full screen.


I also have a soft-brick recovery, working on one for hard-bricks, but I'd need more help from Android Development people. I'm hoping the Beta program happens soon, so we can get a bigger blanket for updates/improvements.

Oh, and while Nagare and I are trying to provide you guys with as much info as possible, try to keep in mind we have our daily lives going on, plus we're using a lot of time testing out what we can to provide feedback to the company on the tests, so we can't always get every request right away, but we'll try!

I sent you a PM

 

[randy_tho]

Very good on the videos. Thanks. Appreciate you taking the time. Have you had a chance to drop it into reverse immediately after cranking the engine?

 

[randy_tho]

Just a couple observations. It looks like swapping from cam to launcher may be programmatic? Notice the launcher does the home screen animation swapping back from cam. That makes me wonder if the cam is software dependent. Also the trajectory lines look to be substituted with a middle dotted line?

 

[Nagare]

[MENTION=32012]randy_tho[/MENTION] most of the time it's going to go straight into the camera because it does an instant boot then it'll do a full boot sequence once I'm going. If you wait more than (roughly) 30 seconds the boot sequence might start by then.

What do you mean by programmatic? My launcher plays the animation basically anytime you go back to it from any screen, so if I go to literally anything other than the home screen, you'll see the animation. Everything has to interface with the software somehow or another though...In one of the videos (I can't remember if it was one I uploaded or not because there were a few that got ruined for some reason or another), you can see the trajectory lines move on it. In the one I think you're referring to I'm parked at home so it was just showing the camera working is all, no wheel turn.

 

[HotBadgerFart]

Just a couple observations. It looks like swapping from cam to launcher may be programmatic? Notice the launcher does the home screen animation swapping back from cam. That makes me wonder if the cam is software dependent. Also the trajectory lines look to be substituted with a middle dotted line?

Man, I bet you're a lot of fun at parties...


The backup camera lines, including trajectory are the same as stock. The lines come from the camera itself. The backup camera does run on an interface app embedded in the unit. When you put the car in reverse, it sends a signal through the CANBUS that tells the head unit to switch to the backup camera app. When you take it out of reverse, the 12v is removed and it switches back to the previous app you were on.

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