Uses for a Nexus 4 with a cracked screen - no touch input

Waffles on 20/11/2013 - 09:14

Hi All,

Looking for some creative thinking: A friend gave me a Nexus 4 with a broken digitiser (no touch input) and asked me to try and recover their data. After a few different attempts I've concluded that the data is pretty secure and will be near impossible to get off (happy to explain that to anyone who wants to know or offer more advice but it's not the reason for the post.

So what I'm thinking is to try and find uses for the Nexus 4 now with a view to getting the screen fixed at a later date.

My broad thoughts are: Unlock bootloader, put on custom rom with USB otg and use mouse. But that doesn't really give me much to do and the screen isn't really nice to look at given its all smashed so maybe one of the following:

So far, pretty much all ideas have me buying a slimport adapter for HDMI

Load an emulator and get some bluetooth controllers or something and make it into a mini game station that I can hook up to a TV.

Possibly install ubuntu touch https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Touch/Install and make a semi-functional computer.

Load xbmc or something to make a media centre

Make it a music player for a stereo system.

Can anyone expand or offer other suggestions?

Mobile LG Mobile Phone Android

Comments

  • ESEMCE on 20/11/2013 - 10:34

    Should be able to adb pull the data.

    As for what you can do with it, your best bet would be to make it a music player or media player with HDMI dongle.
    However, unless you can get a USB OTG plugged into your HDMI dongle so you can plug in a mouse as well as a monitor, you'll need to set up a custom ROM on a working Nexus with all the apps, control settings set to autoload on boot and then flash it to the busted one.

  • Waffles on 20/11/2013 - 10:58

    USB debugging not enabled ;), lock screen on.

    From memory you can flash a zip with the otg app onto a custom rom that has usb otg support (i did this on my nexus 7)…

    • ESEMCE on 20/11/2013 - 12:10

      Reboot into Bootloader.

      • Waffles on 20/11/2013 - 12:13

        fastboot doesn't have adb commands and recovery only exposes adb sideload mode - no pull allowed.

  • Tunblor on 20/11/2013 - 11:16
    +1

    I'd get the screen fixed, around $170 if you shop around. For the capability you would have with a fixed screen, it would be worth the repair cost. Think of what else you could buy for $170, and whether it could do all the things the Nexus could do.

    • Waffles on 20/11/2013 - 11:33

      Fair point. If I hadn't just bought a note 3 and been trying to angle for a nexus 7 for xmas when this got dumped in my lap I'd far more seriously consider it ;)

      I was even considering doing the repair myself but the digitiser + screen assembly typically cost 120

      As it stands I think I'll need to go with low-cost hobby project until at least next year.

  • altomic on 20/11/2013 - 11:27

    digitizer + LCD US$73.14 from aliexpress.com

    replace it.

    • Waffles on 20/11/2013 - 11:34

      Ahh. That's the first full assembly I've found sub 100$

      I've not used the supplier before though - have you used them?

      • altomic on 20/11/2013 - 15:00

        I haven't bought from that supplier though I have used aliexpress many many times with out major incident. he has pretty decent feedback in both quantity and score.

        i'm assuming that there is only 1 model of nexus 4 and that lcd/digitizer is the one you want.

        here is a good repair youtube clip. it looks pretty easy and straight forward to do. I've fixed HTC, apple, nokia phones. they are pretty straight forward. just keep track of the steps for disassembly. On an A4 piece of paper I draw a diagram of the open back of the phone and then little circles surrounding with lines to the appropriate screw hole. then put the screw in that circle.

        the lcd/digitizer looks very similar to the one from aliexpress (as in it doesn't require a frame/bezzle).

  • vgphone on 20/11/2013 - 20:55

    We can help you to back up the data for $40 give us a call 03 9421 4357 or http://vgphones.com.au/lg-google-nexus-4-e960-screen-repair.…

    thanks

  • auna on 21/11/2013 - 08:26

    Sell it on eBay. You'd be surprised what you can get. There is money in buying then repairing.

  • branners on 21/11/2013 - 11:34

    Media player or a mobile computer?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSAt8xoDfws
    I just used my N5's Word Processor for the first time, worked fine with a remote keyboard.

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