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Friday, January 28, 2011

Sony Ericsson LiveView Update

Sony Ericsson has launched the firmware update for LiveView. Connect your Liveview to a PC and update.


-Install the Package on a PC.
-Switch off the LiveView and connect to PC via Micro USB Cable.
-Press and Hold Select button.
-Now press and hold Power button till USB logo shows up in the LiveView.
-Install Update. Unplug after succesful install.
-Unpair LiveView in the Phone and pair again and connect.


Link:
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/accessories/overview/liveviewmicrodisplay?cc=gb&lc=en#a


Update:
Update_Service_Setup-2.11.1.9.exe [EXE] 36MB


Details:







Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Sony Ericsson LiveView Details

I recently purchased a Sony Ericsson LiveView from Amazon.Since then I have been using it. Although there are some shortcomings, I'm really impressed to say the least. 
©Sony Ericsson


Sony Ericsson LiveView
1.3” OLED Screen
128x128 pixels
Bluetooth 2.1
In the Box:       1 Watch strap with Velcro strip,
2 Flanged Spring Bars,
1 snap-on holder for Watch,
1 snap-on Clip (attached to LiveView)
1 Micro-B USB Charger (5V, 550mA)
User guide, Legal Information booklets

The performance of the device is pretty neat. The device works like a charm when connected but constant disconnection causes dissatisfaction. The device disconnects unpredictably possibly due to firmware issue or limitations in it's bluetooth range. The Device becomes unresponsive if the LiveView app is killed. The Music plugin however doesn't seem to be working with my Nexus One.

Default Plugins:
Plugins
Status
Notifications
Comments
Messages
works fine
Sender’s name, Full Message
-
Facebook
Patchy
User Name: Likes, Comments & Messages
(Basic Fb Notifications)
Notifications slow to arrive
Twitter
works fine
User Name, Full tweet
-
Find phone
works fine
Phone makes 3 Notification rings
Limited to connectivity and of course range.
RSS
works fine
Feed name,Full feed entry
-
Calendar
works fine
Event timings, Event details
-
Missed calls
works fine
Caller :Name, Number & Time of call
-
Active Calls
works fine
Caller Name or Number if name unknown
-

Third Party plugins:
Plugins
Status
Notifications
Comments
Gmail
works fine
Full Mail
-
PowerAmp
Brilliant
Music control: Play/Pause, Next/Previous, Volume Up/Down.
Clock Mode.
Album Art & Song Details not showing up.*
ContactCall
works fine
Contact Image, Contact Name or Number if name unknown
Plugin works brilliantly, but navigating to the person to call is a pain.
How about a shortcut to Favorite callers only??*
Launcher
works fine
Full App drawer
Icon rendering needs to be cleaned up.

Battery Life: 

7 Hrs of an eventful day with Notifications,
24 Hrs on standby, without sync.

Conclusion:
The Bluetooth connection needs to be improved. Good implementation of the concept.

*Update [Jan 27]:
PowerAmp plugin shows AlbumArt if scrobbling is enabled.
ContactCall has options to select groups like (All Contacts,Starred in Android...) to display in LiveView


Press Shots ©Sony Ericsson:
 
Images:





Sunday, January 16, 2011

Nexus One Headset Controls: Issue, Solution and the Aftermath


I've been using the Nexus One Headset for quite some time now and never had any problems. However recently I found out that the Headset controls stopped responding while the headphones were working fine. My first assumption was that some application would have latched on to the control bits. So I killed most of the applications, then rebooted  and I also factory reset the phone, but the issue persisted.


The issue was with the hardware. I connected a spare HTC Desire headset to my phone, to no surprise it worked. So the fault was with the my Headset.

After searching the web and tearing in to the hardware I could finally solve the problem. Here is how-

The Problem:
The Unshielded copper wire wound around within the cable had torn due to twisting and turning of the cable.
This is the common (GND) for the function keys and hence the controls didn’t work.

Verifying it:
Hold the Multimeter across the 4th Connector (Sleeve) and the 3rd Connector (counting from the tip). The Multimeter should read as shorted or Zero Ohms when you press the play button.

Some of the Resistance readings across 4th and 3rd connectors:
Buttons pressed
Resistance
(Ideal value)
Resistance
(Recurring stable value)
Play/Pause
0 Ω (short-circuit)
0 Ω (short-circuit)
Previous
220 Ω
221 Ω
Next
600 Ω
605 Ω

Solution:
I connected the torn wires again and the controls worked. But I had to replace the jack with a new one since the copper wire had torn very close to the plug.

Note:
The plug is TRRS (Tip-Ring-Ring-Sleeve) type 3.5mm. 

Headset affected:
HTC RC E150/E160

Similar Headsets are provided with:
Desire, Desire Z, Desire HD

Below are some the images and wiring diagrams that might help you. There are images of the headset controls dismantled just in case if you are interested.

Conclusion:
Handle your hardware with care :)

Images:












Android Weather Icons (Extended)

Here are some extended set of the original one-

Previously: 
Android Weather Icons Set 1


Link:

Android Weather Icons Extended [ZIP] 598 kB

License: There is no license attached to this work. You are free to use them with or without modification.


Object:


Android: Weather Extended by ~bharathp666 on deviantART



Image:

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Android: Compass Application Concept (Templates)

I like the HTC HD2 compass, and this is what i came up with-


License: There is no license attached to this work. You are free to use them with or without modification.


Link:
Compass App Concept [ZIP] 8.7 MB


Object:

Android: Compass App. Concept by ~bharathp666 on deviantART



Images:






CR3: Android Music Player Concept (and Templates)

The stock Android Music Player is very simple and easy to use, but isn't attractive. The new Gallery-ish Music player also sucks. So here is my music player / theme concept, that would turn some heads!!


Link:
Android Music Player Concept [ZIP] 7.4 Mb


Object:

Android: Music Player Concept by ~bharathp666 on deviantART



Images:






Friday, January 14, 2011

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Templates

This phone is Gorgeous. Timescape and Mediascape are awesome applications but tend to lag the X10. The below templates are 2000x2000pixels , contains both PSDs and PNGs.


Link:
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 [ZIP] 19 MB

Objects:

Images: