First, the tease.
Note: This video was prepared before I thought about/tested Aldiko Classic as a replacement (and improvement) for Overdrive. See post #2 for more information.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any damage that might result to your device by improperly using the files I have provided. Do not charge your device while reading in the bathtub. Do not use your device as a projectile. Read safely.
I've been working with the abandoned sdcard-based CM 11 ROM for a couple of months now, trying to see if anything could be done with it. Having never tried it back in 2015 when @kfazz was actively working on it, I wasn't sure what to expect, but having worked with an 8 gb Nook Tablet ("only" 512 mb RAM) for a long time and with various resource-hungry ROMs, I wasn't expecting much.
First, two myths to dispel:
1. It will NOT "burn" spots in your display. Trust me, if it hasn't done anything to mine in the endless hours I've spent swearing at it, it won't hurt yours.
2. It does NOT leave your stock internal storage entirely alone, but the change is minimal. An "Android" folder is placed in /media and a few apps may store a little data there.
Here's a short list of issues I found, in no particular order. Some are just annoying and can be addressed peripherally. Others are more granular in nature and are beyond anything I could fix. It may now be impossible to address the issues directly if this post is any indication. Of course, the Cyanogenmod folks have moved on to Lineage so the build components may not be accessible any longer.
1. it is sloooooow
2. it is not nice to look at (all Themes I tried destabilized the ROM--so live with it)
3. it does not understand the whole screen off/sleep/wake routine
4. it doesn't really seem to understand the whole e-ink thing
5. it drains battery power like a Black Hole app has been installed
6. it is a nuisance to swap out the sdcard to boot this ROM
7. it is a little unstable....
8. booting into TWRP can be very frustrating
9. the shutdown screen is a crapshoot (all white, the current display, a garbled mess, etc.)
I could go on, but as I worked with the ROM my perspective changed repeatedly until I finally realized that rather than complaining about what it could not or would not do, it would be more helpful to see if it could be used to do something that the stock NST no longer could. For example, NoRefresh doesn't work on the CM 11 ROM but it works wonderfully on the stock NST. There is some issue with screen overlays in KitKat and they are used in the NoRefresh app. Also, there is no USB Host in the CM 11 ROM, although this was mentioned early in the original postings. But USB Host (and Audio) works famously on the NST. Etc. So perhaps the real issues should be:
1. Is there any reason to run the CM 11 ROM?
2. If CM 11 is not fit to be a daily driver, could it be possible to go back and forth between stock and CM 11 easily?
Also, the two ROMs share a common partition: /media (called sdcard1 on the CM 11 ROM). This means files can be shared between them. So I can use a more modern browser (but not very modern....) on the CM 11 ROM to download a PDF of the newspaper (something Opera Mobile cannot negotiate on the stock ROM), move the file to the shared partition, then reboot into the stock ROM and read the file using EBookDroid with NoRefresh Or, I can download an app using the Yalp Store (which should run on the NST but does not), move the file to the shared partition, reboot and install the app on the stock ROM (if it runs on Android 2.1).
What I've done
I have worked mainly with build 2 of the CM 11 ROM. Initially I found build 3 to be markedly less stable, but it may be worth it to revisit my work at some point now that I'm not going to be trying truly crazy stuff. These are the changes I have made:
1. Removed Calendar and Calendar Storage. If you want a local calendar, you can extract the apps from the original build 2 ROM zip or any other CM 11 ROM.
2. Removed Sound Recorder (duh)
3. Removed Trebuchet launcher. It's just hopeless for the NST display.
4. Removed a bunch of Wallpaper and Theme stuff. Face it, plain white (included) is best for the wallpaper.
5. Removed Bluetooth app (duh)
6. Replaced the broken Gallery
7. Restored People (contacts) for local use (load in a .vcf file)
8. Restored the stock AOSP Email app
9. Added a custom boot splash screen (whoopee!)
10. Added ADW Launcher to replace Trebuchet
11. Added AdAway
12. Added the Yalp Store (fork)
13. Added a re-themed RotationLocker (you can actually read the options!!!)
14. Added the updated kernal files and recovery files suggested in the original thread
15. Added the Boot Nook OS app (this, with a companion app for the stock NST allows a form of "dual boot")
16. Added the Screensaver app (this works--mostly--like on the stock NST)
17. Added an NLP app for Location, if turned on
18. Enlarged the /userdata partition to 1 gb
19. Slightly edited build.prop so apps that try to ID the NST can succeed
And, of course, I've combed through the settings for both the ROM and launcher, trying to minimize animations, kill background processes, etc. Anything to calm the OS down.
I have prepared two sdcard image files (see downloads section below). Unlike the images in the original post, these are installed and pre-configured so they are ready to try as soon as you write them. Of course you may not agree with all my settings/tweaks, and are free to take my work as a starting point. I'm hoping that this post may revive some interest in this ROM and people with more knowledge than I will run with it, or at least offer a few more tips and tweaks.
"Dual Boot"
I looked at this issue for a long time. In the development work on the Nook Color someone eventually produced a mod to enable booting to either internal or sdcard ROMs by holding down the "n" button during boot for one of the options. Eventually someone else came up with a boot menu. These innovations involved u-boot and kernals. This is arcana to me, way beyond my pay grade. I did make a desultory binary comparison of some files and eventually gave up. Then one day an outside-the-box idea came to me. What would happen if the device could not boot from the sdcard for some reason? The answer is: it would boot from the internal stuff. A quick renaming of u-boot.bin on the sdcard confirmed this. So, how to rename this file going from either ROM? Coming from the stock ROM it's easy because the "boot" partition of the sdcard is a FAT32 partition and the only part of the card the stock ROM can see. Then just add a reboot command. Done.
Coming from the CM 11 ROM it is more complicated because the "boot" partition is invisible. With the help of @Renate NST I was able to sort out a series of shell commands which mount the "boot" partition, rename the file (I finally settled on renaming MLO rather than u-boot.bin), and execute a reboot. So a different but simple app for each ROM and you can go back and forth without shutting down and swapping cards. The added advantage is that you can put the NST to bed on the stock ROM where it will not use so much power, rather than shutting it down entirely.
Setting up "dual boot" requires a little work if you want to maintain your existing stock files on the sdcard. Here are the steps:
1. Copy the contents of the regular sdcard you use in your NST to a PC.
2. Insert the CM 11 sdcard you have prepared by burning one of the two images I supplied into the card reader of your PC.
3. Start MiniTool Partition Wizard.
4. Identify the sdcard in MiniTool Partition Wizard. You will see that there are four partitions. The "boot" partition is the first and active one. Right-click on this partition and select "Extend". When the dialog appears, drag the sizing indicator all the way to the right (i.e., use up all the unallocated space).
5. When you've got all the changes set up, be sure to hit "apply" so that it all really happens.
6. Close MiniTool Partition Wizard.
The card is now fully accessible to the stock ROM except for the three hidden CM 11 ROM partitions, /system, /cache, and /userdata. Copy the contents of your regular sdcard that you previously saved on your PC onto the newly adjusted CM 11 card. Voila!
The only drawback (besides the loss of about 2 gb of space) is that the files in the "boot" partition will be visible when you use a file manager from the stock ROM. I use ES File Explorer on my stock NST and it allows me to hide files and folders I don't need to access and don't want to look at. Otherwise, you just need to ignore them (and certainly don't delete them!).
Oh, and you need to install the "Boot CM 11" app on your stock NST (download section below). This is a Tasker-generated app. If you already have one of my other Tasker-generated apps or have previously installed GApps, you don't need the two Google maps library files included in the zip and can delete them. If you do need them, copy the two files into the locations shown below (remember, these are for the stock NST--the CM 11 ROM already has these files):
/system/etc/permissions/com.google.android.maps.xml
/system/framework/com.google.android.maps.jar
Set permissions for both files to rw-r--r-- and reboot. Without these files resident, the app will not install.
Apps
I went pretty much nuts at the beginning of my work, installing all kinds of stuff. A lot didn't work. This ROM is not a panacea for all the issues surrounding the aging (but beloved) NST and certainly not the place for fancy screen tricks and cute widgets. There just isn't enough RAM. There are other issues, but that is the big one. I recognize all the signs from my work with the RAM-poor 8 gb Nook Tablet. Of course, the processor is also slow. And there are display issues with the e-ink that some apps just can't get past, not to mention a rather odd screen size and aspect ratio. Here's what I learned:
Stock apps
The stock apps I left on the ROM all work "OK". I don't much care for the File Manager because there is no simple way to get out of it and contrast seems unneccessarily poor, but ES File Explorer (the 3.x series) runs more slowly and gets confused about the emulated and internal storage. It also interacts poorly with the package installer, taking a very long time to install apps. Email works fine and easily adds Gmail accounts. Others might require a little more work. Of all the system apps, the Browser is the most impacted in performance by the device and ROM limitations. I have found this to be true with all the ROMs I have worked with on the Nook Tablet. For KitKat the problems are exacerbated by the outdated Webview. Some sites (like XDA!) cannot display properly. Form input and even response to touching "buttons" is just really awful. If you are patient and don't madly tap over and over to get the attention of the device, you can use the stock Browser, but it is prone to freezing and crashing. That said, it can do some surprising things. For example if you are signed in to Google (painful in itself), it is able to display your full calendar (the only way to see it on the non-microG version), but it takes a long time. I left the app on the ROM, but you could remove it. I use it to access the newspaper, but only to get to the point where I can download a PDF, not to actually try and read it in the Browser. If the stock Browser has any other saving grace it is that the page-up and page-down commands (lower two hardware buttons) move the display. This compensates somewhat for the lack of NoRefresh and the rather overenthusiastic swipe-scroll response of the ROM.
I tried oh-so-many other browsers. I can't begin to count. The performance of most all was dismal. In the end, I settled on Opera Mini (but not the version that runs on the stock NST). I'm not a big fan of Opera Mini. There are many sites it can't display, but this version, which includes an ad-blocker, works really well with library OverDrive sites (yes, you read that correctly!) and generally sails through forms and interactive screens. Unfortunately it does not respond to the page-up/down commands.
Other user apps
I tried all the typical readers before I realized that was just stupid. Most work very well, although you need to up the version on a few to achieve full-screen reading, and the readers with bookcover screensaver actions need modifying to find the correct folder. I did this successfully with the current PlayStore version of AlReader but had less success with CoolReader. The FBReader version for the NST cannot display full screen, but the ICS version (available from the FBReader website) works well and can run the PDF plugin (presumably the DJVU as well). No version of Kindle runs well--if at all. The closest thing is Kindle Lite 1.9, but it is quite slow and cannot read local .mobi files. The right version of OverDrive runs reasonably well once the book is loaded. If you want to run OverDrive, be sure to look at the second post in this thread. News apps were possible but just really, really slow. Any app that needs to assemble a complicated Webview is a problem--this includes the in-app library browser of OverDrive. And then there is the issue with GSF (Google Services Framework). We don't really run into this with the stock ROM because all of our apps are so old. But with KitKat you begin to get apps that refuse to run or run poorly because you don't have GApps installed. Even the NPR News app....
So let's talk Google. First, NO GApps. Never. No. Just no. The ROM, as configured, runs with about 60-90 mb of free RAM (at least according to the information shown in Settings), a little more if you forego Email. In an extended moment of folly, just to see, I did struggle with GApps, after enlarging the /system partition on the card. It took two days, much searching on-line, and many words that do not come from children's books, but I did get a pico GApps package installed. That left about 30 mb of free RAM and absolutely nothing would work. I knew that would be the result from my work with the 8 gb Nook Tablet, but I just wanted to say, authoritatively, NO.
However...my work with the Nook Tablet also eventually led me to microG. Could that even work on this ROM? The short answer is yes. I have successfully enabled signature spoofing (but only for microG) and installed and configured microG.
microG, at its most basic level, spoofs the signature of GSF that many apps look for. At that level of service it adds very little overhead to the system. The next step up is adding an actual Google account. This does increase system activity but only a little if you don't go crazy with things. With an account you can run some Google apps like Books and Drive, assuming you can find versions that will work.
I've identified working versions of Google Play Books and Google Drive (included in the apps download below), but I don't guarantee they will work forever. Even after I thought I had found a good version of Google Play Books I got an email from Google saying they were going to stop supporting that version "soon". So I tried a few more recent versions and found another. No emails so far...
You could theoretically run the PlayStore at this level of microG, but it just won't work on this device. Google insists on updating it and while a Jellybean version might run quite well, it won't be around long and then after the automatic update it will be a useless burden on the system. Fortunately, the fork of the Yalp Store (which should run on the NST but does not) works well on the CM 11 ROM, although not with a generic Yalp Store account. I opened a Google account just for this purpose when I started working with the 8 gb Nook Tablet and this is the only thing I use the account for. I suggest you do something similar, just in case. This will give you PlayStore access, although you will not be able to purchase apps. If you select the microG version be sure to take a look at post #3 below.
That's about it. I tried a Crossword app, and a few other oddities, but in the end I still feel that running things on this ROM that function perfectly well (or better) on the stock ROM does not make a lot of sense. It should be all about the stuff you otherwise could not do--within reason
Lastly, a word about my Screensaver app. I've attempted to "solve" or work around a number of issues using this app. The screen off/sleep/unlock cycle only works "correctly" when the device is plugged in (AC or USB). Otherwise, waking the device requires a tap on the power button followed by a press of the "n" button. Perhaps that's a "feature". When I finally understood the situation I tried to figure out how to work around it. Eventually I hit on the idea of spoofing the battery state at "screen off" if the device is not charging. So the app monitors the screen and when it detects the screen-off state it tells the system that wireless charging has begun (if there is not already charging happening). Then the app pushes an image to the screen (which would otherwise be either black or the last current display--at random). Tasker (which I used to create the app) cannot overlay the nav bar so you will still see that. That means screensaver images are about 600x752 rather than 600x800. This generally works quite well, but there are two issues I have not been able to solve. Sometimes the first screen off goes to black. After that it all works fine. Also, pushing the image to the screen seems to reset the lock timer. So if your timeout is set to 5 minutes, the screen remains unlocked for roughly another 5 minutes after the image is displayed. During this time a simple swipe across the image in any direction will clear the screensaver (and reset the battery state). Otherwise, after lock, a press of the "n" button, followed by a swipe over the image will both unlock and clear the image (and reset the battery state). I tried sending a lock code myself after the image was displayed but that always resulted in a black screen. You can change the screensaver folder as long as you place your images in a folder inside /storage/emulated/0/Screensavers. If there is more than one image in the folder you select, the app will cycle through them, just like on the stock NST.
As a hopeful afterthought I also tried to address the random shutdown image. A careful reading of the original thread indicates this is supposed to be a white screen. The developer admitted this was subject to perfect timing, racing against the clock before parts of the system shut down. I attempted to force a blocking overlay onto the screen when shutdown is detected. A blocking overlay cannot cover either the status bar or nav bar, but at least you could tell the device is off. When it worked. For the time being I have removed this feature because it's almost as random as the native ROM itself. I'll keep picking at it, but I'm out of ideas at the present.
Getting going
1. Download one of the two images below, choosing whether you want the simple version or the one with microG installed. Each image is just over 2 gb so you will need at least a 4 gb sdcard to burn, probably larger if you plan to run "dual boot". I generally use 16 gb cards with most of my devices (a few have 32 gb cards), but that's probably overkill for the NST.
2. Use Win32DiskImager or similar to burn the image you downloaded to the card.
3. If you intend to run "dual boot", follow the directions above to extend the "boot" partition over the unallocated section of the card and copy your existing stock ROM sdcard files to the card. You will also need to install the "Boot CM 11" app on your stock NST (the companion app is already on the CM 11 ROM).
4. Shut down your NST, insert the CM 11 card and power up. The device will boot into CM 11 in three "stages": a splash screen, a white screen, a black screen. A very few apps have been pre-installed and some general configuration has been done. The rest is up to you!
Note: you don't have to be concerned about the hardware information like serial number, MAC address, etc. When the CM 11 ROM boots it apparently reads these from the internal storage. I tried this by switching my working cards to another NST and found that the values were correct for the currently running device.
TWRP
Remember the disclaimer at the beginning? That bit about not using your device as a projectile? That is about TWRP. Works great if you can get to it. From power off, or on reboot, press and hold the two lower hardware buttons as soon as you see the splash screen. Count to ten (not too slow, not too fast....) and then release the buttons. If you are successful, the boot process will briefly pass into the white screen and then TWRP. If you have an NSTG, the light will come on at some point (but that may not mean ultimate success). I've looked at this quite a bit to see if there could be a way to construct a simple app to force a reboot into TWRP without the button business. Just before posting all this I took another look through the original thread and there was the answer staring me in the face. But it's not a good answer. I have put together a small app to "force" a reboot into TWRP. It does this by mounting "boot", renaming boot.scr to boot.scr.bak, making a copy of twrp.scr named "boot.scr" and rebooting. This has a better success rate than the traditional method (at least for me), but it does occasionally hang at the splash screen (which is what the button method does for me about 80% of the time). In the two installations I have tried it failed on the first try, perhaps because of the delay in obtaining SU permission. Then it was fine. More importantly, the device is going to keep booting into TWRP unless you undo what the app did before you leave TWRP. It's lame, I know. The directions are given in the dialog box called up by the app. I did not include this app with the images because it really is just barely a "fix". If you want to give it a try, you can get it from the downloads section below.
If you want to flash any zips place them in /media on the stock NST, then mount /media when you enter TWRP.
If you want to make a backup it's tricky. This version of TWRP is coded to see only "internal" storage. But that's not what you might think. It's the sdcard, but only part of it. Despite having loads of free space on my sdcard it keeps showing me "569 mb" or similar. That is obviously not enough space for a 2+ gb backup, although of course the actual file contents are less than that. I believe this space measurement is the free space in the /userdata partition since backups appear in /storage/emulated/0/TWRP/BACKUPS/<serial_number>. So one approach is to enlarge this partition enough to accommodate a full backup. But that makes an image painfully large to download. My idea so far has been to make one or two backups, depending on how much is in userdata. So maybe system+cache, and userdata. Or, if there is enough space, all three at once. After each, I reboot and copy off the file to my PC, then delete it on the device. I successfully did a two part backup and then restored it, system+cache first, then after a reboot, userdata. This worked. The "boot" partition is easy enough to backup manually because your PC can see all of it.
"This was all a waste of my time. How can I recover my sdcard?"
Insert the card into the card reader of your PC and copy off the files from the stock ROM to restore to a clean card. Start MiniTool Partition Wizard. Identify the sdcard and right click on the three partitions: /system, /cache, /userdata, and delete them. Apply. This leaves only the active "boot" partition and some "unallocated space". Right-click on this partition and Extend it over the freed up space. Apply. You should now have a single space equivalent to the size of the card in a single partition. At this point the card can be reformatted with Windows or something like SDFormatter.
Downloads
NST_CM11.img (2 gb)
NST_CM11_microG.img (2 gb)
Boot_CM11.zip (for the stock NST)
Boot_TWRP.apk
CM11_Apps.zip
OverDrive (and Aldiko)
I was originally thinking about making another video but I am still recovering from the drama/trauma of making and posting my first YouTube video...so maybe later. Or not.
One of the things that first made me look at the CM 11 ROM was the potential promise of OverDrive. I've always thought the abandonment of the NST was one of the unkindest cuts. Unfortunately this is not a story with a totally happy ending. You can use the CM 11 ROM to run a version of OverDrive and you can checkout books from your library, but you have to go about it just right or it will drive you into hurling your device across the room. And then there is the issue with the actual book loading time, as seen in the infamous video in the first post. I can't do anything about the latter, but I have developed a method for checking out books that is actually pretty painless. Here is a step-by-step description of the process. YMMV.
0. You need to authorize the OverDrive app with your Adobe ID. If you're doing a lot of experimentation, be careful with this. I eventually used up my account allotment by carelessly uninstalling versions that did not work properly without first de-authorizing them. When I appealed to Adobe to reset my count (as I had read I should) I got a string of people who had no idea what I was talking about and apparently had no comprehension of the English language. I eventually just gave up on my old account and opened a new one.
1. Navigate to your library OverDrive website using Opera Mini. Sign in with whatever information you normally use (library card number, OverDrive account, etc.). DO NOT attempt to use the OverDrive app to search for your library and browse it. That way madness lies.
2. Find a book you want and go through the usual steps to check it out, eventually ending with the "Download EPUB". Some sites use pop-ups or overlays for the checkout process. Occasionally these end up "off the screen", i.e., you need to scroll back to the top to see them. After the first time you'll know better what to expect.
3. The download of the .acsm file is very quick and you'll see the notification appear briefly. DO NOT EXIT OPERA MINI AT THIS POINT! This will cause the notification to disappear. Although the activity picker *should* open OverDrive when the .acsm file is selected in the File Manager, it does NOT. Instead, pull down the notification window and tap on the "Download Complete".
4. OverDrive opens and the book is downloaded.
The process is similar if you select a Kindle (.mobi) format book, except there is no download. Instead you need to head over to Amazon.com and arrange for delivery of the book to your device (the stock NST). This is totally doable with Opera Mini. On my device I have added both my local library OverDrive site and the device and content management section of Amazon.com to the Speed Dial and also as shortcuts on my home screen. ADW Launcher allows you to edit both the text and icon for a shortcut (double tap on the icon to edit) or any other icon, for that matter, so you can dress things up how you like.
Aldiko
As I was wrapping up the materials for the first post a few of my little grey cells whispered "aldiko" to me. Duh! I had forgotten about that particular reader app with the ability to download Adobe DRM books. The old version that "runs" on the stock NST can't do that anymore, but could a new one...?
Here's what I have found out so far. I downloaded and installed the final version of what is now called "Aldiko Classic" from the Yalp Store. First run is a little cranky (true of many apps) but it settles down. After authorizing it with my Adobe ID I tried the actual in-app library browser. This was actually almost bearable, certainly much faster than OverDrive which is hopeless. I eventually completed a checkout completely inside the app and fulfilled the book. It would probably be easier starting with Opera Mini, although I'm not sure how the .acsm file would be handled. I still need to test that. The good news is that the book opened and displayed in a timely manner, just about like any of the other non-OverDrive readers I had tried before.
The bad news is that there was a mysterious notation on the library OverDrive site which I had never seen before. Something about my device no longer being able to access digital content after 10/30/2020. There was a link but the in-app browser refused to follow it.
Edit: here is a sequence that works for me with Aldiko using Opera Mini
1. Navigate to your library OverDrive site using Opera Mini and sign in.
2. Select a book to download.
3. When the .acsm file has downloaded you can exit Opera Mini.
4. Using the File Manager, go to the Download folder and tap on the .acsm file. The activity picker will show Aldiko as one option. Tick the "always" (or whatever) option and select "Open".
5. Aldiko begins downloading the book and places it on the bookshelf. It may have trouble opening it the first time, but that could just have been a hiccup on mine. Otherwise, a very smooth and satisfactory process.
This might be a better option than OverDrive. It certainly opens the books quickly.
Edit-Edit: I tracked down the mysterious message. It's not good. Basically people with custom ROMs (or even just ROMs that for some reason do not receive updates) are being shafted unless they have some way to do a TLS 1.2 update. Remember that? Thought it was done? Apparently the folks at OverDrive disagree. I'm guessing you don't see the message in Opera Mini because it is actually Opera's up-to-date servers that are accessing the website. So it may remain possible to download the .acsm file but it's a guess whether Aldiko will be able to fulfill the book. The rather fussy and technical message suggests that OverDrive apps on devices not updated will not be able to fulfill books. Time will tell.
An update on DRM books with Aldiko.
As of mid-November 2020, I have still been able to fulfill Adobe DRM books from the library using Aldiko as described in post #2. So either Adobe is a little behind the curve (not hard to believe...) or else the security chops of this ROM are sufficient for them--for now.
microG (and Calendar)
If you're not familiar with microG, here is a quick run-down.
If you just don't want to have any trouble with apps that use GSF, you can use the CM 11 image with microG installed. You don't need to do anything else.
If you want to run a Google app like Books or Drive, you will need to add a Google account. This can be done through the microG settings app or via the CM 11 Settings app. The process is slow and keyboard response is temperamental, so be prepared. You will also need to enable Google device registration in the microG settings app.
Calendar Edit: 9-30-22: This no longer works. Calendar is, in fact broken.
Never say never. I was pretty sure this was broken, although I thought it once worked. It turns out I was right on both accounts. More importantly, the version of microG which worked with Calendar still appears to work overall, but there is a catch. Here's what you need to do:
1. The existing com.google.android.gms........apk needs to be replaced with com.google.android.gms-19420020.apk
2. Calendar.apk needs to be added back to /system/app (permissions: rw-r--r--)
3. GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.apk needs to be added to /system/app (permissions: rw-r--r--)
4. CalendarProvider.apk needs to be added back to /system/priv-app (permissions: rw-r--r--)
5. Reboot
The catch: you must add the Google account while trying to start Calendar. This will happen automatically when you try to open Calendar. Adding the account in this way makes it work for everything on the device. Adding it as described above makes Calendar ignore the account. Go figure.
If there is any interest in Calendar, I can put together a zip package to download the needed files.
Discoveries
7-13-22
1. Alternative launcher: Simple E-ink Launcher is just what it says. I came across it while reading about the alternative firmware developed for the Nook Glowlight series. This launcher is part of the package. Very spartan. Nice if you only have a few apps. See image below.
2. General purpose reader: Yeah, I remember what I said, but I was surprised at just how well Koreader performed on the ROM--once you change one setting.
The setting in question has to do with "flash-back" (i.e.,visual cue that you touched something). The ROM does not like this setting at all, but if you can live without it, it all works great. Image attached below shows how I have those particular settings (found from gear-->screen-->E-ink settings).
support!
Thank you for posting. I was trying to see if I could refresh my nook without glowlight, and got here. suprised that someone is working on it after all these years. All the best!
Hyped as **** for this!
This is awesome! It runs well on my Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight from a 16gb micro SD card. There are a few issues but I can live with most, however one is quite annoying. The issue I have is that I can't charge my Nook while in Android 4.4. If I boot it to the original OS (version 1.2.2) then it charges fine. The other major issue is that the battery percentage reported in Android 4.4 does not match the one shown in the stock OS at all. The stock OS reported 6% battery while the Nook OS said 16%. These issues are both seemingly random since sometimes it does work. It will say it's plugged in but not charging in the battery section of settings in Android 4.4 and I can always tell by the LED light. If it's not charging but should be, it will be green, if it's charging when it should be then it's yellow. It does work sometimes but requires some rebooting and messing with things to get it to be functional. Otherwise I love it! My nook also has a brand new battery and does last a long time, though it would be cool to see battery life improved in Android 4.4.
ELECTROHAXZ said:
The issue I have is that I can't charge my Nook while in Android 4.4. If I boot it to the original OS (version 1.2.2) then it charges fine. The other major issue is that the battery percentage reported in Android 4.4 does not match the one shown in the stock OS at all. The stock OS reported 6% battery while the Nook OS said 16%. These issues are both seemingly random since sometimes it does work. It will say it's plugged in but not charging in the battery section of settings in Android 4.4 and I can always tell by the LED light. If it's not charging but should be, it will be green, if it's charging when it should be then it's yellow. It does work sometimes but requires some rebooting and messing with things to get it to be functional.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately the power/charging/sleep/screensaver are all tangled up together. With the screensaver app I made the way it is supposed to work may not always be the way it works. But you can humor it. Try this:
Only plug in to charge with the screensaver dismissed (i.e., before the device has gone to sleep). Before disconnecting from charge, dismiss the screensaver. This seems to be the biggest stumbling block as the ROM wants to change the way the "n" button works if it's in a sleep cycle. The screensaver app is trying to work around that, but there is this grey area of charging when asleep. Try it and see if that helps (you'd need to do a fresh boot, though, if the device shows charging when it is not plugged in before you adopt this regimen).
This may also clear up the battery % discrepancy you are seeing between stock and CM11. I haven't had a chance to run mine long enough today to check on that, but I don't remember seeing the problem during the original shakedown. If I see that later today, I'll report back. (you can expect to see minor differences depending on how close the percentage is to changing when you go from one OS to the other as the boot process does gobble up some electrons)
Edit: I ran my NST on the CM11 ROM for most of the day, doing some charging and some cleanup here and there of things that had changed since I last booted it up. Everything was fine as long as I observed the sequence described above for charging and unplugging. The battery indicator on the CM11 ROM showed 85% when I booted back into the stock ROM. There it showed 84%. Probably the squirrely behavior you observed was tied to the bolluxed charging indicator/screensaver issue. It's just touchy and if you want to use it you need to learn its foibles for the best overall experience.
nmyshkin said:
Unfortunately the power/charging/sleep/screensaver are all tangled up together. With the screensaver app I made the way it is supposed to work may not always be the way it works. But you can humor it. Try this:
Only plug in to charge with the screensaver dismissed (i.e., before the device has gone to sleep). Before disconnecting from charge, dismiss the screensaver. This seems to be the biggest stumbling block as the ROM wants to change the way the "n" button works if it's in a sleep cycle. The screensaver app is trying to work around that, but there is this grey area of charging when asleep. Try it and see if that helps (you'd need to do a fresh boot, though, if the device shows charging when it is not plugged in before you adopt this regimen).
This may also clear up the battery % discrepancy you are seeing between stock and CM11. I haven't had a chance to run mine long enough today to check on that, but I don't remember seeing the problem during the original shakedown. If I see that later today, I'll report back. (you can expect to see minor differences depending on how close the percentage is to changing when you go from one OS to the other as the boot process does gobble up some electrons)
Edit: I ran my NST on the CM11 ROM for most of the day, doing some charging and some cleanup here and there of things that had changed since I last booted it up. Everything was fine as long as I observed the sequence described above for charging and unplugging. The battery indicator on the CM11 ROM showed 85% when I booted back into the stock ROM. There it showed 84%. Probably the squirrely behavior you observed was tied to the bolluxed charging indicator/screensaver issue. It's just touchy and if you want to use it you need to learn its foibles for the best overall experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know. If it's an issue I will try that. I have since discovered that a much easier solution to get things in sync is just to reboot the thing. Frankly that seems a lot easier than the whole thing you said about when to charge and lock/unlock so that's what I've been doing. I just hope it actually is charging when the OS is making the charging LED green and saying not charging despite it being less than 100%. Guess I can find that out with my USB power meter. Thanks for the response!
Related
Hi Everyone,
I'm a noob guys so please excuse me if I posted to wrong forum or if answer is availabe to my question here. I have looked and found few threads but some of the solutions mentioned did not work or involved rather cumbersome process of installs,tweaks or partitioning SD.
My issue is with VR Kingdom REVOlution B1.3 First of all I absolutely love this ROM so cudos to the developers as this is the best ROM I have tried. Seems very stable, all my apps work (at least the ones I have chosen, especially TelNav GPS for Sprint. Wireless is still on and off, at this point I think it's the hardware or my router. Beeing stricken with a slight case of OCD I have not yet found a way for my icons poiting to my apps moved to SD card via the phone's app manager or Superbox etc. to display their icon image. They are all fine in the main apps folder, I create shortcuts to them by holding them down when on desired screen, they appear fine with right icon. When I power on and off they stay okay,however, when I power off to change my battery or chosing the green restart button (close all apps and restart phone) after that reboot my SD card mount fairly fast, pictures, song etc. load fine but for some reason the shortcuts to my apps on various screens now have a generic Android icon. The apps launch fine, but the icons never regain their image unless I recreate the shortcut. That I won't do every time I need to reboot but will not sleep till I find a fix. I know it has to do with the SD mounting after my theme, wallpaper, skin etc. I had the same issue with the Ti-X_GBSenseOTA-V1.3 ROM (was no crazy about that ROM, left me with 7MB in system folder, fat and full of errors)
I also upgraded to a 16gb class 4 micro SD. Only thing I did was copy my 8gb SD cards files to it. Not sure if that was the correct way to do but apps,pics and mp3 etc. seem to work from the new SD fine.
Anyone have a solution or suggestion ? I can't flipping sleep like this..lol It would be very appreciated.
Please help
Thanks in advance,
Julian
Thanks
julianikos said:
Hi Everyone,
I'm a noob guys so please excuse me if I posted to wrong forum or if answer is availabe to my question here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am assuming you have an EVO 4G? The best place to ask question is generally on the general section of your phone's forum or in this case the development thread of the ROM.
julianikos said:
I have looked and found few threads but some of the solutions mentioned did not work or involved rather cumbersome process of installs,tweaks or partitioning SD.
My issue is with VR Kingdom REVOlution B1.3 First of all I absolutely love this ROM so cudos to the developers as this is the best ROM I have tried. Seems very stable, all my apps work (at least the ones I have chosen, especially TelNav GPS for Sprint. Wireless is still on and off, at this point I think it's the hardware or my router. Beeing stricken with a slight case of OCD I have not yet found a way for my icons poiting to my apps moved to SD card via the phone's app manager or Superbox etc. to display their icon image. They are all fine in the main apps folder, I create shortcuts to them by holding them down when on desired screen, they appear fine with right icon. When I power on and off they stay okay,however, when I power off to change my battery or chosing the green restart button (close all apps and restart phone) after that reboot my SD card mount fairly fast, pictures, song etc. load fine but for some reason the shortcuts to my apps on various screens now have a generic Android icon. The apps launch fine, but the icons never regain their image unless I recreate the shortcut. That I won't do every time I need to reboot but will not sleep till I find a fix. I know it has to do with the SD mounting after my theme, wallpaper, skin etc. I had the same issue with the Ti-X_GBSenseOTA-V1.3 ROM (was no crazy about that ROM, left me with 7MB in system folder, fat and full of errors)
I also upgraded to a 16gb class 4 micro SD. Only thing I did was copy my 8gb SD cards files to it. Not sure if that was the correct way to do but apps,pics and mp3 etc. seem to work from the new SD fine.
Anyone have a solution or suggestion ? I can't flipping sleep like this..lol It would be very appreciated.
Please help
Thanks in advance,
Julian
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure of a permanent fix but if you change the scene (long press on an empty bit of a home screen) choose the scene menu and choose a new scene, Then just go back to your original scene. Quicker than recreating your icons...
-Paul
Hello,
I would like to be able to reply on development threads without making the 10 post count, if possible. I'm testing different ROMs (Currently ICS 4.0.3) and I've figured out some bugs and (hopefully fixes) which I would like to share with others.
Sorry if you find this rude, but since this is one of the places I'm allowed to post I'll add some bulletpoints with what I would reply to, mainly because I will forget all this later. If you decide to delete this thread, please post those as a reply to this thread:
[ROM] ICS 4.0.3 CM9, b0.2.5 (Jan 06, 2012) [Camera] [Data++ & Stock hboot]
Some bugs I found & fixes
- Grey icon on wireless: Try installing a terminal emulator, and ping a local device (e.g. 192.168.1.1 or w/e your network/subnets are). If this works, try manually setting the IP address and DNS servers (DNS is MORE important). If you want you can either use google DNS (8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4) or (if using linux) do a cat /etc/resolv.conf to find the DNS servers from your network.
- Email app works, but no syncing (Exchange & IMAP not working, tried with SSL/TLS and Accepted Certs). Gives arbitary error when setting up account (Couldn't open connection to server.), or a java exception:
Can't safely connect to server. (javax.net.ssl.SSLProtocolException) ... external/openssl/ssl/s23_clnt.c:6830
- Power Button & Optical Button & Volume Down = Phone reboots instead of saving screenshot.
- No video capturing, no panoramic photo.
- Will try Gtalk audio/video call, though video shouldn't work.
- A bit groggy behaviour from this new launcher.
Maybe try upgrading to kernel 3.x ?
IMHO, no way on disabling that. I think you'll be ok, by the nightfall you will be able to post in development. All you have to do is to recommend ics as daily rom to 8 more noons here and you're good to go.
SwiftKeyed from my HTC Desire using XDA App.
Hey thanks for your reply,
I hope a mod can get in here and tell me the opossite
I will however start replying to threads.
I'm using the stock kernel, I don't have a grey icon when using wireless, IMAP is working fine for me, I don't know why you're holding down the optical button when taking a screen shot. volume down and the power button will work just fine.
Video capture and panoramic not working are a given, as the camera 'fix' is a hack. And the launcher, as well as the ROM, is still in beta so I suppose you can expect it to be less than smooth. It may well have something to do with the lack of video support, I don't know.
I'm aware they're in beta! That's why I'm pointing out the bugs, and not saying it's a bad rom or sth. I\ve reflashed the rom 3 times, only the first time wireless worked after some random restarts. Other than that it gets an IP address but no DNS servers. IMAP & Microsoft Exchange don't work for more people than just me. Are you using the apps zip file provided in the thread I specified? Also, are you using the same ROM?
I am indeed using the same ROM, I've flashed nothing but a battery icon, the only persistent problem I've come across that's adversely affected the stability of the phone over three hard resets, is when using TB to force apps over to the SD card.
Has it worked nicely for you with TB? I'll give it a shot now, didn't think of it before.
I was also wondering why not use an app2sd from a different rom (like oxygen?) which worked just fine.
silentz0r_ said:
Has it worked nicely for you with TB? I'll give it a shot now, didn't think of it before.
I was also wondering why not use an app2sd from a different rom (like oxygen?) which worked just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TB backups have been fine for me, just when forcing certain apps to SD when I docked the phone to charge via mains or USB the phone would freeze and require a battery pull.
I haven't played about with Apps2SD as I have a Nexus Prime on order and I'm only going to be using the Desire for another ~5 days or so, so I am quite happy chugging along with the 220Mbs of internal space I have using the Bravo Sense HBOOT.
*Edit* When I said TB backups worked just fine, I meant the backup from my first ICS install, not from my MIUI 2.3.7 backup.
Did you flash TB or install from market? Current sd moving app is relatively bad, as it only moves certain apps.
I downloaded it from the market. My first boot of ICS I downloaded all my apps from the market again as suggested on the thread, and then did a backup of my ~20 most used apps, just as a habit.
The thing is, TB uses it's own modified apps2sd, and it's suggested in the thread not to use a different apps2sd than the given one or it might break stuff. Are you sure the apps are moved to the SD card? How did you move them?
silentz0r_ said:
The thing is, TB uses it's own modified apps2sd, and it's suggested in the thread not to use a different apps2sd than the given one or it might break stuff. Are you sure the apps are moved to the SD card? How did you move them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are moved to the SD, for sure, but like I said it's not stable. TB has an option to force apps to the SD, not particularly recommended, but I tried it all the same. Mostly out of curiosity.
Sent from my HTC Desire using xda premium
Wireless still needs to be set manually. TB works fine, no reboots for me at least.
I've had my E4GT since launch and finally decided to come to the dark side. I was running ICS, I made a Nandroid backup and flashed CM9 B1. So first off thanks to all the hard-working devs for getting that NASCAR crap off my phone, good riddance. But I have a few noob questions that I actually really did search for believe it or not!
1. Can I get rid of the retardedly long and pedo/homoerotic splash screen? I know you can change the splash screen but can you just get rid of it? Will that make it boot faster or save an eentsy teensy bit of battery?
2. I am epileptic and every time I lock my screen where it looks like an old CRT turning off, it's a bit of a gamble can I get rid of that too?
3. Most importantly, how do I get CyanogenMod to "see" my phone storage? I have never needed to use an SD card because the built-in storage is plenty. I tried restoring my apps and settings using MyBackup Pro. The apps were re-installed successfully but all the files related to them, notepad files, music, ringtones, etc are on the inbuilt storage but I can't select them with the OS in any way. They're definitely there, I can see them in ASTRO and when I plug in my phone, but it's like Cyanogen isn't looking the right place. The Gallery doesn't load any of my pictures, and when I open the camera it says "insert an SD card before using the camera". which brings me to...
4. Camera UI. It's awful. The camera I'm used to - is that AOSP or is it Touchwiz? Either way, can I swap it somehow? Or get the one from the GS3?
Flame/Answer away and thanks in advance dudes. let me know if you need more info.
1. search "pimp my rom" and with that you can turn off the boot animation...there's probably other ways u can do this too though
4. camera apps in the play store
spades45 said:
I've had my E4GT since launch and finally decided to come to the dark side. I was running ICS, I made a Nandroid backup and flashed CM9 B1. So first off thanks to all the hard-working devs for getting that NASCAR crap off my phone, good riddance. But I have a few noob questions that I actually really did search for believe it or not!
1. Can I get rid of the retardedly long and pedo/homoerotic splash screen? I know you can change the splash screen but can you just get rid of it? Will that make it boot faster or save an eentsy teensy bit of battery?
2. I am epileptic and every time I lock my screen where it looks like an old CRT turning off, it's a bit of a gamble can I get rid of that too?
3. Most importantly, how do I get CyanogenMod to "see" my phone storage? I have never needed to use an SD card because the built-in storage is plenty. I tried restoring my apps and settings using MyBackup Pro. The apps were re-installed successfully but all the files related to them, notepad files, music, ringtones, etc are on the inbuilt storage but I can't select them with the OS in any way. They're definitely there, I can see them in ASTRO and when I plug in my phone, but it's like Cyanogen isn't looking the right place. The Gallery doesn't load any of my pictures, and when I open the camera it says "insert an SD card before using the camera". which brings me to...
4. Camera UI. It's awful. The camera I'm used to - is that AOSP or is it Touchwiz? Either way, can I swap it somehow? Or get the one from the GS3?
Flame/Answer away and thanks in advance dudes. let me know if you need more info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#1, #3 and #4 depends on the ROM and so suggest ask on the respective ROM discussion thread in General. I'll go on a limb here and suggest you might find your answers already in chris41g's CM9 thread in the General forum.
#2 I believe is by design and will probably be fixed in the ROM. Again, double check on the respective ROM discussion thread (Not the release thread unless the dev specifies to ask there).
spades45 said:
I've had my E4GT since launch and finally decided to come to the dark side. I was running ICS, I made a Nandroid backup and flashed CM9 B1. So first off thanks to all the hard-working devs for getting that NASCAR crap off my phone, good riddance. But I have a few noob questions that I actually really did search for believe it or not!
1. Can I get rid of the retardedly long and pedo/homoerotic splash screen? I know you can change the splash screen but can you just get rid of it? Will that make it boot faster or save an eentsy teensy bit of battery?
2. I am epileptic and every time I lock my screen where it looks like an old CRT turning off, it's a bit of a gamble can I get rid of that too?
3. Most importantly, how do I get CyanogenMod to "see" my phone storage? I have never needed to use an SD card because the built-in storage is plenty. I tried restoring my apps and settings using MyBackup Pro. The apps were re-installed successfully but all the files related to them, notepad files, music, ringtones, etc are on the inbuilt storage but I can't select them with the OS in any way. They're definitely there, I can see them in ASTRO and when I plug in my phone, but it's like Cyanogen isn't looking the right place. The Gallery doesn't load any of my pictures, and when I open the camera it says "insert an SD card before using the camera". which brings me to...
4. Camera UI. It's awful. The camera I'm used to - is that AOSP or is it Touchwiz? Either way, can I swap it somehow? Or get the one from the GS3?
Flame/Answer away and thanks in advance dudes. let me know if you need more info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't really use CM9 but all of the other roms I've used have been about the same. If CM9 doesn't have an option or mod to disable the boot animation or if you can't find an app that's compatible, there's something else you can try. Using a root explorer, go to /system/media/bootanimation.zip and delete that file. Create a new blank file and name it bootanimation.zip in the same directory. When your phone starts, it will try to run the splash, but there won't be anything there and it skips it.
I think that the CRT OFF animation is modded into the framework. You would need an unmodded framework to shut it off. Check CM9's forum to see if they have one or ask there.
From the way I understood it, your third problem sounds like your media scanner isn't running on boot. Download an app called Development Tools from the market and run the media scanner to see if that helps. If not, check/ask on the CM9 forums for help.
There are a lot of good camera apps on the market. Some of them provide cool effects such as Vignette, Paper Camera, and HDR cameras.
If you go to settings and apps you can uninstall stuff like the NASCAR app, on stock, just so you know.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
First off, THIS COULD DAMAGE/BRICK YOUR GLASS! I'm not responsible for anything that happens to your Glass directly or indirectly caused by this app.
I've spent the last few days getting a build environment set up to build APKs that require the internal and hidden APIs for Glass. As a test I've built the stock 4.0.3_r1.1 Settings.apk with as few modifications as possible. In particular I've made the following changes:
1) Removed as many theme references as I could so that the menus would feel at least reasonably glass-like.
2) Removed HOME intents (used by CryptKeeper; I would not recommend trying to encrypt Glass, and receiving this intent was messing up Glass every time I turned the screen back on)
3) Removed android.uid.system shared user ID. Based on my minimal knowledge of these things, I don't think you can install the APK as the system user unless the APK is signed with the same signature as the ROM.
4) Added various permissions to AndroidManifest.xml to make a few more things work since the app isn't installed as the system user.
I haven't done much testing; really I've only tested things like the About screen, view installed apps, and the battery stats. If you try to actually change any settings, you'll probably get a crash due to some missing permissions because the app isn't running as system. Also anything that uses a seek bar is broken, so setting brightness, volume, etc seems broken. Really, don't expect much of anything to work. Google has changed several things under the hood, and I haven't really customized this app for Glass beyond just making it work. It is kind of neat seeing the About screen though.
To install: Use adb. You don't need root.
To run: I've been using Launchy
dpw13 said:
First off, THIS COULD DAMAGE/BRICK YOUR GLASS! I'm not responsible for anything that happens to your Glass directly or indirectly caused by this app.
I've spent the last few days getting a build environment set up to build APKs that require the internal and hidden APIs for Glass. As a test I've built the stock 4.0.3_r1.1 Settings.apk with as few modifications as possible. In particular I've made the following changes:
1) Removed as many theme references as I could so that the menus would feel at least reasonably glass-like.
2) Removed HOME intents (used by CryptKeeper; I would not recommend trying to encrypt Glass, and receiving this intent was messing up Glass every time I turned the screen back on)
3) Removed android.uid.system shared user ID. Based on my minimal knowledge of these things, I don't think you can install the APK as the system user unless the APK is signed with the same signature as the ROM.
4) Added various permissions to AndroidManifest.xml to make a few more things work since the app isn't installed as the system user.
I haven't done much testing; really I've only tested things like the About screen, view installed apps, and the battery stats. If you try to actually change any settings, you'll probably get a crash due to some missing permissions because the app isn't running as system. Also anything that uses a seek bar is broken, so setting brightness, volume, etc seems broken. Really, don't expect much of anything to work. Google has changed several things under the hood, and I haven't really customized this app for Glass beyond just making it work. It is kind of neat seeing the About screen though.
To install: Use adb. You don't need root.
To run: I've been using Launchy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is your Launchy still working after the XE12 update?
Yep, seems to be working fine.
* Update: I should note that I built Launchy from source this past weekend, and I don't use it through the settings card; I use it by either saying "ok glass, run an app" or by tapping on the clock and scrolling to "Run an App".
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda app-developers app
deleted.I was totally off topic
Adding to my Repo
dpw13 said:
First off, THIS COULD DAMAGE/BRICK YOUR GLASS! I'm not responsible for anything that happens to your Glass directly or indirectly caused by this app.
I've spent the last few days getting a build environment set up to build APKs that require the internal and hidden APIs for Glass. As a test I've built the stock 4.0.3_r1.1 Settings.apk with as few modifications as possible. In particular I've made the following changes:
1) Removed as many theme references as I could so that the menus would feel at least reasonably glass-like.
2) Removed HOME intents (used by CryptKeeper; I would not recommend trying to encrypt Glass, and receiving this intent was messing up Glass every time I turned the screen back on)
3) Removed android.uid.system shared user ID. Based on my minimal knowledge of these things, I don't think you can install the APK as the system user unless the APK is signed with the same signature as the ROM.
4) Added various permissions to AndroidManifest.xml to make a few more things work since the app isn't installed as the system user.
I haven't done much testing; really I've only tested things like the About screen, view installed apps, and the battery stats. If you try to actually change any settings, you'll probably get a crash due to some missing permissions because the app isn't running as system. Also anything that uses a seek bar is broken, so setting brightness, volume, etc seems broken. Really, don't expect much of anything to work. Google has changed several things under the hood, and I haven't really customized this app for Glass beyond just making it work. It is kind of neat seeing the About screen though.
To install: Use adb. You don't need root.
To run: I've been using Launchy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, I have tested this application out and it works very well with Google Glass! Thank you so much for this, I will be sure to add this to my Open Source Google Glass Development Repository: https://github.com/jaredsburrows/OpenQuartz
I'll make sure to keep a link to this thread for updates!
Thanks to @SafinWasi @Dilbert1959 @Euneiro
Required
Code:
Android SDK
ADB
USB Debugging (see [user=5609616]@SafinWasi[/user]'s guide - [URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-phone/general/guide-enable-usb-debugging-setup-t2859697"]HERE[/URL])
If you've managed to avoid the OTA update & are still on 3.5 - Simple. Download towelroot v3, make it ra1n, download SuperSU, then use Titanium or ES File Explorer to uninstall/disable Devices Services Platform.
For the rest of us who have updated to 3.5.1
Download Fire OS 3.5 - HERE
Rename to update.bin & drop it in to C:\
Boot phone into recovery by holding PWR + VOL UP
Select "Apply update from ADB"
Go to Device Manager - find "Fire" and select "Update driver". Go through the list of "All devices" to find Android Composite USB Interface and select it.
Unplug the phone, plug it back in, then open up a command prompt and type the following:
Code:
adb sideload c:\update.bin
This will downgrade you to 3.5. When done, do a full wipe & reboot. Then install towelroot to obtain root access.
Please report any issues.
Great job,I'll add this to my R&D thread
I have a question: If you're rooted on the Fire Phone, is it possible to install Google Services Framework and Google Play Services and have a fully working Google Play Store and GApps on this device, like the Kindle tablets can? Thanks in advance!
Yes, but be careful - don't downgrade fireos above 3.6.2
B1ackByte said:
Yes, but be careful - don't downgrade fireos above 3.6.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have Fire Phone Fire OS 3.6.8 , am i domed to stuck forever with only amazon apps ? can i at least sideload google store apps ?
if i can downgrade and make it work with google store ; can you guys tell me how ?
Maybe you should have a look at the other threads - already mentioned there
3.6.8 downgrade maybe make your device useless
---------- Post added at 10:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:38 PM ----------
Launcher: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2961169
[Q] Fire Phone & Launchers
---------- Post added at 10:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:03 PM ----------
Gapps:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=57095260
i really hope someone can root fire phone 3.6.8 and make a customer rom
it is a nice phone
I will second that plea - please someone discovery how to root and put a real Android ROM on 3.6.8 phones. It is a powerhouse phone for the on-sale price. But I just can't warm up to the Fire ROM - they tried to make it a Kindle tablet that's a phone device and changes to the UI just to be different in my opinion.
I do not get Voice Mail messages on my Lock Screen - does anybody? I've missed multiple messages now because the only way I know I have one is if I swipe down from the top to display notifications (why the $#!!# Amazon developers thought that you shouldn't display notifications in the notification bar is beyond me and an example of how frustrating this otherwise fine phone is..).
Please, please, please.....
daggerNC said:
I will second that plea - please someone discovery how to root and put a real Android ROM on 3.6.8 phones. It is a powerhouse phone for the on-sale price. But I just can't warm up to the Fire ROM - they tried to make it a Kindle tablet that's a phone device and changes to the UI just to be different in my opinion.
I do not get Voice Mail messages on my Lock Screen - does anybody? I've missed multiple messages now because the only way I know I have one is if I swipe down from the top to display notifications (why the $#!!# Amazon developers thought that you shouldn't display notifications in the notification bar is beyond me and an example of how frustrating this otherwise fine phone is..).
Please, please, please.....
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Click to collapse
I feel ur pain. bite ur finger nails and stay strong
daggerNC said:
I will second that plea - please someone discovery how to root and put a real Android ROM on 3.6.8 phones. It is a powerhouse phone for the on-sale price. But I just can't warm up to the Fire ROM - they tried to make it a Kindle tablet that's a phone device and changes to the UI just to be different in my opinion.
I do not get Voice Mail messages on my Lock Screen - does anybody? I've missed multiple messages now because the only way I know I have one is if I swipe down from the top to display notifications (why the $#!!# Amazon developers thought that you shouldn't display notifications in the notification bar is beyond me and an example of how frustrating this otherwise fine phone is..).
Please, please, please.....
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Click to collapse
Below is a copy/paste of a review I wrote about using this phone after 2 months. The section regarding notifications surely will apply to you. Perhaps there will be other parts that will help as well!
LilLowEK said:
Below, in no particular order, is a list of things I hated out of the box. Following will be my feelings, along with tips & tricks, on the same items.
1. The Home Screen - I didn't like how the apps were randomly scattered on the home screen. It was difficult for me find what I was looking for.
2. No Google Play Store - I understand the logic behind this from a business prospective. However, from a consumer prospective, there are apps I use on a daily basis that were not available in the Amazon App Store. As bad as this sounds, it means I'd have to change my life style to accommodate this device. One thing that kind of floored me on this is that Google doesn't block the Amazon App store on their OS.
3. The grid - It scrolls up and down, where I've been used to scrolling left to right. Also, there is no way to easily sort the applications by alphabetical order. It simply displays them as they are installed.
4. The lack of soft keys - I've been accustomed to soft keys to open the menu, go home, view recently used apps, and to go back.
5. Notifications - The notification bar doesn't keep a log of icons of notifications. For example, if I get a KIK message it drops down, previews it, and vanished. Unless I open up the notification panel there is nothing to remind you of this. This bothers me as I often don't review them straight away and forget it even happened.
6. Keyboard - There is absolutely no way to install another keyboard. I've been a long time user of Swift Key and I keep find myself hitting the period instead of the space bar.
Due to the above I decided to try to make the phone a bit more what I'm used to. This was easy as I simply had to side load a few apps. This mainly included the apps that were not in the Amazon App Store along with a launcher to replace the Amazon Home screen. After installing several launchers I found one that I was happy with as it permitted me to use custom Widgets. I used it this way for a week or so and was happy to have my old Style back.
Now that I didn't feel held back, or limited by the device, I wanted to give it a go on how it was intended to be used. I changed my default home launcher to the Fire OS launcher. After using it a bit, and exploring it, it's my default launcher with no plans of going back to the standard Android Launcher! Below are the same 6 items listed above, but including how I feel about them now. It will also include what I consider to be tips & tricks, things I wish I knew out of the box.
1. The Home Screen - The use of Dynamic Perspective to access menus is amazing! The apps that are created for this OS have beautiful home screen widgets that I'm not sure I could go with out now. I love the fact I can read SMS messages on the home screen, emails on the home screen, a flip of the wrist shows me the current weather, my upcoming appointment and reminders, and much more. Although there is no easy way to change the apps listed, you can pin apps to the front. So simply pin the app that you want listed last first, and the first app last. This will put them in the order that you'd like.
2. No Google Play Store - As others have mentioned, installing the Google Play Store is very simply on this device. There is no downgrading required. Simply side load a few APK files. I won't go into detail on this as it can be found in a lot of other places.
3. The grid - I don't mind scrolling up and down now. It's second nature now. However, you still can not sort the apps. You must go through the tedious process of moving them one at a time by clicking and dragging it. I did this so they are sorted alphabetically. If I install a new app I now simply drag it where I feel it should be.
4. The lack of soft keys - I'm so used to swiping up now it's odd to use a traditional Android phone's back button! The physical home button works fine, especiall8y now that I discovered the "Quick Switch" menu by double pressing the home key.
5. Notifications - I've toggled all the options regarding notifications in the settings. My original complaint still exists. This was a HUGE set back for me with this device. Luckily, with a lot of trial and error, I found an app that works well for me. It's call NotifierPro Free. I configured it so a bar drops down and stays under the status bar. I also configured it so these notifications remain until I swipe them away. This has been a HUGE help in allowing me to adapt to this device.
6. Keyboard - There is still no way to change the default keyboard, even after side loading one. Amazon told me they made an update to their Kindles which allows the use of changing keyboard applications, so there will be an update that allows the Fire Phone to do the same.
Tips & Tricks / Q & A
1. Switching between running apps quickly.
- To do this simply press the home button twice quickly. You will be presented with a menu called "Quick Switch" where your most recently used apps can be found.
2. How do I quit apps that I'm not using at the moment to extend battery life and free resources?
- If you double click the home button to access the "Quick Switch" menu you can swipe up which will close the app, remove it from the quick switch menu, along with removing it from the cluttered home carousel.
3. Can I group applications together?
- Yes you can! Inside the home menu click and drag an application over another. It will ask you to give the new collection a name and they are then in a group. This is a great way to keep things together and sorted. You can also drag these "collections" into the home screen dock.
4. Any tips for the Camera?
- Yes! I've read about this "best shot" feature, but it didn't seem to do anything for me once I enable it. However, which viewing the photos you already have taken you will have a "best shot" option you can click on. This will show you the 3 photos the camera took, allowing you to select the one that you like the best.
- Burst Feature - The Amazon pages states you can click and hold the camera button to take a burst of photos. This doesn't work for me as it opens up Fire Fly. However, if you press and hold the soft key this feature works.
5. Amazon App Store or Google Play Store?
- I suggest you use the App from the Amazon App Store if available. Some of these apps are created specifically for the Fire Phone and give home screen widgets that the standard app does not support. For example, if you install KIK from the Amazon App Store it allows you to read messages on your home screen, where if you install it from the Play Store it does not.
6. Is the battery really as bad as people say?
- Maybe originally prior to the newest update. The newest update bring out amazing battery life, compared to my old phone at least. I can easily get through an entire day on a single charge. This is under moderate use such as messaging, emailing, browsing eBay, the web, and normal app use. I do not use the device to watch movies or television shows.
As I continue finding things about this phone that I feel are worth mentioning, I'll be sure to update this review. Outside of that, if you have bought this device but initially installed the Google Home Launcher, I strongly suggest you open your mind and give the Amazon Home Launcher a shot. It's truly amazing.
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LilLowEK said:
Below is a copy/paste of a review I wrote about using this phone after 2 months. The section regarding notifications surely will apply to you. Perhaps there will be other parts that will help as well!
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Click to collapse
Is the notification app you refer to called "NotifierPro Free"? I don't see anything by the exact name you said...
ediebol said:
Is the notification app you refer to called "NotifierPro Free"? I don't see anything by the exact name you said...
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Yes, you can find it in the Google Playstore.
B1ackByte said:
Yes, but be careful - don't downgrade fireos above 3.6.2
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Click to collapse
I successfully downgraded from 3.6.6 to 3.6.2 and phone still activated
lu1gj3s said:
I successfully downgraded from 3.6.6 to 3.6.2 and phone still activated
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Tell us more, please... We would like to have more info regarding this
I have v3.6.0 on my phone uk o2 can i downgrade to 3.5? what are the benefits and its asking to update to 3.6.8 what should i do?
jutley said:
I have v3.6.0 on my phone uk o2 can i downgrade to 3.5? what are the benefits and its asking to update to 3.6.8 what should i do?
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Same here! I would like to know if I can downgrade to 3.5 from this version because having root will really change the game
Below 3.6.8 downgrade should work. Please use development forum only for development.
B1ackByte said:
Below 3.6.8 downgrade should work. Please use development forum only for development.
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Click to collapse
And it DOES!
I followed the tutorial and now I have the device with 3.5 and full root.
By the way, YOU NEED TO BE PATIENT. Fire Phone takes forever in wiping cache and data. Just leave the phone for around 5 - 7 minutes n both cases even though it looks stacked.
And BE CAREFUL! This image is for AT&T... So the image is for the US customers and you won't be able to use AppStore unless you change your country to the US
Thanks, guys!
I am M3 said:
Thanks to @SafinWasi @Dilbert1959 @Euneiro
Required
Code:
Android SDK
ADB
USB Debugging (see [user=5609616]@SafinWasi[/user]'s guide - [URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-phone/general/guide-enable-usb-debugging-setup-t2859697"]HERE[/URL])
If you've managed to avoid the OTA update & are still on 3.5 - Simple. Download towelroot v3, make it ra1n, download SuperSU, then use Titanium or ES File Explorer to uninstall/disable Devices Services Platform.
For the rest of us who have updated to 3.5.1
Download Fire OS 3.5 - HERE
Rename to update.bin & drop it in to C:\
Boot phone into recovery by holding PWR + VOL UP
Select "Apply update from ADB"
Go to Device Manager - find "Fire" and select "Update driver". Go through the list of "All devices" to find Android Composite USB Interface and select it.
Unplug the phone, plug it back in, then open up a command prompt and type the following:
Code:
adb sideload c:\update.bin
This will downgrade you to 3.5. When done, do a full wipe & reboot. Then install towelroot to obtain root access.
Please report any issues.
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I start a cmd prompt but when I enter the command " adb sideload c:\update.bin " it just runs the help file with adb commands, I am on the adb recovery screen and it says sideload OTA update using adb sideload <filename>. Not sure what I am doing wrong? help please, oh my device has download part of the new update, do I need to delete it first? I'm running 3.5.1 at&t
wont read update.bin
when I try to sideload it gives me a message "cannot read update.bin" maybe a corrupted dowload, i'll try downloading again or any other suggestions?