Simulating PenTile RGBG displays

pentile-screen-simulator

Here's an interesting experiment that lets you simulate PenTile displays on a normal LCD monitor. [Barrett Blackwood] wanted to test out how some graphics look on PenTile RGBG displays with different pixel densities. These PenTile RGBG matrices are sometimes used in OLED displays. For instance, the Nexus One smart phone features a display of this type. Because red, green, and blue OLEDs emit … [Read more...]

Patching into Android music control

android-phone-control-cable-hack

Here's a look at the TRRS cable that Android phones use. [Rich Kappmeier] want to control the music player on his Nexus One while driving. It's not necessarily a safe endeavor if you're staring at the screen and poking away with one hand while trying to stay in your lane. A little bit of research helped him figure out how the hardware in a headphone controller worked and he decided to incorporate … [Read more...]

OLED hack saves juice on Nexus One

oled-nexus-one-hack

Want to really stretch the battery life on your phone? If you have an OLED display [Jeff Sharkey] may have the answer. He did some testing with his Nexus One to see if color alterations can save on current. Darker colors draw less amperage and he found that the red pixels are the most efficient. He did a little work with SurfaceFlinger, which handles the display on Android devices to make this … [Read more...]

Careful! That gas pedal is a Nexus One

nexus-one-gas-pedal

Indeed, the gizmo above is meant to be used as a gas pedal. [Grant Skinner] came up with the idea to control slot cars using an Android phone as a gas pedal. He coded the software for the handset and a computer using Adobe AIR. Once connected, the computer is sent the accelerometer data from the phone, relaying the speed control to the slot car track with the aid of a Phidgets motor controller. … [Read more...]

Wii remote connectivity for Android devices

wiimote-for-android

[Pikipirs] developed an app that lets you connect a Wii remote to an Android phone. After the break you can see it used with a Sega emulator. The button presses seem very responsive, making for a nice gaming addition if you care to carry around the Wiimote in addition to your phone. It certainly seems to work better than the Wii remote + iPhone hacks we've seen. Pick it up from the Android store … [Read more...]

Adding RAM to the Nexus One without soldering

google-nexus-one

Want 21 megabytes more ram in your Nexus One? [Coolbho3000] worked out a way to tweak the kernel and remap memory usage to free up some resources. That means this comes as a custom kernel image requiring no hardware alteration. Try it out and share your experiences in the comments. But if you don't need more ram you can just upgrade to the most recent kernel. [Thanks Juan] … [Read more...]

Running bleeding edge on Nexus One

nexus-one-bleeding-edge-kernel

We like to run the newest software available. We often encounter problems and things that don't work because of this, but with open source that just give you the opportunity to contribute and make the package better. Now you can take the fun and daring of bleeding edge to your phone by installing the latest Linux kernel on the Nexus One. [Jon Lech Johansen] wrote up that eight step process to … [Read more...]