(car audio) Parrot ASTEROID Smart

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jonnyjett

Senior Member
Jan 11, 2008
80
2
So. Cal.
Anyone else annoyed by Radio auto start ? The radio reception is terrible (http://forum.parrot.com/usa/viewtopic.php?id=27963&p=2), and every time i start my car i have to pause it and turn on my internet radio. Any way to disable auto start tuner ?

I've tried having Tasker lowering the volume and then loading a music app like Winamp, but it loads so inconsistently it's not a solution. I've also tried three different app killing apps but none of them have worked. Please, I beg you, how do we kill this fracking cockroach!?
 

iwcarbon

Senior Member
Jan 31, 2012
120
4
I've tried having Tasker lowering the volume and then loading a music app like Winamp, but it loads so inconsistently it's not a solution. I've also tried three different app killing apps but none of them have worked. Please, I beg you, how do we kill this fracking cockroach!?


We need to figure out where the hard code is to auto start music. Need someone with dev experience
 
Jun 23, 2013
35
1
I have most of it all working now. Now reading my 250GB SSD for music etc in external applications. Only thing annoying me now is the start up process. How long does it stay in sleep for and can it be extended? so it does not have to completely reboot after a period of time?

Thanks for all that have helped so far
 

K_Hismoom

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2008
545
59
Aachen
I have most of it all working now. Now reading my 250GB SSD for music etc in external applications. Only thing annoying me now is the start up process. How long does it stay in sleep for and can it be extended? so it does not have to completely reboot after a period of time?

Thanks for all that have helped so far

I can't give you a definitive answer to that, but I hope they are working on the deep sleep problem, it's very annoying.
Sometimes the unit completely reboots after just a few minutes, sometimes it will immediately come on after almost ten minutes.
 
Jun 23, 2013
35
1
I can't give you a definitive answer to that, but I hope they are working on the deep sleep problem, it's very annoying.
Sometimes the unit completely reboots after just a few minutes, sometimes it will immediately come on after almost ten minutes.

A solution would be good! Have to remember these are "car" audio head units after all and in the car you don't have time to deal with such things. Mine takes a bit over a minute to load with a launcher etc Not that bad but can be very annoying sometimes i guess
 

K_Hismoom

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2008
545
59
Aachen
A solution would be good! Have to remember these are "car" audio head units after all and in the car you don't have time to deal with such things. Mine takes a bit over a minute to load with a launcher etc Not that bad but can be very annoying sometimes i guess

I totally agree and I think I read somewhere on the Parrot forums that they are looking into the issue, but have to make sure that the unit won't suck your battery dry.
Until then I have written tasks and profiles for Tasker to remember which player software I've used last and have them auto-start on boot. It's not ideal, but the best I can hope for at the moment.
Went back to 2.0.1 because the unit often hung on boot and had to be reset, which can be quite a hassle while driving...
 
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Jun 23, 2013
35
1
Also is anyone having a problem with the WI FI cutting out when it isn't being used? Few problems here and there starting to develop but hopefully there are solutions for them lol I still great head unit capability wise
 
Jun 23, 2013
35
1
Once again i find myself back here lol

Anyone recommend a good media player that will run smoothly on the asteroid smart? Particularly LARGE music collections (200GB)

The ones i am finding so far just keep getting errors and shutting down and freezing etc
 

K_Hismoom

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2008
545
59
Aachen
Once again i find myself back here lol

Anyone recommend a good media player that will run smoothly on the asteroid smart? Particularly LARGE music collections (200GB)

The ones i am finding so far just keep getting errors and shutting down and freezing etc

Poweramp, n7Player or Mortplayer run smoothly on the Smart, but as I only have a few gigs of music on my external drive, I don't know how fast they work with such a large library. If you configure the apps to not scan the drive every time it starts, all of them should work reasonably smooth, I guess.
 
Jun 23, 2013
35
1
Poweramp, n7Player or Mortplayer run smoothly on the Smart, but as I only have a few gigs of music on my external drive, I don't know how fast they work with such a large library. If you configure the apps to not scan the drive every time it starts, all of them should work reasonably smooth, I guess.

Mortplayer i have not heard of. Will give that a go :) Tried the others though and they either freeze or end the program randomly. Too many files to deal with i guess :/ Interesting that the stock player will handle them without an issue. Could be because it support the USB as stock, the other ones however need a fake redirection to get it to work. Might be what's doing it. Any ideas?

Could it be also because i am using Next Launcher? Anyone recommend other launchers which are not so resource hungry?
 
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K_Hismoom

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2008
545
59
Aachen
Mortplayer i have not heard of. Will give that a go :) Tried the others though and they either freeze or end the program randomly. Too many files to deal with i guess :/ Interesting that the stock player will handle them without an issue. Could be because it support the USB as stock, the other ones however need a fake redirection to get it to work. Might be what's doing it. Any ideas?

Could it be also because i am using Next Launcher? Anyone recommend other launchers which are not so resource hungry?

The stock launcher is probably the least demanding, Zeam Launcher is also quite lightweight.

As to the redirection: Mortplayer does not need this, it can read hidden directories just fine. You can directly point it to /tmp/udev/dev/.mnt/sda1.
 
Jun 23, 2013
35
1
The stock launcher is probably the least demanding, Zeam Launcher is also quite lightweight.

As to the redirection: Mortplayer does not need this, it can read hidden directories just fine. You can directly point it to /tmp/udev/dev/.mnt/sda1.

Tried the Mortplayer. Was good until the library filled up. The most stable APP i have found so far is Maple. It's basic and does the job. Also outputs to external visualizers. Main thing is it is reasonably quick with my collection. Only annoying thing is after device reboots it rescans the library quickly.

If Parrot fix this deep sleep issue then that won't be a problem
 

K_Hismoom

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2008
545
59
Aachen
Tried the Mortplayer. Was good until the library filled up. The most stable APP i have found so far is Maple. It's basic and does the job. Also outputs to external visualizers. Main thing is it is reasonably quick with my collection. Only annoying thing is after device reboots it rescans the library quickly.

If Parrot fix this deep sleep issue then that won't be a problem

Hm, no way to tell Maple to not scan the library?
If you prefer another player app, you could always email the author of this app and tell him about the problem with very large libraries. Maybe it'll get fixed.
 

jonnyjett

Senior Member
Jan 11, 2008
80
2
So. Cal.
Hm, no way to tell Maple to not scan the library?
If you prefer another player app, you could always email the author of this app and tell him about the problem with very large libraries. Maybe it'll get fixed.

You guys don't like Winamp? I like the fact it resumes at the same place in the song when the unit shuts down.

I am trying to cut down on bootup time though. I'm at around 2min right now and I have Tasker starting Winamp at boot, so maybe that's why bootup takes so long. Would a lighter music app be quicker to launch?

---------- Post added at 02:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:49 PM ----------

More questions:

1. Is there a way to create a shortcut or widget to the Subwoofer Cutoff settings?
2. Is there a widget for a sytem reboot? Asteroid Tweaker has one, but I don't know how to add it when running ADW Launcher EX
3. Is there a more consistent way of lowering the media volume to 0 before shutdown? Tasker does not do it consistently and is very sporadic and only works 50% of the time. (Why do I want this? Because I don't want to hear the fracking radio when it boots back up later!)

---------- Post added at 03:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:58 PM ----------

4. What's your favorite visualizers? Mine is Music Visualizer

---------- Post added at 03:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:02 PM ----------

If you guys want to download and install apps on your Parrot directly without having to transfer them from your android phone I suggest doing a google search for Blackmarket apk (Blackmart Alpha). It definitely comes in handy..

So does Aptoide and Androiddrawer.

---------- Post added at 03:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:10 PM ----------

In a few apps, including google maps, Swype's keyboard is displayed incorrectly, and i get an error message that the dimensions are wrong. Is there a fix for this?

Also, Winamp, Mixzing, and Xplay can't find my USB thumbdrive. Is there a fix for this? Or am I stuck with storing media on the SD card?

Nevermind, Swype Beta 1.4 works very well and is much better than SwiftKey because of it's learning algorithm.
 

larsocam

New member
Jun 28, 2013
3
0
Verizon phone and mobile data

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum and just ordered a Pioneer Appradio3, but recently discovered this Parrot Asteroid Smart and thinking it might be better for me since I am an android user. Anyway, I was wondering how the data sharing between the device and my cell phone would work (Droid Razr Maxx). I have an unlimited data plan and would love it if I could just bring me phone into the car, have it automatically connect via bluetooth and the have it stream data so I can do things like listen to pandora or use google maps/navigation. I do not want to root my phone. If I have this device connected to my phone via bluetooth or USB will I be able to get an internet connection, or do I have to pay Verizon a tethering fee for this?

Thanks
 
May 12, 2013
31
3
San Diego
Hi everyone, I am new to this forum and just ordered a Pioneer Appradio3, but recently discovered this Parrot Asteroid Smart and thinking it might be better for me since I am an android user. Anyway, I was wondering how the data sharing between the device and my cell phone would work (Droid Razr Maxx). I have an unlimited data plan and would love it if I could just bring me phone into the car, have it automatically connect via bluetooth and the have it stream data so I can do things like listen to pandora or use google maps/navigation. I do not want to root my phone. If I have this device connected to my phone via bluetooth or USB will I be able to get an internet connection, or do I have to pay Verizon a tethering fee for this?
I have Verizon and unlimited data as well. I just activate WiFi Hotspot on my phone and have the Smart connect through that for data, and Bluetooth for calls.
 

tbui88

Member
Mar 19, 2012
6
0
RC/relay unit

I'll try tonight with just line-outs, but my guess is that the amp turn-on is sending out 12v before the audio signal is stable (assuming you are using the ant remote lead for amp turn on). You could put in an RC/relay delay circuit in if this does turn out to be the case - or see if Parrot updates control of that line...

how did you install your RC/relay unit?
 

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    I'm not sure where I found this info, but I don't believe it was here, so I thought I'd leave a little write up about enabling Google Voice Search. First I found and downloaded the old voice search apk. You will need to search for voice search 2.1.4 apk..should be a legitimate free download. However, as I'm sure many have tried and seen, it simply force closes when installed. So, as mentioned, I found a post somewhere that pointed to the missing lib...oh so obviously named libvoicesearch.so. It can be found in the gingerbread gapps zip. Again, you can just search for that...I found it on goo.im/gapps. Now on a basic level, we're done, you can have your voice control icon and a voice input button will be added to maps and the browser.

    voice_search.jpg

    maps.jpg

    browser.jpg


    So, we're just missing one more thing...voice typing from the keyboard into any app. Unfortunately whatever it is that triggers keyboards to display a voice input key is still missing. So, simply installing Gingerbread Keyboard isn't enough to enable the functionality. I tried out quite a few keyboards and obviously they are all keying off the same thing...perhaps it's a bit to flip in some config file...regardless it's not there currently. I did find two keyboards(there are possibly more) that will present the key. One is SwiftKey, the other Kii. Neither are free, Kii only clears it's fancy prediction dictionary when not registered, so I went with it...plus it has a better voice input presentation. Only final caveat is that neither of these will show the voice key as a primary key...you have to hold another key and it will popup as the first option...so it's not too bad. Still looking for a perfect solution, but this functions in the meantime.

    kii.jpg


    I guess I'll go ahead and post up a few other things from my setup that folks might find useful since I'm here.

    1. Tablet Talk - Direct Text message forwarding from your phone. There are a few programs like this, but this one uses a direct link (BT or Wifi) from your phone and doesn't have to go out to some other server to store/fetch messages. Interface it okay, designed for tablets, so a bit cramped on the small screen. But seems to function pretty well. I'm connected via bluetooth and it doesn't interfere with voice call functionality at all. You do have to run a service on your phone also, but so far I haven't noticed any negative impact. Oh yeah, needs an Android phone...but we're on XDA right...so that shouldn't be a problem for most.

    tablet_talk.jpg


    2.Android Weather Widget - I have discovered, along with others, that the majority of weather widgets don't play nicely with the Asteroid. Since it's gingerbread, the widgets basically think it's a phone and even when connected to some wifi network, when it can't get initial location triangulation via a cellular data network...it will never get a location lock. Elsewhere someone found a non-free widget that functioned correctly, but I'm cheap... I finally found the Android Weather Widget after trying quite a few. It's pulls location via the gps and then grabs the needed data from wifi. Works and looks great. Using it with ADW in the screenshot of my current setup. As an aside, so far ADW is working nicely.

    adw_weather.jpg


    3. PerApp - Most of the time I like to use Google Navigation for my mapping needs. I quickly found there was no way to adjust the volume on the Asteroid. It is not tied to master or notification...well it does adjust with master(since, you know, it's the master volume), but it's at a much lower level than the music so can't play nicely. Found PerApp, which allows me to go in and set up to a +15db increase for the app. Works like a charm. Also has rotation functionality(again per app) that functions great. Only caveat can be found in one of my previous posts. Make sure to turn off it's screen timeout functionality. You can't set it to 0(which in this case is no timeout) and it will default to 1 minute. You will then get an annoying clock popup every minute and go crazy trying to find out why. So after installing you might needs something like SOFFT to reset the default timeout.

    4. AsteroidTweaker - Mentioned just above, I basically use this to have a reboot functionality without having to have a paperclip handy along with getting my unit to resume from my USB drive most of the time. Also has various other tweak and fixes. Worth a look. Steering wheel control people, it claims to have some fixes for that also...but I haven't looked into it much as I do not. One negative I have noticed is that when switching between sources, it get's a little confused and jumps back a forth for a second...I don't switch sources that often, so minor annoyance for me.

    5. Droid VNC Server, Dropbear SSH Server(not my first choice and now discontinued, but works). Using VNC to capture screens, it's also nice to play around from the comfort of my house. A bit slow to refresh and makes some actions pretty difficult, but overall works well. Always nice to be able to SSH in and take a look around also.

    6. AdAway - Host file ad blocker.

    7. Mongoose web server - This is actually for running on a windows PC. Just throwing it in because it's handy. Basically just throw the executable in a directory of file you want to access remotely and start it up. Then you can browse to your pc from the Asteroid Smart web browser and download the stuff you are wanting to get on your device. Sure you could also start up the SSH Server and scp, or install and sftp server, but this is just handy sometime.

    Anyway, hope this might help some folks out. I had nice helpful links in place for the apps, but XDA apparently did not care for that within my great wall of text. Not quite sure why it refused to let me post with the links... Anyway, let me know if you have any questions on things I've mentioned...
    6
    Thank you, sounds great. Please keep us updated! :good:

    So, i've managed to build a kernel, compile CWM and i'm in the process of compiling CM10.1

    luckily my Big bro works for HP and has loaned me a VM on one of his HPCloud Farms.

    my current issue is reverting to a working unit. if i replace the current recovery with CWM, i cant just put a stock rom back because the stock rom uses a PLF file. i was hoping that the PLF was just a renamed ZIP, but i dont think it is.

    so, as you can understand i'm a bit wary of just flashing the recovery.img using ADB if i cant but it all back.. i've taken a copy of the mtd0 and mtd 1 devices but they're pretty useless if i cant get the thing to boot and its bricked..

    i'll do some research and maybe even get in touch with parrot themselves to see what my options are..
    5
    Hey everyone,

    After a few failed attempts at getting the Play Store working on my Asteroid Smart I eventually got it to work, to be honest it wasn't complicated just long winded.

    I have gone through the other write up's and some didn't work (at least for me anyway) so I thought I'd share 'my' installation process, if it helps 1 person then it was worth the effort :good:

    1. Install Framaroot from here http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2130276 I used 1.4.1

    I followed this video to install the apps

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD4LSdZ3OBs

    This is the installation procedure I followed for Framaroot

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

    After installing Framaroot, take the little panel off the left hand side and reboot!

    2. Download Root Browser Lite from here and Install.

    3. Download GoogleServicesFramework.apk here & Vending.apk here and copy both files onto your SD card.

    4, Install GoogleServicesFramework.apk

    I then rebooted the Asteroid Smart.

    5. Using Root Browser Lite, locate Vending.apk on your SD Card and copy the file to /system/app on the root of the Asteroid.

    6. Long press the Vending.apk file and go to 'Permissions' I set Users/Group/Others to Read & Write access.

    Again I rebooted the Asteroid.

    7. Create a shortcut to Vending and login to your google account, at this point I did get an error but I just continued and logged in.

    That was it :D It works perfectly!

    I also installed used Market Helper from here to trick the Google Play Store into thinking my Asteroid was my Samsung Galaxy S3. The only issue I found doing this was that the setup screen didn't fit the Smart too well so I used 'Ultimate Rotation Control' downloaded from the play store to set the screen into Portrait mode while I used Market Helper.

    I now have CoPilot live installed :good:

    I know it's a bit long but it worked for me, hopefully it will be of use to others :cool:
    5
    We now have root :)

    Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
    5
    So, today i created an Amazon AWS EC2 instance with the sole intention of porting Jellybean to the Asteroid Smart.

    i've never port a ROM before and this will be a very steep learning Curve, but i'm hoping that due to the lack of built in Radio Modems and other boards that it should be easier that other devices. Famous last words eh?

    i'll prob make a separate Thread for my progress but if anyone has any experience to share, please feel free.