Hardware: ThinkPad Projector Stack

I got my hands on the Thinkpad Stack Projector and I found it pretty cool.

Specs:

• Latest Update: Android 6.0.1. System version 2.2.5 Kernel 3.14.55x86_64.
• Processor: x86-6
• Board: oj_stack_acc
• Chipset: CHT_RVP
• Cores: 4  (480Mhz - 2400 Mhz) }
• Graphics: Intel HD Gra´hics for Atom x5/x7
• RAM: 2GB
• Internal: 10GB

Included Apps.

It cames with some preloaded Android apps:

• Gallery: To view pictures
• WPS Office: To view office files.
• Stardust Browser: So you can (what we old ones call) "surf the web". 
• CZ File Manager: With this you can navigate the files of the internal storage of the projector.
• MX Player: To run videos and music.

Here you can see the project working at daylight on my studio at aprox 8:30am.

Managing the projector.

You can also control the projector from Windows, Android or iOS with the Lenovo Stack app. It will allow you to do some mouse control over the phone and transfer files.

GUI

 The Android on this device has a very simple launcher (home screen).

• WPS Ofice to open office files
• Folder, that will open CZ File Manager app to search for files and play them
• Player, that will run MX Player to run videos.

 The lower options are for volume, light, see all apps, settings and web browser (Stardust Browser)

Here you see all the installed apps view. Notice that Google Play was not originally installed there and does not work.

Internal Battery.

I did some battery testing since there was some complains on the forum. I let it with a full charge and started the projector without the power adapter to see how long the battery will stand. The battery hold for an hour and twenty minutes with the lamp on doing some web surfing and app running (not full video running with audio). After an hour it  gave me a 25% warning that I should plug power or an extra battery to it, also at that moment the bright of the projector switch from high to low to save energy.

Heating

During my tests (Full battery discharge for one hour and twenty minutes) it does not  over hearts. I was able to touch all the sides of the projector without feeling it very hot. The part that got more hot is the front side with the lamp and the fans, but it was regular hot and not finger burning hot. Sorry I don't have a device thermometer to give exact values :)

I'm guessing that if you get some extra apps into it that may use more processor it may give you more heat. The regular configuration just did not give any outstanding heat on my test.

Sideloading Android Apps

This device does not came with Google Play or any other store toload applications. So I did some sideloading apps to see what can happen.

Sideloading can be tricky, you need to put an .apk file on a USB flash to be able to install it on the projector. I installed without issues Aptoide, which is a apps market that allowed me to update some of the software pre-installed and also install something new like "Droid Info" to extract information about the projectors hardware.

Some other apps will give you some problems, Plex for example will not work and annoy you each time the projector boots with the "Preparing App" message, but it was fixed with a simple uninstall. Google Play Services which is required to run Google Play and Google drive has failed to be installed on this projector, for some reason when I try to install it with Aptoide it will crash and reboot Android.

This is a place where more exploration is required to answer the question, which will be a great app to run on the projector?

Adding extra devices. 

Thinkpad Stack.

This is a device that is the made for the "Thinkpad Stack" so I tested it with the AccessPoint, HDD, Bluetooth speaker and Battery. Everything worked as expected:

• I was able to surf the files inside the HDD from the projector
• The battery gave extra power to the projector
• The bluetooth speakers provided audio for the videos I run on the projector
• The access point... no idea, why would I need an access point if the projector already have Wifi? Maybe if I don't have a wifi network the access point will help on that area.

Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller

 

I also have the Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller and I tested it with the projector. I just plugged the dongle on the projectors USB port and it worked. Mouse, tap to click, two finger scrolling, three finger swapping, volume/play buttons and the keyboard keys. 

Thinkpad Compact Bluetooth Keyboard with Trackpoint (KT-1255)

 

I also paired the bluetooth "Thinkpad Compact Bluetooth Keyboard with Trackpoint (KT-1255)" with the projector and trackpoint, keyboard and scrolling worked fine. The volume and special buttons didn't work.

Links

• Lenovo Official Support Site for Lenovo Stack Projector

"Uber CEO: We're Going After Groceries Next "

This news from Slashdot was interesting:

Uber is digging deeper into the business of food. From a report: Uber's restaurant delivery business "Eats" hit $6 billion in bookings earlier this year, growing over 200%, quickly becoming a crown jewel for the ride-sharing company. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said given the success in the delivery of food, the next logical step is to enter the grocery space. "We will move into grocery. That's fundamental. A lot more people will be eating at home. Right now we are busy with Eats, but you can see grocery as an adjacent business. We're thinking about Uber much more as a platform," he said at Vanity Fair's New Establishment Summit 2018 on Tuesday.

We are in the days where the "disruption" happens because businesses can not properly manager their customers network. AirBnB does not has hotels, but showed customers (and providers) an easy way to do business.  Uber does not have cars, and taxi drivers were the first ones to suck maintaining their customers network, the regular taxi driver just drive someone somewhere and never see him again, so there was the opportunity to take away their customers network. So today, the disruption means managing the customer network better than the traditional business.

If groceries are the next thing, convenience stores should be worried to be competing hard for getting Uber attention (and deals). Little convenience stores will register to Uber and start competing between each other to be selected by Uber customers to sell their products and Uber will get their fee from they.

The customer will always pay at the end, but if it is really an issue that final customers don't want to go to the local convenience store or talk to the clerk, it may succeed.

Are convenience stores going to be the next "Uber's bitch" ?

Hardware: Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller Review

I got my hands on the Lenovo 500 Multimedia Controller and here it is my review:

• HardwareID: 17EF:60B7 (USB Dongle)

Drivers

It does not provides any specific drivers for any platform. Windows 10 will install its own drivers.

Touchpad

The touchpad works fine on Windows and the options for multitouch does what it promise. It is important to check the manual to be sure what is available.

Like:

Android TV

Yes, I had used it on an Android TV Sony device and it worked fine too. When you need to type a lot (which is not supposed to happen on a TV) it is very useful. The mouse pointer also shows up on Android TV and works fine.

Android

I also tried this device on a Lenovo Thinkpad Stack Projector (that runs Android 6.0.1) and it worked very good. Volume, pause/play, forward keys worked fine. Click on tap, two finger scrolling and three finger left/right swapping also works.

ArcaOS

Yes, I tried this controller with OS/2 Warp (ArcaOS) to see if it works. It worked very good. Mouse and keyboard works fine. Tap to click worked. The multitouch mouse does not work fine since OS/2 does not have support for it, but some of the combinations produced some actions on it.

Review

Great device, it does exactly what it offers. It feels very smooth and high quality on my hands.

If I had to complain something about this device is that it should came with a carring bag and you can not put the USB dongle inside the device for storage. Note. I correct myself, you can add the dongle inside the device to don't loose it.

Links

• Support site
• Marketing Site
• Manual 

More Pictures