Category Archives: Viewpad 10
Viewpad 10 + Windows 8: Missing CD/DVD Driver
When trying to install Windows 8 Developer Preview on the Viewpad 10 via USB Booting you might get an error alerting you that a CD/DVD Driver is missing. Which doesn’t sound right considering the Viewpad 10 is a tablet so it doesn’t even have a optical disk drive.
I’ve seen several possible solutions while searching the internet such as downloading the image again, trying a different USB flash drive, changing to a different USB port when you get the error message or simply upgrade from an existing Windows 7 installation but none of these were suitable solutions for me or never worked.
One solution I found which worked on my Viewpad 10 was to instead of booting from a USB device, swap it for booting from the MicroSD card slot. This should allow you to install Windows 8 Developer Preview without any error messages preventing the installation of Windows 8 to be successful.
Did this work for you? Comment below!
Meego on the Viewpad 10
With Meego 1.2 right around the corner, I thought it’s best to introduce to you the previous version, Meego 1.1 and how to install it on your Viewpad 10 as well as getting everything working such as the touch screen. So before we begin make sure you download the Netbook Version of Meego from here. Then create a live USB device using a USB device which has a capacity larger than 1GB. Remember to enter the BIOS so you can set your Boot device to the USB (Repeatedly press the Delete key using an external USB keyboard at the Viewsonic splash screen). Once you’ve changed the boot device you should of save changes then rebooted into the Live USB. From here select the second option labelled as “Installation Only” and follow each step.
Good, now we’ve got a fresh install of Meego on the Viewpad 10, we need to do a couple of basic things before you are able to use Meego fully. First thing first is to update the Kernel in Meego since it’s currently running 2.6.35. If you read a blog post I made a couple of weeks ago you would of discovered that the Viewpad 10’s touch screen requires a Linux Kernel version of 2.6.38 or above.
Luckily in Meego there is a team doing a special adaption for the Viewpad 10’s Intel Atom processor, Pinetrail (N450). Downloading this Kernel adaptation is very easy and can be done in a few simple steps, firstly open up the Terminal, then enter in the following commands (With an external keyboard of course):
sudo zypper ar \http://download.meego.com/live/devel:/kernel/Trunk/ \obs-devel-kernel
After that refresh your software sources by entering in this command:
sudo zypper refresh
Once that has finished we can then go onto installing the Kernel Adaption for the Pinetrail processor which also includes version 2.6.38 of the Linux Kernel, to do this, enter in the following command into the terminal:
sudo zypper install kernel-adaptation-pinetrail
Thanks for the original tip @gabrbedd
Once that has finished you just need to reboot your system and now Meego should be running on an updated kernel, you should notice a little speed improvement when booting too! To double check that version 2.6.38 of the Linux Kernel has installed correctly, simply reopen the terminal and enter in this command:
uname -a
This should list your Kernel version. Right so the next thing to do now that you have the touchscreen fully working on Meego is to make it a bit more Tablet friendly is to download Meego’s own Virtual Keyboard called Maliit. To do this you simply need to open the terminal once more and enter in these couple of commands:
sudo zypper addrepo http://repo.meego.com/MeeGo/releases/1.1/handset/repos/ia32/packages/ handsetsudo zypper refreshsudo zypper install meegotouch-inputmethodbridgessudo zypper install meegotouch-inputmethodkeyboard
Then edit meego-im-uiserver.desktop by entering in this command:
sudo gedit /etc/xdg/autostart/meego-im-uiserver.desktop
And replacing the contents with this:
[Desktop Entry] Exec=/usr/bin/meego-im-uiserver -target slate -bypass-wm-hint X-Moblin-Priority=High OnlyShowIn=X-MEEGO-HS;X-MEEGO-NB
Save and reboot your system once again just to make sure everything is up and running and try clicking in a text field like in Terminal or Gedit. There is one issue when using Maliit in Chrome(ium) it won’t let you press the return key on the virtual keyboard (Shift + Space) so it might be best to download an alternate browser since as the Meego port of Opera Mini which works great on a tablet like the Viewpad 10 since it comes with mouse gestures, virtual keyboards and a load more cool features, you can grab it here. A quick tip on how to make Maliit look a bit better is to make the keyboard itself slightly opaque, this also helps seeing the text which can be blocked by the Virtual Keyboard. To do this, reopen the terminal once more and enter in this command:
sudo gedit /usr/share/themes/base/meegotouch/svg/meegotouch-keyboard.svg
Then look for this line:
style="enable-background:new 0 0 500 480;”
And add in this line straight after the 480; but before the closing quotes:
opacity:0.4
So it looks like this:
style="enable-background:new 0 0 500 480; opacity:0.4"
And that’s it! A fast booting, simple Linux Distributions, I think it’s one of the best suiting Operating Systems for the Viewpad 10, it uses very little disk space, works great on 1GB of RAM and uses the screen space effectively since it’s optimized for 1024×600 displays! Also, the Meego team are working on a Tablet Edition for version 1.2 of Meego. It’s still a bit buggy but is worth a try if you feel brave enough to venture out! You still need to install kernel-adaptation-pinetrail for the touchscreen to work, it’s a little bit harder to navigate around since it doesn’t show a cursor, but a good tip is to plug in an external mouse and use your finger to navigate where you want to go then use the external mouse to click on whatever you need. I’ll be reviewing it for the Viewpad 10 once it gets a bit more stable for my needs.
Which Linux Distributions work on the Viewpad 10?
Does your touchscreen only work with two fingers pressed down? Or does it not work at all? Don’t worry! There is plenty of solutions! The problem is that you are using a Linux Distribution with an old version of the Linux Kernel. A couple of months back, I made a tutorial on how to get the Viewpad 10 touch screen working on Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat. This involved downloading the ENAC Multi-touch drivers from their Git repository. Well in the recent version of the Linux Kernel (2.6.38) the ENAC Multi-touch drivers are included this means that your touch screen will function correctly straight out of the box!
Some Linux Distributions currently already running on version 2.6.38 of the Linux Kernel, here is a quick list of the Distributions that do:
- Ubuntu 11.04
- Fedora 15 Beta
- Fuduntu 14.9 (After running an update)
If you are a Ubuntu user but don’t want to make the leap to Ubuntu 11.04 just yet and are running on Ubuntu Lucid Lynx or Maverick Meerkat still you can grab the version 2.6.38 of the Linux Kernel from a PPA repository, this also includes Linux Mint users, Bodhi Linux users, Peppermint OS users and anyone else who is running off of a Ubuntu derivative. To install Linux Kernel 2.6.28 simply enter these couple of commands into your terminal:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kernel-ppa/ppasudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install linux-headers-2.6.38-1-generic linux-image-2.6.38-1-generic
After that, simply reboot your Viewpad 10 and you should have a working Touchscreen! If you want to double check to see if the Kernel installation worked correctly, then simply reopen your terminal and enter this command:
uname -a
Also, Viewpad 10 users who are a fan of Android you will be glad to know that Viewsonic have updated the Viewpad 10’s Android image to a more recent version of Android, 2.2 (Froyo) you can grab the download link from their site.
So hopefully you’ve got a bit of an insight on what is required for getting Linux to running correctly on the Viewpad. I can’t wait to get writing my next tutorial since it will be all to do with getting Meego running smoothly on your Viewpad 10.
But for now, go have a play with the Linux Distributions I have suggested on your Viewpad 10, make sure to comment below if you’ve found some great Tablet-Specific apps, Florence and Onboard are great Virtual Keyboards (Hint hint). 
Ubuntu 10.10 & Viewpad 10
Hello Everyone, this is a short guide on how to get things up and running once you’ve installed Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) on your Viewsonic Viewpad 10. The main issue with Ubuntu 10.10 or with many other different Linux Distributions is that the touch screen has a few issues. Before I begin I’d just like to thank @Jev42 for guiding me to this website which contains all the information about the Viewpad 10’s touch screen.
Requirements
Requirements for this tutorial:
Overview
So once you’ve installed Ubuntu 10.10 onto your Viewpad 10 you’ will notice that the touch screen doesn’t function like it should, instead it requires two fingers to be pressed in order to interact with anything on the screen which is very unusable doing everyday activities, I believe this is occurring because of Ubuntu not detecting the Hanvon 10.1 multi-touch screen correctly.
Getting Started
Lets get started with fixing this issue, first of all press the System tab then go to Administration then select Synaptics Package Manager.
Once Synaptics has loaded up you will need to install a few packages. Firstly search for “build-essential” in the search bar at the top right of the window. Right click on the “build-essential” package and then select Mark for Installation on the right click menu.
Next search for a package in the search bar named “git” then it’s a matter of marking it for installation like you did with the previous “build-essential” package.
Once you have selected both packages for installation it is a matter of pressing Apply and following all the steps until both of the packages have been installed. Once you have installed the packages close down Synaptics and then click on the Applications tab on the top left of your screen then go into Accessories and open up the Terminal.
For now leave the Terminal window open in the background since you will need to prepare an empty folder somewhere in your system. It’s a good choice to create a new folder in the Home directory. You can get to here by clicking on the Places tab at the top of your screen then clicking on the Home Folder option. Then simply right click in the home folder and select Create Folder make sure to give it a short and easily to remember name, I’ve called my folder “Hanvon”.
Terminal Time
Now that you have created your new folder go back into the Terminal Window and change your directory to the new folder by using this command:
cd <insert your directory here>
So for me, for example, I needed to type in this:
cd /home/ojdon/hanvon/
Press enter to change to the directory, next step is to copy this command:
git clone git://git.lii-enac.fr/linux-input/enac-drivers
Let that run then change to the enac-drivers directory by typing in the following command:
cd enac-drivers
Once you’ve changed to the correct directory it’s just a matter of typing in this command:
git checkout ubuntu-10.10
Now it’s time for compiling the drivers into the Linux Kernel, a simple make command will compile the drivers, you just need to type:
make
Then install the drivers by using this command:
sudo make install
Then enter in your password and press enter, then you will be asked if you want to install everything, just press “y” on your keyboard and you are away! Once you’ve finished your touch screen should be working as usual.
Further tweaks
I’m planning on making a separate blog post on how to tweak Ubuntu to make it more tablet friendly but for now here is a very useful tweak. In order to get a right click function like in Windows XP: Tablet Edition or in Windows 7 (Holding down your finger for a few seconds) is actually very easy to do. You simply press the System tab then select Preferences then go to Assistive Technologies from here you need to press on the Mouse Accessibility button then check the Trigger secondary click by holding down the primary button. This should activate right clicking by holding down your finger on the touch screen.
Special Thanks
So that’s it, pretty simply in the end. I’d just like to thank @jev42 for introducing me to the ENAC website. I think I’m going to have a play around with Ubuntu see if I can create a more tablet-friendly interface then try and fix the touch screen issues in Fedora and Meego since they’re a bit different to fix compared to Ubuntu.
Top 5 Viewpad 10 Accessories
The list below is my top 5 accessories to buy for a Tablet PC if it’s the Viewpad 10 or even another similar tablet:
1. Keyboard & Case Combo
These Keyboard & Case combo’s are excellent, you can buy one off eBay for around £20. You just need to make sure it fits your Tablet PC’s size (The Viewpad’s dimensions are: 275mm (W) x 170mm (H) x 14.5mm (D)) The keyboard case usually has a nice strong plastic feel with a sort of leather texture. It has a stand at the back so you can insert your tablet into the case and prop it up just like a Netbook.
The only issues I’ve had with these Keyboard cases is that I could only find a keyboard with the American layout, but isn’t such a problem for me personally since I can touch type. The second one is that the keyboard case I brought the USB cable for the keyboard couldn’t stretch to the left side where my USB ports were, I got around this by buying a small retractable USB extender which was only a couple of extra quid of eBay. You could always turn the Viewpad upside down since the screen will rotate with it, but that would mean that you wouldn’t be able to use your webcam and he buttons would appear upside down.
2. Wireless Mouse
If you want to fully turn your tablet into a netbook then buying a wireless mouse would be a good choice as well. I brought a “slimline” mouse off Amazon for around £10, it’s a great mouse since it’s so slim yet still feels like a full sized mouse in your hand.
3. Screen Protector
To prevent your touch screen display from getting scratched or scared of getting too much finger prints on your screen then buying a 10.1 inch (Or larger) screen protector off eBay is a great solution. A screen protector is a very thin opaque film that sits on top of your screen. the more common ones are designed to not leave any stickiness when removed and once placed on are designed to let all the brightness through the film from the screen.
4. Screen Wipes
If Screen Protectors aren’t your thing then I find Screen wipes a very effective alternate. Some people fear that some screen wipe products will damage your screen, but I brought a pack of 40 from a local supermarket and they turn my monitors crystal clear getting off all the build up of dust and grime.
5. Laptop/Netbook/Tablet Bag
Do you carry your Viewpad 10 around with you quiet a lot then you should consider buying a bag for it. I got a Belkin bag which was really for carrying around my old Eee pc Netbook with me, but the Viewpad 10 fits perfectly even in it’s keyboard case.
So there is my short list of top 5 accessories to buy for your Viewpad 10. If you have any other accessories that you personally have for your Viewpad make sure you leave a comment below.
Viewpad 10 Review
The Viewpad 10 is a Android 1.6/Windows 7 Tablet by the company Viewsonic. I recently received one of these as a Christmas Present, if I had to describe it in one word it would have to be fantastic!
Image taken from: http://www.zdnet.co.uk/i/z5/rv/2010/12/viewpad_10_i1.jpg
It features a Dual Threaded Atom Processor (N445) clocked at 1.66GHz, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, a Intel GMA 3150 Chipset and a 16GB SSD and has about 5 hours of Battery life in Windows 7. So the hardware in the Viewpad 10 is pretty common to what you find in modern Netbooks. To put the specs into context for you Windows 7 Users it scores a decent 2.3 in the Experience Rating test (The processor has the lowest score) but 2.3 isn’t a bad score considering it has the same hardware as a modern netbook.
Looking at the top of the Viewpad 10 it has a reset button and a SIM Card slot, it also has a vent between the two. Looking down the left hand side is the AC Adapter socket, a MicroSD card (Supports up to 32GB, I think) and a Mini HDMI port for plugging the device into external monitors. The Viewpad 10 also has two USB 2.0 slots on the left hand side of the device so that you can plug your external USB devices into it such as mouse, keyboards, MP3 and cameras, for example. It also comes with a built in Microphone and also a bog standard headphone jack.
On the right hand side it just has a black plastic strip so that the antennas inside can have good reception. Along the bottom of the Viewpad 10 is a vent so that heat can escape from inside the device.
Flipping the Viewpad 10 over to see the metal back case is the word “Viewpad” printed in the centre of it as well as two speakers on the top and bottom of the device. There is also an additional vent on the back of the device as well as the standard stuff such as Serial Number (For Customer Support), the Windows 7 Home Premium Product Key and of course the Windows 7 and Intel Atom stickers.
Finally, at the front of the netbook it has a big 10.5” Screen (Roughly) and has a native resolution of 1024×600 again pretty common resolution used in modern netbooks. It also has three hotkey buttons on the right hand side of the tablet. The top one is the power button the next one is the home key (for showing the desktop/home screen) and finally a back button. It also has along the top right of the device, three LEDs indicating (From left to right) WiFi, Battery Status and Power. Above the screen is also a 1.3 Mega Pixel Camera to be used for Video Conferencing etc.
Turning on the device you’ll be presented with the Viewsonic BIOS image a few seconds after you’ll be taken to the GRUB loader where you can either select to boot into Android or Windows 7. You can navigate up and down the boot loader menu by doing a short press of the Home hotkey to move down or a long press to move up. Once you have highlighted which OS to boot into you can select it by pressing the “Back Arrow” hotkey.
Booting into Android is fairly fast you’ll first be presented with the generic Android boot splash logo which is a hint that this is just a plain x86 port of Android so no fancy Viewpad 10 features here I’m afraid. Even more disappointingly it comes with Android 1.6 compared to the Viewpad 10’s “little brother” the Viewpad 7 which comes with Android 2.2. Because Android 1.6 is a old version of Android it means not a lot of popular applications for Android support it anymore, it also doesn’t have the official Google apps such as the Android Market, however it does have a third-party app store which a few apps, never really got around to trying them out.
Luckily there seems to be an unofficial Android 2.2 port in the works made by a guy called Al Sutton apart of the Android x86 project which is tailor made for the Viewpad 10. Unfortunately the most recent (Today’s Daily Build) it’s still very unstable for example the hotkeys don’t work yet and the developer strongly suggests not to replace the Android version that comes with the Viewpad 10 yet, but progress does seem very promising so keep an eye out for that!
Last of all if you chose to boot into Windows 7 you’ll be first be presented with a window in order to set up your Account, such as filling out your username, password, etc. Once you’ve completed that you’ll be presented with a fresh Windows 7 Home Premium install, when on idle Windows 7 is already using up about 55% of Memory and you’ll only have around 4GB (IIRC) of disk space left so be careful what you install. But other than that Aero seems to be fully working and very snappy indeed!
So I hope that this blog post has gave you a pretty detailed overview of the Viewpad 10. I strongly suggest buying one if you get the chance since they’re a very cool thing to have especially if you were like me and wanting to upgrade from an older Netbook model.
Even though Windows 7 runs extremely well providing the hardware spec there are also a lot of stuff you can do to squeeze out every last drop of the performance. I luckily had a spare Windows 7 Professional disc so I used vlite on the installation and managed to get a fresh Windows 7 installation down to about 8GB so that gives me 8GB to play with, which is a lot better. I also installed a nice navy blue Basic theme(Think of it as being a Windows Media Centre theme) which helped reduce Memory usage by about 10%. Hopefully in the future I’ll be able to give you an insight on how to do cool stuff like that with the Viewpad 10 and also how to optimize it’s Solid State Drive!
But that is it for now…
See ‘ya later!!
