Converting Tablet for In Car Use

[Stildawn]

Hi All

I am looking into buying and professionally fitting a Nexus 7 into my car, to replace the crap navi system.

I'll be using it mainly for GPS, Music, Emails etc, with the odd video/youtube etc thrown in.

I'm just wondering what options I have to optimise the tablet for car use, its going to be permanently installed into the car so realistically it never needs to do anything but the car functions.

So I have a few questions:

- Are there any car type launchers around? Or an app that can act as a launcher for all the functions I'm after?
- Is there a way to have the tablet turn on and off with it receiving power (it will be permanently plugged into power, but power will only be delivered when car key is turned).
- If the question above is possible, can I have it automatically turn on to the app/launcher I'm using?
- If none of these are possible? Do you think it would be possible with a custom rom or something?
- If able to be programmed, is there anyone who knows some developers that would want a small quick job like this?

Plus feel free to add any tips or suggestions etc you think would be great for this project?

Thanks

 

[Rukbat]

- Are there any car type launchers around? Or an app that can act as a launcher for all the functions I'm after?

You can set any launcher to run any app.

- Is there a way to have the tablet turn on and off with it receiving power (it will be permanently plugged into power, but power will only be delivered when car key is turned).

How important is the warranty to you?

- If the question above is possible, can I have it automatically turn on to the app/launcher I'm using?

Tasker, probably.

- If none of these are possible? Do you think it would be possible with a custom rom or something?

It's the power/boot setup, not the ROM. Normally the ROM doesn't run on power-up, it runs on power-switch-on.

- If able to be programmed, is there anyone who knows some developers that would want a small quick job like this?

If it were a small job, probably. It's not.

Plus feel free to add any tips or suggestions etc you think would be great for this project?

I'd rethink it. Maybe a solenoid buried in the dash that hit the power switch on car accessory on? Everything else is probably just learning to program Tasker.

Thanks[/QUOTE]

 

[Stildawn]

How important is the warranty to you?

Not too concerned to be honest, why?

It's the power/boot setup, not the ROM. Normally the ROM doesn't run on power-up, it runs on power-switch-on.

If it were a small job, probably. It's not.

So its too difficult to have it auto power on and off? Hmm damn as that was the most important part haha.

I'd rethink it. Maybe a solenoid buried in the dash that hit the power switch on car accessory on?

Can you expand on this? The power on/off thing is quite important to the whole idea.

 

[codesplice]

- Are there any car type launchers around? Or an app that can act as a launcher for all the functions I'm after?

As Rukbat pointed out, you can set just about any Launcher-type app as your default. For in-car use, there are a few that I've used previously and can recommend. They offer slightly different feature sets, so it's kind of up to you to figure out what's going to be the best fit.
- Ulysse Speedometer
- IG88 Car Dock Home
- Car Dashboard Pro

- Is there a way to have the tablet turn on and off with it receiving power (it will be permanently plugged into power, but power will only be delivered when car key is turned).

Eh, not really. Android devices aren't wired to power-on as soon as they receive power, and that's not something that any amount of software will be able to accomplish. What can be done is to power-on the screen when the device receives power.

- If the question above is possible, can I have it automatically turn on to the app/launcher I'm using?

And on that note, Tasker will likely become your best friend. I use my old Nexus One as a permanently-mounted in-car remote display for my Valentine One radar detector. I have a Tasker profile that automates everything for me - once the phone receives external power, it wakes from sleep, sets the display timeout to infinite, turns on Bluetooth, connects to the V1, and launches the V1 display app. When power is lost, it kills the app, shuts off Bluetooth (and Wifi, if it was turned on), sets the display timeout to five seconds, locks the display, and goes back to sleep.

The N1 doesn't receive power while the car is off, and while it doesn't turn itself completely off the battery drain with Airplane Mode enabled and the display turned off is very little - and it doesn't leech power from the car.

 

[Stildawn]

The N1 doesn't receive power while the car is off, and while it doesn't turn itself completely off the battery drain with Airplane Mode enabled and the display turned off is very little - and it doesn't leech power from the car.

Do you think a tablet would last between drives though in standby? It could be a whole week for example.

So the moral of the story is that worse case scenario I need to be able to access the power button.

 

[codesplice]

Do you think a tablet would last between drives though in standby? It could be a whole week for example.

So the moral of the story is that worse case scenario I need to be able to access the power button.

Unless something has gone wrong (like a hung app/process preventing the device from sleeping), I've never had a problem with my N1's power draining completely while on standby - even up to a week before. And yeah, worst case, it would be good to have access to the power button just in case.

 

[Stildawn]

Ok might go with that setup then, hoping that everything fits in right.

Might look into perhaps extending the power button outside the tablet to an actual switch somewhere in the dash.

 

[Stildawn]

Another random question

Is it possible to take call's from my S3 (soon to be N3 lol) onto the Nexus 7? So I can use the cars speakers/microphone?

Can this be done via bluetooth or something?


As to the apps, I am trynig out IG88 Car Dock Home now on my S3. I don't really care about a speedo like the car has one lol.

One thing I'm after is a car app that has large play, pause, forward music buttons. I currently use MixZing music player, but if you know of a better one that would work using the widget feature of IG88 that would be great.

All it really needs is big buttons, and the band and song name lol.

 

[codesplice]

I'm not sure about calls, but on the music front, SoundSeeder sounds like it might be a fit: SoundSeeder Does Its Best Chromecast Impression, Adds Google Play Music Streaming In The Latest Update