A Quick View on the 2nd Generation Google Next 7

Google started selling second generation Next 7 tablet recently. The box' content includes the tablet, a micro USB cable, an AC adapter and documentation.  

In the picture above, the one to the left is the 1st generation one and the other one is the 2nd generation Nexus 7.

Stacking both tablets together can easily tell that the new one is thinner.

The 2nd generation Next 7 is longer, narrower and thinner. Some reviewers already made the conclusion that it is easier to get damage during drop tests, therefore, those who are interested to purchase this tablet shall consider including a protection case at the same time.

The price of the entry level 2nd generation 16GB model is US$229, which is US$30 more than the 1st generation entry model, but it is still a good price considering that it has better hardware specification which includes 8GB more of storage, a 5 mega pixel rear camera, a faster CPU and a higher display resolution at 1200x1920.

This screenshot shows the picture size configuration in the Camera software..

The pictures above show the AnTuTu benchmarks. The 1st generation to the left and the 2nd generation one to the right.  AnTuTu detected more than 2GB of RAM on the new one, which is different from the 2GB size in the specification, perhaps the rumors on the memory size before the tablet's general availability were somehow accurate.

In addition, the new one's benchmark score is 5000 more, it seems the Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon model is in deed more powerful than the nVidia Tegra 3 processor in the older model.  The new one also has better better 2D and 3D graphics scores.

At start up, the new Next 7 received an update from Internet and restarted. Check its "About tablet" can confirm that it is using Android 4.3. 

Google's Android apps are pre-installed on the Nexus 7.

YouTube Player initialization error on Google TV

Google TV currently do not have too many software in the Google Play Store, and most of them are video streaming related. Among those video software, some of them mainly query contents from YouTube and use YouTube Player API from Google to play the videos. The YouTube Player API requires YouTube Player application on the Google TV devices to operate properly.

I have a Logitech Revue, one day after I updated the YouTube Player software on it, a video application I used daily no longer worked, and every time I launched the application, it prompted YouTube Player initialization error. The version of YouTube Player originally bundled with the Revue is version 1.3 but I was able to use that video application after the YouTube Player was updated to version 1.6. It seemed that version 1.6 was the version started supporting YouTube Player API.

After a bit research on the Internet and reading of reviews on the YouTube Player application on the Google Player Store, it appeared that the YouTube Player 1.7 does not work with YouTube Player API. In addition, from the complains by users, apparently version 1.7 broke plenty of good features in version 1.6.

On the Revue, I was not able to restore YouTube Player to version 1.6 because when I removed the update, the version was reverted back to the factory bundled version 1.3, therefore, I can only wait until Google fixes the problem in the YouTube Player.

But if your Google TV device is the first batch of the Asus Cube, if you have the similar YouTube Player initialization error in the application you use, you can indeed remove the update on YouTube Player to restore version 1.6 because it is the version bundled in Asus Cube.

The Mango Windows Phone that lost its sound

Windows Phone 8.0 does not support update from devices using earlier Windows Phone versions, even the version 7.5 which is commonly known as "Mango". Perhaps in an act to comfort the Mango phone users, Microsoft released a version 7.8 for 7.5 users to upgrade to and experience the new user interface like what the version 8.0 has.

I once was a Mango phone user, when the version 7.8 was available for update from 7.5, I was excited, and I happily updated my phone to that version. However, after the update, the radio streaming application that I used daily between work and home commutes no long played with any sound. I tried the same update on two Windows Phone 7.5 phones, both had the problem.

After spending some time looking for clues to resolve the issue, I did not find any solution and gave up. The root cause seemed to be pointing to the MediaElement class in Windows Phone API. Did Windows Phone 7.8 broke it!? Anyhow, I was too lazy to restore the phone back to the Mango version so I just waited and hoped that Microsoft would release fix soon.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed the update notification on my Windows Phone device. I followed the instruction to update the Windows Phone 7.8 on the phone and tried playing my radio streaming application. Surprisingly, the sound was back!! The update did fix the problem in Windows Phone 7.8.

I have two Mango phones, one is the HTC HD7 and the other is the Samsung Omnia 7. Both of them were updated to Windows Phone 7.5 and lost sound in the radio streaming applications. The version of Windows Phone 7.8 is shown here:

After the update for Windows Phone 7.8, the version shows on the Samsung Omnia 7 is 7.10.8862.144：

If you are using a Windows Phone 7.5 device and you are experiencing the same problem in any radio streaming application, updating to the version shown above should solve the problem for you too.

How do you make your car stereo play Bluetooth music?

Modern cars generally have stereo that has built-in Bluetooth for connection from mobile devices. For cars that do not have Bluetooth capable stereos, it is feasible to add such support to the stereo if it has an AUX port. This blog will show you how to turn your car stereo into a Bluetooth enabled stereo.

Items to prepare:

1. A Bluetooth speaker adapter like the "Logitech Wireless Speaker Adapter."

2. A 5V output DC Car Adapter. Some car chargers for mobile game devices fit the spec.

3. A stereo cable with 3.5mm plugs on both ends.

Installation and configuration:

The "Logitech Wireless Speaker Adapter" comes with a square device box, an AC adapter and a composite audio cable:

Before installation of the adapter in the car, hook it up to the house power outlet to power it up and pair it with a smartphone by pressing the "Connect" button(please follow the adapter's user's guide for the complete pairing detail):

On the smartphone, open the Bluetooth setting to find a "Logitech Adapter" device among Available Devices  to pair.

Click the discovered "Logitech Adapter" to pair with the smartphone, when they are paired, the "Paired devices" list on the smartphone will show the adapter's name and the "Connected to media audio" string, and the light on the adapter will become "solid green". 

After pairing the adapter with a smartphone, unplug it from the house power outlet and bring it to the car for installation. The installation here will be in a 2008 Subaru Impreza which has factory installed stereo system. 

The Impreza has a compartment between the front seats. Inside the compartment, it has an AUX port and a 12V power socket for a car adapter. This compartment is perfect for installing the wireless speaker adapter:

The installation is simple, plug in the car power adapter, plug one end of the 3.5mm audio cable to the wireless speaker adapter and the other to the AUX  port. Then place the wireless speaker adapter, audio cable and car adapter cable inside the compartment:

Now turn on the car power, switch the car stereo input to AUX. On the smartphone, connect to the Logitech Adapter paired earlier and launch a music app to play some music. The music will be output through the car's speakers as expected:

If the car's stereo does not have an AUX port, an option to hook up the wireless speaker adapter is to use a cassette tape adapter like shown in the picture below. But its output quality cannot compare to using the AUX port, and routing its cable to the compartment will not be pretty.