"AN-21 U" - Unbranded 6.2" 2 DIN Pure Android 4.1 Car Stereo Radio Head Unit [ROOTED]

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O

Orisai

Senior Member
Jun 13, 2013
134
18
Montevideo
Is the debug password a feature coded into Android itself as a safeguard, or something that's custom coded (or even hardcoded) by the manufacturer or firmware developer? I can't find any official documentation in the Android developer's site that could mention an USB debug password feature.
 
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bmj67

Senior Member
Nov 18, 2013
57
21
The password is set by the manufacturer.

Yes it still asks for the password with that app. All that app does is provide a shortcut to the developer settings page.
 
O

Orisai

Senior Member
Jun 13, 2013
134
18
Montevideo
Do you guys remember this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHffZq1WPwU

A salesman from RoadRover contacted me through Facebook, and he told me they're working on this new headunit and they're on testing phase, looking forward to release it by the end of 2013. I also told him about our interest in improving the unit by rooting it, which will greatly benefit both of us: our community and his company, hoping they'll release it already rooted, or make things easier for us to root their unit.

Let's see how well it goes. However I'll continue my research on the headunit we already have, and post any results I could come with.

UPDATE: He told me to email his technician. If you have any good questions, or arguments to convince them, feel free to post so I pass them to him.
 
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bmj67

Senior Member
Nov 18, 2013
57
21
A salesman from RoadRover contacted me through Facebook, and he told me they're working on this new headunit and they're on testing phase, looking forward to release it by the end of 2013. I also told him about our interest in improving the unit by rooting it, which will greatly benefit both of us: our community and his company, hoping they'll release it already rooted, or make things easier for us to root their unit.

Let's see how well it goes. However I'll continue my research on the headunit we already have, and post any results I could come with.

UPDATE: He told me to email his technician. If you have any good questions, or arguments to convince them, feel free to post so I pass them to him.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Looks like the hardware specs are almost the same. They may even start with the same base software. Maybe ask the tech if they have a usb debugging password. If so what it is.
 
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djblaze852002

Senior Member
Nov 20, 2013
113
28
Questions About Features

I want to know about the following things:

Google Now - Does the unit support it? Voice Commands?
GEL - Is it possible to install this new launcher and have google now available from the launcher like in the new kitkat N5? (see link below)
http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2529594
The phone app is just glorified bluetooth for your phone right? For example texting is probably not supported through the unit... WHAT ABOUT HANGOUTS?
I know the unit is said to have 8GB of on board memory, but that really its only 1GB for apps and the 8GB is seen as USB storage (correct me if i am wrong) How would an app like google music function when it caches music or I pin a playlist to be physically stored on the unit. Could I choose to have the music pinned to a 32GB sd card for example...
Can apps also be installed to an SD card? I plan on installing a GPS app with all maps for US, would I install it to the 1GB memory, 8GB USB memory or an external SD card. Is the map data separate formt eh actual app install?
How about quick settings and notifications pull down. I havent seen it demonstrated... Is that functionality there?

I just want to get some more info on overall features before taking the plunge or beginning to think about modding it.
Thanks
 
K

KID52

Senior Member
Jul 23, 2009
470
149
Orisai said:
They want us to pay more money for "optional" features which today are standard in car stereos and should be included in the base headunit in the first place. OBD2/CAN bus scanning among them.

Even Kenwood's Android stereos, which are way more restrictive, include CAN bus reading as a base feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Maybe, but they do not even offer the features we want.

Defender666 said:
Is the FM reception ok ? Most chinese radios have crappy reception?

Can DVB-T stick be used?
especially this: http://feilen-stolz.de/wavesink_android.php

what is the manufacturer website?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Did you post on my YouTube video? I mentioned there I would be interested to know also, and if you know a cheap one to purchase I will get one.
Defender666 said:
Anyone can tell something about radio FM quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Seems good, but I do not use it very much. My car is known for bad radio reception, doesn't even have external antenna, I have no idea where it is.

chris.r.r said:
I did some research on the tuner component they used for the 4.1 unit:

It's a NXP TEF6624 (Philips) which is ok, it's actually a tradeoff between component costs and performance.

NXP states in their product description (NXP description)


Therefore, I assume that the FM reception - even if there is a good antenna - will be only OK but probably not as good as with some of the manufacturer radios (e.g., dual tuner, better noise reduction)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Where did you find this information?

There is a limit as to how good radio reception can be anyway. I have not had any problems with my car and radio reception, but then again I didn't buy an expensive Android unit to listen to the radio...

Orisai said:
No one knows for sure who builds them, probably because headunit manufacturers don't speak English at all. The only contact @KID52 and I have, is their sales representative or reseller Peter Chan, through skype (pumpkin_cool).

There are two chinese car stereo manufacturers? who have websites:

RoadRover (www.roadrover.cn/e) and Isudar (www.isudar.com).

No idea where they sell their products, as both of them doesn't have an e-commerce platform built in their websites, or ebay/aliexpress links to their stores.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Yes, Peter Chan is just a very small reseller.

I believe the manufacturer to be "RoadMaster", or at least, they make an identical unit, however since pestering them for update files, debug password, etc, they have ignored me completely :(

First they agreed to tell me the password after much discussion if I signed a disclosure agreement, however the next day things had clearly changed because they refused and then stopped talking to me.

I have tried new accounts, but they all get ignored and I am met with generic replies along the lines of "we did not sell you a unit, contact your reseller".

Maybe if other people harass them they may crack?

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Car-...pacitive-Screen-Supports-WIFI/1357172698.html

Peter Chan tells me the actual manufacturer of the unit is "Tonghai".
 
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bmj67

Senior Member
Nov 18, 2013
57
21
I got mine direct from roadmaster. They have stopped responding to my email as well. Before they stopped responding they said they were working on the obd2 and that they were showing a demo unit at some tech fair.

I can't get sygic to work right and need to delete all files and reinstall. But they are system files and I can't delete. I will continue to try email.
 
K

KID52

Senior Member
Jul 23, 2009
470
149
bmj67 said:
I got mine direct from roadmaster. They have stopped responding to my email as well. Before they stopped responding they said they were working on the obd2 and that they were showing a demo unit at some tech fair.

I can't get sygic to work right and need to delete all files and reinstall. But they are system files and I can't delete. I will continue to try email.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

They aren't working on OBD II in the way we want it though. I posted in the news section of the first post what they told me, which I assume is the same as they told you.

They are not allowing us to use Bluetooth to connect to OBD devices, they are working on their own hardware and software so they can charge even more, I was told $50, for something that would cost us at most, $10 for a dongle and OBD device.
 
donaldta

donaldta

Senior Member
Aug 12, 2013
1,328
461
?

Is it possible to upload a copy of the /system/framework/framework-res.apk and the /system/app/Setting* files from the running system? Maybe we can ascertain more information from it by decompiling them.
 
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G

gghghgh

Member
Nov 22, 2013
11
5
android 4.1

Have the same android 4.1 unit but for ford focus. Unfortunately also didn't rooted it. You can add to head the following info: 3g dongle huawei e261is supported. E352 has the same vid/pid but doesn't work. Main board photo attached
 
C

chris.r.r

Senior Member
Oct 18, 2013
96
63
KID52 said:
Where did you find this information?

There is a limit as to how good radio reception can be anyway. I have not had any problems with my car and radio reception, but then again I didn't buy an expensive Android unit to listen to the radio...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Peter Chan sent me the specs and then I did some research on the web. I posted them into the other OUKO thread, for the sake of completeness I post them again in this thread:

Main Chipset: MST786 Mstar Cortex A9 Dual Core 1GHZ/android 4.1/3D Graphic Engine
Support MP3, WMA and other audio formats playback; Support picture browsing and 3D game; Support 1080P HD multi-media decoder, MPEG2、MPEG4、H.264、RM、RMVB、AVI、MP4 and etc.
GPS and GLONASS Integrated; Support dual stars navigation mode; Support Sygic, Tomtom, Papago, Navitel, IGO software with 3D real view navigation; Support voice control.
Power IC: TB2929 TOSHIBA 45W*4-ch BTL Audio Power
Radio Module: TEF6624 Philips RDS
Inand: SD1N5C2-8G SanDisk 8G INAND
RAM: H5TQ4G83AFR DDR3 SKHYNIX 1GB DDR3 RAM
WIFI: Rtl8188cus Realtek Support 802.11b/g/N
Sound Effect Processor: BD37534 ROHM
Bluetooth Module: BlueCore5 CSR
MCU: STM8AH ST
 
D

Defender666

Senior Member
Jun 9, 2013
59
2
Yes I posted also on your youtube channel, it seemed you where unavailable there so asked here again about the radio reception.
If you can confirm it is ok like other radios it is good, of course you don't buy such device to just listen to FM but. But in the end it should also have some basic features. I ordered once a cool android iphone-clone from china and it was really stunning how it looked like, but it was really useless because the call quality and reception was so bad. So I sold it again.

Radio is for me really important in car to get trafic updates and news on the go. So it should work like it is supposed to. Its a basic feature so should be too coplicate to realise but it seemed in the past taht they often have problems to get it right when it comes to grounding, shielding, antenna connection. There are many threads in the china-rns.com board about the bad FM reception of chinese Car Stereos.

Anyway I orded one device to test, I asked about ODB and Peter Chan told me it needs 1 week to produce at most 2 weeks so I hope and can give you update about this.

Actually the ODB interface looked really cool on the screenshots, It is with Fault Code Description and can also read live data like speed etc...

He told me that they add some thing on the device + the ODB Dongle so I guess they add a secondary bluetooth. So I think it is ok to pay 50USD for the support if it works well.

Once I get my device I can tell you more.


About the connection with the manufacturer, my company order much from china and is this way.

If you tell the manufactuer you have bought from a reseller they won't talk to you anymore. They don't care about you. They don't want to loose the reseller as client. You have to be client directly at the manufactuer otherwise they don't provide information. You need to buy samples from them and don't tell them you have already devices. After opening the honeypot you get what you want because they want to sell more.
 
B

bmj67

Senior Member
Nov 18, 2013
57
21
I tried wireless adb but cannot connect because I can't change tcp port. Also I can't find framework apk or settings files. They hide them somehow and file managers won't show them even with show hidden siles option checked.
 
P

patrickoneal

Senior Member
Jun 18, 2008
108
19
I don't think it's been asked, but, does this look like the same stereo?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Android-4-1...Video_In_Dash_Units_w_GPS&hash=item4acc610bbb

At $329, it seems to be a much better deal than the $509 model you posted. It claims to be capacitive multitouch.

The only difference I could find is that the cheaper unit claims to run a Dual Core A9 at 1.2 ghz(it says 1ghz elsewhere) compared to 1 ghz for the more expensive unit. The cheaper unit also doesn't include a TV tuner, which wouldn't work in the US anyway.

Also, has anyone run Waze on one of these units? How's the GPS? Quick lock? Accuracy?

Thanks.
 
K

KID52

Senior Member
Jul 23, 2009
470
149
patrickoneal said:
I don't think it's been asked, but, does this look like the same stereo?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Android-4-1...Video_In_Dash_Units_w_GPS&hash=item4acc610bbb

At $329, it seems to be a much better deal than the $509 model you posted. It claims to be capacitive multitouch.

The only difference I could find is that the cheaper unit claims to run a Dual Core A9 at 1.2 ghz(it says 1ghz elsewhere) compared to 1 ghz for the more expensive unit. The cheaper unit also doesn't include a TV tuner, which wouldn't work in the US anyway.

Also, has anyone run Waze on one of these units? How's the GPS? Quick lock? Accuracy?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

There appears to be an additional $85 shipping fee to the UK, not sure where you live. Still a good deal.

The unit does seem to be the same, less the TV tuner, which is pretty much useless anywhere to be honest. I am interested to know if it really comes with a 1.2GHz CPU or not though.
 
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    KID52
    "AN-21 U" - Unbranded 6.2" 2 DIN Pure Android 4.1 Car Stereo Radio Head Unit [ROOTED]

    "AN-21 U" - Unbranded 6.2" 2 DIN Pure Android 4.1 Car Stereo Radio Head Unit

    To avoid confusion, below is a picture of the unit this thread relates to.

    I am aware of a previous unit using the same design, but it runs an older version of Android. This thread is for the unit running 4.1 as standard.

    2013-10-27 16.19.46.jpg


    Specification / Features

    Hardware
    CPU: ARM Cortex A9 MST786 Dual Core 1GHz
    GPU: Mali-400 MP
    RAM: SKHYNIX 1G DDR3 RAM H5TQ4G83AFR
    iNAND: SanDisk 8GB SD1N5C2-8G (1GB system storage, 6GB internal USB storage)
    MCU: STM8AH ST
    Bluetooth: BlueCore5 CSR
    Screen: Capacitive 800*480
    GPS: SiRF Atlas V GPS Processor
    Radio: Philips TEF6624
    Sound Effect Processor: BD37534 ROHM
    Outputs: 4x 45w outputs, Toshiba TB2929
    Additional Outputs: 1x Subwoofer, 4x pre-outs
    Microphone: Built in microphone

    Supported Features
    Bluetooth connection to phone for calls.

    WiFi and 3G dongles. These must be plugged in before turning the device on, and are not hot-swappable.

    Compatible 3G Dongles
    • ZTE MF190 Clone (Qualcomm MSM6280 + RTR6280)
    • Huawei E171 (Qualcomm MSM6290)
    • Huawei E180
    • Huawei E261
    • Huawei E1752

    Non-Compatible 3G Dongles
    • Generic Orange/Black eBay dongle (Qualcomm MSM6280 + RTR6275)
    • Huawei E220
    • Huawei E352
    • Huawei E367

    Connection of multiple USB devices through a USB hub, including wireless keyboards, USB memory sticks, and wireless dongles. These types of devices are hot-swappable.

    Multiple USB memory sticks can be plugged in. They mount at "mnt/usb/sda1", "mnt/usb/sdb1", and so on. The limit is not known, three have been tested at once.​


    Wiki Page

    This unit has a very useful Wiki page with a lot of good information.

    Tonghai Create AN-21 U Wiki

    It would be really appreciated if before posting any questions, you take a read of it, this main post, watch the video review, or do a search of this thread to avoid any repeats.​


    Video Review


    Other videos showing specific features are also available on my channel.​


    News

    2014.01.20
    Download links and bugs section updated.​

    2013.12.05
    Root is now possible.​

    Previous News
    2013.11.16
    The manufacturer intends to add new features to the unit, they are currently developing an OBD II system, I assume this would be via USB. They say it will require additional hardware.

    Sooner than that, they plan to release wireless mirror link for Android phones.

    I asked about Bluetooth compatibility, they said my request would be sent to their engineer to include Bluetooth modules. Whether this actually gets included or not, we will have to see.​


    File Repository

    This site has links to most of the files in this thread, including firmware and MCUs.

    Android 4.1 Car Stereo File Repository

    All files are of course used at your own risk.​


    Firmware Updates

    To update the unit, extract the update files from the downloaded RAR and copy them to a MicroSD Card, insert the card, go to Settings -> General Settings -> System Update or turn the unit on whilst holding down the 'Menu' and 'Volume' buttons until the update starts.

    System Version 2.7.29
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    Previous Versions
    System Version 2.7.28
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.7.11
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.7.9
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.7.4
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.6.96
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.6.93
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.6.77-2
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.6.77
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.6.73
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.6.70
    Mirror 1 - Click here
    Mirror 2 - Click here

    System Version 2.6.68
    *WARNING* This update appears to cause issues with GPS *WARNING*
    Mirror 1 - Click here
    Mirror 2 - Click here

    Password
    android-4.1-2.6.68-password.png
    System Version 2.6.62
    Mirror 1 - Click here
    Mirror 2 - Click here
    Mirror 3 - Click here

    System Version 2.6.60-2
    Mirror 1 - Click here
    Mirror 2 - Click here
    Mirror 3 - Click here

    System Version 2.6.60
    Mirror 1 - Click here
    Mirror 2 - Click here
    Mirror 3 - Click here

    System Version 2.6.40
    Mirror 1 - Click here
    Mirror 2 - Click here
    Mirror 3 - Click here

    System Version 2.6.23
    *WARNING* This update appears to cause unrecoverable bricking of the unit when changing model or MCU. *WARNING*
    Mirror 1 - Click here
    Mirror 2 - Click here

    Password
    android-4.1-2.6.23-password.png

    "4.2.2" Versions
    Please note that these are actually Android 4.1, but the menu text has been changed to "4.2.2"

    System Version 2.7.11
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.7.22
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.7.26
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.7.26-2
    Mirror 1 - Click here

    System Version 2.7.26-3
    Mirror 1 - Click here


    Changelog (Unofficial)

    System Version 2.7.29
    • Unknown
    Previous Versions
    System Version 2.7.28
    • Unknown
    System Version 2.7.11
    • Unknown
    System Version 2.7.9
    • Unknown
    System Version 2.7.4
    • Unknown
    System Version 2.6.96
    • Unknown
    System Version 2.6.93
    • Unknown
    System Version 2.6.77-2
    • Unknown
    System Version 2.6.77
    • Unknown
    System Version 2.6.73
    • Unknown
    System Version 2.6.70
    • When changing panel keys or steering wheel controls, the notification bar is still displayed
    • New menu option for backing up and restoring both panel key and steering wheel control mappings
    System Version 2.6.68
    • Homescreen design reverted back to four large widgets per page
    • App icon for SWC settings
    • Setting in "Extra Settings" to force USB1.1
    • Factory reset is password protected (See FAQ)
    • Developer options are password protected (See FAQ)

    System Version 2.6.62
    • Bluetooth icon in notification bar (appears Bluetooth is turned on by default now, cannot turn it off)
    • Bluetooth menu, accessed via an app, has "SEARCH FOR DEVICES" and visibility option, however nothing functions when pressed
    • All extra applications removed (ES File Explorer, GPS Test Plus, QuickPic)
    • WiFi Hotspot can be activated without re-plugging the 3G dongle in
    • Background is winter-themed

    System Version 2.6.60-2
    • New home screen design
      2013-11-15 22.17.48.jpg
    System Version 2.6.60
    • Default applications changed back to original theme
    • APK Installer application install by default
    • Bluetooth renamed back to Phone
    • Screenshot feature now fixed and works correctly

    System Version 2.6.40
    • Larger notification bar
    • GPS icon removed from notification bar
    • Home, back, menu, and screen off buttons added to notification bar
    • Default applications changed to red theme (music player, radio, video player, phone)
    • Phone application renamed to Bluetooth
    • ES File Explorer installed by default
    • GPS Test Plus installed by default
    • QuickPic installed by default
    • Non-functioning screenshot featured added in settings menu



    Bugs / Issues

    Key
    Unresolved
    Workaround
    Resolved​

    Updated 2014.01.20
    Newest issues will be put at the top, solved issues, or issues with workarounds will be moved to the bottom.

    Unable to remove applications that are device administrators without factory reset due to security menu being disabled.

    Many applications are unable to "see" the MicroSD card, so the choice of music players is limited. The mount point is "mnt/usb/mmcblk1p1".

    Despite selecting "Front Speakers Only" for navigation sound, the sound comes out of the rear speakers too. Setting to "Front Right" appears to work correctly.

    Bluetooth is restricted to phones only. (Unsure if this is hardware or software related, talking to manufacturer suggests hardware limitation).

    Bluetooth dongles do not work.

    There is a "pop" from the speakers sometimes when changing applications that control sound, this is extremely obvious if you have a subwoofer installed. It happens when the unit is turned on, and when going from mute, to a volume level.

    Screen brightness when buttons illuminated is not user-configurable. This means it may be too bright or dark depending on the conditions. For example, when it is only mildly dark outside, and you have your lights on, the screen is very hard to see.
    Workaround: Enable constant illumination from the "Extra Settings" menu by setting the option to "CLOSE", this will set the keys to always illuminate. Then use an application such as Twlight to control the screen brightness based on sunset and sunrise.

    Random issue when downloading large applications. The progress will usually get to more than 50%, and then no progress is made.
    Workaround: The only fix I have found so far is to stop the download, reboot the unit, start the download, and repeat until download continues. It should download from where you cancelled. This appears to be caused by a limited download cache size.

    Steering wheel controls only work with default applications.
    Resolved: Open the radio (this does not appear to work with the music app), then hold the back arrow in the bottom right hand corner, the app will close, allowing steering wheel controls to function with other apps.

    Most recent default application always opens on boot and continues to play, even if paused. This includes the radio, music, video, and iPod applications.
    Resolved: Open the radio (this does not appear to work with the music app), then hold the back arrow in the bottom right hand corner, the app will close, and no default app will open on boot.

    USB Debugging is password protected.
    Resolved: The password is "john@tw-desktop". Credit to @nikko82

    Screenshot feature does not work, when trying to save the screenshot, a save error appears.
    Resolved: This is solved in system version 2.6.60.​


    Root

    Root is now possible thanks to help from some great XDA members.

    Credits to @WonderEkin for the Root My AN-21 U app and @bmj67 for supplying SettingsProvider.apk

    2014.06.06 - A new rooting tool named Baidu Root has been added to the repository. You can use this tool as an alternative to following the guide below.

    Files required
    Root My AN-21 U - [ Mirror1 | Mirror2 ]


    Root My AN-21 U has been updated since this video was taken, the app should now correctly show "Step 2".

    1. Download the required files above.
    2. Install Android Terminal Emulator on your unit.
    3. Open the AUX application and close it.
    4. Install Root My AN-21 U and create a link on the homescreen.
    5. Run Root My AN-21 U and press the "Step 1" button.
    6. Reboot the unit.
    7. Once the unit has rebooted the screen will likely be black, press the Home button to display the homescreen.
    8. Run Root My AN-21 U and press the "Step 2" button.
    9. Reboot the unit.
    10. Open Android Terminal Emulator and run the following commands.
      Code: 
      su
rm /data/local.prop
    11. Reboot the unit.


    FAQ

    Can I root this unit?
    Please see the "Root" section above.​
    HELP! My unit is stuck in a boot-loop!
    Place the update files on your MicroSD card (see "Firmware Updates" section). Then turn the unit on whilst holding down the volume knob and home button. This should start the update process.​
    Can I use Bluetooth OBD devices with Torque?
    Not at the moment, Bluetooth is only for phones and Bluetooth dongles do not work.​
    Does it have the full Play Store?
    Yes, it has the Play Store and all compatible applications are available for download.​
    What is the boot time?
    18 seconds to home screen, 22 seconds until music application starts. If you use the radio application rather than the music player, the radio sounds as soon as the unit receives power.​
    Where can I buy one?
    There are many listings on eBay/AliExpress under the search term "android 4.1 car", some have resistive, and some have capacitive screens. There is also the mention of a faster 1.2GHz dual core, however the unit actually has a 1GHz dual core CPU.​
    How good is the radio?
    The radio reception seems fine, as does the sound quality.​
    Is there a Wiki page?
    What is the USB Debugging password?
    john@tw-desktop​
    What is the Factory Reset / Developer Options password?
    7890​
    What is the Extra Settings password?
    123456​
    View
    13
    C
    chris.r.r
    Skinning/Modding AN21 system apps

    For all people who are interested to "skin" their AN21-U, I'd like to post some of my customizations:

    In general, it is super easy to change the appearance of the AN21 apps. Some experience with XML-based layouting programming languages such as Android, Java or WPF makes life easier but is not mandatory. I attached a detailed HOWTO below...

    A few words about my design thoughts: I tried to combine the red-themed flat style of the new Golf 7 infotainment system with Android JellyBean look&feel. Due to my blue temperature displays (-> first picture) I tried to reuse the same blue color in all system apps:

    P1050087.jpg
    Great VW boot animation, downloadable at i-cartech-forum.tk. Credit goes to raabi (YouTube video)

    Screenshot_2014-02-09-18-06-48.png View attachment 2617927
    ADW launcher with Car Widget & custom background
    Custom status bar without soft buttons (SystemUI.apk)

    Screenshot_2014-02-09-18-08-09.png
    Radio app: side note - even Radiotext is supported with this unit (not very common with chinese headunits)

    Screenshot_2014-02-09-18-08-58.jpg
    Equalizer, Zone settings

    Screenshot_2014-02-09-18-09-20.png
    Equalizer, Faders

    View attachment 2569467
    Phone app; I tried to use as much space as possible to avoid line breaks within contacts like in the factory design

    Screenshot_2014-02-09-18-10-11.png
    Phone app; Dialer

    Screenshot_2014-02-09-18-13-52.png
    I use Poweramp instead of the Music app; looks a lot fancier with the album covers

    Screenshot_2014-02-09-18-15-23.png
    Parking sensors (service app): I changed the car top view, colors and I also modified the smali code to display the range of my parking sensors correctly (outer sensors have less range than center sensors)

    HOWTO: Mod/Skin system applications
    Requires root access

    1.) Download apktool
    2.) Extract it to your hard disk
    3.) Copy the system app to modify (*.apk) from /system/app to an external USB stick
    5.) Copy the apk file to the location of apktool
    4.) Copy the apk to a different backup location (in case that something goes wrong)
    6.) Open command line and navigate to the location of apktool
    7.) Enter apktool d systemapp.apk (this will decompile the system app)
    8.) Change Icons and image resources (located in res/drawable-mdpi)
    9.) Change application layout (located in res/layout)
    10.) Rebuild the app by entering apktool b systemapp systemapp_MODDED.apk
    !!!
    IMPORTANT STEPS (otherwise the modded app won't work on the unit):
    11.) Open the original systemapp.apk with a ZIP tool (such as 7zip) and extract AndroidManifest.xml and the META-INF folder to your hard disk
    12.) Open your newly generated app (systemapp_MODDED.apk) with a ZIP tool and drag AndroidManifest.xml and the META-INF folder to your app archive
    !!!
    12.) Copy the systemapp_MODDED.apk back to your USB stick
    13.) Rename it back to systemapp.apk
    14.) Use RootBrowser on your unit to copy your modded systemapp.apk from the USB stick to /system/app/
    DONE!

    Those steps sound more complicated as they are. If you get some practise in modifying apps it actually takes about 1 minute...
    You can also use ADB over WIFI for grabbing and copying the system apps; In that case you have to ensure that you remount the /system partition as Read/Write (rw).

    EDITING THE SERVICE APP:
    Please be careful with editing the com.tw.service_a5a4.apk since this app handles all the communication with the MCU (so nearly everything). Coding mistakes will potentially cause constant crashes of the app, causing a modal popup to appear, which makes it nearly impossible to interact with the Android system then. I nearly destroyed my firmware with such a carelessness -> the only possibility then is to reflash a factory image. So please be careful, especially with this app.
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    13
    C
    chris.r.r
    After a while something new from my side:
    I modded the system apps of 2.8.7 to look a bit more like Google's "material design" to harmonize better with current apps. In my opinion the chinese developers tend to add to much of everything, especially glossy buttons :D

    Anyway, here is the SystemUI with a thinner status bar without buttons and with white icons + text:
    Screenshot_2014-11-17-18-18-33.png

    Radio app:
    I actually like the layout of the Radio app.
    Moreover, I modified the smali code so that the radiotext always appears centered (that annoyed me a lot ;) ):
    Screenshot_2014-11-17-18-18-50.png

    The Equalizer:
    Screenshot_2014-11-17-18-19-05.png

    And the Phone app:
    View attachment 3020346

    If someone is interested in the APKs, find them attached. Simply copy the files into system/app and get the permissions right (or use RootBrowser for copying).

    BTW: Does anyone have the link to the post which described how to modify the phone app to display the contacts in alphabetical order? I know that there was a post in this thread, because I did that once (I think it was written by Nikko). However, I wasn't able to find the post with the forum search.
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    11
    M
    Miwer
    MCU naming scheme

    MFKinSINY said:
    --- snip ---
    Has anyone deciphered the MCU naming? I saw a few posts back that someone has.
    --- snip ---
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Ok here it goes... by disassembling one of the system files from 2.7.11, this is what I found:

    DISCLAIMER: This does not mean, that you can change the features in the MCU firmware by renaming the .zip files. You can change how they are presented in the model choose list, but the firmware will remain the same.
    This is purely for informational purpose, about how to identify the various .zip files. I take no responsibility for the accuracy of this information - Viewer Discretion Is Advised as they say.

    ... and before you ask - I don't know what all the features mean or do. The strings are copied from the source.

    Model Choose:

    This function looks for *.zip files in "/system/etc/mcu"
    Translates zip names into various information for model choose list.
    When selecting a model in the list, it unpacks the MCU file from the corresponding zip to "/data/tw/4bf18a00-297a-11e3-ab19-000c29ba27c0"
    ... and flashes it, I presume :fingers-crossed:

    File naming scheme:

    v.v.v-a-bb(b)-ccde.zip

    Translates to:
    "Car model(Version, Features, Audio chip, Tuner chip)"

    v = Version
    Used "as is" in building the model choose list.

    a = ?? (hardware revision perhaps ?!)
    (During model choose dialog creation, it looks like some value in the mcu is queried, and checked to be between 1 and 9999 (otherwise model choose aborts). Additionally [a] must match this value for the file to be included in the model choose list.

    bb(b) = Car model (default "Normal")
    Two or three digits. The two first digits are translated to the list below. A third optional digit translates to some additional feature.
    10 = VW
    20 = CRV/CIVIC
    22 = CRIDER
    30 = Camry/RAV4
    40 = Mondeo
    41 = Focus
    42 = F350
    50 = Mazda
    51 = CX5
    60 = IX35
    61 = IX45
    70 = Teana 2012
    71 = Teana 2013
    81 = Opel
    90 = PSA508
    F0 = V5
    F1 = X80
    xx1 = add "RZC" to features
    xx2 = add "HC" to features

    cc = Features (binary bitmask)
    bit 0 (.......1) = RDS
    bit 1 (......1.) = Sleep
    bit 2 (.....1..) = AD
    bit 3 (....1...) = 2Din FZ (bit 3 and 4 are mutually exclusive and mapped to some string array, no value exist if both bits are set)
    bit 4 (...1....) = 1Din FZ (bit 3 and 4 are mutually exclusive and mapped to some string array, no value exist if both bits are set)
    bit 5 (..1.....) = Color
    bit 6 (.1......) = BC6 (most likely code for BlueCore6 module, supporting OBDII - thank you @julsn; ref. #4009)
    bit 7 (1.......) = NODVD

    d = Tuner chip (default 0)
    0 = TEF662X
    1 = SI47XX
    2 = TEF665X

    e = Audio chip (default 0)
    0 = TDA7415
    1 = Rohm37534
    2 = TDA7719

    Some examples:
    4.2.15-1-10-2101 = "VW(4.2.15, RDS, Color, Rohm37534, TEF662X)"
    4.2.15-5-30-8001 = "Camry/RAV4(4.2.15, NODVD, Rohm37534, TEF662X)"
    4.2.15-8-10-E501 = "VW(4.2.15, RDS, AD, Color, BC6, NODVD, Rohm37534, TEF662X)"
    4.2.15-11-902-4501 = "PSA508(4.2.15, HC, RDS, AD, NODVD, Rohm37534, TEF662X)"

    Notice the numbers marked with RED ??
    As stated above, the .zip file will only appear in the model choose list, if this number matches the previously queried value from the MCU. It's probably some hardware revision check, to make sure you only flash an MCU that's compatible with the hardware you have. I don't know for sure though.

    So that's about all she wrote - have fun ;)


    /Miwer

    Edits:
    31-07-2014 - Added information about BlueCore6 module. Minor layout change
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    10
    N
    nikko82
    USB debugging password

    Hello,

    This is my first post here. I just received my unit, which I think is the same as discussed here, two days ago. I have discovered the password for USB-debugging, and as far as I can tell no one has posted that before. The password is "john@tw-desktop".
    View

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