[Q] Nook Simple Touch disable screensaver & full screen browser - Nook Touch General

Hi,
First of all, thanks for great set of resources! I was rooted an up and running with market in no time.
I am planning to use the Nook as a home automation controller, where the interface is presented through a webpage. For that, I am going to have it mounted and constantly powered-up.
So, my question is - how can I disable screensaver to have the Nook show the browser 24/7?
Also, is there any simple way to show contexts of the browser window without the navigation buttons? (If not, no worries - I can put something together quickly in PhoneGap or similar).
Thanks!

Bumping for interest - has OP/anyone found a solution to this? I'm going to have a tinker with the sys files in the next few days to see if I can manipulate those, will post any positive results.
I'm looking for always-on functionality as part of a live bus timetable / weather station project I'm 75% through.
For those interested, I'm running a simple PHP server pulling data from London's TFL API and the UK MetOffice's Datapoint API and displaying the page in Dolphin.

julianfox said:
Bumping for interest - has OP/anyone found a solution to this? I'm going to have a tinker with the sys files in the next few days to see if I can manipulate those, will post any positive results.
I'm looking for always-on functionality as part of a live bus timetable / weather station project I'm 75% through.
For those interested, I'm running a simple PHP server pulling data from London's TFL API and the UK MetOffice's Datapoint API and displaying the page in Dolphin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=29113425 (found by googling "nook screensaver disable sqlite3").

julianfox said:
Bumping for interest - has OP/anyone found a solution to this? I'm going to have a tinker with the sys files in the next few days to see if I can manipulate those, will post any positive results.
I'm looking for always-on functionality as part of a live bus timetable / weather station project I'm 75% through.
For those interested, I'm running a simple PHP server pulling data from London's TFL API and the UK MetOffice's Datapoint API and displaying the page in Dolphin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I am quite interested in your project and was wondering how you got on with this.
Basically I am looking to have a calendar + weather page up constantly on in my rooted Nook Simple Touch. I have managed to get rid of the screensaver but it still goes into sleep mode after a while. Also would like to get some direction on how I could do my own PHP based page because most of the calendar apps out there dont seem to report weather

Jayyzee said:
Hi, I am quite interested in your project and was wondering how you got on with this.
Basically I am looking to have a calendar + weather page up constantly on in my rooted Nook Simple Touch. I have managed to get rid of the screensaver but it still goes into sleep mode after a while. Also would like to get some direction on how I could do my own PHP based page because most of the calendar apps out there dont seem to report weather
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I implemented the server side part of this weather app
http://www.mpetroff.net/archives/2012/09/14/kindle-weather-display/
also made the following changes
http://www.shatteredhaven.com/2012/11/1347365-kindle-weather-display.html
Getting the image on the nook is a different story. I tried using crond to wget or curl the image from the server to the screensaver folder so I could have other info graphics rotated throughout the day. I was unable to get the image via wget and unable to get cron working. Any suggestions... (besides having a browser open 247)
here is another example
http://origami.phys.rpi.edu/~jimenc/public/pjs/weather_kindle/server2/weather.php

Refresh?
larryflynt said:
Getting the image on the nook is a different story. I tried using crond to wget or curl the image from the server to the screensaver folder so I could have other info graphics rotated throughout the day. I was unable to get the image via wget and unable to get cron working. Any suggestions... (besides having a browser open 247)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, kudos for the progress so far.
I take it you couldn't just use another device to FTP the file to the nook every so often?
I was hoping to do a very similar thing with my spare NST but unfortunately my coding skills are not up to that level. You mention that you were trying to populate the screensaver folder with the image to be displayed, would there be any way to automatically make the NST wake up every few hours to refresh this image (assuming you can get the image there in the first place)?

I think that the better way to do this all is to write an app.
The app could use either an ImageView or a WebView.
You could easily make this work directly without a proxy or a server.
You wouldn't have to play around with screen timeout/wakeup,
This is going to be hard wired powered?

Renate NST said:
I think that the better way to do this all is to write an app.
The app could use either an ImageView or a WebView.
You could easily make this work directly without a proxy or a server.
You wouldn't have to play around with screen timeout/wakeup,
This is going to be hard wired powered?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The more I think about this, the nook simple touch might have to be charging.

I've done something very similar with my nook showing a custom weather listing in a fullscreen Dolphin browser. Though I have a problem with it not running for more than a day or so before the browser stops refreshing anymore. Have you experienced this? I'm currently looking into some way to kill/restart the browser on schedule perhaps.
Also, how did you get the browser in landscape mode? I can't find that anywhere.

neonpolaris said:
Also, how did you get the browser in landscape mode? I can't find that anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use this to set the orientation: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mah.screenrotationlock
OB
Sent from my HTCEVOV4G using Tapatalk 2

Another way to set orientation is if you have an application that only does landscape.
Switch to the landscape app, home out of that, go to the application that does both.
It should stay in landscape mode.
I have an assortment of apps, some portrait only, some landscape only, some both orientations.
By jumping briefly to a landscape only or portrait only app you can set the orientation for subsequent apps.

Thanks for the help guys!
I've got a web server running on my NAS serving a custom page for me. The browser launches fullscreen on boot up via some auto start app. After 5 min, the page redirects to an all black page for a second, then an all white page for a second (to clean up the display), then back to the original page with any new information on it.
This works well except for two issues.
1. On boot up, there's no way to avoid the first lock screen. After unlocked, it doesn't come back, but it's always there on startup. This wouldn't really be an issue except...
2. The browser stops loading the page after a while. I can hit refresh and it goes through the motions, but the page isn't updated. It can take a couple of days for this to happen. Restarting the nook solves this. I confirmed that the page is still served normally to other devices (not a web server problem). I would just have the device auto restart at 3am or something, but then the lock screen would always be there.
Do you guys have any ideas about how to correct this or at least work around it?
I can't even try other browsers because this is the only one I've found that displays full screen.

Any updates on this?
I wonder if there's a way to have a cron job kill and relaunch the browser every once in a while to get past the freezing issue you'd mentioned. Or just have the cron job kill the browser every once in a while and relaunch it, pointed at a new information display page.
Even better would be if there was way to bypass the need for a web browser and interact directly with the e-ink screen buffer as can be done on rooted kindle devices. (I can't post a link, but google search "Tools Eink Framebuffer Update Trigger" to find the kindle framebuffer commands)

Yeah, I worked directly with the screen output on my kobo, which worked well, but it was more of a pain to make changes. That might be because I'm more familiar with php and css than python and screen blit-ing. Having android to work with makes it much easier to expand functionality by just downloading an app and using my fingers, instead compiling software and ssh-ing in for everything.
Speaking of which, it looks like my problem is solved. I installed tasker and set it to kill the browser at 3am and start the browser at 3:01am. Thanks all.

What about google play apps for weather? Most of the apps I have used so far have had contrast issues since they are designed for color screens. Does anybody know of good apps that display the current weather info and forcast data in an eink friendly color scheme?
As far as the going to sleep issue, the apk listed in the second comment here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-touch/general/fridge-calendar-t3057759
worked without issue for me, so that problem has mostly been solved.

Try this: electricsign app
Apologies for the resurrection, but for those looking for a digital low power / e-ink info display this might just do it.
This app will do the trick if a static jpg of a web page updated at an interval will do (set to output a jpeg in the custom screensaver folder on rooted nook)
Electricsign android app: (search electricsign on the play store - I can't post a URL here yet).
Leave the WiFi on and set the screensaver timeout.
The source code is on github also (google.it ).
I can never find the app because I always think it's called electricsheep.
Hope this helps someone...or me in the future.
Hi future me, the app is called electricsign, not electricsheep. You'll thank me next time you forget. From your past self bored at a ceildh BC your gf doesn't want to dance.

electricsign looks like the ticket!

Related

NookTouch App Recommendations

Now that you've rooted your NookTouch what do you install onto it?
I've been trying out loads of apps and I've found plenty that work well but also quite a few that make a lot of sense on an eink ereader.
First the ones that I personally find very useful and match the NookTouch well:
1) ReaditLater: Let's say you're browsing on your laptop while eating your breakfast in the morning. You don't have time to read it now so you click a button in Firefox or whatever and that marks the page. You then hit sync on the Nook and you can then read that webpage on the Nook at work in your lunchhour or whatever. I've only checked out ReaditLater and it doesn't always sync all images properly and css styles... is there any alternatives... perhaps opensource?
2) RSS Readers. Subscribe to Slashdot, sync while at home and then read it on the move. Can anyone get the ability to read the more interesting comments?
3) VNC Viewer. Eyes go squiffey after reading for hours on the ipad or computer? Setup a quick link to this.
4) MapDroyd. No GPS but having a map with a long battery life might be more useful than a mobile phone. MapDroyd isn't that great without pinch to zoom but it works.
5) Kindle. Being able to read .mobi is obviously pretty handy.
6) OperaMobile, connecting to a Caliber server. Caliber organises books really easily and it has a server function so you can connect to your library on your computer.
7) Dropbox. A really handy way to share and sync files to the Nook. Can act as a library but unlike the Opera & Caliber example it can sync rather than only viewing live.
8) There's more than ebooks. Check out VU Viewer for comics. Various better PDF viewers. Try putting work documents on it. Try putting guitar tab notation on it. Anyone know how do we view music notation?
Things that are pretty essential after rooting:
Startup Auditor. After installing a load of stuff things can startup at boot and drain your battery. This prevents that.
n Button tweak. There's a thread on here somewhere, it's almost essential. Either that or use buttonSaviour
Some things that work well but just as good on a mobile phone:
- WiFi Analyser. You can see wifi strength in realtime.
- calculator. Handy if you don't have a phone with you
- unit converter. Convert metres to feet.
- currency exchange app. If you take the Nook on holiday a currency app is handy.
- encrypt your passwords in a file.
- backup your mobile phone contacts
- ssh tunnel for open wifi networks where you need to check your bank balance
Hope you find this useful!
-j
Jago:
What apps are you unable to block with Startup Auditor?
Does Startup Auditor stay loaded (as an app or as a background process) after startup or do you have to kill it manually?
Thanks in advance,
Sebastian Armas
Avid reader, Spanish Interactive Fiction Author
As far as I can see StartupAuditor doesn't load on startup or stay resident so I presume it edits startup scripts.
You have 2 options for each thing you want to kill - kill it now and not allow it to start again now and block it from starting up on startup as well.

[Q] NST 1.2.1 Library

Using a rooted NST 1.2.1 with cool reader.
Is there a library app compatible with this apart from the stock library? The app is just to view the books present on the device. Something like bookshelves, like the moon reader kinds.
Also, is there a NoRefresh compatible with 1.2.1 ? The other NoRefresh apps dont work with this version.
Well, you can try my Library (see signature).
I've never used CoolReader (or seen the manifest out of it) so I can't say how it will work.
Thank Renate, Your Library app is amazing, I love its simplicity. Besides, It also helps me to break the habit of putting a lot of book on my nook =).
Btw, Can it be launched on startup like default library. I hate to see Nook Launcher .
Renate NST said:
Well, you can try my Library (see signature).
I've never used CoolReader (or seen the manifest out of it) so I can't say how it will work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
But, is there any app which will present the library in the form of bookshelves?
Also, is there s NoRefresh version of NST Root 1.2.1 ?
shriramks said:
Thanks! But...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does that mean that it works with CoolReader?
I guess that you could make my library the default home screen,
but then how would you launch all the neat apps on your Nook?
Hint: A long touch on a book in my Library brings up the full metadata.
It works
Selection of the book from the library prompts me for the option of reading, i.e, cool reader or the native B&N reader. Not sure how exactly to make Cool Reader the default option.
Have a lot of books on the device, so, it is a bit tedious to keep scrolling down the list. Hence the interest in shelves. B&N Library has shelves, but manual addition everytime i download a book is a pain.
Also, any other settings available on your library app apart from the metadata on long press?
Renate NST said:
Does that mean that it works with CoolReader?
I guess that you could make my library the default home screen,
but then how would you launch all the neat apps on your Nook?
Hint: A long touch on a book in my Library brings up the full metadata.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, by putting coolreader in /system/app, When I choose a book from library, A pop up shows me which reader will be used.
Can you show me the way to make your library the default home screen ? I really love its features :fingers-crossed::fingers-crossed:
PS:// I removed a lot of apps from /system/app, put FBreaderJ and CoolReader in, now my nook seems enhanced ( boot faster..). The battery seems better ( It lost 2%/day in idle mode)
Whenever multiple apps could handle an intent but no app has been specified as default, a "picker" window pops up.
It lists all the possibilities and at the very bottom there is a checkbox.
The checkbox has text in white which says, "Use this app as default app in the future" (or something).
Of course you can't read the white text.
Just click the box, then carefully select which app to use in the future.
To undo what you selected can be difficult because you will never see that dialog again if you check the checkbox.
There are tools to fix that, non-B&N Settings.apk or you can edit /data/system/packages.xml
Uhm It seems that we are misunderstanding. I read all your posts about alternative library app.One of them mentioned that if I want to use your Library app, I have to remove default Home, Shop and Library of my Nook. I did then when my nook started, It showed a launcher with your Library Icon.
Can you modify your app that when my nook start, it will be run at the same time and disable the HOME button ( used to get back to launcher)?
If you modified your "n" button it should go to whatever you selected as the default app for home.
Apparently that is the default launcher.
My question remains, if you make Library the default home, how will you get to your browser, email, etc?
Right now Library does not handle the home intent.
Renate NST said:
If you modified your "n" button it should go to whatever you selected as the default app for home.
Apparently that is the default launcher.
My question remains, if you make Library the default home, how will you get to your browser, email, etc?
Right now Library does not handle the home intent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not making it the default home. Configuring the physical button for switching pages as a shortcut to the library.
Also,are anyone having problems with connecting to the wi-fi?
Renate NST said:
If you modified your "n" button it should go to whatever you selected as the default app for home.
Apparently that is the default launcher.
My question remains, if you make Library the default home, how will you get to your browser, email, etc?
Right now Library does not handle the home intent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I do not use my Nook for email, browser, I have an ipad for those tasks. I love the nook because I can focus on just reading. The combination of your library and coolreader makes my nook perfect.
Not making it the default home. Configuring the physical button for switching pages as a shortcut to the library.
Also,are anyone having problems with connecting to the wi-fi?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which firmware are you using ? 1.0 or 1.1. I heard that 1.1.2 comes with Wifi bug fix.
Btw, Today I upgraded into 1.2.1. The reader renders text much better than 1.1.2's one howerver, the battery is a pain. I lost 4% in just one hour even in sleeping mode @@ Does any one know why ? ( I removed all unnecessary apps like phone.apk, telephony...)
I agree with you.
Without putting my finger on it the text or page turns or something is better in 1.2.1
They redid the EpdController (which handles eInk modes) in 1.2+
The Nook Touch has always had an intermittent problem with not sleeping.
I have even caught it with the screen's IR touch sensors still running in sleep.
Lore and legend says never to use the power button to put your Nook to sleep.
Let it time out on the screen saver.
I'll see about doing something on that Home issue.
Right now my Nook is not booting up and I have to hook up the console to see why.
Renate NST said:
I agree with you.
Without putting my finger on it the text or page turns or something is better in 1.2.1
They redid the EpdController (which handles eInk modes) in 1.2+
The Nook Touch has always had an intermittent problem with not sleeping.
I have even caught it with the screen's IR touch sensors still running in sleep.
Lore and legend says never to use the power button to put your Nook to sleep.
Let it time out on the screen saver.
I'll see about doing something on that Home issue.
Right now my Nook is not booting up and I have to hook up the console to see why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I replace 1.1.2 reader with 1.2.1's one, can it work?
PS:// Can't wait to see your works. :victory::victory:
A question. Your app reads files present in sdcard\my files\books.
Any way to broaden the file structure?
Thanks!
I'm trying to figure out what to do with Library.apk
Currently it only handles epub files.
It could handle any kind of file but the problem is extracting metadata.
If it's not extracting metadata you might as well be just using a file manager.
Extracting metadata out of epubs is pretty simple.
Extracting metadata out of pdfs can be difficult.
There is a nice (computer-type) library that can do this though.
The Nook Reader also handles pdfs.
I have lots of technical references in pdf but they are better accessed from a file manager.
Another topic I wanted to raise elsewhere:
Are people happy with their pdf reading capability/apps?
Are there problems with opening some pdfs or formatting?
Are the pan/zoom/orientation options sufficient?
I'm working (a bit) on a ground-up rewrite of the Reader.
It's still lacking a lot of features, but it also doesn't have all the B&N cruft in it.
Right now it has portrait/landscape of PDFs with overscan (to get rid of the paper margins).
Even this small step makes reading easier.
I've got about 200+ PDFs on my Nook, one that is 3700 pages long.
Renate NST said:
I'm working (a bit) on a ground-up rewrite of the Reader.
It's still lacking a lot of features, but it also doesn't have all the B&N cruft in it.
Right now it has portrait/landscape of PDFs with overscan (to get rid of the paper margins).
Even this small step makes reading easier.
I've got about 200+ PDFs on my Nook, one that is 3700 pages long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love and use Library.apk and I hate to be critical about such good free software but on my nook sometimes the app doesn't capture the same title and author (or even getting the author) as does Calibre and the standard nook Library. Also, sometimes the author sorting is by first name, sometimes by last name even on the same page. I'm using the 1.9 version.
The problem is always the lack of good metadata.
Even figuring out how to split a name is not easy.
Jethro Tull should be filed under J for the band or under T for the historical person?
Gabriel García Márquez, is his last name García Márquez or Márquez?
This is the way it is supposed to be filled in:
Code:
<dc:creator opf:file-as="Alcott, Louisa May">Louisa May Alcott</dc:creator>
If you can paste me the metadata that causes problems, I'd be grateful.
@mergen3107 Yes, I've noticed a lot of those problems.
The footnote one is the most annoying to me right now.
The current state of things is that I use my reader for PDFs and still use the stock reader for epubs.
Renate NST said:
The problem is always the lack of good metadata.
Even figuring out how to split a name is not easy.
Jethro Tull should be filed under J for the band or under T for the historical person?
Gabriel García Márquez, is his last name García Márquez or Márquez?
This is the way it is supposed to be filled in:
Code:
<dc:creator opf:file-as="Alcott, Louisa May">Louisa May Alcott</dc:creator>
If you can paste me the metadata that causes problems, I'd be grateful.
@mergen3107 Yes, I've noticed a lot of those problems.
The footnote one is the most annoying to me right now.
The current state of things is that I use my reader for PDFs and still use the stock reader for epubs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is a link to examples some (of many) problem files: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20746013/Problems.zip
They all look ok in Calibre and in the stock Lilbrary app.

Rooting Nook Simple Touch 1.2.1 Reccomendation

Hello! I have not rooted an android device in a lot of time, and I am basically a noob, but I do read a lot, and my first rooting more than year ago turned out to be a complete success, as far as my knowledge goes.
Now I have A Nook Simple Touch model BNRV-300 with current firmware version 1.2.1 and I would like to add more features to it, because for the price I got it it gives me NOTHING I need.
B&N Forcing updates over the air and registration using the Internet when I first start the device is RIDICULOUS and is evenworse than a DRM protection!
product containing such DRM should be banned for sale at least in Eirope by the Customer PRotection, for limitations they imply on the users!!!
now lets return to the topic and my QUESTION
I already said I have a Nook Simple Touch BNRV-300 with current firmware version 1.2.1
My question is: Currently what is the best method to Root this device in order to get access to more features software? I am looking for method that includes making a BACKUP. Is there currently and entire Custom firmware released that will REPLACE the existing useless firmware on the Nook Simple touch?
What custom apps, kernel, and roms can you reccoment me?
Also If you know any interesting guides I will be happy to read them!
Thank you in advance and have a nice reading!
NookManagerand NTGAppsAttack; latuk's latest kernel for overclocking, ondemand governor and Class 10 SD card fix; old versions of Kindle (3.2.0.35), Google Books (1.0.16), Kobo (3.3.1517), Aldiko (200081), Perfect Viewer (1.9.2.2), iTriage (4.00), Springpad (3.2.7) and ReadItLater (1.3.0.1). From the market; Aardict (with full text of Wikipedia etc.), APV PDF Viewer, BBC News, Channel 4 News, Checkers, Chess, ColorDict, ConvertPad, Cook Recipes, Crosswords, Depth of Field Calculator, Dreams Interpretation, ElectroDroid, FastMode2, FBReader, Four in a Row, gReader, Guardian, Independent, Laters Pro, Google Maps, Nemo Picross, New Scientist, OpenSudoku, Opera Mini, Photo Tools, ReadIt, RealCalc, Reversi, Shelves 0.0.0.1c, Sky News, Super sudoku, SuperCHM, UK Newspapers, WebMD, Wikitravel Offline, Wikivoyage offline, World Newspapers.
I've just got a Nook simple touch. I want to root it. Need the best procedure to do so.
Nook Simple Touch
Model Number; BNRV300
SW version: 1.2.1
sameee781 said:
I've just got a Nook simple touch. I want to root it. Need the best procedure to do so.
Nook Simple Touch
Model Number; BNRV300
SW version: 1.2.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look up, or start here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=35267728
OB
Sent from my SPH-D710VMUB using Tapatalk 2
Ditto what OverByter said. The NookManager is, in my experience, a very simple and foolproof method. Whether you decide to pursue GoogleApps, etc., is up to you. But for root and a simple initial set-up, NM is the way to go, IMHO.
Just rooted and installed google market
nmyshkin said:
Ditto what OverByter said. The NookManager is, in my experience, a very simple and foolproof method. Whether you decide to pursue GoogleApps, etc., is up to you. But for root and a simple initial set-up, NM is the way to go, IMHO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, following the advice from this thread, I just rooted my Nook Simple Touch GlowLight. I have previously rooted nook simple touch with the same process.
The market is working, gmail is working. What I dont understand is how to make it user friendly etc. How do I make it like a tablet. I installed some launchers but I have to go into apps and then select it to run it everytime.
I am just wondering what should be done once you have rooted and googlified the nook.
Any recommendations on launchers, themes any other enhancements and ideas to use a rooted nook will be really helpful.
Thank you!!
I tried a bunch of launchers when I first rooted and finally settled on ADW. For me it was easy to set up (once I got over the "I don't know anything about Android" feeling) and I initially used the selected app screen as my "Home". There are two ways to do that. One, after installing ADW and rebooting the Nook it will ask which app you want to use to open "Home" and you will have a chance to set that one as default (either the B&N stock Home screen or the ADW app drawer). And/or, you can use NTMM to assign the QuickNav "Home" button to ADW Launcher.
Pretty much any launcher should provide you with the same options once installed when you reboot.
So that's what I used to do but I eventually went back to the B&N "Home" screen on boot and then after that I can access it from a long press of the "N" button (again, you can assign that with NTMM). I've almost completely reassigned by QuickNav buttons (except for Library). See this post (result in #4).
I've also done the multi-touch enhancement (nice for Opera Mobile and some other apps), No-Refresh and FastMode2 (contrary to what the posts seem to indicate about FastMode2 I have found that the app does indeed toggle the mode on my NST so I assigned it to one of the side buttons and No-Refresh to another one).
Lots of info on various apps out there. Here's my "short" list of what worked for me (in no particular order):
Cool Reader (I only use this to set the screen saver to my current book!)
Perfect Viewer
Crosswords
Amazon Kindle (the enhanced version posted elsewhere on XDA)
Orion PDF viewer
QuickPic
PrinterShare
Kingsoft Office
Dropbox
ES File Explorer
Places (Google Maps variant)
Email (gave up on Gmail--this app is found in another XDA post as well)
Opera Mobile
NewsHog
BBC News
Those are on my ADW home screen along with the GenieWidget for local weather and a widget for Clean Master. I've divided the app drawer behind the home screen into two categories, "everything" and "utilities" which is where I leave my focus and there the following are found:
ADB Konnect
Clean Master
No-frills CPU Control
Nook Touch Mod Manager
No Refresh settings
Root Browser
Rotation Locker
Search Market (got rid of Amazon Market which was giving me a lot of trouble)
Settings (B&N)
Tasker
WiFi File Transfer
Other apps that hide in the "everything" section because I almost never need to access them are:
ADW Config
AdAway
FastMode2
News and Weather (Genie Widget)
No Refresh
RockPlayer
Superuser
etc.
I also did the triple Flash installation described elsewhere but it really only works with SWF files as far as I can tell and only with Flash-able browsers like Dolphin (which has other issues). And I did a Framework-res.apk mod to slightly grey the backgrounds of menus so that some of the "invisible" menu options that come with many apps can actually be read).
I don't know how many times I've made backups and redone things, trying to find what works for me (mostly reading, some browsing). My Nook is still fully B&N functional, as far as I know. The only thing I have not tried is logging on in the store. Except for the inadequacy of Opera Mobile (I've tried every other browser known to humans and aliens), the set-up actually is pretty nice
nmyshkin said:
I tried a bunch of launchers when I first rooted and finally settled on ADW. For me it was easy to set up (once I got over the "I don't know anything about Android" feeling) and I initially used the selected app screen as my "Home". There are two ways to do that. One, after installing ADW and rebooting the Nook it will ask which app you want to use to open "Home" and you will have a chance to set that one as default (either the B&N stock Home screen or the ADW app drawer). And/or, you can use NTMM to assign the QuickNav "Home" button to ADW Launcher.
Pretty much any launcher should provide you with the same options once installed when you reboot.
So that's what I used to do but I eventually went back to the B&N "Home" screen on boot and then after that I can access it from a long press of the "N" button (again, you can assign that with NTMM). I've almost completely reassigned by QuickNav buttons (except for Library). See this post (result in #4).
I've also done the multi-touch enhancement (nice for Opera Mobile and some other apps), No-Refresh and FastMode2 (contrary to what the posts seem to indicate about FastMode2 I have found that the app does indeed toggle the mode on my NST so I assigned it to one of the side buttons and No-Refresh to another one).
Lots of info on various apps out there. Here's my "short" list of what worked for me (in no particular order):
Cool Reader (I only use this to set the screen saver to my current book!)
Perfect Viewer
Crosswords
Amazon Kindle (the enhanced version posted elsewhere on XDA)
Orion PDF viewer
QuickPic
PrinterShare
Kingsoft Office
Dropbox
ES File Explorer
Places (Google Maps variant)
Email (gave up on Gmail--this app is found in another XDA post as well)
Opera Mobile
NewsHog
BBC News
Those are on my ADW home screen along with the GenieWidget for local weather and a widget for Clean Master. I've divided the app drawer behind the home screen into two categories, "everything" and "utilities" which is where I leave my focus and there the following are found:
ADB Konnect
Clean Master
No-frills CPU Control
Nook Touch Mod Manager
No Refresh settings
Root Browser
Rotation Locker
Search Market (got rid of Amazon Market which was giving me a lot of trouble)
Settings (B&N)
Tasker
WiFi File Transfer
Other apps that hide in the "everything" section because I almost never need to access them are:
ADW Config
AdAway
FastMode2
News and Weather (Genie Widget)
No Refresh
RockPlayer
Superuser
etc.
I also did the triple Flash installation described elsewhere but it really only works with SWF files as far as I can tell and only with Flash-able browsers like Dolphin (which has other issues). And I did a Framework-res.apk mod to slightly grey the backgrounds of menus so that some of the "invisible" menu options that come with many apps can actually be read).
I don't know how many times I've made backups and redone things, trying to find what works for me (mostly reading, some browsing). My Nook is still fully B&N functional, as far as I know. The only thing I have not tried is logging on in the store. Except for the inadequacy of Opera Mobile (I've tried every other browser known to humans and aliens), the set-up actually is pretty nice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great list! Didn't know about Wifi transfer. Very usefull.
What version of Crosswords did you get to work on your nook. I couldn't get any of the ones I tried to work?
richardcoop said:
Great list! Didn't know about Wifi transfer. Very usefull.
What version of Crosswords did you get to work on your nook. I couldn't get any of the ones I tried to work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I really like WiFi Transfer. Saves a lot of wear and tear on that USB jack. The only limitation I could find (beyond the 5 MB file size limit for the free version) is that transfers to the internal My Files folder are not updated in the Library unless you reboot. So I just use the sdcard.
You're right, no market crossword apps work properly on the rooted Nook. I accidentally stumbled across a version of Crosswords that does, however. Check your PMs.
nmyshkin said:
You're right, no market crossword apps work properly on the rooted Nook. I accidentally stumbled across a version of Crosswords that does, however. Check your PMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PMs? I don't understand.
richardcoop said:
PMs? I don't understand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your personal messages on the site.
OB
Sent from my SPH-D710VMUB using Tapatalk 2
I moved my question to the help thread, I think it was the wrong thread here...

Which cloud/sync app? (Nook battery/wakelocks)

Been a long time since I posted here.
I don't use my Nook as much as I I could or I think I should. I think the main reason is that I haven't been using apps which sync across devices for fear of ruining the very good battery life.
What are some good apps which integrate with say Chrome? What things have you found useful? Do you toggle WiFi on and off? If so do you then need to hit sync or does that partial wakelock reciever for detecting that WiFi is on and off do that for you? Or will this app keep trying to sync even when there is no wifi?
I think if I start using something like ReaditLater again (tap button in chrome, sync and then read on Nook)... I'll probably use it more.
Also, pulling apps off Google Play and installing the apk was better for battery but I can't get the apk extractor websites to work anymore. Did anyone have a workaround for that?
One more thing, I have been using the latest Cyanogenmod and I notice it comes with PrivacyGuard. Now, the interersting thing about that is that PrivacyGuard now has options to block autostart, keep device awake and wake up device. So this could be useful to put in a ROM, or something like it, bearing in mind the nice battery life we get. Or, maybe have 2 modes - one with everything disabled for hikes, and another for use at home where a charger is handy and the auto sync is more useful.
Apologies, didn't search well enough:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1898358
(adbsync)
Yeah, Renate NST's adbsync program is definitely going to be your best (and really only) option that fits your description.
Thinking about it, there's probably more efficient ways to do it.
For example, Evernote, Unified Remote Full, Wiki Encyclopedia Offline. I don't think Pocket (formerly ReaditLater works anymore very unfortunately... that was my favorite thing)
But of course, getting these things working on the older Android now could be difficult. How do I get the apks from play these days now the various website extractors don't work?
And ways to automate adbsync. For example, have it as a schedule in the background along with adb connect to your Nook. But remember to give the Nook a static IP on the WiFi by assigning via MAC on the router.
If you save pages as .pdf and automate the sync that's good but browsing pages as pdf isn't great.
edit to avoid bump:
You can use it as a 2nd monitor.
Windows:
http://superuser.com/questions/62051/is-there-a-way-to-fake-a-dual-second-monitor
(then use VNC to access. My thread has a howto for install) (MaxiVista probably works to if you're prepared to pay or steal)
Also possible on other platforms. The key phrase to use when searching is "Extend desktop"
I don't know why I didn't think of this before but you can access Evernote through the web interface. Probably similar for OneNote too.
A browser I heard is good, possible better than Opera now is NakedBrowser and the apk is available from the authors website.
I found a way to get the apk is to find an old phone to install too and then use an apk extractor app. A desktop extractor would still be better
Edit again;
I'm still not using it like I feel I should. I think this is because it's just not as Easy to pick up and read. The problem with advanced is that I have to wake up the nook, turn on WiFi and then hit my sync script on the desktop. Because of this I only use it if I have a lot to read, like a full book. I envisioned using it for just reading lengthier forum posts and white papers.
A start I think is to disable the screen saver.
Next will be to put enabling WiFi and keep awake while charging, and then disable after a period if the user fails to cancel and it's unplugged.
If you know how to do either of these things please let me know.
edit avoid bump:
I can't install the tasker apk unfortunately... and they're not giving out licenses anymore without Play. Is there an similar alternative is now my search..
Would be really good to enable and disable adb wireless and wifi when plugged in.
Actually there's a fix for tasker asking for a .jar. So it should be possible tonautomate connecting to WiFi and adb WiFi. Just a matter of getting tasker license or something else. AutomateIT won't run.
jago25_98 said:
I'm still not using it like I feel I should. I think this is because it's just not as Easy to pick up and read. The problem with advanced is that I have to wake up the nook, turn on WiFi and then hit my sync script on the desktop. Because of this I only use it if I have a lot to read, like a full book. I envisioned using it for just reading lengthier forum posts and white papers.
A start I think is to disable the screen saver.
Next will be to put enabling WiFi and keep awake while charging, and then disable after a period if the user fails to cancel and it's unplugged.
If you know how to do either of these things please let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Nook is currently out of commission, but I know at one point I had Pocket running (while it was still called ReadItLater), so there might be an old apk floating around that works. Alternatively, you can setup Wallabag, which is the same thing but run on your own server. Between that and a feed reader, I had thousands of articles to pick from whenever I picked up my Nook. It was quite a delight.
Also, there are a couple of wifi saving tools that can be found in F-Droid. If I recall, I used one called Battery Fu to have my Nook connect, force a sync, then disconnect once every few hours. It worked quite well.
thanks FbYAx
I looked up wallabag but when I try to install every version back to 1.6 I get the message 'older SDK'. I guess you had an older version... but I don't know how far back i have to go.
i will have to start archiving and hosting apks that work
edit to try to be a bit more helpful for people who might be trying to do this same:
get android version (mine is 2.1. i think that is normal (kitkat)):
Code:
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release
change sdk apk version to see if it was developed without using newer sdk stuff (force it):
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/...on-and-targetsdkversion-specified-both-in-and

Turn your old NST into an electric sign

While looking for something completely different, I stumbled across this and thought some people might find it interesting:
Turn an old eReader into an Information Screen (Nook STR) – Terence Eden’s Blog
shkspr.mobi
I wouldn't fixed NST to a wall and think that I have read here about app used here to do that job. Either someone is gonna fix TLS issue or maybe if we assume using NST as display it could be possible to use home Wi-Fi router or mobile phone as secure server or part of VPN that will negotiate TLS issue for NST. I always doubted slightly that NST can offer full internet browser experience but something in line of htttp web grab in reader mode might be good enough for some application. News (RSS), weather and I believe that maybe EPG TV guide are not impossible to accomplish. Only question about this remains will NST embedded HTML browser will be good for the job of showing the grab from web pages or is Opera in reader mode better for such job. Time to look up for a good web grabber...
SJT75 said:
I wouldn't fixed NST to a wall and think that I have read here about app used here to do that job. Either someone is gonna fix TLS issue or maybe if we assume using NST as display it could be possible to use home Wi-Fi router or mobile phone as secure server or part of VPN that will negotiate TLS issue for NST. I always doubted slightly that NST can offer full internet browser experience but something in line of htttp web grab in reader mode might be good enough for some application. News (RSS), weather and I believe that maybe EPG TV guide are not impossible to accomplish. Only question about this remains will NST embedded HTML browser will be good for the job of showing the grab from web pages or is Opera in reader mode better for such job. Time to look up for a good web grabber...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Curl can often bypass SSL checks and grab web content. It runs on the NST. I've used it in a few of my apps. Whether the data it gets can be used by the app the blogger mentions is something else.
@nmyshkin that is nice idea! And seems exactly in line of what I wrote. I do not know is curl accessible from Android layer. I pondered the same thought more in line of trying to use port of Lynx to Android I have seen someone did although who knows is that possible to do on this version of Android?
I've written a status app (that I never use).
It polls two different servers for JSON info and displays it using regular Android graphics stuff.
It uses Retrofit for polling.
And one more! (although this one uses a Sony PRS-T1)
Reusing my ebook reader – Fluffyelephant
Hmm, you got me thinking about this stuff.
There's the whole let the Nook poll some data service and display it on a web browser sort of thing.
I don't really need or want that.
I was thinking more of like as a status output device for a headless Raspberry Pi.
No, not as a terminal, more like status for a solar/home/whatever system.
The Nook doesn't poll anything, it just sits there waiting for text or graphics.
But here's the part I like, you don't use any WiFi.
You just plug your Nook into the Raspberry Pi.
Of course it has adb.
You can get adb for Raspberry Pi: sudo apt-get install android-tools-adb
Now you can set up port forwarding:
Code:
[email protected]:~ $ adb forward tcp:6666 tcp:6666
Then all you need is something on the RPi to connect to port 6666 and spit out stuff.
On the Nook you need an app to serve port 6666 and do display stuff.
I've already made a clock as proof of concept and it works fine.
You could just use text fields or compose a whole graphic frame on the RPi and send that over.
Heck, if you send whole frames you wouldn't even need to run the Android subsytem.
I could probably get that working on a Kobo.
A very sophisticated example follows.
It allows you to individually update separate fields.
These could be in tables with borders or labels or whatever.
Edit: Okay, a better screenshot.
You know, the thing I like about this is that the NST is the server.
It's a bit like running X11, but much more lightweight.
And if you want you can still run this over WiFi instead of ADB forwarding.
This electric sign app is really close to something I'm looking for. What I'd like to do is, instead of a screenshot of a URI, to take a screenshot of what I've got open in the device.
I'd like to use this with Google Calendar, and Opera Mini surprisingly seems to work with the HTML version. I think Opera Mini keeps the calendar updating with AJAX or something, so all I'd need an app like this to do would be to, when it's running, take a screenshot of what's on the screen right before sleeping and set that as wallpaper, then wake every X minutes, screencap what's there and go back to sleep with that as the new wallpaper. The end result should be an always-on, low power Google Calendar.
EDIT: For anyone looking later, I was wrong. Opera Mini does not keep updating Google Calendar, you have to refresh it manually, which makes this slightly more complicated...
jptiger said:
This electric sign app is really close to something I'm looking for. What I'd like to do is, instead of a screenshot of a URI, to take a screenshot of what I've got open in the device.
I'd like to use this with Google Calendar, and Opera Mini surprisingly seems to work with the HTML version. I think Opera Mini keeps the calendar updating with AJAX or something, so all I'd need an app like this to do would be to, when it's running, take a screenshot of what's on the screen right before sleeping and set that as wallpaper, then wake every X minutes, screencap what's there and go back to sleep with that as the new wallpaper. The end result should be an always-on, low power Google Calendar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Somewhere on the site there is a discussion of a setup that copies the current screen into a screensaver folder so that, for example, a map remains visible when the device sleeps. Search for it.
Edit: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/q-fridge-calendar.3057759/#post-59527882
Edit: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...uestion-o-noob-friendly.2941262/post-57216860
Eh, I'm not fond of browser-based anything,
For plain HTML stuff you could throw something together with Webkit instead.
For the adventurous you could use the Google Calendar API
Renate said:
Eh, I'm not fond of browser-based anything,
For plain HTML stuff you could throw something together with Webkit instead.
For the adventurous you could use the Google Calendar API
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tend to agree with you. As I already wrote above something akin to Pocket/ReadItLater and similar might be accomplished using simple web grab I presume and offline HTML browser. I have thought that it looks odd that beside "hidden" (and sadly for us practically unusable) browser NST have another HTML viewer. Reason for that might be it was intended to be used for B&N "browsing" through their shop that they periodically download to NST or maybe for presentation of e-book material of older type that was for all intents and purposes just web archived HTML page or perhaps for viewing magazines purchased through B&N.
In essence even epub use elements of CSS/HTML but that is another story. Maybe it could be possible to make some poor man Pocket like offline browser if we somehow find the way to cobble together parts of some RSS, bookmarks syncing, e-mail listing, forum/blog viewer and approach that me or nmyshkin proposed here. In my opinion hardest part if some web grab is possible would be to render it in usable form for this device. That mean turning of ads, flash/video, loading pictures only on demand (or better in on/off way) and show only text information. Now what "browser" is suitable for this is yet to determine. I know that very old Opera could turn off animation an pictures but as I remember it did that in such way that it didn't download them at all to save bandwidth. Maybe it could be somehow set to load web archives in such manner? Think about it as giving an command that some web page be "printed as epub". It might be to large task to accomplish. Pocket worked if I remember right in such way that selected page was sent to dedicated server which did the trimming part for user and allowing him/her to download that content on other device to be read later on. Here I think that if we could sync for example one of bookmark folders from a computer with NST and achieve web grab of those links in usable form we might have something. It is a matter for the debate isn't Opera mobile and style management already wrote on here in forum same or even better. Problem would be that page reformat/rendering would be tasked to NST itself and I am not sure if it is up to the task or am I capable to cobble such thing alone for that matter. Something flashed in my mind didn't Calibre had some news reader? If it does then I am inventing the wheel here. Still it would be nice to be able to have some even limited ability to open a link to a news story from RSS feed or a forum/blog we follow or e-mail listing etc.
For Calendar I hope that some kind of dedicated app combining Calendar, planner and to do list can be found to already exist for this device.
Did anyone inspected this option? https://greycoder.com/a-list-of-text-only-new-sites/ It might be interesting
SJT75 said:
Did anyone inspected this option? https://greycoder.com/a-list-of-text-only-new-sites/ It might be interesting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for these! The ersatz Google News is amazing in that even the external links are text-only! It makes my Google News app obsolete! Great with Opera Mini. Many, many things to look at there
nmyshkin said:
Thanks for these! The ersatz Google News is amazing in that even the external links are text-only! It makes my Google News app obsolete! Great with Opera Mini. Many, many things to look at there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am glad that I have contributed with something useful. As have already guessed from mine posts in this thread I have contemplated heavily about what could be more useful for NST some text-only browser akin to old trusty Lynx or some rewrite/redefinition of working Opera. One thing lead to another and at first I thought to maybe open and disclosed source for firefox readability extension/addon ported for working version of Opera somehow is a way to go but as I always check all aspects of mine quirky ideas I stumbled upon this. It is poor man solution but as I remembered that you follow NPR and they have text mode only site felt obliged to mention it here.
In line with nmyshkin's idea of using curl if some information display akin to the one linked in the first post is needed does something like cron from Linux can be run on NST?
"Print as epub" exist as web form. Here is the result of that one. https://dotepub.com/ I tried to use online form there and results were mediocre but as I understand they also offer their API to developers etc. That I presume might draw attention from someone on xda.
In defense of the intended idea for using NST as info screen arguably touch technology it uses is best for those screens. Mine guess is that its deemed as such because it is most easily scalable from the currently available techniques. This also raise the question why B&N did not already made readers of much larger format like A4 paper size screen. Is the display cost really that high and prohibitive? On the other news rumors have spread that they have partnered with Lenovo not only for the new generation of tablets but also for new e-readers. Has anyone find some leek about possible specifications?
SJT75 said:
... rumors have spread ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Say, what? After my buying a Poke3?
Edit: See https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no...ovo-barnes-noble/1139012795?ean=9780594080503
1200 x 800 for a 10" = 144 DPI, not drop dead impressive.
I agree. Cheap bastards! I can't say is that 149DPI good for LCD screen but is sub par for e-reader. They obviously targeted minimum resolution comparable to low resolution printing and hope to get away with it. Considered that I expressed criticism to level of development of current color e-ink technology being bellow resolution of NST by about 60% you can bet I find this to little question is does it comes to late for B&N. Still I am more interested about e-ink display device that rumor say is also planned but nothing is revealed so far.
Renate said:
Say, what? After my buying a Poke3?
Edit: See https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no...ovo-barnes-noble/1139012795?ean=9780594080503
1200 x 800 for a 10" = 144 DPI, not drop dead impressive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing to report that is mine work now still in the spirit of this thread I want to post few links with things people did with e-ink screens that might be done with NST also.
1. Raspberry Pi powered news scrapper - something Renate might like as she as I understood work on something similar
https://www.reddit.com/r/raspberry_pi/comments/ksgomp
2. Weather display that I believe was made using software already mentioned somewhere on forum
https://www.reddit.com/r/homeassistant/comments/lcyos9
3. Something completely different! Device made as platform to enable development many things e-ink made. Link shows RSS implementation.
4. In the old days when e-readers were unobtainable on my location I was in desperation contemplating the idea to convert available photo frames to a e-reader. This is as you guess the other way around.
https://www.reddit.com/r/raspberry_pi/comments/liadda
5. Someone developed site for games for e-ink screen as I understood browser only
https://e-ink.club/index.php There is in my opinion plenty of room for some sort of games on e-ink and this is not comprehensive list but it is nice someone started a dedicated page/project for that.

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