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I'm new to the Nook Color area of XDA, so I apologize in advance if my question is one that has been answered. I did search, but was not able to find an answer to my exact situation, so here it is:
I'm getting a NC as a gift for my family to use. I understand that the stock Rom for the NC allows you to access (what appears to me to be) B&N's version of the Market, with apps optimized for the NC. That sounds like a good thing, as it would seem like they would be the more stable versions (as they are built/tweaked specifically for the NC).
However, I'm familiar with (in general) the rooting/custom ROMs/overclocking concepts of an Android device, so I'm thinking I would like to put MIUI or CM7 on the device so that I can make it be the most powerful and useful device possible.
Here's my dilemma - I can't seem to find any posts that say whether the apps that a person can get from the B&N "market" will run (if transferred via ADB or Root Explorer, or whatever the NC equivalent may be) on a CM7/MIUI setup, or if it is just better to get the normal Market version of those apps.
For example: If I get Angry Birds in the B&N market, I would assume it's designed to run a certain way on the NC. If I download it from the Android Market, I would assume it's going to run differently. Is there any perceptible difference between the two?
I'm not entirely averse to staying with the stock ROM if the apps are heavily tied to (and perform better with) the stock setup. However, if it's not really going to matter whether they come from B&N or Google, I would prefer to be able to use a custom ROM and still be able to run (within reason) all the apps I'm used to using.
I guess that ultimately I can dual-boot if I find that the B&N app versions are superior, but having just dealt with a letdown from a Pandigital Novel, I'm wanting this experience to get off on the right foot. To me, the optimal situation would be a full install of a custom ROM, with either the optimized B&N apps running or equivalent Android Market apps running.
Thanks in advance for any advice/experiences anyone can offer.
I think it depends on whether or not the application requires anything that would be only in the B&N version of Android. I've used the Pandora application from the stock OS on CM7 and worked fine, but there may be some that won't. I haven't ran stock since about a week after getting mine.
Edit: I realized I rambled, so feel free to skip the long version below.
Short version: Not sure if you can ADB pull/push the paid B&N apps to another install, don't know how (if any) DRM works for that. While B&N apps are built specifically for the resolution, I find that they are very expensive (compared Angry Birds Seasons HD 99cents to B&N Angry Birds Seasons (HD) 3 dollars, and honestly I could not see a difference between the two) and if your Nook is not overclocked (which requires rooting), tend to be slow. There are some that are quite nice that I haven't found the equivalent of yet in Amazon App/Google Market such as Word Rainbow. You can find replacements/equivalents for most of the B&N apps in the other two stores I've mentioned. B&N sadly has a very small selection of apps that are actually any good, imo.
The native B&N reader app is far better than the Nook app (some functionality like enhanced children's books ONLY available on native app) and has not been, afaik, successfully ported.
Long, rambly, feel-free-to-ignore version pertaining more to ROMS than apps:
I've run unrooted stock, Manualnootered (rooted) stock, and various flavors of CM7.
- The native ereader app in stock has a very, very nice UI. Much better imo than the Kindle's. I still have to find a good replacement for it. It is also the only way, AFAIK, that you can read those enhanced children's books that lets you record your voice, or that has animations/reads to the viewer. If this is important to you, then stick to unrooted or rooted stock.
- Unrooted stock is so slow, that after having used overclocked rooted stock and CM7, I cannot bring myself to use it again. Even page turns were slow. App loading times are abysmal, and live wallpaper will not only eat your battery but cause everything else to slow down.
- Manualnootered stock is quite nice because you get to install 3rd party apps, have access to not only B&N's own store but also Google Market and Amazon App Store if you install them. You can also overclock so it's a much faster experience (highly recommended).
*Drawbacks are that there are some bugs that you may run into: Update issues with Adobe products, which cause boot loops (there's a fix for it). Not all apps may appear in Google Market (several things you can try to fix). And finally, if there's an OTA (over the air) update to the next (1.4, assuming you manualnooter to the latest 1.3 update), it will break your root/nootering and you will have to do it all over again.
- Installing a Cyanogenmod ROM: You get Gingerbread instead of Froyo (2.3.x vs 2.2.x), lots of goodies too many to list. With Tablet Tweaks (built in) and Nook Color Tools, you can tweak the bleep out of your Nook Color in terms of performance. You won't have to worry about OTA updates or the boot loop issue, but you do run into issues such as: "Your device is not compatible" messages when you try to install certain apps from Google Market (there are workarounds for most of them), SOD (Screen of Death, supposedly fixed with latest dalingrin kernel update), wifi issues (disconnect, difficulty connecting, etc.), force closes of random processes if using a nightly build. You could go with the stable build, but honestly the improvements in the nightly builds far outweigh the bugs which get ironed out pretty quickly.
The best part is, you don't even have to install just one of these. If you want, you can either a) dual boot stock + custom rom from EMMC (native Nook Color space), b) boot custom rom from SD install and keep unrooted stock to avoid voiding your warranty if you're concerned about that c) mix and match dual booting etc. It is pretty much impossible to brick your Nook Color.
After several months I've found that I prefer using CM7 builds simply because they are so much more customizable than rooted stock. I would suggest trying out both (stock, rooted or not, + CM7) via the SD card install + stock EMMC if you're not leaning towards one or the other.
Thank you. That was a very clear, concise, and complete answer to my question (and a good excuse for me to use some alliteration).
As I'm not really interested in the eReader functionality of the device, I'm guessing a Manualnootered/CM7(or MIUI) configuration is where I"ll go, at least until I'm sure what will work better for me.
Don't be surprised if you see me popping up in here again, asking more questions.
Sorry to revive an old thread, but I'm finding myself in a similar situation again.
I've downloaded and successfully been able to run CM7.2 from an SD card, and I've been really impressed with how much faster it makes the Nook run. I'm wanting to push this over to the internal storage so that my family can enjoy the faster performance with all of their stuff on it (I've tested and been able to make a Titanium Backup of a Nook app, which restored correctly in the CM7.2 SD image).
There's one hangup, though - I can't figure out how (if it's possible) to get the stock Nook reader app to work on the CM7.2 image. This wouldn't really be a problem except that I have some "read to me" books that I've paid for that absolutely have to be available on whatever is on the device.
I've looked at this thread in the Tablet section, which has a package that can "re-bloat" the device with the stock reader.
I'd like to do something similar, and I think I have the files needed to do this, but I can't figure out how to push them into the image on the SD card.
-When I open the SD card from my computer, I see all the non-expanded files (e.g. MLO, uRamdisk, uImage, etc.), but no standard Android root directory setup.
-If I attach it to my computer when CM is running, I can see the storage, but not the root directory.
-If I use a root file explorer, I can see the root directory, but I can't mount it as read/write.
-If I use ADB, I can't mount the image as read/write, and adb push fails because it's not read-write.
I'd really like to try and get this working, as I'm not feeling comfortable with messing with the internal setup just yet (I don't want to break something that is working), but I'm guessing I'm hitting a wall because the SD card method is running in some sort of virtualized environment.
Anyone have any suggestions?
jmtheiss said:
Sorry to revive an old thread, but I'm finding myself in a similar situation again.
I've downloaded and successfully been able to run CM7.2 from an SD card, and I've been really impressed with how much faster it makes the Nook run. I'm wanting to push this over to the internal storage so that my family can enjoy the faster performance with all of their stuff on it (I've tested and been able to make a Titanium Backup of a Nook app, which restored correctly in the CM7.2 SD image).
There's one hangup, though - I can't figure out how (if it's possible) to get the stock Nook reader app to work on the CM7.2 image. This wouldn't really be a problem except that I have some "read to me" books that I've paid for that absolutely have to be available on whatever is on the device.
I've looked at this thread in the Tablet section, which has a package that can "re-bloat" the device with the stock reader.
I'd like to do something similar, and I think I have the files needed to do this, but I can't figure out how to push them into the image on the SD card.
-When I open the SD card from my computer, I see all the non-expanded files (e.g. MLO, uRamdisk, uImage, etc.), but no standard Android root directory setup.
-If I attach it to my computer when CM is running, I can see the storage, but not the root directory.
-If I use a root file explorer, I can see the root directory, but I can't mount it as read/write.
-If I use ADB, I can't mount the image as read/write, and adb push fails because it's not read-write.
I'd really like to try and get this working, as I'm not feeling comfortable with messing with the internal setup just yet (I don't want to break something that is working), but I'm guessing I'm hitting a wall because the SD card method is running in some sort of virtualized environment.
Anyone have any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off, if you want to keep the kid's books, you have to keep stock on internal memory. It is the only way they can run. They won't work on CM. That rebloat pack is just to put the stock nook reader back on stock.
When you put the SD card in the PC it is normal that it sees only the boot partition of the SD.
When you connect your nook to the PC with the USB cable, the PC can only see the internal media partition (emmc) and partition 4 of the SD (sdcard).
Root Explorer will let you read/write if you touch the toggle button at the top of it's screen.
With adb, what are you trying to mount?
Thanks for the reply.
I'm using ES File explorer, which I know works to give me the read/write capabilities, but after mounting /system (and/or /system/app) as read-write, I was not able to write files into because it said that it was not read-write.
With ADB, I was trying to mount either /system or /system/app as rewritable, but I couldn't get it to take.
That's a bummer about the kid's books thing. I was hoping I could use a better rom to get the performance up. Just because I'm curious, what is the issue that keeps the reader from working with the CM roms? Is it some sort of signature problem that B&N checks when you sign in with the reader app?
jmtheiss said:
That's a bummer about the kid's books thing. I was hoping I could use a better rom to get the performance up. Just because I'm curious, what is the issue that keeps the reader from working with the CM roms? Is it some sort of signature problem that B&N checks when you sign in with the reader app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with the kids books is they are not really books. They are interactive applications that the stock reader can access. That is how the books are smart and know how to respond to the kids touches.
And people have tried to take the stock reader and install it on CM, but it will not run.
I assume you are running ES Explorer from CM. CM is already rooted so it should work. I have used ES Explorer a little and it seems to me it had a setting that turned on root access for it.
leapinlar said:
The problem with the kids books is they are not really books. They are interactive applications that the stock reader can access. That is how the books are smart and know how to respond to the kids touches.
And people have tried to take the stock reader and install it on CM, but it will not run.
I assume you are running ES Explorer from CM. CM is already rooted so it should work. I have used ES Explorer a little and it seems to me it had a setting that turned on root access for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright. Thanks, that makes a lot more sense.
I recently rooted/installed CleanROM for my S4, but now I have some basic questions regarding what actually happened in the process and how I could improve it. (First smartphone, first Android).
1. Is flashing the exact equivalent of installing a kernel/ROM/app in a recovery like TeamWin that is zipped in an SD card? All I did was select my zipped file and install--the guide says to use GooManager but I never used it. Also, does updating TWRP, kernel, or ROM (same application/kernel/ROM, but newer version) require that you delete the old ZIP, copy over the new ZIP, then install it? Is there a cleaner method (I feel that since we have to wipe to prevent old files from interfering with new ROM that maybe parts of the old version of a ROM may be redundant or may interfere with the new ROM?
2. Is there a way I can save the phone settings when dealing with one ROM and transferring these settings to another ROM? I really don't want to spend 20 minutes to go through all the settings and change it to my liking every time I install a new ROM.
3. With TWRP I could backup the entire ROM and also be able to install that backup ROM if I don't like the new ROM installed? What does Titanium Backup offer in regards to this aside from backing up app data and the ability freeze/uninstall system apps?
4. Does Titanium Backup leave any residual files? I see other apps designed to uninstall system apps and Titanium Backup seems like an all-in-one jack of all trades.
5. I thought I wiped everything and to me, that sounds like reformatting the entire drive. I only wiped system, boot, and data though (good enough for ROMs, according to what I've read). I was surprised when I saw my videos that I had already backed up to my PC accessible on the phone. Should I just wipe literally everything (I assume it would be cleaner) like cache, preload, EFS, modem, recovery, etc.? Will wiping literally everything be like reformatting my phone (since my phone was not reformatted because my personal videos was still there when I installed my custom ROM? If I were to install completely different ROMs cleanly and wanted to keep my personal files, I would only need to wipe system, data, and boot?
4. Do I have to use CASUAL again to install an updated TWRP?
5. Does backing up a ROM also backup its root? I'm going to assume this is a dumb question and the answer is no. I'm also guessing I have to block OTA updates from AT&T to ensure I keep my root. How would I go about doing this? Also, would my phone be "safe" if I stick to my ROM (no updates or anything) for 4+ years? I'm asking this as an extreme case because I feel like I'm missing out on AT&T security updates that could protect my phone and also I don't think the developer my ROM (CleanROM) will do frequent updates).
6. I had problems with my computer not being able to recognize my phone and my SD card in the phone after I wiped everything and before I installed a ROM. I literally had to take the SD card from the phone and use an SD card reader to transfer my custom ROM/loki then put it back into the phone. Was I missing a driver?
7. What are some must-have apps a newly rooted user would want?
8. I read that you only need 1 EFS backup and you don't need to back it up every time you are going to install a custom ROM. Can I get a confirmation?
9. What does Goo Manager do and would I want it?
10. Is it essential that I keep up to date with news about my custom ROM/phone to ensure my phone is secured?
**Not Root/ROM related--Is swiping an app away from the Recent Apps List (long-press home button) the equivalent of killing an app? I use the Recent Apps List often but I don't want to go about swiping apps away if means it is killing it, since I read that killing apps are bad and actually drains battery life. Also, is there a mod that lets you access the Recent Apps List by long-pressing the menu one? I only see a mod that kills the app if you long-press it.
Also, any ROMs you guys can recommend me that is like CleanROM? It has to be TW-based because I use multi-windows. Basically, I want a stable, popular (popular ones tend to be more frequently updated, which is important because there are often bugs in custom ROMs), and optimized/debloated ROM (as debloated as possible, I rather use my own large list of apps than pre-installed ones). I was looking at GoldenEye but I'm not sure.
Thanks. I'm hoping for many responses as I have more questions to ask but not a lot of free time (I will check back on this thread every several hours until there are no more responses on the thread.
Hey there! Here is my take on at least some of your questions. I am not a super pro, but I will try not to give you any wrong info.
1. The zip files that are still out on your SD card are just the install files for whatever you are flashing. They won't be cleaned up automatically and you will need to delete them yourself if you want them gone. That being said I would recommend leaving the previous version's zip out there in case you need to back out of the new version.
2. If by phone settings you mean all of the settings in the various option menus baked into the ROM it is best to redo those when switching between ROMs. Many ROMs add and take away options and add whole new option sections so you will want to go through those and set things to your liking. Another option is to use a launcher like Nova Launcher that lets you back up its settings and restore them which is a big chunk of the things I change when going to a new ROM. Some people may have a different opinion on this one.
3. Yes if you make a backup in a recovery like TWRP and then restore from it it will be like you never flashed the other ROM. Titanium backup does what you say and also can backup individual Apps themselves and restore them.
4. Once you have a recovery installed you should not have to go through the hoops you went through to get it there to update it. Check the thread for the recovery for upgrade instructions.
5. Your SD card will not be wiped when you wipe system or data. There is also the internal "sdcard" that if I recall is not wiped when you do a standard wipe which will keep things like pics and videos between flashes.
6. So you were trying to access the phone storage/SD card while it was in recovery? I have never had much luck with that. I always just make sure I have all of the files I will need to install the new ROM moved over before I wipe it. That being said if you have the right driver it might be possible.
7. Titanium Backup, a file explorer that can leverage Root access like Root Explorer, maybe something like Greenify (I think it takes Root). Other than that check out the thread in the Apps/Themes subforum where people list their top 5 apps.
8. Pass (but I think what you heard/read is right)
9. Goo Manager can let you know if there is updated version of your ROM or what other ROMs are available for your device and download them. It can also be used to install a recovery. Personally I don't use it and just check ROM threads for updates if the ROM doesn't offer OTA updates.
10. I rarely see mention of security fixes/features in custom ROMs so I don't think you need to stay on top of threads for that reason. With that said, if security is crazy super important to you then a custom ROM might not be your best bet. Even though source code is available for most if not all of them that doesn't mean someone has gone through the code looking for security flaws (or even malicious code).
11. You can test this yourself. Go into the "Apps" section of the options and look at what Apps are running then swipe one away and check again. Personally I would go ahead and swipe away Apps as needed since that is a core Android feature. I haven't seen a mod for what you are asking.
12. The other two TW-based ROMs I have used are Goldeneye and Alpha. Both are good, but I am using Alpha now due to its higher degree of customization. Goldeneye hasn't been updated in a month or so, Alpha is being updated regularly at the moment.
---------- Post added at 08:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:09 PM ----------
Here is the link to the thread where people list out their top 5 apps!
Nice post, very good help...serious...
Incredibly helpful, thanks. I will post more questions if I have here, kind of busy at the moment.
Question:
What is the best way to detect whether a third-party app has a keylogger? I read from an article that it is incredibly easy for someone to put a keylogger on an app. Is Avast Mobile Security and Antivirus capable/overkill for this job? Also, I was worried that Avast may actually be bad because it would deteriorate (wear and tear on the SSD of the phone) through all the scannings? Or am I completely wrong? If I am wrong, I'm guessing it's because an antivirus only reads your files and therefore does not wear down a SSD (I'm not even sure if this is right).
mindstormer said:
Question:
What is the best way to detect whether a third-party app has a keylogger? I read from an article that it is incredibly easy for someone to put a keylogger on an app. Is Avast Mobile Security and Antivirus capable/overkill for this job? Also, I was worried that Avast may actually be bad because it would deteriorate (wear and tear on the SSD of the phone) through all the scannings? Or am I completely wrong? If I am wrong, I'm guessing it's because an antivirus only reads your files and therefore does not wear down a SSD (I'm not even sure if this is right).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can read a SSD all day long, that doesn't wear it out. Writing to a SSD will cause wear, not reading. I'm thinking that most antivirus apps can find that kind of stuff, but don't download from unknown sources or those you don't trust. Even Google Play has some shady stuff. I would recommend researching an app on Google if you have any doubts about it. I'm sure it can be done, but I really doubt any of your friends know how to reprogram one of your apps to have a keylogger, plus I wouldn't let them use my phone in the first place.
To answer your questions:
1. Antivirus doesn't wear anything out, it just puts load on your system.
2. Most antivirus apps should detect apps like the ones your talking about.
agent929 said:
You can read a SSD all day long, that doesn't wear it out. Writing to a SSD will cause wear, not reading. I'm thinking that most antivirus apps can find that kind of stuff, but don't download from unknown sources or those you don't trust. Even Google Play has some shady stuff. I would recommend researching an app on Google if you have any doubts about it. I'm sure it can be done, but I really doubt any of your friends know how to reprogram one of your apps to have a keylogger, plus I wouldn't let them use my phone in the first place.
To answer your questions:
1. Antivirus doesn't wear anything out, it just puts load on your system.
2. Most antivirus apps should detect apps like the ones your talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the confirmation.
Another question for anyone:
Clean Master found the folder of an app that I installed on a precious ROM, so I not wipe the device cleanly. I though wiping system, boot, and data was enough--what was I missing, or should I have checked everything to be wiped on TeamWin Recovery?
Are you sure its not coming from your SD card?
Sent from miPhone using XDA Premium HD app
First of all, thanks a lot to Cpasjuste for making the working gapps flashble zip, here's a link to that. I take no responsibility for doing this, all credit goes to Cpasjuste. Also I do not know a lot about deving myself but i've had two android devices before this and have been avid in modding them, just thought i'd put that out there.
So, first thing I did was get root, factory reset and get safestrap recovery. then I made a backup of my stock ROM, kept it on my kindle, and moved it to a safe spot in my computer (I recommend everyone does this, no matter if they choose to follow this setup or not.) I created a new ROM slot with default partitions, and restored my stock ROM to it (you do this in case any thing happens you have your stock ROM to fall back on). I tried flashing Cpasjuste's gapps rom, but for some reason there were multiple issues with it so instead, i restored to stock, on ROM slot 1, and flashed his gapps zip mentioned earlier. Rebooted and everything (well almost everything) worked perfectly. playstore works and only app that I have discovered to be incompatible is instagram for some reason, but i found a apk download online that installed perfectly to replace it. I installed a app from play store called recent apps quick button, which basically activates android's recent apps, then I installed a app from play store called Home2 shortcut. this lets me assign the resent apps quick button to double tapping the home button so now when i double tap the home button it brings me to recent apps. It's really nice since kindles default Rom doesn't have a recent apps button! Right now I am working on blocking updates from amazon to prevent losing root or bricking, using the tutorial found at the end of the root link. Let me know what you guys have done to make your kindle fire HDX experince better, or any questions you have.
Also, I forgot to mention that using the gapps flashable zip broke my amazon appstore and most amazon services, except video it seams like, but since we have safestrap recovery this isn't a big deal to me because i can always get it back, and im sure it will be fixed in future. Have fun and be safe while experimenting with your kindle.
I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGE DONE TO YOUR DEVICE, KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING BEFORE YOU DO IT!!!!!!!
Ah! Thats what I missed, I didnt realise I could use restore on a different ROM slot! Thanks for that, going to try it later!:good:
OurFriendIrony said:
Ah! Thats what I missed, I didnt realise I could use restore on a different ROM slot! Thanks for that, going to try it later!:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem! Also if I were you I would delete most of the user apps on your stock ROM, Idk if you did what I said and factory reset before you got safestrap (I would not try it if you already safestrap since you will lose safestrap and possible break you device!) but if you didnt I would just go back and delete most user apps and data off stock ROM and then redo the backup and restore with that. because you most likely wont be using the stock ROM (you don't want to alter it since you want to have a safe spot to restore to) you want it to take up as little storage as possible. My advice, pretend that you don't have root and don't do anything with it, like editing parts of system, or flashing mod packages, etc... (only exception is having super user and safe strap app installed.) Let me know if any part of this was to confusing. Hope this helped!
Haha, I saw your reply about 2 minutes after starting up the factory rest. I can, however, confirm that safestrap is still installed between the boot and IS load, so I'm actually in a perfect position. Have taken a new backup of pure stock rom!
Happy days!
I got a copy of my Stock ROM installed into ROM slot 1 and then added the gapps package, it worked beautifully!
I now have a tablet with all the google features on and have no issues so far.
except...
when I boot to ROM slot 1, I get a message saying "Kindle is Updating/Upgrading". It doesn't do anything and it only takes a few seconds before it gives up. I was just wondering if there was a way of getting rid of this??
As someone who hasn't had any prior experience with Android (although a fair share of experience with GNU/Linux), I appreciate a thread like this.
I also rooted the device (works well from GNU/Linux), installed SuperSU and some essential apps to make the stock OS usable (busybox and a terminal emulator, of course; and also a lightweight file browser that doesn't take much space and does exactly that, lets me browse local files). Then installed SafeStrap and backed everything up to both the Kindle and the PC (the backup is accessible via MTP, in the internal storage, so you can just connect the USB cable and copy the TWRP directory – at least in KDE).
Now I'm going to try the new AOSP ROM. Though since I'm new to the whole Android business, the partition sizes have me a bit confused. I'd want to have three slots – the stock ROM (obviously), the stock FireOS (one that I can modify) and AOSP. What partition sizes for the two slots would be the best, if it's the 16GB HDX? Also, say I download a PDF file; would both FireOS and AOSP see the file if I put it in internal storage, or would I have to manually copy it over to the other slot through my PC?
@GreatEmerald, whats AOSP? I'm thinking of playing around a bit more. I want to try out some more ROMs.
I put my first ROM slot (Stock with gapps added and amazon crap removed) on Flight Mode and now when I try and put it on wireless it restarts....
OurFriendIrony said:
@GreatEmerald, whats AOSP? I'm thinking of playing around a bit more. I want to try out some more ROMs.
I put my first ROM slot (Stock with gapps added and amazon crap removed) on Flight Mode and now when I try and put it on wireless it restarts....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AOSP = Android Open Source Project
Many other devices have an AOSP build and is typically a very nice build to flash if you like the core android feel with some extra very nice features.
OurFriendIrony said:
@GreatEmerald, whats AOSP? I'm thinking of playing around a bit more. I want to try out some more ROMs.
I put my first ROM slot (Stock with gapps added and amazon crap removed) on Flight Mode and now when I try and put it on wireless it restarts....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, as mentioned, AOSP is a ROM for stock Android 4.2.2, pretty much the only big ROM available for the HDX7 right now: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2607185
It works pretty well as it is, I'm impressed it's as good already given how new the project is. Though it still has some issues for normal use. Aside from the bugs mentioned in the post, Chrome crashes as soon as it's launched (but you can use Firefox instead), as does the Kindle app (which is mainly what is stopping me from using it, because the point of a Kindle is the integration with Amazon services...). Also, the Facebook app fails to install for some reason.
Everything else I tried works fine. I installed F-Droid, a file manager, Busybox and a terminal, then the Amazon app and some of the Amazon cloud apps, and finally Skype. All of them work very nicely on AOSP. Even tested a video call on Skype and it worked without any problems (including the camera working correctly).
As someone new to Android and from a GNU/Linux background, I'm really happy that F-Droid exists. It's an app store/package manager that offers only free and open source software. For regular users that might sound as not a big deal, but actually filtering software by license is more powerful than one would think. You're guaranteed to have only apps that have no spyware and adware, because you can't hide them in open code. And those who make apps without publishing their code obviously have something to hide. So much like in GNU/Linux, the first place to check for new apps for me is F-Droid, and after that the main store of the OS (be it Google Play or Amazon Store), and only then 1Mobile market.
I still would like to know more about that partitioning, though. I figured out that the emulated SD card is shared between ROMs (I uploaded F-Droid to the Downloads directory on FireOS, and could see it on AOSP just as well), but I still don't know what exactly the two partitions you have to make to set up a ROM slot are and how much space should be allocated to them.
GreatEmerald said:
Yea, as mentioned, AOSP is a ROM for stock Android 4.2.2, pretty much the only big ROM available for the HDX7 right now: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2607185
It works pretty well as it is, I'm impressed it's as good already given how new the project is. Though it still has some issues for normal use. Aside from the bugs mentioned in the post, Chrome crashes as soon as it's launched (but you can use Firefox instead), as does the Kindle app (which is mainly what is stopping me from using it, because the point of a Kindle is the integration with Amazon services...). Also, the Facebook app fails to install for some reason.
Everything else I tried works fine. I installed F-Droid, a file manager, Busybox and a terminal, then the Amazon app and some of the Amazon cloud apps, and finally Skype. All of them work very nicely on AOSP. Even tested a video call on Skype and it worked without any problems (including the camera working correctly).
As someone new to Android and from a GNU/Linux background, I'm really happy that F-Droid exists. It's an app store/package manager that offers only free and open source software. For regular users that might sound as not a big deal, but actually filtering software by license is more powerful than one would think. You're guaranteed to have only apps that have no spyware and adware, because you can't hide them in open code. And those who make apps without publishing their code obviously have something to hide. So much like in GNU/Linux, the first place to check for new apps for me is F-Droid, and after that the main store of the OS (be it Google Play or Amazon Store), and only then 1Mobile market.
I still would like to know more about that partitioning, though. I figured out that the emulated SD card is shared between ROMs (I uploaded F-Droid to the Downloads directory on FireOS, and could see it on AOSP just as well), but I still don't know what exactly the two partitions you have to make to set up a ROM slot are and how much space should be allocated to them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The system partition only needs to be as big as the Rom or backup you flash is, the data partition I typically make as big as possible (4000 mb) since this is what your Rom will consider internal storage. This is where apps and app data will be downloaded onto, where the rest of the data on your ad card is shared and is used for music, videos and lots of other custom stuff you can add. As for the cache I leave it at the default, this is where temporary data for apps is stored ( for example when you play a youtube video, it is temporarily stored on this partition.
spaghettiknight said:
The system partition only needs to be as big as the Rom or backup you flash is, the data partition I typically make as big as possible (4000 mb) since this is what your Rom will consider internal storage. This is where apps and app data will be downloaded onto, where the rest of the data on your ad card is shared and is used for music, videos and lots of other custom stuff you can add. As for the cache I leave it at the default, this is where temporary data for apps is stored ( for example when you play a youtube video, it is temporarily stored on this partition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, that's good to know. It makes me wonder, though – can I resize partitions in some way? Say, I created a smallish partition setup for ROM slot 1, then another one for ROM slot 2, and then have a bit spare; can I allocate the whole space to ROM slot 1 if I no longer need ROM slot 2? Or to do a backup, clear the partition setup, then restore the backup into newly sized partitions?
GreatEmerald said:
Ah, that's good to know. It makes me wonder, though – can I resize partitions in some way? Say, I created a smallish partition setup for ROM slot 1, then another one for ROM slot 2, and then have a bit spare; can I allocate the whole space to ROM slot 1 if I no longer need ROM slot 2? Or to do a backup, clear the partition setup, then restore the backup into newly sized partitions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, what i would do is backup my current setup, delete the rom slot your using, then remake it with your newly picked partitions
Nevermind. Got it working now. Thanks for the guide!
safestrap not working on my kindle hdx 7"
Hi my kindle is already rooted and I used towelroot. I have supersu installed too. I'm currently on the step of where I should install safestrap, but it seems safestrap is not working on my tablet. I tried 3.65, 3.72, 3.75 version of safestrap but it does not work. It always restart normally. Not in recovery. Pls help. 13.3.2.8 version. Thank u in advance.
pinksummer17 said:
Hi my kindle is already rooted and I used towelroot. I have supersu installed too. I'm currently on the step of where I should install safestrap, but it seems safestrap is not working on my tablet. I tried 3.65, 3.72, 3.75 version of safestrap but it does not work. It always restart normally. Not in recovery. Pls help. 13.3.2.8 version. Thank u in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you blocked OTA with HDX Toolkit? If not your device will likely brick if Amazon attempts to push an update. At present the blocker in HDX toolkit is the only one that works on 3.2.8.
Your attention should be focused on this task; can deal with safestrap once OTA block is in place.
ya I had to learn about that the hard way
hi all, hope someone can help me with this. i bought this phone but it only has like 9gb available, i rooted my device and i wanted to know if there is something i can do to free up memory, since its running low. please help, its the GT-I9505
If you are rooted you can use a program like titanium backup to delete system apps. You nee to be careful i deleted samsung store and it messed with other fuctioning stuff. You might want to find a list of what you can and canot uninstall.
Try flashing a ROM, like Cyanogenmod, that isn't touch wiz based. I did and I haven't had a single lag or internal storage issue. Good luck!
try the Clean Master app from play store
JonanomisK said:
Try flashing a ROM, like Cyanogenmod, that isn't touch wiz based. I did and I haven't had a single lag or internal storage issue. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im a big fan of pure google android, and this touchwiz just isnt for me. can you point me out to a stable rom?
Try using the latest snapshot of cyanogenmod, or one of the latest nightlies both are pretty stable and I use them.
All of the rom touchwiz or non touchwiz will have the same available space i.e 9gb because of the default size samsung has used for the os on this phone. I think the only way to get the full amount is to flash a Chinese version of the rom and to do something with the pit files. I wouldnt go near that if i was a noob to this though because its messing with the partitions
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Root App delete is an unknown extremely powerful app. It will remove and push in a user app and turn it into a system app. It will remove any system app completely. To be safe you can completely disable an app which it completely hides away from the system (doesn't appear at all on reboot) and if anything starts acting up, you simply access the disabled app menu in Root App delete and restore it to resume normal functionality. That's what am using to lighten my current stock rooted s4 rom. It's awesome! Even android v1.6 can run it. You don't need to damage your stock rom just disable and watch over a period of time. If the system remains stable, delete the app permanently, if the default keyboard sucks, install your custom keyboard then push it into the OS for it to become a system app then delete the default keyboard that sucks. This app gives me a field day in making my rom lighter just don't select the Pro option use the Junior, it is very very powerful all for 100% Free. In google play if you care to look alittle harder, all the apps that are paid for, have someone else giving all those features literally for free . I specialize in finding fremium apps. All my apps are fremium apps
Stock 2012 N7. Nothing for on board storage taking up space other than minimal apps. Use it mainly for streaming. I keeps the apps updated and restart frequently. Is it just that it's old? It seems after the last update back in late 2014 the tablet has been extremely slow and there's nothing I can do to help.
I don't really want to buy another tablet since I like the size and usability of the N7, and all I really want it for is streaming video. But, it's almost unusable with the lag.
Any suggestions?
1.) Keep at least 4GB of storage free
2.) Do fstrim regularily, especially when installing / updating apps or writing much data to the storage
3.) Enable developer options and set max. background processed to 4
4.) disable journalling on /cache and /data
5.) use one of the MM roms
I had problems with my device, too, but since I am using 6..0.1 there is almost no lag, at least for the things I am doing with my tablet, e.g. browsing a bit, reading / writing messages / ...
Use ParrotMod and your tablet will be much faster then: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3300416
Thank you both for the replies. I will try these on my N7. It really has become almost useless with the lag.
The Facebook app will put this tablet to its death, make sure to not have it installed. Turn off any unnecessary account syncs in settings. After doing these, I can actually use my tablet. Because of hardware limitations, it won't be as snappy as the latest tabs out there, but applying the aforementioned steps will make your Nexus useable again.
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
Which android version are you running?
I find it unusable with 5.0 and above. Go back to 4.4 and it is quite snappy.
ykphuah said:
Which android version are you running?
I find it unusable with 5.0 and above. Go back to 4.4 and it is quite snappy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or, better: install both an Android 6 ROM and ParrotMod. The new ROM alone will not help, at least it did not with my device.
Hi! I had the same problem in my nexus 7 32 GB, it seems that the memory chips on these tablets go bad after 2 or 3 years of use, and is very noticeable with old versions of lollipop (5.1.1 seems to be the fastest). I did the following:
-flash TWRP
-format /data and /cache to F2FS
-install Cyanogenmod 12 (snapshot)
-install openGaps pico version (the smallest one)
-flash parrotmod
this worked fine for a few weeks, after that, my data started to corrupt, and I was not able to do a TWRP backup, so I got back to EXT4 (the original, but slower, filesystem). so, this is my setup now:
-/data and /cache back to ext4
-Cyanogenmod 13 (unoficial)
-openGapps core apps only (aroma variant, at installer do not select any aditional apps)
-disable journaling in /data and /cache
-fstrim set to auto everyday
-parrotmod
this resulted in a stable and usable tablet.