Pulling a wild example out of nowhere, let’s say you’re going on vacation and want to work on your budding novel while you’re there. But you don’t want to pack a heavy laptop. With a little over $100 in equipment, you can connect your Android phone to your hotel television and type away.
What You Will Need
Check the widget below to link to all of the accessories on the list.
MHL-enabled Phone – MHL (Mobile High-definition Link) is a new proposed standard of media signal transfer for high-end mobile devices. Instead of having a separate mini-HDMI port like is featured on the Droid X, MHL makes use of the pre-existing mini-USB charging/data port on the phone and converts it to a standard HDMI output to connect to any HDMI enabled TV. Click HERE for a list of phones.
MHL to HDMI Adapter – This adapter has 3 connections: micro USB male to your phone, micro USB female for your power connector, and HDMI female for your HDMI cable to your TV. Make sure you get the correct adapter for your phone. For example, this adapter was advertised that it worked for the Samsung i77. I assumed it was a typo and bought it for my i717 phone. It turns out that there is an i777 phone. The adapter kept cutting out and I had to unplug/replug it every few clicks. I bought this one instead.
HDMI Cable – I’m a huge fan of the Amazon Basics line of cables. They are good quality cables available at a good price. Don’t EVER buy a cable at Best Buy. It’s a total rip-off. Make sure you have enough cable to reach from the sofa to the TV.
Bluetooth Keyboard – There are many, many keyboards out there. I chose this tablet keyboard for several reasons. It’s small but still a full-size keyboard. It had a fabulous carrying case that doubles as a tablet/phone stand. And it has home and back buttons on the keyboard that work like the buttons on the phone. It connected easily to my phone and worked flawlessly.
Bluetooth Mouse – Again, there are a lot of choices. I chose this Logitech mouse because it got good reviews, it was simple to connect and didn’t require a dongle, and it came with a nice carrying pouch.
Pocket Router – Sometimes when you go to a hotel, there is no wireless and you would like to avoid using up your data plan. If there is an Ethernet port in the room you can bring your own router. This pocket router is the solution. Make sure you test it at home before you leave. But the main idea is that the little box becomes a wireless access point for your phone and other devices.
What’s The Point?
This may seem like a lot of trouble to go through. Here are some of the things you can do with this system.
- Stream Netflix to your TV
- Do any typing-intensive activities like writing to your blog, writing a novel, or composing long emails.
- Show a Video slideshow
- Watch the movies stored on your phone
