Rooting NST with the 1.1.2 Firmware

[KF67]

I haven't done a root yet, but I have upgraded to the 1.1.2 firmware and been doing a bit of reading about rooting with it and it looks like folks have been reporting problems with Market Search not working (apparently an issue with Google Play?).

Has anyone been able to root with the latest firmware without any problems? Or would it be better to wait until an updated rooter becomes available? Thanks.

[bobstro]

---

KF67 wrote:

I haven't done a root yet, but I have upgraded to the 1.1.2 firmware and been doing a bit of reading about rooting with it and it looks like folks have been reporting problems with Market Search not working (apparently an issue with Google Play?).

Has anyone been able to root with the latest firmware without any problems? Or would it be better to wait until an updated rooter becomes available? Thanks.

---

Install SearchMarket to get around the Market issue. After the upgrade to Play, the ability to search went away with the version of Market compatible with the NST. Some folks have reported that installing Go Keyboard re-enables search, but I haven't had any luck with it.

I have no significant problems with rooted 1.1.2, although it does revert to showing 1.1.0 after rooting. This appears to be only a cosmetic issue. The default Shop button also stops working, but you can re-map it using NookTouch Tools to launch the Shop app to restore that functionality.

Don't go nuts loading apps, especially those that do background sync, as they'll seriously degrade your battery. With a careful selection, I'm maintaining near-stock battery times.

[NookGardener]

bobstro:

I'm pretty interested in rooting this as well.  If you could answer a couple of other questions, would appreciate it.

1) Did you ever get Overdrive working?  Can you import library books into another reading app, or do you have to stick with Overdrive reader (which isn't great)?

2) This is going to sound silly, but the glow light got me wondering.  If you were to use "another reading app" (FB reader or Mantano, etc) and changed the settings to night mode (black background, white text), could you actually read in the dark?  Pretty sure the answer is no, but thought I would ask.

Thanks in advance.

[KF67]

Thanks. I'm in no rush to root so I may wait until an updated rooter comes out that addresses those issues, or I might just go ahead. All I plan to install would be a browser, and a kindle app.

[Larryb52]

Let me get this straight you bought a simple touch nook reader to root it to put in a browser & kindle app??????, why not just buy the kindle 4 you can read kindle content & have the browser without all the fuss...??? just curious...

[roustabout]

I bought my NST to do pretty much just that with. In no small part one of my goals was access to the New Yorker, which was only recently made available on other devices, and being able to copy those files out easily.

That latter basically means get root in order to change default paths for downloading.   

And I've never been interested in buying a Kindle.   Do the Kindle monochrome devices run a usefully rootable Android?  

[bobstro]

I bought the NST because it's the suuperior Daylight reader. I rooted the NST to make it my Ultimate Daylight reader. My primary motivator was automating the background synchronization of 3rd party content, mostly in the form of newsfeeds I have Calibre create each morning. Automatic control of wifi maximizes battery life while still being convenient. The ability to check my travel itinerary, email, todos and voicemail rounds out my list. A full web browser was a gimme at that point. I tested the Kindle apps because I was asked about it, but all my ebooks are epubs.

[Larryb52]

sounds like you turned it into a smartphone with no phone capabilities, I respectfully respect your right to do what you want to your device, I just question the logic if taking a perfectly good 'simple' reader & making it anything but simple or a reader...

[bobstro]

Why, to be able to do it all at the beach, of course. If anything's going to have longer battery life, I'd rather it be my phone. I find "smartphones" without 48+ hours of battery life absurd, even if they're supposed to be what we all want. Why do you want turn your phone into a ridiculous tablet?

[bobstro]

---

NookGardener wrote:

[...] I'm pretty interested in rooting this as well.  If you could answer a couple of other questions, would appreciate it.

1) Did you ever get Overdrive working?  Can you import library books into another reading app, or do you have to stick with Overdrive reader (which isn't great)?

---

I think so. I got distracted and never finished figuring out the last bit of info. I got so far as:

1. Connecting to my library through Overdrive.

2. Downloading the .acsm file in Overdrive.

3. Opening the book in Overdrive to download the actual encrypted .epub file.

4. Opening the .epub file in the Nook reader. At that point, it asked for the name and credit card used to purchase the book. I got distracted, and never finished. I believe if I were using an Adobe-authorized 3rd party reader, it would have worked at this point. There may be some way to enter info into the B&N Reader to make it happy, but I haven't found it yet. (Looking more would probably help.)

---

2) This is going to sound silly, but the glow light got me wondering.  If you were to use "another reading app" (FB reader or Mantano, etc) and changed the settings to night mode (black background, white text), could you actually read in the dark?  Pretty sure the answer is no, but thought I would ask.

---

It will not be illuminated, so it will be no more visible than a black printed page with white text. I've heard eInk described as essentially a smart Etch-A-Sketch, which sounds about right ... without the shaking.

I've been out of the look on XDA for a few days, but the wizards seem to agree that the NST GrowLight shouldn't be any more difficult to root, but that it is different enough to require a new procedure. They just don't have devices in hand to figure it out just yet. Give 'em a few weeks. 

[roustabout]

My glowworms arrive end of day tomorrow.  From what I'm reading, noogie will boot them tomorrow night. Dean G already has one and has already booted noogie and dumped some of the key files over on XDA. 

I think that will be enough for me to get the root I want -- noogie lets me look over the whole filesystem and edit all of it by booting from the sdcard, and make the all important whole-device backup before I go farther.

But if noogie works, what that will mean is that

- repartitioning should be available almost immediately

- relinking downloads, likewise

- su and busybox probaly installable simply by copying them in

- adb enable-able

- apks will be installable manually

The market will probably not work for some time.  And I'm fine with that;  I have about 8 apps that I want to add to mine - offline contact list, newsrob for rss, fbreader+fbsync+tasker for reading my library and syncing it up, an alternate launcher and button savior. 

the ADB bit will be the dodgiest part, as I believe that does require an alternate kernel. 

but as long as ADB is viable, pm install *.apk will probably work just fine for installing what I want. 

Touchnooter will be longer in coming, but that's fine by me, as the number of additions I make on the e-ink devices is pretty minimal. 

[bobstro]

I do hope that NookTouch Tools works to remap the menu without breaking the GrowLight functionality. I'm stupidly close to picking one of these up, though I'm going to have a hard time explaining why I need a 5th Nook device to my family.

Maybe I'll just give an NST to someone at work and not tell anybody the Glow is new.

[roustabout]

What do the nook touch tools do?  I just started looking over the NST threads on XDA and am fascinated to see that while I wasn't paying attention, audio support has been enabled and, if you have a USB dongle, you can now stream audio via bluetooth from your NST. 

wow.  Maybe I need another app. 

Depending on how tech-savvy the family is, you might be able to buy the glowworm, gift the NST, and claim the illumination "must have been enabled in a firmware update" : )

[DeanGibson Distinguished Bibliophile]

---

roustabout wrote:

My glowworms arrive end of day tomorrow.  From what I'm reading, noogie will boot them tomorrow night. Dean G already has one and has already booted noogie and dumped some of the key files over on XDA. 

I think that will be enough for me to get the root I want — noogie lets me look over the whole filesystem and edit all of it by booting from the sdcard, and make the all important whole-device backup before I go farther.

But if noogie works, what that will mean is that

- repartitioning should be available almost immediately

- relinking downloads, likewise

- su and busybox probaly installable simply by copying them in

- adb enable-able

- apks will be installable manually

...

the ADB bit will be the dodgiest part, as I believe that does require an alternate kernel. 

but as long as ADB is viable, pm install *.apk will probably work just fine for installing what I want. 

---

My understanding is that ADBD comes on every Nook;  it's simply a question of enabling it so that it has root access:

• On the 1st editions, once you had even temporary root access (a chore, but you only did it once), you enabled ADBD in the startup script file, and it would then run (via WiFi connections) with root privileges.
• On the Touch (and I'd be willing to bet on the Glow as well), you boot Noogie, and copy over (via USB from a PC) a new uRamdisk which enables ADBD in the startup script file, and it likewise would then run (via WiFi connections) with root privileges.
• On the Color or Tablet, you had to permanently root the device (easy to do in both cases).  ADBD could be accessed via either USB (the default) or WiFi (via a Market — oops, Google Play — application).

In all cases, after the above process, ADBD either had root access, or could get it as necessary.  That allows arbitrary command-line root access from a PC, whereupon you can tinker as necessary.

On the Nook Glow, I don't know the process for constructing the modified uRamdisk, but I extracted the original one and made it available to those that know, for modification.  The more complete Nooters for the Touch and Glow, are probably going to have a number of different components, but for the basic "Noogie", all you need is the modified uRamdisk.  There's even the possibility that the patched one for the Touch will also work on the Glow, but I'm not willing to experiment without more information.

[DeanGibson Distinguished Bibliophile]

---

DeanGibson wrote:

...

On the Nook Glow, I don't know the process for constructing the modified uRamdisk, but I extracted the recovery "factory.zip" and made it available to those that know, for modification.  ... for the basic "Noogie", all you need is the modified uRamdisk.  There's even the possibility that the patched one for the Touch will also work on the Glow, but I'm not willing to experiment without more information.

---

Someone else on XDA-devs was willing to experiment, so here's the current status:

1. The modified uRamdisk for the Touch (v1.1.0 and v1.1.2) that enables root access for ADBD, also works for the Glow (v1.1.5).  This allows full root access on the Glow, except that the GlowLight doesn't work.
2. Someone has posted an updated uRamdisk for the Glow that allows the GlowLight to work, and is also supposed to enable ADBD for root access, but the latter doesn't work (so it's currently no better than the B&N uRamdisk).
3. Switching between to two uRamdisks (one that allows root access and one that allows the GlowLight to work) is simple, only involving booting an SDcard and copying or renaming a file.

I expect #2 to be rectified within hours, but for those that can't wait, you have root access in #1.

ps: If B&N doesn't like roustabout using the term "glowworms", they shouldn't have adopted the name of "Nook Simple Touch™ with GlowLight™" — my gosh, what a long name !!

[DeanGibson Distinguished Bibliophile]

---

bobstro wrote:

... I'm going to have a hard time explaining why I need a 5th Nook device to my family.

---

Here is my justification:

1. Nook Tablet for reading FAA PDF files, and all the other tablet functions one could imagine, except those requiring GPS or a (ugh) camera.
2. Nook Glow for reading books.
3. Nook 1st/3G for reading books on jury duty and other extended-reading locations w/o WiFi.
4. Nook Touch on loan to my 95-year-old mother, for which paper books are a bit heavy.
5. Nook Touch on loan to my 95-year-old father.  This way they can read the same book at the same time, and discuss it.  WiFi is off to prevent syncing.

Nook #3-5 were bought on Craigslist for about $60 each.  #4-5 were bought for loaning, since it seemed like a much more flexible implementation of "Lend Me".

[DeanGibson Distinguished Bibliophile]

---

roustabout wrote:
...

And I've never been interested in buying a Kindle.   Do the Kindle monochrome devices run a usefully rootable Android?  

---

No.  Kindle users root their devices in order to add fonts and change screensavers.  Anything else is a lost cause, last I looked.

[bobstro]

---

roustabout wrote:

What do the nook touch tools do?  

---

It's a nice front-end app for:

1. Remapping the side buttons. I set top-right to 'back', and bottom-right to 'menu'.

2. Remapping the B&N quickmenu (pressing 'n'). I've remapped mine to library, maildroid, calendar pad, astrid tasks and dropsync.

3. Clear dalvik cache

4. Fix permissions

[bobstro]

---

DeanGibson wrote:

---

bobstro wrote:

... I'm going to have a hard time explaining why I need a 5th Nook device to my family.

---

Here is my justification:

[...]

---

I'm probably over-thinking it. I just need to use my B&N club membership $25 discount (which I assume applies). Then I can claim I saved money by buying it!

[roustabout]

Great to hear that I'll be able to root, install my apps, then switch back across to stock glowworm mode pretty much out of the gate, and shortly be able to have adb enabled fulltime all by swapping the uramdisk files. 

Thanks for the udpate!

Dean wonders if "If B&N doesn't like roustabout using the term "glowworms"

I've always liked creepy crawly critters - to this day, when I hike, I carefully turn over logs and better yet, plywood scraps I see on trailside to find out who lives underneath.  I recently posted a salamander photo I took with my media player - one of the things I like about my current neighborhood is that it's moist enough a lot of the time here that we have salamanders in abundance and once found a treefrog on the exterior wall.

For me, the resonance of glowworm is entirely positive - it evokes a naturally occurring self-illumination;  applied to the reader, a suggestion (hopefully accurate) that the illumination still conserves battery. 

While real glowworms (wingless female lightning bugs) have a more greenish cast to their light, there seems some similarity to the photos I've seen.