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Friday, April 29, 2011

HOW TO: Add a German Keyboard layout to your Samsung Galaxy Tab (and the Apple Wireless Keyboard)

Yeah,  I am aware of the fact that writing an instruction in English for a German Keyboard layout is a little... stupid.  But... I will still do it. For the sake of humanity and all that stuff. I know it is quite a half-assed article.. but maybe it can help someone...

First of all... What will you need?


  • an unlocked, rooted Galaxy Tab, preferably the Euro-Tab Version
  • an Apple Wireless Keyboard (yeah, I know.)


Step 1:
Open rootexplorer on your Tab (or any other filemanager) and navigate to /system/usr/keychars


Check if your Bluetooth HID file is named like that. If it is the correct name, go straight to Step 2b, otherwise follow the instructions at Step 2a.

Step 2:
Download the zipped kcm.bin file here and extract it somewhere on your sd card.

Step 2a
If your file is called differently, then rename the kcm.bin accordingly.
Step 2b
Copy the file and navigate to the /system/usr/keychars folder

IMPORTANT: You should backup the original file! After mounting the filesystem R/W, rename Broadcom_Bluetooth_HID.kcm.bin to Broadcom_Bluetooth_HID.kcm.bin.bak before hitting paste!


Step 3:
Reboot the system / switch off and on again, when you're done and then, if you didn't screw up everything, you should be able to use all the beauty of the German language!

All the credit for modifying the original keymaps go to xcreatir on XDA developers
There are some threads covering this topic:

Bluetooth keyboard and mouse...
Norwegian Apple Wireless Keyboard settings and how to make your own
There you can (probably) find even more keychar thingies (at least I saw norwegian)

If you want to do your own keymaps, you can follow these instructions:
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN KEYBOARD SETTINGS:
I used a hex editor called UltraEdit on pc to change some symbols in the .kcm.bin-file, and I used the "KeyTest.apk" from github to make out all the scancodes and used them when editing the .kl-layout file in Notepad on the phone.

NB! If you use the hex editor, make sure you always change one symbol at a time and always do backups for each little change. Whenever I did some change that the system didn't like, it would turn to using the "qwerty.kcm.bin" as default, then I could use the backup to make it work again.

This is my first attempt of a sort of contribution to this great forum after
using it for years. Hope that others can use what I have learn't to make
their own settings. I have attached my original and edited settings files,
and a picture of the keyboard with scancodes.
credits for these instructions can be found at:
Thanks qsarklam for that!

I recommend HxD (great hex editor) and if you are looking for KeyTest.apk, it can be found here on github.


One or two things about keyboards. [Part 2]

Finally. After quite a while of testing, I will now reveal the ultimate slim coder-keyboard. Guess what. It is cheap, it is slim and it is from a quite unknown German company.

Perixx Periboard 407



I've never used a better keyboard in my whole life. Yeah, it isn't wireless and you can tell that the prints on the keys might come off soon (the print feels quite cheap) but typing is like heaven on this baby!
The keys are similar to those on a Sony Vaio VPCF1, but way softer while typing... and int isn't so hard on the joints over time. The keyboard is pretty standard... Full QWERTZ/Y, got a function key for the multimedia keys... I also love the distance between the keys, it makes it easy to type, even if you are a little... "unprecise" while typing. You can't adjust the angle, but it feels quite perfect for typing.
Only downside is the fact that the numlock Turns on, every time the computer boots up, so the integrated numpad (UIOJKLM) will screw up your attempts to login if you don't pay attention. I got this baby for about 12€/16$ (you can order it here from conrad, but it is a German store)
It is available in white and black and it looks awesome too! (but it will collect smudge... at least the black one is in piano-gloss... but that is something that I accept without a second thought)
Best coding/hacking-keyboard ever!

Perixx Periboard 402






The other one I tested but didn't like that much was the Perixx Periboard 402. It has some advantages over the 407, but also some disadvantages...
On the pro-side there we have two USB-Ports on the left and right side of the keyboard, which are very handy if you need to plug in a memory-stick or something else you don't want to crawl around under your desk for. It is also great if you have one of these small wireless dongles for Mice that don't use this bluetooth hocus-pocus. The multimedia/function keys are separately and not integrated into the F-Keys, so you don't have to fiddle around with pressing the wrong buttons etc.
The downside: It feels like rubber... you type on it like it's rubber. Probably it is rubber too... The plastic doesn't feel that great... it constantly gives you this "semi-sticky" feeling... it is kinda... eww.
But the price is quite unbeatable (15€/20$ at conrad) and you can adjust the angle of the keyboard too. You'd have to try it to know if it's right for you.

check out the Perixx (wired mini) product line [here]

Friday, April 22, 2011

[RESOLVED?] Creepy girl mystery easter egg in Portal 2

I found some hints to a creepy girl, hidden in a portrait of cave johnson and caroline
[here]
But in fact, after extracting the tile and blowing up the image, it just seems like a antique wooden statue, not a weird zombie girl... (Instructions how to get to the hidden portrait are found in the source-thread)
You might need to adjust your monitor's contrast and brightness to see the statue.



Wednesday, April 20, 2011

HOW TO: Make an iPad that doesn't look like an iPad but Apple might sue you anyway. [Part 2]

Now it's time to ward off some lawyers.

Tools you need:

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab (mine has a slim-case, I never interact with Apple without proper protection)
  • Apple Stickers of the Macbook you don't own anymore
  • a ruler (maybe)


The stuff you need.

Carefully peel the sticker off the carrier-sheet.

Use a ruler to verify that the used fruit is centered.

Apply pressure.
(and don't forget to wash your hands later :-/)

It still doesn't look like an iPad.
It looks a little bit like an old iPhone though. Ewww!

And now: Sue me! (Nah, please don't)

Sunday, April 17, 2011

HOW TO: Add a second Google Talk account and Sprint-Integration for non-Sprint numbers to your Google Voice Account

First things first: I don't know the benefits of that for you (especially the sprint-thing because I am not an US Citizen), what kind of troubles it could cause and I don't want to cause any trouble for Google (love you guys!). I just want to max out the possibilities...
I think the benefits of two Google Talk accounts are pretty obvious (if you have a business and a private GTalk running), sadly it doesn't work for Google Apps accounts with custom domain.

If you are a US citizen and you have the option to add a second Google Talk account, don't flame me ^^

So, things you need:

  • awesomeness
  • Google Voice account
  • GTalk
  • Google Chrome
Here we go, step by step.

Go to your Google Voice settings page (https://www.google.com/voice/b/0#phones) in chrome and click on "Add another phone"

Right click on the dropdown and select "Inspect element".


Find the option for Gizmo and doubleclick on the value.



Change now the value to "9", which refers to a "Google Talk Account" and press Return.


Now leave the dev-tools-window (don't close it) and enter your info and select Gizmo from the Dropdown.


After that... you might have guessed it... save it.


Now verify the account and everything should be shiny :)

To do the same for a Sprint number... Just change the value of ... for example "mobile" to 10... That worked for me

 Here are some other findings in the code:

("ALLTEL","Alltel","ATT","AT&T","CELL_SOUTH","Cellular South","CRICKET","Cricket","METROPCS","Metro PCS","SPRINT","Sprint","TMOBILE","T-Mobile","USCELLULAR","US Cellular","VERIZON","Verizon")

zDe=zpb("2","Mobile","7","Gizmo","9","Google Chat","1","Home","10","Mobile - Google Voice Enabled","4","VOIP Phone","3","Work");

As you can see, there is also an option for a VOIP number, but I haven't managed to get it working yet. If someone figures out how to get it working, please let me know!

Also interesting: It doesn't say "Sprint"... it says "Mobile - Google Voice Enabled"... Now we can guess what that might mean for the future :D
Enjoy and let me know if it worked!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

One or two things about keyboards. [Part 1]

Yeah, I gotta admit: I am a programmer. Therefore I've quite a fetish when it comes to keyboards.

I simply can't work with a crappy keyboard, so I went through quite some lengths to find a good one.

First: No, I don't really hate a numpad... but if you have a limited workspace, like me, you will go nuts at least the 10000th time, you bump with your mouse on the way too big keyboard.

So you start looking for alternatives.
You might think: Oh, let's check for a wireless solution... probably something from a well known brand... not too expensive... and there you go with the Microsoft Arc Keyboard

Microsoft Arc Keyboard
First things first: It comes with a reaaaaally nice cloth thing to store it somewhere... kinda protective covering. I guess most people throw it away, but it was just too nice to do that, so I kept it. It is not a Bluetooth keyboard, so you get this little transceiver that is cleverly stored under the keyboard itself using a magnet. This can be a pro or con. If you still own floppy disks, don't put this keyboard on top of them.
This thing runs on AAA juice... not quite the money friendliest power-solution (at least here in Austria it isn't), but I haven't had to replace the batteries yet. (not bad, not bad)
So, here are the con's: It is one of those super-shiny-glossy-accessories that you will love at first and damn later, because it attracts fingerprints and smudge like nothing else... and a keyboard is way more difficult to clean than a touchscreen. Second, very uncomfortable fact is, that the keyboard is too flat to be comfortable for typing... It is super-portable, super stable on the desk, but simply too flat on the edges... next problem is the way the keys feel while typing.. I always hat the Impression there was too much friction while I typed. It felt like the keys would start to wear off quickly... not so pleasant. And here is the biggest downside: the d-pad or whatever that should be.
Nightmare.
It is almost impossible to use. I guess it was designed for powerpoint presentations or something like that, because it is as userfriendly as the left and right click buttons on the Acer Aspire One A150.
Drivers are sometimes an issue too, so you might check if you plugged in the transceiver into a different USB port than last time, because sometimes the driver does not load and the keyboard does not work just because of that.
Overall: Nice try... It is definitely a nice keyboard, but not for programmers or people who write a lot... or that use the arrow keys to navigate. I'll still use it for XBMC... But coding? No way.
Uh yeah, before I forget, the price... It is about 33$ on Amazon.com or 33€ on Amazon.de

Second try: The infamous Apple Wireless Keyboard

Yeah I know... "Booo, you bought from the enemy!". I just needed a Bluetooth keyboard that is 100% working with my Samsung Galaxy Tab :-P
Of course it is fancy packaged and smells like Apple things smell... Pairing was easy and even batteries were included.
Yeah it has arrow keys... big plus. But the arrangement of the keys is different & "<" and "^" keys are exchanged (default mapping)... ok, I can live with that. It has a similar typing experience as the Microsoft keyboard... slightly better though, but not so much better that it would justify the 66€ I paid for it... and most annoying thing: no "DEL" key o.O That really sucks. and I mean really really...
I haven't had much time to test the battery-life though, so I'll probably report another time about that :)

So much for the first part... but I'll add a little information another time.