yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
Back to the Android Auto technology... :)

The first release was mostly a prototype, I'm now designing and building "the real thing".

I finally figured out how to deal with the SSL handshake, so next release will not require the shim library and root on the AA phone.

But next release might be 3-4 weeks away.

In the long run, robust, maintainable and more easily extensible software design and construction is worth the time it takes. (Just beware paralysis by analysis and get coding sometime too.)

My fave SW Dev maxim: design it well enough and implementation becomes almost trivial.
[Android Auto General] brainscollector:
Congrats on cracking it up.

Anyway, I'm sorry if I sounded rude. I'm uhm, sort of dev, I'm not writing apps but help in it a little and mostly do the UI stuff, also I'm earning from google play as said. It wasn't to say some sh!t to you, and again sorry if that sounds like that. Also as said long time ago I will buy your app for sure, just waiting for "easy to use" app (SSL will do the job aas you said).

So, good luck !
[Android Auto General] brainscollector:
Master, Master, Any news ??
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
:)

I'm fighting libusb crashes and openssl issues and ALL the hazards of modern development.

But it's also good to do some reading and try to decipher what's going on in the world.

Here's a cool rag with industry info on what was going on as of a few months ago: http://www.ics.com/sites/default/files/Automotive-Megatrends-Magazine-Q1-2015-Website.pdf

Google "gm 1 billion" and see that GM is spending $1billion to renovate old buildings and hire 2,600 people for what looks to be a "connected car" tech center.

Wow.

BTW, trying to make a living doing retail app sales really sucks (without somehow screwing people over, which sucks inherently), compared to the better of my previous job experiences. Opportunities for contract work in this area look to be ripe and I will very seriously be considering this. Might even be a good idea to open source and give away any app I create and look to the corporations again for pay...

Recent words say most cars will be "connected cars" by 2020, and almost all by 2025.

Android M to be talked about at Google IO is rumored to have Android Auto baked in, which may play a role in the next step of AA, which is to get actual Android running the infotainment systems.

I'm excited because I'm truly believing that "connected cars" is the new big thing and next major extension of "mobile".

Big companies will be fighting over who controls the data and software, etc, etc,...

And apparently, GENIVI is a consortium that is open sourcing code for all this, and it's based on Linux, not Android. Auto OEMs (and almost everybody except Google) want to ensure they aren't tied into one companies ecosystem.

More info in next post.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
Only $10,000 for the most basic membership in GENIVI... Anybody got 10g's to spare ? ;)

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...provide-android-auto-interface-300015338.html

Hmmm,...

So the software will be open source... What sort of license ?

Will we be able to access the code without paying $10k ?

And does the "licensing arrangement with Google" for "deployment" somehow attach to the source code ?

How will Google enforce this, besides refusing to host "offending" code on Google Play ?

Google plays the "we hate patents" game, so unless they change that, they can't use patents to enforce.

If onerous conditions attach to what couldn't really be called "open source" in spirit, then reverse engineered implementations could provide an alternative.

Lot's to "chew on"... :)
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
WooHoo, got the crashes fixed ! :) Was only happening with fast touch movements.

Now I can move my finger REALLY fast on GMaps for extended periods with no crash.

Maybe 5-7 days and I'll have another APK that will run on more devices, without root, and without a shim library on the AA phone.

And I'm starting to think I should attempt making it work standalone, with just 1 phone or tablet.
[Android Auto General] ilarrain:
Chainfire's USB Host Diagnostics has temporarily (until next flash) fixed usb host mode for me on my cm12 lg g-pad 8.3. If I remember correctly, the problem relies on /system/etc/permissions. At least on my device.
[Android Auto General] ilarrain:
By the way, keep up with the work. Of course most of us prefer if you release it open source, but it's your work and choice. I would gladly donate if it is (and probably buy if it's not).

Sorry for the off-topic.

Also, I think this could be a good choice to avoid tablet problems:

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...I-The-official-start/1553371_32245918870.html

+

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...Raspberry-Pi-Car-GPS/1553371_32315435767.html

Of course, not very mainstream.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
No, not mainstream.

But if somebody can use those kits/parts to build a device running Android, with the standard APIs for USB, touch-screen, etc., then my app should work on it.

There are many sellers of USD $200+ Chinese head units running Android 4.2 or higher and I think those could be more popular choices: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...&_nkw=android+head+unit&_pgn=3&_skc=100&rt=nc

And many XDA threads on these head units with many hundreds of posts here on XDA: http://xdaforums.com/android/general

With the right parts though, some tablets will be very nice. Running this app on 8-10+ inch tablets looks much more appealing than a 7- inch double DIN like the NEX-4100.

I'm not even sure yet if AA supports better than 800x640. I tried the 2 higher resolutions some time ago, but they didn't work at that point.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
Name this Head unit app... :)

This Head unit app needs a name.

I thought I might release the no-root version 2 tonight, but while it runs virtually perfectly on some devices, it has startup or running problems on several others. That's Android's diversity... So a few more days at least.

My first thought is to go with a simple, generic name, as I think these are less likely to be challenged by some mega-corporation.

I'll put a poll on this thread when I'm ready, and I'm happy to hear any thoughts.

So here are my first ideas:

- Head

- Head 1

- HeadUnit

Boring ?

Latest relevant buzz words seem to be "ConnectedCar" "IVI In Vehicle Infotainment" and something from those words could "pizazz" it up.

There there's the question of where this app might be going. Sensor interfaces will become more important I think, once the basics are done.

Sensors Connected Car Android Auto Head Unit One In Vehicle Infotainment Internet of Things... LOL.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
Thanks, I didn't realize it can fix some problems.

I tried it for testing and the results were inconsistent about things like whether or not the kernel supported USB host mode, vs Java apps, etc.

It's over 2 years old now, and for a root app, and ALL the changes with SELinux and Android 5+, it's results are expectedly incorrect in many cases.

My own root apps needed a LOT of work for Android Lollipop.

I've found that some devices, like Nexus 7 2013, can work, but they will need to be rooted. This seems surprising when there is a no root API and it's a Nexus...; maybe I'm wrong though and I'd be happy if so.
[Android Auto General] Mugga:
I'm reading this thread for quite a while and really can't wait to test it out. I've gone trough several car installations and at the moment I'm just mirroring my phone screen via miracast. To use android auto would be really great!

Here a few vids of my different approaches:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmHhlkPy6zE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9YgC8Zmyn0

I will definitely try your app and also going to buy it once you release a version. Keep up the good work :good:
[Android Auto General] neyon:
Great news

That's great news!

When I am home tonight, I will test with my phone (xperia SP cm12.1) with Xperia tablet z (4.4 stock).

I hope that it will works, you are already great developer!

Now tested:

I have problem with connection, My phone charging icon and led notification is flickering.

Like connection start, stop, start, stop,...

Then I tested my phone as headunit, connection is fine, I start your app and I receive notification usb and accepted, all went OK but tablet is still on 4.4 so can't test it (lollipop is released in usa, soon in europe)

Can logcat maybe useful for you?
[Android Auto General] luci84tm:
I just tried several times using your app on my nexus 7 2013 stock rom and an old HTC Evo 3D running cm12.1, but unfortunately Google Play Services are crashing on the last one, even if it seams there is a connection.

Anyhow I don't think your app is causing the crash, I guess the custom rom on my old htc is not very stable..

Unfortunately I don't have any other phone running lollipop to test with.

Great work!! ?I'm looking forward to your development here, maybe sometime later my setup will work too, after some ROM. updates.

A dumb question: do you think an similar app could be developed for debian, My idea would be to replace head unit with a raspberry pi? ?

Or AA requires an Android host system to mirror?
[Android Auto General] tt40:
Tried it on my HuiFei headunit and it did not work. I get a black screen. When I try to back out of it it says the application has stopped.

I have a KGL model with RK3066 CPU and 1024x600 screen. Android 4.4.4

---------- Post added at 05:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:10 PM ----------

AndroHead? :)

If you ever TM it, please give me a small royalty for the name .. ;)
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
Thanks for trying. :)

No logcat won't help at this time. There is plenty of testing and fixing I can do with my own devices first.

Your symptoms seem to indicate USB connection issues.

I'll presume you connected the devices with a powered USB hub, with the Headunit app on the "computer" side and the mobile AA device as the only device on the "phone" etc. side.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
If they are both running Lollipop, then switch them around. Make sure the AA app is on the Nexus 7 and put it on the output side of the powered USB hub. Then run my app on the Evo 3d. My app can run on 4.1 and maybe 4.0, so if you have any devices on 4.0-4.4 you can try them too.

Yes, older devices running custom ROMs are much less likely to work with Android Auto.

There are NO dumb questions. :)

This release #2 has most of the logic written in C. I can use the same code to test from the command line on my Linux development PC. There is no video or touch, but these things might possibly be added in future. The H264 video CAN be recorded to a file though; I'm not sure if VLC or anything similar could be easily hooked up.

It is definitely easier to build a Headunit app on Android, because the other side is Android and uses Android key encodings and other Android-isms.

It is definitely possible to do this on plain non-Android Linux, assuming there is a graphics API or better yet an H.264 API, as well as a touch API, or similar for a mouse for testing. But it would be a LOT of work and I have no immediate plans for this.

GENIVI has claimed they will release free source code for Android Auto on Linux, I'm guessing based on QT for the GENIVI reference platforms. GENIVI is a consortium for the automakers and HU OEMs who want to avoid being cornered into Android and prefer Linux based.

My intention is to target what most people will want, and what they would be happy to buy in an app to support my full time work on this.

The most obvious general desire is for a standalone implementation, that works with one device instead of 2 devices USB connected.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
Thanks for trying. :)

Black screen just means it "doesn't work".

Hopefully in future...
[Android Auto General] brainscollector:
Works as it should on nexus 7 2013 + moto g 1 both stock. Just remember to have latest AA on phone + sometimes you need to connect your otg cable "reversed", I mean, if first time you will plug first mini usb to tablet and second to phone, swap first end of cable and connect it to phone and second to tablet as sometimes data transfer goes in wrong direction, I know it may sound dumb but mostly cables work from-to direction here from microusb to usb cable. Get it ? I hope :P

But TBH I found it useless. I mean whole android auto. It's unintuitive. There should be more gesture based actions instead "tapped" ones as it bases on.

It requires way more attention to do anything than when I'm using for example poweramp - just press power button, swipe up to unlock and I can swipe up/down to change album or left/right to change song, on android auto I must take a look at screen, focus where should I tap and then precisely tap on screen button. It's waaaay more distracting than what I'm doing almost every day without even looking on tablet or paying attention to what I'm doing.

IMO AA is a little fail, as said they should bring more gesture based actions instead voice actions, they went in wrong direction first before mastering previous step (or even doing anything with it). Android auto can be only useful while using navigation, nothing else, but even though it's worse than just maps app.

Overall huge disappointment but that don't change fact that you did amazing work with headunit app !
[Android Auto General] alaninsitges:
I installed this on my handset and Newsmy head unit today, but didn't get very far:

HTC One M7 GPE, 5.0.1

Newsmy NU3001, 4.4.3

When plugging in, I get a couple of popups on the HU asking if I want to allow Aahead to access the phone's USB, then a black screen. A minute later I got a popup on the phone asking if I wanted to use AA, and if I promised to drive carefully. After saying OK to all that, the phone switched to Google Now, and the HU stayed black.

Screwing around with it for a while, one time the AA screen appeared (slowly, took it maybe 10S to fade in) on my HU but not populated - no cards, and the buttons across the bottom didn't do anything. No indication that anything was happening on the phone.

So still a long way to go but I'm super excited about this. Please keep up the excellent work.
[Android Auto General] Mugga:
Just tested your apk, and it works great for a very early release. Tested it with my odroid xu3 (running cyanogenmod 12.1) as the "headunit" and nexus 7 2013 (rooted stock rom) as client.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
Thanks; nice to see the first public report of success. :)

I've never heard of the cable reversal thing; have you seen this written up or explained anywhere ?
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
Thanks ! :)

If you got ANY video on the HU, then I'd consider yours the first report of at least partial success for a Chinese headunit.

I'm happy with that for a start...

I'm going to try to get the app working on my Samsungs, and working better without video issues on the less powerful phones. I think this will clear up some issues on some devices.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
Thanks, I love to hear success reports.... Though error reports are useful too of course. ;)
[Android Auto General] luci84tm:
Yes that way works! Cool .. I don't know how come this didn't cross my mind :P

The display looks fuzzy, but I guess that's due to custom ROM on old device, like mentioned by you already.
[Android Auto General] alaninsitges:
Mike just a thought....would it be possible to fake AA-compatible apps on 4.4.x into thinking they are in AA mode? You can install media-browser-simulator.apk from the dev kit and use those media apps that are compatible on the same HU, but there aren't any running lollipop. Could you do something like that on 4.4.x?

I realize that's pretty much the opposite of what you're working on, though it would be a nice alternative and stopgap for those of us with Android head units.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
Yes. anything is possible, but may not be practical.

Those AA compatible apps may check Android version first, and if it's 5.0+ will then check for the API that the AA companion app enables.

But as soon as 5.0+ is available for their phones, or they get a new 5.0+ phone, most Android enthusiasts will rush to use the REAL AA IMO. So there is very little future for such an app (which would really be MUCH more than just an app; more like an internal component of Android, as the "AA companion app" is). Add the fact that the phone must be rooted and probably running something like Xposed to intercept the API calls...

I HAVE had some related ideas about creating an alternative to AA that could work with AA headunits. One could simply mirror the phone UI to the HU, which would allow ALL apps to be used on it. But there are other, simpler mirroring solutions.

I'm just one person, in a field where there are thousands of developers working, most for large companies. My challenge is to find one or more niches, where I would face relatively little competition and as the business people say, find a way to "Insert Value" into the value chain. (Which is then "removed" as a hopefully decent full-time+ income of course, to pay the usual bills of life for my family and I.)
[Android Auto General] Mugga:
I also think that leaving it as much stock as you can is the way to go. Because this is the only way you can have all the advantages of android auto enabled apps in the future. Sure it would be great to have it running on devices lower than lollipop (my huawei honor 6 will hopefully get lollipop within the next months).

I would be interested in supporting more devices. I just got my hands on the latest raspberry pi, and as far as I know there is no usable android port, but running linux isn't a problem. I think it would be awesome to have something like customized system containing your app, so that the raspberry can act as a headunit. I think there would be a big base of users, who would be glad using the the raspberry pi as an android auto headunit.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
I am pretty certain that the number of Android tablets out there (10's - 100's of millions ?) dwarfs the number of Raspberry pi's out there that now have, or will ever have a touchscreen. The pi's may be plentiful, but adding a case, power supply and touchscreen probably gets you into the same $ range as a Nexus 7, if not more.

Also, I'm starting to feel that $200-300 Chinese Headunits might be a better hardware base than a homebrew system based on a tablet or a PI or anything homebrew. (Tablet solution is homebrew at least to the extent that a Y cable and a powered USB hub and perhaps a decent $40-60 DC-DC 12v-5v power converter is needed; then add the fact a custom kernel is often needed to allow charging while in USB host mode and who knows what else may need to be customized.

Is there a decent H.264 video decoder that can run on Pi ? It needs at least 30 fps at 800x640.

Here is some info on GENIVI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GENIVI_Alliance and http://www.genivi.org/ .

They have some sort of Linux based reference system for In Vehicle Infotainment. Among other things, they are supposed to be releasing open source for an Android Auto client soon-ish, perhaps if Google will let them.

I would propose that GENIVIs IV "Stack" might be a better base for Linux based systems without Android.

I don't know too much more about GENIVI than I just wrote above, at this time.
[Android Auto General] brainscollector:
Headunit One sounds nice. If something I can prepare logo for you if there will be some time to do it :) (I made/remade automate logo). Well I have some ideas already to connect H and 1 together on tablet-shaped background (similar to youtube or google camera logo shapes)
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
I've attached a poll to help me name this app. If you have an opinion, please vote and/or post... :)

I am now personally favouring "aAhead" or perhaps better "aaAhead". The "aA" or "aa" are a reference to Android Auto.

I'm also happy to hear opinions on upper/lower casing and the need for a space or other seperator. Eg: "AA.Ahead" or "Aa ahead" or anything you can imagine.

For those who wish to support my work, I've posted a paid version on Play that in theory may show up later today at: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.i221.aah

It has exactly the same functionality as the version posted here; just some naming changes.

I guess Google has a new app testing program now, and new apps don't appear within several minutes like they used to. Play Store developer console says "Pending publication" for 90 minutes now.

I would not be surprised if Google rejected the app for one reason or another. We HAVE to post screen-shots, and the only screenshot I can show is Android Auto itself, which Google may not like.

Thanks ! :)

Mike.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
Thanks !

And 100% of voters agree with you so far, with me abstaining. ;)

The app icon is currently the one from my Spirit2 FM app turned upside down, LOL.

To me it's a stylized "ghetto-blaster", but upside down it looks a bit like a robot head = Android Head(unit).

And I figure Android Auto hopes to turn the car infotainment scene upside down, One of the last bastions of FM radio listening (in North America at least) is in the car, largely commuting to and from work.

But I think AA will get a lot more people listening to non-traditional broadcast media: streaming, stored, etc., because they'll want Google Maps/Navigation + Waze (coming) and won't want to leave the AA environment.
[Android Auto General] brainscollector:
If you have any ideas about logo you can contact me via mail (shortez).
[Android Auto General] Mugga:
Maybe you are right, but I think that you have to keep in mind, that there are also plenty of people with good old car pc's which are capable of running linux. I just say that, because I thought it wouldn't be a big deal to support linux, because you used it at the beginning for the testing. But you can answer that question better than me. Also there are quite a few people, like me, that can't use a tablet in their cars because of the position in the car. I can only install a screen/tablet on the top of my dashboard in the appropriate bezel. Problem with this is, that in the summer on very hot days, the sun heatens up the bezel that much, that the tablet battery is draining quite heavy and also damaging it over time.

This is the reason why I choose to use just a screen in the bezel and relocated the "computer" itself in a better covered position.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
:)

Among other things, Linux users (and I am one) aren't used to paying for software. Android people are marginally more willing, LOL.

(I see my app was approved, but no sign of support in the last 18 hours...)

The gap between Android and Linux is widening every year. Google replaces Bluez Bluetooth with Bluedroid, rejects libusb for their own APIs and many others.
[Android Auto General] cahiatt:
I'm curious how well this would work on a Parrott Asteroid head unit? I'm alleviate tempted to order one to replace my AppRadio since my current phone doesn't have HDMI output.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
Only one way to find out.

In theory it should work on any compatible device.
[Android Auto General] mikereidis:
See next post. :)