Android,Apps and Tablets

**gordon_s1942** · 09-09-12, 04:29 PM

Well, contrary to others advise we bought the Aldi Bauhn Tablet on Saturday and its been an interesting experience.
So far I have managed to find the Google 'Play Store' and bought a 'Slot' game that I had on a computer until it crashed.
After stumbling through the setting up of an account to buy it, I found I already had an account but I dont remember ever using it.
This game is one my wife totaly enjoyed playing before and got me a few more 'Brownie' points so I reckon $2.50 was a good deal.
I added a 32GB TF card to the Tablet and now in the throes of trying to work out how to use it and load some videos onto the Tablet for her to play when she wants some 'Quiet Time' or when we go to our daughters.
This 'Apps' and Android is totally new to me so into the Valley of Vagueness I go forth...................
I am finding out that although similar, Ipod/pad and Android are not quite the same, I gather something like a MS PC and an Apple Mac, both computers but they do it differently.

**viewer** · 09-09-12, 04:43 PM

Thanks for the info Gordon...still awaiting mine from o/s. Always interested to hear how people are going with these tablets. I'll have "L" plates on as well.

**admin** · 09-09-12, 05:32 PM

Its an interesting read on whirpool about them, half the people have or are going to return them and half say they are ok for the money.

There is a great deal available on the Acer Iconia for the same price here if anyone wants to play it a bit safer

**gordon_s1942** · 09-09-12, 06:01 PM

Muggins was at the store by 7.50am for an 8.30 am opening, overnight it had been blowing a Gale and wasn't thrillingly warm then either, around 2C if that.
I was 2nd to arrive and waited as did the others who subsequently arrived to find they had FIVE cartons of the Tablets.
I am guessing each carton held between 20 and 24 so looks like my early arrival wasnt needed BUT you can bet your bottom Dollar, had I been late, they would have only got a dozen and they would have been loooong gone.

Viewer, I love gadgets at the best of times but these things are real incredible to me.
People laughed when I said one day we will be able to project images into thin air and manipulate them around with hand movement but these things tell me that idea is getting closer and closer.
Thanks for the link sanity, I am going to check it out now.

**fandtm666** · 09-09-12, 06:07 PM

hope over to the xda forums for answers and help with any questions you
may have.They also have modified roms for them to make it run much smoother.

**Gerbertron** · 09-09-12, 08:45 PM

If you have a gmail account then thats your play market account.

Ive found mobo player too be a pretty good media player on my phone and tablet.

There's plenty of good file explorers out, file expert is pretty good.

**gordon_s1942** · 09-09-12, 10:09 PM

What I want to do now is put some videos from DVD onto the tablet for her, like Danial O'Donnell, Andre Reiu etc.
I did copy a DVD onto a little Media player I bought from Clints/Sams warehouse and I hope I can do the same onto the tablet.
I am not sure what mobo player is but I am sure I will find out soon enough.

**Gerbertron** · 10-09-12, 12:36 AM

Ive found handbrake to be a good free video converter for the pc.

**gordon_s1942** · 10-09-12, 10:21 AM

Ok stupid question time again, with this 'Handbrake' program, do I load it onto the tablet or a PC?
I ask because the Tablet O/S is this wonderfully named 'Icecream' and I have no idea what thats comprable to like XP/Vista etc.
I do have a Video convertor called Any Video Convertor by Anvsoft, already on the computer but I haven't used it.

**hughdman** · 10-09-12, 10:27 AM

Handbrake is for your pc,
I downloaded a free app which plays everything if you do a search for movie player it'll come up (In the play store)

Android just like funky names for their software versions ie they have Froya,Gingerbread, Hotdog, Ice Cream and now Jelly Bean.

**gordon_s1942** · 10-09-12, 12:00 PM

Tell me about it!!!
By the time I learn all the new funky wanky Buzz words, I have forgotten what the hell I was trying to do.
Gerbertron and Hughdman,Thanks for your patience, very appreciated.

Addded************************
I have installed Handbrake and tried to read the 'HELP' but the beginning is written in pure GEEEKESE which is way out of my understanding but I found a guide at the very bottom which seems straightforward as far as it goes.
I am now converting a DVD I had previously saved using 'Shrink' to I guess a format the Tablet can use.
Now when its finished converting in about 2hrs & 40minutes, (fast it aint), do I then connect the Tablet to the computer (not tried that yet) and using 'Copy/Send' whatever to transfer the files from the computer to the Tablet?
The Tablet has an inbuilt 16GB memory but I have a 32GB TF card in it as well.
I saw the Game I bought from the 'Play Shop' has been saved on the TF card.
I see in Handbrake an option for Android MID or HI in devises, is this something I have to select now?
************************SUCCESS***************
I bleeedy dun it !!!!!
She's sitting there listening happily to a music DVD that only took me 4 HOURS and 35 MINUTES to convert and copy to the Tablet.
It only runs for an 1h 42m...........ohhhhhhh boyyy

**jwoegerbauer** · 10-09-12, 08:12 PM

Originally Posted by gordon_s1942

I have installed Handbrake and tried to read the 'HELP' but the beginning is written in pure GEEEKESE which is way out of my understanding but I found a guide at the very bottom which seems straightforward as far as it goes.

I see in Handbrake an option for Android MID or HI in devises, is this something I have to select now?

**Gerbertron** · 10-09-12, 08:32 PM

Seems like longer than it should take to encode, if you know the resolution of your screen try searching google for a preset for handbrake with your resolution, doesnt really matter if the preset is for a different brand tablet.

Heres how to add presets to handbrake.

yeah i get confused and hungry with all the update names, there really isnt much too them there just like a windows service pack. Once your bored of the tablet or find some performance issues or it stops being supported with updates try a custom rom from xda developers, like the cyanogenmod releases. The custom roms usually perform better than stock with less bloatware and usually have an overclock to make the cpu run faster.

**Gerbertron** · 10-09-12, 08:37 PM

doouble post

**mickc** · 10-09-12, 08:55 PM

i use any dvd converter
and convert to mp4 which plays tablet and ipad/iphone
dose your tablet have mini usb?
if you have you can get an adapter if it didnt come with 1
and copy from a thumb drive
i use file manager ht or es file explorer to copy between mem/tf/usb
you may find an apk installer useful also kaspersky is in the forum somewhere
sanity post a link not long ago

**gordon_s1942** · 11-09-12, 01:06 PM

mickc, I do have Any DVD convertor and if its the one I think it is, it did work very quickly when I used it last.
According to the listing, it is shown as 'Name.MV4'
With 'Handbrake' I am now wondering that it did compression as well as conversion which I know adds time.
Yes, it has a mini USB which is what I used to transfer from the Computer to the Tablet and I have a 32GB TF card installed which is where it loaded video to.
My old computer isnt too keen on SDHC cards even though I have a reader for it.

I am sorry but the last part re file manager etc has lost me as usual but I THINK it does have apk or App installer, again I havent a clue yet how to use it.
It took several minutes after the video was downloaded to find where the hell it was and get it to play, tell you what though, the picture quality was great.
Yesterdays effort was a real by the seat of the pants exercise as I didnt have a clue what I was doing.
*******************
Jwoegerbaur, thanks for that link, I can see where I did it different now and with those details, it might be easier next time.

**mickc** · 11-09-12, 07:30 PM

sounds like you are getting there

a file manager allows you to view your folders and files
from onboard memory to your memory card and usb if pluged in
and it allows creating folders and moving files about

**jwoegerbauer** · 11-09-12, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by gordon_s1942

I am sorry but the last part re file manager etc has lost me as usual but I THINK it does have apk or App installer, again I havent a clue yet how to use it.

If you don't install an app via Google Play, then you need the software's .APK-file you downloaded from elsewhere. You put this APK-file either on your Android device's TF-card (sdcard2) , or you transfer it via USB to Android device's internal sd-card (sdcard). Then within 'AppInstaller' search for the .APK-file (sdcard2 and/or sdcard), select and install it.

If there isn't an 'AppInstaller', I recommend you to install free 'TotalCommander for Android' via Google Play - we all know from WindowsCE to be the best tool.

**gordon_s1942** · 12-09-12, 09:35 AM

I must have this .APK-file installed as I did transfer a music DVD after conversion to the Tablet.
The transfer took about 25 minutes to complete and the Video is on the TF card.
What I did was connect the Computer and the Tablet via the USB then clicked on the converted file to open the options box, clicked on 'Send' and chose the Tablet '(drive 'G') as the destination and away it went.

I tried to do another conversion yesterday using the settings shown in the link Gerberton posted but Handbrake crashed after about 5 minutes so I restarted but left most of the settings as they were shown.
It still showed it was going to take around 2 hours for the conversion but about half was through the encoding, I accidentally hit the X instead of minimising the screen and lost the bloody lot.
Not happy Joyce, let me tell you.
Because it was getting late I shut up shop and I am going to try again today and see what happens.
Again, Thanks for all your help.

**Gerbertron** · 12-09-12, 12:31 PM

You can queue up a few videos to convert in handbrake so you can leave the pc on overnight or while your away from it. If it crashes or get turned off handbrake should be able to resume from where it stopped. In the handbrake settings is it doing a 2 pass encode? turn the 2nd pass off if it is, it will take half as long to encode with only 1pass.

If it's just the music you want from the dvd and you dont need the video maybe you could just rip the audio, it would be a much smaller file and faster.

If your transferring alot of data to the card it can be faster to take the card out and use a card reader rather than going throught the usb cable connected to the tablet.