Help Connect EVO to monitor, keyboard and mouse = essentially a netbook?

[engelken]

Long time lurker, first time poster.

My gf's computer is going south, but all she really does is go online. If I were to find a way to connect her Evo to a monitor (this should be easy with and HDMI cable, right?), a mouse (bluetooth?), and a keyboard (can you do two bluetooth devices at the same time?), she'd be able to essentially have a computer when she docks her phone to all this, right?

But, does Andoid have an app and Evo the capability to bluetooth to a mouse and keyboard and is the HDMI cable the way to go to get the display on a spare monitor, or could I use the USB?

Just thinking out loud here. Cell phone processors are fast enough to handle internet browsing and emailing, which is pretty much all she does, and the speed of the connection (we're in a 4G area) would make downloads fast.

Whaddya think? How could it be done?

 

[Caloy]

If she has a desktop, it might be cheaper to trouble-shoot the problem. It's usually either the MB, PSU, RAM or HDD.

 

[septro]

Notwithstanding that using a cellphone as a primary PC wouldn't be my thing - but just for kicks, you would need some basic questions answered:

1. Is the HDMI-out only for Video/Gallery playback or can it reproduce the UI in full?

2. Bluetooth or USB connected keyboards are within the realm of possibility as some smartphones support them, but bluetooth mouse? I don't think Android has support in the bluetooth stack for USB Host mode or even mouse interactivity so there could be some serious barriers to make this work.

This sure would be great for someone to make an app for if they could.

 

[horadin]

Might want to make sure that whatever is on the Evo's screen will show up through the HDMI cable first. I don't think it will display EVERYTHING that is showing on the Evo. I think just video and pictures.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.


EDIT: Looks like Septro hit on the same point I did. (just a little faster too)

Might need to look into that more before you go all out trying to use it as a "netbook" or you could just buy a netbook, the lower priced ones are around $200.

 

[stroths]

I suppose you could in theory use the Evo as regular computer, but you would be limited to the Android OS.

+1 on the netbook idea. mWave has them on sell for around that price regularly. I would suggest getting one with an actual hard drive (i.e. 160gb) as they will be faster than the slow flash most ship with.

If you want something cheaper, buy a used PC off ebay. You can get a PC easily for around $50 shipped that would surf the web just fine. If no OS is included, just install your favorite flavor of Linux (I like Linux Min) for free.

If you have a microcenter around you, they regularly sell refurbished PC's with XP pro on them for $99.

 

[engelken]

The netbook is one option, just thinking out loud but not in earnest and exploring possibilities. I could maybe get the monitor, keyboard, and mouse for free from work, but a netbook is my own dinero. Don't have the technical expertise to make it work (never had an Android phone), but thought it might be fun to do. Thanks for the input so far.

 

[Rob_A]

While the EVO is a sweet android device, I wouldn't really use it a computer replacement.

On a side note, I really hope someone enables HDMI out for the OS (not just gallery)

 

[seigex]

REDFLY - by Celio Corp

although they don't have android support yet but i think its coming

 

[Will84750]

Long time lurker, first time poster.

My gf's computer is going south, but all she really does is go online. If I were to find a way to connect her Evo to a monitor (this should be easy with and HDMI cable, right?), a mouse (bluetooth?), and a keyboard (can you do two bluetooth devices at the same time?), she'd be able to essentially have a computer when she docks her phone to all this, right?

But, does Andoid have an app and Evo the capability to bluetooth to a mouse and keyboard and is the HDMI cable the way to go to get the display on a spare monitor, or could I use the USB?

Just thinking out loud here. Cell phone processors are fast enough to handle internet browsing and emailing, which is pretty much all she does, and the speed of the connection (we're in a 4G area) would make downloads fast.

Whaddya think? How could it be done?

Suggestion: By the time you pay for all these components you could just buy her a netbook from Walmart.

 

[seigex]

Suggestion: By the time you pay for all these components you could just buy her a netbook from Walmart.

Except you get a data connection with it and don't have to buy an air card

 

[horadin]

Except you get a data connection with it and don't have to buy an air card

Or he could just tether with the EVO.

 

[dan330]

My suggestion would be to use evo as a tether.
Get an iPad or similar device with Android

Sent from my HERO200 using Tapatalk

 

[neodorian]

Does she already have the monitor, keyboard, and mouse? If so you can just get her a little nettop or other bare-bones computer and it will still do more in the way of personal computing than the Evo. The Evo is designed to do things that you would want to do when you are out and about. It's not really meant to be a personal computer in the sense that a notebook or desktop or whatever are. If you want to keep it cheap and have your monitor/kb/mouse already, either replace the guts of the desktop for a few hundred bucks or look at nettops.

 

[jgangsta]

Notwithstanding that using a cellphone as a primary PC wouldn't be my thing - but just for kicks, you would need some basic questions answered:

1. Is the HDMI-out only for Video/Gallery playback or can it reproduce the UI in full?

2. Bluetooth or USB connected keyboards are within the realm of possibility as some smartphones support them, but bluetooth mouse? I don't think Android has support in the bluetooth stack for USB Host mode or even mouse interactivity so there could be some serious barriers to make this work.

This sure would be great for someone to make an app for if they could.

actually theres apps on appbrain alllready lik this

 

[chisolmy]

what apps are you talking about? please

 

[maluminse]

hijack hijack hijack hijack..

No one answers the question but makes up their own question and answers it.

First the evo screen is pretty big so Id consider skipping monitor. As it stands now the evo will only send video and photos to hdmi however the latest htc phone sends the whole shabang to the screen.

Second keyboard - there is a bluetooth keyboard that does work with the evo 89$. However, any bluetooth keyboard should work. Google evo bluetooth keyboard and the same hit comes up over and over.

usb keyboard:
How To Add a USB Keyboard to an Android Phone: Mobile Technology News


Third mouse - bluetooth mouse should work too but again Id just use the arrows on the evo and/or use the touch screen.


Why do all this? If you wish to write and can see the screen fine the evo makes for an awesome laptop. Easily carried and long notes/stories/tech articles can be written directly into the many note apps.

The evo is a mini tablet. We can game on it, watch endless youtube videos, hd videos etc so writing books/articles is a cinch.

 

[lordmayor]

Why do I keep flashing on the movie Brazil ? those tiny monitors with huge magnifying glasses...

 

[cyberpine]

I think the Motorola Atrix with it's dual processors and 1Gb memory is the very beggining of all this.

This will be the trend, but rather than propietary keyboards and monitors, phones should offer interfaces (or atleast black box devices) that enable them to connect to *ANY* standard device like usb mouses/keyboards, hdmi monitors etc.

I've been waiting for the technology to catch up.

Also (Hopefully) soon we might see third party manufactures produce gutless netbook devices (super lite and thin) with no cpu, disk, memory, cd, etc .. CHEAP just for this need. Add to make this a reality, phone will be optimized for surfing and more (MUCH MORE) cloud computing and storage to take more of the heaving lifting off clients.

Looking forward to the day where my only CPU is in my pocket, my desktop is just a flat screen LCD and I carry a 1/2 lb paper thin gutless client in my bag every I go.. No more Home DSL! just mobile 4G service. Huge efficiency and savings all the way around!

Here's what I do today with my 10yo son's setup. He's very mobile as he spends half his free time at his grandma. Did not want him to have to carry a full size laptop, and did not want to maintain a station for him at home.. so he has a netbook, but for comfort we use it's processor connected to a regular size keyboard, mouse and monitor. Works pretty good. The netbook is running 7 starter. Fast enough for surfing. He uses Google docs for all doc processing.

 

[lhgrubbs]

wouldn't it be cool to remote into a VM via the mobile (connected to a full size display with keyboard and mouse)? Then all the power of the universe would be in the palm of your hand.

 

[jaxister]

The Evo can do everything except making u a sandwich. It has full HDMI mirroring to whole OS. Theres a free app for that from TeamWIN. Hope u root it to get full advantage of Android 2.3, overclocking,etc.

 

[maluminse]

Well I tried it.

I went to micro center - grabbed a usb keyboard - went to adapter aisle grabbed a usb to micro usb male/female converter - plugged it all together - rebooted EVO. And nada.

Now sometimes different hardware acts differently but I got nothing.

It would seem an app would be needed but the op said there was resident software. So Idk.

Bluetooth keyboard should work. But wow expensive.

(sidenote - bluetooth dongle in computer pretty awesome)

 

[cyberpine]

So what's the deal, does RedFly support Android? It reads they don't ?

Surprised somebody has not developed such a device that will work with popular Android phones given the size of our market now. That is a device that allows you to use your Android phone as a CPU and attach full size monitor, keyboard and mouse.

I see a huge value and market for this.. I bet some android limitation is stopping this, otherwise sombody would be rich and famous by now.

 

[maluminse]

So what's the deal, does RedFly support Android? It reads they don't ?

Surprised somebody has not developed such a device that will work with popular Android phones given the size of our market now. That is a device that allows you to use your Android phone as a CPU and attach full size monitor, keyboard and mouse.

I see a huge value and market for this.. I bet some android limitation is stopping this, otherwise sombody would be rich and famous by now.

New piece of info. Theres an app which makes the input method 'null'. In fact I read it in the thread making an evo into your desktop. I posted there regarding just adding a keyboard. No response yet.

 

[cyberpine]

New piece of info. Theres an app which makes the input method 'null'. In fact I read it in the thread making an evo into your desktop. I posted there regarding just adding a keyboard. No response yet.

Not sure I follow. Also can't find that thread.

Perhaps the issue is that our phones are not sending display out through anything like a laptop does yet.

On my wish list for future android phones
1 - That it can be used as a desktop CPU by connecting full size KV&M
2 - That SW could be developed to allow you to use your phone (in a destop window) through a Windows Desktop .

 

[framak]

for everyday not specialised use I wonder if a modern mophuter is enough to deal with word processing, emails, presentation... all the office stuff (after all 5 yars ago PC were more or less the same in terms of power of calculation than a HTC incredible) (http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mophuter)