Honeycomb and MTP

[Giles Orr]

On 21 August 2011 13:03, D. Hugh Redelmeier <hugh-pmF8o41NoarQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> | From: Giles Orr <gilesorr-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org>
>
> | somewhere along the line, Google has converted from USB mass
> | storage to Media Transfer Protocol.  The aim is laudable (I understand
> | that this means the Transformer can perform as a storage device to the
> | PC while remaining usable as an Android tablet) but the results are
> | questionable: chatter online suggests that Xoom and Transformer owners
> | are having some trouble with the transition on Windows, and a lot of
> | trouble with it on Linux.
>
> Interesting.
>
> I'm just setting up a Sansa Fuze ($29.00 at Tiger Direct for a refub
> 4G model).  The first thing I did was go into its settings to choose
> MSC instead of MTP (actually, instead of AUTO which is supposed to
> switch between MSC and MTP depending on the host, but I don't trust
> it).
>
> It seems odd that the Transformer (Android) would take away MSC
> support and replace it with MTP support.  I would have expected an
> option just like the Fuze has.

Android v2.x had a switch in settings that allowed you to choose
between MSC and MTP.  It's not entirely clear when that option went
away, but I can assure you you have no choice with Android v3.2 - it's
MTP only.

> |  Technically, Linux has MTP support, but
> | I've never used it and it's pretty clear that it's uneven, varying
> | from device to device.
>
> I had a Creative Zen (V?) and had to delve into the horrors of MTP
> support.  I ended up pushing patches for 64-bit portability back up to
> Gnomad2.  But that was four years ago.  I expect libmtp etc. are in better
> shape by now.
>
> | So I'm posting this as a heads-up to tablet owners and potential
> | tablet owners, and also as a plea for MTP-on-Linux information: a good
> | tutorial for Debian users without GNOME/KDE would be ideal, but tips
> | and tricks are more than welcome.  There's also a rsync client for
> | Android ...
>
> Google leads me to confused postings.  Some suggest the Transformer
> always was MTP.  Others suggest that came with 3.1.
> <http://www.transformerforums.com/forum/asus-transformer-general-discussions/742-honeycomb-seems-only-mount-mtp-not-usb-mass-storage.html>
>
> Here's a possibly useful thread.
> <http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1077572>
> Got better?
>
> Just before I read your message, I had googled to figure out playlist
> stuff for the Fuze.  In the process I found references to mtpfs (MTP
> File System).  Is it not useable?  At one point, libmtp etc. were
> evolving quickly.  Perhaps the Debian ones you are using are old.

Debian wheezy has libmtp8.  sid has libmtp9: I don't know if that
would make any difference at all, but I can haul it in if people think
it would make a difference.

The Transformer mounts immediately and flawlessly on both XP and Win7
(my two work machines) and all content on both the internal memory and
the microSD card are accessible.  So not a hardware issue.  And all
the more frustrating that I'm having so much trouble under Linux.

I did some experiments with Linux on Monday night, following various
instructions I could find online about how to use MTP on Linux (a lot
of that is old and possibly inaccurate) and how to use MTP on Linux
with the Xoom (same OS, nearly identical hardware to the Transformer).
 In the threads a number of people saw success, and a number of others
couldn't mount the device at all or got a mountpoint that had a single
folder called "Playlists" inside it.  I got both of the previous two
results.  I have more things to try, but I'm kind of disheartened.
Still open to further suggestions.

Examining the thread Hugh sent I realize that wasn't one of the pages
I was looking at.  Very similar to what I did, but does have some
other suggestions I'll follow up on.

-- 
Giles
http://www.gilesorr.com/
gilesorr-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org
--
The Toronto Linux Users Group.      Meetings: http://gtalug.org/
TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns
How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://gtalug.org/wiki/Mailing_lists