KODI with - amazon voice search :D (proof of concept) - Fire TV General

Hi Guys,
I managed to root my FireTV a few days back, and yesterday decided to look at the voice search to see if I could use it for other things.
After reversing some code, I found the actual voice search is handled by com.amazon.vizzini.apk
The SearchOverlay.class has this piece of code, which calls back to the amazon fireTV UI SearchResultsActivity upon completion with the search result returned as a string.
I replaced the fire TV UI with my own code, which receives the search text, and then sends a JSON rpc to KODI's web interface, and brings KODI to the front after the search is completed.
Here is a video of it in action.
http://youtu.be/hpgKci_gJYY
android studio project
http://uptobox.com/ccykod7zua1l
mirror
http://www107.zippyshare.com/v/mAhl3UuM/file.html
***** I have a FireTV v1 updated to fire os 5 ******
I have no idea if this will work on older versions of software.
To make it work you will require ROOT, and you will have to uninstall or move the existing fireTV amazon UI.
Reason for this is that the vizinni.apk calls back to
localIntent.setComponent(new ComponentName("com.amazon.tv.launcher", "com.amazon.tv.launcher.ui.SearchResultsActivity"));
So your activity has to be in that package, and called SearchResultsActivity.
The only other way to possibly get round this would be to modify the vizinni.apk to call a different package instead, but then voice search wouldn't work on the amazon UI anyway. I wasn't really bothered about the amazon UI working myself which is why I did it the way I did.
I just moved the original system/priv-app/com.amazon.tv.launcher/com.amazon.tv.launcher.apk to /system then installed my code via android studio.
mount -o rw,remount /system
mv /system/priv-app/com.amazon.tv.launcher/com.amazon.tv.launcher.apk /system/
You will also need to change KODI's settings to enable web interface control on port 8080.
On my setup it was .. system.. services.. webserver.. and tick the box that says "Allow control of kodi via http" and make sure the port is set to 8080.
edit: 07/07/2016
I did start work a few months back on an Xposed module (works but not 100%), I was going to add a settings page but I think there was issues with xposed on android version that the fire tv runs on, due to permissions etc.
You can set a prefix in the code (currently hard coded to KODI) so if you say " kodi star wars" it would pass the param of "star wars" to kodi.
If you just say "star wars" without the prefix it would pass this to the normal amazon UI.
If anyone wants to take it further, it's attached on the link below.
http://uptobox.com/ensqll4a7r65
Mick

Thats actually pretty great.
Conventional wisdom was that both voice recognition and response "results packaging" was done server side - and the only return query you could get were preexisting amazon database references - not the result of the initial voice recognition.
I've actually read that multiple places - but as it turns out, no one had bothered reversing the process I guess.
Major props and thank god for overlays containing strings... Finally - that microphone might not be so useless after all..
Next step - implement it to interface with google search. (Weather in ...)
edit: Actually - there are three interesting usecases I can think of on top of my head...
1. Launch other Apps (maybe even with "fixed Keywords (App 1 f.e. would work edit: "Number 1" delivers better results. )" if App names arent known to Amazon) - so thats text>launcher app - see if sphinx02 has any interest in coding that as part of Firestarter..
2. google search (Whats the weather in.. ) text>google search app (if possible)
3. direct text input as seen in the POC video
edit 4. forward to Amazon - not to "break" their implementation
This could be realized by a quick 4 way select screen (just confirm with the direction button) after you select the string in the overlay.

great find and implementation. would love see more expansion as above post mentions. Are you planning to share fire tv UI code?

I was playing with voice search strings and found that Amazon tends to strip out "Google" in front of search queries -so instead of "Google how is the Weather tomorrow" only "How is the weather tomorrow" will get returned.
But - Alexa as a trigger word will be returned fine, so - I vote for using "Alexa" as a trigger word to forward all search queries to the google search app.
Ok - maybe not - but conceptually, this would be a great "work of art".

An even better idea than Harklekinrains' would be to check the foreground app and do different things based on that. For example, if Kodi is open it could send the intent to Kodi. If the Fire TV launcher is open it could fall back to default functionality, etc. Simulating keystrokes could also cover 99% of the other applications. I'm excited for this. It really makes the Fire TV so much less of a novelty.

I've just updated the original post with a copy of the android studio project, and a few more details.
Mick

Great mate,thanks! gonna check it out soon!
One question (as im not firm with intents and stuff): aint there a possibility to listen for intents sent to the amazon ui and catch them? Personally, i dont care too much about it right now as im using nothing but kodi, but maybe some day when wanting to use prime or similar stuff?

dafunkydan said:
Great mate,thanks! gonna check it out soon!
One question (as im not firm with intents and stuff): aint there a possibility to listen for intents sent to the amazon ui and catch them? Personally, i dont care too much about it right now as im using nothing but kodi, but maybe some day when wanting to use prime or similar stuff?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think so as the actual code in the vinizzi apk is as follows:
Intent localIntent = new Intent();
localIntent.setComponent(new ComponentName("com.amazon.tv.launcher", "com.amazon.tv.launcher.ui.SearchResultsActivity"));
localIntent.putExtra("identifier", null);
localIntent.addFlags(402653184);
localIntent.putExtra("term", str);
localIntent.putExtra("text", str);
localIntent.putExtra("source", "VOICE");
localContext.startActivity(localIntent);
So basically when it receives the voice search response from amazon's server, it's starting the activity com.amazon.tv.launcher.ui.SearchResultsActivity from package com.amazon.tv.launcher
Mick

Integrating the search attempt based on the previous foreground app would mean that "voice search" could never "initate a new attempt". This would prevent the "lets just ask google, or lets launch an app - impulse use" of the feature. Still - in the long term it might turn out to be the right approach - f.e. if
"People tend to use the the google search only lets say "half a dozen times", and in the majority of cases just want text input in Kodi" Also - without having a select screen with "four (dont make it too many) predefined "use options"" discoverability is pretty non existent. People would have to read readmes to find out which interactions are supported.
Also Amazon wants you to "be able to always reach the Amazon content search from anywhere" - so, political implications.
Also - each time a new app would want to integrate the voice to text feature - they would have to contact the devs of this project - if you dont use "just text input" as a default in the "use the previously open app as an indicator of intent" approach. So make sure you default to "just text input" in that case. (Amazon launcher > forward query to Amazon (do not break functionality), ....)
Dont implement it as a mixed approach though as "Kodi is open most of the time" probably for most people - and the intent (message) gets "confusing".
--
What you probably shouldnt do - regardless, is to use "trigger words" as an "indicator of intent" - because Amazon can start blocking them. "Number 1" is probably generic enough so they wont try to block that - but in principal, they can. Also Amazons "voice to text" engine is optimized for "short phrases" - the longer your input query gets the more prone to errors their results become. Leave the actual "voice input" as "natural" as possible (dont embed logic there). Imho.

I'm in the USA and uptobox.com is not available in our country.
I want to give the source a look and see what I can do to contribute.
Can you put it on github or somewhere else?
Much appreciated.

kratosjohn said:
I'm in the USA and uptobox.com is not available in our country.
I want to give the source a look and see what I can do to contribute.
Can you put it on github or somewhere else?
Much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just uploaded it to zippyshare too. Link added to original post.
Mick

It would be nice if this could be generic way of entering text in any app, similar to the FTV Remote App that has keyboard support. I am surprised Amazon has not done this already. If you are in a text field voice search would fill in the text, else it can continue with normal Alexa functionality letting you " always reach the Amazon content search from anywhere". Should be an easy solution for Amazon to implement, not sure if it could be added with the progress here, and it would really make the voice control so much more useful.

Hey Mick, as im still very exited about that (so frustating to enter searchphrases with a dpad...), i thought about what your great find could develop to. I hope u dont get me wrong, as i unfortunatly cant contribute any programming (if u need something made with tasker let me know ), its not that i want to demand anything - rather share my thoughts or ideas...
- I think its a good thought not to 'blow it up' by adding many keywords, make it more complicated, and avoid amzn to lock features down. even if it may be an abstract fear. I think with a well-structured menu in kodi, all apps one will need to start are just 2-3 clicks away.
- if i got it right, xposed could hook into every module and alter it, right? so basically it should be possible to avoid to exchange the amazon ui and/or alter the vizinni.apk,but just modify the SearchOverlay.class? wouldnt it be (on top) the most convenient way to decide wether one is on e.g. Amazon Prime, or on kodi, and either hand over the result to the original module, or hand it over to kodi?
So, please understand my post as a mixture between sugestions and questions, not as a demanding 'please make it how i want it asap'. Im really excited about your finding, appreciate your sharing, and want to contribute what i can do - unfortunatly its rather thoughts and suggestions. Cheers mate!

Great Work !!! I totally understand this is for amazon Fire products only. My question is would we be able to port for generic Android TV box like nVidia Shield which also has mic capability and comes with root support.

Good job @is0-mick it's great to see you accomplish something that Netflix doesn't even want to be bother with on their app.

harlekinrains said:
No you dont understand. You havent even read or understood the first posting - but you have bought another device and now want others to move in your direction on your behalf.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously mate if XDA bothers you so much, you need to take a break from it for your own sanity!

fach1708 said:
Seriously mate if XDA bothers you so much, you need to take a break from it for your own sanity!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I really don't think he needs to take break, his argument is completely understandable. This is not a Shield forum (btw before we make judgements, I own both devices). We need to get this fixed for one device, before even mentioning whether other devices are an option.

is0-mick said:
To make it work you will require ROOT, and you will have to uninstall or move the existing fireTV amazon UI.
Reason for this is that the vizinni.apk calls back to
localIntent.setComponent(new ComponentName("com.amazon.tv.launcher", "com.amazon.tv.launcher.ui.SearchResultsActivity"));
So your activity has to be in that package, and called SearchResultsActivity.
The only other way to possibly get round this would be to modify the vizinni.apk to call a different package instead, but then voice search wouldn't work on the amazon UI anyway. I wasn't really bothered about the amazon UI working myself which is why I did it the way I did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it not usefull for this to create a xposed mod? I thought xposed was made for this...
Perhaps you should talk with rbox in his thread about a integration into version 1.5 of his mods, look here.
is0-mick said:
I just moved the original system/priv-app/com.amazon.tv.launcher/com.amazon.tv.launcher.apk to /system then installed my code via android studio.
mount -o rw,remount /system
mv /system/priv-app/com.amazon.tv.launcher/com.amazon.tv.launcher.apk /system/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So does that mean, while you are using your proof-of-concept you can not use the normal Launcher-UI?
Really great your work! I hope we got more
Sadly I am with my FireTV-Stick (hardware-Rooted-superSU) and my FireTV box gen1 (hardware-Rooted-superSU+custom-recovery+unlocked-bl)on the old FW. I wait for custom roms.
Greetings by Idijt
EDIT:
I forgot to ask you something. Did you got the kind of search-request back?
Can you see if amazon-voice-rgn knows if it is a app or a video or a moviestar?

This looks pretty cool since I don't like typing the name of the movie in the search box... now I can just speak it.
As a novice I have one question, You wrote:
is0-mick said:
I just moved the original system/priv-app/com.amazon.tv.launcher/com.amazon.tv.launcher.apk to /system
Mick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The code I downloaded was in .RAR format not .apk. Do I need to covert it to .apk or rename it to .apk before replacing the original?
I've not rooted my device yet so I haven't looked at the file structure, but I'd be willing to root to get this feature. OR is the adding of this code better done by someone other than a novice?
Thanks

carpenter940 said:
The code I downloaded was in .RAR format not .apk. Do I need to covert it to .apk or rename it to .apk before replacing the original?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the source code. You have to compile it and create the apk with AndroidStudio.

Related

Assistance with final year college project

Hi all!
I'm in my final year and we're supposed to do a project which is worth 200 marks overall. Most of us in our field have chosen to develop either android or iphone applications. My group and I have chosen adnroid.
Now, I'm in need of simple ideas for the apps. We have absolutely no idea on how to go about with the process. I've seen lots of people here develop stunning applications here! We're in need of ideas for developing simple apps.. which can be completed in a max of 2-3 months (considering the fact that we don't have any background knowledge on android development/programming. All we know is Java)
I'd initially suggested an automatic mobile credit recharge system, where in the app monitors you prepaid account balance from time to time and recharges the account once the credit falls below a user set value.
Although this seemed interesting at first, it can only be simulated with 2 databases (one for the mobile credit and another for the bank account)
After going through the type of apps here, I really want to develop something much better than this.
I'm open to all ideas, in fact, we don't mind developing an app that is already existing (for instance a profile manager or a data wallet etc) All we want is to have a fully complete app at the end of 2 months.
Please assist.
Thanks!
Secret Santa?
That's something that I thought up over winter break and whipped it up over a few days in the App Inventor. If you guys take your time, you can probably learn Android programming and design/code it in a month or so.
There are some "special" features that I added to make the app more useful but I'll leave that for you to think up.
I'll post back if I come up with anything else. I also need some app ideas, but just for recreational programming.
Thanks! I'm currently checking out appInventer.. I somehow find it hard to come up with ideas which is why I'm trying to find help from here :|
I think the credit recharger is a pretty cool idea, personally. But I understand that you might want something with more "impact"
I think part of the key to this would be figuring out what has not already been done to death. There are so many apps with 5, 6, 7, etc versions of the basically the same thing. I would try to find something to develop with less competition, even if it's more of a niche product. I'm trying to think of the things I've previously thought "I wish I had an app for ____" but I'm drawing a blank right now.
If I think of anything I'll be sure to post it back in here
DrDubzz said:
I think the credit recharger is a pretty cool idea, personally. But I understand that you might want something with more "impact"
I think part of the key to this would be figuring out what has not already been done to death. There are so many apps with 5, 6, 7, etc versions of the basically the same thing. I would try to find something to develop with less competition, even if it's more of a niche product. I'm trying to think of the things I've previously thought "I wish I had an app for ____" but I'm drawing a blank right now.
If I think of anything I'll be sure to post it back in here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I checked out google appInventer tutorials.. theres one which says "no text while driving" -- basically sends back an sms to the sender that ur driving.. It seems interesting so I'm gonna see how best i can use it and pack some more useful stuff along with it.. and see how it all works out.
The reason why I'm giving the auto recharge a back seat is because it can't be implemented in real time.. it can only be simulated in a virtual environment.
You might want to think about doing something that takes advantage of the maps api. It's easy to do but it looks impressive and might help you get high marks.
A great idea?!
Graphics artist here,
Something I just thought of and just started searching for (literally) when I came across your thread, would be: Using the phone as a touch sensitive.. control for editing software, ie photoshop or paint.net. Basically turn the phone into a touchpad control for a computer.
Just an idea!
mirrorhelix said:
Graphics artist here,
Something I just thought of and just started searching for (literally) when I came across your thread, would be: Using the phone as a touch sensitive.. control for editing software, ie photoshop or paint.net. Basically turn the phone into a touchpad control for a computer.
Just an idea!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This would be great! I'd definitely pay a couple/few dollars for something along these lines if it was user-friendly
Thats a really awesome idea!! Converting the touchscreen into a tablet input for PS or any other photo manipulation software.. But the problem is that I don't know where to begin! :|
This is a college project so the idea isn't to make a unique and sell-able application... it's to demonstrate that you can work as part of a team to make an application from design to completion.
I'd try and think of a fun app (i wouldnt care if it's been done 100 times before) that everyone on your team wants to contribute to. If it's unique, brilliant, if not nevermind you've got some good experience working as a team and making an android app.
I do like the sound of the phone touchpad app, it's been done on iPhone by Logitech but i've not seen something for android. If it helps, http://blog.logitech.com/2010/01/29...-touch-into-a-wireless-trackpad-and-keyboard/ .
There are a ton of them on the market: Gmote, MyRemote, UnifiedRemote, etc.
It might be a good idea to email this developers to get a better picture of what to do.
Problem is that all of those tools rely heavily on WiFi so you'll have to understand networking.
biggler said:
This is a college project so the idea isn't to make a unique and sell-able application... it's to demonstrate that you can work as part of a team to make an application from design to completion.
I'd try and think of a fun app (i wouldnt care if it's been done 100 times before) that everyone on your team wants to contribute to. If it's unique, brilliant, if not nevermind you've got some good experience working as a team and making an android app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bingo!! Which is exactly what my instructor said. I tried out the tutorials on appInventer.. I was toying with the idea of integrating more features into those itself. Is that a good idea? Although the concept is from Google, would it be ok to build on it? i'm particularly interested in "No texting while driving" and "Broadcast Hub" -- both these apps are awesome! Are there any notable features that I can add to make them better.
How about an app for the quick oil change places. It could show your last service and what was done. Show any upcoming maintenance and when your next oil change is due.
Maybe integrate Google Maps to show locations of service centers. Maybe offer a "e-coupon" if they use the app. Pretend they offer online scheduling and maybe show them "2 customers in bay, one waiting" - Estimated wait time 20 minutes" yada, yada
As an "older" programmer with 2 degrees, it's nice to see your college offering the mobile platform as a programming choice. Hell, all we got to write were COBOL and CICS mainframe applications and some semi-cool C++ projects.
Good Luck and Congratulations on getting your degree!!
What about a bluetooth hack to where u would be able to hack into someones phone and use their service for texting and calling. I heard of something like that when i was on my blackberry and was really into it. But it would be nice to get something like that on my Incredible
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
I think it would be a good idea to make an app that uses an existing web api for a popular website, could be facebook, ebay(do they have an api?) etc etc.
It's a good way to learn a lot of aspects of android development, with a useful product as the outcome.
It doesn't matter if there is already an app for that site, think of a different way of using the site on the mobile, and go from there.
I would like to see a program that reads the weather API and reflects the current weather and location on the wallpaper. This app would require graphics design, code to parse the weather feed, writing to the OS. When I was on Windows Mobile there was a skin for Weather Panel that did this but with Android's live walpaper it could be really cool.
Thanks for the ideas you guys! I really appreciate it. Everything seems interesting.. but the problem is we don't know where to begin or how to go about it.
I did the broadcast hub tutorial present in the app inventer page. It turned out good. Is there any way I can add functionality to this itself?
blueren said:
Thanks for the ideas you guys! I really appreciate it. Everything seems interesting.. but the problem is we don't know where to begin or how to go about it.
I did the broadcast hub tutorial present in the app inventer page. It turned out good. Is there any way I can add functionality to this itself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do all the tutorials and learn the blocks, you can create lots of stuff. There is a app in the market that adds more features to the app inventor, app inventor extender
XDA App
A couple of suggestions:
- A chess PGN editor
- A simple picture/document management app where you take a photo using the camera, add some tags or other info, and save all details in a database. You can also provide search functionality and a viewer to retrieve pictures using the index you've built.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
I did some homework on topics and came across this.. A multilingual speech translator.
Talk in a language, it converts the speech to text, translates that text to a target language, and reads the translated text aloud.
Is this feasible? What is the difficulty level?
Also, is it possible to develop a call blocker app? I looked around but wherever I search, I only find fully built apps but not pointers on how to go about creating one by yourself.
Please assist.

Accessing second APK?

Hey All -
First, really quick background: I'm a ASP.NET / .NET programmer, and taught myself Java and Android while making the one app I have released (for a hobby of mine) - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tsqmadness.bmmaps
Now, having said that, I'm looking to upgrade my app with a couple features (version 2.0, baby!), and was wondering how to make an 'add on' apk to access from the initial app.
For example (this is one of the several uses I am thinking of for the 'add on'), the easiest one would be -
Main app wants to access an add-on apk to call a function to grind some numbers, and return a result. If that add-on APK's not installed, then the user wouldn't be able to use that function.
The UI stuff I can handle easily, the main purpose of my question here is -
How can I tell if the other 'add on' APK is installed, and
How do I access a function (in a class or some such) in the other APK?
Honestly, I'd google it, but I'm not sure what this process is even called, so my searches have come up pretty sparse.
Thanks guys -
-Mike.
Do you want it to be a feature unlocker? Like a pro version key? For that purpose I'd recommend in-app-purchases because the user doesn't feel limited during download because he's got "just" the free version.
If you want it to execute methods, you could have a look at shared user ids and system broadcasts.
nikwen said:
Do you want it to be a feature unlocker? Like a pro version key? For that purpose I'd recommend in-app-purchases because the user doesn't feel limited during download because he's got "just" the free version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Originally, this WAS a plan. I have switched to in-app purchases for that now, however.
nikwen said:
If you want it to execute methods, you could have a look at shared user ids and system broadcasts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that'll give me a starting place to search on. I was thinking a few other reasons for it as well (like, a map marker pack, for a limited basic example..)
Thanks-
Mike.
coyttl said:
Originally, this WAS a plan. I have switched to in-app purchases for that now, however.
Thanks, that'll give me a starting place to search on. I was thinking a few other reasons for it as well (like, a map marker pack, for a limited basic example..)
Thanks-
Mike.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome.
The difficult part will be returning a result to the original app.

Shortcut to Books Library...

Thank you all for the wonderful support you are giving this device. While am an expert tinkerer, I do not have the time or knowledge necessary to take this device to the level I desire without the help you all afford.
So, having said that, I recieved my refurb unit (rollback was not an option when I contacted customer support, and 13.4.5.3 broke many things for me, The native Kindle app was among them.), I was able to toss twrp on it and update to 13.4.5.2, root it, and trick it to near perfection. Yet, I hate having to jump through hoops to get to my amazon books, so I played around with adb logcat and xda searches, and stumbled upon this...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1479858
izomiac found a way to make a link on the older Kindles. I tried it, and though it looks like there are only a few changes, it does not work out of the box.
I would like to create a link to my books library as well as links to individual books.
Code:
Action: com.amazon.kindle.otter.action.SHOW_BOOKS
Category: android.intent.category.HOME
fails with an error of
Code:
Action: com.amazon.kindle.otter.action.SHOW_BOOKS
Category: android.intent.category.HOME requires com.amazon.SHOW_CONTENT_LIBRARY
I am using QCustomShortcut to try this as launching the intent from shell did not work either.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I asked over in iziomac's thread too, but it is really old, and I did not know if anyone would even see it.
Incidentally, his code for linking to individual books works incredibly. That is an android level intent, so there is less which could go wrong.
Code:
android.intent.action.VIEW
Data: kindle://book/?action=open&book_id=AMZNID0/<bookid>/0/
He explains pretty clearly how to get the book id as well.
izomiac said:
All that you want to change in that data string is the escaped book_id field. You can extract the book's ID from any Amazon Kindle product page (go to Manage your Kindle on Amazon.com). So, the book ID in this example is: B002WB0XW0 and the URL of the product page is http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002WB0XW0 (plus some useless SEO keywords and tracking cruft I omitted).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, this is all Izomiac's work, not mine.
~Leko
Could you not edit the APK and manually add the missing permission it requires?
https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/security/permissions.html
Thanks. When using a shortcut created with that app, who calls for the intent?
Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk

Nova Widgets Still Possible (without ADB)?

Platform: Fire HD 8 (6th edition)
OS: 5.4.0.1
Willing to rollback?: Yes (it has broken some email functionality)
Launcher: Nova paid
I have activity launcher installed, as well as launcherhijack v3.
I have set the home screen button in accessibility, and have Nova enabled as the home. I have Nova enabled as the launcher, but have not deleted the fire launcher, as I would prefer not to.
The issue I'm having is that I can't seem to use widgets. I have read up on adb use for the fire, but Windows doesn't want to play nicely, and I don't currently have a linux machine available (yes, I could VM one, or setup a bootable USB, but I'm looking for a solution that would work with what I have currently in place).
Issue: Any time I go to place a widget on a Nova launcher screen, it brings up the list per normal, but when I go to place the widget, I get bounced back to the Kindle settings UI, and am unable to sort out a workaround.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, particularly if they don't require ADB, as so far Windows does not want to allow me to update the ADB drivers (it shows them as current stock drivers and functioning, as well as stating that the ones from google are a no-go).
Sadly, pushed the update when I did not expect it, so all of this was done after update rolled out. Play store was isntalled prior, and settings are for allowing debugging and developer settings, so at least I got the play store on prior to the update (which apparently some people are having issues with). For me, the store is working well, as is sideloading, which is why I'm thinking there must be a reliable solution to get widgets functioning in Nova without needing to ADB command it on.
Thank you,
--bb
No, you definitely need a working adb, it's your gate to all Fire HD hacks and improvements. If you can't - stay with Amazon bits and don't ask questions like this here.
Thanks to @DragonFire1024, we have a pretty nice hack to enable widgets on any launcher; it's very easy to apply and use. But PLEASE don't complain about prerequisites, if you can't get adb working on Windows, it's better to stay off all hacks and actually this site. Just enjoy your Amazon Fire HD (it's pretty cool even with OEM software installed).
Agreed! There is no need to be rude to those who are just learning. I appreciate those like Dragon who gives help to others without making them feel like idiots. With the help of this forum, I have gotten everything but gmail working! And that weird go to black screen and back to lock screen when I swipe application off the screen. An sure it will get fixed.
The widget script might work in a terminal emulator. Jack Pals on the play store is by far the best. Just search for terminal emulator for Android, place the script in the internal storage and try running it in the emulator. I honestly don't know if that will work though as all the hacks I do are usually with ADB.
DragonFire1024 said:
The widget script might work in a terminal emulator. Jack Pals on the play store is by far the best. Just search for terminal emulator for Android, place the script in the internal storage and try running it in the emulator. I honestly don't know if that will work though as all the hacks I do are usually with ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! I will give that a try.
Let's try to keep the comments directly related to Q&A for this device.
Getting snarky with other users and starting a back and forth argument is off-topic, and usually rude (both violations of the rules).
So, please; keep the Off-topic back and forth off the thread. If you are offended by, or feel another user's comment violates the rules, simply REPORT the comment and do not engage the other user further. No need to add MORE clutter.
Thanks for your cooperation.
sensboston said:
No, you definitely need a working adb, it's your gate to all Fire HD hacks and improvements. If you can't - stay with Amazon bits and don't ask questions like this here.
Thanks to @DragonFire1024, we have a pretty nice hack to enable widgets on any launcher; it's very easy to apply and use. But PLEASE don't complain about prerequisites, if you can't get adb working on Windows, it's better to stay off all hacks and actually this site. Just enjoy your Amazon Fire HD (it's pretty cool even with OEM software installed).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please explain to me how I can update the ADB? I'm not familiar with how to do this at all.
https://www.xda-developers.com/install-adb-windows-macos-linux/
Yeah, but...
bladebarrier said:
https://www.xda-developers.com/install-adb-windows-macos-linux/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is where I started, but I have been unable to find a way to find anything mentioning ADB (much less enable it) on our Fire HD 8 (7th Generation).
I have been looking through multiple guides for the past 20 minutes, but the newest firmware seems to have hidden or disabled the ability on the actual device. I am logged into the tablet on the main account, but even under "Device Administrators" it says "No available device administrators".
Did Amazon manage to lock these down to be nothing but a pimp for Amazon (as was their intended goal)?
Edit: Fire OS 5.6.1.0
Did Amazon manage to lock these down to be nothing but a pimp for Amazon (as was their intended goal)?
Yes, they did. It's the razor and blades business model. Such as one item is sold at a low price (or given away for free) in order to increase sales of a complementary goods.
When you go into the Setting then into Device Options, is Developer Options at the bottom of the list? If it isn't I think you need to tap the Serial Number 7 times, then it should appear and that is where you can enable ADB.
The dedication of the members of the xda forums are the only reason why a lot of devices such as these manage to reach their potential. I'm pretty new here (joined in February) but I never seen any member give up on a device. What most see as frustration, including myself, a lot of the members here not only see a challenge but an opportunity.
caldersm44 said:
Agreed! There is no need to be rude to those who are just learning. I appreciate those like Dragon who gives help to others without making them feel like idiots. With the help of this forum, I have gotten everything but gmail working! And that weird go to black screen and back to lock screen when I swipe application off the screen. An sure it will get fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For now without a rooted device the kick to the lock screen cannot be fixed. That is an unfortunate event which is a result of disabling fire launcher without root. Gmail is give or take. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. If I really had to take a guess I would say Google and Amazon are fighting between each other to get Gmail to work or stop working. It seems when enough users complain Gmail stops working within a few minutes it works again in a couple days later Amazon stops it. I would go back to an old version of Gmail, take your pick and keep trying different versions from there. If he older versions don't work that I'm at a loss at the moment. I do not currently use Gmail on my Amazon tablets. Only because I get too much mail lol. however with that having been said I have never had a problem with Gmail on any of my Amazon tablets with or without root.
dondraper23 said:
Did Amazon manage to lock these down to be nothing but a pimp for Amazon (as was their intended goal)?
Yes, they did. It's the razor and blades business model. Such as one item is sold at a low price (or given away for free) in order to increase sales of a complementary goods.
When you go into the Setting then into Device Options, is Developer Options at the bottom of the list? If it isn't I think you need to tap the Serial Number 7 times, then it should appear and that is where you can enable ADB.
The dedication of the members of the xda forums are the only reason why a lot of devices such as these manage to reach their potential. I'm pretty new here (joined in February) but I never seen any member give up on a device. What most see as frustration, including myself, a lot of the members here not only see a challenge but an opportunity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reminder of how to enable Developer Options - it has been a while since I had to do that. ADB is now enabled!
Thanks to everyone in the xda-developers community!
AnotherNameFFS said:
Thanks for the reminder of how to enable Developer Options - it has been a while since I had to do that. ADB is now enabled!
Thanks to everyone in the xda-developers community!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you got it enabled! It's one of those steps that is easy to forget
Why are you saying that he should get off the site. Thats rude

[Q] How to set intent on the Nook Simple Touch to open "Reading Now"?

I am not at all a wizard in code, so if anyone could help me set an intent to open "reading now" on the Nook Simple Touch, that would be really helpful. I'm using it to have a "reading now" link on my desktop with an app. It lets me copy and paste any intent I want into it, and I thought this one would be handy. The app is Desktop VisualiseR.
ALinkToTao said:
I am not at all a wizard in code, so if anyone could help me set an intent to open "reading now" on the Nook Simple Touch, that would be really helpful. I'm using it to have a "reading now" link on my desktop with an app. It lets me copy and paste any intent I want into it, and I thought this one would be handy. The app is Desktop VisualiseR.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have it, but not with me. Search the forum for Reading Now. It's there somewhere. Or when I return from vacation...
Edit: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20046625&postcount=5
nmyshkin said:
I have it, but not with me. Search the forum for Reading Now. It's there somewhere. Or when I return from vacation...
Edit: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20046625&postcount=5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks brother. I appreciate it.
No hurry on a response, but I'm still trying to figure this out.
So what I'm trying to do is use Desktop VisualizeR to open the reader via the "Reading Now" Intent. I am making a very simple and intuitive browser like the one you have made, @nmyshkin for my friends and family who are not at all techie.
Here that post you referred me to below:
ros87 said:
No, not directly in Reader, but you can do it like this:
Code:
am broadcast -a com.bn.nook.launch.LAST_BOOK -n com.bn.nook.home/.HomeBroadcastReceiver
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is a desktop I'm playing with. These images won't be the final product, but I would like to make an eye image that directly opens "Reading Now"
In the Desktop VisualizeR Widget, I go to "Select Action"-->"Clipboard" (with this exact text copied in the clipboard without quotes: "am broadcast -a com.bn.nook.launch.LAST_BOOK -n com.bn.nook.home/.HomeBroadcastReceiver" )
All I get are two options which pertain to "MX Player" which is merely a video player I have installed. Choosing either one of these and tapping to widget to run it yields no results. Is there a particular way to format the intent for Desktop VisualizeR to run it?
By the way, this homescreen thing is looking awesome! Here is what I've got now!
So I've been messing with using SMWidgets to create a shortcut with the "Eye" symbol on my desktop using this procedure here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1509030
Here were my results:
I was disappointed to find that the reader app did not launch, and the Script Manager app stayed with that message. I don't honestly know what it means. Anyone know what would be better to input?
ALinkToTao said:
In the Desktop VisualizeR Widget, I go to "Select Action"-->"Clipboard"/B]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just got into Cairo. You've been busy. To my knowledge the clipboard does not work on the NST, at least not for me, so there's one thing.
I can easily create an app with Tasker that does the Reading Now thing. But not without my NST. Would that work?
nmyshkin said:
Just got into Cairo. You've been busy. To my knowledge the clipboard does not work on the NST, at least not for me, so there's one thing.
I can easily create an app with Tasker that does the Reading Now thing. But not without my NST. Would that work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would, for sure!
I have gotten the clipboard to work in the attempt to do this! It works with the attached keyboard app "Multiling Keyboard". There is an option to switch to a keyboard that has arrow keys, select all, copy, paste, cut, delete, etc.
nmyshkin said:
Just got into Cairo. You've been busy. To my knowledge the clipboard does not work on the NST, at least not for me, so there's one thing.
I can easily create an app with Tasker that does the Reading Now thing. But not without my NST. Would that work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What might be better is if you're going to use tasker, to send me a backup of the macro that you create for the reading now action. That may suffice instead of writing a whole new app. I will probably install tasker since I already have so many tasker apps running it may save some RAM that way, not sure. I can also use tasker for other options on the desktop like toggling wifi etc. The attached version of tasker is the one I know is the latest and best for the NST.
Whichever is easier for you to do is whatever works for me. I really appreciate your help, and hope you have a wonderful and unforgettable trip in Cairo.
ALinkToTao said:
What might be better is if you're going to use tasker, to send me a backup of the macro that you create for the reading now action. That may suffice instead of writing a whole new app. I will probably install tasker since I already have so many tasker apps running it may save some RAM that way, not sure. I can also use tasker for other options on the desktop like toggling wifi etc. The attached version of tasker is the one I know is the latest and best for the NST.
Whichever is easier for you to do is whatever works for me. I really appreciate your help, and hope you have a wonderful and unforgettable trip in Cairo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, when I get home. In the meantime you might try just
com.bn.nook.launch.LAST_BOOK
as the intent. Seems like that's what's in the RN Menu app, although that might be in a shell which I'm not seeing. Not sure of the intent format for DesktopVisualizer.
nmyshkin said:
Yeah, when I get home. In the meantime you might try just
com.bn.nook.launch.LAST_BOOK
as the intent. Seems like that's what's in the RN Menu app, although that might be in a shell which I'm not seeing. Not sure of the intent format for DesktopVisualizer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank! I'll try that and let you know.
ALinkToTao said:
I was disappointed to find that the reader app did not launch, and the Script Manager app stayed with that message.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't have to put the component name in, that is no "-n com.bn....."
The broadcast receiver component might have changed in different versions.
The newer Nooks seem to use com.bn.nook.intent.action.OPEN_LAST_READ_BOOK
ALinkToTao said:
What might be better is if you're going to use tasker, to send me a backup of the macro that you create for the reading now action. That may suffice instead of writing a whole new app. I will probably install tasker since I already have so many tasker apps running it may save some RAM that way, not sure. I can also use tasker for other options on the desktop like toggling wifi etc. The attached version of tasker is the one I know is the latest and best for the NST.
Whichever is easier for you to do is whatever works for me. I really appreciate your help, and hope you have a wonderful and unforgettable trip in Cairo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, so here is a simple little app and the xml task file that is used to create it. You can, of course, assign a different icon using DesktopVisualiser.
Awesome, man! I will try it!
ALinkToTao said:
I have gotten the clipboard to work in the attempt to do this! It works with the attached keyboard app "Multiling Keyboard". There is an option to switch to a keyboard that has arrow keys, select all, copy, paste, cut, delete, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've installed this but can't figure out what to do with it! The first "step" (1. Enable Multiling) says it cannot do an autosetup so see the FAQ. This I did, but nowhere can I find anything about how to proceed with the app
Any pointers on set-up or somewhere you can point me that actually tells you how to do it?
@nmyshkin Here's a way to easily access the copy paste function when typing: In the multiling app go to "keyboard settings" then go to "gestures" each section you see here refers to a different swipe on the keyboard ims over the keys when its active. I know the second one programs a swipe to the right and the fourth is a swipe left. Program one of these to "toggle mode". Swipe your gesture when ims is active.
You will see what you want here.
Swipe again to switch back to QWERTY keyboard.
Try that.
ALinkToTao said:
@nmyshkin Here's a way to easily access the copy paste function when typing: In the multiling app go to "keyboard settings" then go to "gestures" each section you see here refers to a different swipe on the keyboard ims over the keys when its active. I know the second one programs a swipe to the right and the fourth is a swipe left. Program one of these to "toggle mode". Swipe your gesture when ims is active.
You will see what you want here.
Swipe again to switch back to QWERTY keyboard.
Try that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I finally figured all that out. My big hurdle was how to get the NST to use the keyboard instead of stock. It can be done using sqlite but I ended up using Nook Color Tools for the first (and last) time and in the process initiating an erase/deregister which made me very unhappy
Having trouble with the dictionary plugin at the moment. I have the keyboard app in system/app but installed the dictionary plugin as normal. Maybe that was a mistake.
But...it's almost back to where it was before the event, then I'll make a more current backup.
Edit: I finally got the dictionary plugin so that it's not whining about memory issues, but it does not seem to do anything.
More importantly, I can only seem to select ALL when using copy/paste. Is there a way to select only part of something? Also the function does not work in all contexts, for example in Documents to Go.
Edit-Edit: Well, I figured out the selection process for copy/paste. Who knew the "shift" key was needed to bound the area to copy? I'm sure this keyboard can do lots of things but it's profoundly lacking in any material to explain how they can be done. Still can't get the word suggestions to work, which is probably just as well since I immediately turn that off on my other devices.
I tried to get word suggestions to work for that keyboard, as it's my go-to keyboard on my Atrix 4g, but it never worked for me on the NST. If it did, that would be my daily user. I use ICS keyboard which actually has autocorrect. It's the only one I know of that works for it. If multiling had autocorrect, I wouldn't switch between the two on the NST.
ALinkToTao said:
I tried to get word suggestions to work for that keyboard, as it's my go-to keyboard on my Atrix 4g, but it never worked for me on the NST. If it did, that would be my daily user. I use ICS keyboard which actually has autocorrect. It's the only one I know of that works for it. If multiling had autocorrect, I wouldn't switch between the two on the NST.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mmm....OK. Whilst looking for an "ICS keyboard" in the YalpStore I was bemused to find that while I had typed "ics keyboard" what appeared in the search box was "Icarus keyboard". First time I noticed something like that and exactly why I always turn this "feature" off on all my devices. Perhaps removing the plugin will squelch that behavior.
Meanwhile, can you give me a link for the ICS keyboard you mention?
Edit: On further investigation, there is definitely auto"correction" going on as I type. What is missing is the typical display of potential substitutions and therefore any way to specify a choice. It just does what it wants by its own arcane rules.
In addition to having the English plugin installed, in the Settings for the Multiling keyboard under "Word suggestion settings" I originally had the first three selections checked as well as "Quick fixes" and "User dictionary". For me, this produced the behavior described.
I was able to stop auto"correct" by unchecking the first two options. This greyed-out everything else in the category.
nmyshkin said:
Mmm....OK. Whilst looking for an "ICS keyboard" in the YalpStore I was bemused to find that while I had typed "ics keyboard" what appeared in the search box was "Icarus keyboard". First time I noticed something like that and exactly why I always turn this "feature" off on all my devices. Perhaps removing the plugin will squelch that behavior.
Meanwhile, can you give me a link for the ICS keyboard you mention?
Edit: On further investigation, there is definitely auto"correction" going on as I type. What is missing is the typical display of potential substitutions and therefore any way to specify a choice. It just does what it wants by its own arcane rules.
In addition to having the English plugin installed, in the Settings for the Multiling keyboard under "Word suggestion settings" I originally had the first three selections checked as well as "Quick fixes" and "User dictionary". For me, this produced the behavior described.
I was able to stop auto"correct" by unchecking the first two options. This greyed-out everything else in the category.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm so sorry I haven't responded to your request for this. I've been busy building a house (a tiny house) to live in for my girlfriend and I. It's coming along very well, I have to say.
I've attached the apk file.
ALinkToTao said:
I'm so sorry I haven't responded to your request for this. I've been busy building a house (a tiny house) to live in for my girlfriend and I. It's coming along very well, I have to say.
I've attached the apk file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I'll take a look at it. I gave up on the other alternate keyboard. While it was able to copy and paste within an app, it didn't seem to have true clipboard capabilities to carry a line of text or a URL from one app to another. That's what I'd really like.

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