Android Tablet Thread: Defend Your Other Purchase

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Android Tablet Thread: Defend Your Other Purchase

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Turd Nelson: Nov 21, 2008

Lesson learned, I'm a dumbass- I'm just glad I didn't have a dead on arrival unit!

# ? Feb 13, 2013 07:43

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# ? May 9, 2024 22:06

Squatch Ambassador: Nov 12, 2008; What? Never seen a shaved Squatch before?

parrhesia posted:

The DODOcase and the Poetic were already on my radar, so that helps narrowing it down. Thanks a lot! If the Poetic has quality issues, I probably won't get it though. It's not available in Germany, so I would have to import it from England which means that sending it back is a huge pain in the rear end in case there is something wrong with it.

Another one I found was the Treegloo Streamliner. Does anybody have any experience with that? If not (or if it's crap), I'll probably go with the DODOcase.

I have a regular nexus 7 treegloo case, and it's a really nice case; looks great and is solidly built. That being said I'd avoid them for their long shipping time and business practices. Such as telling people their order has shipped when it really hasn't, just so they won't cancel their order. Unless you're really into the environmentally friendly manufacturing process they claim to have (part of why they take so long to make and ship) you're probably better off with the dodo case.

# ? Feb 13, 2013 10:05

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

That's supposedly pretty standard for tablets anyways, for them to ship with dead batteries. My mom got a Kindle Fire HD though that was 100% charged out of the box.

# ? Feb 13, 2013 14:13

Vagrancy: Oct 15, 2005; Master of procrastination

Tunga posted:

No sign of it on the N7 3G either.

Nexus 7 3G OTA link: http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/google_nakasig/357318e165a8.signed-nakasig-JDQ39-from-JOP40D.357318e1.zip

# ? Feb 13, 2013 19:58

Tunga: May 7, 2004; Grimey Drawer

Vagrancy posted:

Nexus 7 3G OTA link: http://android.clients.google.com/packages/ota/google_nakasig/357318e165a8.signed-nakasig-JDQ39-from-JOP40D.357318e1.zip

Bonza! I conveniently have two identical 3Gs sitting here so I can test it on the old one and see if it fucks up anything or just removes root or whatever.

Edit: This fails on the verification, I guess root is causing it. I might just wait for the new factory image and flash that, can't think of an easier way.

Tunga fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Feb 13, 2013

# ? Feb 13, 2013 20:18

Stick100: Mar 18, 2003

I said come in! posted:

That's supposedly pretty standard for tablets anyways, for them to ship with dead batteries. My mom got a Kindle Fire HD though that was 100% charged out of the box.

I wonder if that's a liability thing to lower the chance of having a box catch on fire with LION batteries.

# ? Feb 13, 2013 23:41

mcbexx: Jul 4, 2004; British dentistry is
not on trial here!

Not sure if it is a case of 'emperors new clothes', but my Nexus 7 sure does feel snappier after the update to 4.2.2,for what it's worth.

# ? Feb 14, 2013 00:19

AlexDeGruven: Jun 29, 2007; Watch me pull my dongle out of this tiny box

mcbexx posted:

Not sure if it is a case of 'emperors new clothes', but my Nexus 7 sure does feel snappier after the update to 4.2.2,for what it's worth.

I noticed that as well. Giving it a few more days for the Dalvik cache to get shitted up some more before ruling that it's actually faster for me.

# ? Feb 14, 2013 04:11

Maker Of Shoes: Sep 4, 2006; AWWWW YISSSSSSSSSS
DIS IS MAH JAM!!!!!!

I'm cautiously optimistic. I really really want my N7 to wow me again. :smith:

# ? Feb 14, 2013 04:58

slicing up eyeballs: Oct 19, 2005; I got me two olives and a couple of limes

The weird overswipe-bounceback effect that was driving me nuts was apparently fixed in 4.2.2,so I'm happy as a clam.

# ? Feb 14, 2013 05:27

TShields: Mar 30, 2007; We can rule them like gods! ...Angry gods.

Jonesy posted:

The weird overswipe-bounceback effect that was driving me nuts was apparently fixed in 4.2.2,so I'm happy as a clam.

Oh thank god, that was my biggest gripe with mine.

Still waiting here.. Getting a little impatient, and I don't want to do the round-about ways and gently caress something up.

# ? Feb 14, 2013 13:54

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

Jonesy posted:

The weird overswipe-bounceback effect that was driving me nuts was apparently fixed in 4.2.2,so I'm happy as a clam.

This is the only thing I really want fixed, so i'm getting impatient for that update. If this fixes that one problem, my N7 will be perfect.

# ? Feb 14, 2013 15:33

Babies Getting Rabies: Apr 21, 2007; Sugartime Jones

So I've had some time to play around with my Nexus 7 for a bit and I've noticed that it sometimes renders smaller fonts pretty badly. They seem fuzzy, especially against a darker background. Does anybody else have that issue as well? I guess I could be spoiled by my phone's 342ppi but I'm not sure.

For shits and giggles I also did this gamma calibration "test" (I assume it's not very precise). It checks out alright on my monitor but on my Nexus 7, I end up at somewhere around 1.3-1.6. Can anybody else reproduce that or am I basically hosed and should RMA it?

# ? Feb 14, 2013 20:59

GonadTheBallbarian: Jul 23, 2007

parrhesia posted:

So I've had some time to play around with my Nexus 7 for a bit and I've noticed that it sometimes renders smaller fonts pretty badly. They seem fuzzy, especially against a darker background. Does anybody else have that issue as well? I guess I could be spoiled by my phone's 342ppi but I'm not sure.

For shits and giggles I also did this gamma calibration "test" (I assume it's not very precise). It checks out alright on my monitor but on my Nexus 7, I end up at somewhere around 1.3-1.6. Can anybody else reproduce that or am I basically hosed and should RMA it?

Not sure, but using DisplayMate got me a gamma of 2.04 on the N7.

e. That test also requires a fixed position and a direct viewing angle... as well as fitting the whole damned image on the screen. I wouldn't put too much stock into it.

GonadTheBallbarian fucked around with this message at 22:08 on Feb 14, 2013

# ? Feb 14, 2013 22:01

Otis Reddit: Nov 14, 2006

Anyone have any hope for unlocking this thing (it's in airplane mode too!) before I throw in the towel? Owner has no clue what the model number or even make was. Seems to be some kind of eBay special.

# ? Feb 14, 2013 22:12

ScarletBrother: Nov 2, 2004

juche mane posted:

Anyone have any hope for unlocking this thing (it's in airplane mode too!) before I throw in the towel? Owner has no clue what the model number or even make was. Seems to be some kind of eBay special.

Will it boot into recovery?

# ? Feb 14, 2013 22:15

Otis Reddit: Nov 14, 2006

I tried a couple different methods, all of them on friends' advice, but none of them have brought up any sort of recovery. There's a pinhole in the back that I tried clicking it but still no dice. Is there a universal recovery for Android?

# ? Feb 14, 2013 22:25

Babies Getting Rabies: Apr 21, 2007; Sugartime Jones

GonadTheBallbarian posted:

Not sure, but using DisplayMate got me a gamma of 2.04 on the N7.

e. That test also requires a fixed position and a direct viewing angle... as well as fitting the whole damned image on the screen. I wouldn't put too much stock into it.

Yeah, as I said I doubt it's very precise. Though the web is full of reports that Nexus displays are badly calibrated and I don't have any better options to check the display.

Either way, I don't particularly care if some colors are slightly off as I won't do any photo work on it anyway. But I will read a lot so fuzzy fonts are going to be annoying and from what I understand terrible gamma can contribute to that. I guess I'll see if I can get used to it and ask a few other people if they also think the fonts are blurry. I have few days before I can't RMA it anymore and I want to see if it's my own pickiness or an actual issue with the display.

# ? Feb 14, 2013 22:26

ScarletBrother: Nov 2, 2004

juche mane posted:

I tried a couple different methods, all of them on friends' advice, but none of them have brought up any sort of recovery. There's a pinhole in the back that I tried clicking it but still no dice. Is there a universal recovery for Android?

Does it have any manufacturer markings on it at all?

# ? Feb 14, 2013 22:46

Otis Reddit: Nov 14, 2006

None whatsoever.

# ? Feb 15, 2013 00:44

TShields: Mar 30, 2007; We can rule them like gods! ...Angry gods.

Other Nexus 7 users who don't want to wait, this worked for me on the first try: http://www.gottabemobile.com/2013/02/12/how-to-get-the-nexus-7-android-4-2-2-update-right-now/

Running great now! Love the changes.

# ? Feb 15, 2013 06:42

Manky: Mar 20, 2007; Fun Shoe

TShields posted:

Other Nexus 7 users who don't want to wait, this worked for me on the first try: http://www.gottabemobile.com/2013/02/12/how-to-get-the-nexus-7-android-4-2-2-update-right-now/

Running great now! Love the changes.

Thank you! The first method on there worked perfectly.

# ? Feb 15, 2013 12:06

Tunga: May 7, 2004; Grimey Drawer

I tried my roll-your-own update method on my N7 3G and it worked flawlessly. This is designed for cases where you're on a completely stock ROM but you've made some a tiny change somewhere in system and the OTA throws a strop about it. It should work for any Nexus device.

1. Grab the new factory image from Google.
2. Extract the bootloader.img, radio.img and image.zip files using 7zip or whatever, just grab the files and throw them into a (sub)folder with your fastboot executable. They'll have longer names than that but they are obvious, it's the three files that aren't scripts. Also grab your recovery of choice if you don't want to end up with the stock one.
3. Fastboot that poo poo:

code:

.\fastboot flash bootloader .\path\to\bootloader.img
.\fastboot reboot-bootloader
.\fastboot flash radio .\path\to\radio.img
.\fastboot update .\path\to\image.zip
.\fastboot flash recovery .\path\to\recovery.img

4. Optional: launch recovery and root as normal.
5. Reboot and you're done.

No data loss!

# ? Feb 15, 2013 13:13

AlexDeGruven: Jun 29, 2007; Watch me pull my dongle out of this tiny box

juche mane posted:

None whatsoever.

Can you plug it in via USB and access it via ADB? Depending on the actual manufacturer of the board/SoC, it could use a relatively generic driver. Then you could do 'adb reboot recovery', where you can wipe it.

# ? Feb 15, 2013 16:28

TShields: Mar 30, 2007; We can rule them like gods! ...Angry gods.

sethsez posted:

Yeah, that's about what I paid too, I just linked to the site because it was what came up when I Googled it.

Interested to see what you'll think of it compared to the Blurex.

Since you were curious about the Poetic vs. Blurex.. Initial reaction is it's terrible. I can't fathom how it's supposed to stand up like it does in the pictures. The "folding the cover into a triangle for a stand" feature does not work. At all. And good loving lord, it smells like Satan's rear end in a top hat. I know that rubber smell will wear off, but drat, spritz it with some Febreeze before you mail it out. It's only real saving grace is that it is more comfortable to hold than the Blurex. That, and the magnets are really responsive, but I don't know if I'll keep it around very long. If I decide to ditch it after this glowing review, I'll throw it in the thread to see if anyone else wants to give it a shot.

Just so I'm not completely making GBS threads on the Poetic case, the Blurex is still really uncomfortable to hold as a leftie, and the cloth on the inside of the case keeps depositing little felt bits on my screen.

TShields fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Feb 15, 2013

# ? Feb 15, 2013 23:53

Otis Reddit: Nov 14, 2006

Welp. Turns out its an Allwinner A13.

# ? Feb 16, 2013 00:00

butt dickus: Jul 7, 2007; top ten juiced up coaches
and the top ten juiced up players

juche mane posted:

Welp. Turns out its an Allwinner A13.

That doesn't help much. The Allwinner A13 is a piece of piss SoC. There's probably dozens of lovely tablets that have it so that doesn't really narrow it down much.

# ? Feb 16, 2013 00:10

Otis Reddit: Nov 14, 2006

It's listed in Google Play as an 'Unknown F900.' What I'm trying to do now is use some god-awfully translated POS software called Livesuite/Livesuit to try and put a different ROM on it. Muhhhh.

# ? Feb 16, 2013 01:16

sethsez: Jul 14, 2006; He's soooo dreamy...

TShields posted:

I can't fathom how it's supposed to stand up like it does in the pictures. The "folding the cover into a triangle for a stand" feature does not work. At all.

Really? I never had any trouble with it, though obviously it's designed to work on a flat surface and not a lap or something. You're folding it with the felt side out, right? Pleather side out might look right but it won't work. Never had any issue with the smell either... it smelled like fake leather for a day and then smelled like nothing.

Shame you don't like it, but hey, this is why there's a large variety of cases.

# ? Feb 16, 2013 01:42

butt dickus: Jul 7, 2007; top ten juiced up coaches
and the top ten juiced up players

juche mane posted:

It's listed in Google Play as an 'Unknown F900.' What I'm trying to do now is use some god-awfully translated POS software called Livesuite/Livesuit to try and put a different ROM on it. Muhhhh.

You've probably already wasted more time than the thing is worth. Toss it and get a real tablet, dude.

# ? Feb 16, 2013 02:08

Otis Reddit: Nov 14, 2006

I agree with you but it's not mine.

# ? Feb 16, 2013 02:16

Nintendo Kid: Aug 4, 2011; by Smythe

juche mane posted:

I agree with you but it's not mine.

You will never get it to work well and the custom ROM thing will probably just break it.

# ? Feb 16, 2013 03:22

TShields: Mar 30, 2007; We can rule them like gods! ...Angry gods.

sethsez posted:

Really? I never had any trouble with it, though obviously it's designed to work on a flat surface and not a lap or something. You're folding it with the felt side out, right? Pleather side out might look right but it won't work. Never had any issue with the smell either... it smelled like fake leather for a day and then smelled like nothing.

Shame you don't like it, but hey, this is why there's a large variety of cases.

Yep. I can kinda put it down as a kick-stand if I lay it more flat, but not at the steeper angle. Really disappointing since the comparable ipad cover works so well.

# ? Feb 16, 2013 03:43

XIII: Feb 11, 2009

I just got my Poetic case today too and I'm seeing a similar result. Mine won't stand in the highest position. It just slides up the back til the tablet is laying on it's back. But, I think it will get better as it breaks in a little, because, brand new, the front flap wants to straighten out. I think I'm going to like the case, overall. Also, mine smells fine.

Edit: after flexing the cover over on itself a little to break it in, it now sits up in the highest position without issue. $12 well spent

XIII fucked around with this message at 04:22 on Feb 16, 2013

# ? Feb 16, 2013 04:09

sethsez: Jul 14, 2006; He's soooo dreamy...

TShields posted:

Yep. I can kinda put it down as a kick-stand if I lay it more flat, but not at the steeper angle. Really disappointing since the comparable ipad cover works so well.

That's really weird, I've never had any trouble.

# ? Feb 16, 2013 04:10

Day Man: Jul 30, 2007; Champion of the Sun!

Master of karate and friendship...
for everyone!

Mine stands up just fine.

# ? Feb 16, 2013 05:54

TShields: Mar 30, 2007; We can rule them like gods! ...Angry gods.

Maybe mine is a dud. I'll keep fiddling with it. If I don't like it, I think I'm going to get my dad a Nexus for his birthday and he can have it haha..

# ? Feb 16, 2013 06:43

sethsez: Jul 14, 2006; He's soooo dreamy...

Unless it's really abnormally stiff (which is possible) I don't really see how it could be a dud. It's about as mechanically simple as you can get. You roll it up into a triangle with the felt on the outside and stand it up... the only other thing I can think of is that you're not rolling it up tight enough, which can also make it tip over. Just like the iPad case, you've got to roll it up into a proper triangle with no gaps.

Either way, it sucks that it isn't working for you.

# ? Feb 16, 2013 07:43

cakesmith handyman: Jul 22, 2007; Pip-Pip old chap! Last one in is a rotten egg what what.

juche mane posted:

I agree with you but it's not mine.

So are you being paid for your time?

# ? Feb 16, 2013 08:54

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# ? May 9, 2024 22:06

Otis Reddit: Nov 14, 2006

Of course. I'd just feel more comfortable handing back a working piece of equipment to the dude.

# ? Feb 16, 2013 08:56

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Android Tablet Thread: Defend Your Other Purchase

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