Database Users

Great tablet apps I've found

I'm sure there'll be a ton of this type of thread, but I glanced around and didn't see anything recent. Here's what I've found that I really like for Tablet use:
Productivity type apps:
QuickPic - it's really a phone photo viewer but it gives a lot better quality pictures than the built-in app.
CNBC Real Time- wow, this is what a tablet app should be! If you trade stocks or watch financial markets, this is a killer app!
USA Today for Tablet - another excellent tablet news app
Tablet Keyboard - $.99 but if you need arrow keys or want a split-screen keyboard for thumb use, it's great. Missing features like auto-cap or auto-complete, so be aware. I use this primarily with ConnectBot for controlling servers because of the arrow keys.
Thinking Space - works rather well as a mindmapping app
AndChat - IRC client. Works well despite being a phone app
Calibre Library - full disclosure: I wrote this. Optimized for Honeycomb, connect to your Calibre desktop app wirelessly, and if you're a real geek even over the Internet if you know how to set up your desktop app right.
ConnectBot - again a phone app, but works well on the tablet.
Other
Asteroid Belt Live Wallpaper - just cool
Games
Gun Bros - Plays well on the tablet.
Dungeon Defenders: FW Deluxe - Designed for Tegra 2
I also tried the CNN tablet app, but it constantly crashes and won't play the videos even though it's designed for Honeycomb.

Thanks for the list, theres some gems in there. CNN app works great on my Iconia btw, havent seen a crash and video is perfect.

cybermage1 said:
I'm sure there'll be a ton of this type of thread, but I glanced around and didn't see anything recent. Here's what I've found that I really like for Tablet use:
Productivity type apps:
QuickPic - it's really a phone photo viewer but it gives a lot better quality pictures than th
Other
Asteroid Belt Live Wallpaper - just cool
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have both and agree they are great.

great thread

FlexT9 keyboard. It's what ShapeWriter morphed into after they got acquired. Tap, swipe, talk, or draw. Totally kicks ass, and is optimized for the tablet.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

CNN tablet app works great for me including videos tethered through a phone

rocky3 said:
CNN tablet app works great for me including videos tethered through a phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still can't get video, it always tells me video is not available offline, despite the fact my wiress is connected and it just downloaded the list of videos...

Let's see.. Those that have CNN working with videos, are you rooted or not? For me when I had my Xoom, it didnt work either (rooted), If not, i have no idea what the deal is.

CNN app works fine for me and I'm not rooted.

any suggestions for office documetns apps? trying quick office. Any other suggestions?

As stated my CNN app doesn't work - and yes I'm rooted. I usually run "Airplane" mode with wifi enabled (that whole try to stop sucking battery for 3G that I don't have tip,) but I also tried disabling airplane with wifi enabled to no avail.
I did replace my wpa_supplicant file to enable ad-hoc networks.

cybermage1 said:
As stated my CNN app doesn't work - and yes I'm rooted. I usually run "Airplane" mode with wifi enabled (that whole try to stop sucking battery for 3G that I don't have tip,) but I also tried disabling airplane with wifi enabled to no avail.
I did replace my wpa_supplicant file to enable ad-hoc networks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know it seems strange, but make sure you didnt accidently get the CNN App for mobile phones.. just get the CNN app, the one i have that works w/ video and all that on my rooted w/ wpa supplicant swapped is the one with the black background red CNN letters

docs to go
i use docs to go for me it has worked great on my cell and so far fine on tab.i wish i could find something to print to my brother 440 cn network printer
tried many with no luck grrrrrr
im not buying a new printer

cybermage1 said:
I still can't get video, it always tells me video is not available offline, despite the fact my wiress is connected and it just downloaded the list of videos...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might try to download the latest version... the release notes state:
NOTE: "Offline" message that some users are getting while viewing stories is resolved in this build. Thanks for your patience!

As far as file commanders go, I prefer Ghost Commander, its a lot like the Norton Commander of old, two columns.

watch espn
Watch espn is a great tablet app to watch espn as long as you have a certain cable provider watched baseball last night over 4g tether

I'm using Touchdown for Tablets for my work email and calendar, works great, looks great, actually lets me synch my notes and tasks in addition to emails, contacts & appointments.
Love the Kindle app
I haven't used any of the other office apps yet so I can't speak for how they work on Honeycomb

saeba said:
Might try to download the latest version... the release notes state:
NOTE: "Offline" message that some users are getting while viewing stories is resolved in this build. Thanks for your patience!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope - mine already has that version. Right now, clicking any story that has a video just makes the screen flicker a brief moment and go back to the list of stories. I'll stick with USA Today I guess.

Tried replacing the wpa supplicant file with the original, and it still pulls the offline error. I am rooted and honestly could not give a crap about this app. Just Saying.

Uninstall and disable adblocker reinstall reboot a voila it works. Adblocker is the problem hence the problems exists with rooted users. Again I dont give a crap about this app but hope it helps those who do.

working sideloads: k9mail chrome firefox ES file/task, and more. kindle reader broken

I downloaded the fdroid apk and did adb install; fdroid runs fine. I was hoping to use it to do most of my sideloading, but the firetv has "unknown apps" disabled, and for now there's no way to change that.
so everything else below, I just went to the respective developer website and got apks and then adb install.
k9mail works great, the only issue was first launch - the screen has 2 buttons at the bottom "import settings" and "next" - the 2 buttons don't show up (i.e. the text is invisible) until you scroll down on the remote (then the button text shows up) - but after getting past that I loaded up my usual settings.k9s that I had copied from my phone, and all was well.
es file manager we all probably know pretty well. although this was the first time I noticed the "remote manager" tool, which is nothing more than an ftp server. but that's nice to remotely mess with the filesystem without having to use adb.
es task manager also works as expected.
connectbot loads, but as soon as you try a connection it dies. haven't looked at logcat yet.
jackpal android terminal works normally.
EDIT:
side loaded chrome 34.0 (.1847.114) works perfectly aside from the 1st time you run it.
(the first time, the license agreement chucks the app sideways into portrait mode. if you can manage to click the large blue button, quit, and restart, it will be back in normal/usable landscape mode. there is a checkbox above the large blue button - leave it unchecked, it's not related to the license agreement, it's about ads or agreeing to receive advertisement emails or something)
side loaded firefox beta 29.0, works perfectly.
/EDIT

ipcam viewer
still waiting on mine , can anyone verify ip cam viewer sideloads and works as written ?
thanks in advance..
have verified ip cam viewer and tiny cam pro work great.

This might seem like a crazy question, but is the Amazon App Store app on there or can you sideload it? Mine is in the mail and was trying to think of things to do with it before it gets here.

MajikUF said:
This might seem like a crazy question, but is the Amazon App Store app on there or can you sideload it? Mine is in the mail and was trying to think of things to do with it before it gets here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It already has a very fragmented amazon store built into the launcher. I tried installing the official, but the install failed because it already exists.

MajikUF said:
This might seem like a crazy question, but is the Amazon App Store app on there or can you sideload it? Mine is in the mail and was trying to think of things to do with it before it gets here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's not a crazy question - a lot of this stuff is still unclear.
the app store is there, more or less - just go into the app section of the UI, and you have your installed apps and also the available apps.
or you can do it through amazon website, here's all firetv-"compatible" apps:
http://www.amazon.com/b?node=7031433011
the sad part is, it's only about 10% of what the app store offers for e.g. kindle hardware or generic android.
if you skim through the free apps for generic android on the website, you can add all sorts of useful things. once you add it, the app page tells you which of your devices it's compatible with. anything in the amazon app store that is not included in the above link is "not compatible" with firetv.
it's kinda sorta really stupid. trying to sideload the app store app isn't going to help, either - because it will still be able to ID the device as a firetv, and it will make the same restrictions. add something free like history channel or es file explorer, and it will show up here:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/mas/your-account/myapps
but they will still never show up on your fire tv, because "not compatible" (uh huh.)
(plus, I would worry about the chance of sideloading an amazon app such as the appstore, could mess up the underlying amazon-framework. probably unlikely, but...?
this is also why I have held off sideloading the kindle software reader app.
hopefully amazon will get with expanding available apps soon, it is still early days. BUT CMON NO KINDLE READER APP WTF SPAMAZON. jeez.)

xda app works. Also got google play music to load but couldn't log in to my account.
Sent from my AFTB using XDA HD

other random notes -
I decided to try sideloading com.amazon.kindle.apk (ganked from google play store) for the heck of it, after all.
interesting part: it does seem to have some knowledge of the underlying amazon framework - doesn't ask me for ID/pass, it already knows the device is registered to amazon.
stupid annoying useless part: none of my books show up, no matter what I do.
maybe getting the apk from amazon app store rather than from google might make a difference. I dnno.
///
the built-in es media player in es file explorer, works surprisingly well - I have been using it for medium-bitrate mp4 and mkv files (over smb/cifs, no less) as a temporary solution until xbmc is working better. and it's really not bad at all!
///
gmail and gvoice both worked fine in chrome - mobile webpage as well as desktop webpage.
except for: no audio from voicemail playback in gvoice.
///
linphone always crashes on startup, so no luck testing there.
///
generic usb cameras are correctly recognized as uvcvideo. but I was not able to get com.pas.webcam.apk or any of the generic webcam test apps to work.
///
nova launcher works about as expected.
at one point I did get super-hopeful because nova has a link to generic android settings, but all it did was send me to the firetv settings area. ah well.

tarvoke said:
nova launcher works about as expected.
at one point I did get super-hopeful because nova has a link to generic android settings, but all it did was send me to the firetv settings area. ah well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you switch launchers? I couldn't find a way to get Open Launcher to work, since I can't clear the default stock launcher settings.

Luxferro said:
How did you switch launchers? I couldn't find a way to get Open Launcher to work, since I can't clear the default stock launcher settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just ran it from settings->apps. it's not really a permanent switch. I haven't tried open launcher, so can't offer much help sorry.
what I got was standard nova desktop, with no notification bar (even though by default it's enabled), and with the app tray on the right.
at that point, if you press the menu/context button on the remote, you get a list of options including nova settings and android settings (which as mention, only kicks you back to the amazon settings) wallpaper and stuff.
if you go into the app list, all you see is all your sideloaded apps. no way to get to actual amazon tv/video/games/apps, without jumping back to the amazon launcher. and then you have to run settings->apps->nova again, if you want the nova desktop again. (or simply alt-tab, if you have a keyboard connected)
and you will also see an icon for the "amazon video" app, but nothing actually happens if you try to run that one. (I'm guessing it's not exactly an app as much as it is part of the framework, or some kind of helper etc.)
I don't really recall seeing any "complete action using" dialogs like I would see occasionally on OUYA, but then I didn't play around enough to see if it was possible to make the launcher more permanent or stick better. but when I ran a sideloaded app from nova desktop, and then quit (e.g. xbmc) it would exit to nova rather than to amazon.

ahhhhhhh ok I see. just now tried open launcher for myself - ok so it won't let you run the launcher without making the switch in settings. and we have no way to get to those settings. and the 'home' button the dialog box is talking about, is a very different thing from the home button on the amazon remote.
that's really too bad, it looks like a pretty nice launcher.

tarvoke said:
ahhhhhhh ok I see. just now tried open launcher for myself - ok so it won't let you run the launcher without making the switch in settings. and we have no way to get to those settings. and the 'home' button the dialog box is talking about, is a very different thing from the home button on the amazon remote.
that's really too bad, it looks like a pretty nice launcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, I tried to find a way, but I don't think it's possible with the stock rom, since it lacks so many settings normally found in android. There aren't too many launchers meant for GTV type boxes, and that one seems pretty since.

bkdg100 said:
still waiting on mine , can anyone verify ip cam viewer sideloads and works as written ?
thanks in advance..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried tinycam free and it works great. When I get time I'll try ip camera viewer.

Can anyone try with Sopcast app?
If it can play without hiccups sopcast streamings of 3000kbps I will definetely get one

I have tried a bunch of games sideloaded.
Working with Ouya BT controller:
GTA Vice City and San Andreas
Shadogun HD
Bard's Tale
Sonic CD
Games that load but we need touch mapping once we get root:
Shadowrun Returns
Ravensword 2
Chronotrigger
FFIII
Dungeon Hunter 4
I am loading some emulators later and I will post the results.

titooo7 said:
Can anyone try with Sopcast app?
If it can play without hiccups sopcast streamings of 3000kbps I will definetely get one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could only see one 3000k channel on the default server - turbosport tv.
at first it was jerky because it kept running out of buffer. (even 1500k channels did too)
but then I paused and waited until the buffer went up to 100.
after that, I have been watching the 3000k football for about 5-10 minutes so far, and not a single hiccup.
really nice hd picture, and there is no corruption, no artifacts, no weird/unsettling motion/blur.
EDIT:
oh, it definitely made the firetv warmer than usual. but it is not hot in any sense.
with normal use (xbmc, Prime TV) mine is either room temperature, or a little bit warm in the one corner where the cpu/soc is.
with this program, the entire heatsink is moderately warm.
/EDIT

Has anyone tried any of the tv network apps like CBS, A&E, and others?

Spotify?
Anyone tried to sideload Spotify?

Anyone tried to side load a settings.apk?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda app-developers app

scottsdca said:
Anyone tried to side load a settings.apk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FRIGGIN CHAMPION IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.glassxe.com/2013/05/23/s...-from-the-hacking-glass-session-at-google-io/
I loaded Settings.apk and Launcher2.apk
the launcher only crashes, so don't bother.
the settings, a lot of them crash as mentioned in the article.
but so far I have a bluetooth speaker paired, connected, and WORKING - sound is coming out the BT speaker and not my TV.
even fired up PrimeTV and sound was as normal, only it was the BT speaker.
xbmc? darn right the sound is coming perfectly out of the BT speaker.
now I turned off the BT speaker, and sound is coming out the TV again. seamless as it should be.
turned the speaker back on, and it autoconnected, all fireTV audio is back on the BT speaker again.

Apps going outside the screen
I am able to load many of the apps mentioned, but most of them go beyond the screen. Is there any way to calibrate the video?

[Q] setting up VPN on NP running ATV 5.1?

I'm struggling to find a VPN app that has visible controls/menus - every one of the apps I've sideloaded can't be configured.
From reading the forums this appears to be something to do with the "3 dots" being removed in the 5.1 update - I've been on 5.1 since the day I set mine up so never had this.
Are there any VPN apps that have the controls on the main screen or are otherwise compatible with NP/5.1?
I'm also looking to switch VPNs so if anyone has a working VPN on 5.1 using a particular client's app, I'd be interested to know which service. Apparently PIA's, which I had hope for because the controls were on the main screen, doesn't work if sideloaded on ATV; not sure whether this was with 5.0 or 5.1 because authors of these posts didn't specify.

mrjezza said:
I'm struggling to find a VPN app that has visible controls/menus - every one of the apps I've sideloaded can't be configured.
From reading the forums this appears to be something to do with the "3 dots" being removed in the 5.1 update - I've been on 5.1 since the day I set mine up so never had this.
Are there any VPN apps that have the controls on the main screen or are otherwise compatible with NP/5.1?
I'm also looking to switch VPNs so if anyone has a working VPN on 5.1 using a particular client's app, I'd be interested to know which service. Apparently PIA's, which I had hope for because the controls were on the main screen, doesn't work if sideloaded on ATV; not sure whether this was with 5.0 or 5.1 because authors of these posts didn't specify.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got PIA OpenVPN app working.
#2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-player/help/sideloading-openvpn-add-certificate-t3006778
Will only work with the PIA service.

dfl said:
I got PIA OpenVPN app working.
#2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-player/help/sideloading-openvpn-add-certificate-t3006778
Will only work with the PIA service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you access the local network (192.168.x.x) and/or SMB shares while the VPN is active with PIA's app?

Yes. Everything behind your router is local and outbound is tunneled VPN.

dfl said:
Yes. Everything behind your router is local and outbound is tunneled VPN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it doesn't seem to be working that way for me. using PIA app and i can't access a web ui running on my desktop pc via sideloaded Chrome or any of my network shares via Kodi
any ideas?

You installed chrome on your nexus player? Make sure your player is connected to your home WiFi with dhcp, dont mess with the DNS. Launch your PIA app from chainfires side load launcher. Put your PIA username / password in and tick the save userinfo then click on connect. You should see on the bottom of your PIA app changing routes and then finally say CONNECTED. Hit your home button to get back to leanback launcher home., you may get a lean has crashed, just hit ok and get back home, PIA is still running in the background. Try launching a youtube video to verify you tunneled through successfully. After that launch Chrome via chainfires side load launcher. Navigate to whatismyip and should say your city and IP are different. Once you had verified go back to home and try to access your files again, if they are not there try and remap them. What are you using to stream home media? I have no issues within Kodi. If you are streaming through something else I'll mimic your setup and see what my results are.

dfl said:
You installed chrome on your nexus player? Make sure your player is connected to your home WiFi with dhcp, dont mess with the DNS. Launch your PIA app from chainfires side load launcher. Put your PIA username / password in and tick the save userinfo then click on connect. You should see on the bottom of your PIA app changing routes and then finally say CONNECTED. Hit your home button to get back to leanback launcher home., you may get a lean has crashed, just hit ok and get back home, PIA is still running in the background. Try launching a youtube video to verify you tunneled through successfully. After that launch Chrome via chainfires side load launcher. Navigate to whatismyip and should say your city and IP are different. Once you had verified go back to home and try to access your files again, if they are not there try and remap them. What are you using to stream home media? I have no issues within Kodi. If you are streaming through something else I'll mimic your setup and see what my results are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly how I've been doing it but its not working.
My setup is NP connected via WIFI using DHCP. Launch PIA app from sideload launcher. Hit connect (details already saved), wait for connected confirmation. I confirmed via whatismyip and ipleak that I have VPN ip (not ISP ip).
I can do anything that involves internet - youtube, web, video streaming, etc.
But nothing local works: I can't access a service running @ http://192.168.1.XX: port via Chrome and I can't use the SMB shortcuts pointing to my NAS configured in Kodi or browse the windows network/workgroup to find the NAS manually (no local network devices show up at all). I haven't tried adding a source using the NAS ip (but I don't see why this would work if the Chrome web service test failed). Both of these things work fine when the VPN is switched off.
Edit: some google research and a brief chat with a relatively clueless tech support person leads me to believe that split tunnelling may not be implemented in the PIA android app.

mrjezza said:
That's exactly how I've been doing it but its not working.
My setup is NP connected via WIFI using DHCP. Launch PIA app from sideload launcher. Hit connect (details already saved), wait for connected confirmation. I confirmed via whatismyip and ipleak that I have VPN ip (not ISP ip).
I can do anything that involves internet - youtube, web, video streaming, etc.
But nothing local works: I can't access a service running @ http://192.168.1.XX: port via Chrome and I can't use the SMB shortcuts pointing to my NAS configured in Kodi or browse the windows network/workgroup to find the NAS manually (no local network devices show up at all). I haven't tried adding a source using the NAS ip (but I don't see why this would work if the Chrome web service test failed). Both of these things work fine when the VPN is switched off.
Edit: some google research and a brief chat with a relatively clueless tech support person leads me to believe that split tunnelling may not be implemented in the PIA android app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man i feel like an idiot. I been watching stuff off an external drive plugged in via OTG. I thought that share was on my server. I am sorry to have been misleading. I really spaced on that.
My bad,
DFL

dfl said:
Man i feel like an idiot. I been watching stuff off an external drive plugged in via OTG. I thought that share was on my server. I am sorry to have been misleading. I really spaced on that.
My bad,
DFL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
all good, i'm glad someone was getting involved at least
i think there are at least a couple of vpn apps that support split tunnelling, but until there is a way to use menus on apps that aren't designed for the android tv leanback launcher, i don't think there is a way to have it work on a stock-rom nexus player

I would like to get that figured out too. I know on my RPI2 there was a workaround of sorts to get PIA working and has split tunnelling. Curious if the same method install would work with a few tweaks, though that will only VPN in Kodi. Ill mess around tonight if i get some time. let me know what you find.

i've posted in a group run by a dev of one of the popular vpn apps so hopefully we can get a 5.1+ compatible version soon (he said it worked in his android tv emulator but i suspect it was running 5.0 and the missing 3 dots wasn't an issue)

mrjezza said:
i've posted in a group run by a dev of one of the popular vpn apps so hopefully we can get a 5.1+ compatible version soon (he said it worked in his android tv emulator but i suspect it was running 5.0 and the missing 3 dots wasn't an issue)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not a promising conversation, i get the impression the dev is not willing to do the work needed to have the gui operational on 5.1+ android tv

dfl said:
I got PIA OpenVPN app working.
#2: http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-player/help/sideloading-openvpn-add-certificate-t3006778
Will only work with the PIA service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are you able to access PIA app's settings? I have the app installed and running but unlike on my mobile phone there is no settings which I wanted to enable connect on boot.

No, i havent been able to access the apps settings. I connect and leave on for a few days then ill reconnect.

Question: Anyone attempted installing Pip Boy apk on watch?

Yes I know, weak CPU and limited RAM. But has anyone attempted to install the Fallout 4 Pip Boy apk on a watch yet? I would LOVE to see a youtube video of it in action.

It might not run on the watch due to limited ram and cpu but its worth trying.. Also interested in hearing from someone who have done this.

spook said:
Yes I know, weak CPU and limited RAM. But has anyone attempted to install the Fallout 4 Pip Boy apk on a watch yet? I would LOVE to see a youtube video of it in action.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't it use internet? Doing that might FC the app.

I believe it would access the wifi but not the Internet. When connecting to the PC edition, it looks for the PC directly on the network.

I have it running just fine in demo mode. Navigating the map is a pain, but it works. I'm using a Gear 2 with Android Wear mod, so no wifi. Trying to find a way around it...

Yep, link in my signature.
I wanted to make a youtube video, but its really pain in the ass when you don't have a proper camera with a tripod. As you need to hold your phone and your watch and then click stuff on the watch while phone is blocking your view.
It fully works though, I was able to connect it to my game over wifi.
Morvidus said:
I have it running just fine in demo mode. Navigating the map is a pain, but it works. I'm using a Gear 2 with Android Wear mod, so no wifi. Trying to find a way around it...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you install your apk into /system on your watch, it should be able to access internet over bluetooth. However system partition is usually very limited in available space.

Cricket Matches and Live Streaming Problem

Hi All,
Just hoping someone can answer this for me. I have tried searching XDA and everything.
I have International S7 Edge rooted.
When ever i am trying to watch the live cricket matches from Smartcric.com or Touchcric.com video does not load, i do see the play button and everything but when i click play traffic doesnt move at all and video never gets to load..... HOWEVER when i turn on the wifi it works perfectly fine and no issues at all. Its really frustrating when i am outdoor.
Is there any option i can turn off or something so that i can watch these live streams? Been looking for this answer for ages.
Please help? Thanks a ton in Advance.
Regards,
Ali

I just checked it out, it's working fine both on mobile data and WiFi for me. Is it possible that your phone's ISP deactivated that option or something?
Try with a VPN. There are tons of free VPNs to try in the Play Store. (I wouldn't trust them too much but it should be good for watching videos). If it's working with VPN your ISP is blocking it.
Another option would be tapping the play button on the video and then tap and hold it to download the video. (This works in Chrome, but I guess in other browsers too)
Or try the apps. On smartcric I've seen they have an apk download for their app on their website. Maybe that works better because of a built-in player or something.

Or watch using Kodi.

rubaiet said:
Or watch using Kodi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kodi is cool but its heavy on Data.
Ali