Vizio Co-Star Turned Into Hisense Pulse Via GTVHacker.TvLauncher.apk (Awesome, Sweet)

In the above photo is what the Hisense Pulse home screen launcher looks like on the Vizio Co-Star, giving you 98% more TV screen, notice the on screen (CLOCK), sweet ....



In the above photo here is the completion of the set up when installing the Hisense Pulse home screen launcher update, awesome ...

Thanks A Ton And A Truck Load To Tom Dwenger And The GTVHacker Team, This Is The Sweetest Hack Yet For The Vizio Co-Star ... It Just Turns The Co-Star Into The Hisense Pulse Google TV Twin Sister Look Alike To The "T" ... Giving The Co-Star A Totally Outright New Updated Image With Full Functional Navigation ...

You can get the GTVHacker.TvLauncher.apk here http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=9390248398092763521 , Co-Star Gen2 (Side Load) .....


Dec 31, 2012(Tom Dwenger)
Just wanted to let anyone who is interested I repackaged the stock launcher from the Hisense Pulse to work on any gen2 device. Compliments of the GTVHacker team.








Now all we need is the PrimeTime Guide that scrolls across the bottom of the screen ...!(l0)





This launcher give your more options to work with on your big screen TV .... It's truly enhances the dream team , OTA TV, The Tivo Premiere TV and Google TV ...(l0l)

Thanks To Amuzeme
"Open Launcher for Google TV" (https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...droid.launcher) ......






I'm kinda liking this one more than the Hisense Pules launcher, it has more options ... Check out the weather and the clock, plus it's so simple to set it up correctly ... To be truthful, it runs a lot smoother than the Co-Star's stock launcher ... I'm thinking about rolling with this one ...

Also check out the task manager in the above photo, that's what keep my Co-Stars from freeze ups (The Mr. Freeze Killer) ... The task manager pop up last for about 2 seconds, but I love to see that pop up on my Co-Stars ...(l0l) It lets me know that my task manager is working for me 24/7, keeping my Co-Stars running smooth as silk ...(l0l)

 

Hey wisdom let me ask you, if you no longer want to use this launcher, can you just uninstall the apk and every thing will go back, or do you have to hard reset the box? thanks

 

It's not turning it into a Pulse. It's turning it into a Google TV. That is the stock Google TV launcher on every GTV except the Costar.

 

Yes, you can change back to your old launcher anytime you want too ...(l0l)

 

it's just a launcher. Odd that it would say something about updating (since it's not actually an upgrade).

 

You are right, it does say upgrading when you are installing the new Google TV/Hisense launcher, but I dont know why ...(l0l)


wsDec 20 AT 3:28 PMTaylor Wimberly74 Comments
[h=2]Hisense Pulse with Google TV now on sale for $99[/h]

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If you are in the market for a cheap Google TV box, you now have two choices. The Hisense Pulse just went on sale for $99, joining the Vizio Co-Star that also retails for $99. Both boxes feature similar specs and functionality, so it's not immediately clear which is the better buy.
Details are limited, but it appears the Hisense Pulse has a remote with a microphone that should eventually work with the new Google TV voice actions. The Vizio Co-Star remote does not have a microphone, but this functionality should be available on the official Google TV remote app for Android (if Google ever updates it).
I ordered the Vizio Co-Star a couple months ago, and I'm happy with my purchase so far. Vizio had some issues with shipping and I somehow got a used unit (with someone else's Google account already signed in), but the device has performed as I expected. It's great for watching movies from Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, or Google Play and the Chrome Browser with Flash Player is a nice addition ....

Hisense has been around for awhile, but I have never purchased any of their products. Vizio has already delivered three software updates to my Co-Star, so hopefully Hisense will provide the same level of support for the Pulse.
Google TV recently got access to the new Google Play store, but the app support is mostly disappointing. There are a handful of useful apps (like Plex), but most developers have yet to really embrace the platform. Google has also kind of ignored the platform, choosing to focus on the failed Nexus Q, but I have a feeling these $99 devices will start to attract more users (and more apps).
If you are looking for a last minute gift for an Android lover, I think either of these $99 boxes would be a good choice. Both devices are available on Amazon Prime (free shipping) and they should arrive in time for Christmas if you order now ....




Via: Hisense

 

Jarhead, it looks the same to me, maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, it still looks sweet to me ..(l0l) I have now made the Hisense Pulse/Google TV launcher my default home screen launcher, because it has the awesome (CLOCK) ...(l0l)

 

That looks exactly like a Logitech Revue launch screen to me.

 

ChrisG8, You are right too ...!(l0l) GoogleThis said, Hmm looks like my Sony NSZ-GS7 now. He is right too ...(l0l)

 

Of course I think it should be stated that the Vizio Co-Star specific UI is probably the only reason to buy the Co-Star over the Hisense Pulse. As far as I know, the Pulse can replicate all features and services available with the Co-Star and adds a microphone with the remote for access to voice search if that becomes available. So buying a Co-Star and making it look like a Pulse is about the same as buying a cat and having it wear a dog suit, making it look like a dog. I assume if you own a cat, you wanted a cat and not a dog. This is not the most useful update I have read about here and I would be concerned the specific code, part of the firmware, that distinguishes these obviously very similar devices might be problematic if a future update is not perfectly compatible. I haven't seen a teardown of both of these and don't know if the boxes are in fact identical except for firmware variances and shell, made in the same factory with identical components but that wouldn't surprise me.

 

I've been using "Open Launcher for Google TV" (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.entertailion.android.launcher) the last few days. I prefer it over the stock launcher of the CoStar. It gives you more screen real estate, a clock, weather info and no side load required. For me the best feature is the ability to pull individual apps from Spotlight TV and place them on the homescreen. Now getting to HBO Go is not as clunky.

 

I like it, sweet, I will be adding it to my arsenal of Google TV Launchers, yes ...

 

Naw ChrisGa the ideal here is not actually to change the Co-Star into a Hisense Pules, but to add a launcher like the Hisense Pulse has, that all .... The launcher give the Co-Star a Hisense Pulse look alike, again that's all it does ... We are not trying to turn dogs into cats or cats into dogs ...(l0l) Another thing, I have not ran into any major side affects when using the GTVHacker.TvLauncher.apk, as matter of fact, I think the Co-Star runs a lot smoother with the GTVHacker.TvLauncher.apk ...

 

This launcher give your more options to work with on your big screen TV .... It's truly enhances the dream team , OTA TV, The Tivo Premiere TV and Google TV ...(l0l)

 

I'm kinda liking this one more than the Hisense Pules launcher, it has more options ... Check out the weather and the clock, plus it's so simple to set it up correctly ... To be truthful, it runs a lot smoother than the Co-Star's stock launcher ... I'm thinking about rolling with this one ...

Also check out the task manager in the above photo, that's what keep my Co-Stars from freeze ups (The Mr. Freeze Killer) ... The task manager pop up last for about 2 seconds, but I love to see that pop up on my Co-Stars ...(l0l) It lets me know that my task manager is working for me 24/7, keeping my Co-Stars running smooth as silk ...(l0l)

 

What task manager are you using?

 

If you are the proud owner of a Vizio Co-Star, you just asked a million dollar question ....(l0l) The task manager, cache cleaner and the uninstaller apps (Side Load All) can be found in the sticky Vizio Co-Star "Tools" thread here http://www.googletvforum.org/forum/...o-co-star-tools-performance-enhancements.html ...

 

I am curious how do you go about to install that hack on my vizio?

 

(Side Load) ....! (Side Load) instructions are here http://www.googletvforum.org/forum/...o-co-star-tools-performance-enhancements.html ....


You can get the GTVHacker.TvLauncher.apk here http://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=9390248398092763521 , Co-Star Gen2 (Side Load) .....

 

Get the new updated version HERE https://play.google.com/store/apps/...tertailion.android.launcher&rdot=1&feature=md ....



[h=2]Description[/h]The ultimate Google TV launcher. The Open Launcher app is an alternative to the default home launcher app provided by Google TV.
The user interface consists of rows of your favorite apps which you can customize. It also includes a special row at the bottom for the most recent apps launched.
Features:
- More room for organizing your favorite apps
- Support for grouping of apps, web apps, channels and web sites
- Quick access to recent apps
- Supports fast D-pad navigation
- Overlay design that displays more of live TV
- Direct access to browser bookmarks and history
- Direct access to Spotlight web apps
- Displays current weather (USA only)
- Various customizable settings
- Change wallpaper
Instructions:
- To add an app: Use the D-pad arrow keys to select any row other than the "Recent Apps" row. Press Menu and select "Add App". You can select the current row or enter the name for a new row. Then select the app you want to add.
- To add a Spotlight web app: Select any row other than the "Recent Apps" row. Press Menu and select "Add Spotlight Web App". You can select the current row or enter the name for a new row. Then select the web app you want to add.
- To add a TV channel as a favorite (Google TV only provides channel data for USA): Go to live TV, press Menu, select Save and then "Add channel to home screen". Type in the channel number or name. Select the channel from the list and press OK.
- To add a web site as a favorite: Load the site in the Chrome browser. Press Menu, select Save and then "Add to home screen". Confirm the web site details and select the OK button.
- To add a web site to bookmarks: Add bookmark in Chrome and then use Bookmarks app.
- To uninstall an app: Select All Apps, then long click on the app you want to uninstall.
- To use a personal photo as the wallpaper: Launch the Photos app and view the photo fullscreen. Press the Menu button and select "Set as wallpaper".
Limitations:
- Widgets are not supported.
- The icons provided by Google TV for bookmarks and for TV channel icons are low-res. In some cases, TV channels have generic icons.
Permissions:
Get Tasks - needed to determine which recent apps have been launched.
Read History Bookmarks - to provide quick access to browser bookmarks.
Expand Status Bar - to display notifications.
Course Location - to determine zip code for weather data.
Internet - to download weather data.
External storage - to cache images
Wallpaper - to change the system wallpaper
The code for this app is open sourced at: https://github.com/entertailion/Open-Launcher-for-GTVProblems:
Please email us at feedback@openlauncher; we cannot reply to comments or Android error reports and many reported problems require that we ask for more details in order to fix.