Thread: My infotainment setup using a Samsung Galaxy Tab

Originally Posted by Kamakazie2

Bingo... i love this thing.

Best $199 i spent at the verizon store. Im telling you you have to mod it to enable the voodoo sound chip.. sound is amazing. Now i just need an easy volume control knob.[/IMG]

I'm wanting to, especially after the ringing endorsements you give it, but they still haven't fixed the camera for the ROM.

Originally Posted by whats77inaname

I'm wanting to, especially after the ringing endorsements you give it, but they still haven't fixed the camera for the ROM.

I think once they enable the fm radio chip and fix the camera issue that it will be a very usable replacement for the car pc. Currently i use the cached radio stations as my main use and it works really well. co pilot is a fantastic gps app for those used to the iguadance software on the car pc. google maps works well but for those situations where no wireless signal is present copilot is worth the 5 bux to have it stored on the sd card. after a few weeks of using it i can say it easily replaces every use i had for my car pc.. i moved on an never looked back. Slacker in HQ or std audio mode blows away the pathetic excuse that xm calls radio. I never relized the lack of audio quality. I have been an xm sub almost 10 years and the quality of sound has been slowly decreasing. I cxled XM and bought premium version of slacker.

I think if someone can build a nice app that combines MP3 usage, Slacker, GPS, and other features in to a single app we will have a definate winner.

Originally Posted by Sledge1

if only the galaxy tab had built in fm radio

I can't stand FM anymore, heavy rotation FTL. Sirius/XM, Slacker and Pandora.

I'm not a big fan of wires or cables in the cabin, like the ones used to go from the cigarette lighter to the Tab, and the cigarette lighter to the phone. I wanted something inconspicuous, so I began searching. I found a 3 accessory outlet for ~$20 and picked it up.


My thought was that in could fit in my center console, and once I trimmed it up a bit, it did.


There are 2 screw holes on either side, so I drilled the console and stuck two bolts in there to hold it in place. I have my phone plugged in one outlet, my Tab plugged in the other, and one free, not including the cigarette lighter.

Another concern I had in the post-Tab world is that I'm not too keen on having to reach up to the Tab to adjust the volume. I also wanted to control the gain on the amp dedicated to the sub so that I don't advertise when I'm close to home, or driving through bad neighborhoods. I did some searching on eBay and found an RCA gain control.



A guy in GA makes them, and I paid $15 for this one. I liked it so much I bought 3 more for $30 shipped. I have one for overall volume control, and the other is for the sub amp. This is what it looks like under the console:


and when it was all said and done, this is the finished product:


I'm a lot more pleased now. The lid closes and there's no clearance issue. Coupled with no more wires running to the cigarette lighter, it was worth the $40 to knock this out.

Wow, haven't seen someone bother to install horns in years!! Nice!

whats77inaname,

Looking good!

So i finally got my install up to speed with software.. here is what i found works best for me:

Nolock: This prevents the phone from locking and you have to scroll to unlock

Tasker: I have this app set up to have 2 profiles
1. Power on: When it detects power on (i have the charger hooked up to acc/ignition) it wakes the screen and locks it from sleeping. It also toggles the pause button back to play.
2. Power off: Toggle pause on, set screen timeout to 7 seconds. By the time i lock the car its blacked out.

Copilot US: for 6 bux you cant go wrong. Fits all of U.S. on the SD card (2 gigs i think?) good for when you dont have signal.

Slacker Radio: Beats XM anyday and work the 3.99 a month. XM cant skip songs! and you can cache stations as needed. (Nightly when my car is in the driveway it connects to my wifi and recaches stations as needed)

Winamp: Good ol mp3 player with nice home screen widget.

Scanner Radio: Listen to police scanners to find out whats happening when you are stuck in a 3 mile backup on the turnpike

Voodoo Sound widget: Provides a great scrolling analog volume interface for voodoo enabled tablets..

Google voice: My cell and tablet are linked to same gmail acct. When i get a voice mail and the music is blasting the music pauses for a second to notify me of a new voicemail. (Must set up cell phone to use GV)

Lookout security: I use it to locate my car using gps.

HBO GO: cmon.. why not!

Soon to add:
Better charging method: When the car is on using the factory charger is great.. however i woudl like to use the low current usb charger when the car is off. This will use very little power from car battery and keep the tab's battery maintained. I would use a double throw relay to switch between factory charger and usb charger.

Bluetooth OBD-II interface and software

Speed controlled volume control.. someone must have built this app by now

FM Radio.. eventually this will work.

Overall i am very pleased with this and have officially retired my car pc/voltage converters/dac's/xm pcr/ hd radio / several usb devices / pcmcia sound card etc... so much more room!