What to do with old Nook HD+ - Nook HD, HD+ Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I've got a Nook HD+ that has been sitting in my desk drawer for about a year...finally charged it back up again and wondering what I should do with it.
It's currently running CM 10.1.3-ovation. I'm thinking I primarily want to use it again as an e-book reader (although I occasionally might use it for Facebook and very light web browsing)...I know in the past it seemed very laggy so I'm wondering if I should just go back to B&N stock firmware or upgrade to a newer version of CM?
Thoughts, suggestions?
I'd be willing to give B&N stock firmware a try (it would also make it easier to sell if I wanted to), but can't seem to find easy instructions on how to do it.
Thanks.

swallman67 said:
I've got a Nook HD+ that has been sitting in my desk drawer for about a year...finally charged it back up again and wondering what I should do with it.
It's currently running CM 10.1.3-ovation. I'm thinking I primarily want to use it again as an e-book reader (although I occasionally might use it for Facebook and very light web browsing)...I know in the past it seemed very laggy so I'm wondering if I should just go back to B&N stock firmware or upgrade to a newer version of CM?
Thoughts, suggestions?
I'd be willing to give B&N stock firmware a try (it would also make it easier to sell if I wanted to), but can't seem to find easy instructions on how to do it.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The lag is probably due to lag on the chip and changing rom will probably not help. Cm10.1.3 is probably the fastest you will find. Try the free lag fix app on play store. It might brick your device due to a bug in certain chips, but if it is unusable due to lag you have not much to lose and it may fix it.
But if you want to try to go back to stock, go to my HD cwm thread linked in my signature and flash a plain stock zip from item 6.
Sent from my SM-T707V using XDA Premium HD app

swallman67 said:
I've got a Nook HD+ that has been sitting in my desk drawer for about a year...finally charged it back up again and wondering what I should do with it.
It's currently running CM 10.1.3-ovation. I'm thinking I primarily want to use it again as an e-book reader (although I occasionally might use it for Facebook and very light web browsing)...I know in the past it seemed very laggy so I'm wondering if I should just go back to B&N stock firmware or upgrade to a newer version of CM?
Thoughts, suggestions?
I'd be willing to give B&N stock firmware a try (it would also make it easier to sell if I wanted to), but can't seem to find easy instructions on how to do it.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had good success with Jon Lee's ROMs, see here :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=62682170&postcount=446
His 10.1.3 version with f2fs for /data is reasonably quick, gets about ~19500 in AnTuTu. But you can go with 10.2 as well. For reference, the 2015 Fire (lowest end) gets about 23000.
Nova Launcher makes the home screen a bit faster, compared to Trebuchet.
The tablet works really fine for watching Youtube or any other videos.
So while not that fast, there are some good uses. The screen still rocks. Battery lasts a while. For Internet, I do use a smaller 7" device, since it's easier to carry around.

Also try latest CM11 nighty, pretty usable for me and bug-free with custom launcher.

I used mine as a digital picture frame - CM11, QuickPic, and SAMBA so I can upload pictures to it over wifi. Works great!

Suggest you try CM11.x
There are instructions for getting your Nook up to speed with not the latest and greatest, but a ROM with a bit more moxy than the old 10.1.x.
In a nutshell:
First, prepare an SD card to be bootable (instructions are elsewhere - hate that cop out, but it's all I got!)
Second, install on it the latest TWRP (amaces), CM11.x nightly build, and a pico GAPPS package suitable for CM11
Third, boot from an SD and install TWRP (CWM is obsolete - stop using it)
Fourth, reboot into TWRP and install your new ROM and the GAPPS
Better instructions are here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2600572 (thanks verygreen!)
Reboot into CM11 and enjoy the magic! I find this version of CM is faster, more stable and has great battery life. And yes, there are a few hiccups, but nothing crash worthy. Play games, read books, watch movies. What else is there?

Related

[Q] Honeycomb Froyo or Stock?

Ive done a little bit of searching and cant seem to find a thread about this (im sure there is one but i cant find it) so my question is which of the three do you like? i know there are pros and cons to all of them but i dont really know what to go with. any suggestions?
Dragracekid said:
Ive done a little bit of searching and cant seem to find a thread about this (im sure there is one but i cant find it) so my question is which of the three do you like? i know there are pros and cons to all of them but i dont really know what to go with. any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me, rooted stock was definitely the easiest. It's the easiest to get working. For me' froyo was still not completely usable as it doesn't include Gapps and it's kinda funky getting them on there. Then nothing really works on honeycomb (and by that I mean downloaded apps) so if you just want to browse the interwebs that's the one for you. Froyo is if you want everything Android offers, but you better know what you"re doing. So IMO stock is the easiest and the prettiest, with honeycomb being second, and Froyo being third.
I can't speak to Froyo, but I've got the HC v04 preview running on eMMC (not SD card), and for me it is very stable.
I've got access to the market, apps seem to install fine (haven't had one fail yet, but I hear some do), and B&N works great.
Even better, the kernal included in the package I used was already OC'd to 1.1Mhz, and I'm consistently getting 1,500 to 1,600 on Quadrant.
Much better performance than I was getting on my stock Nook.
It's not perfect, and I've had to do a few tweaks (found on this site) in order to get the market working, and adhock wireless networks to show up...but for me the total install was really smooth.
The only problem I currently have is that I cannot get applications to transfer from eMMC to my SD card, so I'm running out of space to install more apps.
No way would I go back to stock...what I've got now works really well for everyday use, and will only get netter once Honeycomb goes GA.
If you do decide to "upgrade" your stock Nook, just remember that it's not a "sure deal", and that there are no guarantees things will work. While I haven't had to do so, I understand that restoring your Nook to stock is a bit of a chore, so make sure you read the "back to stock" threads before you decide to modify your Nook.
If you do decide to go with either Froyo or HC...just remember to follow instructions exactly!
DeadlyDa said:
I can't speak to Froyo, but I've got the HC v04 preview running on eMMC (not SD card), and for me it is very stable.
I've got access to the market, apps seem to install fine (haven't had one fail yet, but I hear some do), and B&N works great.
Even better, the kernal included in the package I used was already OC'd to 1.1Mhz, and I'm consistently getting 1,500 to 1,600 on Quadrant.
Much better performance than I was getting on my stock Nook.
It's not perfect, and I've had to do a few tweaks (found on this site) in order to get the market working, and adhock wireless networks to show up...but for me the total install was really smooth.
The only problem I currently have is that I cannot get applications to transfer from eMMC to my SD card, so I'm running out of space to install more apps.
No way would I go back to stock...what I've got now works really well for everyday use, and will only get netter once Honeycomb goes GA.
If you do decide to "upgrade" your stock Nook, just remember that it's not a "sure deal", and that there are no guarantees things will work. While I haven't had to do so, I understand that restoring your Nook to stock is a bit of a chore, so make sure you read the "back to stock" threads before you decide to modify your Nook.
If you do decide to go with either Froyo or HC...just remember to follow instructions exactly!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yo, deadly, chill down a bit...nook is very hard to brick and destroy..
Since OP is here, on XDA, I suppose he knows enough to continue...
It is not so hard, trust me, pick one and try, you can start witk stock rooted...Then you will find annoying the way apps are starting, or eclair itself...So, you go and try froyo (on emmc, ofcourse), which is the closest thing to phone froyo feeling, and you'll use it happily until...One day you decide to try something new, and that would be HC...
DeadlyDa said:
I can't speak to Froyo, but I've got the HC v04 preview running on eMMC (not SD card), and for me it is very stable.
I've got access to the market, apps seem to install fine (haven't had one fail yet, but I hear some do), and B&N works great.
Even better, the kernal included in the package I used was already OC'd to 1.1Mhz, and I'm consistently getting 1,500 to 1,600 on Quadrant.
Much better performance than I was getting on my stock Nook.
It's not perfect, and I've had to do a few tweaks (found on this site) in order to get the market working, and adhock wireless networks to show up...but for me the total install was really smooth.
The only problem I currently have is that I cannot get applications to transfer from eMMC to my SD card, so I'm running out of space to install more apps.
No way would I go back to stock...what I've got now works really well for everyday use, and will only get netter once Honeycomb goes GA.
If you do decide to "upgrade" your stock Nook, just remember that it's not a "sure deal", and that there are no guarantees things will work. While I haven't had to do so, I understand that restoring your Nook to stock is a bit of a chore, so make sure you read the "back to stock" threads before you decide to modify your Nook.
If you do decide to go with either Froyo or HC...just remember to follow instructions exactly!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of curiosity, what do you mean that B&N works great? Are you just talking about the Nook app from the market, or the stock B&N apps that come with the Nook when you first get it. I was under the assumption that those would be lost with any install of Honeycomb or Froyo, which has kept me from making that jump.
im leaning toward HC cuz i dont mind difficult because i enjoy doing this kind of stuff but my worry is widgets and a few apps has anyone used circle launcher or gbcoid or gameboid or any other emulator on this?
edit: also any luck on videos working? like rockplayer or yxplayer?
Rockplayer works well , NESoid works well, gonnna try pSX tonight.
Honey 4 on emmc.
@deadly read thru the emmc thread, the answer is there. Root explorer change permissions.
Dragracekid said:
im leaning toward HC cuz i dont mind difficult because i enjoy doing this kind of stuff but my worry is widgets and a few apps has anyone used circle launcher or gbcoid or gameboid or any other emulator on this?
edit: also any luck on videos working? like rockplayer or yxplayer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know none of the alternate builds currently support hardware-accelerated video playback, so your only real option for smooth fullscreen video is the (rooted or not) B&N Nook image. If anyone has gotten this working on a different build please let us know.
Honeycomb has a few issues, for example accelerometer input being rotated 90% in some games, and occasionally tiny hard-to-read onscreen text since it's configured for a non-native pixel density to fit the 1280x800 UI on the Nook's smaller screen. It's fun for testing and ok as a daily environment if your important apps all happen to work, but you should expect things to break.
By "B&N works great", I meant that I'm running the B&N reader from the market. Personally I like it better than the stock Nook reader.
@djurkash: As you say, "It's not so hard...", I was up and running in an hour or so. Sorry if you felt I was trying to scare anyone away. I really like what I've got...but I have also noted a bit of "HC mania", and not everyone bothers to RTFM. If someone reads through this site, and feels comfortable with the process...I hope they go for it! I'm glad I did.
@jonrobertd: I'd read through the emmc thread, and didn't see anything that addressed moving apps. I just went back through and searched on "Root Explorer" and "permissions", but didn't see anything that looked like it would help. I'm probably missing something obvious, but any assistance you could offer would be greatly appreciated (I do have Root Explorer installed and working).
jonrobertd said:
Rockplayer works well , NESoid works well, gonnna try pSX tonight.
Honey 4 on emmc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@jonrobertd, I just tried Rockplayer on HC v4 off SD (not overclocked), it runs at 12-15fps according to its built-in counter for original size, a bit slower for fullscreen video ([email protected], baseline H264 from Handbrake). Is that significantly better with the overclocked version? Currently it's usable but looks noticeably jerky. Of course, dual-booting to use the stock player would be a fallback option.
I have only had my nook now for 4 days so I am in no way going to put down any build. But from a new users opinion I have installed and messed with all three releases (stock rooted) (froyo) (honeycomb) And I LOVED honeycomb.
I was happy with it for a short time though due to no flash. Youtube app was a no go and the web youtube worked but was whacky.
I then went back to stock rooted and put on ADW ex. Everything just works! I am completely happy with stock running ADW until honeycomb gets more refined.
And I cant wait for that to happen because it looks very nice and is a much better user experience on the nook.
Rockplayer is much better off of eMMC and overclocked. As to running HC off SD I
can see it being slower, as the card speeds can vary.
For root explorer, I am using version 2.13.3 it works to give R/W permissions. (PM me if needed)
Apps installing to SD, use the following:
Also I follow Samuelhaff's advice and change the permissions on newsf_msdos on the /system/bin and now almost all applications install with few fails. I did it a risky way though, since I don't have ADB access I just rightclicked the file with Root Explorer, chose permissions and click in all 9 boxes, worked for me but it may be risky.
Doing this gave the me option to move to SD. I have ADB working, was just on the nook so I did it with R.E. and it worked.
If you need any more help pm me or ask here.
I have used all three (rooted stock, Nookie Froyo, and Honeycomb v4), and I am currently using a dual boot setup with stock on eMMC and NF on a microSD card. I am using rookie1's awesome multi-u-boot which allows me to choose to boot from either the SD or the eMMC at startup by pressing the home button. Stock is good for daily use, and NF is good for more cutting-edge stuff (Flash being one example). I'll probably use Honeycomb once the biggest bugs are ironed out, which will probably be after HC goes AOSP. In any case, the Nook Color has three great operating systems that you can choose from. It can't hurt to try, even if you decide to burn to eMMC instead of running off an SDcard the Nook Color is [very] hard to brick.
I just installed Sam's custom HC for emmc last night and I have to say that this is my favorite of the three options. It runs much smoother than I expected. Overall, I was not a big fan of froyo, the performance for the most part was great but I always had touch issues and keyboard lag.
1.) Sam's custom HC v4
2.) Rooted Stock 1.1
3.) Nookie Froyo emmc
I like the stock rom better, easier to root too. I've tried the HC on SD works fine but harder to setup for new nookies
i went ahead and went with HC last night and it is great so smooth and so clean the lock screen alone is just so nice, although i wish it had flash and rock player plays really choppy on my .avi anime but thats ok i can watch it on my phone. thanx guys for all you help and suggestions anyone that wants to post suggestions please do im sure there are people just like me looking for the awnsers this topic can provide
I've had my NC for a few weeks now am itching to try Froyo or Honeycomb. Something that is important to me though is the Readtome childrens books. My 3 year old really likes them. Does the market B&N appt work with these books? If not, is there a way to still use them on either Froyo or Hobeycomb (HC preferred)?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
As far as I can tell the Read To Me books only work on the app on the NC. But that's no reason not to try Froyo or HC. Just try one of the SD image versions. That's what I've been doing. Booting off SD doesn't affect whatever you have loaded on the internal memory. Going back to the B&N stock ROM is just as simple as powering down your NC, popping out the bootable SD card, popping back in your regular SD card (if you have one) and powering the NC back on.
fugitoid said:
As far as I can tell the Read To Me books only work on the app on the NC. But that's no reason not to try Froyo or HC. Just try one of the SD image versions. That's what I've been doing. Booting off SD doesn't affect whatever you have loaded on the internal memory. Going back to the B&N stock ROM is just as simple as powering down your NC, popping out the bootable SD card, popping back in your regular SD card (if you have one) and powering the NC back on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did not know you can do that with the SD card. Im going to see about doing that when I get home. Thanks.
Sent from my Samsung Captivate running Phoenix

[Q] can someone answer a few quick questions about the nook color?

Hello all,
i just purcased a nookcolor for my wife (& me of course. )
So before I root it, I want to know afew things. ( I am fimiliar with android, I have a incredible that I have modded )
1) when i root we she still be able to buy & downld stuff from the b&n store?
2)can clockwork recovery be loaded?
If so can I make a "nandroid" backup? As to say be able to restore. / brick proof?
3)can the root be removd if needed?
4) can any rom be loaded after root? Like 2.3, ? Redemtion rEVOolutin? Cynogen? 3.0( I this out. )
5)how about apps? Can any android apps be loaded? Or are there now "nook color" specific apps /roms I have to use?
That's about all I can think of, thank all who answer.
1) Yes, you can still download and use everything from the B&N store, whether you use the original stock nook app or the one downloaded from the market.
2) Yes, clockworkmod can be loaded.
3) Of course! Do a search. There is a way to go back to stock.
4) Only roms designed for use on the nook will really "work". CyanogenMod 7 just went into nightlies but it isn't a daily driver just yet. NookiFroyo (2.2 port) works fine and boots straight from the SD card. There are also Honeycomb ports but they are far from being daily drivers. There's also a way to dual boot the emmc so that you can have multiple ports (i.e stock eclair and cyanogen mod/whatever). Again, search search search and you'll find everything you need.
5) just about any android app can be loaded. i'm not aware of many that aren't working. Learn how to use softkeys.
Search google for NookDevs wiki. (i can't post links yet)
it has EVERYTHING you'll need.
Welcome to the community.
1. Yes, B&N store works fine rooted. Not sure about custom roms, I'm using rooted stock until CM7 is more stable.
2. Clockwork can be loaded. Also, there are flashable stock roms available over in the Dev forum. It's been said multiple times that the NC is pretty much unbrickable, it can always be recovered with an SD card, so don't worry too much about that.
3. Yes.
4. No. There are a couple of roms being worked on for the nook. Cyanogenmod 7 is doing nightly released right now. There is also a version of honeycomb and a version of froyo that quite a few people on this forum use. I understand CM7 and HC aren't entirely stable and bug free yet, but I don't use either myself, so I can't describe specific issues. If you use the search tool I'm sure you can find them.
5. Most android apps can be loaded. there are some that don't work on the nook color or won't show up in the market for some reason, but for the most part you shouldn't have any trouble. It does have the standard android market after rooting.
Thanks guys. Sinv,ce postinf if been on the wiki & nookdev.
So I'm learning....I'm so used to my old droid, jow my incredible. Not really diggin the whole bn ui......I like to have osmthing that nearly reembles those. (Shes quite familar with playin on the non activated droid mostly anry birds n ireader,
Wu I be able to set up a home screen with like beautiful idgwts n minimalistic text.
Ill find out the answer to both of those questions tomorrow whn I root. I jus got it for her today, so ill let it stay stock for 1 day. Plus I ont have a spare sd card.....
Posting on this nook is already provjng to be. Bit of apain...
Rerracting double post
you'll get the hang of it. I had trouble typing on it at first too, now it's nice and smooth.
enohand said:
Wu I be able to set up a home screen with like beautiful idgwts n minimalistic text.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you will be able too. one of the first things you do is install a homescreen replacement (such as launcher pro, zeam, adw) then you can put the homescreen widgets and such on it
if your looking to keep the full functionality of the nook while still getting some of these extras I would suggest just rooting it and not installing any roms to it. if you do you only have the android nook app which isnt as fully functional as the one that was built into the nook color.
Welcome to the community!
I have been running honeycomb for about 2 weeks on my Nook Color. I originally put it on to try it but I stayed with it. It is about 80% there but I have found workarounds for the things that are missing and it runs much much better than I would have ever expected. After using it for a day, I realized that I just can't live without the new email app and widget. I also could never get used to softkeys. I think my fingers are just to pudgy. Honeycomb was designed for devices without buttons so it works better for me.
Something that I think you will enjoy if you are coming from an Incredible or other Android phone like I did is that the device checks the sd card for boot before the internal memory, meaning that you can leave your everyday ROM on the device while you test others. I recommend buying two sd cards for it. One for your regular data and files and another to hold a recovery image and ROMS.

[Q] What to do with Shrink-Wrapped NC for Teenager?

Hi folks. Yes, I'm another newb but not quite an idiot, and I would love your advice. We've got a new NC for a teenager who loves books but would also appreciate videos and some applications. It's just out of shrink wrap.
From my preliminary reading it sounds as if (a) only NookieFroyo provides Flash support including Flash video, and (b) B&N may be pushing Froyo shortly as stock ROM.
1. Is there any likelihood that B&N will or could in some way use this update (or any update) to prevent subsequent rooting or other hacks?
2. Are all the various mods reversible? Our concern is being able to, at worst case, revert to stock in order to have all original Nook functionality restored, including brick-and-mortar store compatibility (e.g., in-store borrowing) and especially warranty service.
3. Regarding the B&N store, the AutoNooter threads recommend registering with B&N before beginning any changes. Is this necessary, and/or absolutely required, and why? If you register and then root, will that allow you to purchase books, whereas you would not otherwise have been able to?
4. Is there a substantive difference (look, feel, or function) between the process of buying books on the original stock NC versus installing the Nook app for Android on a rooted or modded NC?
5. If one "merely" roots the device and doesn't install CM or NookieFroyo or other ROMs, can one still install apps at will? I'd be fine with sideloading if no Market app were functional.
6. My impression is that the stock NC supports very few applications but that with the upcoming upgrade B&N may be featuring a store. Is it accurate to say that in its stock form the NC is not (yet) much more than a book reader?
7. Regarding AutoNooter, it seems to have forked based on the 1.1 B&N update. Is it better to start at 1.0.1 with the original AutoNooter or to allow the 1.1 upgrade and use the GMPower fork?
8. Is an AutoNooter or other rooting procedure required before CM is applied? I assume so, but only ask because the CM procedure at Cyanogenmod.com (I can't post links yet) doesn't have a rooting step. Maybe it's the case that AutoNooter is for rooting the existing B&N image but that other ROMs can be independently booted from SD? (Told ya I'm a newb.)
9. What, if any, of the stock device's capabilities are lost (reversibly or irreversibly) by rooting and/or modding? (One I wonder about is in-store "free" reading at B&N locations.)
Obviously I'm all over the map, and I apologize. Just trying to figure out the best approach to make the kid happy (e-reading, Youtube, and web browsing would probably suffice) and not end up with a funked out device that can't be used or supported for its original purpose.
Thanks very much in advance.
1. Is there any likelihood that B&N will or could in some way use this update (or any update) to prevent subsequent rooting or other hacks?
To be honest, maybe. But, once you autonooter or install a custom rom B&N cannot OTA update your nook.
2. Are all the various mods reversible? Our concern is being able to, at worst case, revert to stock in order to have all original Nook functionality restored, including brick-and-mortar store compatibility (e.g., in-store borrowing) and especially warranty service.
Yes, there are flashable images that will revert the nook back to out-of-the-box state. look through the Dev forum.
3. Regarding the B&N store, the AutoNooter threads recommend registering with B&N before beginning any changes. Is this necessary, and/or absolutely required, and why? If you register and then root, will that allow you to purchase books, whereas you would not otherwise have been able to?
I think it's something to do with being able to connect to google's services. yes it's necessary when you stay with eclaire, not wirh froyo/CM7/honeycomb. yes, the store works with rooted eclaire.
4. Is there a substantive difference (look, feel, or function) between the process of buying books on the original stock NC versus installing the Nook app for Android on a rooted or modded NC?
you use the store the same way on a rooted-stock nook as you would on a stock one. I don't know how the look feel or function is for the b&n app, I have an original nook for reading.
5. If one "merely" roots the device and doesn't install CM or NookieFroyo or other ROMs, can one still install apps at will? I'd be fine with sideloading if no Market app were functional.
The market works with rooted-stock, but you'll eventually want to install CM7 or Honeycomb, trust me.
6. My impression is that the stock NC supports very few applications but that with the upcoming upgrade B&N may be featuring a store. Is it accurate to say that in its stock form the NC is not (yet) much more than a book reader?
A stock NC is pretty useless for anything other than reading/web surfing
7. Regarding AutoNooter, it seems to have forked based on the 1.1 B&N update. Is it better to start at 1.0.1 with the original AutoNooter or to allow the 1.1 upgrade and use the GMPower fork?
Auto-nooter 3 works just fine for 1.1.0 thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=942424
8. Is an AutoNooter or other rooting procedure required before CM is applied? I assume so, but only ask because the CM procedure at Cyanogenmod.com (I can't post links yet) doesn't have a rooting step. Maybe it's the case that AutoNooter is for rooting the existing B&N image but that other ROMs can be independently booted from SD? (Told ya I'm a newb.)
No, you do not need to root to install Froyo/CM7/HC. The nook is hard wired to boot the SD-card first if able. You can go straight from stock to CM7 with one flashed micro SD-card.
9. What, if any, of the stock device's capabilities are lost (reversibly or irreversibly) by rooting and/or modding? (One I wonder about is in-store "free" reading at B&N locations.)
This I don't know. I don't use the NC as a reader at all. My Original nook takes care of that.
Hope this helps. Happy modding.
I think all of your questions are easily answered by the FroYo SD card image. You can keep the Nook stock for reading books and warranty purposes and if you want the extras, stick the SD card in. Basically, if you haven't come across this one yet, the NC will boot off of the SD card first, then internal second. So if there's an SD card with a bootable image, you're up and running in froyo. If no SD card you're booting stock. It's a beautiful thing I tell you
So it really is that easy? It will just boot off the SD card out without any modification? Amazing.
That's the kind of thing I'd be worried about them changing or locking (vis a vis my question #1 above). My anxiety is whether to hack NOW to prevent future lockdown, or try to hack LATER after the authorized Froyo push.
Obviously the hacker community has made the NC a very hot item, but if the history of every other repurposed device (video games, DVRs, etc.) is any precedent B&N may not see it as valuable to encourage or allow it to continue.
Edit: But I'm also seeing reports that you do need to root the device in order to boot off the SD?
Thank you for the feedback, woot1524 and devis.
Running any version of android off of an sd card is EXTREMELY slow. You can reverse any hack root or mod made to the nook.. as long as the mod isnt physical ie. You scratch your name into the back of the nook no teenager will want to wait for the time it will take to run it off the sd card.. theyll just get frustrated and give up.
Nookie Froyo 0.6.8 (zoom2)/Tapatalk Pro
woot1524 said:
1. Is there any likelihood that B&N will or could in some way use this update (or any update) to prevent subsequent rooting or other hacks?
To be honest, maybe. But, once you autonooter or install a custom rom B&N cannot OTA update your nook.
2. Are all the various mods reversible? Our concern is being able to, at worst case, revert to stock in order to have all original Nook functionality restored, including brick-and-mortar store compatibility (e.g., in-store borrowing) and especially warranty service.
Yes, there are flashable images that will revert the nook back to out-of-the-box state. look through the Dev forum.
3. Regarding the B&N store, the AutoNooter threads recommend registering with B&N before beginning any changes. Is this necessary, and/or absolutely required, and why? If you register and then root, will that allow you to purchase books, whereas you would not otherwise have been able to?
I think it's something to do with being able to connect to google's services. yes it's necessary when you stay with eclaire, not wirh froyo/CM7/honeycomb. yes, the store works with rooted eclaire.
4. Is there a substantive difference (look, feel, or function) between the process of buying books on the original stock NC versus installing the Nook app for Android on a rooted or modded NC?
you use the store the same way on a rooted-stock nook as you would on a stock one. I don't know how the look feel or function is for the b&n app, I have an original nook for reading.
5. If one "merely" roots the device and doesn't install CM or NookieFroyo or other ROMs, can one still install apps at will? I'd be fine with sideloading if no Market app were functional.
The market works with rooted-stock, but you'll eventually want to install CM7 or Honeycomb, trust me.
6. My impression is that the stock NC supports very few applications but that with the upcoming upgrade B&N may be featuring a store. Is it accurate to say that in its stock form the NC is not (yet) much more than a book reader?
A stock NC is pretty useless for anything other than reading/web surfing
7. Regarding AutoNooter, it seems to have forked based on the 1.1 B&N update. Is it better to start at 1.0.1 with the original AutoNooter or to allow the 1.1 upgrade and use the GMPower fork?
Auto-nooter 3 works just fine for 1.1.0 thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=942424
8. Is an AutoNooter or other rooting procedure required before CM is applied? I assume so, but only ask because the CM procedure at Cyanogenmod.com (I can't post links yet) doesn't have a rooting step. Maybe it's the case that AutoNooter is for rooting the existing B&N image but that other ROMs can be independently booted from SD? (Told ya I'm a newb.)
No, you do not need to root to install Froyo/CM7/HC. The nook is hard wired to boot the SD-card first if able. You can go straight from stock to CM7 with one flashed micro SD-card.
9. What, if any, of the stock device's capabilities are lost (reversibly or irreversibly) by rooting and/or modding? (One I wonder about is in-store "free" reading at B&N locations.)
This I don't know. I don't use the NC as a reader at all. My Original nook takes care of that.
Hope this helps. Happy modding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your answer for number 1 and 8 apply to each other. Since the Nook is hardwired to boot from uSD, there will almost surely be rooted ROMS for it. Hope that helps clarify this point.
Oh yea, and as far as what to do for a teen...
I would go with Nookie Froyo 0.6.8 eMMC. Download and have the image to return to stock ready to go, just in case. And then be patient for when CM7 is finally cooked.
Be prepared to do most of the tinkering with NF to get it right BEFORE you give it to your teen. Once you get everything working(market, youtube, etc), then it should be ready for him/her. I have been using NF for a bit now, and once I got everything working it is great. read the forums here for a bit and you will get an idea of just how good these babies can be.
be prepared for the usual ....it's not the Xoom, an ipad, etc arguments and complaints...it's a teen you are dealing with(basing from my experiences only, with my daughter...aren't they great?).
luciferii said:
Running any version of android off of an sd card is EXTREMELY slow. You can reverse any hack root or mod made to the nook.. as long as the mod isnt physical ie. You scratch your name into the back of the nook no teenager will want to wait for the time it will take to run it off the sd card.. theyll just get frustrated and give up.
Nookie Froyo 0.6.8 (zoom2)/Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not for me. I find it quite fast and very usable. No issues whatsoever with it being slow.
One thing to do is to install LCD Density and change the screen density to 200 or 220 for added smoothness. It doesnt change the resolution, just the size of items on the screen to bigger and everything flows together very nicely.
The SD card 0.6.8 is my daily driver lately, I use it for work and personal email, news, reading, games, Slingbox watching... it's great. not sure what is this slowness you're talking about.
xdabr said:
So it really is that easy? It will just boot off the SD card out without any modification? Amazing.
That's the kind of thing I'd be worried about them changing or locking (vis a vis my question #1 above). My anxiety is whether to hack NOW to prevent future lockdown, or try to hack LATER after the authorized Froyo push.
Obviously the hacker community has made the NC a very hot item, but if the history of every other repurposed device (video games, DVRs, etc.) is any precedent B&N may not see it as valuable to encourage or allow it to continue.
Edit: But I'm also seeing reports that you do need to root the device in order to boot off the SD?
Thank you for the feedback, woot1524 and devis.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need to root to run it off of SD. Just pop it in and go.
devis said:
Not for me. I find it quite fast and very usable. No issues whatsoever with it being slow.
One thing to do is to install LCD Density and change the screen density to 200 or 220 for added smoothness. It doesnt change the resolution, just the size of items on the screen to bigger and everything flows together very nicely.
The SD card 0.6.8 is my daily driver lately, I use it for work and personal email, news, reading, games, Slingbox watching... it's great. not sure what is this slowness you're talking about.[/QUOTE
You don't have issues with the sleep of death and wifidisconnects?
That is what turned me off of froyo for Nook
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would just root it and leave it stock.
if the teen wants to learn how to flash let 'em have at it. you can't brick a nook
xdabr said:
Hi folks. Yes, I'm another newb but not quite an idiot, and I would love your advice. We've got a new NC for a teenager who loves books but would also appreciate videos and some applications. It's just out of shrink wrap.
From my preliminary reading it sounds as if (a) only NookieFroyo provides Flash support including Flash video, and (b) B&N may be pushing Froyo shortly as stock ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well im a teenager and i can tell you that if said teen wants full video support said teen should stick on stock nook OS but rooted but if said teen wants something that runs well but with an amazing UI i recommend HC
as a teen i dont really need flash to much but it is nice to have but pretty much i used flash for youtube on the web but now that youtube streams in HTML5 on their mobile site i feel like i didnt need it as much
Beat them with it.
Canadoc said:
devis said:
Not for me. I find it quite fast and very usable. No issues whatsoever with it being slow.
One thing to do is to install LCD Density and change the screen density to 200 or 220 for added smoothness. It doesnt change the resolution, just the size of items on the screen to bigger and everything flows together very nicely.
The SD card 0.6.8 is my daily driver lately, I use it for work and personal email, news, reading, games, Slingbox watching... it's great. not sure what is this slowness you're talking about.[/QUOTE
You don't have issues with the sleep of death and wifidisconnects?
That is what turned me off of froyo for Nook
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SOD nope... not at all. Have yet to experience it. WIFI disconnects, yes... well, mostly the WIFI dance when it switches itself from off to on and to off and back to on again. But a reboot fixes it, so no biggie. There is actually a fix for it but me being the lazy bum that I am haven't gotten around to fixing it. And i'm reluctant to change to the newer image because this one runs so well why fix what ain't broke.
to OP... if you still dont know what to do with it, give it to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Btw, not all sd cards are alike. The ones who are complaining about Froyo running slowly off the sd card are probably not using a fast enough sd card. I suggest getting the Transcend 8 gb class 6 microSDHC card. I'm getting 13 MB/s write and 15 MB/s read speeds which is above class 10 specs.
I'm still in slight shock that you can dual boot without making ANY changes at all to the device, without so much as a BIOS tweak.
So it sounds as if you could even grab the display model or a friend's device, boot it off your SD to use Android for a while, and then just hand it back COMPLETELY unchanged, with all original functionality and data intact. That's just too easy!
The gist I'm getting is that even if B&N root locks the internal storage's OS in future updates, it's unlikely the SD card boot option will go away?
Thanks to everyone for all the feedback. (I ran out of Thanks credit.)

New to NC, not to technology. Advice needed.

Forgive me for the intrusion, but I have a question for you all. Looking at the various threads and screen shots, it appears that most are using a rooted nook rather than honeycomb or froyo; is this accurate?
My story:
I was in Best-buy the other day shopping tablets (Xoom, Galaxy, iPad, etc) and someone was walking by and said "Hey, save money, get a NC." Of course I was like, what? I'm no stranger to Linux, servers, and basic programming but tablets and android is uncharted territory for me. So, after this guy did some basic explaining I was like "half price, and near limitless customization? Yeah thats for me!"
So here I am, been browsing this website for a few days trying to decide how I should go about 'unlocking' my NC. Do I use some sort of root kit to just unlock the 'stock' system? Do I use 'Froyo' on a SD card? What about this honeycomb thing, should I use that?
Like I said, it appears from screenshots most people are still using the basic NC system, that has maybe just been rooted to run apps and such from the market? I'm sorry for sounding dumb, I'm really not, just not sure what route is best for me, or the best choice. I am a fast learner, I just don't want to spend weeks learning something only to realize I was learning the wrong thing for what I need.
What I've gathered so far:
Stock rooted NC - will do fine for most users. Launcher Pro, Pandora, YouTube, browsing, games, gmail, etc. What about GPS? Google Maps?
Froyo - Same as above, some cosmetic differences, bells and whistles only advantage?
Honeycomb - Culmination of the previous two lists?
Insight welcome please?
Signed,
Work in progress.
It may be a little over half the price... But the Nook color is half the speed of the Motorola Xoom. So if you really have the money, I would return the nook color and just get a xoom, you'll be happier with it. If you're looking for just something to surf the net, and play a few games or programs, then the NC is a decent choice.
I use CM7 nightlys. CM7 is in my opinion the best rom, it allows bluetooth support and flash. It can be overclocked to 1190mhz. And has a lot of options for customizations.
HC is limited to a preview sdk build until google decides to let others have the final source, which could be a while... (Motorola Xoom comes with it installed)
Froyo is limited in a lot of regards, and CM7 is far better and offers a lot more support for programs and hardware. That said... Some people feel Froyo is better than CM7, but they're essentially the same underlining OS.
Individuals requirements vary, but since you asked I will give my two cents:
CyanogenMod 7
While it is currently not released as "stable" but only nightly builds, the nightlies are extremely good. Phiremod is based on the nightlies and adds some nice stuff, but is also slightly behind since the nightly has to be released before it can be customized.
The latest is CM7 nightly 32 right now (http://download.cyanogenmod.com/?type=nightly&device=encore) but it changes almost every day.
A Video Test build was just released that has YouTube working in all its glory (? Did I really type that?) so the video issues should be a thing of the past in a few days. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=960537
The same dev has an overclock kernel which gets the cpu up to 1100mhz and adds the interactive governor- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=925451
And another guy took a great idea and ran with it: adding Tablet Tweaks to CM
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1002000
I generally run the latest nightly with an oc kernel but now that the Tablet Tweaks has made so much progress, my routine is like this:
Flash latest nightly
Flash Tablet Tweaks
Flash OC kernel
Don't let the "nightly" status of CM7 put you off too much- the CyanogenMod team are perfectionists and won't call a rom Stable until it is PERFECT.
Right now the nightlies are better than any fresh install of Windows I have ever seen, for example....
I wouldn't go to honeycomb as a permanent solution now - it is reasonably good but still experimental with problems running full tablet applications.
I'm using Froyo but will switch over to CM7 shortly. At one point, froyo was more stable (two weeks back - things change fast) with working video and flash. CM7 has come along quickly and its time to move on. Having said that - both of these require some fiddling to get working properly. This is not a no-frustration experience - if you are comfortable with sorting out linux-like issues it won't be too bad. Fun if you like tinkering with gadgets.
Rooted stock is stable, adds the open android market to the the stock B&N experience which includes a very nice reader. If you upgrade beyond stock you will lose the reader which has some desireable features like "borrowing a book" in the store, magazines and newspapers. Not working on froyo, cm7, or hc.
I'd agree that cm7 is probably the best compromise at this point - at least for me. You will still be flashing gapps and wondering where certain apps or wallpapers are in the market.
Xoom or galaxy tab actually work (largely) without customization today. Closer to an ipad experience in that it works out of the box. Nook color can largely replicate those functions but you'll do a little work setting it up.
Peter
I would not trade the NC for the Xoom just because the Xoom is so ridiculously overpriced IMO. Personally, I would go with stock rooted. If you find that you are wanting to do something with it that you cannot do on stock rooted, then look for something else like Nookie Froyo or Honeycomb (which is still a little half baked on the NC IMO).
Wonderful advice and well said. Thank you much for everyone's time, I above anyone else know how precious every second is.
'Sorting out linux and tinkering' is exactly on point, I've been doing that very thing for about 12 years now. I like to consider myself an avid enthusiast rather than full throttle geek. Anyway, I think I'll study the route of stock rooted and further my knowledge on full flash before taking that plunge.
That being said, one more question and I'll let you all get back to more important things. I should be right in assuming just follow the steps in this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=872490 or the v3.* thread to fully root the stock NC and have google apps, market, etc up and running? From what I've read, this auto-nooter has pretty much all of it built in already; Gmail, Market, root-kit etc.
PS: Wonderful site, very informative.
Signed,
Work in Progress.
LarcenQ said:
Stock rooted NC - will do fine for most users. Launcher Pro, Pandora, YouTube, browsing, games, gmail, etc. What about GPS? Google Maps?
Froyo - Same as above, some cosmetic differences, bells and whistles only advantage?
Honeycomb - Culmination of the previous two lists?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in your same boat (I recently started with Nookie Froyo on SD so I can leave the Nook alone, but am just learning what else needs to be done to fix some buggy behavior.)
One thing to understand is that there are multiple versions of Android. The Nook Color still ships with Android 2.1 (Eclair). They are supposed to be pushing out 2.2 (Froyo) in a few days. The Cyanogenmod (CM7) people are using 2.3 (Gingerbread). And the NookieFroyo folks are of course using 2.2. I have no idea what Phiremod is. As expected, the later versions of Android tend to have more features/work better.
The 3.0 version of Android, Honeycomb, is still the most experimental and apparently doesn't work that well with the Nook Color yet. Worse, Google has decided to hold back the latest source code of this "open source" project for now, meaning that only the Xoom can run the thing. But it's the only Android version with true tablet support.
As to GPS,the Nook Color does NOT have a GPS chip, so regardless of Android version you can get GPS coordinates only by rough calculation based on a WiFi database or by tethering to a GPS device or GPS-equipped cell phone.
xdabr said:
I have no idea what Phiremod is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phiremod is based on CM7 nightlies with some very nice customizations.
Yup -- Xoom overpriced. Unless you've a burning desire to be on the cutting edge, I'd go with the Nook Color and wait out the pricing on Android tablets. They are bound to come down.
Also, a couple of key points:
Barnes & Noble is theoretically going to push an upgrade sometime in April that will include Flash capability and some sort of Market. No details on the market. However if they're smart there will be a host of apps available that we all know will run on the Nook (because we've rooted and downloaded them). This new stock configuration may be all that a lot of people want or need.
If you are determined, however, remember that this forum is like a big toy store and can be confusing. You can run stock internally and dual boot into a fast SD card to run virtually any other configuration. Or, you can flash the internal rom and run most of these variation on the OS internally.
Here's the relevant point: When booting, the Nook Color looks first at the SD drive. That's very cool, because it allows us to do a whole bunch of fun stuff.
I'm currently running rooted stock internally and CM7 (the version with working Bluetooth) off a SD card. Truth be told I typically boot into CM7 because it works so well -- even for reading B&N Nook books. I use a little variation that allows hard key dual booting. There is a brandy new release of CM7 that resolves some video issues and I'll update to that.
However, the CM7 releases do not include the Google stuff, including the Market, so you have to load those via ADB (Android Development Bridge) which means setting up your computer with an Android development environment -- something very doable and free, but it takes some time to get it all working right.
The holy grail is probably Honeycomb, the Android version specifically designed with tablets in mind. There is a development version of Honeycomb that actually works pretty well, but it's not fully fleshed out just yet. I've got it running on a separate SD and it's very cool, but lacks some functionality. Once it's fully developed that will be my daily OS for sure.
One of my wants and needs is to be able to use an external folding keyboard. The only version floating around right now that supports the Nook's built-in Bluetooth (unused by B&N) is a release of CM7 -- and it works. I can use the nifty Freedom Pro keyboard and it's really pretty good -- no excessive lag.
Hopefully that's enough to get you going. I'd say -- given the overwhelming wealth of information on this forum -- keep your Nook stock until after B&N pushes the update. In the meantime, get a good fast SD card and use that to mess with your pick of Android versions offered here. Pick just one and than tunnel down into the forum to work with it at first.
Happy Nooking!
robedney said:
I'm currently running rooted stock internally and CM7 (the version with working Bluetooth) off a SD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! I wanted to try this CM7 tonight when I got home, however, I do not want to wipe/tamper with my onboard nook, and everything I've read about CM7 you have to install on internal memory. Is there a link to the instructions on booting CM7 from the sd card?
Thanks in advance!
Signed,
Getting somewhere.
Yup -- I'll track it down. Stay tuned.
Here's a thread that sets up a SD card to run CM7 with working Bluetooth. Read the whole thread before you start (some good simple instructions are in there):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=989637
Be aware that Google stuff and the Market are not included -- you'll have to install those via ADB (and there are full instructions on how to set up and do that on this forum.
Or -- a newer option that looks pretty cool (and avoids having to use ADB to get the Market):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1000957
I think I'll try this on a spare SD card and see how it all works out.
There are hardware differences to consider too.
NC is 7 inch screen, vs 10 inch for XOOM and some other tablet.
Then size and weight.
Also NC doesn't have cameras, the others may have one or two...
And NC doesn't have mic, although bluetooth headset may work.
I am happy with my NC for its price and what I need.
robedney said:
Here's a thread that sets up a SD card to run CM7 with working Bluetooth. Read the whole thread before you start (some good simple instructions are in there):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=989637
Be aware that Google stuff and the Market are not included -- you'll have to install those via ADB (and there are full instructions on how to set up and do that on this forum.
Or -- a newer option that looks pretty cool (and avoids having to use ADB to get the Market):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1000957
I think I'll try this on a spare SD card and see how it all works out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much obliged! I'll give this a try tonight once I get home from work. God I love mature people instead of 'scr3w yu n00b!'.
Signed,
Getting there.
Just make your of which Stock ROM you have (1.0.0, 1.0.1, 1.1.0). Each Nooter is made specifically for each ROM.
Also, as far as Gapps is concerned, there is no need to use ADB. All of it can be installed easily via ClockworkRecovery. ADB stuff is fun, but not needed to get full blown CM7 w/gapps and everything else.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-1000957.html
just used this for a SD bootable CM7. I'm running rooted 2.1 for daily use and testing out the different options via SD bootable builds. fyi, this also allows the install of google apps without ADB.
HI,
One question for you:
What do you want to use the Nook for mainly?
Toy/Playing/learning/Android Apps/Web/eBooks... CM7 (Nightlies)
eBook reader mainly... Perhaps stock rooted.
Lots of video/Flash? Not sure which, perhaps Froyo. CM7 soon.
Require bluetooth? CM7
One immediate advantage for rooting is access to other eBook reader
applications, such as Kindle.
Don't forget to look at/select a soft button approach that you like,
Android is expecting more than the one button at the bottom. I like
Button Savior from the market, but there are a variety of other solutions.
It is handy to have a bunch of SDcards on hand too, I never seem to have
enough of them. Don't forget that when you move to an internal memory
version of, say, Cyanogenmod7, that you need a SD card for data too.
Good luck, the NC is a fun toy!
Peter
envygreen said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-1000957.html
just used this for a SD bootable CM7. I'm running rooted 2.1 for daily use and testing out the different options via SD bootable builds. fyi, this also allows the install of google apps without ADB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We're in dire need of a single (maintained) collection of all these pre-built SD card images -- is there such a posting?
Hunting through the forum is not as much fun as it seems.
EDIT: Looks like there's a list of ROMs at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=872003
DOH!
Read post carefully BEFORE replying!
lol

My experience with getting the most out of my Nook Color

Hello All,
Just thought I'd add my experience with CM on my Nook Color. I received the Nook from a friend who got an iPad mini - said he wasn't really using it anymore. I knew I wanted full Android, and one that was usable, so I got to work with trying a bunch of different solutions. What I ended up with is a very quick, responsive tablet that runs everything I need it to. I'm hoping this will help some users starting out who are looking for the best compromise between speed and functionality on this aging hardware. If you make any of these changes or suggestions I'm not responsible for damage to your hardware, software, body parts, blah blah blah. Thanks goes to various sources, but most of all to this forum and it's users for being an outstanding source of information. Again, these are all based off of MY experience with the tablet.
As far as the ROM, MiRaGe CyanogenMod 7.2. No question. I tried the official CyanogenMod, Miui, and couldn't even find phiremod (which isn't being worked on). CyanagenMod is current and has an active community with guides for help and support, and the MiRaGe variant has some pretty slick modifications that work very well on the Nook.
I find installing to the internal memory "slightly" faster, resulting in less issues. There's no reason to keep the stock OS on there for me, so I just removed it. You can find full EMMC installation instructions on this forum.
Out of the box with this install, it's pretty responsive.
Disable Wifi when the screen is off - it'll save you a bunch of battery, unless you're really concerned about notifications when you're not using it.
For applications, here's my experience:
1. Latest YouTube works well, but you'll need to deselect "HD" for each video as it loads. An inconvenience, but it works.
2. I've tried tons of versions of Netflix, and find version 1.8.1 the best for this installation. Streaming is smooth, and the UI is responsive. Once you install it, ignore the prompts from the Play store to update it.
3. Install MX Player to handle any type of video playback, including mp4s off the Internet - there's no built in support. It's fast, free and runs everything I've thrown at it.
4. Dolphin browser works really well on this installation. I find it the best balance of performance and features.
Now, the most important part, and believe it or not this made the most difference for me - disable the phone software. Since 7.2 was primarily developed for phones, the cell and phone services are still running, sucking up battery and CPU. You can see the service Cell Standby running constantly. Here's how to wipe it out.
1. Download Root Browser, free from the Market.
2. Navigate to /System/Apps
3. Delete (I know, you could freeze, rename or move, but I won't need these again, and didn't experience any issues afterwards) the following files in this order:
VoiceDialer.apk
TelephonyProvider.apk
Mms.apk
Phone.apk
The "normal" uninstall option won't work. For each of these items, and the one below, tap and hold until you see the full menu of commands. From there, tap Delete. After you delete Phone.apk, you'll get stuck in a loop that the service failed, and you'll have to keep force closing it. Just reboot at this point.
4. Back in Root Browser, go to /Data/Data
5. Delete com.android.phone
6. Reboot.
At this point, my Nook boots cold in about 20 seconds, and application transitions are snappy. I haven't experienced any crashes with this configuration, and that's steady use of Gmail, Facebook, Dolphin, Netflix, YouTube, Feedly and various other apps. All apps except for Netflix are the most current versions from the store and work perfectly.
It goes without saying that most games won't work well, but if you're looking to get some productivity out of this tablet, these settings worked the best for me.
Hi!
webman2k said:
Hello All,
Just thought I'd add my experience with CM on my Nook Color. I received the Nook from a friend who got an iPad mini - said he wasn't really using it anymore. I knew I wanted full Android, and one that was usable, so I got to work with trying a bunch of different solutions. What I ended up with is a very quick, responsive tablet that runs everything I need it to. I'm hoping this will help some users starting out who are looking for the best compromise between speed and functionality on this aging hardware. If you make any of these changes or suggestions I'm not responsible for damage to your hardware, software, body parts, blah blah blah. Thanks goes to various sources, but most of all to this forum and it's users for being an outstanding source of information. Again, these are all based off of MY experience with the tablet.
As far as the ROM, MiRaGe CyanogenMod 7.2. No question. I tried the official CyanogenMod, Miui, and couldn't even find phiremod (which isn't being worked on). CyanagenMod is current and has an active community with guides for help and support, and the MiRaGe variant has some pretty slick modifications that work very well on the Nook.
I find installing to the internal memory "slightly" faster, resulting in less issues. There's no reason to keep the stock OS on there for me, so I just removed it. You can find full EMMC installation instructions on this forum.
Out of the box with this install, it's pretty responsive.
Disable Wifi when the screen is off - it'll save you a bunch of battery, unless you're really concerned about notifications when you're not using it.
For applications, here's my experience:
1. Latest YouTube works well, but you'll need to deselect "HD" for each video as it loads. An inconvenience, but it works.
2. I've tried tons of versions of Netflix, and find version 1.8.1 the best for this installation. Streaming is smooth, and the UI is responsive. Once you install it, ignore the prompts from the Play store to update it.
3. Install MX Player to handle any type of video playback, including mp4s off the Internet - there's no built in support. It's fast, free and runs everything I've thrown at it.
4. Dolphin browser works really well on this installation. I find it the best balance of performance and features.
Now, the most important part, and believe it or not this made the most difference for me - disable the phone software. Since 7.2 was primarily developed for phones, the cell and phone services are still running, sucking up battery and CPU. You can see the two services running under the battery monitoring (Phone Idle and Cell Standby). Here's how to wipe them out.
1. Download Root Browser, free from the Market.
2. Navigate to /System/Apps
3. Delete (I know, you could freeze, rename or move, but I won't need these again, and didn't experience any issues afterwards) the following files in this order:
VoiceDialer.apk
TelephonyProvider.apk
Mms.apk
Phone.apk
After you delete Phone.apk, you'll get stuck in a loop that the service failed, and you'll have to keep force closing it. Just reboot at this point.
4. Back in Root Browser, go to /Data/Data
5. Delete com.android.phone
6. Reboot.
At this point, my Nook boots cold in about 12 seconds, and application transitions are snappy. I haven't experienced any crashes with this configuration, and that's steady use of Gmail, Facebook, Dolphin, Netflix, YouTube, Feedly and various other apps. All apps except for Netflix are the most current versions from the store and work perfectly.
It goes without saying that most games won't work well, but if you're looking to get some productivity out of this tablet, these settings worked the best for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really appreciate this. I'm trying to update my nook color instead of buying a nexus 7 since I only need a 'tablet' for basic things. I'm really new to all of this, and did an SD root of 7.0.1 since my attempts of 10.2 left my nook super slow. I'm looking to do a full root now that my warranty is up and the 7.0.1 just isn't meeting my needs.
I'm going to attempt the route you went down. Can you provide any links that you used? Sorry if this is asking for too much... I'm really new to all of this and don't know where to start.
Do you find that your programs stop responding at all? I am having the issue now and my main goal is to get that to stop. I'm not sure if thats a rom problem, an SD card problem... or something I did wrong. I hope to use my NC to read, surf the web, email, sync with google calendar... and access google drive.
RedCello said:
I really appreciate this. I'm trying to update my nook color instead of buying a nexus 7 since I only need a 'tablet' for basic things. I'm really new to all of this, and did an SD root of 7.0.1 since my attempts of 10.2 left my nook super slow. I'm looking to do a full root now that my warranty is up and the 7.0.1 just isn't meeting my needs.
I'm going to attempt the route you went down. Can you provide any links that you used? Sorry if this is asking for too much... I'm really new to all of this and don't know where to start.
Do you find that your programs stop responding at all? I am having the issue now and my main goal is to get that to stop. I'm not sure if thats a rom problem, an SD card problem... or something I did wrong. I hope to use my NC to read, surf the web, email, sync with google calendar... and access google drive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello RedCello,
Yeah - first thing I tried when I got the Nook was the latest CM nightly. And while it was pretty cool to have the latest Android running on 3 year old hardware, it certainly showed. The biggest drawback of the hardware is RAM. The Nook only has 512mb, and running modern apps can take up quite a bit. That's why the most important part of any mod for this hardware is good RAM management. Stock 7.2 is good, but I was constantly running out of RAM, resulting in very sluggish app performance, much like you're experiencing. Keeping Clean Master (free from the store) installed and wiping the ram when it notified me kept things moving, but when I finally tried the MiRaGe ROM, I didn't even have to use it. I wouldn't say it runs like a Nexus, but even animations run relatively smoothly, and I have no trouble with Netflix, Dolphin, Facebook, Feedly, Youtube, and others.
If you have recovery installed to the EMMC, you can grab the latest ROM and kernel updates at the link below. All you'll need are those two zips, and the gapps for 7.2:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1344873
http://goo.im/gapps
The MiRaGe thread has all the instructions for that rom, and here's the link to the general EMMC install instructions:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1030227
If you only installed to an SD before, this will guide you to create the bootable SD, from which you can install the 3 zips. Pretty simple, and the result is a VERY functional old tablet.
webman2k said:
Hello RedCello,
Yeah - first thing I tried when I got the Nook was the latest CM nightly. And while it was pretty cool to have the latest Android running on 3 year old hardware, it certainly showed. The biggest drawback of the hardware is RAM. The Nook only has 512mb, and running modern apps can take up quite a bit. That's why the most important part of any mod for this hardware is good RAM management. Stock 7.2 is good, but I was constantly running out of RAM, resulting in very sluggish app performance, much like you're experiencing. Keeping Clean Master (free from the store) installed and wiping the ram when it notified me kept things moving, but when I finally tried the MiRaGe ROM, I didn't even have to use it. I wouldn't say it runs like a Nexus, but even animations run relatively smoothly, and I have no trouble with Netflix, Dolphin, Facebook, Feedly, Youtube, and others.
If you have recovery installed to the EMMC, you can grab the latest ROM and kernel updates at the link below. All you'll need are those two zips, and the gapps for 7.2:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1344873
http://goo.im/gapps
The MiRaGe thread has all the instructions for that rom, and here's the link to the general EMMC install instructions:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1030227
If you only installed to an SD before, this will guide you to create the bootable SD, from which you can install the 3 zips. Pretty simple, and the result is a VERY functional old tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much! I'm going to give it a shot either tonight or tomorrow. I might post again in I run across any issues. Thanks again!
RedCello said:
Thanks so much! I'm going to give it a shot either tonight or tomorrow. I might post again in I run across any issues. Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've installed it and for the brief 10 minutes I've been using - it is great! Thanks for your instructions. links, and tips.
I've followed your suggestions but I can't get root browser to work. Any ideas? It loads properly but when I try to uninstall the files, it says uninstall unsuccessful. I noticed you mentioned that you could freeze items and such, I don't see those options which makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong. Any clue?
RedCello said:
I've installed it and for the brief 10 minutes I've been using - it is great! Thanks for your instructions. links, and tips.
I've followed your suggestions but I can't get root browser to work. Any ideas? It loads properly but when I try to uninstall the files, it says uninstall unsuccessful. I noticed you mentioned that you could freeze items and such, I don't see those options which makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong. Any clue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forgot that part, I'll update the OP. Tap and hold the items you want to remove to get the full menu, then choose delete. It'll work from there.
webman2k said:
Forgot that part, I'll update the OP. Tap and hold the items you want to remove to get the full menu, then choose delete. It'll work from there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got it, thanks! I've been using the NC constantly and it fills all my needs, so much that I won't be upgrading now. Thanks for your post. It convinced me to give it a shot and I'm so glad I did!
RedCello said:
Got it, thanks! I've been using the NC constantly and it fills all my needs, so much that I won't be upgrading now. Thanks for your post. It convinced me to give it a shot and I'm so glad I did!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem, glad I could help. I'm actually quite surprised at how capable this tablet is, considering the specs.
Thanks for this. I've been using CM 10.1.3 but it was real sluggish. I had some success with the V6 Supercharger, but I may give the MiRaGe 7.2 if it works as well as you say.
Cm 10.2 M1 is the best to me, cross breeder is a must to run it smoothly
xflier said:
Cm 10.2 M1 is the best to me, cross breeder is a must to run it smoothly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What has Cross Breeder done for you? I am assuming this is it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2113150
xflier said:
Cm 10.2 M1 is the best to me, cross breeder is a must to run it smoothly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really like the nightlies, and if they bring KitKat to the Nook Color, I'll surely try that. However, in my trials, NOTHING touches the speed and stability of this rom. Also, there's tons more free ram on a CM7 base, which helps tremendously. But the most important difference is the touch screen responsiveness. With CM7 (and MiRaGe), the touchscreen responds instantly and accurately. The CM10 builds - through to the latest nightlies - all have responsiveness issues with the screen. Some apps require multiple touches, etc.
You're not getting the latest and greatest features here, but what I was looking to do was get the best balance of features and performance, to make this old tablet something I'd want to use on a daily basis. This rom does it for me.
webman2k said:
I really like the nightlies, and if they bring KitKat to the Nook Color, I'll surely try that. However, in my trials, NOTHING touches the speed and stability of this rom. Also, there's tons more free ram on a CM7 base, which helps tremendously. But the most important difference is the touch screen responsiveness. With CM7 (and MiRaGe), the touchscreen responds instantly and accurately. The CM10 builds - through to the latest nightlies - all have responsiveness issues with the screen. Some apps require multiple touches, etc.
You're not getting the latest and greatest features here, but what I was looking to do was get the best balance of features and performance, to make this old tablet something I'd want to use on a daily basis. This rom does it for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nook screen re-calibrator app fixed the screen issues for me.
JoshMcMadMac said:
The Nook screen re-calibrator app fixed the screen issues for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems to help, but I think it's an issue of resources as well. on CM7, taps equal a response every time. There are some instances where I have to tap a few times on the nightly, or the tap zone is "off". It'll always work, but it can be very sensitive. For example, navigating Netflix can be frustrating at times. It can read a tap as a swipe if it's not precise enough. I don't seem to have that problem on CM7 builds.
I've gone back to the nightlies right now, to see the progress, and I'm incredibly impressed. If anything, it gets me excited for 4.4. From what I've read, that'll really breath new life into this tablet.
Thanks for the great writeup, have had my Nook for awhile and keep updating and since the latest one I noticed alot of weird things and bad batter life. Did what you suggested and everything seems to be working better now. Was just wondering if anyone would suggest a more lightweight launcher or is ADW the best for battery life (or does it really make a difference)? And any other suggestions for increasing battery life would be helpful to
I started with official cm7.2 and went up and down the cm tree ( cm9, cm10, phiremod) and then some ParanoidAndroid,MIUI, . Somewhere in between I found the mirage rom and to be honest by this time, all I needed my nook color was for the kids and their apps and constant usage of many apps in just a few minutes. That was the the Deciding factor and for some reason mirage ROM got laggy as hell when it was 'multitasking'. I also was not able to get the USB host to work and V6 supercharger has some problems and did not install some scripts, nook tweaks CPU settings were incompatible and WiFi title was a trouble for the kids since enabling/disabling would take them into the settings and they would muck everything up in there.
So I stuck with the official cm7.2 with the help of v6 supercharger (supercharge,kick as kernelizer, battery calibrator), voltage and stepping tweaks with the help of Nook Tweaks on the market, flash player (pre ics) and adding adw ex.
Let's see addressing the YouTube not playing hd even download vids , you can help by installing rolletube side by side with official YouTube app (g**gle it) or
https : //code.google.com/p/r7android/downloads/detail?name=Rolle%20Tube.r7android.com.apk (added some spaces, can't post links yet).
Credit: http : //forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1069911 (again with the spaces oyyy).
On a side note has anyone tried krylon360 ROM if so, do you still have it to share?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
xflier said:
Cm 10.2 M1 is the best to me, cross breeder is a must to run it smoothly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weird, I'm getting a status 7 error...
MGREX said:
Weird, I'm getting a status 7 error...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using v6045 or newer CWM? That causes that error. You need to use an older version of CWM.
Sent from my BN NookHD+ using XDA Premium HD app
How does CM11 in its current state compare with running the MiRage 7.2 ROM? I'm going to be giving my old Nook Color to my mother and want to put something on it that will run decent.
mogators1 said:
How does CM11 in its current state compare with running the MiRage 7.2 ROM? I'm going to be giving my old Nook Color to my mother and want to put something on it that will run decent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hadn't used my Nook in a while and was thinking of putting it on Ebay, so I decided to update CM and see how it ran, or go back to stock. I decided to stick to CM10.x hoping the Netflix fixes might work, so this isn't CM11...but for the life of me, as much as I respect CM in all it's glory, it just seemed to be nowhere near as snappy/responsive as I have liked. Not sure why, maybe the newer versions are too much for the older Nook Color hardware or something. I had a heck of a time even using the browser as the screen touch response just wasn't what I expected.
Prior to restoring to stock, I came across this post and the OP's experience with his Nook using MiRage 7.2. I installed it this afternoon and I'm really pleased so far. Everything seems as responsive as I'd expect it to be, and I did remove the phone stuff as he suggested. I prefer to download and sideload my .apk's, but everything seems to be running well; very nicely in fact. I did load the 1.5.2 version of Netflix, as was suggested for this MiRage CM version, but haven't had a chance to try it yet, so I can't report on that.
But for my part, I'm much happier with the MiRage version than the most recent CM version(s), and it makes it a nice day-to-day tablet.
...thanks..

Categories

Resources