[Android Head-Units] donaldta:
Sorry, junny81. Windows Embedded Compact has no such limitations. At least the current version, I do not know about the earlier versions. Windows CE is an operating system for embedded systems, so as long as it supports the processor family (in this case, ARM) it doesn't care how fast it is running. There might be new CPU enhancements that it does not support, but that wouldn't disable the ability to run WinCE because of it. Something you should know, not everything written on the internet is true.

Besides, those units don't even pretend that they are pure Android head units. As you have already noted, you can tell by the screenshots alone they are using a Win CE operating system in addition to Android. Heck, the units that you linked don't even look like the "AN-21 U" which is this the relative topic in this thread.

Just sideload your APKs to find out for sure. Google Play has many filters which prevent devices to install or see apps available (in addition to the hardware availability filters). One of the most limiting filter is based on whether the Android device's fingerprint has been "blessed" by Google. You can tell by going into Google Play's Settings page and if you see a generic icon like the one below then that means your Android device's "ro.build.fingerprint" from its /system/build.prop file is not officially supported by Google.

I've actually seen several places repurpose WinCE/Android head units into Pure Android. You can usually tell by the "plugs" that are palced over the secondary SD slot. I guess the build image that they are using for these systems does not support multiple SD Cards.

But, is it also the same hardware?

You would not pair the app to the OBD adapter. You would pair it to the device (smartphone or head unit) using the operating system's Bluetooth control panel. If you have Android on your smartphone and/or head unit, it is usually found in the Settings app. Otherwise, if the BT menu is hidden then you'll need to use a 3rd party app to either reveal it or have its own pairing interface.

I don't see why not. Unless his device doesn't support the Bluetooth or doesn't have the appropriate serial to BT module loaded. Though if his device supports the Lanu OBD via Bluetooth then I cannot think of a reason why it can't support any other BT OBD adapter.

---------- Post added at 07:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:24 AM ----------

Actually, the timing is just right for Windows CE. The head units with dual operating systems will boot into WinCE first then bring up Android as a virtual machine. They did this because Android normally takes a long while from a cold boot to be ready (relatively speaking of course to the stock radios).

The reason why they're been so secretive with the pure Android 4.0+ operating system on these units is because whomever is cooking up these ROMs have optimized it to have incredibly fast boot times. This means they're probably making a good deal of money supplying the OS to the respective manufacturers. Once their secret gets out, they won't quite have the leverage to make as much revenue.

Incidentally, the specs for those units from Alibaba list, "OS: ANDROID 4.1 + Windows CE 6.2 dual sytem" and "OS: ANDROID 4.2 + Windows CE 6.2 dual sytem". Caveat Emptor.