Related
Hi,
My brother's desperate to get a bluetooth keyboard working with his HTC Hero (UK). Currently runs the stock HTC 2.1-update1.
It's easy enough to pair them (we've tried two) but they remain paired but unconnected. With my Galaxy S (stock 2.2.1) they work fine. I gather this is because the Hero doesn't support the SPP or HID profiles.
We've also tried most of the apps we can think of: Keypro (sits on 'connecting'), Blueinput (force-closes when you click to select they keyboard), the JP one (sits on 'connecting'). Looking at the forum for keypro it looks like they're aware of this issue and haven't yet been able to correct it.
I've heard rumours that people running custom ROMs (eg based on Cyanogenmod) have been able to get keyboards working.
So - has anyone managed to get a bluetooth keyboard working with one of these devices, and if so how? Would prefer a solution that keeps Sense installed but he says he'll let me go to vanilla android.
Thanks in advance.
For the benefit of future users (and because the forum seems to be littered with questions like this!) we managed to get it working by installing FroydVillain 1.7.2.
Main problem was the lack of a flash_image binary to install the nandroid recovery image, but we copied over one we downloaded and it worked without issue.
Keyboard was recognised immediately and works fine as an HID device.
That's interesting! But could you detail, what were the steps of this successful installing? I also have an old bt keyboard, which I'm unable to use with the hero... Thank's if you can explain any more...
Mostly we used the instructions from http:##www|villainrom.co.uk/vBwiki/index.php/Installing_Custom_ROMs , though with a change for flashing the rom as the binary wasn't available on his phone.
More specifically - use the Froydvillain download mirrors at http:##www|villainrom.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?3698 and the wiki page above, and download:
Froydvillain 1.7.0
Froydvillain 1.7.1 upgrade
Froydvillain 1.7.2 upgrade
Universal Androot
AmonRA Recovery image
Stick everything onto the SD card - either using a USB cable and your phone, or we just used a USB card reader.
Install Universal Androot. We used HTC sync and just double-clicked on the .apk but you could also use a file manager (the wiki recommends Astro).
Install Android Terminal Emulator from the market.
Root the phone using Androot (he was running the latest 2.1 so we used the 2.0-2.2 root button).
The next bit is where we differed from the wiki instructions. They tell you to type:
Code:
su
flash_image recovery /sdcard/[I]<name of recovery image file>[/I]
reboot recovery
We found that there was no flash_image binary on my brother's phone (the error read 'flash_image: not found' so downloaded one - there's a copy at http:##cyanogen-files.carneeki.net/flash_image.zip ; I can't remember exactly where we got the one we used.
The instructions we found with the binary suggested something complicated involving remounting the system partition (it's normally read-only so you can't copy the binary there). Equally, you can't run it directly from the sd card without remounting as it's set not to allow executables. We just ran it from the data partition:
Copy the flash_image file to the sd card and use:
Code:
su
cp /sdcard/flash_image /data/flash_image
chmod 700 /data/flash_image
/data/flash_image recovery /sdcard/[i]<name of recovery image file>[/i]
sync
Then just power off the phone and turn it back on with the 'Home' button pressed. You should find yourself in recovery mode using your new recovery image.
We then used Backup/Restore > Nand backup to backup the current ROM to the SD card. Then from the Wipe menu we ran through each option in turn to ensure a fully fresh setup (I gather this isn't essential, but is advised). Lastly we used Flash zip and sequentially flashed 1.7.0, 1.7.1, then 1.7.2.
Then we rebooted, and waited... and waited... and waited... The VillainROM logo with the scary red-eyed android pulsated for about 30 minutes before I gave up and removed the battery. I took out the SD card and turned the phone back on; this time it was only a few minutes before we found ourselves with a fully functional (and factory-fresh) phone.
We put the sd card back in and set up the phone as normal; then turned on bluetooth and paired the phone with the keyboard (with ours it was a matter of typing a PIN on the keyboard and pressing enter, and duplicating the number on the phone) - it was instantly recognised as an HID device and worked perfectly!
Hope that's of some use - as I mentioned before it's essentially the same as the standard instructions except for the step involving the missing flash_image binary.
[edit: sorry, I'm not allowed to post links it seems! You'll have to cut and paste, and replace the '##' with '//', and the '|' with '.']
Thank you, you were very kind! But it seems basically only a normal fv installation on a rooted phone... Only I become a bit confused with all the /data/system operations... I can try installing fv 1.72, but at the moment I don't want to give back my floyo 1.20, which is more responsive (in my phone), but gives no sinal of accepting to connect the paired bt...
Yes - it was just a new ROM install which did the job - only the lack of flash_image and the lengthy bootup before we removed the sd card confused us so hopefully it's useful to someone trying the same.
I've not heard of Floyo - but the reason I decided to try FroydVillain was that it was CyanogenMod-based rather than HTC sense based as I heard that HTC don't include bluetooth HID support in their ROMs.
The CyanogenMod changelog http:##wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=Changelog suggests that HID support has been included since 6.0.0 so I'd expect anything based on CyanogenMod since that should be fine. I chose FroydVillain simply because my brother's not very techy and I wanted a fairly mainstream ROM for him...
Not so simple...! Out of curiosity, I went to install froyd villain, but as I imagined the result was the same! "Paired but not connected"... It seems that when you rooted the hero, something remained in /system, no idea what was it! If a developer could read this, perhaps he could understand what happened... Floyo is simply another rom based on cm... the difference is all in the rooting process, seemingly...
Not for me
Hi Guys,
as I have been running Froyd Villain 1.7.2 for a rather long time now I thought I might give it a try. As there is an Apple Bluetooth keyboard dusting around here I had quite high hopes.
The pairing process worked well and it shows an Icon with the BT Symbol encased in Black and two arrows. In the BT settings it tells me that I am connected to a BT device, never the less, no matter what input field I choose, I cannot type on the BT keyboard. There is no other Input method I could choose from either so it's still not working for me.
Damn.
What keyboard where you using?
I have rooted my nook simple touch. Originally it was meant for reading only, but I write a lot too and writing on a computer screen is very straining as well as intimidating. I installed an app for takig notes on my NST but then I found that the keyboard isn't very nice on the nook. I want to change it. There are several keyboard apps on the market but none of them seem to work. I am not very much aware about the android system, so will someone please help me install a new keyboard? I don't need swype, swiftkey x will do. please help me install swiftkey x or something similar.
you have to move the apk file from /data/app to /system/app. Then use Nook Color Tools to select new keyboard.
I can recommend Hacker's keyboard (on market it is for android 2.2 and later but you can find somewhere on the forum link to a 2.1 version). Only cons is that it is dark but I have asked a developer and he is working on a different look (and hopefully also integrate 2.1 compatibility pach).
if you dont wanna open adb or anything, just do this
you can just install the app using Market
(or)
Download the apk from tto your computer. copy it to your SD card. Insert the SD card into nook and just open the folder in your SD card where you have the .apk and tap on it. then nook will ask for an install prompt and then proceed to install.
Once done enable the keybord from the app itself, or if you open NookColor tools you will have an ption to change the default keyboard
Keyboards
Take a look at TorimuNooter, it has ICSKeyboard included.
Torimu.Joji said:
Take a look at TorimuNooter, it has ICSKeyboard included.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to add on to this, ICSKeyboard has a working autocorrect/suggestion system.
thanks everyone. I figured it all out myself. I am currently on touchpal and am loving it. thanks for the Co ordination
How did you get Touchpal to work. I installed TouchPal Tablet and the keyboard was all messed up?
What version of Touchpal are you using?
Hello, I'm also looking for a better keyboard (for Spanish, for example).
I've tried many (I like ICSKeyboard), but all they lack the key "Done" (required when adding notes in the stock Reader).
Somebody knows if there is a keyboard that includes it?
TIA,
jugaor
sorry I meant smart keyboard pro. its great and very customizeable. it also has Spanish language for it, and many more.
I think the done key is not dependent on what keyboard you use (its not available on the stock of course), it gets activated only in situations the app needs it to. so if the apparently commands the use of the done key, it will be there. I am not sure if this is correct, but I do get the one key whenever I want on the smart keyboard pro.
I have the same problem with the "Done" key: for example when I want to add a note to my books, I found I can only do that with the stock keyboard which has a permanent "done" button for me to press. Any other keyboard I tried has the normal "enter" key, but no "done"... pressing enter has the effect of a carriage return on the notes (that allow for multiline comments up to 512 char), but I can't save the note.
Anyone found a solution to this?
Thanks anyone!
ICS keyboard for NST
Googie2149 said:
Just to add on to this, ICSKeyboard has a working autocorrect/suggestion system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your post is my only hope left in the sea of misery of keyboards without auto-suggestion. I tried to install a couple of ICSKeyboard builds on my 1.2.1 Nook rooted with NootManager, but to no avail. Could you tell me where to find a cab of this ICSKeyboard working on Nook?
The TorimuNooter is not available anywhere anymore. The only image I could find is 06K version; it doesn't have this keyboard.
Clarification on installing a new keyboard: First you will need a browser with root privileges (ES File Explorer worked for me). In the settings menu, choose Root Explorer, then Mount R/W. Both "data" and "system" need to be set to R/W - otherwise I couldn't see the files and folders in data and I couldn't copy things to system/app). Find the keyboard install program (mine (graffiti) was not easy - I had to search for the APK). Copy it to the System/App folder. Run the install from that folder. That made it show up in the Nook Color Tools for me.
There must be a way to force the "Done" key to show in a 3rd party keyboard.. I use Smart keyboard to be able to write to my language (stock has only english) but the only problem is this "done" key not showing, although it show elsewhere..
Hi everyone,
If you have any questions relating to Arch on the TF300, please post them here and not in the dev thread
I'll do my best (as well as others, I'm sure) to answer them, but bear in mind that you should have some basic Linux knowledge before flashing!
this is awesome!
cb22 said:
Hi everyone,
If you have any questions relating to Arch on the TF300, please post them here and not in the dev thread
I'll do my best (as well as others, I'm sure) to answer them, but bear in mind that you should have some basic Linux knowledge before flashing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't thank you enough for this, it's been fantastic so far! I only have a few questions, as I am extremely new to arch linux...as in this is the first time I've used anything aside from debian in the linux world.
To start, how would we go about changing DE's? I've downloaded a couple, but i get errors every time i try to start one saying that another window manager is already running. With ubuntu one just logged out and chose from the log in screen, but there doesn't appear to be a log out process for this, i get a black screen every time i do. Other than that, are there any general programs/settings/tweaks that you would suggest applying? While this is very nice, it still seems to be missing some basic functions, such as putting the screen to sleep and having a set system time.
Despite all of that, this has breathed new life into my tablet, you're doing fantastic work and I hope you only continue to make it more amazing!
fankuan19 said:
To start, how would we go about changing DE's? I've downloaded a couple, but i get errors every time i try to start one saying that another window manager is already running. With ubuntu one just logged out and chose from the log in screen, but there doesn't appear to be a log out process for this, i get a black screen every time i do. Other than that, are there any general programs/settings/tweaks that you would suggest applying? While this is very nice, it still seems to be missing some basic functions, such as putting the screen to sleep and having a set system time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look at the .xinitrc file in the home directory. It's a hidden file so you may need to "show hidden" or give an editor the full path (/home/user/.xinitrc)
The file runs the following by default:
Code:
exec startxfce4 --with-ck-launch
You can change everything after `exec` to the script for a different DE, such as `startkde`. If you don't know the command, there should be a list of session templates in /usr/share/xsessions/. Inside each .desktop file there's an "Exec=" line, everything after that is the command to sub in.
My crappy bash skills threw together a quick command to get a list of installed xsessions:
Code:
grep "Exec=" /usr/share/xsessions/*.desktop | sed -E 's/^Exec=(.+)$/\1/'
The output on the default rootfs will just be "startxfce4". If you have KDE another line should output "startkde", and so on. Put the command in your .xinitrc (making sure to replace the current one) and then reboot as there's no proper way to log out.
whoops
timothyb89 said:
Take a look at the .xinitrc file in the home directory. It's a hidden file so you may need to "show hidden" or give an editor the full path (/home/user/.xinitrc)
The file runs the following by default:
Code:
exec startxfce4 --with-ck-launch
You can change everything after `exec` to the script for a different DE, such as `startkde`. If you don't know the command, there should be a list of session templates in /usr/share/xsessions/. Inside each .desktop file there's an "Exec=" line, everything after that is the command to sub in.
My crappy bash skills threw together a quick command to get a list of installed xsessions:
Code:
grep "Exec=" /usr/share/xsessions/*.desktop | sed -E 's/^Exec=(.+)$/\1/'
The output on the default rootfs will just be "startxfce4". If you have KDE another line should output "startkde", and so on. Put the command in your .xinitrc (making sure to replace the current one) and then reboot as there's no proper way to log out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all, thanks for the help! Unfortunately, I appear to have done something incorrectly, as the Linux partition will no longer boot. That code didn't return anything but a ">", although as I type this i realize I may have needed to be root...haha, regardless, I tried to edit the .xinitrc file with "exec /bin/usr/startlxde", which is what was after "exec=" in the xsessions directory, nothing happened after waiting quite a while after boot.
I suppose I'll have to reflash the entire partition, considering i can't access the filesystems to change it back. Ah, the wonders of linux!
Sorry if I repeat my question,but how can i activate the keyboard without using a pc with linux ?
fankuan19 said:
First of all, thanks for the help! Unfortunately, I appear to have done something incorrectly, as the Linux partition will no longer boot. That code didn't return anything but a ">", although as I type this i realize I may have needed to be root...haha, regardless, I tried to edit the .xinitrc file with "exec /bin/usr/startlxde", which is what was after "exec=" in the xsessions directory, nothing happened after waiting quite a while after boot.
I suppose I'll have to reflash the entire partition, considering i can't access the filesystems to change it back. Ah, the wonders of linux!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to gain access easily via Recovery. Just adb shell in, mount /dev/mmcblk0p8 /mnt and look in /mnt/linux - that's your root file system...
Razorbacktrack5535 said:
Sorry if I repeat my question,but how can i activate the keyboard without using a pc with linux ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Without using a PC... Hmm, that could be tricky. If you're in Android, and you add this line to the top of /data/linux/home/user/.xinitrc
Code:
maliit-server &
(before the exec line)
It should give you the virtual keyboard when you restart into Linux.
cb22 said:
You should be able to gain access easily via Recovery. Just adb shell in, mount /dev/mmcblk0p8 /mnt and look in /mnt/linux - that's your root file system...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was actually able to just use the terminal emulator in android to navigate back to the .xinitrc file, turns out i wasn't supposed to leave the "--with-yadda-yadda" bit, so i got lxde working...and as it turns out, i don't like it nearly as much as the DE you included, so i'll be switching back to that!
First off: thank you SO much for your hard work at this! My tab has never browsed the web this well. It's better than the desktop I'm sitting next to. Arch is amazing!
Just a few questions. Do we have basic tab controls yet? I'm looking for, specifically:
Brightness Control
Enable/Disable Touchpad
Volume Control
Sleep/Suspend/Hibernate
Especially that last one! As far as I can tell, if I'm not going to use the tab for more than a couple minutes, it's apparently best to shut it down or reboot back into Android so it can "sleep". Or plug it in. I know we're rough around the edges yet, but is this stuff in, or no?
koiulpoi said:
First off: thank you SO much for your hard work at this! My tab has never browsed the web this well. It's better than the desktop I'm sitting next to. Arch is amazing!
Just a few questions. Do we have basic tab controls yet? I'm looking for, specifically:
Brightness Control
Enable/Disable Touchpad
Volume Control
Sleep/Suspend/Hibernate
Especially that last one! As far as I can tell, if I'm not going to use the tab for more than a couple minutes, it's apparently best to shut it down or reboot back into Android so it can "sleep". Or plug it in. I know we're rough around the edges yet, but is this stuff in, or no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think sleep/suspend/hibernate is implemented at all quite yet. The backlight seems to turn off completely when the screen times out though so you can fake having a low power mode, though obviously true sleep would be nice.
As for volume control, use pavucontrol. You may need to install it with `pacman -S pavucontrol`.
For brightness ... there's no good way to do this as far as I can tell. XFCE has a brightness control applet you can add to the bottom panel but it doesn't seem to work, and most of the usual packages (e.g. xbacklight, etc) don't detect the backlight device. Oddly enough I gave e17 a try and its builtin brightness applet worked fine, I wonder what they do differently ...
At any rate you can control it manually: the file /sys/class/backlight/pwm-backlight/brightness has a 0-255 value which controls the screen brightness. Note that you need to run the echo command as root
Code:
# echo "1" > /sys/class/backlight/pwm-backlight/brightness # minimum brightness
# echo "255" > /sys/class/backlight/pwm-backlight/brightness # maximum brightness
# echo "0" > /sys/class/backlight/pwm-backlight/brightness # completely turns off backlight. use with care
Setting it to zero makes it next to impossible to see the screen. I ended up having to ssh into the device (or reboot) to get it back.
I modified the file through a PC and It works ! Thanks, no problems with wifi
Sleep / Suspend isn't implemented yet.
But, I did a bit of testing, and the TF should last for about ~40 hours with the screen off, and the processor in the Low Power mode (which it does automatically. Obviously, it's still wasteful compared to proper suspend, but it's not too bad.
Really liking this so far, other than managing to break wifi once, which I fixed by doing a quick re(install I guess is the proper term). Any chance of a future release having SLiM or something setup out of the box(I'd do it but looking at some of the guides, we are missing some files(?) :s) either that or is there a way to autologin a new user other than the default one named user?
(edit for more info) I've tried following a guide I found on the arch wiki which had me modify [email protected], but it didn't boot so I had to edit it back to the default.
Thanks for all your work cb22, and thanks for taking my advice and switching file hosts
This may be a dumb question
But I can't for the life of me find out how to flash the hybridkernel.blob, I've already done every other thing, but i'm lost as to what to do there. Can I get a bit of guidance please?
:Nevermind: Silly me forgot to go to fastboot, I was trying to do it with adb, for any others though, reboot to fastboot on your tf300t and then run go to the location of fastboot on your pc and hold shift and right click and select open comand line here. Then move the hybridkernel.blob to the same location as the fastboot and run fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash staging blob
Shingaling said:
But I can't for the life of me find out how to flash the hybridkernel.blob, I've already done every other thing, but i'm lost as to what to do there. Can I get a bit of guidance please?
:Nevermind: Silly me forgot to go to fastboot, I was trying to do it with adb, for any others though, reboot to fastboot on your tf300t and then run go to the location of fastboot on your pc and hold shift and right click and select open comand line here. Then move the hybridkernel.blob to the same location as the fastboot and run fastboot -i 0x0B05 flash staging blob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disregard, didn't see the edit until after you posted essentially the same thing I did.
So, does Adobe Flash support work at all in Chromium? I haven't gotten it to recognize the plugin at all. Any way to get this working, or is it just gonna keep bugging me to install it?
koiulpoi said:
So, does Adobe Flash support work at all in Chromium? I haven't gotten it to recognize the plugin at all. Any way to get this working, or is it just gonna keep bugging me to install it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it works at all, I've tried every permutation sudo pacman -S flash-plugin that I could think of and I've gotten notwhere.
They is no flash for ARM for pure Linux.
Wysyłane z mojego ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T za pomocą Tapatalk 2
Itege said:
Any chance of a future release having SLiM or something setup out of the box(I'd do it but looking at some of the guides, we are missing some files(?) :s) either that or is there a way to autologin a new user other than the default one named user?
(edit for more info) I've tried following a guide I found on the arch wiki which had me modify [email protected], but it didn't boot so I had to edit it back to the default.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In theory you should be able to install a proper display manager without too many issues:
Code:
# pacman -S lightdm lightdm-gtk-greeter
# systemctl enable lightdm
...though when I tried this the DM would never actually be run. I was able to run it manually over SSH without issues (both lightdm and slim worked, more or less). I'm in the process of investigating why it isn't run at startup like it should be, whatever the issue is doesn't seem to be related to the display manager itself.
I have an issue with wifi.
1: The WLAN do not find any Network with Channel 12 or 13.. I think I must change the region in germany, but where?
2. The WLAN do not connect, they search for an network adress and after 30seconds they ask for wlan key again.. the key is correct and my router shows the connection.. but archlinux means the key is wrong.. testet with router und smartphone wlan hotspot..
3. 3G not connecting, i have create a profile for BASE Germany, but they do not connect.
UPDATE:
for 2: Sometimes they connect and I can surf. But the ping are more then 600ms.. After few seconds the connection lost, sometimes they connect again, sometimes say ask for wlan key again.
Maybe you can help me. Sorry for my bad english.
Yours Sincelery
Robert
Could any of you guys find out if you have a process running in "interruptible" state named "kinteractive_lo"?
You can check that using "top" in CLI or installing gnome-system-monitor. I guess the standard xfce task manager works as well.
It's driving me nuts and I believe is one of the reasons why I have to hard-reboot my tablet, since invoking reboot with --force works perfectly.
Thanks in advance!
Hello All,
Another ubuntu project here..
its a chroot jail free looped native framebuffered something?
one folder on sdcard called linux /sdcard/linux with the .img
your mount point..i use /data/local/mnt/linux
the scripts i use /data/local/mnt
simple you will need to edit the scripts if u edit ur paths..
ill share my stuffs if theres any interest in this.
dunno if this has been done on sgs2 using just scripts but yh
ive managed to get ubuntu13.04 running with full multitouch support using mtrack i use lxde/2d-unity
this approach uses android framebuffer instead of using a vncserver.
Concept/Goal: use android hardware to run linux without vnc and full hardware support...its christmas soon!
so we go a safe way and mount a img file and loop and chroot and mount necessary android stuff i.e /dev /proc /tmp-to help speed up system! and mount all sdcards.
then we kill android-the-framebuffer-hog
and start our xsession,
anyone interested in helping me?
i have the scripts and image, just need more nuerons!
to do is (alot)
Working:
EDIT>> now have unity working but takes forever to load..used alot of mesa stuff for opengl.
The GL_OES_EGL_IMAGE error has gone and unity starts from terminal. I know its a big claim but yh
Framebuffer >> full gamma and .mhz settings safe
Wifi
Bluetooth
Reboot to andoid and umount rootfs on log out
Mouse
Multitouch tap is click, double tap is ?grab window to move it, two fingers for right click, three to scroll
Screenshots
Charging
Sdcard
MicroSd
Keyboard >> virtual
Theres alot but its hard to summerise lol
Not Working (WIP)
get sound working completely (evrythings working except last output part) alsamixer, pulseaudio all work..just the last bit..so no sound.
figure out why system_bus_socket connection refused?
why dbus isnt being used but starting ok?
Landscape mode mouse axis. (i can rotate the display but the mouse axis are wrong.. up=right down=left) (portrait is fine)
camara
gpio-keys (hardware buttons)
calls
text messaging.
OTG USB (i made one so im assuming its that that doesnt work simply tweak to the xorg.conf to swap from touch to mouse..)
DRI & DRI2
GL_OES_EGL_image for 3d
have to use a virtual keyboard until running android apps in linux is figured out--ahem (i use matchbox-keyboard)
logon screen works but the keyboard is a issue. (virtual keyboard only starts once logged in. so no logon yet just auto logon)
you can still use ssh and vncserver if you wanted to..
any interest ill share my scripts...
as i said im not the only person to chroot imgs, but i havent seen a thread on getting it running natively on sgs2 without uboot or repartioning anything.
unless u completely recompile the linux os whilst inside of it, i.e adding vmlinux.img should be safe enough. works for me
anyway been a busy with this and im not a pro developer just a seasoned addict, thus the call for arms!
peace!
This one20092011201220132015201720192021Nook v1 Nook Simple TouchNook Simple Touch w/ GlowlightNook GlowlightNook Glowlight PlusNook Glowlight 3Nook Glowlight Plus (7.8 inch)Nook Glowlight 4
The other one
The 2019 Glowlight Plus shares the same name as the 2015 release. To avoid confusion, people began referring to it as the Glowlight 4, a name later used for the 2021 Nook release (surprisedpikachu.jpg). While the 2019 Nook is both confused with the 2015 and 2021 Nooks, it is less common than either. This makes it difficult to find compatible resources and tutorials.
This thread is for collecting the available resources for the 2019 Nook in one place, and eventually building a step-by-step guide for unlocking the potential of the device.
Why the BNRV700?
Three years after its release, it's currently the cheapest option for a reader with a screen size ideal for large format PDFs, such as textbooks. As of writing, the Nook Glowlight Plus (2019) can be found for half (or less) the price of other options with a similar display.
Unfortunately, the Nook ships with poor support for PDFs, sluggish hardware, severely outdated firmware (Android 4.4.2, released 2013) and lacks additional features like expandable storage. Some of these issues can be remedied, meaning the Nook could be a great option for many people, but only if it's safe and convenient to expand its functionality.
If you know of any useful resources or guides, please leave them in the comments below.
Note: This is an early work in progress. As of writing this, I don't have the device yet.
I'm reserving this space to put any resources, or document my experience with rooting or recovering the Nook Glowlight Plus 7.8 2019 (NGP7.8, BNRV700).
Resources
Technical
Hardware overview: TemblastBackup and Recovery
TWRP: GithubNeo Noogie: Temblast, XDA-threadRooting
Magisk Root guide (Glowlight 4): Mobileread-threadCaution: This guide is specifically for the Glowlight 4 (2021) rather than the Glowlight Plus 7.8 (2019) but it might be applicable.RootGLP-3 script (Glowlight 3): XDA-threadCaution: This resource is for the Glowlight 3 (2017) rather than the Glowlight Plus 7.8 (2019), however it has been reported to work.RootGLP-3 script (2019 Glowlight Plus): XDA-threadNote: This is a small modification of the Glowlight 3 (2017) root script for the 2019 Glowlight Plus, from wgznz (Chinese).Firmware
Alternate ROM: XDA-threadSoftware
Installing a launcher:Installing apps:Compatible readers and utilities:Adding wallpapers:Adding a software back button:Physical button remapping:Hardware
Expandable storage mod::
High risk or incompatible resources
Mods
NGP Exposed module with fast refresh: Mobileread-threadSupported: Nook Glowlight Plus (2015), Nook Glowlight 3Notes: Due to the similarities between the NG3 and NGP7.8 (2019), someone might be able to get this to work, but it's untested.
jun127 said:
I think more people would be willing to try it. But, between confusing and inconsistent naming making searches difficult (now even worse with the "Glowlight 4") and a lack of step-by-step guides, it's a minefield for the casual user to modify, and most aren't interested in the sub-standard Nook software.
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Click to collapse
I don't know whether you saw this and then dismissed it or just missed it: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/gp-g3-gp7-8-twrp-alternative-firmware.4074347/
Seems like that might address most of the issues you have expressed.
nmyshkin said:
I don't know whether you saw this and then dismissed it or just missed it: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/gp-g3-gp7-8-twrp-alternative-firmware.4074347/
Seems like that might address most of the issues you have expressed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like it could be a useful resource, but it seems like a lot of steps and cautions are ommitted. Although I've installed TWRP, rooted, and installed the fastink kernel (among other mods) on my old NST, I would hesitate (especially as a new user) to install alternate firmware without a clear procedure to first backup and revert everything to factory defaults or recover if something goes wrong.
Rough draft / work in progress (proceed at own risk)
Getting started
Download and install ADB
Using Android Studio
1: Download Android Studio
2: Scroll down and click on “SDK Tools Only”
3: Click on “ADB, Fastboot, and Platform Tools” and then click on the “Download” button.
4: After “adb_setup-x86.exe” is downloaded by the installer, run it and install adb inside the android SDK folder.
Using Minimal ADB and Fastboot
1: Download the installer or portable version (See: original XDA thread, latest version 1.4.3, 2018).
2: Install and run
Note: If you use the portable version, commands should be ran from the same directory. To open a console in the current folder on Windows, select the address bar, type cmd and hit enter.
Enable USB debugging through developer options
1: Unplug the nook from the computer and turn the Nook on, register an account with Barnes and Noble and finish setting the device up.
2: Pull down the top menu
3: click "see all settings"
4: Press the down error on the bottom of the menu to go to the second page of settings
5: Press "about"
6: Tap the Nook logo until developer mode is enabled
7: Press "developer option settings"
8: Enable the "usb debugging" option
9: Connect the Nook to your computer. A popup will appear on your Nook asking to "turn on USB mode to safely move files..." click OK.
Note: This will cause your computer to download the appropriate drivers. After the drivers have been installed your Nook will show up in Windows Explorer and the Device Manager.Note: When running commands over USB, sometimes it's necessary to temporarily disable mass transfer mode. To do this, go back to the developer options menu and select "disable mass storage".Important: Remember to re-enable mass storage mode if you would like to drag-and-drop files onto your device using Windows file explorer later.
Backup and restoration
The two most popular methods of creating and restoring backups are TWRP and Neo Noogie. If possible, it's best to have a backup from both. However, if you're not comfortable using the command line in Windows, you may choose to use TWRP only. Neo Noogie is a more powerful (complete) backup method, but it's easy to accidentally format your device or write a backup to the wrong Windows drive, either of which could be a nightmare.
TWRP is recovery software that is installed to the device, and provides a menu to backup and restore parts of the device to internal memory. You'll have to copy the recovery files from your device afterwards.
Neo Noogie can either be installed like TWRP or booted with fastboot. When booted into Neo Noogie, the entire flash memory is served to Windows and appears as a raw unformated drive. The internal storage can then be copied with special software. This has the advantage over TWRP in that it can be used to backup every aspect of your device, but you have to be very careful not to accidentally format the drive in Windows, as it could brick your device.
TWRP
Download TWRP
1: Download twrp_quill.img (may, 2020) from https://github.com/Ryogo-Z/nook_ntx_6sl_twrp/releases
2: Move twrp_generic to a folder (such as Documents\Nook)
Install TWRP
3: Power the NOOK BNRV700 off.
4: Hold the U button and then the power button until it starts into fastboot mode.
5: Connect the Nook to a Windows computer with USB, the drivers should be installed automatically.
6: Open the command prompt or Minimal ADB and Fastboot
7: Navigate to the folder you saved the TWRP image in (ex. starting from your user directory, enter "cd Documents\Nook").
8: Enter fastboot flash recovery twrp_generic.img to install TWRP
9: Enter adb reboot recovery (or interrupt startup 5 times) to enter TWRP recovery mode
Create backup with TWRP
Notice: (TWRP will not backup /storage/spsd as well as /data/media, which in practical terms means ...xyz...)
1: (I don't have a Nook anymore as my NST screen isn't working and haven't used TWRP in 10 years. I imagine it's something like boot into recovery/TWRP > Backup > check all the options > run)
2: Plug the Nook into the computer
3: Select USB mass transfer protocol
4: Open the Nook in file explorer and find wherever the recovery was saved to
5: Copy it to a safe place, like documents\nook.
Uninstall TWRP / reinstall stock recovery
The Nook's update file, 'update.zip' contains a copy of the stock recovery which can be reinstalled if you wish to return the Nook to factory defaults. However the stock recovery has fewer recovery features - so it is always safest to keep TWRP installed if you are tinkering with the device.
Rooting
Root Guide for the 2019 Glowlight Plus (using rootGLP)
1: Ensure you've enabled USB debugging tools from the developer options menu and saved a backup to a secure location
2: Connect the Nook to your computer. A popup will appear on your Nook asking to "turn on USB mode to safely move files..." click OK.
Note: This will cause your computer to download the appropriate drivers. After the drivers have been installed your Nook will show up in Windows Explorer and the Device Manager.3: Disconnect the Nook and go back to the developer settings menu (see steps 2.1) and select "disable mass storage".
Note: This will prevent USB mode from interfering as we run the ADB script.3: Download rootGLP.rar
Note: this is the same root script for the Glowlight 3, updated with the correct device name BGRV700. The original can be found in this XDA-thread. For a root guide for the Glowlight 3 using rootGLP, see this XDA-thread. The source is the wgznz forum (Chinese).4: Extract rootGLP
Note: It's best to run the script from a location like C:\rootGLP\ or D:\rootGLP\.5: Run the rootnook.cmd
Note: After the process is complete, you will see superSUfree appear on the screen. You will still need to install an alternate launcher.
Installing apps
Installing a launcher and apps (doesn't require root)
If you haven't installed ADB, you can use the copy of adb.exe in the rootGLP-3\bin\ folder by following the instructions below. After installing a launcher, you should consider installing a file browser (such as ES file explorer) and a better web browser, so that you can download and install apps without connecting to your computer.
1. Make sure you have enabled USB debugging tools from the developer options menu and saved a backup to a secure location
2. Navigate to the rootGLP-3\bin\ folder.
3. Place the launcher .apk inside the bin folder with adb.exe.
4. Click the address bar in Windows Explorer and type "cmd" without quotes and hit enter. A windows CMD terminal will open at the current folder address.
5. type adb install launchername.apk (replace with the name of your .apk file)
Note: kk launcher and text launcher are known to work.6. When you hit the U-shaped home button on your Nook, it will prompt you to select a launcher and ask if you would like to set it as the default. I recommend using "only once" at least until you can ensure you can always get back to the default launcher from whatever Android 4.4.2 compatible launcher you choose.
Installing KOreader and getting pageturn buttons working in KOreader (no root)
1. Download KOreader apk from https://koreader.rocks/
2. make sure your device is connected to adb and authorized with adb devices, if it t says "unauthorized", go to the developer menu (nook home > top right > all settings > page 2 > more > repeatedly tap logo) and tap "allow debugging".
3. install adb install koreader.apk. just hit tab to autocomplete the actual apk name.
4. Create a textfile "event_map.lua" in notepad and copy paste the following keymappings:
Code:
return {
[141] = "RPgBack",
[142] = "RPgFwd",
[140] = "RPgBack",
[139] = "RPgFwd",
}
5. use command adb push event_map.lua /sdcard/KOreader/settings/ to push the event map to the koreader settings.
6. If you had already installed and started KOreader before and just want to fix the keymapping, restart KOreader for the new settings to work (launcher > settings > apps > KOreader > force stop > home button > open KOreader > open book > test buttons > enjoy.
The stock recovery is not a big deal. It's in every update.zip
Just flash it with fastboot.
Why do you want it anyway when either TWRP or NeoNoogie is more powerful?
jun127 said:
It looks like it could be a useful resource, but it seems like a lot of steps and cautions are ommitted. Although I've installed TWRP, rooted, and installed the fastink kernel (among other mods) on my old NST, I would hesitate (especially as a new user) to install alternate firmware without a clear procedure to first backup and revert everything to factory defaults or recover if something goes wrong.
etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not the person to ask, but you are right that the first step is to be sure you can restore the device to stock. I'm one of those eccentrics who still loves and uses and continues to develop little improvements for the original NST/G, so all this fastboot stuff is pretty meaningless to me. I've flashed custom ROMs on Nook Tablets, but that's a totally different operation since back in the day Android was not locked up so tightly.
If you jut want a root guide (but it sounds like you want more than that): https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4202391&postcount=391
nmyshkin said:
I am not the person to ask, but you are right that the first step is to be sure you can restore the device to stock. I'm one of those eccentrics who still loves and uses and continues to develop little improvements for the original NST/G, so all this fastboot stuff is pretty meaningless to me. I've flashed custom ROMs on Nook Tablets, but that's a totally different operation since back in the day Android was not locked up so tightly.
If you jut want a root guide (but it sounds like you want more than that): https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4202391&postcount=391
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Click to collapse
I'd like to put together a simple guide, similar to what I wrote for the original NST about 10 years ago. I think the device needs a roadmap to outline what is currently possible in terms that are easy to follow. The device seems like it has a lot of potential, but it's just not very accessible at the moment.
I watched your video on running the CM on the NST, very interesting stuff and I'm glad to see some people are still keeping the device alive. I had used the original NST as a smartphone for a (short) while, even using it with Google phone and Whatsapp. It was surprisingly functional and, with the right optimizations, the battery could seemingly last forever with light use. Although it otherwise held up well, the rubber front panel and soft-touch back eventually degraded into a gooey mess. Removing the soft-touch coating on the back shell and replacing the rubber on the front with leather made it a more enjoyable reading experience for a while. Unfortunately, very poor app availability on Android 2.1 and the small, relatively low resolution display made it almost unusable for large format PDFs. Ultimately, the screen started failing and although it's still worth fixing, after 10 years it's overdue for an upgrade.
Renate said:
The stock recovery is not a big deal. It's in every update.zip
Just flash it with fastboot.
Why do you want it anyway when either TWRP or NeoNoogie is more powerful?
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Click to collapse
There's some peace of mind in knowing how to return things to exactly where you started. Even if unnecessary, there's always the possibility of some unforeseen issue and having a clear roadmap that you can follow to get back to the very beginning makes a difference in my mind.