# Cool Things You've Done, Learned, Or Installed On Your New Touchpad Android Tablet



## pauljohn696969 (Aug 26, 2011)

Now that we have perfeclty running Android tablets thanks to the incredibly effectors of the CygenMod7 team, why not tell others what cool things you've installed, tweaks yoiu've discovered, or customizations you've done to make the tablet perfect.

I found an app call Smart Taskbar that lets you have access to your installed apps from inside any other app. I've configured it so I can just swipe from offscreen on the right of the Pad and a drawer opens with instant access to every program I've got. A great time save.

He's a list of some of the better apps I've installed and what they do:

*ES File Manager *- lets you browse your tablet for files, copy them, launch them, etc. Another cool feature is you can browse the directories of any computer on your network and even install apps you've download on a desktop computer. No more copying them to the tablet first.
*ES Task Manager* - lets you kill apps that are using up resources and slowing down your Pad. Also comes with a widget - tap it to free up memory and kill apps.
*Dolphin HD 7 Browser* - a great browser really design for tablets with full use of swiping.
*Firefox Broswer* - sync with your desktop Firefox and copies bookmarks, passwords, etc. Keep both devices in sync.
*Aldiko Book Reader* - leads you read most formats of books.
*TripIt* - keeps all your travel plans in one place. Sync with their free website. Just email you travel receipts from your travel agency and your plans are add automatically.
*Kayak *- searches the net for the best prices on airfair, hotels, car rentals.
*Beauiful Widgets* - alls this like the weather and a great clock with alarms to your main screen.
*ezPDF Reader* - the best app for reading PDF documents and magazines. Very book like in appearance.
*PlayerPro *- plays all your media and features automatic download of artwork for your music.
*Android Photo Widget* - ties into Google Picasa and grabs pictures from there and displays them on your desktop automatically changes at a specified interval.
*Pulse *- the best news reader for sources like Popular Science, National Geographic, RootzWiki, etc.
*Pool Break Pro* - great 3D pool program - play with yourself (not that way), or against a real person on the net, or a computerize oponent.
*Quick Boot* - instantly reboot your device fast.
*Root Exployer* - lets you browse what is normally hidden so that you can fool around with the innering workings of the OS. Using it I installed the MyWater live wallpaper that comes with the Asus tablet.
*Gauge Battery Widget* - show the battery percentage left.
*Box Net* - lets you copy files to the internet and retreive them anytime, anywhere. You should of gotten 50GB of free storage since you bought the HP.

Of course I've install a lot more apps but the these are just the one's I find the most usefull.

Paul.


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## alexeiw123 (Oct 15, 2011)

If you have an android phone, get on the market and grab 'TexTab'

It Bluetooth pairs your phone and tab, and then lets you send/receive SMS from your tab, via your phone.


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## dark_angel (Sep 2, 2011)

pauljohn696969 said:


> Now that we have perfeclty running Android tablets thanks to the incredibly effectors of the CygenMod7 team, why not tell others what cool things you've installed, tweaks yoiu've discovered, or customizations you've done to make the tablet perfect.
> 
> I found an app call Smart Taskbar that lets you have access to your installed apps from inside any other app. I've configured it so I can just swipe from offscreen on the right of the Pad and a drawer opens with instant access to every program I've got. A great time save.
> 
> ...


Nice work! one suggestion, why don't you "bold" the apk name, that way it will be more visible. Like I did for you in quote for ES File explorer Just a suggestion.
Good Luck!!


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## pauljohn696969 (Aug 26, 2011)

Great suggestion dark_angel.

Thanks.


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## rio2011 (Oct 15, 2011)

Nice. Once I have these downloaded how do I back them up? Cause your TP with CM7 alpha will fail. Call yourself luck if it doesn't. I download and installed a bunch of apps from Google Market, things worked fine for a while and then bam! CM7 is stuck at the boot animation or splash screen and I had to go into ClockworkMod and reset Cm7 back to factory/wipe data.


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## matthindle (Oct 19, 2011)

A combination of *aDownloader *(a BitTorrent client) and *Perfect Viewer* (a comic book reader) are keeping me very happy at the moment...


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## pauljohn696969 (Aug 26, 2011)

*To Rio2011*.... there's a couple of ways I backup:

Titanium Backup.... this is an app available in the market that will backup all your apps (both sysetm and user installed) and data to a directory on the SD card (partition). 
ClockWork.... when you boot the TouchPad, you can enter this program instead of booting to an OS. There's an option to backup which will backup your entire Android OS plus all apps & data.

Sorry to hear your having problems. I was until I uninstalled Android and used WebOS Doctor to restore my unit, than reinstalled from scratch. All my problems have ceased.


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## dspcap (Oct 13, 2011)

Kaiten email is really nice on the Touchpad, has a nice pane for viewing emails. It's from one of the leading dev's of k-9
ES File Explorer is very nice, you can create shortcuts to SD folders on your homescreen.
If you use the touchstone, I like Dock No-Op 
If you use a bluetooth, download Null Keyboard so you don't have the android keyboard showing up.


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## Promet (Oct 21, 2011)

I've installed the MediaTomb Media Server on my Linux box, and can now view my entire video library, streaming to my touchpad, with the Market app "Upnplay". The setup is a little complex and time consuming but worth it!


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## junoty (Oct 20, 2011)

Promet said:


> I've installed the MediaTomb Media Server on my Linux box, and can now view my entire video library, streaming to my touchpad, with the Market app "Upnplay". The setup is a little complex and time consuming but worth it!


Is their an app that will play videos off of a network share directly? I mean for example I can use ES file browser to browse to music and stream it directly without copying it to my touchpad. On the otherhand if I want to play a movie it says I need to copy it to the internal drive of the Touchpad.

Is their an app that I can open the video files with off a network share that will play it, without me needing to run a streaming app on my computer that hosts that network share?


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## autobulb (Oct 25, 2011)

junoty said:


> Is their an app that will play videos off of a network share directly?


I have been doing this with BSPlayer lite to play back 720p episodes of Adventure Time over the network. Runs at 20fps with no hiccups at stock frequency.

Some other fun things I have been doing with my Touchpad:

Carcassonne: If you're a fan of the boardgame, version 2 works really well on the tablet.
Chess Free: Excellent free chess app, play against the CPU or a friend. Nice graphics and sounds.
Perfect Viewer: View manga and comics in full color. So much fun to read on a big screen like this.
Cool Reader: If you don't mind reading on a backlit screen get some e-books.
android-vnc and Remote RDP: VNC and remote connect to your computers at home if you need to control them.
TuneIn Radio: Play back local radio stations if you need some background noise.
Torrent-fu or other torrent client remotes: Browsing in bed and think of something to DL? Find it, download the torrent and send it to your PC to start downloading.


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## alexeiw123 (Oct 15, 2011)

junoty said:


> Is their an app that will play videos off of a network share directly? I mean for example I can use ES file browser to browse to music and stream it directly without copying it to my touchpad. On the otherhand if I want to play a movie it says I need to copy it to the internal drive of the Touchpad.
> 
> Is their an app that I can open the video files with off a network share that will play it, without me needing to run a streaming app on my computer that hosts that network share?


Yeah, I use es fileexplorer and moboplayer to watch just about any format of video directly off of my networked hard drive


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## Sdeph5200 (Oct 2, 2011)

alexeiw123 said:


> Yeah, I use es fileexplorer and moboplayer to watch just about any format of video directly off of my networked hard drive


I'm currently doing this with VLC player on my computer and VLC Direct pro on the touchpad. I highly recommend this as it is virtually setup free. You basically just turn on Web Interface on VLC Player options on your PC, and then have VLC Direct Pro scan while connected to the network.

The nice thing about this setup is that you can browse the library on both the Touchpad and the PC, all folders, and then when you find a video you can play it on either the PC (using the Touchpad as a remote control), or on the Touchpad itself (using the PC as a media server).


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## lnfound (Oct 14, 2011)

Wifi File Explorer - Seems like it's similar to the ES one you described. You can connect to TP from your PC and upload/delete/etc files. Really convenient for avoiding having to plug in the USB all the time.

Root Explorer - Similar to Astro, but Astro didn't work for me. Also can set home directory which is very handy.

Folder Organizer - Great for making folders on the desktop, basically opens folders in a scrollable 'launcher' style menu. Sorts based on most used, newest, whatever you'd like. Also auto-closes the folders which was my main complaint with the Android default ones.

aCurrency - Great for a 1x1 widget for currency if you need to keep track of an exchange rate


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## pauljohn696969 (Aug 26, 2011)

*To Junoty...*

I just installed Upnplay and was able to play a video on my Windows XMBC media player in my living room on the TouchPad. The trick is the vidoe format must be compatible with the codec's you've got installed on the TouchPad.

Koodoos to Promet!


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## DeadVim (Aug 29, 2011)

I'm still happily playing around with my first taste of Android but ...

*Google Earth*, *Google Maps* (and the *Street View add-on*) are working well for me.

The *IMDb* app works great too.

I was watching a live cricket stream flawlessly last night and completely forgot it was an Alpha build.


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## viper3two (Sep 7, 2011)

Just a question, some of those apps listed...like Pulse...I can't find them in the market. Do I have something wrong or did you get them another way besides the market? Thanks


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## pauljohn696969 (Aug 26, 2011)

You have something wrong *Viper3two* I think.

I had that problem (apps missing from the market - Pulse is there) and the only fix I found was to completely uninstall Android, use WebOS Doctor to restore the TouchPad, and repeat the entire CygenMod7 installation. I of course tried all the other "fixes" first with no luck.

My Pad is working perfectly now and I don't have any of the problems that I've read about in the forum. By the way... I reinstalled with the Alpha 2.1 build and included the Moboot...zip, Clockwork...zip, and Gapss... zip files. All installed fully using the CygenMod7 ACMEinstaller. Make sure you re-download the installer. It's slightly different than the original installer which could be one of the reasons for my luck. I'd recommend re-downloading all the files which is what I did and not assume what you've already downloaded is the most current.


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## g00s3y (Jul 12, 2011)

Ok, i've looked almost everywhere, and my blind self obviously can't figure this out. How is it possible to make the soft home/menu/back buttons bigger or spaced out more?

Off topic I know, but didn't feel like starting a new thread for it.


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## JKirk (Oct 25, 2011)

How'd you get Earth to install? When I got to it in the Market it says my device is not compatible











DeadVim said:


> I'm still happily playing around with my first taste of Android but ...
> 
> *Google Earth*, *Google Maps* (and the *Street View add-on*) are working well for me.
> 
> ...


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## oswade (Oct 19, 2011)

g00s3y said:


> Ok, i've looked almost everywhere, and my blind self obviously can't figure this out. How is it possible to make the soft home/menu/back buttons bigger or spaced out more?
> 
> Off topic I know, but didn't feel like starting a new thread for it.


I don't think there is any way to do this in settings (maybe a theme can change it? I don't know for sure).
I was also sorta hoping for the same thing. buttons on left and right side like ics maybe...


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## DeadVim (Aug 29, 2011)

JKirk said:


> How'd you get Earth to install? When I got to it in the Market it says my device is not compatible


Hmmm, interesting, I didn't have an issues.

I do have the (free) "Fake GPS" app installed, maybe Google Earth needs this? I know some apps do.

The only other thing I have installed that isn't the vanilla 2.1 build is the "Market Fix" zip file.

All this cool stuff reminds me, I need to get some *games emulation *going and hook up a wiimote ... I don't have a Touchstone charger but I think I will get one ...


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## junoty (Oct 20, 2011)

alexeiw123 said:


> Yeah, I use es fileexplorer and moboplayer to watch just about any format of video directly off of my networked hard drive


When I click on a video file in ES thats locates on LAN it doesnt open, when I long click it and say open as video I only get two options movie and ES vieo player. Mobo isnt there after downloading it. Any idea? Same for BS it isnt in the list.


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## alexeiw123 (Oct 15, 2011)

junoty said:


> When I click on a video file in ES thats locates on LAN it doesnt open, when I long click it and say open as video I only get two options movie and ES vieo player. Mobo isnt there after downloading it. Any idea? Same for BS it isnt in the list.


Not a clue sorry... thats strange



Sdeph5200 said:


> I'm currently doing this with VLC player on my computer and VLC Direct pro on the touchpad. I highly recommend this as it is virtually setup free.


Sounds good for some, I don't do that as I have my media saved to a network attached hard drive, with dlna server built in. That means some dlna apps work brilliantly and easy, especially for music. Unfortunately, the dlna server doesn't recognise all video container's though, so I'm limited to using es file explorer to browse the hard and moboplayer to play nearly any container/codec I've got. It is literally no harderhan browsing to your phones sdcard though.


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## matthindle (Oct 19, 2011)

alexeiw123 said:


> Not a clue sorry... thats strange
> 
> Sounds good for some, I don't do that as I have my media saved to a network attached hard drive, with dlna server built in. That means some dlna apps work brilliantly and easy, especially for music. Unfortunately, the dlna server doesn't recognise all video container's though, so I'm limited to using es file explorer to browse the hard and moboplayer to play nearly any container/codec I've got. It is literally no harderhan browsing to your phones sdcard though.


+1. Thanks for the tip, also. I can't believe how much more mileage I'm getting out of an Alpha build of CM7 on my TP than I did with WebOS, or even dare I say it with my jailbroken iPad.


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## asif9t9 (Oct 22, 2011)

Not sure how you guys are so easily streaming 720p movies over your LAN using ES File Explorer and playing with Moboplayer? The playback is choppy for me. I am overclocked to 1.7Ghz on my CM7 Alpha 2. My better bet is to stream using Qloud Media Server, and let Qloud transcode on the fly on my PC before it gets to my Touchpad. But then there's a definite loss in quality.

A cool app I'm looking for is a keyboard like the Touchpad. I got so used to have the number keys up above in their own row. Any recommendations?


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## viper3two (Sep 7, 2011)

pauljohn696969 said:


> You have something wrong *Viper3two* I think.
> 
> I had that problem (apps missing from the market - Pulse is there) and the only fix I found was to completely uninstall Android, use WebOS Doctor to restore the TouchPad, and repeat the entire CygenMod7 installation. I of course tried all the other "fixes" first with no luck.
> 
> My Pad is working perfectly now and I don't have any of the problems that I've read about in the forum. By the way... I reinstalled with the Alpha 2.1 build and included the Moboot...zip, Clockwork...zip, and Gapss... zip files. All installed fully using the CygenMod7 ACMEinstaller. Make sure you re-download the installer. It's slightly different than the original installer which could be one of the reasons for my luck. I'd recommend re-downloading all the files which is what I did and not assume what you've already downloaded is the most current.


Thanks for the help....I will probably give that a shot tonight.


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## milski65 (Jun 10, 2011)

asif9t9 said:


> Not sure how you guys are so easily streaming 720p movies over your LAN using ES File Explorer and playing with Moboplayer? The playback is choppy for me. I am overclocked to 1.7Ghz on my CM7 Alpha 2. My better bet is to stream using Qloud Media Server, and let Qloud transcode on the fly on my PC before it gets to my Touchpad. But then there's a definite loss in quality.
> 
> A cool app I'm looking for is a keyboard like the Touchpad. I got so used to have the number keys up above in their own row. Any recommendations?


I think you may want to set your max no higher than 1.5. Don't know about the keyboard yet.

Sent from my HP Touchpad using Tapatalk


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## pauljohn696969 (Aug 26, 2011)

To g00s3y

I just went to the Market and installed Google Earth. There's some wrong with your build g00s3y. You might want to consider uninstall, WebOS doctoring to restore the device, and do a complete reinstall using all the lastest files.


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## pauljohn696969 (Aug 26, 2011)

*Please keep on topic guys. If you can't find, install, or run an app, please search the forum for a solution and failing that, create a new topic. I'd like to keep this thread pure to make is easier for all to read.*

*Thanks*

*Paul.*


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## whemming (Oct 13, 2011)

junoty said:


> Is their an app that will play videos off of a network share directly? I mean for example I can use ES file browser to browse to music and stream it directly without copying it to my touchpad. On the otherhand if I want to play a movie it says I need to copy it to the internal drive of the Touchpad.
> 
> Is their an app that I can open the video files with off a network share that will play it, without me needing to run a streaming app on my computer that hosts that network share?


Use Cifsmanager to mount the share. Then use vplayer, vitualplayer, or moboplayer to play you video files without download. NOTE: In cifsmanager change the cifs.ko path to /emmc/cifs.ko


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## tehsnarf (Sep 12, 2011)

*ComicRack* - Comic reader. From what I've read, but not in my experience (yet), you can wirelessly sync comics from the desktop program to the android app. I'll be purchasing the paid versions soon and will let you know.
WiiMote + Wii Controller app + SNES Emulator app + SNES Roms = super retro gaming.


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## hotshotz79 (Oct 16, 2011)

DeadVim said:


> I'm still happily playing around with my first taste of Android but ...
> 
> *Google Earth*, *Google Maps* (and the *Street View add-on*) are working well for me.
> 
> ...


Which app lets you watch live cricket stream? 
IMDb? i thought thats just a database for movies


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## matthindle (Oct 19, 2011)

As well as comics, I'm also enjoying using Spotify and TuneIn Radio Pro (available for free from GetJar). I also used *QuickOffice Pro* on the train back from London last Friday to make some notes following a meeting - paired with the HP Bluetooth Keyboard, it was a pleasure to use and saved a docx into the bargain. It's not cheap at nearly £10, but worth every penny for portability and no longer always having to carry my work laptop with me.

*The Guardian* app is pretty good, too.


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## g00s3y (Jul 12, 2011)

pauljohn696969 said:


> To g00s3y
> 
> I just went to the Market and installed Google Earth. There's some wrong with your build g00s3y. You might want to consider uninstall, WebOS doctoring to restore the device, and do a complete reinstall using all the lastest files.


Um, I wasn't asking about google Earth...


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## chefjw (Sep 15, 2011)

Well not sure it really counts but I learned you do not have to use a y cable to inject power on some usb external hard drives to get them to work with the usb to go cable as long as its powered from the wall.


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## scott.743 (Jun 17, 2011)

Thumbkeyboard, gives you the option of several layouts, and the ability to add custom buttons at the top of the keyboard.

Sent from my DROIDX


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## haasor22 (Sep 1, 2011)

Hulu Plus is working for me. Pleasant surprise as it's a no go on my Galaxy S - Vibrant.


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## piiman (Aug 21, 2011)

rio2011 said:


> Nice. Once I have these downloaded how do I back them up? Cause your TP with CM7 alpha will fail. Call yourself luck if it doesn't. I download and installed a bunch of apps from Google Market, things worked fine for a while and then bam! CM7 is stuck at the boot animation or splash screen and I had to go into ClockworkMod and reset Cm7 back to factory/wipe data.


You back them up the same way you backup your phone.
1. Use a backup program like titanium backup (recommended)
2. The market tracks tham and you can always re-download them
3. Make a ROM save in CWM

"Cause your TP with CM7 alpha will fail. Call yourself luck if it doesn't'"

4a.Not necessarily, just because it happened to you doesn't mean it will happen to all
4b. I call myself lucky


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## DeadVim (Aug 29, 2011)

hotshotz79 said:


> Which app lets you watch live cricket stream?
> IMDb? i thought thats just a database for movies


Ah, I should have clarified, I was watching the cricket through the browser (Flash site), it was more a comment on the stability of the wi-fi than anything else.

There is an IMDb app, it seems to scale well for tablets so I mentioned it


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## hamwbone (Aug 21, 2011)

Any old school game emulator from the market+Rom of game you own+Sixaxis control from market+PS3 controller= My crappy video on youtube below


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## scott.743 (Jun 17, 2011)

Chainfire 3D Pro should be added as well. If you search online for the Nvidia plugin and install it, you can play Tegra 2 enhanced games, such as Shadowgun.

Sent from my DROIDX


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## Jr_Boogaloo (Nov 12, 2011)

tehsnarf said:


> ComicRack - Comic reader. From what I've read, but not in my experience (yet), you can wirelessly sync comics from the desktop program to the android app. I'll be purchasing the paid versions soon and will let you know.
> WiiMote + Wii Controller app + SNES Emulator app + SNES Roms = super retro gaming.


One thing about ComicRack is when you're viewing it as a single page and tap the right side of the screen to view the next section, it'll eventually forget to do that and skip to the next page instead.


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## Jr_Boogaloo (Nov 12, 2011)

hamwbone said:


> Any old school game emulator from the market+Rom of game you own+Sixaxis control from market+PS3 controller= My crappy video on youtube below


Definately wanna try this out. Thanks for sharing!


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## mudrock (Nov 8, 2011)

ive learned that its impossible to stream video without it lagging after a few minutes.


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## kota904 (Oct 14, 2011)

Slingplayer app / hbogo app makes my touchpad basically into a mobile TV when connected to internet. Now I just need to root my phone for free hotspots.


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## dspcap (Oct 13, 2011)

I loaded SPB Shell and it's absolutely an awesome launcher on the TP... it does occasionally crash, but for the awesomeness of this launcher, I can deal.


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## andybryant (Oct 29, 2011)

junoty said:


> Is there an app that I can open the video files with off a network share that will play it, without me needing to run a streaming app on my computer that hosts that network share?


I don't think so. Best solution I've found is mezzmo on the desktop and iMediaShare on the touch pad, with rockplayer to play locally, or stream directly to my Samsung tv.

You will need to configure the touch pad as an android device in mezzmo though, so that it knows how to transcode video correctly.


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## VolcanicSkunk (Oct 20, 2011)

I'm constantly playing emulators of my favorite old school video games with my wiimote and classic controller. I love my touchpad!


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## hotshotz79 (Oct 16, 2011)

Let me add; *Unity Remote*

With this, I can create my game in *Unity Pro* (PC) and test on my touchpad using Unity Remote right away without the need of build & run


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## Jr_Boogaloo (Nov 12, 2011)

junoty said:


> Is their an app that will play videos off of a network share directly? I mean for example I can use ES file browser to browse to music and stream it directly without copying it to my touchpad. On the otherhand if I want to play a movie it says I need to copy it to the internal drive of the Touchpad.
> 
> Is their an app that I can open the video files with off a network share that will play it, without me needing to run a streaming app on my computer that hosts that network share?


The setup I'm using right now is I use ES File Explorer to go to my LAN media files (or any files that I choose to share on my network) and MX Video Player to play the files. It runs perfectly, no lag during the streaming.

You can also use BS Player Lite. It has an internal option to connect to a LAN. But for me BS player lags a little more compared to MX. I sometimes use BS because it plays the subtitles off mkv's. I think you need the Pro version of MX for subs to work.

There are lots of other ways to stream your media but I find ES with MX works best for me.


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## AndroidAddict (Jun 8, 2011)

I might suggest Dropbox and or Wifi File Explorer. They help me bring my TouchPad up to speed quickly sans USB cable.


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## dunderhead (Nov 30, 2011)

mudrock said:


> ive learned that its impossible to stream video without it lagging after a few minutes.


I've had BARELY any problems with Splashtop. Once in a great while the audio and video will become a fraction of a second out of sinc and I have to pause/unpause it to fix.


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## Jr_Boogaloo (Nov 12, 2011)

Been playing around with some remote controls and Remote MPC is pretty good. Very very basic controls but once its connected you can view any directory on your computer (even external hd's) without having to setup sharing on your media network. Hope future updates will allow things like load subtitle files and create playlist.

Be nice if you could stream video from TP to PC like VLC Direct Pro, but its usually the other way around so no biggie.


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## dragonfly1113 (Dec 6, 2011)

Guess i should have posted this link in here instead of a new thread but i turn on my xmas lights and every other light in my house with my droid and my touchpad...
http://rootzwiki.com/topic/11627-turning-on-my-xmas-lights-with-my-droid-3-n-touchpad/


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## jdmz (Dec 17, 2011)

I see that you guys use es file explorer and mobo player to stream videos. While this does the job for lower quality videos, it does not seem to do well with my 720p files. The Kalemsoft app from webos does this very well. I guess ill just use webos to stream videos.

edit: I tried MX player too. Whiel it is better than moboplayer, it does not match the speed of kalemsoft


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