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Full Version: Feature request: screen rotation in desktop (dex) mode
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As Android tablets with large screens are not available anymore I'd like to use an external usb c monitor (e.g. Asus Zenscreen or similar) attached to my mobile phone for MobileSheets. This works well and i can use MobileSheets on a 15.6 inch screen by just plugin a usb c cable into my phone. Android goes into "desktop" mode or on Samsung devices into "Dex" mode. The problem is, that that works only in landscape mode, as Dex and Android only supports landscape mode.

So if i turn the monitor to portrait position android either still uses landscape mode as if the monitor was in landscape position or, if the phone is turned to portrait mode, the portrait mode screen of the mobile device is not turned and not filling the whole monitor but only a small bar.

If MobileSheets were able to display its contents in landscape mode as if it were in portrait mode one could use an external monitor in (physical) portrait mode. I don't know if it would be more or less a oneliner or something hard to implement, but being able to use MobileSheets on a phone on a large external monitor would be phantastic.
I'm not really sure I know exactly what it would take to make this work. I will have to experiment to see if I can rotate the root view of the entire view hierarchy by 90 degrees and then force it to match the rotated size of the display (so that if it's 480x320 in landscape, it is forced to 320x480 instead). It will probably take some work to set this up properly, and I have no idea if the app will function normally if I do this. For example, if I'm forcing every component to be rotated 90 degrees, will all of the touch events still fire properly? This is up to the Android framework, so hopefully Google supports this.

Mike
Thanks. Maybe you should not invest too much effort into this as i see this basically as a flaw of Android Desktop Mode or Dex which should not be solved by each application. And maybe they are working on it and in Android 11 things come out of the box. But on the other hand, if it were as easy as just to rotate the root view, it could be a nice feature to fill the gap of missing large Android devices.
(05-08-2020, 07:09 AM)Rerun Wrote: [ -> ]As Android tablets with large screens are not available anymore...

What size do you consider as a large Android screen?

Right now you have a chance to get these Android tablets:
- 17.3-inch Samsung Galaxy View2
- 12.3-inch Google Pixel Slate
- 12.3-inch HP X2 Chrome OS tablet
- 13.3-inch Onyx Boox Max with E-Ink screen

Samsung is working on a new 12.4-inch Android tablet with S Pen - follow up to original Samsung Galaxy Pros 12.2.
(05-09-2020, 08:46 PM)otn Wrote: [ -> ]- 17.3-inch Samsung Galaxy View2
- 12.3-inch Google Pixel Slate
- 12.3-inch HP X2 Chrome OS tablet
- 13.3-inch Onyx Boox Max with E-Ink screen

Samsung is working on a new 12.4-inch Android tablet with S Pen - follow up to original Samsung Galaxy Pros 12.2.

Thanks, but these devices are 2 years old and most of them not available in Europe (anymore). New products like come with only 2GB ram and even without batteries, old android versions included. Nothing I would want to pay for. The coming Samsung Tab S20 are a single light in the dark android tablet market and yet are only coming and "only" 12 inch.

The other option are Windows detachables, but they are mostly priced >1500 Euros and above.

An external display with 15 inch is at 200-400 Euros and could be used with a device that almost everyone has anyway.

The Onyx with E-Ink-Screen gained my attention. This could be an alternative if it were "snappy" enough to be used with mobile sheets.
I can only speak from MY experience. I bought Google's Pixel Slate in UK and tablet was shipped to another EU country. It IS still available in UK.
I thought that 12.3-inch would be small but I am cropping every sheet to the edge of the screen and it is completely fine.
I thought that €600 for this device is steep price but it is well worth buying.
Dream come true.

Pixel Slate will receive regular updates until 2024. Superior support to Samsung pathetic support of 12.2-inch Galaxy line.
Its 8GB RAM and Intel's Core m3 are overkill for reading the sheet music.
It has bright screen, long battery life, fingerprint scanner, Pen support etc.

In my opinion external displays is just asking for more troubles (to supply power, connection stability, more weight).
Question here. Why does it have to be Android and not a Windows 2N1 machine. Especially one that has HDMI out for mirroring the tablet. Would seem the logical way to go. I know in the USA we have Microcenter and if you live by one they have deals on them all the time.
You don't need the fastest machine for Mobilesheets Smile
Nothing against the Android version BTW.
(05-10-2020, 02:25 AM)InstrEd Wrote: [ -> ]Question here. Why does it have to be Android and not a Windows 2N1 machine. Especially one that has HDMI out for mirroring the tablet.  Would seem the logical way to go.  I know in the USA we have Microcenter and if you live by one they have deals on them all the time.
You don't need the fastest machine for Mobilesheets Smile
Nothing against the Android version BTW.

Try to be more specific if you have any 2in1 Windows device suggestion. Usually these cheap deals are coming from Gina producers. Build quality, battery life and security are real concerns.
Why would you mirror from 10-inch device or bigger if you can mirror from much smaller device? Please let us know if you know 5 inch Windows device.
I would love to try new 15 inch Microsoft's Surface Book 3 tablet. Cheapest version only comes with i7 Intel processor which you know is total overkill for flipping the music sheets. It's $2300.
Can't imagine dropping this on marble floor during the gig.
Sorry, I have used my wife's HP Envy X360 15.5 inch 2n1. Cost on sale ~ $650.00. It is 4.4lbs though. It works fine. I only have a desktop at the moment. I'm waiting for the new HP Envy X360 with the new AMD Ryzen 4000 series to come out. Really looking at the 13" model. Under 3 lbs. Also considering a Lenovo Thinkpad L13 as the active pen has its own silo on the machine. The new HP model has an option for a really bright screen. I hope Best Buy has then in the store to check out.
I did try a Windows 8" tablet with Mobile sheets but the Atom processor was just to slow for my needs.
I too would love this. If I could use my HDMI out on my RCA Walmart special to display on a TV in Portrait mode the conductor could use a tablet to show the chorus the music. Singing heads up sounds so much better. This would also be great to send tabs to entire band during jams, churchs and open mics.Please have a good look at this.
(05-08-2020, 04:42 PM)Zubersoft Wrote: [ -> ]I'm not really sure I know exactly what it would take to make this work. I will have to experiment to see if I can rotate the root view of the entire view hierarchy by 90 degrees and then force it to match the rotated size of the display (so that if it's 480x320 in landscape, it is forced to 320x480 instead). It will probably take some work to set this up properly, and I have no idea if the app will function normally if I do this. For example, if I'm forcing every component to be rotated 90 degrees, will all of the touch events still fire properly? This is up to the Android framework, so hopefully Google supports this.

Mike


Did you look at this already? This feature would be extremely useful for everyone using a second screen with a landscape-only orientation. This request is similar to mine here.
I posted in the other thread, but as I feared, touch events don't fire correctly if you rotate the root view of the application. It would cause issues throughout the entire application, and would require a massive amount of work to even try to get it working correctly. So it's not really something I can support unfortunately.

Mike