OK so I mentioned about the Ecoflow power station I have for station power back up and needing to get into the power management system via an app that I tried with Bluestacks that I thought could do through a home PC with an Android app/Google play.
So I said I would get a cheap smartphone from Amazon and do the changes and give the phone back...well not to get into detail I don't know how everyone does this(smartphones) and I would get more satisfaction smashing this thing up and loosing the $80 I spent on Amazon but not worth the effort so it goes back. With a representative at Ecoflow on the phone and very patient with me for an hour and a half finally got me through the process of working this thing barely and getting into the app and changing the settings by pairing it with bluetooth with the Ecoflow power station. Would never have done it myself. I taught myself, no help whatsoever, how to work a Windows computer to do stuff, navigate internet etc etc...in a few days from never seeing a computer before. But this......!!!!!%^%$##....is crazy!! Back it goes, good riddance! And I have a sore neck from having to keep my head bent over looking at this for just an hour and a half-2 hours. This is not good for you at all, and everyone lives their lives with their head down staring at these things, a generation of bad necks when you get older...anyways, I did these settings on the power station to make it better for the battery which is a LifePO4 battery good for 3000 cycles to get down to 80% of original capacity but these settings will even prolong that. I set it to charge to 98% of full not 100% and to never discharge to 0% but stop at 3% left. Also the default charge speed was 1 hour from 0 to full 100% at an input of 370 watts so I lowered the charge input power to 250 watts when charging with AC and that would increase the charge time from 1 hour to 1 and 1/2 hours, now charging to 98% from 3%. Much better for battery longevity and much less heat so internal fan works less and also better for the electronics inside.
But I rarely would be having it on battery power long enough to get it down to 3%.
The inverter is a 600 watt capable and you could do a load of laundry off the grid with this on a small washing machine. My station uses about 6-7 watts (Decade and Schlockwood processor), the laptop has it's own battery back up and would run for 10 hours or so with screen light off. At 6 watts there's about 15+ hours run time. A thumbs up for the nice person who stayed on the phone at Ecoflow for me to do this.
I think perhaps the issue was with the app, and not Android and the cell phone.
Android by itself is relatively straightforward, much simpler than Windows to install and set up. And connecting to Bluetooth with devices such as speakers, headphones, etc. is also generally pretty easy.
I doubt very much that those who spend hours on their cellphone are spending it with Android per say. They're using social media apps, and many spend just as much time or more using these same apps on computers.
It's OK to not like cell phones. I spent my working life on computers, and even a good amount of time on them now to help with the radio station, and I don't really like them. They're useful, but like isn't a word I'd use to describe them. They could be so much more with decent software - and no, I'm not talking about AI, which, as I've stated before, is just a different methodology of programming which isn't very intelligent at all. Garbage in, garbage out.
Now, radio. That's a technology that I like and enjoy. It allows me to listen to entertainment pretty much anywhere, even while doing other things. It educates with the appropriate programming. And it's definitely not limited to music, which is what most people think of at first.
Technology is a tool. A means to an end. Not the end itself. Technology industries (and people) get themselves into trouble thinking that it's the latter.
@artisan-radio It wasn't the Android itself, it was the crazy way the mechanics of the smartphone worked. And trying to type on a key pad with the buttons smaller than my fingers. It took me almost 10 minutes to enter a password with letters, uppercase, and $ and % symbols! You have to select 3 different key pads!! You touch something wrong and you are all screwed up. If I have to get into the app again to change something I have a problem.
At first I was instructed how to scan a QR code and it wouldn't work so then he said to just download the app from Google play. He waited while it downloaded and took all this time with me just trying to scan a code. Nope. I like a mouse, large keypad with everything there, not a tiny screen, and I can sit at a desk not with my head and neck in a bad position. I don't read books either for this reason mostly but not entirely. The actual operating system wasn't the problem as I mentioned it was the whole way these things work. Even how you get in and out of something.
I also said to let the product managers know that this should be able to work with a PC as the PC has bluetooth also and could pair with the River 2 or it can be done via wi fi. You shouldn't need a smartphone for this. The settings could also just be on the unit itself.
As for the Bluestacks thing I suspect it didn't work as I had not turned on bluetooth on the Ecoflow and I didn't know how to do that till instructed. But there would be something else.
I have praise for the man who spent over an hour and a half of his day on the phone with me from the company.
But the settings I made for the charge speed, to keep it under 100% and not let it ever go right down to 0% is better for batteries. At 360 watts as it defaulted it can fully charge in an hour but much better for batteries to lessen the charge current and have it take 1 and 1/2 hours to charge. If on your laptop in the battery settings, if it has, set it to not charge to 100% but 95-98% or so. Better in the long run.
As for the typing on a smartphone, the key pad, you are typing something and you want to enter a number so you have to push an arrow button to access the numbers on a different keyboard, then go back, then if you want a dollar sign you have to go up two keyboards to where those symbols are and then back to the lower case letters and so on....not for me!
Don't know how everyone does this. And if your finger is larger than the keys you keep hitting wrong things and you are just screwed up. I could use a little pen for touch screens that would work.
It was suggested to me to keep the phone as I may never need it but if I ever need to recalibrate the system I would need to restore my 0 and 100% defaults for a complete discharge/charge and then put it back again. So I may keep it and put it away out of mind somewhere. It's shut off so not emitting any radiation. Or I can try Bluestacks again as according to others it's supposed to work to run android apps on a PC.
@mark I had a similar experience for which I attempted to use 'Bluestacks' so I could control an Android App from a computer, but I never got results. Now I have an Android phone which I have talked about constantly here in the Forum. Any day now I may try to download the app that will allow me to link my computer audio to a little Wi-Fi receiver that will deliver audio to my Procaster AM Transmitter. Every day I decide to do it tomorrow.
Since the subject of Android Apps came up, I made a new try to get started with my Audioengine B-Fi, which got mentioned in the last entry. So I opened the 'Apps' section on my Android, but cannot find a way to download new apps. The one I want is a free app called 'Audioengine'. I guess I need to use 'Google Play' to find it, but it won't let me because my Google password is broken. Temperature today will be 101-degrees F.
@carl-blare There are several ways to side load apps onto your phone. One is using the utility ADB, but I wouldn't go there right now.
Another is to download the .apk file (extension for an android app) onto an SD card inserted into your computer. Move the SD card over to your cell phone, and use your file manager to click on the app - it should install. You may have to turn on Install Apps from Unknown Sources in your Settings.
But I don't yet have the app I need. How can I get it without using GooglePlay? The app is called 'Audioengine' or 'Audioengine Control'.
The maker uses both of those descriptions in their print literature.
@carl-blare If the app is available in the google store, it can be obtained on a pc. search for the name of the app and add .apk to it.
There are numerous sites that you can generally get the app from. Some of the more repubtable include apkmirror and apkpure (although I prefer the former). They even have their own stores that you can install on your phone to replace google play, or to give you a store option in the event that your phone doesn't support google (many imports from south east asia don't, particularly those intended for the Chinese market).
You can also get a store app such as f-droid, which allows you to directly download it onto an SD card in your computer.
Maybe the simplest way to get the app would be to download it directly onto your smartphone via your smartphone browser (by going to the app's website). Once it's downloaded, you can directly install it, either from the browser (it should prompt once the download is done if you want to execute it) or you can use your file manager to execute it (the file should be in your Downloads directory).
@artisan-radio I actually understand what you are telling me! I am getting slightly smarter about this. I managed to download amazon_app.apk but then couldn't locate it. Another person told me to look in 'Files', but my phone doesn't have anything named 'files' but I found it in 'Downloads'. However the phone refused to install the download because it was 'older and not secure'. No big deal. Now I have the free sites you've submitted, so we move forward with things to try.
The only thing to watch out for is fake downloads from web sites that are dubious at best. I gave you the two best, particularly apkmirror (which doesn't have as many ads and misleading download messages as others). Sometimes you can also get the apk from the app developer's website.
The f-droid app store is also reasonably secure and safe.
I've found websites, however, that make it virtually impossible to download what you want, because they're full of download messages for everything but what you want.
@artisan-radio Interesting day. Temperature is sitting on 101-F, it's 5:05 in the afternoon, storms aren't predicted until 5-tomorrow morning, yet we are having thunder! We'll try to ignore the hub-bub and concentrate on the day's job... getting Apps installed.
After finding that the 'Downloads' location is where downloads can be found, now that I have downloaded apkmirror installer I am totally unable to find the downloads drawer. Geez, these Android phones are a mess.
I'll have another complaint to share as soon as possible.
So with this phone, I think I will keep this one I got as I may have to get into settings on this power station. The app is there and no trying to get to it again...just turn it on, go to the little icon "apps" and up it comes and turn on the bluetooth on the power station and there it is into the settings. But my wi fi which I don't use normally had to be on to work to get the app. I use a pen for touch screen not my finger but don't have to write anything. Then it's turned off put away and that's that. I have a computer. This is like a toy.
But I have a question about these things...If you are on wi fi, on the internet what stops you from getting viruses or malware etc? Do these things have some type of virus protection?
Also I could get on the internet via wi fi from my own home service I pay for, what if I went outside far enough from my place out of range of my own home protected service would I still receive a wi fi signal anywhere? Or no? How can you be getting this everywhere? How does Artisan get his stream anywhere?
I was also wondering could this make a video of a demo of my reception with audio around the neighbourhood the same as a camera I did it with before?
Yes, you can get viruses and malware on your phone. Some phones have anti-malware software (such as Samsung) built in. You can also download apps that do it.
You have to be within range of your wifi router to use wifi. Just like any other computer device. There are some free public wifi hotspots in cities, but I rarely use them due to security concerns.
I use my phone carrier network (via a SIM card) to receive my stream anywhere. You just have to have cellular phone service. The bitrate for the stream is low enough that I don't have to really worry about going over my 3 or 4GB limit no matter how much I listen to it. That limit is actually really low by modern standards - I have a special deal with my provider (Telus) that essentially gives me a seniors discount. It was great a few years ago when I first got it, not so good now as for a few dollars more, I can get 10x the data with another provider. If I used a lot of data, I would switch, but right now I don't, and it's a hassle to do so.
I've never used the apkmirror store. I just download the apk's directly from their site. Unfortunately, these apps can screw up your phone and at the very least, cause them to act differently. I try to stick with plain vanilla android (which I'm familiar with) and not add too many layers on top.