diff --git a/include/gui/SensorChannel.h b/include/gui/BitTube.h
similarity index 89%
rename from include/gui/SensorChannel.h
rename to include/gui/BitTube.h
index bb546186a66a6..76389a037f5e5 100644
--- a/include/gui/SensorChannel.h
+++ b/include/gui/BitTube.h
@@ -28,14 +28,15 @@ namespace android {
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 class Parcel;
 
-class SensorChannel : public RefBase
+class BitTube : public RefBase
 {
 public:
 
-            SensorChannel();
-            SensorChannel(const Parcel& data);
-    virtual ~SensorChannel();
+            BitTube();
+            BitTube(const Parcel& data);
+    virtual ~BitTube();
 
+    status_t initCheck() const;
     int getFd() const;
     ssize_t write(void const* vaddr, size_t size);
     ssize_t read(void* vaddr, size_t size);
diff --git a/include/gui/ISensorEventConnection.h b/include/gui/ISensorEventConnection.h
index ed4e4cc72f1b5..749065e84ddc8 100644
--- a/include/gui/ISensorEventConnection.h
+++ b/include/gui/ISensorEventConnection.h
@@ -28,14 +28,14 @@
 namespace android {
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-class SensorChannel;
+class BitTube;
 
 class ISensorEventConnection : public IInterface
 {
 public:
     DECLARE_META_INTERFACE(SensorEventConnection);
 
-    virtual sp<SensorChannel> getSensorChannel() const = 0;
+    virtual sp<BitTube> getSensorChannel() const = 0;
     virtual status_t enableDisable(int handle, bool enabled) = 0;
     virtual status_t setEventRate(int handle, nsecs_t ns) = 0;
 };
diff --git a/include/gui/SensorEventQueue.h b/include/gui/SensorEventQueue.h
index 97dd3919bdbf7..ef7c6e369615c 100644
--- a/include/gui/SensorEventQueue.h
+++ b/include/gui/SensorEventQueue.h
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 #include <utils/RefBase.h>
 #include <utils/Timers.h>
 
-#include <gui/SensorChannel.h>
+#include <gui/BitTube.h>
 
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ public:
 private:
     sp<Looper> getLooper() const;
     sp<ISensorEventConnection> mSensorEventConnection;
-    sp<SensorChannel> mSensorChannel;
+    sp<BitTube> mSensorChannel;
     mutable Mutex mLock;
     mutable sp<Looper> mLooper;
 };
diff --git a/libs/gui/Android.mk b/libs/gui/Android.mk
index ed319f5e93810..2d716c7ed3ffd 100644
--- a/libs/gui/Android.mk
+++ b/libs/gui/Android.mk
@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@ LOCAL_PATH:= $(call my-dir)
 include $(CLEAR_VARS)
 
 LOCAL_SRC_FILES:= \
+	BitTube.cpp \
 	ISensorEventConnection.cpp \
 	ISensorServer.cpp \
 	ISurfaceTexture.cpp \
 	Sensor.cpp \
-	SensorChannel.cpp \
 	SensorEventQueue.cpp \
 	SensorManager.cpp \
 	SurfaceTexture.cpp \
diff --git a/libs/gui/SensorChannel.cpp b/libs/gui/BitTube.cpp
similarity index 59%
rename from libs/gui/SensorChannel.cpp
rename to libs/gui/BitTube.cpp
index 147e1c2bb4d56..c632b43cd08df 100644
--- a/libs/gui/SensorChannel.cpp
+++ b/libs/gui/BitTube.cpp
@@ -24,12 +24,12 @@
 
 #include <binder/Parcel.h>
 
-#include <gui/SensorChannel.h>
+#include <gui/BitTube.h>
 
 namespace android {
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-SensorChannel::SensorChannel()
+BitTube::BitTube()
     : mSendFd(-1), mReceiveFd(-1)
 {
     int fds[2];
@@ -38,17 +38,26 @@ SensorChannel::SensorChannel()
         mSendFd = fds[1];
         fcntl(mReceiveFd, F_SETFL, O_NONBLOCK);
         fcntl(mSendFd, F_SETFL, O_NONBLOCK);
+    } else {
+        mReceiveFd = -errno;
+        LOGE("BitTube: pipe creation failed (%s)", strerror(-mReceiveFd));
     }
 }
 
-SensorChannel::SensorChannel(const Parcel& data)
+BitTube::BitTube(const Parcel& data)
     : mSendFd(-1), mReceiveFd(-1)
 {
     mReceiveFd = dup(data.readFileDescriptor());
-    fcntl(mReceiveFd, F_SETFL, O_NONBLOCK);
+    if (mReceiveFd >= 0) {
+        fcntl(mReceiveFd, F_SETFL, O_NONBLOCK);
+    } else {
+        mReceiveFd = -errno;
+        LOGE("BitTube(Parcel): can't dup filedescriptor (%s)",
+                strerror(-mReceiveFd));
+    }
 }
 
-SensorChannel::~SensorChannel()
+BitTube::~BitTube()
 {
     if (mSendFd >= 0)
         close(mSendFd);
@@ -57,28 +66,41 @@ SensorChannel::~SensorChannel()
         close(mReceiveFd);
 }
 
-int SensorChannel::getFd() const
+status_t BitTube::initCheck() const
+{
+    if (mReceiveFd < 0) {
+        return status_t(mReceiveFd);
+    }
+    return NO_ERROR;
+}
+
+int BitTube::getFd() const
 {
     return mReceiveFd;
 }
 
-ssize_t SensorChannel::write(void const* vaddr, size_t size)
+ssize_t BitTube::write(void const* vaddr, size_t size)
 {
-    ssize_t len = ::write(mSendFd, vaddr, size);
-    if (len < 0)
-        return -errno;
-    return len;
+    ssize_t err, len;
+    do {
+        len = ::write(mSendFd, vaddr, size);
+        err = len < 0 ? errno : 0;
+    } while (err == EINTR);
+    return err == 0 ? len : -err;
+
 }
 
-ssize_t SensorChannel::read(void* vaddr, size_t size)
+ssize_t BitTube::read(void* vaddr, size_t size)
 {
-    ssize_t len = ::read(mReceiveFd, vaddr, size);
-    if (len < 0)
-        return -errno;
-    return len;
+    ssize_t err, len;
+    do {
+        len = ::read(mReceiveFd, vaddr, size);
+        err = len < 0 ? errno : 0;
+    } while (err == EINTR);
+    return err == 0 ? len : -err;
 }
 
-status_t SensorChannel::writeToParcel(Parcel* reply) const
+status_t BitTube::writeToParcel(Parcel* reply) const
 {
     if (mReceiveFd < 0)
         return -EINVAL;
diff --git a/libs/gui/ISensorEventConnection.cpp b/libs/gui/ISensorEventConnection.cpp
index a5083fed0aba3..0e51e8ef0de68 100644
--- a/libs/gui/ISensorEventConnection.cpp
+++ b/libs/gui/ISensorEventConnection.cpp
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 #include <binder/IInterface.h>
 
 #include <gui/ISensorEventConnection.h>
-#include <gui/SensorChannel.h>
+#include <gui/BitTube.h>
 
 namespace android {
 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -44,12 +44,12 @@ public:
     {
     }
 
-    virtual sp<SensorChannel> getSensorChannel() const
+    virtual sp<BitTube> getSensorChannel() const
     {
         Parcel data, reply;
         data.writeInterfaceToken(ISensorEventConnection::getInterfaceDescriptor());
         remote()->transact(GET_SENSOR_CHANNEL, data, &reply);
-        return new SensorChannel(reply);
+        return new BitTube(reply);
     }
 
     virtual status_t enableDisable(int handle, bool enabled)
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ status_t BnSensorEventConnection::onTransact(
     switch(code) {
         case GET_SENSOR_CHANNEL: {
             CHECK_INTERFACE(ISensorEventConnection, data, reply);
-            sp<SensorChannel> channel(getSensorChannel());
+            sp<BitTube> channel(getSensorChannel());
             channel->writeToParcel(reply);
             return NO_ERROR;
         } break;
diff --git a/libs/gui/SensorEventQueue.cpp b/libs/gui/SensorEventQueue.cpp
index f9355249ab92d..ee21c45c59354 100644
--- a/libs/gui/SensorEventQueue.cpp
+++ b/libs/gui/SensorEventQueue.cpp
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 #include <utils/Looper.h>
 
 #include <gui/Sensor.h>
-#include <gui/SensorChannel.h>
+#include <gui/BitTube.h>
 #include <gui/SensorEventQueue.h>
 #include <gui/ISensorEventConnection.h>
 
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ status_t SensorEventQueue::waitForEvent() const
     do {
         result = looper->pollOnce(-1);
         if (result == ALOOPER_EVENT_ERROR) {
-            LOGE("SensorChannel::waitForEvent error (errno=%d)", errno);
+            LOGE("SensorEventQueue::waitForEvent error (errno=%d)", errno);
             result = -EPIPE; // unknown error, so we make up one
             break;
         }
diff --git a/services/sensorservice/SensorService.cpp b/services/sensorservice/SensorService.cpp
index 5b74fb809c331..57cb53c8a0627 100644
--- a/services/sensorservice/SensorService.cpp
+++ b/services/sensorservice/SensorService.cpp
@@ -514,7 +514,7 @@ bool SensorService::SensorRecord::removeConnection(
 
 SensorService::SensorEventConnection::SensorEventConnection(
         const sp<SensorService>& service)
-    : mService(service), mChannel(new SensorChannel())
+    : mService(service), mChannel(new BitTube())
 {
 }
 
@@ -596,7 +596,7 @@ status_t SensorService::SensorEventConnection::sendEvents(
     return size < 0 ? status_t(size) : status_t(NO_ERROR);
 }
 
-sp<SensorChannel> SensorService::SensorEventConnection::getSensorChannel() const
+sp<BitTube> SensorService::SensorEventConnection::getSensorChannel() const
 {
     return mChannel;
 }
diff --git a/services/sensorservice/SensorService.h b/services/sensorservice/SensorService.h
index 85f4ecbf906c4..e357f967cfb66 100644
--- a/services/sensorservice/SensorService.h
+++ b/services/sensorservice/SensorService.h
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 #include <binder/BinderService.h>
 
 #include <gui/Sensor.h>
-#include <gui/SensorChannel.h>
+#include <gui/BitTube.h>
 #include <gui/ISensorServer.h>
 #include <gui/ISensorEventConnection.h>
 
@@ -71,12 +71,12 @@ class SensorService :
     class SensorEventConnection : public BnSensorEventConnection {
         virtual ~SensorEventConnection();
         virtual void onFirstRef();
-        virtual sp<SensorChannel> getSensorChannel() const;
+        virtual sp<BitTube> getSensorChannel() const;
         virtual status_t enableDisable(int handle, bool enabled);
         virtual status_t setEventRate(int handle, nsecs_t ns);
 
         sp<SensorService> const mService;
-        sp<SensorChannel> const mChannel;
+        sp<BitTube> const mChannel;
         mutable Mutex mConnectionLock;
 
         // protected by SensorService::mLock