Database Users

a complicated rooting/resetting situation

i bought an htc dream/g1 from ebay new. the catch is that it's in chinese (didn't know this when i bought it). i've set it to english, but the market place, among some other system dialogues are still in chinese. i've managed to log into my google account by guessing, but i'm getting error messages i can't read, and the whole market interface is in chinese.
so i CAN'T use the android market to download a file manager, or download anything at all (which seems to be required in order to root it). i can mount the sd card and access it in windows.
what i really want to do is just delete everything on there, os and all, and start from scratch (the same way i could with an iphone). the most important thing is that it be in english. secondly that it run smoothly. after that it would be nice if it could be a sense ui rom, but that is not required, i guess.
please, any help at all would be appreciated! i'm new to android and i can't figure all these issues out at once and in mandarin.

I would suggest downgrading to RC29 or RC7, but those are US and UK firmwares. What firmware version is it? it would be useful for us to have all the information in Settings > About. If it's on 1.5 you should be able to use the 'flashrec' method, but I guess that will ake some trial and error.

[Q] How to change the default keyboard on rooted NST?

I have rooted my nook simple touch. Originally it was meant for reading only, but I write a lot too and writing on a computer screen is very straining as well as intimidating. I installed an app for takig notes on my NST but then I found that the keyboard isn't very nice on the nook. I want to change it. There are several keyboard apps on the market but none of them seem to work. I am not very much aware about the android system, so will someone please help me install a new keyboard? I don't need swype, swiftkey x will do. please help me install swiftkey x or something similar.

you have to move the apk file from /data/app to /system/app. Then use Nook Color Tools to select new keyboard.
I can recommend Hacker's keyboard (on market it is for android 2.2 and later but you can find somewhere on the forum link to a 2.1 version). Only cons is that it is dark but I have asked a developer and he is working on a different look (and hopefully also integrate 2.1 compatibility pach).

if you dont wanna open adb or anything, just do this
you can just install the app using Market
(or)
Download the apk from tto your computer. copy it to your SD card. Insert the SD card into nook and just open the folder in your SD card where you have the .apk and tap on it. then nook will ask for an install prompt and then proceed to install.
Once done enable the keybord from the app itself, or if you open NookColor tools you will have an ption to change the default keyboard

Keyboards
Take a look at TorimuNooter, it has ICSKeyboard included.

Torimu.Joji said:
Take a look at TorimuNooter, it has ICSKeyboard included.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to add on to this, ICSKeyboard has a working autocorrect/suggestion system.

thanks everyone. I figured it all out myself. I am currently on touchpal and am loving it. thanks for the Co ordination

How did you get Touchpal to work. I installed TouchPal Tablet and the keyboard was all messed up?
What version of Touchpal are you using?

Hello, I'm also looking for a better keyboard (for Spanish, for example).
I've tried many (I like ICSKeyboard), but all they lack the key "Done" (required when adding notes in the stock Reader).
Somebody knows if there is a keyboard that includes it?
TIA,
jugaor

sorry I meant smart keyboard pro. its great and very customizeable. it also has Spanish language for it, and many more.
I think the done key is not dependent on what keyboard you use (its not available on the stock of course), it gets activated only in situations the app needs it to. so if the apparently commands the use of the done key, it will be there. I am not sure if this is correct, but I do get the one key whenever I want on the smart keyboard pro.

I have the same problem with the "Done" key: for example when I want to add a note to my books, I found I can only do that with the stock keyboard which has a permanent "done" button for me to press. Any other keyboard I tried has the normal "enter" key, but no "done"... pressing enter has the effect of a carriage return on the notes (that allow for multiline comments up to 512 char), but I can't save the note.
Anyone found a solution to this?
Thanks anyone!

ICS keyboard for NST
Googie2149 said:
Just to add on to this, ICSKeyboard has a working autocorrect/suggestion system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your post is my only hope left in the sea of misery of keyboards without auto-suggestion. I tried to install a couple of ICSKeyboard builds on my 1.2.1 Nook rooted with NootManager, but to no avail. Could you tell me where to find a cab of this ICSKeyboard working on Nook?
The TorimuNooter is not available anywhere anymore. The only image I could find is 06K version; it doesn't have this keyboard.

Clarification on installing a new keyboard: First you will need a browser with root privileges (ES File Explorer worked for me). In the settings menu, choose Root Explorer, then Mount R/W. Both "data" and "system" need to be set to R/W - otherwise I couldn't see the files and folders in data and I couldn't copy things to system/app). Find the keyboard install program (mine (graffiti) was not easy - I had to search for the APK). Copy it to the System/App folder. Run the install from that folder. That made it show up in the Nook Color Tools for me.

There must be a way to force the "Done" key to show in a 3rd party keyboard.. I use Smart keyboard to be able to write to my language (stock has only english) but the only problem is this "done" key not showing, although it show elsewhere..

NST 1.2.0 image

Hello guys!
Yesterday I just got my new NST with firmware 1.2.0 and wanted to root it. But all instructions i found were about 1.1.X firmware versions. So i decided to downgrade my firmware( and didn't make a backup of it before formatting the flash ROM. So now my Nook doesn't starts with old versions of firmware and i can't find the image with 1.2.0 firmware. Does anyone can hepl me and share it with me, please?

kinlit said:
So now my Nook doesn't starts with old versions of firmware and i can't find the image with 1.2.0 firmware. Does anyone can hepl me and share it with me, please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do a manual update to firmware 1.2 from BN's website : http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/Software-Updates-NOOK-Simple-Touch/379003175/

forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1475613
This is what I used to downgrade from 1.2 to 1.1.

Thank you guys for you replies!
ladykayaker, actually the problem is that nook doesn't loads, so i can't follow a standart procedure.
fosselman, i'm gonna try it later and write here about results. BTW did you have 1.2.0 as factory firmware before downgrading like i have now?

kinlit said:
Thank you guys for you replies!
ladykayaker, actually the problem is that nook doesn't loads, so i can't follow a standart procedure.
fosselman, i'm gonna try it later and write here about results. BTW did you have 1.2.0 as factory firmware before downgrading like i have now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got mine and it was at 1.0.x and I upgraded it straight to 1.2.0. Was enjoying it as an ereader and then realized I could root it and have some fun so I made a backup of my device but it was of a 1.2.0 image so I used CWM and flashed it to 1.1.0 to make rooting easier. Tinynoot did work for me on 1.2.0 but I wanted gapps and found it easier to go back to 1.1.0.

I guess this is a good place for all things 1.2
I updated to 1.2 but I've bashed so much stuff on mine that I had problems.
I've deleted all the B&N download and cloud stuff.
Settings.apk tries to "check-in" constantly.
I'm going to see if I can get the some of the stock Eclair stuff working.
Mixing up different sources of stuff requires re-signing.

Hey everyone!
Thanks G-d, i made it! I used a method of recovering from image with 1.0.0 firmware with noogie tools.
Tried to use CWM, but it didn't work out) Thanks guys and goodbuy 1.2.0 firmware!)

Some surprises with the 1.2 update.
If you actually read a book on it you'll notice that the screen update has been changed somehow.
It's hard to put a finger on it, but the image "morphs" going from one page to another.
There is still the complete refresh every n pages (where n=6 by default, but can be configured).
I think that it is an improvement.
The EpdController code (eInk display interface) has been rewritten which breaks some previous user code.
EpdController is no longer static.
android.hardware.EpdController.RegionParams => android.hardware.EpdRegionParams
android.hardware.EpdController.Wave => android.hardware.EpdRegionParams.Wave
The following code sets my blinker thingie to use fast updates:
Code:
import android.hardware.EpdController;
import android.hardware.EpdRegionParams;
EpdController epd = new EpdController(context);
epd.setRegion(TAG, EpdController.Region.APP_3, blinker, EpdRegionParams.Wave.DU);
Good code should probably check whether there is no Epd, 1.1.2 Epd or 1.2 Epd.
The user interface now supports English, French, German, Italian, Chinese.
I'm not sure if there is a place in Settings for picking that.
I had to rip the B&N Settings.apk out because it was trying to "phone home" constantly.
Of course the stock Eclair Settings.apk has language settings.
There has been some preparation done for multiple dictionaries.
There is an entry field for typing in a search word, but no browse screen.

Renate NST said:
The user interface now supports English, French, German, Italian, Chinese.
I'm not sure if there is a place in Settings for picking that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the US version doesn't have a place for the user to select language / locale, but the International build does (some on this forum refer to it as the UK Nook)
In the US Nook, you can select language/locale by opening NookColorTools > Settings >Locale

Nook SImple Touch Language and dictionaries disappeared?!

HI all,
I recently rooted my nook Simple Touch, and then formatted and update to 1.2.1, and the system language setting and the dictionary setting are gone! Reading online i discovered that they're not supported by default, but i'm sure i did have them!! What happened? Thanks in advance

You should have updated to 1.2.1 THEN rooted, as rooting replaces some files rather than patching them. Maybe that's what happened.

OK i didn't explain correctly.
I had 1.2, then updated to 1.2.1, then rooted, then formatted many times because i was getting an error, then formatted to factory settings and 1.1 fw, then updated to 1.2.1 again.

Do you have a US or international device. The US ROM does not have any language setting. The UK ROM used by NookManager does, so perhaps try rooting with NookManager to see if you get the language settings back.

Nook Simple Touch - Stock Dictionaries

I have a rooted Nook Simple Touch running the 1.2.1 firmware since ~2015 and it has been a while since I had not need to use the internet/wifi and because of that I missed all the news about the firmware update to support the secure TLS stuff.
Today, I tried to install additional dictionaries from the settings menu, but it stays at "connecting" forever and I think it is because of the outdated firmware.
I read the post on this forum and noticed that the update method doesn't work for rooted devices and the only alternative is to restore a stock image, update the firmware and then root it again. (https://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-touch/general/nst-nstg-fw-1-2-2-update-t3785566)
But, since I don't remember how I rooted it and the other customization I did, I think I'll probably miss something and then it is not worth doing it.
Then, I wanted to ask if someone has the stock files for the dictionaries to share (preferably the German and Spanish ones), and if just copying them to `/system/media/reference` will be enough to make the Nook think they were installed or would I need to do something else?
Similar to this thread (https://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-touch/general/nst-reader-stock-dictionary-oxford-gb-t3942496)
ETA:
If you have a NST with 1.2.2 firmware (the newest one (2018) that can access the internet) , can you check if Settings > Reader > Dictionaries is available and if you can download the other dictionaries.
And If it is not too much trouble, can you download them and then extract the files and upload them.
Thank you.

renatogoes said:
Today, I tried to install additional dictionaries from the settings menu, but it stays at "connecting" forever and I think it is because of the outdated firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait, how does that work?! I've never seen that option in Settings. Are we really talking about the NST? I know the Glowlight model (as opposed to the NST Glowlight) has the option to download other dictionaries, but I don't think the NST versions of the hardware ever did.

nmyshkin said:
Wait, how does that work?! I've never seen that option in Settings. Are we really talking about the NST? I know the Glowlight model (as opposed to the NST Glowlight) has the option to download other dictionaries, but I don't think the NST versions of the hardware ever did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I confirmed that mine is indeed a Simple Touch and its model number is BNRV300, but I don't know if there is more than one NST model.
I have a NST *without* the glowlight, and I can see it on Settings > Reader > Manage Dictionaries, and I can also access it when I search a word while reading by clicking on a button labelled "Change Dictionaries."
Someone (Renate NST???) mentioned that the extra dictionaries are stored in a different folder, but I'm not sure if she is talking about the official dictionaries or some custom ones that use some extra software.

@nmyshkin, I hadn't thought that most users wouldn't know about the other dictionaries, and after thinking about, I noticed that I only found them by chance.
I edited the original message to provide more details on that.

renatogoes said:
@nmyshkin, I hadn't thought that most users wouldn't know about the other dictionaries, and after thinking about, I noticed that I only found them by chance.
I edited the original message to provide more details on that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, but there is still much to be sorted out. I have attached a screenshot of the stock 1.2.2 Settings>Reader (no dictionary sub-level) below. It is all I have ever seen in many years of using the NST on FW 1.2.1 and 1.2.2. If I had seen what you are describing I would have tried to include it in my expanded Nook Settings app. But there is nothing else. No way to go to another screen, etc.
So....what does your device display in the "About Your Nook" section? It doesn't seem possible that it's US firmware. I can understand dictionary options in the UK firmware because maybe some would cross the Channel, but not the US firmware.
Curiouser and curiouser.
Edith, another thought. If, back in the day, you installed a custom ROM like the one cooked up by @pinguy1982, that may be the difference. I believe that ROM was based on UK firmware. If that's it, you're out of luck unless you can find someone who actually installed these dictionaries because with FW 1.2.1 the difference between the UK and US firmware was eliminated, and you can't do anything vis-a-vis B&N with FW 1.2.1 any longer.

OK, but there is still much to be sorted out. I have attached a screenshot of the stock 1.2.2 Settings>Reader (no dictionary sub-level) below. It is all I have ever seen in many years of using the NST on FW 1.2.1 and 1.2.2. If I had seen what you are describing I would have tried to include it in my expanded Nook Settings app. But there is nothing else. No way to go to another screen, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine has two entries inside Reader, the first one to configure the buttons as in your screenshot, and the one to manage the dictionaries.
So....what does your device display in the "About Your Nook" section? It doesn't seem possible that it's US firmware. I can understand dictionary options in the UK firmware because maybe some would cross the Channel, but not the US firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has some info about the account registered, the MAC address and Serial number, and the info about the model/firmware only have:
Software version -> 1.2.1
Model Number -> BNRV300
But it doesn't say anything about it being the US or UK version.
I think it is the UK since I have the Oxford dictionary named as `ox_en_GB.db` inside the dictionary folder.
When I checked the update zip on B&N site it had different files, which I think refer to the Merriam-Webster for the US version.
Edith, another thought. If, back in the day, you installed a custom ROM like the one cooked up by @pinguy1982, that may be the difference. I believe that ROM was based on UK firmware. If that's it, you're out of luck unless you can find someone who actually installed these dictionaries because with FW 1.2.1 the difference between the UK and US firmware was eliminated, and you can't do anything vis-a-vis B&N with FW 1.2.1 any longer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has been too long for me to remember exactly what I did, but I think I hadn't flashed a custom ROM because I only wanted to root it to install some random apk to read manga and I hadn't modified the ones for epubs.

renatogoes said:
I think it is the UK since I have the Oxford dictionary named as `ox_en_GB.db` inside the dictionary folder.
When I checked the update zip on B&N site it had different files, which I think refer to the Merriam-Webster for the US version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think so, too, but I want to check the 1.2.1 UK update zip (the final UK only version) and see what's inside. If that's where the difference is, then those dictionaries are probably long gone. Even if one were to install the Settings app from the UK version, the URLs for fetching the dictionaries would likely point to non-existent UK servers that B&N shut down long ago.
It would be interesting to know if the dictionary format changed from the NST to the "Glowlight" model (still not sure where in the lineup that one is...they really should have been more careful with their model naming). A Google search on Nooks and dictionaries yields a few hits that show something similar to what you are describing (I guess) but for the "Glowlight" model, not the NST. Since there would be some of those still out there, those would be the people to find--IF the dictionary format is the same.
Edit: yes, it's UK firmware. I took a look at the UserGuide from the 1.2.1 UK update zip. When the dictionary is in use (i.e., when you look up a word while reading) it shows an option to "change dictionaries". That is not present in the US firmware. Also, although there is no picture shown, it does mention the "Manage Dictionaries" option from Settings>Reader. It sounds a lot like what I read about the "Glowlight" model, probably looks the same too. So some non-English dictionaries still exist and are available to "Glowlight" owners. Whether their format is compatible with the NST is another question. You need to find an owner of the correct (rooted) model to find out, or get really lucky and find someone who kept their UK NST intact and downloaded a whole bunch of dictionaries in the past before B&N killed the servers there.

The old NST dictionaries were in the format of an SQLite database where the entries were zip files of HTML for each word.
This (overblown) implementation would have allowed images in addition to text for an entry.
I made a separate implementation that used dictionaries that were an SQLite database with deflate of HTML for each word.
That reduced size and complexity a bit.
I don't use the stock reader and I've given up on any usage that requires selecting text with your finger in a reader.
I have a separate application (Lookup.apk) that accesses dictionaries.
(Hmm, looking at this, I realize it needs some more attention.)
I also have a few dictionaries in the new format.
I'm not even sure if the new stock 5.0 even has dictionaries anymore.
If someone knows and can find the actual dictionary, please post it. Erm, it does.