Need some help with Sylvania's Android 2.1 Tablet

[sughn]

Okay so i'm thinking about getting one of these and i can't decide yet because of the fact that there isn't the Android Market installed onto the device. So i have been looking around for some hacks to get this onto the device and have soft of run into a wall. I have found a few really hard hacks that are beyond my ability so i started to think simpler. So, i was wondering if i downloaded the Android Market apk file onto the device, found it using a file manager, and installed it, would it work.

I could really use some help here, ive heard this is a great device but im still on the edge. I would really appreciate anything that could help. Thanks

 

[bigwooly]

the app market that comes preinstalled is called slideme app market

 

[pbrauer]

To answer your questions, no you probably can't just install the Market.apk and get it to work. There are certain elements that the application requires for a device to be certified to use the market from Google, and this is what all the hacks are for.

That being said, here is the good news. There are several different workarounds for this issue that are getting better all the time. Slideme is one, AppBrain is another, and there are more coming as the platform gets more users. Also, if you can follow directions easily, there are several excellent writeups that cover these hacks in detail so while it may seem overwhelming this is actually a pretty straightforward one (putting things on a tablet is always easier than taking things off).

Finally, there is always what is called "side-loading" where you find the APK for an app and install it directly from the SD Card or USB connection, so getting apps on your device is very possible.

I would recommend reading through some of very detailed step-by-steps on hacking the market before feeling that it is too much to do.

Cheers and good luck!
p

 

[fred615]

Where do I look for Slideme on my Sylvania tablet? I've clicked around on it and haven't seen anything like that..

Thanks,
Fred

 

[bigwooly]

Where do I look for Slideme on my Sylvania tablet? I've clicked around on it and haven't seen anything like that..

Thanks,
Fred

should be in the app drawer looks like a big blue s

 

[fred615]

By "app drawer", do you mean SETTINGS>APPLICATIONS>MANAGE APPLICATIONS ??

If so, I don't see anything there remotely like Slideme or a big S... ???

What about SAM3.5 as mentioned by others and Digital Gadgets also...?

 

[bigwooly]

sam3.5 and slide me app market are the same thing

the app drawer is the icon that looks a bunch of little squares. it's on the bar across of the bottom of the home screen. it should be the center icon.

i also posted a link in your other help thread pointing to to the SAM website where you could install the latest version if it's not there

 

[fred615]

bigwooly,

I had trouble a few days ago doing the Update so I tried again last night and it went through just fine. Now I have DG2.02 and the SAM3.5/SlideMe is right there on the main widget screen.. And also there is now an icon called MyTab which is a pretty good file manager type of widget.. ALso noticed that when I rebooted, it tried to do the autorotate screen thing but it wouldn't rotate; it stuck upside down from the normal orientation so I switched back to manual orientation and all is well for now.

I have Google Maps installed but it doesn't seem to want to "find" where it is located GPS wise.. (?)

I also hitched up a card reader and pretty easily transferred photos from my camera's flash card to the microSD in the tablet. But only one at a time. Does anyone know how I could select a bunch of photos to transfer all at once??

Thanks for the help..

fred615

 

[bigwooly]

there isn't a gps in this tablet so if has no way to find where it is.

i would try a different launcher. launcher pro, helix, adw, or zeam. it should allow for the auto rotate to work correctly if yours has an orientation sensor.

glad you got the update.

 

[fred615]

there isn't a gps in this tablet so if has no way to find where it is.

i would try a different launcher. launcher pro, helix, adw, or zeam. it should allow for the auto rotate to work correctly if yours has an orientation sensor.

glad you got the update.

Geez, I thought I read somewhere that this tablet had a GPS... Oh well, next time around..

I installed launcher pro and when I switched on the Orientation feature, it rotated my horizontal display 180 degrees and still wouldn't rotate as I turned the tablet.. So I switched the Orientation off; I'd rather manually rotate the display to where I want it. I also noticed a completely different layout of the apps and widgets on the main screen and the clock, calendar and weather widgets went away. So I deselected launcher pro for now.

I came across a printer sharing app that actually will find a local wifi printer (mine) and allows printing of some types of docs; web pages, pdf's, etc.. It printed a test page for me but I wasn't able to print a pdf or any of the other allowed types with the free version. I think I'll buy the Premium version for the $5 they want.. Pretty slick. And once you buy the Premium version they say you can also print to networked printers after connecting to the other network.. It's called PrinterShare and It's on one of the App sites on the web.. Also go to www. printershare.com

 

[cowgirl]

bigwooly,
Can you watch movies on the tablet, if so, how do you do this. I downloaded a music video to a flash drive then transferred that to the sd card and it worked, however, when following the same steps, the movie would not play. Any suggestions?

 

[giveen]

Yes, it plays movies just fine. I have several on mine and they all work great.

 

[john_tartar]

I've installed Amazons app market, works very nice. Lots of free apps.
Including several versions of Angry Birds , which work fine.

You can download ~.APK files to a USB stick using your regular computer.
Then you install those on your Sylvania by connecting that USB stick with the dangle cord that came with your Sylvania. Then use the "My Device" icon to find the file, and click on the APK file. It will install that way.

You have to have an Amazon account, I already did, but it's just a regular Amazon account, not a phone account. Google app market requires that you have a phone attached to your account somehow before you can access anything.

p.s. I'm using the Sylvania $99 tablet from CVS, no HDMI port.