Database Develop

General G1 Questions

Hey guys I recently purchased a G1 with the intent of reselling it. Well a friend that needs a phone saw it and was interested in buying it since I said he could have it at cost. I have a couple questions I hoped someone here would be kind enough to answer to see if this is gonna be a good fit for his needs.
1. How is the browser? Can you access bank sites more specifically Bank of America?
2. Any flash support?
3. What megapixal is the camera? Is it decent Quality?
4. How is the Youtube app? Is it decent quality?
5. Can he access his other email accounts other then the gmail account?
6 Is it worth "Rooting" and flashing a different rom to? Will that help out any bugs or speed it up?
7. Is it SDHC compatible?
8. Can I play AAC files from iTunes?
9. Internet Sharing? Can it teather? Can I share to my PC through USB?
Sorry if some of these are common knowledge and 1 or 2 could be answered by the datasheet but I'm a petty WM guy and don't know the power of the Droid!
Any insight or things I may not of thought of like drawbacks or issues feel free to post em.
Thanks alot guys your the best.
Maxuel Powers Equire.

1. The browser's comparable to the iphone browser. Most banking sites should work but some might not. BoA has an app, though.
2. No, not really. The Skyfire browser will play some Flash stuff based on older versions.
3. 3MP - it's OKAY. Not the worst I've seen, but far from the best either.
4. The Youtube app is pretty much the same as the iPhone one.
5. Yes.
6. Depends on what he wants to do with it. If he just wants to run a few basic apps and do the standard smart-phone tasks, it should work using the stock ROM fine. If he wants to install a bunch of apps and/or do more advanced things (like wifi tethering) then he'll want to root. Rooting will open up a whole new world of choices: Android 1.6, 2.1 and now 2.2 are all available.
7. Yes, standard microSD up to at least 32GB are supported..
8. i don't think so.
9. Yes, via USB (rooted or not), bluetooth and wifi (rooted only).

You the man! Thanks

[Q] A Worthwhile NC Root Project

Greetings,
This is my first post here, so forgive me for posting in the general forum and not in the dev forums (I have to accumulate 10 posts to use the dev forums). I have a very important and worthwhile project that I'm hoping will interest a few devs here.
I am attempting to build a proof-of-concept for a very large educational institution that is considering implementation of ebook readers. Obviously, stock ebook readers are not up to what we need, and more robust tablets like the Galaxy Tab are cost prohibitive given the goal of distribution of these devices to tens of thousands of K-12 students. I don't want to be stuck with a single book distribution method, so I am looking for some standard Android flavor rather than a Nook-like interface.
So, here's my challenge to you. I would like to use the Nook Color (the $250 price point is perfect) to build a proof-of-concept low-end, semi-restricted Android tablet. I am looking for:
- Android 2.2
- Flash Support
- Ability to run:
- Dolphin Browser
- Regular Nook Android App
- Kindle App
- Google Book Reader App
- Adobe Reader App
- Some (undefined) Calculator App
- Stock Android Calendar App
- Stock Android Mail App
- Google Maps App
- Google Earth App
- Stock Android Gallery App or Equivalent
- Some (undefined) File Manager App
- Some (undefined) Note Taking App
I would also like the ability to load APK files (that we write) without the use of the Android Market. And . . . I need the final installation to *NOT* have root capability.
Anyone have a ROM to start this?
Also, while I'm somewhat familiar with rooting other Android devices, I'm not a developer and not a linux expert. I employ developers that have written a few Android apps, so they can handle the installation if necessary.
Any takers?
You can contact me off-list if you like at Dwayne at leeschools.net.
Thanks,
Dwayne

Wouldn't a $200 netbook be a far more usable tool to a student?

good thing you didn't post this in development.
once nook is updated to 2.2 this will basically all be possible with just root.
supposed to be released soon....
if you want a custom rom those will be around soon as well.
--edit--
i see you want this all without root. i don't believe that is possible. good luck though

There are specific reasons we are not considering netbooks for this project, beyond the scope of this discussion. For the purpose of this POC, we are only looking at touch-based slates.

I can't think of a way to fully disable root without someone being able to add it back. With that said would you be able to just delete the marketplace to make it "locked down" after installing everything? Possible disable super-level access as well?

I've not seen any confirmation that they are going to update to 2.2. I've only seen rumors to that effect. Do you have evidence to the contrary, because that would be great.
Additionally, the reason I'd like to involve the devs is because it is highly unlikely that B&N will release it with anything close to a stock 2.2 install. It will likely still require quite a bit of work to function normally. Hopefully I'm wrong on that account, but based on B&N's business model, I anticipate that they will do their best to prevent it from being used as a full tablet. They want to sell books. I don't think they want to sell devices without books. Not enough margin in the devices.
Perhaps I'm wrong related to their business model. I have approached B&N and requested an NDA to work with the Nook product team to see if they are interested in working together with us on a customized version. My feeling is that if they make very little on the device (with the goal of making the majority of their profit from content), they'll decline this offer.

MattJ951 said:
I can't think of a way to fully disable root without someone being able to add it back. With that said would you be able to just delete the marketplace to make it "locked down" after installing everything? Possible disable super-level access as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We could remove super user, but I'd also like to prevent users from killing services. I anticipate that we'll need some additional security apps that need to run full-time. One of our big challenges is that, by law, whenever we provide an Internet-capable device for students to take home, we are required to filter Internet. That's a huge task. On a PC, we an lock it down and force traffic through our filters from outside. From an Android device, we don't know how to handle that yet. We have a few approaches. I'm in discussion with M86 regarding an Android equivalent to their mobile client.
But . . . we have a lot more experience locking down a Windows or Mac PC than a phone OS. Most phone OSes are built from the perspective of a consumer, where the user is free to add/remove apps. We need a way to deal with that. Haven't gotten that far yet. The first order of business was to see if we can build our base functionality in a $250 device.

DwayneA said:
I've not seen any confirmation that they are going to update to 2.2. I've only seen rumors to that effect. Do you have evidence to the contrary, because that would be great.
Additionally, the reason I'd like to involve the devs is because it is highly unlikely that B&N will release it with anything close to a stock 2.2 install. It will likely still require quite a bit of work to function normally. Hopefully I'm wrong on that account, but based on B&N's business model, I anticipate that they will do their best to prevent it from being used as a full tablet. They want to sell books. I don't think they want to sell devices without books. Not enough margin in the devices.
Perhaps I'm wrong related to their business model. I have approached B&N and requested an NDA to work with the Nook product team to see if they are interested in working together with us on a customized version. My feeling is that if they make very little on the device (with the goal of making the majority of their profit from content), they'll decline this offer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, all of those hings are capable. Have you done any reading in this forum. Just get a nookie froyo 2.2 card set one up the way you want. uninstall super user and market. make lotsa copies of card and stick it in nook. If you really want you can also trash the firmware on the internal memory so it will not even book the stock nook firmware.
enjoy!

Consideration should be taken that rooting technically voids the manufacturer's warranty. Other than that, using the NookColor as a tablet is still a gamble in terms of getting a rock-solid and reliable device. Supporting the devices may be problematic.
Fortunately, the devs here are doing great work and I fully expect (hope) that it will be a rock-solid reliable device very soon.
You will probably also want to avoid booting from the microsd because they are easy to remove.
Filtering could be done with a VPN.

to avoid removal of micro sd, just put a little sugra on the break where the nook opens for the micro sd, sort of lieka warrenty sticker

If you need help. Let me know.
The Nook Color already has a Froyo image that can be installed. DSP currently doesn't work. That is responsible for video decoding not only for local files, but for Flash video as well.
Other than that, Flash will still run, but not on all occasions, and the rest of your requirements have already been accomplished (ie. apks can be installed and already exist on the Market or from the Internet).
You can install the Froyo image (it consists of a boot image and a system image) to your Nook easily, and afterward install all of the "G" apps with a quick copying of a folder.
Check here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=864
- Do a little reading
- Possibly try installing Froyo on your memory card first.
- PM me if you need any guidance. I'm feeling pretty PRO at this after using adb all weekend to work with my Nook.
FYI: You can completely hose your internal installation and still be good (As long as you don't actually corrupt your memory physically). The Nook can always be booted off of a microSD card and restored to a fresh installation.
Edit: I just read some of your other posts. Just a thought: You could uninstall or disable the browser by default, thus not having to worry about Internet filtering. Later, users could still install apks from the sdcard (All that you have to do is tick a box in "Settings"). You can also do all of this without touching the stock rom. Of course you'd want to disable that from booting ever, so... after you were booted into your microSD card OS you could use adb to delete the content of the mmcblk0p1 (boot) partition. But I think that still might go against BN's warranty rules.

I understand the reasoning of wanting to lock it back down but if your students are capable of finding XDA (I'd imagine 1 or 2 of them is, at least) then that person would probably root the systems for anyone who was so inclined. I mean, B&N wasn't able to stop it, it's not likely that you would (without some sort of remote supervision app that could monitor and detect rooting).

gallahad2000 said:
I understand the reasoning of wanting to lock it back down but if your students are capable of finding XDA (I'd imagine 1 or 2 of them is, at least) then that person would probably root the systems for anyone who was so inclined. I mean, B&N wasn't able to stop it, it's not likely that you would (without some sort of remote supervision app that could monitor and detect rooting).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that was going to be my 2cts. A student would just have to pop in an sd card. And it would be a little unfair not giving student that right? And even then, they could always push something over via adb.

Have you looked at other options like the Archos line of Android tablets?
Otherwise, the SD Card install of Froyo works well - just superglue the opening

Why would any school district buy tablets with no warranty? Doesn't seem that feasible to me.

blackderbyhat said:
Why would any school district buy tablets with no warranty? Doesn't seem that feasible to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's only looking for a proof of concept right now, and is trying to work with Barnes and Noble directly.

I forsee many broken nooks in our future.

[ROM][CM10] Thinkpad Tablet (v0.9)

It's jelly time. Made by a TPT user for TPT users.
Notice
Developed on a WE/16Gb 3G TPT. US, UK and ROW Tablets (any size) are confirmed to work, too
Density set to 160 dpi to keep market compatibility. Don't like to do this but the market problems are just annoying. Change it with a appropriate app if you don't like it (btw. our native density is approximate 150 dpi).
Flash on your own risk! Might turn your TPT into a expensive chopping board.
Requirements
This build uses the Lenovo ICS kernel, you need to upgrade to stock ICS first (Make sure you keep root!)
A ICS ClockworkMod version like this one.
Screenshots
here (Thanks obscure.detour)
Installation
Download ROM zipfile (and 3G patch if you want to) and put it on a sd-card
Boot into CWM (Reboot and press Vol+)
Make a nandroid backup in CWM!
Make sure the backup worked!
Full Wipe (May not be needed if you come from an earlier CM10 version)
Flash zip in CWM
Optional: Flash 3G patch in CWM
reboot
Restore Stock ICS
Boot into CWM (Reboot and press Vol+)
Restore old nandroid backup
Additional Steps
If you have problems with random reboots or sleep of death try to change wifi to "always on". You can find it in: settings->wifi->"click the 3 dots in the upper right"->advanced->keep wifi on during sleep
If you want to use NotesMobile you want to look here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=34649207#post34649207
If you have problems with wiping (just doesn't work) and want to reformat the data partition, use this zip in CWM: http://ubuntuone.com/4zKT1jqeqhR8qdGh2y4TaM (WARNING: THIS WILL REFORMAT DATA, THAT INCLUDES YOUR INTERNAL SDCARD!)
Working:
Wifi
Touchscreen + Stylus
Bluetooth
HW Graphic Acceleration
Sound (Including Mic)
Cameras Front/Back
Compass (but needs calibration)
HW Video encoding/decoding (i.e. for Youtube HQ)
Mount as USB/MTP for filetransfer (in windows)
GPS (Well "working" like always nearly unusable but its working theoretically)
Lightsensor and other sensors
3G (Ericsson card)
3G (Gobi card)
HDMI
Stylus
Buttons
Not Working
Nothing here anymore. Everything is working somehow but some parts still contain bugs (see buglist)
Known Bugs
Google maps crashes sometimes
3G issues:
- On some devices the carrier is not shown and 3G needs more time to connect
Wifi tethering not working
Stylus only mod not changeable in lockscreen
Some other bugs that occur only on few devices
Things maybe added in future releases
A density of 150dpi (a soon as i find a good hacked market or something else)
Getting everything to work and stable
Thanks
The Cyanogenmod team
Everyone releasing their source codes for other builds
Everyone trying to find and report bugs
pwstein for lending me his gobi card
If you like this ROM press the donate button and smash your hand on the NumPad :fingers-crossed:
Download
see this post -> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=53241085&postcount=788
Sourcecodes
Device Tree
Framework patches
Kernel
Changelog
Code:
[B]Version 0.9.2 [/B]
- Same as 0.9.1 but with older wifi drivers
[B]Version 0.9.1 [/B]
- Fixed stylus only mode again
- Fixed touchinput for some games/apps
[B]Version 0.9[/B]
- Switched to CM10 Stable Branch
- Newer WIFI driver
- Other things I might have forgoten
[B]Version 0.8.1 (3G Patch)[/B]
- Combined ericssion and gobi patch
- Bluetooth tethering
[B]Version 0.8.1[/B]
- Android 4.1.2
- Stock kernel again for the time beeing
- New Stylus only mode (again use the browser button)
- Confirmed working bluetooth pan (tested with internet connection of galaxy nexus)
[B]Version 0.8 (Experimental)[/B]
- Fixed Camera + Picasa
- Added Stylus only mode (oops: Right now its a no input mode, needs to be fixed)
- Added recovery to reboot options (Upgrade to CWM 6 first, if you want to use this!)
- Changed Kernel:
Additional Filesystem support (NTFS, CIFS)
Overclocking up to 1.7GHz (disabled by default)
[B]Version 0.7.1 (3G Patches)[/B]
- Added missing apn.conf
[B]Version 0.7[/B]
- Reverted some changes to dalvik cache that seem to make trouble
- Added experimental support for Gobi 3G card
- Checked hdmi (seems to work fine here)
[B]Version 0.6[/B]
- Fixed front cam
- Autorotation button official working (and all other buttons)
- Switched Gallery app for picasa sync
- Some minor bugfixes
[B]Version 0.5 (3G Ericsson)[/B]
- Added 3G patch for wifi-only rom
- Read new installation instructions!
[B]Version 0.5 (wifi-only)[/B]
- A wifi-only version (without sms app or cell indicator)
[B]Version 0.4[/B]
- Fixed 2G/3G Problem -> Ericsson card is working now
[B]Version 0.3[/B]
- Fixed GPS
- Fixed Lightsensor
- Some minor bugfixes
- Added experimental(!!!) support for Ericsson 3G (i.e. WE devices)
[B]Version 0.2[/B]
- HW Video decoding fixed -> i.e. youtube HQ
- HW Video encoding fixed -> taking videos with the cam
[B]Version 0.1[/B]
- First release

Amazing! I cannot thank you enough for your continued work Koshu.
Doing a nandroid and testing now. No reason it should not work on a US-based tablet, correct?
Also, any chance we could get an MD5 checksum? Sorry, I'm kind of crazy

obscure.detour said:
Amazing! I cannot thank you enough for your continued work Koshu.
Doing a nandroid and testing now. No reason it should not work on a US-based tablet, correct?
Also, any chance we could get an MD5 checksum? Sorry, I'm kind of crazy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should work. WE, US and UK are pretty much the same devices except the 3G card. I'm just curious if this ROM works also on ROW.

Will test in the morning long day of college and work, need to sober up before I tackle this. Thanks for the Jelly Bean up date.

This ROM is running amazingly well. Everything I do, it does it fast and smoothly. Project Butter truly stands out here. Never has this tablet felt so buttery smooth.
I even installed Major Mayhem to try a game out and I feel like it ran better than the official ICS build (OTA3).
Google Now works. USB drive and mouse worked fine. Pen works fine in Lecture Notes and Quill. The pen button does not work in Quill though, pretty sure it has something to do with the way Quill detects the active pen. Sound works, video works as long as it is SD.
Other than that I'll leave you all with these screenshots.
Great job Koshu and thank you!

obscure.detour said:
This ROM is running amazingly well. Everything I do, it does it fast and smoothly. Project Butter truly stands out here. Never has this tablet felt so buttery smooth.
I even installed Major Mayhem to try a game out and I feel like it ran better than the official ICS build (OTA3).
Google Now works. USB drive and mouse worked fine. Pen works fine in Lecture Notes and Quill. The pen button does not work in Quill though, pretty sure it has something to do with the way Quill detects the active pen. Sound works, video works as long as it is SD.
Other than that I'll leave you all with these screenshots.
Great job Koshu and thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have really nice hand writing on the last screenshot.
This is awesome, and just in time as school is approaching . Can't wait to try it out .
Koshu keep up the good work, this is amazing. expect a donation once I get this loaded.
If someone get's it up on a ROW Tablet, please advise!

DiJu519 said:
You have really nice hand writing on the last screenshot.
This is awesome, and just in time as school is approaching . Can't wait to try it out .
Koshu keep up the good work, this is amazing. expect a donation once I get this loaded.
If someone get's it up on a ROW Tablet, please advise!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have a ROW tablet? Please let me know if this works and if it doesn't (i assume it won't even boot in this case) send me a copy of your boot.img. As i didn't need to modify the kernel itself (compared to ICS with the HC kernel) we could just try to switch the kernels and see what happens.

obscure.detour said:
This ROM is running amazingly well. Everything I do, it does it fast and smoothly. Project Butter truly stands out here. Never has this tablet felt so buttery smooth.
I even installed Major Mayhem to try a game out and I feel like it ran better than the official ICS build (OTA3).
Google Now works. USB drive and mouse worked fine. Pen works fine in Lecture Notes and Quill. The pen button does not work in Quill though, pretty sure it has something to do with the way Quill detects the active pen. Sound works, video works as long as it is SD.
Other than that I'll leave you all with these screenshots.
Great job Koshu and thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Project butter is one pf the main reasons i want to get JB on the TPT^^ it's really awesome. Thanks for the screenshots, If you don't mind i would like to post a link to your post in the OP in case someone wants some.

Nice Job Koshu!!:good: will give it a try when i get clockwork up and running.. :fingers-crossed:
US TPT 16GB 3G with 32GB sd card

Very nice work, Maybe I should give it a try .

Koshu said:
Project butter is one pf the main reasons i want to get JB on the TPT^^ it's really awesome. Thanks for the screenshots, If you don't mind i would like to post a link to your post in the OP in case someone wants some.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely, feel free to share the pics. It is running super smooth I am absolutely loving it so far. Now I've got JB CM10 on both of my devices!
Also, I have noticed Chrome runs really great. About a thousand times better than ICS (OTA3). Gets a little slow sometimes with 15-20+ tabs but that is to be expected with our aged hardware.
Another note: I use CSipSimple, it allows me to use SIP in combination with a PBX server (Pbxes.org) for WiFi calling on my phone. I have never been able to get it to work with any Lenovo ROMs. Well it works on this ROM! I can now make/receive calls with my tablet using WiFi. I know many don't know or even care what this is, but just wanted to share my excitement.

Working well here too. Although I get cell phone indicator in my tray

mandrsn1 said:
Working well here too. Although I get cell phone indicator in my tray
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I forgot to mention that. You need to enable Airplane mode and then enable WiFi. Although, because I use it on my phone as well, I've been using an app called AutoAP. It automatically enables airplane mode when using a saved WiFi network. For some reason it says it isn't compatible with our tablet in the Play Store. It is literally the only app I could find that wasn't "compatible". It works fine if you sideload it. Download here.
Since this and the few other issues being the GPS(it never worked anyway), HW acceleration for HD playback, and the light sensor I haven't found any reason for it to not be my daily driver.
Cheers.

Omg wow! I need to dig out my TPT!!

US 32GB TPT and loving Jelly Bean can't wait to see were this goes from here. Thanks for all the hard work with JB and CWM.

New version released

Koshu said:
New version released
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome! HQ video decoding and recording! You are truly a gentleman. Cannot wait to try it out. When my school expenses subsides I'll be donating to you.
Also, you may link directly to the images using the imgur link if you want instead of linking to my post. http://imgur.com/a/r0Iq2 I could also embed them in the 2nd post if you would like.
EDIT: Build v0.2 seems to be fine. HQ videos do indeed work in YouTube. I was even able to get a 720p (mkv) encoded video streaming over WiFi. Works flawlessly (24fps).

Koshu, is there a foreseeable future for 3G in your CM10 builds for TPT?
I'm just curious if it's a hurdle you have hopes in clearing. I'm running a GOBI3000 and paying for a data plan that I'm trying to get the most out of.
BTW, I've got my TPT heading back for service and I'm crossing my fingers for an OTA 2.5 system upon return. Get my root back...

Koshu said:
You have a ROW tablet? Please let me know if this works and if it doesn't (i assume it won't even boot in this case) send me a copy of your boot.img. As i didn't need to modify the kernel itself (compared to ICS with the HC kernel) we could just try to switch the kernels and see what happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works also on a ROW tablet!
Good work, thanks! Keep it up!

obscure.detour said:
Awesome! HQ video decoding and recording! You are truly a gentleman. Cannot wait to try it out. When my school expenses subsides I'll be donating to you.
Also, you may link directly to the images using the imgur link if you want instead of linking to my post. http://imgur.com/a/r0Iq2 I could also embed them in the 2nd post if you would like.
EDIT: Build v0.2 seems to be fine. HQ videos do indeed work in YouTube. I was even able to get a 720p (mkv) encoded video streaming over WiFi. Works flawlessly (24fps).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Changed the link.
pwstein said:
Koshu, is there a foreseeable future for 3G in your CM10 builds for TPT?
I'm just curious if it's a hurdle you have hopes in clearing. I'm running a GOBI3000 and paying for a data plan that I'm trying to get the most out of.
BTW, I've got my TPT heading back for service and I'm crossing my fingers for an OTA 2.5 system upon return. Get my root back...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think i try fixing 3G next as the other parts are more or less minor problems (gps more, lightsensor less). But i don't have a gobi card but an ericsson, so i will start with the ericsson card to get a grip on this and after the ericsson card is working we could give gobi gobi a try. But this includes a lot of testing and i will need someone with a gobi device to help me out.
mari8b said:
It works also on a ROW tablet!
Good work, thanks! Keep it up!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah great, then lenovo finally uses a similar kernel for both devices, meaning i can play around with the kernel a bit (would like to add cifs and nfs support, maybe even overclocking some day).

4.2.1 Jellybean?

How likely is it that we will be getting 4.2.1 Jellybean for our HD2, I mean Touchpad ?

Classic nerd has released pre alpha build

Any idea on cm 10.1 really looking forward to the new notifications and centre buttons

luke1987 said:
Classic nerd has released pre alpha build
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes i know but the problem is that the guys from classicnerd team they never fix the major problems like mic,hardware acceleration, camera
so the real question is when jcsullin release jelly bean 4.2.1 for touchpad

nikos5800 said:
yes i know but the problem is that the guys from classicnerd team they never fix the major problems like mic,hardware acceleration, camera
so the real question is when jcsullin release jelly bean 4.2.1 for touchpad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably in two weeks...

1. Please, let's not ask for ETAs from devs who donate their time.
2. Even jcsullins put out a pre-alpha CM10 before putting out a more full-featured one. Dev work takes time.

Exactly what kind of functionalities from JB 4.2 are you missing in 4.1 so you are asking for the upgraded version?
Let me tell you the new features in 4.2 and then you can tell me why you need it.
1. Camera app, 360 degrees pictures. Useless on Touchpad.
2. Lockscreen widgets - download any 3rd party app from Play Store.
3. Toggles in notification - added in CM, useless in tablet UI.
4. New Gmail app - download it.
5. New Clock app - download a 3rd party alternatives from Play Store.
6. Swype
7. Updated Google Now - update it from 4.2 gapps.
8. Daydream mode - doesn't work because the USB charge current is not enough to charge the tablet with screen on.
9. Multiuser support - do you even need it? Alternatives are available in the Play Store.

nitrobg said:
Exactly what kind of functionalities from JB 4.2 are you missing in 4.1 so you are asking for the upgraded version?
Let me tell you the new features in 4.2 and then you can tell me why you need it.
1. Camera app, 360 degrees pictures. Useless on Touchpad.
2. Lockscreen widgets - download any 3rd party app from Play Store.
3. Toggles in notification - added in CM, useless in tablet UI.
4. New Gmail app - download it.
5. New Clock app - download a 3rd party alternatives from Play Store.
6. Swype
7. Updated Google Now - update it from 4.2 gapps.
8. Daydream mode - doesn't work because the USB charge current is not enough to charge the tablet with screen on.
9. Multiuser support - do you even need it? Alternatives are available in the Play Store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The new tablet ui with centralised softkeys and new notifications would be a great benefit

I can tell you this, teams are hard at work to bring 4.2 to the touchpad (I know of at least 2)
The thing with the touchpad is that it doesn't use standard code, it has to be heavily modified in order to work for the touchpad. This all takes lots of time that developers give, most of the time for free as not many people donate. It's coming patience is the key.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

Slgihtly on a tangent, but this feels out of place on the ROM's post itself... it is a personal view, after all.
I'm hoping that the TP, if and when it gets internal storage (aka the USB drive partition) mount support on Android 4.2.x, has it mounted in such a way that the ROM doesn't move everything into a numbered folder (which is my pet peeve of 4.2 ROMs for, like, everything on Earth). I know it's nice to have separate storage for each user, but such a move would mess up (at least) webOS, Android recovery, and other versions of Android you may happen to be multibooting, not to mention "legacy" file-handling apps.
Multiuser support is really the main way that 4.2 is neat, but I have no use for it.
As for ETA's, friends don't let friends ask for them.

[Q] LG Optimus Black LGL85C (Straight Talk) upgrade from GB to ICS

Hi,
I'm an Android noob and I did read “[HOW TO]The Big N00B how-to!”. I'm a somewhat advanced Windows 7 user, I taught myself Fedora and I'm confident I can learn Android. I am not a programmer or developer.
I just made the leap from a dumb phone to a smart phone, I wish I did it years ago. I have Straight Talk which is a partnership between Tracfone and Walmart. I've used Tracfone for years so I decided to continue with them. I purchased an LG Optimus Black LGL85C with Android 2.3.4 which is the same as the P970. I bought an older style model because I liked the features and there is an ICS 4.0.4 upgrade available.
The back story on what I've done so far. I tried to upgrade using the LG mobile Support Tool. It downloads ICS then stops at install telling me to contact LG Support. I contacted them and I was told I have an Optimus Black P970 made to be distributed in Germany so they cannot do anything. I live in the United States. I was told to call Straight Talk, they told me they have nothing to do with the operating system and cannot do anything.
I then tried upgrading using the KDZ Firmware Update EN Tool and the V30B_00.kdz file. That did not work crashing because of some sort of conflict with msxml4-SP3. I installed msxml 3, 4, 6, and the msxml technet fixit. Nothing worked so far so I gave up on that method for now anyway.
Now I'm contemplating using the SmartFlash Tool. I downloaded the LGP970_V30B_00_AP.bin and the LGP970_V30B_00_CP.fls files. I do not want to screw up my phone and I'm not really looking for a custom ROM to install. I am open to it though after I do more homework. Here are my questions:
Can I use the P970 ROM on my LGL85C phone?
Is there a newer official ICS ROM with the latest updates that I can use? This one is from December 2012.
IF so will I get OTA updates from LG?
Is it safe for me to follow the direction on this website hackmyandroid named "Official ICS Update for LG Optimus Black P970 Rolling Out – Install Manually on Your Device"? I cannot post the link.
I rooted the phone using Framaroot.
I installed SuperSU Pro, BusyBox Free and Rebooter.
I'm going to install ROM Manager Premium and ROM Toolbox Pro
I'm Thinking about installing BusyBox Pro and a few others.
I know they have more tools than I need but I'd rather have more at my disposable than not enough.
If I'm not going to get LG updates I might as well think about checking out custom ROMs.
Any help will be very much appreciated.
Thanks,
Norman
--------------------------------------------------------
I assume this is firmware I can use if I fail incredibly badly.
lg-phone-firmware - LG Optimus Black P970
LGL85CV1_02.S1_02.P61007.cab
Country: USA
Number on list: 430
Carrier: TRF/TRACFONE(USA)
Version: 1
Model: LGL85C
Size: 151.13 MiB
Downloads: 215
Online: Yes

ICS has some issues, mainly:
- the touch screen becoming unresponsive (only solution is to pull the battery)
- GPS is broken for many
- Sluggish behavior at odd times
- dialer issues ( zero as first number, dial tones not working with prompts on automated systems)
I got tired of playing and decided for stability. I had too many missed calls at inopportune times due to sluggishness, and pulling the battery every time the screen was unresponsive was old.
The final straw was when I was trying to get through on an automated line with key tones.
I couldn't take it any more and re-installed Marvel 9, and have been quite happy ever since. It's stable, runs all of the app store program I NEED, and is lively and responsive. Zeus is fairly solid too.
If you want to "play", have fun with ICS or an ICS-based ROM.

Hi,
Thanks for the info, I've been reading and learning a lot. I'm interested in something fairly stable that can be updated. I'm not ready to "play" yet. I need to read and understand things before I do something. I like to learn from other peoples mistakes. Learning Linux I couldn't have cared less how many times I crashed it because all my stuff was on Windows. Now I very rarely go into Windows. I don't have that option with Android though. I'll figure it out though.
Norm

"stable that can be updated".
Google is shifting most things to the Play Store. The Android OS version isn't completely essential, as long as the applications you want will run. I strip the installed ROM down to bare-bones, then install what I need from the app store.
Unless LG is going to patch ICS (I think LG is done with the P970), I see no advantage of ICS over GB in terms of security - provided you only download from the Play Store. Some of the GB-based CyanogenMODs (2.37) for the P970 might actually be better if the latest batch of security patches are back-ported.
I worry about stability first; I don't have a land-line in my home, and my cell phone is not a toy.