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How to make your Nexus Q awesome with built in Android ICS (using CyanogenMod Trebuchet Launcher per this example).
This is by popular demand on Youtube and other places to demonstrate how I love my Q at the moment, which I obtained from someone who attended IO 2012. I was playing with it to see how capable it is with stock OS and kernel at handling 1080 content. It took me longer to write these instructions than root the device. Much of what is noted here is scattered on the forums and internet, but more than one person told me they didn't see an explanation matching what they saw in the video.
WARNING WARNING WARNING:
If you proceed with these instructions, you will be unlocking your device. If you do not know what "fastboot oem unlock" means, you should research it FIRST and understand you are officially bypassing a disclaimer when running "fastboot oem unlock_accept". If you do not have Jelly Bean and got it off eBay (like me), you will need to hack the actual APK from Google some for core functionality. This document expects advanced understanding of Android, and many assumptions are made. I have tested it locally, but since my Q is already unlocked, I cannot go back to the beginning for complete testing. Proceed at your own caution.
Assumptions: You have a secksy Nexus Q. Also, if you have an ICS client device without Jelly Bean, or the Google Apps aren't doing enough for you, this document covers these areas. I run with the assumption you do not have a JB client device (I own a Note, Tablet S, and HTC Doubleshot all running ICS builds).
Pre-req:
*SKIP IF RUNNING JELLY BEAN ON CLIENT DEVICE* -- Somehow get the NexusQ client apk. I personally updated my SDK value to 16 in build.prop, and it showed up. Then adb pull the apk, use apktool to decompile it, edit the manifest to use SDK version 15 rather than 16, and use apktool/jarsigner to install it to an ICS client.
*SKIP IF YOU HAVE ENABLED USB DEBUGGING ON NEXUS Q* -- Use the Nexus Q Client app (installed above if in ICS) as owner, enable USB Debugging in Advanced. This (should) magically enable ADB Network mode too (it did for me). Via nmap, I found it listening on port 4321.
fastboot is installed on PC.
adb is installed on PC (and can see the Q).
Sources:
http://droidcloudshare.blogspot.com/2012/07/rooting-and-getting-hid-mouse-to-work.html#more
http://bliny.net/blog/post/How-to-Root-Nexus-Q-(Temporarily).aspx
For kernel (modules): git clone https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/omap. Branch is android-omap-steelhead-3.0-ics-aah.
Steps:
Connect PC to Q via USB.
Run 'adb reboot bootloader'
Run 'fastboot oem unlock'. Then (Within 5 seconds run this to confirm): 'fastboot oem unlock_accept'.
Download this file -- http://www.bliny.net/downloads/nexusq-boot.img. It is a Nexus Q boot.img with ro.secure=0, allowing us to remount /system and root device.
Setup USB Debugging in Nexus Q via client app all over again (may require clearing data from client device Nexus Q app).
Run 'adb reboot bootloader'
Run 'fastboot boot nexusq-boot.img'. Your Nexus Q will now boot up unlocked, allowing:
Run 'adb remount'
Push 'su' and 'Superuser.apk' from a good source. I use nightly CM9 su/Superuser from my HTC Doubleshot. Put su in /system/xbin/, put Superuser in /system/app. chmod the su binary 06755. (There's many pages documenting how this is done).
*OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED* -- adb push busybox binary from a known good source (I also use recent CM9 binary). Busybox will allow you to do things like remount /system and other necessary shell commands after the temporary ro.secure=0 boot up. This might also be a good time to push bash, or whatever linux utilities you'd like to have.
*OPTIONAL BUT RECOMMENDED* -- adb install the default Browser.apk from your good source, such as CM9. No browser is on the Q by default. Chrome will work, so will Firefox. Adobe Flash works (very well) with the CM9 Browser.apk in stock ICS on the Q.
*OPTIONAL* -- Install gapps, just like you would via clockworkmod. Hell CWM maybe out there for all I know. I did it manually, pushing the libs/apks/etc to the right places on /system. Gmail/Play/Youtube all work.
Sideload/Install a Launcher, I choose Trebuchet, also from nightly CM9 Doubleshot. adb install the apk, it will work.
*OPTIONAL* -- Sideload as many apks as you like for testing. I was lazy, and grabbed my apps from my Doubleshot /data/app directory. I then did a simple scripted command to install them all. 'for i in *.apk ; do adb install $i ; done'.
Profit.
How I profit:
From a PC or phone (I personally use ssh on my HTC Doubleshot), adb into the device again (I use adb connect network), and run:
'am start com.cyanogenmod.trebuchet/.Launcher'
This starts Trebuchet, and you now have a Launcher. Not everything works (wallpapers and home button mapping), but you have it up. If using USB keyboard like I am, ALT+TAB gets you around well.
Use a USB Micro USB dongle with USB wifi keyboard/mouse combination. I have two of them (adapters and keyboards), they all work. It makes navigation neato.
Install CIFS module: Grab android-omap-steelhead-3.0-ics-aah branch from https://android.googlesource.com/kernel/omap, and compile the CIFS and md4 modules. Push these to the Q via adb. Install them in /system optionally. Load them via insmod. I scripted it: 'for i in /system/lib/modules/* ; do insmod $i ; done'.
EDIT -- See Page 3 for instructions verbose on making a cifs module and loading it.
I map the IP in /etc/hosts on my PC, so "nexusq" is the network address, making adb connect simply 'adb connect nexusq:4321').
I know there's more. I love this thing. Highlights include Netflix and Youtube HQ, Vplayer playing 1080 mkvs of 17gb in size across CIFS, games working (Angry Birds, etc), Apollo music working, G+ is neat, etc.
And there's much more hacking to do, I did this with limited time.
You tube video (CAUTION IT SUCKS FOR SHAKINESS):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ejYNDt0EUuA
kornyone said:
You tube video (CAUTION IT SUCKS FOR SHAKINESS):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ejYNDt0EUuA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have that youtube shakiness issue even with the stock build when using my galaxy nexus to play the files on the q
mejdam said:
i have that youtube shakiness issue even with the stock build when using my galaxy nexus to play the files on the q
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually meant my recording was shaky, as in I was moving all over the place and more focused on showing off stuff than keeping the camera pointed at the TV. I also rambled. It was late. I planned to re-record the video on Youtube, but it picked up popularity over night.
As for Youtube on the Q to the TV via HDMI -- as you can see in the video I am playing Radiohead Coachella HD, and it looks/works great. I have watched quite a bit of content on YouTube without issue.
I got my Q today. Can't wait to modify it to make it more capable of stuff
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Great work! Could you test the tablet remote app to control the q? Would be incredible if it worked. Thanks!
Does the Android Market work?
Are there any apps/limitations that don't work?
How is the responsiveness on the device, using the keyboard and mouse and loading up heavy websites? Can the processor keep up?
I saw in your video that when you press home on the keyboard it takes you to the Nexus Q's "home". Would it be possible to go to your apps on the settings screen and remove all the defaults from the Nexus Q's launcher, then when you press home it should ask you about which home do you want to go to and have a check-box for if you want to set one as default? I'm not sure if that would work, but it's an idea.
Would it be possible for you to post the modified apk that works on ICS devices for those that are unfamiliar with the apktool? I promise a quick and generous donation for your time and effort if you can. :good:
thevaristy said:
Great work! Could you test the tablet remote app to control the q? Would be incredible if it worked. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I plan to play with more input devices, specifically Bluetooth soon. I have not had a chance to hack the Q since Saturday, but soon It's near the top of my list.
You say "app" -- is there one in specific you're referring to?
Paul22000 said:
Does the Android Market work?
Are there any apps/limitations that don't work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, Google Play Market works. I don't have a screenshot of it, but I have one of play.google.com telling me my Q is not compatible with Github's new app (I saw it yesterday at work) -- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/44767242/images/google-play-cut.png.
I would say 75% of the apps of the apps I looked at in my history of downloaded apps were "Not Compatible" via Market. I am sure this is due to build.prop data and other build information. Sideloading "Not Compatible" apks proves most are compatible. Since the Market is so vast, many applications do show up as "Compatible" with the Q, and will install natively.
yokken said:
How is the responsiveness on the device, using the keyboard and mouse and loading up heavy websites? Can the processor keep up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keyboard and mouse are quick. No issues there. Loading heavy websites is fine depending on the type of content on it, and browser chosen. I found some pages that brought it to a halt when using desktop browsing mode (like G+) in Browser.apk from my recent CM9 builds (there's not a Brwoser on the Q). However things I thought would bomb out, like heavy Flash video embedded pages or other pages were fine.
Putting it in Tablet DPI range (~213 or so) makes the Chrome browser use native tabs like you're used to on your PC. @1080p, this is sweet. It's a shame it requires a DPI hack to get this.
Mars11_ said:
I saw in your video that when you press home on the keyboard it takes you to the Nexus Q's "home". Would it be possible to go to your apps on the settings screen and remove all the defaults from the Nexus Q's launcher, then when you press home it should ask you about which home do you want to go to and have a check-box for if you want to set one as default? I'm not sure if that would work, but it's an idea.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not the defaults option, I did check this. I also installed third party apks to help remap it. I found it's embedded in the startup of the Q's hub activities, and I did not want to rip it out, since I have not found a Factory Restore Image from Google (yet).
bobukcat said:
Would it be possible for you to post the modified apk that works on ICS devices for those that are unfamiliar with the apktool? I promise a quick and generous donation for your time and effort if you can. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can whip that up. I will make sure it's the latest Nexus Q apk in the Market, which last I looked, had never been updated.
Also JB did drop for AOSP, depending on your device, you could have compatibility soon
kornyone said:
I plan to play with more input devices, specifically Bluetooth soon. I have not had a chance to hack the Q since Saturday, but soon It's near the top of my list.
You say "app" -- is there one in specific you're referring to?
The app is called tablet remote. Name is kind of lame, but here is the link...
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...wxLDMsImNvbS50b3VybmVzb2wudGFibGV0cmVtb3RlIl0.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah, I got a lot of feedback for this video. and I have more planned (as I am sure plenty others do!).
I created ##nexusq on Freenode, as I could not locate a pre-existing Freenode channel for Nexus Q haxxoring conversation. I am on there. I am not very good at checking XDA.
Is it possible to connect a mouse via bluetooth, or even connect to a laptop via bluetooth?
As for the mouse yeah. Its advertised on the front page:http://www.xda-developers.com/android/connect-an-hid-bluetooth-mouse-to-the-nexus-q/
I'll give you a killer feature request: Play my own media either via (preferred) an attached network drive or a an directly attached drive.
I tried the entire Saturday to make the "Tablet Remote" to work on Q but I couldn't, for some reason the Q showed as connect to the Galaxy Nexus when I asked for the connection but the Gnex showed as declined.
There is something related to the pairing key that is not working, the logcat showed that was not giving the correct key as answer and also the key didn't show on the Q screen...
I'll keep digging it, and really hope that someone discover how to do it quickier than me, it's something that is killing me and it's now the matter of honor!
I'm not too skilled, but without keyboard and mouse I did a lot of tricks on my Q using the adb, waiting for the host cable to start to play hard on it! I hope to discover something that could help the community!
thanks for getting the ball rolling!
Thanks so much for the groundbreaking work on this, I managed to reproduce all the steps excepting compiling CIFS.
To those that want to play networked stuff - I'm able to stream video via upnp over a network either through vplayer or upnp + mxplayer. Able to play angry birds, etc. Although Google Play movies aren't showing the free transformers one I got from Google I/O. Maybe cause it's locked to my Nexus 7?
Sideloading helps a lot, take advantage of adb over the network. Installing gapps from CM9 nightly works awesome. It would be nice to get trebuchet to autostart, I'm sure there's a way to do this, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to know if there's a way to start it via a run time / on boot level.
For keyboard and mouse, I'm using one of these: USB-Micro-Female-Male-Adaptor that I trimmed down with a knife to fit in the port.
I plug in a keyboard with a built in hub and a mouse goes into that. Works great, sort of like an Atrix docked.
If anyone is stuck I'm more than happy to help.
help
which program are you using on your sideshoot? I am trying to adb from my transformer prime and I guess I am not as much of an expert as I thought. Any help would be awesome.
ace2die said:
which program are you using on your sideshoot? I am trying to adb from my transformer prime and I guess I am not as much of an expert as I thought. Any help would be awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there
I'm sideloading on an ubuntu machine. I can't post links yet, but you basically need to follow
http:// forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1550414
That will put adb on your machine. Use a charging cable to connect to the back and use a Nexus 7 to put your Q in developer mode.
Download the fastboot image and follow the directions from there.
Then run the adb scripts from that pc.
You'll also need, as in the instructions, a way to get certain programs off ICS (Su and superuser) and some launcher (trebuchet, nova, etc).
Hope this helps!
I had some difficulties finding information on the Nabi Big Tab HD 20 so I'm creating this to help others that come across the tabled and need help.
Nabi Big Tab 20 inch (DMTAB-NV20A-US) Nvidia Dream Tab
5 processors Tegra 4 ARMv7-A15 (One proc is very low voltage) so just consider it 4 procs @ 1.81Ghz
84 cores on the GPU 192 mhz
2GB of memory
16 GB of storage but less than 8GB available to you!
Kitkat 4.4.2
Root: Kingo root works great! install on Windows 10 and make sure to use the left port on the tablet.
TWRP: I have no installed it yet but will post something once successful and exact details. I don't really see
a need yet as there is no worthwhile OS ready for this tablet.
suggestions:
1. After root go ahead and make sure you are always in parent mode by going to settings, security
and selecting Parent mode as default mode.
2. Install Nova launcher. If you do this the Parent mode will no longer launch and it will look like a normal tablet
3. Uninstall all that you can from nabi.
4. Install No-Frills CPU control and set it to NOOP IO scheduler for IO improvments.
5. Install OS Montor. Very nice util to keep an eye on everything.
6. Install ROM toolbox lite (This is a nice tool and you will want to take advantage of the terminal and scripter for sure)
7. Install NoRoot Firewall (So you know you install lots of apps and when you look at OS monitor its insane how many apps out there communicate with ????? so installing this firewall will create a VPN filtered connection where you can allow/deny traffic. For example ES File Explorer has 6 connections to different IP's...why?? also your advertisments will go down or away for some apps (CPU-Z for instance..100% gone since it can't talk to the advertisment server). The IP it creates with the VPN filter is 10.0.8.x in case you see that a lot.
fixes:
1. run ROM toolbox lite, select scripter and disable IP6 (I doubt you need it) just add this line to the script and have it run a boot time
echo 1 >/proc/sys/net/ipv6/conf/wlan0/disable_ipv6
I wouldn't replace or screw with the update portion for Nabi. It would be nice to get the newer OS when its released. I would expect Lollipop at some time. There doesn't seem to be any active project to create a nice OS replacement for this tablet so I guess take what you can get from Nabi when its release and re-root .
Do you happen to know if the Nabi OTG cable is a standard cable or proprietary? I see they have been "out of stock" for awhile and can't seem to get straight answers from NabiCare.
In other news, when my Big Tab was delivered, it charged to 100% but as soon as I disconnected the charger, the unit immediately powered off so I RMAed it back to Nabi and am waiting on my repair or replacement..
Is it worth to get one for $170 now in 2017?
This device caught my eye recently (Kyocera KY-01L):
https://uncrate.com/kyocera-ky-01l-card-phone/
Points of interest:
* Android-based
* e-paper display
* ultra compact
Personally I feel Kyocera made a huge mistake by not including the Play Store, or at least including an e-Reader application. A pocket-sized e-Reader that is also my phone just sounds awesome in theory (although the 380mAh battery might prove otherwise in reality...)
Since I use Hangouts and Hangouts Dialer for all my communications, I can't really use this unless I can get gApps installed.
Does anyone have experience hacking Kyocera phones? How difficult would it be to get root, TWRP, and gApps working on this thing?
I googled that phone and found your post. Most intriguing idea, but overpriced imho. I would like to test my developer skills on that but without adb or at least apk installer its useless
Android is not fully compatible (out-of-the-box) with e-ink and screen sizes under 3", unless it's heavily modified. Which is not worth the investmet, considering the target market. And even if Android were adapted, many apps wouldn't run anyway. They wrapped a layer around it to run essentials services. Note that there is a real browser though.
KY-01L Information
So i bought one of these myself out of curiosity and here's what i've found:
ADB can be enabled from the phones settings (the option is called "switch usb debugging") once it's enabled you can sideload APK's
APK's cannot be installed on the phone itself, when doing so you get the message than unknown sources are not enabled however as kyocera have modified the security settings there is no way to enable this afaik
The apps use AOSP icons and have some normal screens present which can be accessed with an activity launcher
When using installed apps the E-ink screen switches to a high refresh rate mode at random and the only way to get it back to normal is to launch cardphonehome (the default launcher)
The phone won't connect to any UK networks (i've only tried vodaphone and EE sims in it)
Bluetooth media audio seems to be removed entirely, even when sideloading a music player
The stock keyboard uses a 9 key input for text, you can sideload something like gboard but i haven't found the option to set it as the default input method
If you intend to buy one then i would suggest looking on YAJ proxy sites like buyee as they tend to go for ~£160.
Apps i'd recommend sideloading:
Activity launcher - lets you get into hidden menus and back into the stock launcher
Stealth music player - Plays music through the phones earpiece, can also enable the earpiece for use with audio from other apps
i'd also suggest lowering the DPI as some apps may be cramped
Dialer codes
*#*#4636#*#* - Android Testing menu
*#*#3878#*#* - Qualcomm FTM menu
*#*#225#*#* - Calendar info
Update: i've noticed the soc that CPUZ is reporting conflicts what others have said, ADB's CPU info command reports it as a wear 2100
I'm really curious if/how an ebook reading app would work on this. Did you try that out?
I'm considering buying a used one to try out as an ultra portable ebook reader.
eldritchgreene said:
I'm really curious if/how an ebook reading app would work on this. Did you try that out?
I'm considering buying a used one to try out as an ultra portable ebook reader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried the kindle app, Whenever it's opened it spams an error saying something about not being able to download image files for a few minutes, after that it works fine.
Phone density is set to 210 and kindle text size is on default
Harry99710 said:
I tried the kindle app, Whenever it's opened it spams an error saying something about not being able to download image files for a few minutes, after that it works fine.
Phone density is set to 210 and kindle text size is on default
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazing. Thank you so much Harry, this is great. I'm going to give my experiment a go!
any idea how to make it connect to EU 3g/4g ?
I have the Light Phone 2 which is very similar. I was able to root it and sideload apps on it. Harry is it possible to send over APKs from your Kyocera Card phone so I can test them on the light phone?
kennethashley said:
I have the Light Phone 2 which is very similar. I was able to root it and sideload apps on it. Harry is it possible to send over APKs from your Kyocera Card phone so I can test them on the light phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try, i used apkextractor to extract them but they won't install on another device and trying to install them on the card phone itself gives an error saying the package is corrupt
Nothing in that last post seems to have uploaded
Screenshots - https://imgur.com/a/Z8uCQ1t
APK's https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Qf0EB1I0IhmodnkINQFAdS7uBvtV785/view?usp=sharing
Harry99710 said:
Nothing in that last post seems to have uploaded
Screenshots - https://imgur.com/a/Z8uCQ1t
APK's https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Qf0EB1I0IhmodnkINQFAdS7uBvtV785/view?usp=sharing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea you are right I can't get the APKs installed.
paulmmm said:
any idea how to make it connect to EU 3g/4g ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nobody ?
paulmmm said:
nobody ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
root it
Derek163 said:
root it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ill try and come back with results
Hi
First of all, I appreciate the above information where I could find customizing about KY-01L. I was able to install Gmail, Chrome, Line lite, Gboard, and other utilities into my KY-01L!
To be honest, it was quite a stressful process to load apk`s and configure them a number of times.
The first step, I installed the Square Home launcher (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ss.squarehome2&hl=en&gl=us) and the Quickshortcut maker (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sika524.android.quickshortcut&hl=en&gl=us) that I am able to configure 10 times easier (Maybe some similar types of the app should work). the default setting of KY-01L is not able to configure app by the screen that is how it is designed by Kyocera.
After setting those 2 apps, I can configure launcher/shortcut in the home menu.
My KY-01L is not stable yet... still need to minor adjustments of configuration but it works what I was expected.
Kaz_SP1200 said:
Hi
First of all, I appreciate the above information where I could find customizing about KY-01L. I was able to install Gmail, Chrome, Line lite, Gboard, and other utilities into my KY-01L!
To be honest, it was quite a stressful process to load apk`s and configure them a number of times.
The first step, I installed the Square Home launcher (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ss.squarehome2&hl=en&gl=us) and the Quickshortcut maker (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sika524.android.quickshortcut&hl=en&gl=us) that I am able to configure 10 times easier (Maybe some similar types of the app should work). the default setting of KY-01L is not able to configure app by the screen that is how it is designed by Kyocera.
After setting those 2 apps, I can configure launcher/shortcut in the home menu.
My KY-01L is not stable yet... still need to minor adjustments of configuration but it works what I was expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there,
Can you explain how you managed to connect it to the network? The one I have is SIM unlocked, I can see available networks but it won't connect. The X.... symbol is displayed in the status bar ("Out of service area") but I am quite sure that the frequencies match.
cheeseus said:
Hi there,
Can you explain how you managed to connect it to the network? The one I have is SIM unlocked, I can see available networks but it won't connect. The X.... symbol is displayed in the status bar ("Out of service area") but I am quite sure that the frequencies match.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
I am using NTT Docomo carrier (in Japan) which is the preferred carrier for the KY-01L. KY-01L has limited bandwidth using LTE bands of 2.0GHz and 800MHz only. You would better check with your SIM carrier that uses those bandwidths or not.
Kaz_SP1200 said:
Hi
I am using NTT Docomo carrier (in Japan) which is the preferred carrier for the KY-01L. KY-01L has limited bandwidth using LTE bands of 2.0GHz and 800MHz only. You would better check with your SIM carrier that uses those bandwidths or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying!
Well, it seems that my carrier doesn't offer the exact same frequencies. 3G is at 2100 MHz (B1) and LTE is at 2100 MHz (B1) and 1800 MHz (B3).
Too limited, indeed. I've been using Docomo and SoftBank and AU phones for over fifteen years now and they all worked but not this one
Kaz_SP1200 said:
Hi
First of all, I appreciate the above information where I could find customizing about KY-01L. I was able to install Gmail, Chrome, Line lite, Gboard, and other utilities into my KY-01L!
To be honest, it was quite a stressful process to load apk`s and configure them a number of times.
The first step, I installed the Square Home launcher (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ss.squarehome2&hl=en&gl=us) and the Quickshortcut maker (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sika524.android.quickshortcut&hl=en&gl=us) that I am able to configure 10 times easier (Maybe some similar types of the app should work). the default setting of KY-01L is not able to configure app by the screen that is how it is designed by Kyocera.
After setting those 2 apps, I can configure launcher/shortcut in the home menu.
My KY-01L is not stable yet... still need to minor adjustments of configuration but it works what I was expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi I just ordered my KY-01L off ebay, and looking forward to doing what you're doing!
My question is - after you installed all these things (Square Home Launcher, Quick shortcut maker, Gmail, Chrome, Line lite, Gboard and other utilities), does the battery drain faster even when idle? If so, how much faster vs the vanilla version.
And what other utilities were you able to install on the KY-01L? Music player? Kindle? Youtube? Just curious to see what works...
Lastly, was the Square Home Launcher the only launcher that works? Or there were others that work but this is your preference.
Thanks!
Anyone using one of these? There seem to be several similar models sold (at least in the USA) but it seems like everyone here is using either IPTV-only boxes, or boxes with DVB tuners.
The Cyberbox has a p231 board with an S905D SoC, 2GB RAM, & 16GB ROM, and it runs Android 7.1.2. The box comes with root access as a developer option, making it easy to mod (but also a bit dangerous). One slightly worrisome issue is that the Cyberbox doesn't seem to come with a reset button behind the composite A/V port or anywhere else, so there's no easy way to boot a recovery image if you brick it. It does seem possible to install a micro SD card and a reset switch if you're good at soldering tiny SMC components (which I'm not). Luckily I haven't bricked mine (so far).
I don't know much about the Leelbox Q5 but I've heard it's similar. I've seen threads here on the earlier Leelbox models (Q4 and less) but nothing on the Q5 yet
The MagicSee 300 also seems to be a very similar box, but it has a DVB tuner for FTA satellite and European/Australian OTA broadcasts instead of an ATSC tuner.
With respect to the iView Cyberbox specifically, I've done a little work fixing it up. Mostly minor stuff: improving the look of the launcher (a version of DroidLogic's MBoxLauncher), fixing iView's slightly screwed-up boot animation, installing TWRP recovery (got lucky; the S905X/S912 version 3.2.1 of TWRP works fine except that compression doesn't seem to work during backups) and Magisk (to get some control over root access).
I do have some questions for the more knowledgeable members about my Cyberbox:
My Cyberbox came with Chrome version 66. But try as I might, I couldn't update it! Play Store would download the latest version but it would fail to install. Every time. I ended up just deleting Chrome from /system/app entirely and installing it as a user app! So now I'm up to date, but does anyone have an idea why it wouldn't update normally like most system apps?
Play Store says the Firefox browser is incompatible with my Cyberbox. So I installed an old version (52, which I downloaded for my old pre-NEON Samsung Captivate Glide). Version 52 installed and seems to run fine, but why is the latest version incompatible? Doesn't the S905D support NEON instructions? Edit: AIDA64 says it does support NEON so that isn't what makes newer FF versions incompatible.
This third question isn't specific to the Cyberbox. I've seen lots of folks asking about this issue with their own boxes, so it's evidently a common feature of many of these TV boxes. The system always starts the Mbox Launcher, even if you install a different launcher and make it the default. I realize I could just replace /system/app/MboxLauncher/MboxLauncher.apk with my favorite launcher's .apk, but why do I have to? Why can't I just set my default launcher as I do on a phone? Clearly the MboxLauncher app must be hard-coded in the system somewhere, but where?
Wallpaper does not work at all on this box. The Mbox Launcher has a built-in background, but without wallpaper, any other launcher displays with a solid black background. But any attempt to set wallpaper either crashes or just doesn't do anything. There is a default wallpaper (/etc/default_wallpaper.png) but it never appears anywhere and can't be selected as the wallpaper either. Anyone have an idea why this might be?
Possibly related to the wallpaper issue, there's no status bar or navigation bar. Anywhere.
If anyone is still (trying) to use daydream on normal devices, I'm going to share my experiences with getting it to "work" in a redmi note 4 (sd625 variant), along some other problems I do still face.
First of all, you need to know that daydream is designed to have always reprojection on, if you don't know what that is, take a look at this. This means that unless you have an oled display, with their inherit characteristics (low persistence), or an lcd that's capable of doing 90hz or more, you're going to experience a lot of motion blur with fast head movements or circular movements. That's not a bug, it's how it's supposed to work, that's why if you go check the list of official compatible daydream phones all have oled displays. The benefit of that blur is the buttery smooth head tracking, use it for 5 min, and you won't be able go back.
Once you have prepared your stomach for the ride;
1st: You need a rooted device (easiest method is flashing with a custom recovery the latest magisk version). You might be able to avoid rooting if somehow you manage to modify the files in the next steps, but at least for me, to access those files I needed root permissions.
2nd: Go to the play store and just search for daydream (do not install it), if you're able to see the app, you could jump to the next step. If you don't, download a file explorer with root capabilities (I personally like fx explorer) and paste the "android.hardware.vr.high_performance" file attached to the following route;
Code:
/system/vendor/etc/permissions
.
In this same folder you'll find the handheld_core_hardware that's mentioned in other guides, you might be also capable of getting it working by editing handheld_core_hardware, just like the old tutorial said
3rd: In order to get most of the daydream apps to render in SBS mode or even open, you need to spoof the id of your device to one of the certified ones. This is exactly the same step contained in the tutorial above, but at least in my case, once I opened the build.prop in the /System folder, I didn't saw a "ro.product.device", but a "ro.product.system.device". What I did was modify the latter by changing "mido" (the name of my device) to "walleye" (pixel 2) and adding a new line with "ro.product.device=walleye"
4th: Restart your phone and install Daydream, google vr services, and daydream keyboard all three from version 1.13. Daydream
Google vr services
Daydream keyboard
This version, along with 1.14 are the last ones that at least in my phone don't distort the aspect ratio, making it all squezzed. Version 1.14 has some handy implementations but worse performance and the lack of a developer option that I find really interesting for our unsupported phones that I will mention later.
5th: Now that's all installed, open the app and it will tell you that it need some permisions to work, press cancel and it will exit itself. go press it again and this time you'll see the daydream menu, swipe to the right to open the side menu, go to settings, VR settings, and if you don't have developer options, press compilation version several times to make them appear. Once you're inside those developer options, check the "skip VR entry screens". This is essential for all of us that don't have nfc, otherwise we wouldn't be able to run any app.
6th: Go to to visor and select your daydream version, bare in mind that if want to use a controller, you'll need to chose between gen1 and gen2, as cardboard custom profiles gray out the controller.
7th: Go to the controller tab and press and new controller, you'll be asked to fix the permissions, by enabling bluetooth, gps, and location you should be good to go, but considering we are using google play and google already knows all about us, I would say go ahead and try go give all permissions, just in case some specific app requires them.
Now follow the tutorial and the controller should pair... or maybe not. This is one of the problems that I don't know how to fix. The controller appears to be paired, as the light no longer blinks, but the daydream app doesn't detect it. At least for me, I couldn't get it to work in android 7 or 9, android 8 I (think?) I managed to get it working, and all android 10 roms I tried worked fine. I suspect it has something to do with the bluetooth settings, as it's a low energy device.
8th: You're good to go. Depending on your display and calibration, you might want to download an app called sa2ration that allows you to boost the intensity to get a more vivid image, I personally use 1.25 and it works wonderfully. Bare in mind that this works system wide, you could toggle it on and off whenever you want, and the settings don't reset with phone restarts.
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Now that everything is "working", If you want to avoid the blur, and the app you're going to use is capable of holding a steady 60fps, you could go to developer setttings, and tick the "Force undistorted rendering". This will supress most of the motion blur at the cost of smoothness. This for me also reveals another problem, the resolution/dpi settings, as the image "bleeds" outside the supposed rendering area.
@Retrete: THX for your hints.
Any xiaomi/redmi or oppo/realms device you can recommend? Is the experience as good as on official daydream phones?
I remember that on my axon7 the amoled needs to be switched to low persistence mode via fw command.
---------- Post added at 08:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:21 PM ----------
[/COLOR @Retrete: THX for your hints.
Any xiaomi/redmi or oppo/realms device you can recommend? Is the experience as good as on official daydream phones?
I remember that on my axon7 the amoled needs to be switched to low persistence mode via fw command.
hmn, i cant get to edit neither the build.prop nor the folder where i have to paste the vr file. I have magisk root, OnePlus 5T Android 10 OxygenOS 10.0.0