Acer a100 tablet as a head unit Options

[ricochet1490]

I've been looking for a way to bring the function of the car into the 21st century and this may be the way to do it..... significantly cheaper than using a mac mini lol.
The usage of 3g is just too good to pass up though...

[b22ri22an]

another need to have app for this installation Tablet Talk..
this allows bluetooth connection to your android phone to remotely dial and answer phone calls as well as send and receive texts combined with a bluetooth handsfree connected to the phone you dont have to touch your phone at all in the car other then to turn the wifi hotspot on before getting in the car

acer a100 cracked open Tech Republic - Cracking open the Acer A100

This post has been edited by b22ri22an: May 7, 2012 - 2:02 AM

[JPATTT]

Im most likely going to be using a rooted Amazon Kindle Fire for my build. I have to buy one first. Craigslist, people are selling them for around 80-150 dollars, ill keep you posted. Still trying to figure out how to mount it, and be able to to remove it when not in the car.

[JPATTT]

Bought a 7inch MID tablet for 90 dollars going to start working with it in the celica. Can someone show me the scosche adapter that can be plugged in with rca jacks? Plz and Thank yous

[b22ri22an]

Bought a 7inch MID tablet for 90 dollars going to start working with it in the celica. Can someone show me the scosche adapter that can be plugged in with rca jacks? Plz and Thank yous

Link for Connector

[richee3]

I like the concept If I was going to do this, I would still have a head unit mounted in a different location (glove box, center console, etc.) where it would still be accessible and run the tablet through that, as of it was an iPod/iPhone. That way, I wouldn't lose any of the functionality of a standard head unit but I would get all the perks mentioned in this thread. I've got other projects that take priority to this though, sadly.

[rave2n]

I like the concept If I was going to do this, I would still have a head unit mounted in a different location (glove box, center console, etc.) where it would still be accessible and run the tablet through that, as of it was an iPod/iPhone. That way, I wouldn't lose any of the functionality of a standard head unit but I would get all the perks mentioned in this thread. I've got other projects that take priority to this though, sadly.

That is kinda how I feel about it...I love the concept of the tablet being installed, but it almost feels like you are losing functionality.

Being I work in radio, I would have to have a radio tuner. Which I do not believe the tablet can provide. Of course it can most likely do pandora or something simliar, but I need real time for when a transmitter is going funky, and I have to dial in to hear what its doing =P

[spy00005]

well i guess you do lose some stuff but the stuff it adds i would say more than makes up. most radio station you go to their web site and you can listen to it. plus all the apps available in the android market place, you get an screen you can customize instead of just some buttons, its prob around the same price as most good 7'' radios (i got a jvc touchscreen radio paid like 350 2 yrs ago so this is way cheaper) GPS if you get wifi off your phone, ect but in your case i see why it wouldn't be as beneficial but you could always keep a walkman in the trunk of your car (i know VERY OLD SCHOOL) then if you get 3.5 input theres your am/fm.

[Culpable04]

no need for wifi to get GPS, this works just like your tom tom of garmin, it only needs wifi to download the maps, but you can download those for your state for a very small fee, after the maps are downloaded and save, you dont need wifi to get turn by turn GPS ( Acer A100 ) so add this to the perks.

[spy00005]

good to know. my gps is my phone but the 7'' tablet would be much nicer plus easier to look at while driving. the ONLY reason im not doing this is cuz the stereo i bought already i am very happy with and has a removable face plate, i like this better though plus sitting flush with the trim is a plus mine sticks out like a whole inch or two. plus i already have my hp tablet and its too big for this. but if anything happens to my radio or i just want to change it out this would be what i would do.

[rave2n]

well i guess you do lose some stuff but the stuff it adds i would say more than makes up. most radio station you go to their web site and you can listen to it. plus all the apps available in the android market place, you get an screen you can customize instead of just some buttons, its prob around the same price as most good 7'' radios (i got a jvc touchscreen radio paid like 350 2 yrs ago so this is way cheaper) GPS if you get wifi off your phone, ect but in your case i see why it wouldn't be as beneficial but you could always keep a walkman in the trunk of your car (i know VERY OLD SCHOOL) then if you get 3.5 input theres your am/fm.

True enough on the walkman =P

The radio stream sites are a no no. Those are typical around 6 minute delay from actual program audio.

[richee3]

Truthfully, if I was going to do this, I would go all out. The hidden head unit wouldn't need to be much, just a basic head unit with a couple of extras. I would get a tablet that can get 3G (such as an iPad) and add it to my phone account, then go crazy with everything. Use the head unit to receive the audio signal from the iPad and power the speakers so I lose zero sound quality, yet I still get 3G so I can use all the internet I want without having to rely on my phone.

Then again I'm a Mac guy so my choice is clear. I like the idea, but I definitely wouldn't use the tablet was never intended for mobile audio so I wouldn't use it and expect it to do 100% of everything I want.

[ricochet1490]

I totally agree on being a mac guy. I love my macbook pro and will never but a windows machine new ever again because of this. But there IS a radio tuner built into android... at least there is with my phone. I just need to plug in headphones and it uses the headphones as the antenna..... but this would suck severely

Prolly why I wanted a mac mini under the seat to be like a car computer.

[rave2n]

Well I was cool with Richee and Ricochet...until they said they are Mac guys...

[spy00005]

Well I was cool with Richee and Ricochet...until they said they are Mac guys...

LMAO, IKR. o well.
i won't get into a mac/pc/android/linux discussion here, all i'll say is to each there own.





(except for mac )

This post has been edited by spy00005: May 13, 2012 - 5:09 PM

[ricochet1490]

Like they say with anything boys.... don't knock it till you've tried it....

Quoting Toby keith
"I always heard that his herb was top shelf
And Lord I just could not wait to find out for myself
Don't knock it til' you tried it, Well I tried it my friend
I'll never smoke weed with Willie again"

HAHA
i use windows all the time and have it on my mac actually! running it currently. but IMO mac functionality is undeniably perfect.... you never need drivers.... for anything. you plug it in and it works...


BACK TO TOPIC: I won't put an ipad in the car. For ths use, android would be awesome and I think unbeatable.

[b22ri22an]

after using this as a head unit for 2 weeks I have to say it has some quirks that take getting used to.

the negatives

because it does so much you tend to get distracted while driving and have to remind yourself wait till your at a red light or parked to reply on facebook or look stuff up on the net
an actual gain control for volume is a must widgets do the job but when theres glare on the screen its far easier to just turn a knob then find the button hidden in the sun,
another quirk is that this tablet isnt made to be sunlight readable and I drive a convertible so the top has been up any time the sun is out so i can see my screen
no usb host, limited space on microsd card
no standard am/fm tuner

the positives

excellent sound quality
unlimited potential can do whatever you want it to do
multiple connectivity options , bluetooth and wifi
clean installation almost looks like it belongs there
ease of use (when not in sunlight) android ice cream sandwich is a very fluid os requires almost no prior android experience to use
net connectivity to social sites and messaging



the wrap up is if i were to start over i would still choose an android tablet as my head unit but i would not choose the acer a100 again for this application, usb host connectivity is important for mass storage and ease of transfering files and for connecting peripherals such as a 3/4g dongle, with more and more usb host tablets out there can look forward to a usb fm tuner or hd radio add on soon , a sunlight readable screen is a must for anyone that owns a convertible, while the acer a100 performs extremely well as a tablet the lack of host usb and sunlight readable screen make it not a great head unit for a convertible but still better then most options out there.

my next build will probably be a Trim Slice with a separate Sunlight Readable Monitor however saving up the $650 for the monitor may take sometime so the acer stays for now

[spy00005]

could always get a anti glare screen protector pretty cheap most head units are matte finish not gloss to prevent that too bad not all tablet use the same principle :\ i know when im outside w/ my hp tablet even with the brightness all the way down (which helps) still get a blinding glare if the sun hits it directly.

also to be fair a negative is no cd's/tape (if people still use those) but if it can read a 32GB sd card thats a lot of mp3s but then you have to add the sd card to the cost of the project.

This post has been edited by spy00005: May 14, 2012 - 1:13 AM

[rave2n]

Well I was cool with Richee and Ricochet...until they said they are Mac guys...

LMAO, IKR. o well.
i won't get into a mac/pc/android/linux discussion here, all i'll say is to each there own.

(except for mac )

Lol yea its been debated a million times, and I usually end up hurting someones feelings =P

And yes, Richo, I've tried. Many times over the last 15 years, still not impressed.

This post has been edited by rave2n: May 14, 2012 - 9:00 AM

[JPATTT]

So this is temporarily how i have mine set up. I used velcro to keep the unit mounted so i can remove it. Not fully satisfied but it can work for now!