Another Portable Chromecast Display

A few months ago, I reviewed a 9" Korean made portable HDMI/MHL monitor, the Popad. You can read it here on this blog. It is an iPad/Tablet shaped, sized portable battery powered monitor.

I haven't used it in months and decided to take it out of the box again.

I wanted to play with the Chromecast SDK and I needed something I could pop on my desk without taking up any extra space and this did the trick. I also didn't want to dedicate any of my main desktop pc display for just Chromecast. I think this did the trick.

Have in mind, the resolution isn't that great at 1280x720 (720p) but it does work. The Popad uses micro-HDMI and the MHL port can be used to power the Chromecast device.
As you can see below, everything works out pretty good. Both the white cables (micro USB/MHL and micro HDMI) connect to the Chromecast on both ends. The black cable is standard micro USB to power and charge the PoPad display.

Once it is fully charged, the PoPad can run for a solid 9 hours. I have to say, it could be a handy set-up for just watching Netflix while you are working.

My original Popad review:
Link: http://fortysomethinggeek.blogspot.com/2013/05/first-look-korean-export-9-inch-popad.html

Chromecast Lapdock

After getting my Motorola Lapdock last fall, I haven't had time to play with it much. Today, I figure I would couple it with a Google Chromecast HDMI dongle.

The result. Amazingly cool. See for yourself.

The install was straightforward if you have the micro HDMI adapters. The Lapdock's USB port powers the Chromecast. Booting is pretty instantaneous.  The Lapdock had no issues recognizing the HDMI video feed from the Chromecast.

Volia, a portable 11" streaming video monitor with 10 hour battery life. I now have something to put in my shed and garage when I need to watch Youtube video tutorials!

Google Chromecast + Motorola Lapdock = Geeky cool!

Wait, I just had a revelation. This would make a cool,portable, low-power Plex media player now that Plex supports the Chromecast.

First Look: Korean export 9 inch PoPad HDMI MHL portable display

Have you ever wanted to use your 10" tablet as a portable monitor? I have and always wondered why companies haven't implemented HDMI inputs in their devices. Well, today I have what could be the next best thing. It is a Korean export 1280x800 portable HDMI/MHL monitor in a 9/10" tablet form factor. This is a rare bird you won't see often in the US - the iTechKorea Popad 9" portable HDMI/MHL monitor. Below, you can see it charging and providing external display for my Galaxy Nexus from a single USB MHL cable.

It also supports HDMI which means it can be used as a portable extended display for your laptop or computer.

Like the GeChic 2501m I reviewed months ago, this has similar I/O. It has micro HDMI, MHL, and USB.  The MHL port also charges your phone while the micro USB port is used to charge the actual device.

The device is 240mm wide, 160 mm high, 12 mm thick. In comparison, the iPad 3/4  is 241.2 mm wide, 185.7mm high ands 9.4mm thick. The device is slightly narrower in height and girthier than the iPad. Here is a picture of it stacked on top of my iPad 3.

For now, this is a short first look. I will write a follow-up review when I have more time to play with it. 

Next wanted iPad killer feature. HDMI Lightning MHL Video Input

I've been thinking long and hard about what would motivate me to upgrade to the next iPad. Media outlets are reporting the spiraling decline of PC sales as consumers are no longer upgrading their PCs every other year. Why upgrade when your existing computer works just fine. There will be a point when people will be genuinely content with their existing mobile device and do not feel the urge to upgrade their tablet every generation.

There is one killer feature I would like to see and that is Target Display Mode on the iPad. The picture above is an iPad using Wi-Fi video tethering to act as a secondary extended display for my Macbook. I'm running HiDPI mode so I am in essence getting a portable cinema display with the same desktop real estate as my 27" monitor.

Target Display Mode would take it to the next level as it would be a physical connection.

Many of the Macs have it and it will be a compelling feature to sell more iPads. If there is something that would push sales, a new unique hardware feature is all that is needed. Target Display Mode is a feature that allows iMacs turn themselves into secondary screens for other macs.  Hence, this is not a far fetched idea. Apple has already done it in the past. If Apple ever implemented this, I would immediately plan to upgrade to the next 128GB LTE version and get myself an additional low-end 16GB wifi only.

I've thought about this feature long and hard when I got my GeChic portable HDMI MHL monitor. I've also used Wi-Fi video tethering apps and then I ordered myself a discounted Motorola LapDock for hacking purposes. The LapDock has been known to be re-used as secondary displays.

There are even companies abroad selling the same size 9.7" iPad 2 LG displays as portable MHL monitors.

Now, wouldn't it be awesome if there was an HDMI to Lightning dongle that provided video input. With an app or system preference,the iPad can toggle itself into a monitor (ala Target Display Mode). I know many pro-photographers and videographers would snap up extra iPads to use as remote displays. I know a lot of road-warriors would definitely pick up a new iPad just for this feature. This and this alone is a big bullet selling point.

Heck, make the HDMI dongle expensive to recoup the R/D cost. I'm willing to pay for it. I doubt Apple would embrace MHL but I figure 3rd party accessory makers can jump in with a white MHL-to-HDMI/Lightning adapter.

Someone at Apple, please make this happen! Please give the next iPad HDMI input / video-in.

GeChic on-lap 2501m portable 15" monitor review

This is an interesting and highly unique monitor that deserves a review.

Summary: This is a laptop screen without the laptop. It is a battery powered HD 1336x768 15.6" monitor with HDMI, MHL and optional VGA inputs. It runs off battery or powered via USB. In short, a highly portable spare 15" monitor. This monitor can be purchased from NewEgg for $250.

As you can see below, a single MHL cable is all that is needed to display from a Galaxy Nexus. Add a bluetooth keyboard and you have yourself a portable computer. The MHL cable even charges the phone. The picture above with the Macbook shows it can be used as a secondary display with HDMI. Everything is running off battery. It can be charged via USB as well.

Preface:

I was looking for a spare monitor for various projects I've been working on. No one sells a DVI/HDMI/VGA monitor under 15" anymore. Sure, you can get a used, refurb 15" Dell LCD on eBay that will be strictly VGA. There are a few 7-9" Liliputian monitors advertised as field monitors but they only have native resolution of 800x480/1024x600.

I thought about going the 720p TV route at the local Target/Walmart but those are still rather large. I also have a few small displaylink monitors that work great and only require a USB cable. Unfortunately, my Linux projects and old servers require VGA. I also have an itch to play with small embedded ARM devices like the Raspberry PI/MK802 Android sticks that require HDMI.
Hence my dilemma and it was easily solved by one company, GeChic.

They offer a 13" model for a modest $175 that accepts HDMI and is powered by USB.
Then, I saw a newer 15" model that was battery powered and also supports MHL (Mobile High DefLink) found in many new smartphones and tablets. Wow, this was the ticket to my dilemma.

And that is where we are now. Today, I'm going to give you my impressions of this highly unique product.

Impressions:

After reading many other reviews, this product addressed many of the shortcomings of the original 13" unit. It also appeared to be better than many of the Korean export Shimian MHL only 9.7" portable monitors. Unlike some of its competitors, this sports a 1336x768 resolution vs the Shimians or Liliputs at 1024x768 /1024x600. I'm not fond of that resolution but what else is there in this form factor? The GeChic are probably the best-in-class for this form factor.

Many of the other Korean/Chinese portable field monitors advertise being 1080p but when you read the find print, they are often only 1024x768 native and use scaling to accept 1080p video feeds. Translation, they look like crap.  This particular monitor will also take 1080p feeds and it also looks like crap. Any downsampling will give you a muddy image. It would awesome to get a Nexus10 or Ipad3/4 class monitor in the 9-15" size but those are not available. The GeChic will be fine for 720p content.

Physical:

The construction is rather cheap. There are Faux silver finishes and it has an extremely light feel. In fact, it is too light and brittle. This is essentially a laptop monitor without the laptop. The only thing protecting the screen is a flip-over plastic screen protector that acts as the base. You can get colorful replacement screen protectors in various colors.

All ports run off the right side of the front facing screen. Two micro speakers adorn the back.

As you can see, compared to an iPad, it is pretty big. In my opinion, it is rather large. 15.6" screen is pretty big to lug around as an accessory.

It pretty much comes with everything you need minus the VGA adapter. HDMI, USB,MHL cables, a USB Charger are all included. The green pieces you see are alternate base grips. There is also a smartphone holder clip you can attach to the front face.

Usage:
This monitor can be powered from USB (it also comes with a USB charger) or the built in battery. So far,everything is good except it did not come with a VGA adapter cable. That is another $13. The MHL port is a blessing and a curse. It charges my Galaxy Nexus and input videos in one single clean cable. Unfortunately, those cables are hard to find if you need a replacement. I could not find any extra dual-ended MHL cable online. All the ones I've seen are MHL-to-HDMI. So, if you lose the cable, good luck finding a replacement. HDMI is a standard micro HDMI-D that resembles a micro USB socket.

Onscreen display is standard affair. You can swap inputs, adjust brightness/contrast and the battery indicator is a nice touch.

Quality:

The screen is not going to blow your socks off. Actually,the display is mid-grade and offers a average adequate output. I knew this from the various reviews I've read. It is about the same quality as many 15.4-15.6 budget laptops you find at Staples or Best Buy in the 400 price range. It has similar quality to my wife's HP DV6 notebook.

Viewing angles is pretty much straight on. Colors are a bit muted. 1080p scaled resolution looks like crap. I guess it will be fine for watching movies off a Blu Ray player but I do not recommend it for text or computer usage at 1980x1080. It is best to stick with the default 1336x768 resolution.

Pictures below show how it would look like under a 1080p feed. Blurry. Native resolution at 1336X768 look fine and razor sharp.

However, average picture quality is not the reason to discount the product. The reason to buy this monitor is for the immense flexibility and portability.

I was imagining being able to use this as a portable monitor in the data-center; plugging into headless servers if needed. I could also turn my smartphone into a mobile workstation using MHL. The possibilities were endless. You can use this with XBOX/PS3 gaming consoles. Worst case scenario, you can use it as a portable secondary palette monitor. Most importantly, I no longer have to scramble and unseat an existing monitor to work on a project. Now, I could take out an old rack server or 10 year old PC in storage to refurbish in the garage with my battery powered GeChic.

Picture below is an excellent use case for this monitor. Connected to a MK802 Android stick and you have a portable workstation or thin client for fiddling around.

Battery Life: I've read claims of 6.5-9 hours from other various sources. Well, after 3 days of testing, I am getting well over 6 hours. I don't know how accurate the battery meter is but my phone shows it has been running over 8 hours with 1/2 charge left.

Unfortunately, it does take a while to charge up. Most use cases will probably entail using USB to power off your computer.



Competition and Conclusion:

DisplayLink monitors are the obvious direct competitors. Unfortunately, none of them can connect to a smartphone, XBOX, or DVD player. They're also problematic under Linux.  DisplayLink also uses USB to drive the video. More than often, video and gaming playback suffer under DisplayLink as it passes through the USB bus. You have none of those problems with this display.

Mobile Linux users can now rejoice! It runs great off my Ubuntu Thinkpad T420. Nor more Xorg nonsense with DisplayLink.

Another competitor would be the Motorola Atrix lapdock. You can jury rig the Atrix lapdock with various adapters to make it a secondary HDMI display. It also has the added benefit of keyboard with some hardware fiddling. They're also cheap if you can find them but the issue I have is the lack of VGA.

Hence, the GeChic is an extroadinary unique device. I can see it being used for tradeshows. A mobile app developer using it demo mobile apps off smartphones and tablets. It can be used as part of a toolchest in the data-center. It can also be used as an on-site field monitor for a videographer or photographer. Or, it can be given to kids as a monitor for their gaming console. Again, the possibilities are endless.

mini-DisplayPort / Thunderbolt VS HDMI

I had to shuffle my current desktop;re-arrange monitors and I was reminded of an old subject : displayport/thunderbolt vs HDMI. This subject has been heated debate among tech friends.

This week, I am running full HD/1080p (1920x1080), WQHD (2560x1440) , and WQXGA (2560x1600) off an 27" iMac. I could run another WQHD(Apple 27" Cinema display) through daisy chaining if my desk had enough room to support it.

In short, I have a desktop of  7,040 x 4,120 pixels.

I posted earlier an image of the Retina Macbook Pro displaying 14 million pixels off four displays . That is pretty insane and not possible with HDMI.

HDMI connection is never a selling point for me. I don't know why it is ever a bragging point on new equipment. Sure, you can plug into your HDTV at home and in some conference rooms LCD TVs.However "most" laptops/computers with HDMI can only output a maximum resolution of 1920x1080 (HD).  If you do more than watch videos in HD 16x9, HDMI in its shipping form is very limited.

When I shop for a new computer/graphics card, I always choose DisplayPort and mini-DisplayPort/mDP over HDMI. Thunderbolt use the same connector as mDP (mini-DisplayPort).

I hear if you advocate mDP or thunderbolt over HDMI that you are an Apple fanboy. The main argument is that mDP/Thunderbolt is considered proprietary or some silly notion that Apple has to do something different than the rest of the industry. This has been one of the major talking point against getting an Apple Macbook/Air.

Well, if it is considered proprietary, it allows me to drive multiple WQHD (2560x1440) or WQXGA (2560x1600) high resolution monitors. Heck, it allows me to at least drive one WQXGA 30" monitor.

Apple announced mDP in 2008 and has since licensed it for others to use (e.g. Lenovo Thinkpads X1/X230). Thunderbolt is an Intel invention and it is licensed to whoever (Lenovo/Acer/Dell) whats to use it. mDP/Thunderbolt is simply better for the needs of a computer user versus a person who is only interested in hooking up their notebooks to their living room TVs.

Sure, HDMI 1.4 promises to fix the resolution deficiency but the fact remains many monitors with WQHD (2560x1440) or WQXGA (2560x1600) handicap their HDMI input; meaning you will only get 1080p res on that nice Dell U2711 or U3011.

When more WQHD monitors support higher res through HDMI and when laptop manufactures clearly specify the max output resolution of their HDMI output, I might change my mind.

With companies now making ultrabooks, they should all embrace mDP/Thunderbolt.
I don't understand why companies like Asus ship laptops like the UX31E with mini-hdmi and mini-vga. You still need to carry an adapter/dongle for mini-hdmi/mini-vga so the argument about carrying an extra cable is moot. I'm more inclined to think Asus didn't want to spend any extra money on licensing which would even make their ultra portable even smaller with less ports.

With Displayport/mDP/Thunderbolt, you have dongles for VGA (those old conference room projectors), HDMI (for plasma/LCD TVs), and DVI/Dual-DVI for standard monitors. Heck, most cables only cost $3-$10. Displayport even routes digital audio (just like HDMI) in revision 1.2. If you are going to be making presentations at client's conference room, you would most likely be carrying a HDMI cable already so the extra dongle adds little bulk for the few times you use it.

DisplayPort now allows you to daisy-chain monitors in their spec. Here is an excellent example with 2 displays daisy chained. Have in mind, these are two WQHD display running off a Macbook Air. Not even the top of the line Thinkpad W530 can do this (unless you use a docking station with certain configurations).

(source: http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/06/new-macbooks-can-manage-many-many-monitors/)

So there you have it. I like to conclude with my earlier remark, when I am in the market for a new laptop/computer, I will always choose displayport/mDP/Thunderbolt over HDMI.

Transform the Galaxy Nexus into a desktop computer

With a simple adapter and bluetooth, you can convert a Samsung Galaxy Nexus into a full desktop computer.

You will need a micro USB  to MH/HDMI adapter, a HDMI compatible monitor, and a set of bluetooth keyboard and bluetooth mouse. I use the Apple keyboard and bluetooth mouse.

This will basically mirror everything you see on the phone to the monitor. If you don't have an HDMI monitor, you can use a HDMI to DVI adapter like the one I use on this 24" Samsung.

The screen res will be what is on the phone, 1280x720. Some apps don't work quite right due to the fact they require or shift from landscape to portrait mode. For example, pulling up Netflix's movie browser looks like this:

Overall, it is a silly demo to show off your friends and colleagues. Running ICS on a large monitor is not really that intuitive  when you consider the oversized icons and UI elements designed for a 4.65" phone. The phone should have outputted a 1920x1080 display which would have been my preference.
Now, if this could dual boot into something like Ubuntu, then I can see the value of it. The original Atrix and their webtop was a very promising idea in 2011. Since, it the concept and execution has sort of fizzled into obscurity.

One last note, the MHL adapter requires power. You will need to use the existing micro-usb power adapter to power it. This sorts of kills the whole idea of using the Galaxy Nexus as a portable presentation machine. In comparison, the iPhone 4S and iPad 2/3 can be docked with a 30pin-HDMI adapter and run on battery alone.






LINK for MHL adapter: http://www.amazon.com/Menotek-Adapter-IMPROVED-Protocol-Sensation/dp/B005F9W6DU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1342718283&sr=8-3&keywords=MHL+adapter+nexus