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Need clarifications on Market install procedure:
1. Calls for using "AndRootFile." I go to site to DL and it asks what phone to get right apk. Got no stinkin' phone. What do I put in? Or where can I get the apk for G-Tablet?
2. Procedure call for mounting R/W and making sure to make R/O when finished. How?
3. Guide for ADB setup at the end. Does that have to be done manually or do the files above take care of the changes? Or does the DL usb file replace the stock file?
4. i have had Gmail for a long time. Is anything other than a Gmail signon needed to set up market and the other apps?
Thanks for any help.
Rev
I was hoping a couple of quick answers would save me some time and uncertainty or maybe a mistake.
Anyone help?
Rev
butchconner said:
Need clarifications on Market install procedure:
1. Calls for using "AndRootFile." I go to site to DL and it asks what phone to get right apk. Got no stinkin' phone. What do I put in? Or where can I get the apk for G-Tablet?
2. Procedure call for mounting R/W and making sure to make R/O when finished. How?
3. Guide for ADB setup at the end. Does that have to be done manually or do the files above take care of the changes? Or does the DL usb file replace the stock file?
4. i have had Gmail for a long time. Is anything other than a Gmail signon needed to set up market and the other apps?
Thanks for any help.
Rev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. There won't be a version of androot specifically for the G tab. Just find an androot apk and install it.
2. Refers to read/write, and read only. Once androot is installed it will have a selection allowing for you to be a Superuser, and to set r/w, or ro.
3. ADB is setup manually. It is run from a command line. The USB driver gets installed by hooking up your G tab by usb, don't mount it from the G tab though. Then run the driver program in windows to install the driver.
4. Yes, once it is all installed your Gmail login will do it all. There is a market fix that will need to be done also as the market will be really incomplete. The fix is easy...
5. I know you didn't have a 5, and you will think I am beating a dead horse. If you were to just install TnTLite2.2 all the work is done, your G tab will scream, and you will be done...
Thanks for the quick clarifications. Now a comment for your (5) comment.
I have thought of going ahead and flashing -- and yes I know that solves some problems. But aside from being conservative hardware wise:
1. My biggest objection to flashing is that there is no real way back to stock. Vanilla is not factory if I understand right. And I'm not sure cwm lets you make a restorable factory image. If I knew I could restore a factory image, it would make playing a little easier for me.
2. I'm not new to computers or OSes, but I am new to Android. There is a certain learning advantage in doing the various procedures -- the negative being that that makes me have to ask people like you for the little details I need.
3. Screaming is relative. Compared to my PDA and my netbook, my G already screams. And none of them scream compared to my gaming machine which is probably in the top 10 per cent speed-wise. So screaming would only make a little difference for me.
4. And then there the projected Dec. 19 update. I realize that VS has missed the boat several times in all of this, but it would be tooooooooo sweet if they incorporated a lot of the fixes and ideas voiced here into the update and make a stock machine even better.
5. Since you quit at five I will too. I really would like to have a $279 G-Tablet to play with, but I like in the country and even the nearby large city doesn't have either enough Sears or tech enthusiasts for me to get that lucky. If I had a second one, I could play a little more since I wouldn't necessary have to keep it working so I could use it.
Anyhow, thanks again for the clarifications and your comments. There is no dead anything around here, BTW!!!
Rev
butchconner said:
Thanks for the quick clarifications. Now a comment for your (5) comment.
I have thought of going ahead and flashing -- and yes I know that solves some problems. But aside from being conservative hardware wise:
1. My biggest objection to flashing is that there is no real way back to stock. Vanilla is not factory if I understand right. And I'm not sure cwm lets you make a restorable factory image. If I knew I could restore a factory image, it would make playing a little easier for me.
2. I'm not new to computers or OSes, but I am new to Android. There is a certain learning advantage in doing the various procedures -- the negative being that that makes me have to ask people like you for the little details I need.
3. Screaming is relative. Compared to my PDA and my netbook, my G already screams. And none of them scream compared to my gaming machine which is probably in the top 10 per cent speed-wise. So screaming would only make a little difference for me.
4. And then there the projected Dec. 19 update. I realize that VS has missed the boat several times in all of this, but it would be tooooooooo sweet if they incorporated a lot of the fixes and ideas voiced here into the update and make a stock machine even better.
5. Since you quit at five I will too. I really would like to have a $279 G-Tablet to play with, but I like in the country and even the nearby large city doesn't have either enough Sears or tech enthusiasts for me to get that lucky. If I had a second one, I could play a little more since I wouldn't necessary have to keep it working so I could use it.
Anyhow, thanks again for the clarifications and your comments. There is no dead anything around here, BTW!!!
Rev
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I do understand why you want to do things the way you do. And just in case you may have not seen it. You can go all the way back to original by using NVFlash and the original images made way back a whole month ago. (Seems longer than that). I have done it a couple times while messing around with things that didn't work. Here is a little something I wrote up about how to do it..
http://forum.tegratab.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8
I didn't know what to think when I read your #2 comment. I am not an expert by any means but is it really that bad to have to ask?
"2. I'm not new to computers or OSes, but I am new to Android. There is a certain learning advantage in doing the various procedures -- the negative being that that makes me have to ask people like you for the little details I need."
Anyway, hope it helped..
Number two is nothing except that I am pretty independent and usually I am the one doing the helping -- and I just dislike bothering other people for basic info.
One of my dislikes about the G-Tablet and Android is that there are not many really good "user" books available. Lots of Android programming books, but none that just tell how it works and what to do for common tasks, etc. And what can I say about the G-Tablet manual. It does a credible job of describing the hardware, but I wish they had a few chapters on basic operation.
Well, I guess some of this is just griping so I'll shut up.
Rev
P. S. -- Is there any particular version of "AndRootFile" that will work better than the others?
butchconner said:
Number two is nothing except that I am pretty independent and usually I am the one doing the helping -- and I just dislike bothering other people for basic info.
One of my dislikes about the G-Tablet and Android is that there are not many really good "user" books available. Lots of Android programming books, but none that just tell how it works and what to do for common tasks, etc. And what can I say about the G-Tablet manual. It does a credible job of describing the hardware, but I wish they had a few chapters on basic operation.
Well, I guess some of this is just griping so I'll shut up.
Rev
P. S. -- Is there any particular version of "AndRootFile" that will work better than the others?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think androot is the same. The supported list is likely just stuff they have tested it with. I usually use Root Explorer myself. Androot is free, Root Explorer costs a couple dollars but is easier to use, and more capable. I also use a file manager named Es File Explorer. It is free in the market and once you get the hang of how it works it can be used on the lan to move stuff between your pc and tablet, extract zip files, etc.
I don't know if there will ever be a good manual for Android. From what I can tell it is kind of a free for all out there. Does not seem there are very many real solid standards but there sure are a lot of variations.
I think most of the hardware for sale now is not really made by any of the companies with there name on it. The G tablet is sold by 3-4 different companies, just named differently. Seems they are at the mercy, and so are we of how well they can communicate what they want fixed to a company in another country. I wish there was a company that built a tablet in house that was open with the customers. Would sure make bug fixes, and feature changes easier. As it stands, they are happy to sell whatever they get.
Everyone.
You can close this thread as far as I am concerned. I worked with adapting a stock machine until I simply got tired of it. I have converted to TnT 2.20 at this time and am pleased so far. I will write more about the experience when I have time.
Rev
I have been reading the same information as the rest of you about the VS G-Tablet, Staples and now Sears.
And I wonder how everyone is coming up with such wild suppostions based on almost NO really factual information.
Staples recall of inventory is a fact. I noticed that they are returning stock to VS because of some kind of flaw. We don't know what it is. We don't know if it is terminal or fixable. We don't know anything about remedies.
But whatever it is, it's not serious enough for them to start calling or notifying customers to return units and get their money back?!? If it really is a fatal hardware flaw, surely they will not get by without taking care of customers who already have purchased tablets.
Seems to me we need more info about why Staples did what they did and what is wrong before anything realistic can be determined.
Also, someone reported Sears is following Staples' path. Not trying to flame the poster, but we have (1) a report of no stock in that area (No Big Deal -- we never had any here!! ); and (2) we have an employee (not likely management at the level that would cover Sears corporate operations) saying they've had a lot of returns and don't know when they'll get any (again, nothing new there). Certainly not a stock recall like Staples.
I was in one of the area Sears stores here today and the little cardboard display they put up when they don't have VS G-Tablets in stock was still there. In fact, it had been updated to show the $379.00 price available today.
My point is that until we find out what the problem is that Staples is using as a reason for their action -- we really are just wasting our time speculating. And I certainly think the news media and the A**** fanboys are just spewing the garbage I would expect of them.
Am I the only person around who has noticed that a pile of us -- ranging from devs and hardware experts, down to just every day good old folks -- have been using, programming and flogging the G-Tablet for what (five-six weeks now?) and not one of us has raised a report of a fatal flaw????????????????
Sure. Grant that VS and whoever didn't do an adequate job of development and rushed the G-Tab to market. Grant that the software is not what we think is needed nor what we want. I can see that if it worked faster and better, it might be okay for some basic users.
Those of us who want more seem to be doing all right.
And one by one we have been fixing things.
Speaking for myself, I am not writing off the G-Tablet yet. I have two -- one from Sears and one from Office Depot. I could run down and return both right now.
But I'm not. I'm going to use the stuff that is available to me now to make both work like I want. Whatever else someone may say, it will do what I want it to do with the resources we already have on hand. And unless everyone else gives up, I see no reason we can't go right on and stay ahead of all the folks who are not smart enough to see the potential and go after it.
I am the minister -- so please don't start on plans for the funeral until the patient is pronounced dead for real. I don't see anything remotely close to that yet!
Rev
P. S. -- Sorry this rant got so long, but I just felt someone had to put some balance into what is being said about all of this. And I intended no flames for anyone who may disagree with my point of view. I am a minister and I am redemptive -- it's my job to try to "save" things!!
100% agreed...
As long as they release the kernel source, I don't really care whether Viewsonic recalls all their G Tablets or not. Because I am 100% certain there will be lots of other Tegra 2 tablets which will ship with updated firmware, which will give us a base image for Gingerbread and for Honeycomb down the road. As long as there's somebody willing to compile kernels and glue a kernel into the ROM images from very similar devices, well, we'll be just fine here and the G Tablet will continue to provide us with plenty of useful life over the next few years.
From what I can see from an earlier thread about a poster mentioning using the fact that several of the abilities the gtablet has on the cover do not work out of the box to return the tablet without having to pay the restocking fee. I believe that Sears and Staples are sending the units back to viewsonic and demanding that the touted abilities actually do in fact work before they get them back. (this can only help the tablet unless Viewsonic decides to give up.)
I really hope it stays around, Bought one for the wife, now I want one. (I got a nook color that behaves even worse out of the box. but I figure i'll root/rom it until it does work as the smaller size is definitely more portable.)
Even if Viewsonic were to give up I don't see our tablet caring much. The Zpad firmware works pretty well, the VegaN that I am running now is working very well, and TnTLite works pretty well.
I feel for the customers that bought this and are not techies. I recall the first time I turned mine on it was a barrage of force closes. Everything you touched would force close. It took a factory reset from the settings menu to make it stop. Flash was non-existent, clock had amnesia on wakeup, wifi lost it's mind.... If I was a regular customer I would have been PO'ed... Not known what to do, and it would have gone back with a "I will NEVER buy another Viewsonic product ever" mentality.
If all the above had not occurred out of the box this tablet may have been kept by more people. I'm sure lots of folks would have been plenty happy if it just worked. Most would not have known the real potential that was being strangled by the software overlay, and most would not care.
I think the biggest issue has to do with how things are sold in this country nowadays. Back when America made things, they had control of them. They touched them, tested them, and had a lot of pride in making sure they sold a good product. Viewsonic gained it's reputation by selling one of the best products.
This tablet is not made by Viewsonic. I don't really know how much Viewsonic had to do with it besides just signing on to have there name on the device in hopes of name recognition boosting sales. It reminds me of how companies sign athletes to endorse crappy products in hopes people will buy it because of the name. That is going to bite a lot of companies in the behind. Unless my perception of how American companies desire to do business is completely wrong then this path needs to stop.
Everything seems to need to be done as fast as possible, and with profit being the main goal. Who cares if it is the best.. Who cares if it could be better.. Just get it out there and make money.. Support? Why should we support our product? Why should we put a restore image online? Why should we update our website with info that might help folks understand what is being done about the issues?
This same stuff is happening with lots of companies. Sylvania is another example of the outsourced spin off type of product, there are many others.
I think we deserve better, and if a company has to have there rear end handed to them to figure out that quality, and customer satisfaction still counts then so be it....
If and I mean if VS decided to bail on the gtablet I would think they open the source code to the community. This is a great device.
At this point it doesn't matter, even if viewsonic abandons it.
It's a reference tegra 2 device for current app developers in the states (at least that's how I see it), we have badass roms for it, the advent vega is getting 2.3 which is easily ported...so it's all good.
No mystery
Nice posts. But there is no mystery that VS is getting these back. It's about their profit from sales of a marketable product. Whether this tablet goes the wayof the Edsel is immaterial to us afficianados but its still been a good ride. I think other tabs may sink us but so what.
It's still fun.
Mojav
here's my take on it, and what they need to fix for Joe Consumer
I can readily guess why these are going back, and a Staples rep I talked to actually mentioned that same thing. The stock firmware is bad.
But I don't mean just the Tap N' Tap UI, I mean the boot loops and FC's that occur. We've all seen them, even on TnT Lite. There is some instability that I am convinced has to do with how these devices were imaged.
Here's the problem -- here in XDA, we have clockworkmod and a great community to get us around those issues. But Joe Consumer has neither (unless they search on their own). And due to TnT's stupidity, they can't even download an offline update to at least attempt to fix the problems. Think about it...you're a user with a reboot loop, so you call Viewsonic for help. What can they do? There's no way to wipe the cache, wipe user data or even re-flash the device using the standard tools. It's insane.
What they need to do ASAP is deploy a firmware update that 1) can be run offline with a microSD card and 2) has a more enhanced recovery like clockworkmod to at least give the user the ability to wipe the user data or cache. And, if the user doesn't have a microSD card, they should send them a 1GB card, preinstalled with the recovery image, at no charge. I think it's an absolute requirement I hope VS are reading this and rip their TnT devs a new arse to fix this debacle before they give up on the device completely.
Still, worse case scenario is that we lose VS support but still have the zPad and Vega to look at, even it we don't have source. We have options, at least.
Sprdtyf350 said:
Even if Viewsonic were to give up I don't see our tablet caring much. The Zpad firmware works pretty well, the VegaN that I am running now is working very well, and TnTLite works pretty well.
I feel for the customers that bought this and are not techies. I recall the first time I turned mine on it was a barrage of force closes. Everything you touched would force close. It took a factory reset from the settings menu to make it stop. Flash was non-existent, clock had amnesia on wakeup, wifi lost it's mind.... If I was a regular customer I would have been PO'ed... Not known what to do, and it would have gone back with a "I will NEVER buy another Viewsonic product ever" mentality.
If all the above had not occurred out of the box this tablet may have been kept by more people. I'm sure lots of folks would have been plenty happy if it just worked. Most would not have known the real potential that was being strangled by the software overlay, and most would not care.
I think the biggest issue has to do with how things are sold in this country nowadays. Back
when America made things, they had control of them. They touched them, tested them, and had a lot of pride in making sure they sold a good product. Viewsonic gained it's reputation by selling one of the best products.
This tablet is not made by Viewsonic. I don't really know how much Viewsonic had to do with it besides just signing on to have there name on the device in hopes of name recognition boosting sales. It reminds me of how companies sign athletes to endorse crappy products in hopes people will buy it because of the name. That is going to bite a lot of companies in the behind. Unless my perception of how American companies desire to do business is completely wrong then this path needs to stop.
Everything seems to need to be done as fast as possible, and with profit being the main goal.
Who cares if it is the best.. Who cares if it could be better.. Just get it out there and make money.. Support? Why should we support our product? Why should we put a restore image online? Why should we update our website with info that might help folks understand what is being done about the issues?
This same stuff is happening with lots of companies. Sylvania is another example of the outsourced spin off type of product, there are many others.
I think we deserve better, and if a company has to have there rear end handed to them to figure out that quality, and customer satisfaction still counts then so be it....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got my g tab and am having all the issues u described out of the box. Internet crashes,WiFi dropping, force closes and all, did u just do the restart and it fixed everything? If so how do I do that and if u did more, what else do I have to do? I love my tablet and think it so much better than my friends ipad, but the issiues do bother me.....but I'll never return it, just want to fix it
Thx in advance
juda222000 said:
I just got my g tab and am having all the issues u described out of the box. Internet crashes,WiFi dropping, force closes and all, did u just do the restart and it fixed everything? If so how do I do that and if u did more, what else do I have to do? I love my tablet and think it so much better than my friends ipad, but the issiues do bother me.....but I'll never return it, just want to fix it
Thx in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I got my very first device (before TnT Lite existed), it was terrible. Lots of FC's, and at least twice it rebooted on me for no reason and wiped my user data. As I recall, doing a manual data wipe helped but it was never really fully stable until I wiped it with nvflash (the bekit image).
Since then, they only time I've ever seen major instability is either when testing mods, which is understandable, or going back to stock.
roebeet said:
When I got my very first device (before TnT Lite existed), it was terrible. Lots of FC's, and at least twice it rebooted on me for no reason and wiped my user data. As I recall, doing a manual data wipe helped but it was never really fully stable until I wiped it with nvflash (the bekit image).
Since then, they only time I've ever seen major instability is either when testing mods, which is understandable, or going back to stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apologies,is that an app I can download out of the market? sorry still a newb... and what mod do u use that makes it run so well now? Is that what nvflash is?
juda222000 said:
I just got my g tab and am having all the issues u described out of the box. Internet crashes,WiFi dropping, force closes and all, did u just do the restart and it fixed everything? If so how do I do that and if u did more, what else do I have to do? I love my tablet and think it so much better than my friends ipad, but the issiues do bother me.....but I'll never return it, just want to fix it
Thx in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well.... We have to go back in history. (Only about 6 weeks ago)
The force closes "Might" go away if you can get into settings and find the factory reset selection. It may be under the privacy tab. I can't tell you for sure because I am not running TnT right now.
The wifi issue was a problem when the device woke up and there was a patch made by a smart guy named Bekit.
The time issue was something where the time zone would not stick. It would always reset itself back to GMT if I recall.
There were patches for all of them back then, and I had them all installed at one point. None are needed anymore.
My suggestion to you, if you actually want to keep the tablet is to read the instructions in the post below and flash a new rom. TnTLite is based on your stock firmware. It just has the bad parts removed, and good stuff put in. All of the major issues should hopefully go away. As Roebeet just told you Nvflash could be in your future to do a clean wipe but I hope not. The stock out of the box firmware is really bad. It is unfortunate because the hardware is really good.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=842004
juda222000 said:
Apologies,is that an app I can download out of the market? sorry still a newb... and what mod do u use that makes it run so well now? Is that what nvflash is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, nvflash is fairly advanced stuff so I wouldn't recommend it unless you are fairly technical or if its the last resort. You need APX drivers setup on your PC as well as the nvflash image.
Try a user data wipe, as a first step. In stock, it's under Settings and Security, I believe. If that doesn't help, I'd recommend clockworkmod recovery next and try to do a clear cache, user data wipe and a SD partition fix, in that order (do the next if the previous one doesn't fix it). I'd do nvflash last.
I personally love nvflash, but like I mentioned you need to be somewhat technical to use it.
See the FAQ area under my sig for some pointers and links, to start you off with.
roebeet said:
No, nvflash is fairly advanced stuff so I wouldn't recommend it unless you are fairly technical or if its the last resort. You need APX drivers setup on your PC as well as the nvflash image.
Try a user data wipe, as a first step. In stock, it's under Settings and Security, I believe. If that doesn't help, I'd recommend clockworkmod recovery next and try to do a clear cache, user data wipe and a SD partition fix, in that order (do the next if the previous one doesn't fix it). I'd do nvflash last.
I personally love nvflash, but like I mentioned you need to be somewhat technical to use it.
See the FAQ area under my sig for some pointers and links, to start you off with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NVflash is the bomb... Finding the full sdk anymore... that sucks
juda222000,
Hang in there. I have been working on my second G-Tab and when I started it up, it worked worse than the first one did!!!
But it seems to me like if you just keep using common sense and rebooting to give it time to sort things out, and then using the info in these forums to get it together -- all will turn out well and you will have a really great tablet.
Just be patient and don't get ahead of yourself and cause yourself grief like I have done a couple of times!! Best wishes....
Rev
I personally suspect that the fatal flaw is no high price contract with a network provider.
As was stated.....if there really was a fatal hardware flaw we would almost definately know about it on this forum. The stock UI was poor but still not fatal. I would tend to agree that we need far more info before jumping to a conclusion about the life expectancy of this most excellent device (after a few mods).
Hey all,
I'm getting my G Tablet tomorrow and I'd just like to get some things clarified.
I know, the first thing some will say is USE SEARCH! Well, I did - and that's actually why I just want to get some things straight before I go down the path of modifying the device software. See, reading it all has managed to confuse me more than help me get a definitive instruction set for forging ahead.
I'm seeing the update "****s on CWM" according to a user...and then a 'fix' for that. Than I see that Gapps causes FCs for some, while it works for others. So...yeah, a little back and forth on what to do and who's instructions to follow.
Alright, so first thing's first....Should I flash the Clockwork Mod that I'm seeing available - 0.8? or is there something else I should consider or that I've missed? or maybe wait for a newer version? Should I even flash CWM if I get the newest (and I WILL be getting the newest) S/W version? Are there any downsides at all to flashing CWM on there in terms of messing with OTA updates, etc?
I read this:
"All the ROMS use a standard firmware updater that can be used by non-technical users. Here is an explanation on how it works:...."
Sooo, does that mean I can live without CWM? If an update doesn't work for some reason, will I be able to fix it or overwrite it somehow if I can't get into the tablet at all from the tablet itself? I read something about going into APX mode and putting things on through Windows, is this an infallible method?
Second of all, I read the FAQ thoroughly (I think and hope) but I'm still not 100% on what Gapps to DL or how to put a working Android Market on there especially with this new S/W update. I've seen how to 'fix' the Market to see missing apps, but not how to actually install it on the G Tablet. I may have missed that post somewhere on here.
I'm also unclear if I should get Gapps or not at all, as I've read that some have FCs on there while others do not - so what's the general consensus in light of this update that was just released as of Dec. 21, 2010?
Ultimately, here is what I'd like from my GTab:
I'd like to run the new official Tapn'Tap released recently first and foremost.
I'd like to have the official/unofficial (w/e) Google Market.
I'd like to run Google Apps (Gtalk, Gmail, etc.).
IF I don't like Tapn'Tap, and this is a worse case scenario situation, as in if I HATE TnT - I'd like to have the option to slap something else on there and I'd like to make sure I don't brick my Tablet. Whether that means storing an original official TnT ROM or whatever.
Point me in the right direction please, especially considering things may have changed as of the new S/W update.
Thanks much and sorry for all the questions. I assure you I used search and I attempted to put it together on my own. It's been a long time since I've modded (G1 was the last time) and I don't do it often. Also, apologies if I posted this in the wrong section....I considered posting it in Dev. section but this one seemed better suited.
Thanks again, XDA rocks.
Neoprimal said:
Hey all,
I'm getting my G Tablet tomorrow and I'd just like to get some things clarified.
I know, the first thing some will say is USE SEARCH! Well, I did - and that's actually why I just want to get some things straight before I go down the path of modifying the device software. See, reading it all has managed to confuse me more than help me get a definitive instruction set for forging ahead.
I'm seeing the update "****s on CWM" according to a user...and then a 'fix' for that. Than I see that Gapps causes FCs for some, while it works for others. So...yeah, a little back and forth on what to do and who's instructions to follow.
Alright, so first thing's first....Should I flash the Clockwork Mod that I'm seeing available - 0.8? or is there something else I should consider or that I've missed? or maybe wait for a newer version? Should I even flash CWM if I get the newest (and I WILL be getting the newest) S/W version? Are there any downsides at all to flashing CWM on there in terms of messing with OTA updates, etc?
I read this:
"All the ROMS use a standard firmware updater that can be used by non-technical users. Here is an explanation on how it works:...."
Sooo, does that mean I can live without CWM? If an update doesn't work for some reason, will I be able to fix it or overwrite it somehow if I can't get into the tablet at all from the tablet itself? I read something about going into APX mode and putting things on through Windows, is this an infallible method?
Second of all, I read the FAQ thoroughly (I think and hope) but I'm still not 100% on what Gapps to DL or how to put a working Android Market on there especially with this new S/W update. I've seen how to 'fix' the Market to see missing apps, but not how to actually install it on the G Tablet. I may have missed that post somewhere on here.
I'm also unclear if I should get Gapps or not at all, as I've read that some have FCs on there while others do not - so what's the general consensus in light of this update that was just released as of Dec. 21, 2010?
Ultimately, here is what I'd like from my GTab:
I'd like to run the new official Tapn'Tap released recently first and foremost.
I'd like to have the official/unofficial (w/e) Google Market.
I'd like to run Google Apps (Gtalk, Gmail, etc.).
IF I don't like Tapn'Tap, and this is a worse case scenario situation, as in if I HATE TnT - I'd like to have the option to slap something else on there and I'd like to make sure I don't brick my Tablet. Whether that means storing an original official TnT ROM or whatever.
Point me in the right direction please, especially considering things may have changed as of the new S/W update.
Thanks much and sorry for all the questions. I assure you I used search and I attempted to put it together on my own. It's been a long time since I've modded (G1 was the last time) and I don't do it often. Also, apologies if I posted this in the wrong section....I considered posting it in Dev. section but this one seemed better suited.
Thanks again, XDA rocks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how much direction pointing I can do but here goes..
Clockwork mod in my opinion is a necessity. Version 0.8 is the best one for most people because of how it deals with the memory locations. Yes, you can do things without it. The update process is as simple as putting an update.zip file, and a recovery folder with a command file in it on an sdcard and holding the vol + button while hitting power. It is easy. Clockwork has a lot of little features though that make life easier. You can make a complete system backup with it. You can install updates, and new firmware with it. You can completely lock up your tablet and using clockwork and your backup be back in business in about 3-4 minutes. You can load new roms and if you hate them you can go back to your old working stuff in minutes. Yes, there are ways to make one of these tablets work again when they get stuck. I don't think anyone has actually bricked one. Some may think they have, but I doubt it.
Unless you are dead set on wanting the stock TnT interface the easiest way to get what you want is to load one of the roms. Yes, there are ways to get most of it without loading a new rom. Most everyone that has gone the I have to stay stock but want all the mods has eventually just loaded a rom. TnT3.0 is based on the latest stock stuff. It has the market, flash, etc. already in it. VegaN is what I use mostly but they are both stable and fast.
Before you flash something brand new that just came out I would read about it and see what others have to say about issues. It usually only takes about 30 minutes until you can tell if it is going to be good or not.
All of the roms for this tablet have there own little quirks. The stock has gotten better with each update but it still is not as good as the ones I named.
Finally.. This tablet is very easy to play with. It is pretty much unbrickable. Anything you can possibly break one of us has probably already broken before and fixed. There are some people that seem to have problems doing every little thing. Most don't. So I wouldn't let any of it scare you off because none of it is that hard.
With a little bit of searching almost everything you may want it to do can be done. I really love mine, and when I got it almost 2 months ago I hated it...
"Finally.. This tablet is very easy to play with. It is pretty much unbrickable. Anything you can possibly break one of us has probably already broken before and fixed. There are some people that seem to have problems doing every little thing. Most don't. So I wouldn't let any of it scare you off because none of it is that hard."
"Sigh" of relief. Then I'm not too worried. As I said I've dabbled in modifying my G1 and it is mostly cake. But I've just been seeing conflicting posts on whether cwm works with the newest official tnt release or not so I wasn't sure what to do.
Thanks for your advice. And when I said pointers, I meant like this as well as pointing me to any posts I may have missed on how to do whatever. Though I THINK I found most of them.
Neoprimal said:
"Finally.. This tablet is very easy to play with. It is pretty much unbrickable. Anything you can possibly break one of us has probably already broken before and fixed. There are some people that seem to have problems doing every little thing. Most don't. So I wouldn't let any of it scare you off because none of it is that hard."
"Sigh" of relief. Then I'm not too worried. As I said I've dabbled in modifying my G1 and it is mostly cake. But I've just been seeing conflicting posts on whether cwm works with the newest official tnt release or not so I wasn't sure what to do.
Thanks for your advice. And when I said pointers, I meant like this as well as pointing me to any posts I may have missed on how to do whatever. Though I THINK I found most of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The new release overwrites clockwork. But it is not hard to put back. Always a good idea to copy the clockwork backups folder to your pc, or somewhere they won't be lost. The custom roms typically leave the recovery image alone and can be installed with or without clockwork by either extracting the zip contents for stock recovery, or installing it as is in clockwork.
Sprdtyf350 said:
Finally.. This tablet is very easy to play with. It is pretty much unbrickable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can vouch for that. Erased system, boot, data and cache in preparation for a new ROM. Accidentally rebooted and couldn't get into recovery. Booted it into APX mode, flashed stock and was on my way.
I would just run ZRoot, then upload the TnTLite 3.0 recovery and update.zip and then do the recovery mode process. You should have a microsd handy just in case it doesn't work, but so far I haven't needed that.
This tablet is much easier to work with and very forgiving since VS never took the time to lock down the bootloader etc like Motorola did with my Droid X. You really shouldn't fear changing files out etc, provided you're getting a ROM from one of the people providing them here. If you can press and hold two buttons at once, you can make your gTab an awesome little tablet. It benchmarks about 1000 points higher than my Droid X on quadrant. Can't wait to see what these guys can do with Gingerbread.
Sprdtyf350 said:
The new release overwrites clockwork. But it is not hard to put back. Always a good idea to copy the clockwork backups folder to your pc, or somewhere they won't be lost. The custom roms typically leave the recovery image alone and can be installed with or without clockwork by either extracting the zip contents for stock recovery, or installing it as is in clockwork.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is also not hard to alter the update so that it does not overwrite clockwork.
Open update.zip
Find updater-script, Open in notepad++
Remove the line that references recovery.img
Flash update
hogasswild said:
I would just run ZRoot, then upload the TnTLite 3.0 recovery and update.zip and then do the recovery mode process. You should have a microsd handy just in case it doesn't work, but so far I haven't needed that.
This tablet is much easier to work with and very forgiving since VS never took the time to lock down the bootloader etc like Motorola did with my Droid X. You really shouldn't fear changing files out etc, provided you're getting a ROM from one of the people providing them here. If you can press and hold two buttons at once, you can make your gTab an awesome little tablet. It benchmarks about 1000 points higher than my Droid X on quadrant. Can't wait to see what these guys can do with Gingerbread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with the new update however does the z4root still work? i heard it may not anymore. just curious also since im hopefully getting mine on sat for xmas
rothnic said:
It is also not hard to alter the update so that it does not overwrite clockwork.
Open update.zip
Find updater-script, Open in notepad++
Remove the line that references recovery.img
Flash update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info Rothnic! I had already flashed it before I figured out it removed Clockwork. Learning new stuff every day is good... Thanks..
dragonfly1113 said:
with the new update however does the z4root still work? i heard it may not anymore. just curious also since im hopefully getting mine on sat for xmas
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The very first time I rooted, I used ZRoot and installed 2.4.0. I didn't change anything and used the exact same process of simply copying over the 3.0.0 files over to the root directory of the internal memory and did the recovery procedure (vol+ and pwr keys). It worked like a charm.
hogasswild said:
The very first time I rooted, I used ZRoot and installed 2.4.0. I didn't change anything and used the exact same process of simply copying over the 3.0.0 files over to the root directory of the internal memory and did the recovery procedure (vol+ and pwr keys). It worked like a charm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok cool, thanks cant wait for my g tablet hopefully sat morning
I think you'll like it a lot. I also own an iPad. While they are similar they are also a little different. Merry Christmas!
hogasswild said:
I think you'll like it a lot. I also own an iPad. While they are similar they are also a little different. Merry Christmas!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my mom has an ipad and my dad could only buy it while i was on my honeymoon bc he knew i wouldnt approve of an apple device in the house haha.
rothnic said:
It is also not hard to alter the update so that it does not overwrite clockwork.
Open update.zip
Find updater-script, Open in notepad++
Remove the line that references recovery.img
Flash update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My device hasn't come yet (damn you FedEx!) but I'm eagerly awaiting it.
My plan:
Unbox, start it....do a factory reset from the getgo if it has enough juice.
Set it back up. Charge it to full. If whatever comes on it is as unbearable as I've seen in on Youtube - start modifications.
Will CWM install on it AFTER I do the update if it's available to me? I've seen that the update messes with it if it's already there - but noone's mentioned putting it on there after the fact. I may just go that route for simplicity sake.
Thanks for this!, and thank you all for chiming in with your experience. I feel much better about just getting my hands dirty in it all. I had wrote something to someone yesterday about jumping in and just doing it, but when it comes to dealing with it yourself it can be a daunting task - especially when it still has that new smell, lol. Anyway, thanks again. You guys really rock.
Will stop back later on after I've done my thing
I think they are both nice devices. There are trade off for both of them. I think the screen on the iPad is wonderful, where the gTab's is okay. But the gTab has a forward facing camera, you can print from it, and you can modify it fairly easily too.
Sprdtyf350 said:
Finally.. This tablet is very easy to play with. It is pretty much unbrickable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...famous last words...
Seriously though...trust the directions from the great devs like roebeet. Follow their instructions word for word. You can switch ROMs and then flash back if you want. No worries...
Off topic!
Well...disappointment! Fedex had my package out for delivery at 8am and at 8pm, they're not here. This is why I like UPS, they show up at my door on the day of delivery, no exceptions - they have shown up at almost 9pm before. The Archos 101 I got was sent out at 8am as well but got here at 1:30pm - I suppose that was before the holiday rush.
Checking the details of my tracking I'm seeing a "delivery exception" at 7:30pm (I guess it was time to get back to the facility so they can clock out by 8pm?) and upon calling them I get a somewhat stumbling but polite CS who tells me the delivery went out "late" - upon which I asked if 8am was considered late, especially from a distribution facility WITHIN the same zip code as I am, and all he could say was "Very sorry about this".
Aaaanyway....I guess it will be tomorrow before I can report my adventures.
Think I'll be able to get my $3.99 back from Amazon? I have Prime and with that the package would have come tomorrow anyway. Basically my $3.99 is wasted. Imagine if I didn't have Prime though? Whew.
ima_UNC_fan said:
...famous last words...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can figure out how to brick it you will probably get an award.. It won't be a good award but probably one of those top ten dumb things people do awards. So far unless you plug the motherboard into a wall socket no one has bricked one. May think they have, but like I said before I doubt it..
And your right.. If it can be done, someone eventually will figure out how. And then we will all laugh at them.. At least I will
I finally got the G tablet tonight and...alright, don't flame me for this - but I don't see what all the complaints about the screen being horrendous or the device being molasses slow are about?
I don't know how people are trying to view it...but when looking at it or setting it on a stand to watch media, I'm not seeing any problem with the viewing angles. It's about the same as my laptop so I watch it the same way.
It's not even a 1/4 as slow as the stuff I've seen on Youtube or in some of the review videos I've seen around the net. I haven't gotten a single FC. Granted, I haven't put in a SD Card yet so maybe problems will start then?
I guess I should note, the very first thing I did was did a factory reset. Then I hooked it up to Wifi and got the 3053 update. I'm one of those who will be waiting for the 'official' update on the 24th.
I set up the time and date, restarted and everything works. I haven't installed flash yet (don't need it that much) and stuff that I DO want on there right now works fine (skype, pandora, fring, dropbox, evernote). I'm slowly figuring out a list of what I want/need from my Mytouch 4G to port to the VS GTab. Figure I don't really NEED Gtalk, Gmail on there because I have these on my phone AND PC - do I really want them making noises all around my home on 3 devices? I was concerned about getting the Google Apps on but now I'm finding I really don't need them. So it seems to me this will be a matter of learning to separate what I need on a tablet vs. my phone - I was of the mentality that I should just get whatever's on my phone on the tablet, this is something others apparently do as they seem to want everything that's on their phone, on their tablets as well.
I personally don't see the point in that. Had I had the Google Market, that would have escaped me as I'd have used Appbrain to just get my motherload of apps from the MT4G to the GTab. Not having it has slowed me, and now I get to re-evaluate before I do grab apps for it.
Now I just have to merge/convert my HTPC into a NAS device as well and find an app that will allow me to DLNA stream media from it and I'll be in mobile heaven.
I haven't had my wifi drop at all anywhere in my home and I've marched all over with it (I use full Wifi N, no G compat. so maybe my range is wider?). Tried email, etc. to replicate crashes and force closes but haven't so far. No surfing issues. I DID find that one app got 'stuck' being downloaded and I had to delete the file before the 'downloading' icon would go away, even after restart.
Maybe the trick to getting a workable GTab in the first place is to factory reset it before first use? Iunno. Things may change and issues may pop up the more I use it and as time passes - but so far, so good!
Again, I can't thank XDA enough for the advice and info. I've found and been given.
Sprdtyf350 said:
If you can figure out how to brick it you will probably get an award.. It won't be a good award but probably one of those top ten dumb things people do awards. So far unless you plug the motherboard into a wall socket no one has bricked one. May think they have, but like I said before I doubt it..
And your right.. If it can be done, someone eventually will figure out how. And then we will all laugh at them.. At least I will
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured it out. Accidentally hit one of the devkit nvflash .cabs and boom
"For this guide, it is not necessary to root the Viewsonic G Tablet in order to flash CyanogenMod. You can simply install ClockworkMod Recovery & continue on.
WARNING: INSTALLING CLOCKWORKMOD RECOVERY ON THE VIEWSONIC G TABLET WILL VOID THE WARRANTY."
(I would imagine though that all of this stuff can be erased? If it voids the warranty, then why in the world would anyone ever put it on there if it can't be undone...?)
I have to say up front, that I haven't had any of the major issues that everyone is going on and on about. I had the one time occurrence of the barrage of "Force Quits" that happened the moment I got it out of the box... But in less than 30 min, the 3389 Update was available and I haven't had one issue since.
The only 2 things that I was worried about was the ability to watch Youtube, which I found that as long as you view the original "Desktop" version of youtube then you have no problems... The Desktop version was a simple click of a link at the bottom of the Youtube Mobile Page... Fixed... Done...
(My only REAL Question)
The other problem that I had, and am still having, is simply trying to get my Gmail account to unload in the "E-Mail" application that came with the G Tab. It says to check my incoming mail settings, which I did, and still can't quite figure that out... Any ideas?
Other than that though, this thing has given me nothing short of a good experience. I'm not too savvy with the MOD aspect of everything, but I would think that if I put that on my system, that I would have the mods themselves to blame for anything that went wrong..... And I certainly wouldn't want to jeopardize my Warranty just to have gmail pop up 3 weeks faster than Viewsonic can pay it's employees to pump out updates.... I'm giving them time, as I would hope any customer base would give me if I were the manufacturer.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the cool little gadget... That's how I see it. It has a crap ton of potential, and I'm willing to watch this infant grow without boosting it full of steroids and blackmarket performance drugs... Last thing I want is a third arm that doesn't work growing out of it's face............
I want to apologize for posting this twice. I'm really new to this forum, and couldn't find where to erase this post... I filed it under a different title in this same forum, so sorry again if I offend any of you with my multipost...
~Poly
I actually use the Gmail app, not the Email app (modded Tnt Lite with gapps).
The mod warnings are for a reason - we have to assume that not everyone understands the implications of modding their device and they should know that it is a risk. And if you call Viewsonic after doing a mod like this and need help from them, they aren't going to support it (and I guess I can't blame them for that).
Can this be uninstalled?
Can clockworksmod be uninstalled? If so how?
GaryHypnosis said:
Can clockworksmod be uninstalled? If so how?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you flash stock, and specifically recent stock, it should wipe clockworkmod recovery as well.
Thanks you for your help!
Does this mean if there is a hardware failure on the tab, and you have installed any of the updates found HERE, you have voided warranty and Viewsonic will not repair?
I'm still trying to understand the flashing et al.
So ANY of the mods from this site would then be a warranty void?
Is there a reversal to the mods that would allow warranty?
Thanks
I don't think they would honor the warranty, that's correct. It's a risk... all the mods are a risk.
Granted, they may not be able to see the mod unless they go into APX mode and pull your system.img, but anything obvious could be something they might latch onto (like if you modded the bootloader screen or have VEGAn's "GTabDevs" bootup screen).
Imo, the best reversal before RMA'ing for a hardware problems is nvflash - it will get you back to a clean vanilla stock setup, with all the boot images fixed as well as the system image. It's called "covering your tracks".
Modding
I look at it like this.... I paid roughly $400.00 for my tab(with tax). I understand that technology is moving SOOOO fast that my tab will be completely out of date in a matter of months. I bought my tab to have fun with, and part of the fun I want to have is to push it to see how far it will go. I guess in the end if I destroy my tab I will only be out the 400 bucks, but the other side of it is I can learn a helluva lot about rooting and flashing ROMS on an android device that I will(hopefully be able to) replace within a year.
Without Vegan and TNTLite, the GTablet would be worth roughly $0 to me... Well that might be overstating it, but maybe $100-200. With Vegan, my tablet is worth more to me than I paid, and currently lacking other options for a decent Android tablet that fits my needs, that makes it a pretty easy calculation.
I'd love a tablet with stock frogingercomb on it, but it's not an option. Basically I think it comes down to this: If your tablet gives you everything you want with Viewsonic's default software on it, by all means, don't go changin' anything. If you need more, try out some ROMs at the (slight but potential) risk of having a $400 paperweight. If you need more but can't take the risk, return the tablet for a refund and wait a couple months for the next wave.
Afterall, the XDA in XDA-Developers.com stands for "eXtreme Daredevil Alligators" I think, or something similarly awesome. It's not for the lighthearted!
Hey there everyone!
I have to say up front, that I haven't had any of the major issues that everyone is going on and on about. I had the one time occurrence of the barrage of "Force Quits" that happened the moment I got it out of the box... But in less than 30 min, the 3389 Update was available and I haven't had one issue since.
The only 2 things that I was worried about was the ability to watch Youtube, which I found that as long as you view the original "Desktop" version of youtube then you have no problems... The Desktop version was a simple click of a link at the bottom of the Youtube Mobile Page... Fixed... Done...
(My only REAL Question)
The other problem that I had, and am still having, is simply trying to get my Gmail account to unload in the "E-Mail" application that came with the G Tab. It says to check my incoming mail settings, which I did, and still can't quite figure that out... Any ideas?
Other than that though, this thing has given me nothing short of a good experience. I'm not too savvy with the MOD aspect of everything, but I would think that if I put that on my system, that I would have the mods themselves to blame for anything that went wrong..... And I certainly wouldn't want to jeopardize my Warranty just to have gmail pop up 3 weeks faster than Viewsonic can pay it's employees to pump out updates.... I'm giving them time, as I would hope any customer base would give me if I were the manufacturer.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the cool little gadget... That's how I see it. It has a crap ton of potential, and I'm willing to watch this infant grow without boosting it full of steroids and blackmarket performance drugs... Last thing I want is a third arm that doesn't work growing out of it's face............
Quote:
"For this guide, it is not necessary to root the Viewsonic G Tablet in order to flash CyanogenMod. You can simply install ClockworkMod Recovery & continue on.
WARNING: INSTALLING CLOCKWORKMOD RECOVERY ON THE VIEWSONIC G TABLET WILL VOID THE WARRANTY."
(I would imagine though that all of this stuff can be erased? If it voids the warranty, then why in the world would anyone ever put it on there if it can't be undone...?)