How stable is rooted Nook? - Nook Touch General

Hi,
I'm looking toward a Nook Touch because it looks to have better specs-wise than the forthcoming Kindle Touch (though Amazon has better backend/store support), but how stable is it if rooted? I'm intrigued about the possibility for using ezPDF, simple browser, etc. on a rooted Nook, but was concerned about any stability issues.
Thanks.

Once you get it rooted, it can be very stable. I've run ezpdf on mine before to read books for school on.

Once rooted, it is quite stable. Ezpdf and opera mini are the apps for your needs, and they are very responsive - they seem to be made for the nook

after rooting it just works the same as before. If anything can brake it, it's those modified frameworks and other jars so I keep myself away of that. So basically one can easily install and uninstall applications on rooted nook and that's it. I do not use market, so everything comes in apk which are rather clean after being uninstalled. With my approach to not modify framework or use gapps or market, the latest update of nook software provided by BN went really smooth and after reboot I had all my apps working - beside from those needing root access.

In my experience, stability is fine, but my root was apparently incomplete (did not have write access to some folders) and I decided to revert back to stock for now by doing the L+R factory reset. I wouldn't let that discourage you, but you must, must, must backup your N2E if you're gonna try rooting. You never know when it'd come in handy.
-e

Does Dolphin Browser Mini work on rooted Nook, or is Opera the only 3rd party browser?
Also, is there a list somewhere of confirmed apps that work on a rooted Nook?
Thanks.

Bosun,
We have a list of working apps in this forum, under themes and apps in the main nook str menu.
Dolphin does work, but the address bar doesn't follow the link once you select it. But if you make a search in google and go to the link, or have the link in favorites, there is no problem.

Related

[Q] Nook Color Apps vs Android Market Apps

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.

[GUIDE] What do I lose if I...

Trying to consolidate information I was looking for so it can help others. Please suggest additions and corrections.
What do I lose if I:
Root
- amazon VOD (including free Prime rentals)*
- your warranty (if you brick your Fire)
Install CM7
- everything from Root list
- carousel launcher
- Kindle owners lending library
- Kindle Fire Reader app (must use standard app instead)
- newsstand subscriptions (requires official reader app)
Install CM9
- everything from CM7 list
- netflix
- possible "sleep of death"
The "Silk" browser has been ported to use on non-stock Roms.
Other things I'm not yet sure about: the send-to-kindle program/email address, stability of CM9, etc. A similar list of what is gained by each could also be useful, as long as it is kept brief.
*afaik you can "unroot" at any time to re-allow this (use rootkeeper)
Updated 2/18/12
Silk now has a port that can be installed on other ROMS. Also about the warranty, in most cases, they don't cover if you brick the device but they do cover if the charge port, power button, etc breaks.
Thanks, I updated the OP with your info. :thumbup:
there are many to be listed, lockscreen, amazon market, etc.. is it necessary to create a thread like this?.
Please explain the Kindle Reader part for me. I was able to install KR on Nexus tablet and it shows my cloud books, wouldn't it work on a rooted Fire ?
I want to root Fire so that I could use Google Play and Swype, but it's a wife's device, primarily, and I don't want to screw it up for her. We don't have Prime, mainly getting library books.
Also, how easy is it to reload stock Amazon ROM ?
After rooting you can install OTA Root Keeper and temporarily disable root so you can watch Prime video. If you need root for some reason you just enable it again.
There is also a possibility to dual boot and have stock rom and some other one.

How do you install and use Google Play?

I rooted my nook today and no matter what I try, using Opera Mini, I cannot get any google apps to install. I also cant figure out how to add a device to google apps. Since the Market app never works for anyone this seems to be the only way to install anything but there are no forums mentioning how to install it. I would appreciate some assistance. Thanks.
no one here knows the answer to this? i'm shocked no replies yet.
download gapps.zip and flash it.
Sent from my MT11i using XDA
Just hit thanks if I helped.
Guyman2,
Depending on the rooting method you used, there is way to install gapps, which includes market (google play - they are compatible in use, nothing being left). Check it on the proper post here in the development forum!
Earayil said:
download gapps.zip and flash it.
Sent from my MT11i using XDA
Just hit thanks if I helped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used Touchnooter. What do you mean by "flash it"?
Guyman2 said:
I used Touchnooter. What do you mean by "flash it"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Similar to how you flash the rom. Check the forums you will get the answer. Sorry I coudnt give the link. My data plan is slow.
Sent from my MT11i using XDA
To more succinctly state the problem:
How can you get APKs out of Google Play without loading your personal device with a load of junk from Google?
I've got Google Maps on my Nook right now and every time I turn my back it's trying to do something (when not running).
Renate,
Gotta live with that. That's the price of having market (gmail always on the background, etc), but it helps the system runs a little bit better (apps upgrade!).
Guyman,
Look on the thread related to touchnooter, and probably there will be an option to add gapps to your system. Usually the 1st post show you all the options.
Have the same problem - is there a way to install market only?
What I'm going to do is install on my phone, extract it from the phone, then load onto the Nook and delete what's left over! Madness, I know.
A nicer way for me would be to install into a virtual machine and do that. Anyone know if that's possible? Possibly even with Android-x86??
I don't like market in this sense. It's a problem with all Android devices as far as I can see. Market is a bit of a problem in this regard.
I'm not sure about the problem here, but, I can confirm that, I rooted my NST with Touchnooter and market is working fine, I downloaded several apps from market and, I also installed some apps trough Google Play Store from my PC directly to the NST.
For me Market search didn't work after following MinimalTouch so I had to use the SearchMarket app from Appbrain. After this now I can search and install anything but still can't click the notifcations, OperaMini crashes back to the ADW desktop, same for Browser too after clicking a link in Google.
edit:
for Renate re: Maps out of control. Yes, I noticed too that it comes out of the background and wastes battery. 2 ideas: 1) Freeze it when not in use. You can use a Widget from Titanium or AppQuarantine for quicker launch 2) use something 3rd party
I also suggest using a different account for the Nook to any other Android devices you have to keep things separate and clear since the NST is not recognised by Play.
For a bare-bones root with an appstore, tinynoot ought to work.
I cobbled it together for the glowlight but all the parts are from the established NST environment - clockwork, su, busybox, adw, button savior, nook touch and nook color tools.
I include the Amazon appstore, which of course is also an app that likes to be always on, but none of the gapps because the framework for the glowlight stuff hasn't been looked at yet.
The install scripts are based on minimal nooter, which is CWR based file and directory creation.
I didn't include a modded uRamdisk because I find that adb wireless is enough on its own to let me use wifi adb (dont' recall if I've used usb ADB but I suspect it would work, in assocation with nook color tools) - I can shell in via ADB and just need to type su to get superuser.
Downloads and longwinded instructions are up at
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1650593
Renate NST said:
To more succinctly state the problem:
How can you get APKs out of Google Play without loading your personal device with a load of junk from Google?
I've got Google Maps on my Nook right now and every time I turn my back it's trying to do something (when not running).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could format and use one of my minimal zips instead of the full ones, they had only the neccesary apps and libs for Gmail (manual sync) and "Market" to work correctly, nothing more, nothing less, no maps, etc.
Now everything is a bit outdated, as I said, I'll work on this again and update the zips etc.

[Q] Possible to add apps to B&N's launcher? & custom rooting help

I was thinking of making a custom rooting script for CWM (probably wouldn't release it), and I mostly want it to have a very small footprint and still have it feel like an unmodified Nook. I've mostly been using CM7 from an SD and haven't dealt with the stock OS much, but lately I've been using it more and I just like the way it's set up for some reason. I rooted it last night, but quickly reverted back after finding most apps 'weren't compatible with my Nook,' surprisingly including Nook Tweaks (I'll admit I was in a bit of a rush and wanted to get back to reading my book, otherwise I probably would have experimented more ). I also found that the apps installed with the root didn't show up in the stock launcher, and I'm not sure if that can be changed, or if it's already like that and I just needed to install an app from the Play Store and it would show up. Oh, and is there a manual root tutorial for 1.4.2 I can base my script on? Otherwise I'm just going to pull some stuff from my script for the Nook Simple Touch and ManualNooter.
You can add non-B&N apps to the B&N home screen using Nook Color App Manager. ManualNooter is pretty lightweight, and would be a good starting point for rooting the NC. I ran B&N 1.4.2 for months using it, and it worked very much as you describe.
Thanks! Only one problem, the Play store won't let me install it for some reason just like Nook Tweaks... How would I fix that?
Edit: And magically, it works now and I can install anything. Huh.

Comprehensive guide to rooting and configuring the Nook Touch. For new bees.

After many hours of reading and searching these forums for answers to various questions I had when rooting my new nook, I decided to write out all the answers the average user (like me) will wish he had known before he started. So here you go, I present all you need to know about rooting and configuring your nook from the box to the promised land of awesomeness.
This is for the Nook Simple Touch (also called NST, N2E) non-glowlight version. After you root your nook, the software advice should be the same, but if you have a glowlight version, see the post by ladykayaker below. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=36035695&postcount=2
A. Rooting
1) Backing up
--- noogie.img
--- nookmanager
--- reclaiming and reformatting your micro sd after using winimage.
2) Firmware version
--- does version matter?
--- updates
3) Touchnooter
B. First Configuration
--- what to expect
--- getting google play and web browsing to work.
--- installing apps from micro sd
C. Make it awesome
--- apps you'll need to patch missing nook functions
--- Multi-touch, fast ink modes, and kernal mods
--- Battery
D. Phone specific apps
--- whatsapp, and getting an IMEI on your nook
--- Phone contacts
E. List of current unsolved problems
--- Media scanner
--- scrolling
--- keyboards
--- video support in certain apps
--- audio
A. Rooting
Part 1. Backing up.
Q: Can I get my device back to stock?
A: Yes, if you take backups before you start.
Step 1. Take your nook out of the box
Step 2. Register for a barnes and noble account
Step 3. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1142983
--- Noogie.img full partition backups ---
In English, this means you have to download noogie.img, and download winimage and use it to (CAREFULLY) write the image to a micro sd card. Boot your nook with the micro sd card. Then use winimage again to copy the physical disk (1.8gb) to a file. Now you can always go back to your stock nook, apparently.
--- Easy Backups and Restoring with Nook Manager ---
You can never be too safe. I suggest you backup with 2 methods.
Search "nookmanager for 1.21 and beyond".
Download nookmanager and write it to a micro sd card just like you did for noogie. Nook manager has a brilliant backup and restore feature and works on all versions, so boot into it and follow the menu to take a backup, it creates a second backup partition on your micro sd. So when you're done, plug in your nook and copy the backup file off and the md5 hash. Follow the previous step to reclaim your micro sd.
--- Reclaiming Your Micro SD ---
To reclaim your micro sd, on windows click start menu, search partition, and open the partition manager. Find your micro sd card which now has a small partition on it, select the partition, and delete it. Right click >> create simple partition >> fat32
Backup(s) finished.
2. Firmware
--- Firmware Version ---
Q: Does firmware version matter?
A: Yes it does, make sure you search for 1.1 update and update your version to 1.1 before rooting with touchnooter. Don't bother with 1.21 yet because all the cool things you've seen and want are done with 1.1 and 1.21 root needs more time to mature and become more user friendly (noob friendly).
To check your firmware version go into settings > device info.
--- updates ---
Q: How do I update to 1.1?
First check your firmware version, if it's 1.0.1, update to 1.1 by downloading the 1.1 firmware (it's a zip file) and moving it into the nook drive on your computer. It will update automatically. Don't wait too long to backup or move to 1.1 because it might automatically update to 1.21. You should update to 1.1 and root immediately. If your device came with 1.2, try this to flash and install 1.1: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1475613
--- touchnooter ----
Once you're on 1.1, download touchnooter and like noogie and nookmanager, make an image on your microsd with winimage and boot the device. the screen will turn black, and then you can take the card out and reboot. However, I found that after running the root once, many /most of the applications didn't function, I had to boot three times with touchnooter for most apps to work. It doesn't hurt so just do it if you have any problems.
B. First Configurations
--- What To Expect ---
Now that you're rooted and running in android, you're probably thinking, "well this sucks, the web browsers don't work and neither do the app stores...."
Calm yourself, it will get better.
--- Getting GAPPS and web browsing ---
Add a google account in gmail, sync it, sign into the same google account with youtube (nobody knows why). Then you will have to "wait a day" for it to work...
Q: Wait a day? FUUUUUU
A: Just joking, you can add another google mail account and sync that, your google play will now work without the wait, but it can be a bit tricky to hit the agree to tos button.
Reclaim your micro sd, you'll need it to install apps if your Opera Mini isn't working.
Search google for opera mobile, download the apk onto your micro sd, it's on opera's website, you should also download opera mini so you can re-install the one that comes loaded if it doesn't work. Rooting several times fixed my opera mini, but if yours is broken re-installing should fix it.
--- installing apps from micro sd ---
Q: How to install apps from micro sd?
A: Find the super manager, open it up, click the button to grant super user privileges, on the second or third tab from the left there is a file manager. Go into it, click the apk, click install.
C. MAKE IT AWESOME
Now that you have opera mini/mobile, can browse the web and google play works, what next?
--- apps you'll need to patch NST broken functions ---
1. Google play search function is broken, before you can start installing apps quickly, use opera mini to search for "search market" , you'll find the google play link, click it, install it.
2. default android home screen looks bad and custom wallpaper support is broken.
Now you probably want a decent looking home screen because face it, adk looks like crap, and you probably noticed you can't set the wallpaper because the media scanner doesn't detect any media = empty gallery = can't select a wallpaper.
use search market to find legacy launcher, install it
search for "wallpaper changer" and "es file explorer", install them. You can now set the wallpaper to any file on your sd card, and your android launcher looks great. Try adusting the font size in settings and adding widgets later.
3. Gallery doesn't work because media scanner is broken.
Some apps require the gallery to work to select images.
Your solution is to download the app "Quickpic" - it will allow you to choose pictures in apps that need a gallery.
4. The default keyboard is not very good, and the nook disables all spelling suggestion bars from keyboards. This makes t9 and chinese input impossible, and can make typing a pain in any language. The solution is to download a back-port keyboard.
Jellybean keyboard is a good back-port, search and install it, it's fully functional with lots of languages. No t9 though
1/2 OF GUIDE. CONTINUED IN MY NEXT POST
notes for Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight
If you have the US Nook with glowlight, firmware version 1.1.5, then follow these instructions :
backup
http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...-and-restore-nook-glow-and-nook-simple-touch/
root
http://blog.the-ebook-reader.com/20...using-glownooter-includes-googles-app-market/
2/2 OF GUIDE.
--- Kernel, fast ink modes, and multitouch---
If you want multi touch and fast ink, search for oc kernel 1.66 with fastmode. it includes all you need for multitouch and overclocks the cpu. slightly.
FYI: You will need something called "Clockwork mod" or CWM to install the kernel. Google it, you'll need to image it to your micro sd just like you did for noogie.img. After you're done, copy the oc kernel zip file into the root directory, boot up your nook with the CWM sd inserted and follow the instructions to install package from zip.
Fast ink options:
Fast mode vs no refresh
fast mode is highly dithered, and as a result small text is unreadable. however it affects the system wide and it doesn't have any compatibility issues. No refresh is high contrast, low dithering means low dynamic range but text is very readable and sharp. The disadvantage is it seemed very buggy and it's application specific, ie- you have to enable it in each application and it gets a bit buggy or laggy when it switches on and off. It has a lot more configuration potential than fast mode though. I prefer fast mode because it's simple, and very fast. It just works.
--- Battery ---
You'll notice your battery suck as soon as you root. This isn't widely discussed, but it turns out it's do to certain phone system resources being active. This can eat up 10 times more battery than your screen, and a hundred times more than anything else, even using fast mode liberally. Go into file manager and rename /system/app/phone.apk and telephonyprovider.apk. Reboot immediately.
I suggest you also download the app "deep sleep" as well. Battery manager plus is also a good application to keep track of applications individual battery useage.
D. Phone Specific APPS
Q: I want whatsapp
You need to install a static IMEI, google imei nook touch xda and you'll find the thread. Download the exe, install it.
On your phone use search market to install "wifi adb" in wifi adb select on, note the ip address.
Run the imei app you got from xda dev and it will give you a static imei.
install the latest version of whatsapp. You'll notice you can't message anyone or add contacts because nook contacts doesn't work.
download go contacts ex and it will be ok.
E. Current major issues to consider and how to fix them:
--- Scrolling: ---
problem: Scrolling does not work properly, if you use chat programs, or google voice etc. you'll find yourself scrolling through the conversation manually every time. Some apps have difficulty scrolling at all.
Solution: No known fix at this time
--- Media scanner (media storage) ---
Problem: Media scanner fails to add media files from sd card into the media database. This means the default gallery and music applications won't detect any media.
Solution: No known direct solution, although you can edit the db manually using sql.
A better solution is to download an application which includes it's own embedded media search function. An example being quickpic as a gallery replacement.
--- Keyboards ---
problem: Keyboards are missing the text suggestion bar, this means that t9 input and language input like chinese are difficult/impossible.
Solution: Download a back-ported keyboard. Jellybean keyboard is by far the best, have extensive mutli-language support, and the text suggestion bars displays properly. The only downside is it does not have a t9 layout. Baidu, sougou, or any chinese t9 keyboard software will not work on the nook until the proper dependencies/support is patched somehow.
---video support ---
Q: Can I play video?
You can, but you'll be limited to about 10-15 fps with no audio and it will be 1 bit dithered. Download rockplayer to play various video formats. There appears to be a problem with hardware video decoding and only software video players work at the moment. If I discover a fix for broader video support I'll update this.
--- audio ---
Q: Can I play audio?
A: There are some people working on audio implementation through usb host and a cheap 2 or 3 dollar dongle. However, it seems like it's very 'alpha' at the moment, until someone writes an app to automatically configure audio through usb hosts, you can probably forget about it unfortunately.
I'll update this later.
Hi nice so far
You say " make sure you search for 1.1 update and update your version to 1.1 before rooting with touchnooter. Don't bother with 1.21 yet because all the cool things you've seen and want are done with 1.1"
But what if you bought your device lately and it already came with FW 1.2.0 then what do you do?
180 people read this thread and only 6 bothered to click on thanks?? Come on guys!
bentwand said:
But what if you bought your device lately and it already came with FW 1.2.0 then what do you do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
apap said:
+1
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used this
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1475613
fosselman said:
I used this
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1475613
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input, did your device come loaded with 1.2 or was it the result of an automatic update? I updated my guide with a link to touch-formatter.
jun127 said:
Thanks for the input, did your device come loaded with 1.2 or was it the result of an automatic update? I updated my guide with a link to touch-formatter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine was on 1.0.x and I manually updated to 1.2.0 and then found out about rooting and wanted gapps so I downgraded to 1.1.0.
bentwand said:
But what if you bought your device lately and it already came with FW 1.2.0 then what do you do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
fosselman said:
I used this
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1475613
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bricked my new 1.2.0 device and the thread in the link above saved my butt. That said, it convinced my NSTG that it was a standard Simple Touch (no more glowlight function). I've been looking around for an update to NSTG 1.5 firmware to start over with, hoping the light features will come back. If any of you old salts can let me know if that's even possible I'd appreciate it.
If you're still at 1.2, this thread looks promising: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1675706&highlight=nstg&page=12
Looking at the ;ast pages of the NookManager rooting process it appears that the Amazon App store is US based and doesn't work for UK users (for example). Is there any simple method to fix that so it works outside of the US?
(Post i'm referring to - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=36210882&postcount=110)
Thanks for clearing up the fastMode/noRefresh situation!
I have rooted NST by NookManager. The first step after that was to register device in DeviceRegistrator.apk. Next I installed ale stuff (gapps, amazon ect.) If I decide to flash kernel, it will be necessary to do it again?
Thanks, very in-dept
Renaming Phone.apk and TelephonyProvider.apk to avoid battery drain didn't work for me. I had to delete both and reboot. Now I can use my nook without losing too much battery
Used Total Commander app as my file manager to access /system/app/
Do you have a recommendation for a launcher other than ReLaunch?
dalovar said:
Renaming Phone.apk and TelephonyProvider.apk to avoid battery drain didn't work. I had to delete both and reboot. Now I can use my nook without losing too much battery
Used Total Commander app as my file manager to access /system/app/
Do you have a recommendation for a launcher other than ReLaunch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use lightning launcher it is lite weight and works well for me.
dalovar said:
Renaming Phone.apk and TelephonyProvider.apk to avoid battery drain didn't work for me. I had to delete both and reboot. Now I can use my nook without losing too much battery
Used Total Commander app as my file manager to access /system/app/
Do you have a recommendation for a launcher other than ReLaunch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used ADW Launcher EX for years, and still loving it. Best customizability on any Nook Touch-compatible launcher, at least in my opinion.
Guys after successfully rooting my device and using it for some time it occurred to me that I would spend the $5 gift that comes with every NST. After buying books on B&N and turning on my nook I realized that nook's original software can't connect to the internet even when connected to my home's wifi connection.
I get the error: "Sorry, a problem has occurred. Please try again" in both the B&N library or B&N's shop.
Has anyone been able to download/sync books from B&N AFTER rooting your device?
Is this just a problem that I'm experiencing?
Thank you
dalovar said:
Guys after successfully rooting my device and using it for some time it occurred to me that I would spend the $5 gift that comes with every NST. After buying books on B&N and turning on my nook I realized that nook's original software can't connect to the internet even when connected to my home's wifi connection.
I get the error: "Sorry, a problem has occurred. Please try again" in both the B&N library or B&N's shop.
Has anyone been able to download/sync books from B&N AFTER rooting your device?
Is this just a problem that I'm experiencing?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Can't connect to the internet" at all or just to the B&N sites? If you've disabled/deleted some of the B&N apps you could have problems of this sort. There are all kinds of unlikely dependencies in the B&N system that can break functionality if something is missing.
I'm working with a rooted and modified NST running FW 1.21 and the only limitation I've seen so far is not being able to connect in-store (but I intentionally altered the QuickNav buttons to eliminate "Shop"). I haven't purchased books from B&N but have selected "Free Friday" offerings from the website and they come right down to my NST when it's online, no problem.
I assume you had no problem registering your device, otherwise I would suggest that maybe that error was due to B&N blacklisting the serial number. That's happened before with used/refurbished devices. Then a phone call is in order to B&N to get them to reverse that.
nmyshkin said:
"Can't connect to the internet" at all or just to the B&N sites? If you've disabled/deleted some of the B&N apps you could have problems of this sort. There are all kinds of unlikely dependencies in the B&N system that can break functionality if something is missing.
I'm working with a rooted and modified NST running FW 1.21 and the only limitation I've seen so far is not being able to connect in-store (but I intentionally altered the QuickNav buttons to eliminate "Shop"). I haven't purchased books from B&N but have selected "Free Friday" offerings from the website and they come right down to my NST when it's online, no problem.
I assume you had no problem registering your device, otherwise I would suggest that maybe that error was due to B&N blacklisting the serial number. That's happened before with used/refurbished devices. Then a phone call is in order to B&N to get them to reverse that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't connect to B&N only. The rest of the internet is accessible. I can install apps from Google play from my computer to my device without problem too. The only system apps that i remember deleting are android apps (Phone.apk and TelephonyProvider.apk).
I don't think my serial number is black listed, because I was able to register my nook without problem. But is there any tool online where I could check my serial # statues that would be nice. I'm thinking of resetting to factory settings and rooting again if necessary. thanks for your help
dalovar said:
Can't connect to B&N only. The rest of the internet is accessible. I can install apps from Google play from my computer to my device without problem too. The only system apps that i remember deleting are android apps (Phone.apk and TelephonyProvider.apk).
I don't think my serial number is black listed, because I was able to register my nook without problem. But is there any tool online where I could check my serial # statues that would be nice. I'm thinking of resetting to factory settings and rooting again if necessary. thanks for your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have both of those apps disabled (.apk --> .OLD) so that's probably not it. To my knowledge there is no on-line way to check on the status of your serial number and now that I come to think of it, if you had no problem registering when you set up your Nook before rooting, there should be no problem with the serial number.
Seems like there was a post similar to yours not too long ago and going back to factory and rooting again fixed the problem, as much of a nuisance as that is. The only other thing that comes to mind is: you're not in the UK are you? Someone else posted a similar problem and it turned out that he needed a UK firmware update to account for changing B&N-UK URLs before he could connect.
If you get the problem sorted, I can't emphasize enough the importance--and convenience--of making a backup with NM. Backup early and often, especially when trying out something new. It saves so much time and hassle in the long run. But first....you need to get it in working condition

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