Alex Ibrado

Coby Kyros MID1024-4G: rooted, googlified

I got the Coby Kyros MID1024-4G Android tablet for ~PHP12k from Electronics Boutique in Robinsons Galleria:

Android 2.2
10" capacitive, 1024x600
4 GB storage (< 3GB usable)
HDMI output

The preloaded software was disappointing, but I installed Android Market (using the newer com.android.vending-2.apk from here) and the GoogleServicesFramework.apk from here. I tried using ArcTools (installed via the stock AppsLib) for the rest of the Google apps, but the automated process failed. I got out the arctools01.zip file saved on the tablet's internal SD card, extracted the files, and manually installed Calendar, Contacts, Talk, and Network Location.

I also managed to root the MID1024 by uploading (via adb push) psneuter and su-v2 from SuperOneClick 1.9.5 and muddling through steps similar to these, though I didn't have to remount anything or link busybox. On this tablet, /system is not a separate partition, but merely a folder on a writeable root partition. This obviously made removing crappy stock apps real easy.

The screen dimensions on the MID1024 make it perfect for reading print-layout newspapers via PressReader; comics via Perfect Viewer and comiXology's Comics; movies via DICE Player; and checking out technical references via Amazon Kindle. It's a bit heavy for reading novels though.

Here are some other apps I have on it:

1-Click Cleaner -- clear out trash left by previous installs, etc.
App to SD -- easily determine which apps can be moved to SD
AutoRotate Switch -- lock autorotate by a long-press on the search key
Better Terminal Emulator Pro -- fullblown terminal/SSH client (I outgrew ConnectBot, I guess)
Hacker's Keyboard -- full 5-row keyboard with arrow keys, function keys, etc.
PocketCloud -- VNC/RDP client

I also installed ADW.Launcher and the ADW Honeycomb Theme -- now the home screen and app drawer look really good!

The only peeve I have with this tablet is that VPN doesn't work (even after using 5 VPN to get to the hidden settings). Maybe I'll figure it out later, but for now I just share my OpenVPN connection.

All things considered, this tablet is good enough to tide me over until the new models from Apple, Motorola, Samsung, Huawei, Amazon, etc. arrive later this year. At least, I hope so... :-D

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Poor Man's Wi-Drive

The Kingston Wi-Drive sounds like an easy way to give more bytes to storage-starved iOS devices. Unfortunately, at $130 for 16GB and $175 for 32GB, it's not so easy on the wallet.

If you already use an Android phone as your WiFi Access Point ("Personal Hotspot"), you're in luck. Simply install a file sharing server, such as DavDrive Lite (free), on your Android phone, and the appropriate client, such as WebDAV Navigator (also free), on your iOS device. Connect via WiFi to the Android phone as usual, then use WebDAV Navigator to open the URL shown in DavDrive Lite (using the specified credentials), and you're good to go!

Since WebDAV is an industry standard, you can also access the shared files in any operating system with a WebDAV client. In a pinch, even an ordinary web browser would do.

Personally, my setup is the non-lite DavDrive at €0.99 (~PHP 60) and Air Sharing Pro ($6.99) which I already purchased previously.

FYI, a 16 GB MicroSDHC at CDR King is about P1,300 (when in stock); a 32 GB card will set you back PHP 3,580.

(download)

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Real Gmail push notifications and sync for iOS

I don't know how I missed it, but you can get real push notifications and proper Contacts/Calendar sync with Gmail/Google Apps on your iOS device (iPhone/iPod touch/iPad) -- just use a Microsoft Exchange profile when you setup your account. Instructions here.

After you do that, your Mail icon badge (the number in the little red circle) will update as soon as new mail comes into any of your configured mail accounts -- you don't need a specialized notifier app just for this. Also, your Contacts and Calendar will be perfectly synchonized with your Google accounts.

n.b. Yahoo! mail already has push built-in.

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Hindi... ikaw!

Dapithapon CD signed by Johnoy during gig @ Route 196. Thanks, man! :-)

Buy your own today! (Available on iTunes)

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Android tablet mini-teardown and upgrade

I got an 8" 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 Cortex A8 Android tablet from TipidPC. It only had 4GB of storage so I decided to upgrade it to 16GB.

This particular tablet has an internal MicroSD that contains the firmware and user data. You can replace it, but you can only get to it by opening the tablet.

My first try involved popping off the screen with a large bathroom suction cup from one of those ubiquitous Japanese stores. While it worked well enough, the screen isn't that sturdy -- the upper layer sort of peeled off. Afterwards, I used some guitar picks I bought from RJ Music Store in Galleria.

I slid a thin pick (0.46mm) in the upper right corner (just above the power switch) and moved it upwards (away from the switches) and around the case. Once the case was slightly open, I used a 0.81mm pick to open the rest of the case, balancing the left and right sides until I got to the bottom corners. Later on, I just used the 0.81 from the get-go.

There is a fine ribbon connecting the touchscreen to the side where the circular Back key is. If you attempt this (at your own risk!), be very careful as the ribbon is easily damaged.

I then moved the touchscreen away from the board, and the LCD screen below it to one side. This gave me access to the 4GB internal MicroSD. Unlike the external one, you can push it in to pop it out.

I replaced the original MicroSD with a 16GB one I had flashed with firmware from AndroidTouchPC (using dd on Linux), and used GNU Parted to move and resize the original partitions. (There's no need to open up the tablet to install this firmware on the stock 4GB card... but I wasn't using the stock card.) I closed up the tablet, and after following the firmware upgrade instructions, and those for fixing the Market, the tablet was up and running with 12 GB of media storage, 2 GB for apps, firmware free of Chinese apps, and a working Android Market. And by clearing the Youtube app's cache and data, I'm able to play videos without the dreaded "Cannot play this video" error. Woohoo!

(download)

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10.5: Crop a multi-page PDF in Preview - Mac OS X Hints

...open up whatever PDF you want to crop in Preview. Hit the Select button in the toolbar and crop the first page as you want all the selected pages to be cropped. The cropping tool works just like any crop tool in your average photo editing software. Then, in the sidebar on the right, select a thumbnail of any page (make sure the sidebar is in thumbnail view and not Table of Contents or Annotations view). Now check to be sure that the crop size is what you want to be applied to all the pages you select, then hit Select All, and go to Tools » Crop or hit Command-K. Now your selection is cropped just the way you want it!

via hints.macworld.com

Great tip, still works in 10.6. Perfect for getting 7" ebook readers to show more readable text without zooming in.

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