Android S Beam

[Haucore]

Ever since the Note2 release I've somewhat abandoned my nexus 7. These days it's just sitting in my desk, seeding torrent files for credit. What I hoped to do is S Beam movie files to my note 2 for later viewing but can't seem to get it work. Not sure if I'm doing it correctly or just wasting my time as its perhaps not allowed. I read that it could beam movies and video and wonder if they meant movies you film with the camera rather than mp4 files. Anyone successfully pulled this off?

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[silverthornne]

Isn't S Beam a Samsung only thing? You should be able to do it between Notes 2 or S3's but not between a Nexus 7 and a Note 2.

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[Haucore]

No the nexus 7 has the feature. I've S-Beam between the 2 more often than anything, just can't get mp4s to beam. On the other receiving end it opens the MX player but no files found.

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[hichris123]

I'm not sure if you can Beam actual files over. In non Samsung devices, it is called Android Beam.

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[Haucore]

Lucky me I have a very special nexus 7 where I beam my pics and documents over to my note 2 lol

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[DannyDefinit]

Just tested it out, and I was able to beam a mp4 video from my Nexus 7 to my Galaxy S3. Just make sure Android Beam is selected under the NFC settings for both devices.

It seems that NFC will connect the two devices, but the file is actually transfered over Bluetooth.

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[stillborn86]

Every time I try to beam something I get an error about file size. I wonder what that's all about...

 

[Haucore]

Danny, which screen did you beam the mp4 from? I would guess gallery but not sure where else I can if that makes any sense. Picks and documents are easy enough, just open and touch backs. Mp4 however just plays the movie when you open it which I think is why I can't seem to beam it

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[Haucore]

Ok nvm I see. I was originally beaming everything else without pairing the two, just having NFC on both was enough but now I see it automatically toggles itself.

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[shotgunxbaby3]

I was able to beam a picture from my Nexus 7 to my S3 but not the other way around. When I beam a picture from my S3, my Nexus 7 opens the Play store to try and retrieve the picture.

 

[rxgadget]

I get the exact same thing happen trying to send pictures or files either way. I really want all my GS3 pictures on my Nexus 7 but Android Beam with bluetooth on and paired silk brings me to the Google Play store the says nothing available with a big retry button.

Please assist.

RxGadget

Sent from my VZW Samsung Galaxy S 3.

Old has beens.. LG flip - Droid X - Droid X2 - Droid Charge (3 days) - Droid Incredible 2

 

[Nevpaurion]

If someone could shed some light on the problem described by rxgadget and shotgunxbaby3 that would be really helpful. I'm experiencing the same problem.

 

[zkSharks]

Samaung's "S Beam" is a modified version of Android Beam. Android Beam was introduced in 4.0, and allows for transmission of small amounts of data via NFC. Check out this and this for info on Android Beam.

In creating S Beam, Samsung added an important capability to the feature. Android Beam exclusively uses NFC to transmit data. S Beam uses NFC to establish a WiFi-Direct (see this and this) connection between the two devices, which allows much larger pieces of data to be transmitted. Edit: note that this is no longer the case; additional functionality (including the use of WiFi Direct) Android Beam was later added to Beam.

You can mix and match Android Beam and S Beam devices if both devices have NFC turned on in Settings > Wireless & Networks > More > NFC. However, you will not have all of the functionality that Samsung's customized devices do, as stock Android Beam is limited to the transmission capabilities of NFC. It's possible that S Beam transmits standard NFC-exchanged data in a slightly different manner, though unlikely. Samsung has no reason to stray from the NDEF (NFC Data Exchange Format) standard for data transfer.

Here's my take on your issue:

When data is received through NFC, Android looks for applications that can handle this data using the Intent system. One key piece of information used to filter appropriate applications is the "MIME-type" of the data being sent. This is a tag describing the type of data (jpeg, bitmap, text, mp3, byte stream, etc.) in question. The reason I bring this up is the aforementioned Play Store search/error reaction to the NFC transfer. If no suitable application is found on the device, a typical result is the Play Store opening to show a list of applications which can handle this type of data for you (picture viewer, music player, text editor, etc.).

It is possible that somewhere along the line (whether it be Samsung's overlay TouchWiz, S Beam, Android Beam, or stick Android itself) the data or its mimetype were altered or stripped in such a way that your Nexus device(s) aren't correctly handling the received data with an already-installed app. The Play Store appearance and subsequent error support this mimetype-related conclusion.

A long-winded answer perhaps, but hopefully this will help you solve your issues.

 

[Nevpaurion]

Thanks Lumenii. I think you're right, I think that the S beam and Android beam protocols aren't getting along with one another. Oh well, Just another reason to find a Nexus 4 and get rid of this S3.

 

[zkSharks]

Thanks Lumenii. I think you're right, I think that the S beam and Android beam protocols aren't getting along with one another. Oh well, Just another reason to find a Nexus 4 and get rid of this S3.

I suppose so. I use Beam many, many times each day to transfer simple things between the N4, N7, and N10. I pass downloaded files (wallpapers, some PDFs, etc), web browsing links (some sites work better with more screen real estate and a higher pixel density for text), applications, and more.

 

[Nevpaurion]

Would you mind telling me about your experience with the N4? I want to know a bit more from someone's day to day on it before I purchase. (or try to)

How's the UI? Any lock ups lag or freezes? Battery life? How's the camera on it?

A list of things I would probably miss if I couldn't do it any more is:

Change my text message bubbles
Change my text message background
Change my font.
Smart stay.

Also there's another hitch: I'm on AT&T. I hear that I won't be able to use 4G on it since that's the case. Would you mind sharing what carrier you're with?

Any input is much appreciated and thank you.

 

[zkSharks]

Would you mind telling me about your experience with the N4? I want to know a bit more from someone's day to day on it before I purchase. (or try to)

I love it. It feels great, it looks great, the screen is great, and the build quality is that of a proper modern Android flagship device.

How's the UI? Any lock ups lag or freezes?[

Absolutely none. Read the following thread; you'll find a very favorable opinion of the Nexus 4's performance.

http://forums.androidcentral.com/google-nexus-4/249778-4-vs-7-a.html

Battery life?

I have no issues with battery life, partially because I have two inductive chargers in my apartment. Most of the time the phone isn't in my hand, it's charging. As they're inductive chargers, I don't have to remember to plug it in when I set it down, even for a few seconds. At the very least, it offsets occasional screen on time, resulting in a net battery change of 0%.

As far as daily use outside of the apartment, it seems to me to be at the top-end of Android smartphones' battery performance, excluding phones with the ~3,000mAh batteries. Significant periods of navigation/GPS usage, simple games, web browsing, and videos/music all seem to have an average hit on battery life. I've had my two Nexus 4's for about a month now, and neither have discharged below 5% at any point, and I don't usually charge my phone while driving.

On T-Mobile's HSPA+, the Nexus 4 idles on 3G and connects to HSPA+ when a data session is initiated. This transition is relatively seamless and takes between two and five seconds, and the benefit is increased battery life. I do not know whether the behavior is the same on AT&T's networks, but I would guess it is.

As always, your experiences will vary based on how you use the phone.

How's the camera on it?

I find it a significant upgrade from the Galaxy Nexus and other 2011/2012 Android phones, but there are better cameras out there. The photos I've taken are relatively sharp, properly colored, properly exposed, and the shutter speed is fast enough. Check out these two threads for examples:

http://forums.androidcentral.com/google-nexus-4/248371-considering-n4-camera-quality.html
http://forums.androidcentral.com/google-nexus-4/225816-photos-taken-your-nexus-4-camera.html

Change my text message bubbles
Change my text message background

It's a Nexus. When you get it, unlock it. When you unlock it, root it. You can flash mods to do this, you can install Nova Launcher to do this (Nova Prime has these features), and you can install custom apps to change the background of the applications (such as "blackout" versions of text messaging apps for a black background and lighter text). Nova Launcher would be my recommendation; it's a great complement to AOKP.

Change my font.

You can do this relatively easily if you have root. Here's a post on XDA-Developers in the Nexus 4 R/R/H subforum. There are applications in the Play Store that allow you to change the system font, but be aware that these applications can (and may very well) cause your phone to bootloop. I suggest you don't use them.

Not a fan of Roboto?

Smart stay.

You won't have Smart Stay, as that's a proprietary Samsung feature. However, take a few minutes to look into the following:

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...d=com.keyes.screebl.full&hl=en&token=YQpYtcnV
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/08/0...tware-ported-released-on-google-play-for-all/

The benefit of Screebl is that it doesn't need to see your eyes, meaning you don't need to be directly in front of the front-facing camera, and it will work in any lighting conditions (i.e. when it's dark).

Also there's another hitch: I'm on AT&T. I hear that I won't be able to use 4G on it since that's the case. Would you mind sharing what carrier you're with?

As mentioned above, I'm on T-Mobile. The Nexus 4 I have for personal use is on T-Mobile's new monthly $70 "unlimited 4G" plan. I don't want to get into a comparison of networks in this thread, but I will say that I certainly have no regrets. Very happy.

Any input is much appreciated and thank you.

Of course; I'm happy to help.

 

[Nevpaurion]

You sir are a scholar and a gentleman. I have only one question left.

When taking photos with my S3, when I tap the screen to focus the image to a particular part of the screen, the exposure doesn't change. On my old iPhone 4 the exposure would adjust to suit the area I tapped on the screen (something very important to me)

In your use with the Nexus 4 does the exposure change depending on where in the frame you set the focus by tapping?

And again, thank you so so much for your help.

Forgot to mention, the inductive charging sounds AMAZING, would you mind sharing what brand of charger you use or posting a link to it? Thanks

 

[zkSharks]

You sir are a scholar and a gentleman. I have only one question left.

I appreciate it, glad to help.

When taking photos with my S3, when I tap the screen to focus the image to a particular part of the screen, the exposure doesn't change. On my old iPhone 4 the exposure would adjust to suit the area I tapped on the screen (something very important to me)

In your use with the Nexus 4 does the exposure change depending on where in the frame you set the focus by tapping?

In addition to automatically balancing the exposure while the content of the frame changes (i.e. moving the camera around between areas of differing brightness causes automatic adjustments), yes, it does appear to adjust the exposure based on the area you select to focus. You can try a medium-lit room with a bright computer monitor or tablet display in the foreground. Tap on the monitor and it will try to focus to text on the screen, and the background should be considerably darker. Focus on the background and the screen will be over-exposed and blown-out.

And again, thank you so so much for your help.

Feel free to use the Thanks button, in addition to adding one for me )) it also helps the post stand out for others seeking help or information to see.

Forgot to mention, the inductive charging sounds AMAZING, would you mind sharing what brand of charger you use or posting a link to it? Thanks

It's great. I'm using this charging stand from Nokia. It includes an NFC tag that you can tap the phone near. Since the charger is made for Nokia devices, the tag just opens the default Android NFC Tag manager, and doesn't do anything. You'd have to use an application like NFC Task Launcher to respond to it. However, I'm having a couple of issues with the chargers I have. The Nexus 4 will occasionally stop charging for a few seconds, and then start again. Sometimes this will happen many times in succession, but usually only once every few hours. It causes the screen to turn on (as it normally does when you plug/unplug the phone from a wired charging source), and can be distracting in a dark environment.

This issue has been noticed with the Nexus 4 on additional inductive charging solutions, and is my theory on why Google's inductive charging orb has been delayed so long. It's rumored that the orb will be released sometime this month, so I would suggest holding out to see if that pans out.

 

[Levolent com]

It's great. I'm using this charging stand from Nokia. It includes an NFC tag that you can tap the phone near. Since the charger is made for Nokia devices, the tag just opens the default Android NFC Tag manager, and doesn't do anything. You'd have to use an application like NFC Task Launcher to respond to it. However, I'm having a couple of issues with the chargers I have. The Nexus 4 will occasionally stop charging for a few seconds, and then start again. Sometimes this will happen many times in succession, but usually only once every few hours. It causes the screen to turn on (as it normally does when you plug/unplug the phone from a wired charging source), and can be distracting in a dark environment.

This issue has been noticed with the Nexus 4 on additional inductive charging solutions, and is my theory on why Google's inductive charging orb has been delayed so long. It's rumored that the orb will be released sometime this month, so I would suggest holding out to see if that pans out.

I got excited when you brought up inductive charging, then I realized it must just be a N4 feature. Do you think this mod is worth it to add IC to N7? Sounds like a pretty inefficient process, but cool nonetheless and since I plan to do some hardware mods to my N7 already it wouldn't be too much extra effort to add the coils in while I have it opened up.

Aside from the cool factor, it should relieve some strain on my usb port which seems to already be wiggling and I've heard sad stories about on here. Might just mean the difference between me being able to hook up an external USB drive or cellular dongle in the future, or having a dead port.

The IC station would likely sit next to where I live and sleep about 90% of the time, and that amount of radiation worries me a bit but I didn't see any credible evidence against its safety online...