HP 10 Plus G2 tablet

Ratbag

Ratbag

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Gidday Folks

As I mentioned in another thread, I bought an Aldi 10.1" "Onix" tablet for use on the road for mapping and stuff.

After 4 days setting it up, I installed Androzic mapping s/w, only to be told by that s/w that the tablet had "GPS Disabled". Went looking for how to turn it on, and there isn't an "ON" switch ... BUGGER.

I have now ordered an HP 10 Plus G2 tablet from Officeworks for $229. It is being delivered tomorrow on an approval or return basis. It is supposed to have an A-GPS receiver built in, but no one can tell me for certain!

Quad core CPU, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB built in memory, up to 32 GB microSD card slot. 1920 x 1200 IPS screen. WiFi. WiFi hotspot tethering to a phone for Internet access. etc.
It has a separate charging input, but will charge from USB as well.

Will post about my experiences with the new one. May keep the Onix for SWMBO's Uni. It will do everything she wants or needs it to do.
 
OK.

The HP has arrived today, as promised by Officeworks ... :biggrin:.

In keeping with most modern technology, nothing is quite as specified!

It is supposed to have 2 GB RAM + 16 GB internal memory. It appears to have 11.7 GB total internal memory. That's not any kind of problem, really. Enough is enough, AFAIAC; this is enough :ebiggrin:.

It does have the quad core CPU, and most importantly GPS on the device only - I.e. it does not need to have WiFi or cell tower access to function. Androzic reports 9 visible satellites, and it does navigation, like a phone or GPS unit. The GPS unit isn't obvious, but it is there, and works. Accuracy of around 6 m.

The IPS screen is excellent, with excellent colour rendition, all things considered.

It is very obviously made in the same factory as the Aldi tablet, but with better components and build quality. Still 54 Mbps WiFi.

It does have an HDMI connector and stereo speakers on each side of the screen.

Far faster than the Aldi when running Androzic.

It did not come loaded with garbage like SWMBO's Samsung Galaxy 4 ... :).

More to follow as I set it up.
 
^ Thanks, HC.

Took the Onix back to Aldi today for a happily given full refund.

Sent off an email to a mob called PrinterShare about their network printing program. It can even manage to print to our 20 y.o. HP LaserJet 5P, which is connected to our gigabit Ethernet network via a dedicated print server. It found the Canon MFP and the Epson R3880 easily, even though both are connected as network printers.

They replied this evening that I can install a single licence on all three Android devices. Very generous of them IMO. One licence costs about AUD $15, which I consider very reasonable for such a useful product. I currently have to email the SMS I get my blood test results by to myself, and then print that email from my PC. All of which is a bit painful. Even more so when I am away from home. The s/w can print on any modern device within range. No special s/w is required on the PC.

I have always felt that the 'isolation' of mobile devices from the rest of the computing ecosystem was a great failing. The printing and file manager (described below) end this isolation.

The new Android file manager I have installed (X-plore), allows connections to any PC on the network, after inputting the IP address and security credentials. This allows for easy file exchange back and forth.

The networking on the HP is far faster than on SWMBO's Samsung S4! About double the speed when downloading a 10-15 MB file. My ZTE phone is about the same as the HP.

Speaking of WiFi, the HP doesn't fall off the network at the drop of a connection the way the Onix was prone to ...
 
^ Yes, to a considerable degree.

The world is full of those who want to pay Getz price for a Maserati, but it isn't going to happen any time soon ...

I discovered last night that SWMBO's Samsung S4 only has a 36 Mbps WiFi connection! It is a premium phone with innards that are less capable than the WiFi card in my 10 y.o. IBM laptop (54 Mbps ... ).

Both my phone and the new HP tablet have 54 Mbps WiFi connection speed. However, both are at least double the speed of the Samsung (actually probably more than this, but I didn't time any of them), when one would only expect a decrement of around 33%. That's with the Samsung about 2 m from the WiFi access point ... :(. Anyway, I don't have to use it!

I finally got the Androzic maps to work. It appears that when I copied the files onto my microSD card from my PC, I managed to leave most, but not all, the .OZF2 files behind! :shrug:. Copied them over, and Androzic now works.

Now I just have to learn how to use the program. It is not particularly intuitive!

Google Maps for Android leaves out the ability to add intermediate destinations, so about as useful as tits on a bull. Why do these people take a really useful program, then "improve" it to death? Beats me :rolleyes: :shake: :confused:.

Having put off my trip to Brisbane until early next year to avoid travelling in the school holidays, I now have the stress removed. I plan to get restarted on the trailer wiring today after all these interruptions ...

BTW, folks - cleaning the screen on one's phone and tablet can easily be done by wiping with a tissue that's been slightly dampened with Windex, polish clean, then do the same with Mr Sheen.
USE THIS ON PLASTIC SCREENS (Amoled, etc) AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Both my phone and new tablet have Gorilla glass screens :ebiggrin: :biggrin:.
 
Using the microfiber glasses cleaning cloth plus some glasses cleaner spray (isopropyl alcohol) works well for a really good clean of a screen.
 
^ Thanks for that suggestion too, David.

The Mr Sheen adds a nice slippery protective coating of silicone to help keep the greasy finger prints at bay ... :poke: :).
 
I've had a phone with gorilla glass for 4 years and it's awsome, recently took the screen protector off and its like new still, can't recommend a good quality tempered screen protector enough.

In that time it's only got a spec of a chip on the screen from being dropped in the engine bay (phone torch), easily dropped it a few hundred times over the years because i can be a little clumsy and leave it on my person when in my fire gear, and it has been soaked more times then i can imagine.
 
^ Yeah, Id, Gorilla Glass is the good stuff. That's why my cheapie phone (ZTE T83) and tablet (HP 10 Plus) both come with it, but one has to buy "special" Apple models to get this "feature"!

I have just bought the most terrific piece of s/w for all 3 of our Androids.

Printershare Premium. AUD$14.95 and the one licence covers all of them.
Talks to all the printers, even the 20 y.o. HP LJ 5P that's hooked up to the network via a DLink print server box!

The s/w is not perfect - e.g. it can't print emails from Outlook, only from Gmail, and spits the dummy if trying to print a photo on the Canon MFP - it will print SMS, call logs, documents, contacts, calendars and the like.

It mostly doesn't allow printing from within an app (e.g. a WP program), but allows you to select and print from outside the app.

The BEST thing is that it is local, not cloud based - although it can print via the cloud, USB, etc.

One first needs to download the free test app that allows printing a test page to any/all of one's printers.

Beats the heck out of sending myself an email from an SMS, then printing the email! Specially when I am somewhere else. It's not 'bound' to specific printers. It will scan for and print to anything it can talk to in one's WiFi range. Seems to support an enormous range of printers out of the box, and has a workaround for odd printers that it cannot support directly.

Allows page range/s and paper size selection, among other variables. Doesn't like the wrong paper and printer settings set at the printer for what it's trying to print ... :poke:.
 
Just ordered a PU "leather" case for the tablet. My tablet is a model no. 2201ra, which is different from all the other versions of the HP 10 tablet, and this is a different case from all the other versions of the HP 10 tablet. A trap for all players, both young and old ...

Cost AUD$23.45 including 'expedited' shipping.
 
Now for the horrible truth ...

Android 4.4.x (KitKat) only partially supports 'external' microSD cards ... :( :puke:
It will not allow most processes to write to the microSD card - e.g. camera and music programs cannot store their data files on the card!! really! were Google thinking? Even some native Google apps cannot write to the microSD card!

After spending several days researching this, and 68 minutes on the phone to HP this arvo, I think I have worked out a proper, permanent solution, without ROOTING the tablet, and thereby voiding my warranty.

HP publish an "update" for this device to reinstall Android 4.4.2, and all the preinstalled apps. This file has been downloaded to my main computer (560 MB) and unzipped. I can (and have) already edited the XML file that controls this write permission for the microSD card. This file can be edited on my Windows PC using an XML editor. It cannot be edited once installed on the tablet, as the Android OS protects it from being edited ...

The solution involves wiping the tablet completely from a cold restart, rebooting, reinstall the (modified) factory default software, then reinstall all the customised program I have spent days finding and installing ... part :( and part :biggrin:.

AFAICT I am the only person to figure this out, and I don't have to ROOT the tablet and void my warranty.
 
Just root it, you can always flash it back to stock if anything to do with warranty. I root all my phone samsung, sony, lg, asus, lenovo, nexus. Nothing goes wrong with them except for the 3rd party soft i install.
 
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Gidday TB

It is tempting, but my way is actually easier, and doesn't upset the manufacturer :lildevil:.

Being able to edit all those .XML pre-compiled files on my PC gives me all the control I need.

I am even prepared to share what I have discovered with HP. When people cooperate with me, I tend to reciprocate.
 
Well, what I have discovered is that Google have managed to make the Android OS so secure that my tablet cannot access its own microSD card!

Over the last week, I have become very expert in the installation and use of ADB, the Android debugger. To absolutely no avail!

Next option is to have a very robust discussion with HP support on Monday ...
All over one flaming line of program code in platform.XML .... :puke:

Watch this space!
 
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