# Background

I recently made an effort to keep only fanless (or silent) devices in my livingroom. Including my media center / HTPC. This article will outline a few ways to achieve this.

# Requirements for setup

## Must have

• File/torrent downloading with decent storage.
• Playback of movies, music and images.
• Very low noise levels, especially when not in use.

## Should have

• Youtube.
• Spotify or similar legal music service.
• Play/control from smart phone.
• High Wife Acceptance Factor.
• Low maintenance.

## Nice to have

• Netflix, HBO or similar legal video service. (This is unlikely in my scenario, as they don’t support my OS of choice.)

# Suggested setups

## The all-in-one HTPC

Schematics:

# Overview

With Android you have two options of app management. With Google Play, or without. As Google is getting more and more invasive the latter option seems more tempting. Too bad they made sure it’s a poor one.

# Background

Each device manufacturer that wants to include Play has to include a bundle of Google apps, gapps. And if he ever release a device with a competing app store (i.e F-droid, Amazon Appstore), he will be banned from future use of Play.

# Overview

When PiBorg launched the accelerometer/compass XloBorg, I imediately bought a couple. I had no idea what to use them for, but the price was right, raspberry pi was new, and it seemed like a fun “sensor” to play with. It remained in my drawer until this weekend. Over a few hours at a hackathon I created the WashingDone. A script to measure certain patterns of motion, to alert when the washing machine is done.

# Overview

Android seemed like an OpenMoko.org that could work. A phone running free software. Linux, and all the goodies that goes with it. However it took a bad turn. Not only was it just linux (no GNU), but Google seems to be locking it down. Replacing every app with a closed source one: Googles iron grip on Android.

See follow-up: Android with as little closed source as possible 2.

This problem can be broken into three: