Database Users

[Q] Newbie needing advice please

Wow, talk about confusing, the A7 is a whole new world to me.
I've had computers for years, currently I have two running XP & 7, plus I have two laptops running XP & 7. I understand a lot when it comes to computers, but the A7 is so different.
I've downloaded & printed the User Manual and I have read it several times. I've read numerous posts on this forum and now I'm confused. I feel so dumb. Too many words that I don't understand. I want to learn everything I can about running every aspect of this tablet, but it's like just as I learn one thing, the next time it doesn't work that way.
I need more reading material. Whether it be links to posts, books to read, anything to help me understand what I am doing. I make notes of things I have read so that I will remember what to do next time. Post something to help me, PM me or even email me.
I will be so greatfull for any help given.
Thank you

The user manual you can download on elocity's site is useless because there is a lot of things that were never edited out to match the actual release version of the tablet.
As far as computer knowledge and relating it to the a7 or android in general, windows knowledge will not get you very far. A good working knowledge of Unix/Linux will give you a much better idea of what's going on behind the scenes since android is based on Linux (loosely, in my opinion) but still functions very similarly.
If you have any programming or web design experience, I would recommend downloading the android sdk and do some playing around with simple programs. Also with the sdk you can make a virtual android device to monkey around with without fear of messing up your new $300 toy I use eclipse as my development environment in Linux, not sure what a good windows alternative would be, but the structure of an android app is pretty easy to follow. There are example programs and source available on the android developer site developer.android.com if I remember correctly (same place to get the sdk). And the language itself tends to be pretty similar to writing a Java app.
I've probably missed the mark completely on the information you were trying to find, but if you are anything like me, you'll find hours (years if it gets you going down the Linux/Unix path lol) of obsession with just this info.
Hopefully it gets you on the opensource band wagon (the reason I love Linux/Android)

Wow...where to start? Well, you got that you turn it on and slide the lock to the dot to unlock. Then you are in a "home page". There are 5 of them. there are dots at the top of the screen showing which home page ur on. Usually the center one. Touch the screen and slide one way or the other to move the home pages.
If you touch the square whitish pad at the right of the screen with a bunch of darker squares in it, it takes you to your apps - the programs that do what you want.
If you touch an app it runs. Touch the return arrow just to the right of the screen to close the app and go back. It always takes u back.
You have to "root" the machine to get the good apps. Usually with Dexters mod. This is easy. You download the file, rename it to upgrade.zip, place it on a micro SD card, and go to settings/About Device/System Updates/ then touch update device.
The home button at the right side of the screen always takes you to the center home page. - It DOES NOT close the app you have open at the moment.
you should get an app closer to close all of the un-closed apps for you.
Oh yea, android market place is the app you want to add all of the apps you want.
You get it with Dexters Mod (4.1 right now)
and there is tons more...............

Based on Linux ... now I understand why this is confusing to me. I've never worked with it before, but I understand from fellow users, they like it better than Windows OS.
I've never done any programming or web design, but maybe it's not too late to learn something new.
I thank both of you for your info and appreciate everything you have said.
mrpete2u I really appreciated the details of your instructions. I know I'm a dummy at this, and I'm sure there are more of you guys out there to help.
Thanks

mrpete2u said:
You have to "root" the machine to get the good apps. Usually with Dexters mod. This is easy. You download the file, rename it to upgrade.zip, place it on a micro SD card, and go to settings/About Device/System Updates/ then touch update device.
you should get an app closer to close all of the un-closed apps for you.
Oh yea, android market place is the app you want to add all of the apps you want.
You get it with Dexters Mod (4.1 right now)
and there is tons more...............
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another newbie jumping in....and trying to figure this out. To "root" the machine do I need to update the firmware from the elocity site or can I jump to Dexters right away. If so, where do I find that?
Thanks for your advice.

your a7 is rooted already with dexters mod or elocity firmware.

My Kernel version is 2.6.32.9-svn2514
[email protected]#1
And Build # PBJ8000.2.0124
And ECv is 0.14
Would you mind explaining what these numbers mean, please?
Thank you

koalaw said:
My Kernel version is 2.6.32.9-svn2514
[email protected]#1
And Build # PBJ8000.2.0124
And ECv is 0.14
Would you mind explaining what these numbers mean, please?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are one version in the rear, version now is 2.0133, most member her are running Dexter Mod 1.41 include myself an entirely different beast, stock Roman won't let me load Asphalt5 game so Dexter it is...A7 come from factor rooted Don't think any other tablet come out already root...

Your saying I need to upgrade one version
and that my A7 is already rooted??
Thank you for the answers.

koalaw said:
Your saying I need to upgrade one version
and that my A7 is already rooted??
Thank you for the answers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
look here for Dexter mod forget about the stock rom ....
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=890042

I have now updated to 2.0.0133
Now I need to figure out how to get the market icon so I can start looking for more apps & games. Tried downloading earlier and it keeps telling me that I have downloaded to my phone? I don't have a fancy phone to download to.
Here I am again confused, but what's new about that!!

There is a thread in the device section on adding market to stock rom.
Or you could just run elocitymod by Dexter.

I did run the elocity mod 1.41 and my firmware was updated to 2.0.0133
When I am on market.android's site, they want my phone number so they can download the app to my phone.
I'm trying to download the app to my tablet.
Am I confused or what
Thanks for answering me.

koalaw said:
I did run the elocity mod 1.41 and my firmware was updated to 2.0.0133
When I am on market.android's site, they want my phone number so they can download the app to my phone.
I'm trying to download the app to my tablet.
Am I confused or what
Thanks for answering me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, yes you are lol
For all intents and purposes (as far as Google is concerned at least) your tablet is a phone.
Install market enabler on the a7 and fake a cell provider. The a7 should show up on the Google market website after that.
You didn't install dextermod and then apply eLocity update over it did you? Just want to be sure.

Your laughing at me .... that's ok ... right now I'm so new at this, I really don't care, in fact I am laughing at myself for being so dumb.
I went to dexter's site and downloaded a file called elocitymod1.41 and renamed it to update.zip and that is what I installed.
OK I will install market enabler
Thank you again for helping this dummy .... LOL

From the perceived tone of the post prior to my last one, I thought you were already at the laughing stage. I thought I was just laughing along, sorry for the mix up.
Sounds like you are doing everything right. I just wanted to make sure that we were dealing with a clean install of elocitymod, and not something mixed together by trying to ally another update on top of it.

Needless to say ... I am still confused.
Installed the market enabler, but I am not getting anywhere.
Why I try to install an app I get a message telling me there is no phone attached to this account and they want me to log in with another account. When I try creating a new account, there is no place to give a phone number and I get all those stupid messages again.
Just wondering if I am too dumb, because you all make this seem so easy, that maybe I should give up and figure out other ways to get apps and leave the android market site alone???
Sorry if I have frustration in my voice, but I guess I thought this would be easier.

koalaw said:
Needless to say ... I am still confused.
Installed the market enabler, but I am not getting anywhere.
Why I try to install an app I get a message telling me there is no phone attached to this account and they want me to log in with another account. When I try creating a new account, there is no place to give a phone number and I get all those stupid messages again.
Just wondering if I am too dumb, because you all make this seem so easy, that maybe I should give up and figure out other ways to get apps and leave the android market site alone???
Sorry if I have frustration in my voice, but I guess I thought this would be easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not just use market from the tablet? I wouldn't stress so much about trying to get it to work and remotely install from the web site.

Each time I go to the site, I am on my tablet. Mainly because it has a direct install button and not a download, so I want to be on the tablet to install on it.

koalaw said:
Each time I go to the site, I am on my tablet. Mainly because it has a direct install button and not a download, so I want to be on the tablet to install on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So are you hitting the Market icon (opening the Market app) or are you trying to open http://market.android.com/ in the web browser?

[TouchNooter] Upgrade to a new version

Hi all.
i've a rooted nook touch with an old version of TouchNooter .
Now, google updated the marketplace (now play store) and since that time i can't install anything else on the device. Said so, i would like to upgrade the touchnootler version to a new one (hoping that it has the play store).
what should i do? do everything from scratch or is there another procedure?
Is there any "better" rooting?
PS: don't know if it's a rooting problem, but in the library, for the last book i was reading ("last reading" or smt like that), i've the screen saying 1 of 1 (pages) and when i open it it starts from the begining instead of the page where i left the book.
ciao.

esseti said:
Hi all.
i've a rooted nook touch with an old version of TouchNooter .
Now, google updated the marketplace (now play store) and since that time i can't install anything else on the device. Said so, i would like to upgrade the touchnootler version to a new one (hoping that it has the play store).
what should i do? do everything from scratch or is there another procedure?
Is there any "better" rooting?
PS: don't know if it's a rooting problem, but in the library, for the last book i was reading ("last reading" or smt like that), i've the screen saying 1 of 1 (pages) and when i open it it starts from the begining instead of the page where i left the book.
ciao.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
anyone that can help?

When you say you can't install anything else, what do you mean specifically? Inability to search in Market is a known issue. If you mean you can't search, you need to install SearchMarket to search for things. The NST runs an old (2.1 Eclair) version of Android, which is NOT compatible with the new Play Store, so we're stuck with the old Market. Everything works, but searching.
Use the latest version of TouchNooter for your device. It won't be able to fix the searching problem.

bobstro said:
When you say you can't install anything else, what do you mean specifically? Inability to search in Market is a known issue. If you mean you can't search, you need to install [*URL="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=youten.redo.searchmarket&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsInlvdXRlbi5yZWRvLnNlYXJjaG1hcmtldCJd"]SearchMarket[/URL] to search for things. The NST runs an old (2.1 Eclair) version of Android, which is NOT compatible with the new Play Store, so we're stuck with the old Market. Everything works, but searching.
Use the latest version of TouchNooter for your device. It won't be able to fix the searching problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if i click on the market icon nothing happens. even going to the play store and install it via pc does not work. i cannot install anything. ideas?

I believe you can download the latest TouchNooter and run it with no harm. Read through the TouchNooter thread to be sure.
Market should launch, even if you can't search. Installing via the web page should work. Sounds like something is broken on the system.
As far as the page numbering -- that's a known B&N bug. I quit using B&N's reader or library.

bobstro said:
I believe you can download the latest TouchNooter and run it with no harm. Read through the TouchNooter thread to be sure.
Market should launch, even if you can't search. Installing via the web page should work. Sounds like something is broken on the system.
As far as the page numbering -- that's a known B&N bug. I quit using B&N's reader or library.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, upgrading to last touchnootler i'll have to do all the procedure back again (if i follow the one one the first page that i assume to be the correct one).
since it's basically like doing everything from scratch, is this the actual best mod for the touch? or is there anything better?
What do you use instead of the B&N library?

"Better" is a subjective term. TouchNooter installs the basic tools you're likely to want (Market, NOOK Touch Tools, etc.) MinimalTouch lets you have complete control over the process, but requires more work on your part.
I have used TN a half-dozen times with no problems if I follow the instructions carefully, so it's my preferred method of rooting. That doesn't mean it's the "better" approach. I do modify TN to add a file manager that works before I root with it. SuperManager that Gabrial includes has never worked for me, and I don't like waiting 24 hours to install software via the Market.
I use Mantano Reader Premium to replace the B&N Library and Reader completely. I never see the B&N Home screen, Reader or Launcher.

bobstro said:
"Better" is a subjective term. TouchNooter installs the basic tools you're likely to want (Market, NOOK Touch Tools, etc.) MinimalTouch lets you have complete control over the process, but requires more work on your part.
I have used TN a half-dozen times with no problems if I follow the instructions carefully, so it's my preferred method of rooting. That doesn't mean it's the "better" approach. I do modify TN to add a file manager that works before I root with it. SuperManager that Gabrial includes has never worked for me, and I don't like waiting 24 hours to install software via the Market.
I use Mantano Reader Premium to replace the B&N Library and Reader completely. I never see the B&N Home screen, Reader or Launcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok thx.
i'm right now upgrading the firmware (1.1.2) since the first upgrade of the touchnootler didn't work out well.
quite interested in understanding how did you manage to rip off the B&N library and put the one you have.

esseti said:
ok thx.
i'm right now upgrading the firmware (1.1.2) since the first upgrade of the touchnootler didn't work out well.
quite interested in understanding how did you manage to rip off the B&N library and put the one you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't know. i had some problems while rooting but right now i booted the nook and the market is working. good. how can i know which version of the touchnootler is installed?

esseti said:
i don't know. i had some problems while rooting but right now i booted the nook and the market is working. good. how can i know which version of the touchnootler is installed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which one did you download and run? That'll be the one. TN doesn't put any sort of "About..." box anywhere that I'm aware of.
Remember that you may have to wait 24 hours to be able to search, even with SearchMarket.
---------- Post added at 07:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:22 PM ----------
esseti said:
ok thx.
i'm right now upgrading the firmware (1.1.2) since the first upgrade of the touchnootler didn't work out well.
quite interested in understanding how did you manage to rip off the B&N library and put the one you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't rip them out. I just don't run them. I can get to them if I ever need them. I use the Mantano equivalent screens. I changed the "Library" button on the QuickMenu to run Mantano Reader using NOOK Touch Tools. That takes me to Mantano's Library screen. From there, I select books and it opens the Mantano Reader screen.
Every morning, I have Dropsync download my newspaper and magazine content created by Calibre and hit the Import button in Mantano. It's quite a nice replacement for the B&N software, especially with the improved pdf reading features.

bobstro said:
Which one did you download and run? That'll be the one. TN doesn't put any sort of "About..." box anywhere that I'm aware of.
Remember that you may have to wait 24 hours to be able to search, even with SearchMarket.
---------- Post added at 07:27 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:22 PM ----------
I didn't rip them out. I just don't run them. I can get to them if I ever need them. I use the Mantano equivalent screens. I changed the "Library" button on the QuickMenu to run Mantano Reader using NOOK Touch Tools. That takes me to Mantano's Library screen. From there, I select books and it opens the Mantano Reader screen.
Every morning, I have Dropsync download my newspaper and magazine content created by Calibre and hit the Import button in Mantano. It's quite a nice replacement for the B&N software, especially with the improved pdf reading features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the fact is: when i flashed the new version of TN i had the black screen (as it should be) but it automatically restarted. So i tried to flash it again but nothing happened. I reboot the devices and i had everything working, i needed only to accept the market agreement and nothing else. For this reason i'm not sure to have the lastest version, but, as long as it works i don't care much.
what are the diffrences between the 1.11 and the last version of TN? just that the last works and the old one shouldn't?

esseti said:
the fact is: when i flashed the new version of TN i had the black screen (as it should be) but it automatically restarted. So i tried to flash it again but nothing happened. I reboot the devices and i had everything working, i needed only to accept the market agreement and nothing else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you follow the rest of the procedure to register with YouTube to enable the Market? You'll still probably have to wait 24 hours for the Market to work, and you'll still have to use SearchMarket to find things on your device, but it should work if you've followed the full procedure. From what you've written, it sounds as if you stopped part way through.
For this reason i'm not sure to have the lastest version, but, as long as it works i don't care much.
what are the diffrences between the 1.11 and the last version of TN? just that the last works and the old one shouldn't?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The old one *might* but it would take you all of two minutes to be sure you've downloaded the latest (2.1.31 as of this writing) and carefully followed the procedure that GabrialDestruir has so generously provided. Follow the entire procedure. You will spend more time trying to fix things than you will doing it by the procedure the first time.

bobstro said:
Did you follow the rest of the procedure to register with YouTube to enable the Market? You'll still probably have to wait 24 hours for the Market to work, and you'll still have to use SearchMarket to find things on your device, but it should work if you've followed the full procedure. From what you've written, it sounds as if you stopped part way through.The old one *might* but it would take you all of two minutes to be sure you've downloaded the latest (2.1.31 as of this writing) and carefully followed the procedure that GabrialDestruir has so generously provided. Follow the entire procedure. You will spend more time trying to fix things than you will doing it by the procedure the first time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wait. when i turned on after the flashing the nook was already ready to go as before flashing it. so with android and all the software/books i had. no android welcome or other stuff, no registration and so on. only to accept the market ToS.
Btw:i did the 8 reboot stuff for flashing to factory. after the flash the andorid mood was still there. is this normal?
after that i upgraded it to 1.12. right now i've the 1.1.0 (that was probably the flash of TN 2.1.31 doing this).

esseti said:
wait. when i turned on after the flashing the nook was already ready to go as before flashing it. so with android and all the software/books i had. no android welcome or other stuff, no registration and so on. only to accept the market ToS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm. That doesn't sound right. I just rebuilt my NST, so let me summarize the steps. This is from memory, so I might get it wrong, but I did it twice recently, so hopefully my memory is good:
I did a factory wipe of user data (Settings->Erase and Deregister Device).
I did an 8 failed boot reload of the original firmware. This put me at 1.0.0, IIRC.
I re-registered with B&N.
I copied the 1.1.2 update to uSD and let it update and rebooted to confirm it was a 1.1.2.
I rebooted with my TouchNooter 2.1.31 uSD card inserted and let it run until the screen went black (10-30 seconds).
I removed the TN uSD card and put my blank 8 GB card back in.
I powered up the NST. It gave me that perverted "Touch the Android to begin" screen. I touched the little bugger.
I skipped the Google sign in per Gabrial's instructions.
I accepted the location management options.
It dropped me to the ADW screen.
I launched YouTube and signed in using my existing google account, per Gabrial's instructions.
At this point, it was working and rooted. Unfortunately, the SuperManager used in TN has never worked for me, nor has Opera Mini, so you can be stuck waiting 24 hours for the Market to activate at this point. I have worked around this by adding a few select tools to my TN bootable uSD card in /data/app (ES File Explorer to load files saved to Dropbox, Root Explorer, SearchMarket).
As usual, YMMV.
It sounds like you're not seeing the initial Android setup screen. Is that correct? What are you doing differently from my steps, if anything?

bobstro said:
Hmm. That doesn't sound right. I just rebuilt my NST, so let me summarize the steps. This is from memory, so I might get it wrong, but I did it twice recently, so hopefully my memory is good:
I did a factory wipe of user data (Settings->Erase and Deregister Device).
I did an 8 failed boot reload of the original firmware. This put me at 1.0.0, IIRC.
I re-registered with B&N.
I copied the 1.1.2 update to uSD and let it update and rebooted to confirm it was a 1.1.2.
I rebooted with my TouchNooter 2.1.31 uSD card inserted and let it run until the screen went black (10-30 seconds).
I removed the TN uSD card and put my blank 8 GB card back in.
I powered up the NST. It gave me that perverted "Touch the Android to begin" screen. I touched the little bugger.
I skipped the Google sign in per Gabrial's instructions.
I accepted the location management options.
It dropped me to the ADW screen.
I launched YouTube and signed in using my existing google account, per Gabrial's instructions.
At this point, it was working and rooted. Unfortunately, the SuperManager used in TN has never worked for me, nor has Opera Mini, so you can be stuck waiting 24 hours for the Market to activate at this point. I have worked around this by adding a few select tools to my TN bootable uSD card in /data/app (ES File Explorer to load files saved to Dropbox, Root Explorer, SearchMarket).
As usual, YMMV.
It sounds like you're not seeing the initial Android setup screen. Is that correct? What are you doing differently from my steps, if anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i wasn't doing any reset. now i'm doing what you did. let's see.

esseti said:
i wasn't doing any reset. now i'm doing what you did. let's see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should not have to, but if you're not worried about losing any data, it's nice to know exactly what state your device is in.

bobstro said:
You should not have to, but if you're not worried about losing any data, it's nice to know exactly what state your device is in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did it and everything worked. right now i'm waiting for the market.

NookManager vs any other way of rooting (Nooter)

I have been using a Nook Classic for years, and finally, the light on my case gave up and it was time for something new.. So, I got me one of those fancy Simple Touches with GlowLights..
When I originally rooted my Nook Classic, I used the info from NookDev.com and everything went smoothly. I actually went back to stock because there wasn't much rooting of that device did for me. When looking at that site, it seems like they only talk about software 1.1 for the Simple Touch. Upon Googling, it seems like because of my new software, 1.2.1, everything gets pointed towards the NookManager (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2086582).
Because of how old the Simple Touch model is, all the different software versions, and all that good stuff, a lot of the articles on the web have the Nook Manager and Nooter ways of rooting.. I guess for Nooter, I would need to downgrade software first. Which is the best/most current method that will give me the best options of apps. Technically, all I want for an extra app is something that will allow me to sync my reading progress (I use mostly library books or PDFs). I would prefer Google Books, but would settle for Kindle.. I assume that the Nook Manager is the way to go, but figured it couldn't hurt to ask..
Thanks

[Q] pocket on nook

Hello all and merry Christmas,
I am really interested in getting a nook ereader and I would like to known which is the best one to get for rooting? Im leaning towards the nook simple touch glowlight i like the feel of the back and the fact that it is lighter than the simple touch and has page turn buttons unlike the glowlight.
I also have a question regarding apps, I want the nook to use aldiko and pocket for reading books and articles. I notices many threads talking about the fact that you need modded apks to run on the nook. So my question is how do those apps run (aldiko and pocket) since these will be the main apps I use it is important that they run well I prefer the ereader to any tablet as I would be using it before I sleep. I appriciate any imput thanks in advance

Hello,
Aldiko does work. It will even open Barnes and Noble books. Ypou do not need to hack applications to run on the nooks, you just need to find versions which are useable.
The last version of Aldiko I found (I only searched for a second) which works is 2.0.1. The buttons do not turn the pages out of the box, but I bet you could get them to work.
As for pocket, it would need to be hacked because it came out after android 2.1. However, read it later should work. It is a stripped down version from the same company (actually, it was the predecessor).
The other issue is fonts and animations. Animations do not work well on this type of screen. And fonts are easier to read if they are actually black on white or vice versa. This is not an issue with Aldiko as IIT allows custom fonts, but could be for read it later.
Finally, know that there is a new net with glowlight and it seems the rooting may not be as easy as the other nooks. Poke around in the boards here to find more about that issue.
Good luck,
~Leko
Go forth and work toward your salvation with diligence.

lekofraggle said:
Hello,
Aldiko does work. It will even open Barnes and Noble books. Ypou do not need to hack applications to run on the nooks, you just need to find versions which are useable.
The last version of Aldiko I found (I only searched for a second) which works is 2.0.1. The buttons do not turn the pages out of the box, but I bet you could get them to work.
As for pocket, it would need to be hacked because it came out after android 2.1. However, read it later should work. It is a stripped down version from the same company (actually, it was the predecessor).
The other issue is fonts and animations. Animations do not work well on this type of screen. And fonts are easier to read if they are actually black on white or vice versa. This is not an issue with Aldiko as IIT allows custom fonts, but could be for read it later.
Finally, know that there is a new net with glowlight and it seems the rooting may not be as easy as the other nooks. Poke around in the boards here to find more about that issue.
Good luck,
~Leko
Go forth and work toward your salvation with diligence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok thanks man I dont think the animation thing will be a problem

Can you help me to revive my old NST to his good old glory days

Hi folks,
I haven't been using my NST for a very long time. I was expecting a decline of interest for my old love but i thought i would figure out a solution to use my NST like i used to. But i couldnt. Because I haven't tried any sort of hacking stuff that involved rooting, installing customs roms etc. for the past 3-4 years ,i almost forgot everything about these matters. So i am an absolute noob right now :/ Memory is a b*tch and mine is weak
I really really want to release my Nook Simple Touch from Barnes&Noble's ugly stock chains. I checked some topics and i saw that most of them are dead. My question is; Is it still possible to do these things to my nook
1- root it
2-sign in to google and install a working playstore apk
3- find a working "read it later" like application which suits NST
4- find a good pdf,epub reader app
Can you please guide me through these steps, your help will be greatly appreciated. I may figure out a way to do these and don't bother with these silly questions but i can't look at led/lcd screens for long periods of time because i have a problem with my eyes. :/
Best wishes,
Baran

Here are some suggestions & pointers to get you started:
Factory-reset your NST for a clean-start base using Nook Manager (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2040351).
Update to BN ROM to v1.2.1 (if your NST has an older ROM version)
Root using using Nook Manager.
Install ReLaunch Launcher (http://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-touch/general/relaunch-best-nst-launcher-version-1-4-t3060782) and essential Google apps (e.g., Market, SearchMarket, Gmail, etc.) using NTGAppsAttack (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2086582).

Backup early and often. NookManager makes it easy to do this, so although it takes a bit of time, it's a good idea. However, NM only stores the most recent backup. You can keep "snapshots" of major hurdles by connecting your NST to your computer while NookManager is loaded up. You will see the Backup section on the SD card. Copy the two files in the folder onto your computer. I like to store them in dated folders also containing a small text file that describes the major changes. Then you can drag them back onto the SD card when NookManager has loaded to restore a specific backup--if the need arises.
I keep three or four of these backups while I am making changes. It's a whole lot better than starting from scratch if thing go south later in the game.

For pdf reading I can recommend ezpdf, if you can find an old version. It stopped working reasonably on the NST from about version 2.5 (e.g. you couldn't see text in the menu, probably because the font colour wasn't available on the eink screen, or the font type not installed - either way, really annoying if you want to change settings by guessing), but I remember I used to run it fine with some slightly older version.

Hay The Best Reader for NST is Renate's Temblast Reader
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=54201382&postcount=94
It is not perfect but very viable for Nook.
I hope Renate will continue the development.
Still Nook STR is the best ereader out there. It is sad that it is no longer available officially.
Good luck with your project

Gosh!
I'm still working on the reader, it's had a lot of improvement.
I just have to find the time to get it out.
Here's a preview on my Nook Glow Plus.
(I use the same app on my NST, LG phone and Nexus 7 tablet.)

I am not hijacking this thread.
Renate love to hear about the improvement.
Renate Could you please add text selection & a Dictionary.English is my second language so I like a build in Dic like in Nook reader.
Thank Keep up the great work genius
(Sorry I didn't ment to hijack this thread)