I purchased a Nook GlowLight with the intent of downloading a handful of apps (just typing and reading). All I am trying to do with this device is to read and type notes on an e-ink screen (and hopefully strain my eyes less). I am not a tech savvy and not very familiar with android platforms. These past few days I have read as much as I could about rooting online and tried on it every various method I could find. I have rooted, unrooted, rerooted it repeatedly, many, many times, with Nook Touch, Tiny noot, Nook Manager. None of them seem to work properly. The internet browsers don't work at all or don't let me download apps. Please some help, advice, direction... before I decide to return this device. All I need is to download a couple of typing apps, use it mainly for reading, and maybe some free chess or minesweeper. What is the less complicated way to achieve that, which still works?
p.s.
I wish i could be able to do these on an e-ink e-reader with physical keys like the old Keyboard Kindles DX or similar devices. Would it be possible?
Thanks!
Related
hi folks.
gonna be getting me one of these when they go on sale in a week or so here in the uk.
i want one to root because it looks like the perfect ereader to use with pdfs.
my question is once rooted and touchnooter is installed multi touch and no refresh are enabled and the very few apps i want installed are on the deivce can i then somehow remove the market app?
the plan is to simply install a few other ebook apps some pdf apps gmail skydrive and then never install another app ever. i want it as minimal as possible to help with the battery and the less that is on there the better
if anyone knows please let me know.
cheers
You could remove Market after using TN, or simply root without it. I've spent a lot of time looking at battery consumption on my NSTs, and have never noticed Market causing any drain worth worrying about.
With the recent release of Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite, you might want to wait to see how B&N responds. The NST is nice enough, but a capacitive screen would be nice.
bobstro said:
You could remove Market after using TN, or simply root without it. I've spent a lot of time looking at battery consumption on my NSTs, and have never noticed Market causing any drain worth worrying about.
With the recent release of Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite, you might want to wait to see how B&N responds. The NST is nice enough, but a capacitive screen would be nice.
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thanks for the reply. yes i did see the tinynoot root solution after i originally posted this thread.
my question about that is if i used that method can i still install the multi touch and no refresh hack (i am guessing i can but confirmation would be nice). if i can then i will most likely go down that route. it isnt all about battery life but i know the market does check very often when wifi is enabled for updates and what not and i would rather not have to worry about that at all. bottom line i want to keep the reader as close to a reader as possible. pdf email web browser ebook reader and file manager is all that is needed. nothing more is required or wanted and therefore i want it is minimal as possible with no bells or whistles.
not really too fussed about any new future nook and will take the plunge as soon as i can here in the uk. if they bring out something extra special later then i will simply sell the old and buy the new but i will do that as and when i want/ have to. the reason the nook gets my vote over my kindle is the page turn buttons. i have a keyboard 3g at the moment and it is great but it doesnt handle pdfs very well. i bought the new kindle touch but i missed the physical buttons and so bought another keyboard but amazon have crippled the pdf functionality and although i could jailbreak it and install one of the pdf viewer hacks that improve the situation i cant be bothered with all the faffing around. however i was willing to do this but then i saw the multi touch no refresh hack on the nook and watched how it handled pdfs when the hacks were installed and that was me sold. i have a lot of pdfs that i would to view on an e ink screen and the nook is by far and away the best solution for the job.
"can i still install the multi touch and no refresh hack" (after rooting with tinynoot)
Not clear that you can, but if you look at the thread on the overclock kernel that's just been posted, the dev who posted that
also posted an APK that gives you much/most of hte benefit of the no refresh hack, in terms of screen speed.
I am not sure if that work also gives multitouch.
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
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.
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Click to collapse
ok thanks man I dont think the animation thing will be a problem
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)
I've gotten back into reading lately, and I've been doing most of it on an iPad. I remembered yesterday that I had a NST lying around and went and dusted it off, charged it up, and moved some books over with Calibre. To nobody's surprise, I absolutely adore reading on it compared literally any LCD. I actually stumbled into finding out that there was an active modding scene around it just today and I've been going up and down some of these threads but I have a few questions.
First and foremost, my biggest reason for coming here was to get a modified firmware that allowed for faster refreshes/page turning. I've seen two major threads on this, but both are decently old and I've only ever seen newer questions/responses deal with installing an APK launcher on top of existing firmware. So my questions are:
1. Does the 1.2.2 firmware stop those old methods from rooting/working?
2. If not, why are they not the recommended methods anymore? Too complicated and greater risk to the device?
3. If not (1.), which of these two ROMs is recommended, and are there updated installation guides?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2651053
https://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-touch/development/1337-rom-t2931567
Second, if neither of the custom ROMs are a good choice, I've seen both Relaunch and RelaunchX brought up as custom launchers, with multiple ways of installing them (Directly through ADB vs NookManager) and was looking for some opinions on that as well. Sorry in advance if I didn't search well enough, but any help is appreciated.
Daktyl198 said:
First and foremost, my biggest reason for coming here was to get a modified firmware that allowed for faster refreshes/page turning. I've seen two major threads on this, but both are decently old and I've only ever seen newer questions/responses deal with installing an APK launcher on top of existing firmware. So my questions are:
1. Does the 1.2.2 firmware stop those old methods from rooting/working?
2. If not, why are they not the recommended methods anymore? Too complicated and greater risk to the device?
3. If not (1.), which of these two ROMs is recommended, and are there updated installation guides?
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2651053
https://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-touch/development/1337-rom-t2931567
Second, if neither of the custom ROMs are a good choice, I've seen both Relaunch and RelaunchX brought up as custom launchers, with multiple ways of installing them (Directly through ADB vs NookManager) and was looking for some opinions on that as well. Sorry in advance if I didn't search well enough, but any help is appreciated.
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Click to collapse
1. Which old methods? The 1.2.2 FW update is mainly a TLS 1.2 compliance for connection to B&N servers. There are other minor "under-the-hood" changes, but nothing for the user. That said, the only rooting method that has been specifically updated for the 1.2.2 update is NookManager. Other methods may work. Or not. It would be trial-and-error, i.e., always start with a backup.
2. NookManager is, by far, the simplest and least intrusive layperson's method to root. With some customization you can tailor the initial result. Again, other methods may work.
3. There are no updates for the two ROMs you list. Both are based on the 1.2.1 firmware. This is where things get complicated. Since the TLS update of the 1.2.2 FW is only for the B&N server contact, you don't "lose" anything by staying with 1.2.1 FW. However, if your device is still in contact with B&N, it will attempt to update OTA at random intervals and fail, resulting in a spontaneous reboot. One or both of those ROMs may be structured so that there is no more contact with B&N servers--or all B&N stuff could be wiped out. You'd have to look into the dirty details (if any are given). My experience with attempting this kind of thing has not been good, but maybe that's because I always want to retain the B&N Library and Reader/Dictionary. I like them and they meet my needs. But keeping just a part of the B&N system is nearly impossible--at least it has proven so for me.
So.....I just leave all the B&N stuff alone and install my own stuff for everything but the Library and Reader. It works just fine and doesn't complain about not being able to contact B&N, etc. YMMV and your desires and needs may be quite different.
As for page refresh, there are a couple of approaches. Cool Reader has a version which includes e-ink page refresh settings. Also, some time in the distant past there was a post about changing the number of pages before a complete screen refresh (in the B&N reader). I was actually going to look that up this morning when I saw your post, so if I find it, I'll add that info later.
Edit: here's the info about changing the page refresh interval for the B&N reader: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1699481
For 3, there are useful things in those ROMs, but they may not be ideal for everyone if just installed as is.
For example, both run a handful of scripts at startup that may not be ideal for how some people want to use the Nook. The changes to the RAM management in particular were way too aggressive in my opinion.
But I did end up using one of those ROMs on one of my Nooks, just with most of the startup scripts disabled. On my other Nook running the stock firmware, I borrowed various bits and pieces from the custom ROMs. It just took some time to figure out what worked for me.
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