[Q] Downgrade tab2 - Galaxy Tab 2 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Please can anyone tell me if its possible to downgrade my tab2 to gingerbread, at the moment its on jelly bean cm10, I only use this tab as a games machine and almost every game ive put on it won't work.I have a galaxy player 5 wifi and it plays anything I throw at it.If I can't downgrade then I may as well give the tab to my local charity shop.If I buy windows7 then I can run old software in compatiblity mode,why can't I do this with android?.It seems to me that ICS and JB are a complete waste of time,resource hungry and not very stable.Thanks in advance for any help

They likely aren't compatible with your tablet because the game developers haven't put support for it in the game. Downgrading to Gingerbread, even if it were possible, wouldn't fix this. The game would likely run just fine on the tablet, but the market is setup to allow/deny on a device by device basis, and the game developers apparently haven't allowed whatever model you have. I'm also guessing that you probably didn't bother contacting any of the game developers to see if they would support the tablet? That would have been more useful than posting here.

downgrade
Thanks for your reply,I did contact a lot of developers and almost all of them said that because the games were old as they put it, there was no point in modifying them to work on newer versions of android,the bottom line is that i have wasted a lot of money paying for games that are not backwards compatible with new version of the android os.I'm very disappointed as this tablet for all intents and purposes is nothing but a door stop.

fieryjack55 said:
Thanks for your reply,I did contact a lot of developers and almost all of them said that because the games were old as they put it, there was no point in modifying them to work on newer versions of android,the bottom line is that i have wasted a lot of money paying for games that are not backwards compatible with new version of the android os.I'm very disappointed as this tablet for all intents and purposes is nothing but a door stop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can something be "backwards compatible" with a newer version? And my tablet works just fine for me and several others. I'm guessing that you could install the games and they would work fine on the tablet, just that the developer(s) don't want to try and test them on the newer versions of Android. In the end, all they're doing is hurting themselves and losing money.

downgrade
imnuts said:
How can something be "backwards compatible" with a newer version? And my tablet works just fine for me and several others. I'm guessing that you could install the games and they would work fine on the tablet, just that the developer(s) don't want to try and test them on the newer versions of Android. In the end, all they're doing is hurting themselves and losing money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I meant by backwards compatible is that I can run win98 or xp software on a windows 7 machine so why can't I run gingerbread software on jelly bean or ICS.And your right they are losing money my money!!,if I can't get gingerbread or honeycomb on this tab then its history and I shall be looking at an ipad,from what i've seen anything runs on an ipad no matter how old it is,dont get me wrong I'm not slagging off android but this tablet isn't fit for the purpose that I bought it for.I know this probably isnt the right place but my wifes iphone runs 3 year old software on ios6.So if anyone can tell me how to get gingerbread or honeycomb on this tablet I will be forever in their debt because they will stop me from going over to the dark side which I don't really want to do.

Backwards compatible would mean that it is meant for ICS or Jelly Bean but runs on Gingerbread, Froyo, or something older, not the other way around. And whatever games or apps you want to run likely would work fine on the tablet running ICS or Jelly Bean, but the developer is probably to lazy to even try and test it, or allow people to download it. Then again, since you think forward compatibility is the same as backwards compatibility, I wouldn't expect you to know much about how the market is setup to allow/deny apps on devices.

downgrade
imnuts said:
Backwards compatible would mean that it is meant for ICS or Jelly Bean but runs on Gingerbread, Froyo, or something older, not the other way around. And whatever games or apps you want to run likely would work fine on the tablet running ICS or Jelly Bean, but the developer is probably to lazy to even try and test it, or allow people to download it. Then again, since you think forward compatibility is the same as backwards compatibility, I wouldn't expect you to know much about how the market is setup to allow/deny apps on devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can see that I'm flogging a dead horse here, my original post said that I tried all these games and apps already and they dont work with jb or ics,which is why I want to downgrade,my tab2 is now wedging the door open and I have gone back to my galaxy player 5.0 on gingerbread,the tab2 is going on ebay and the first bid over a fiver gets it.

Why not try device spoofer as last resort or changing build prop file
But make a nandroid backup first
What are the names of games you try to operate?
No gingerbread in tab2, as the device sell with ics out of the box, may be try tab1
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

Related

Pls enlighten this Android newbie

Hi all,
Am a newbie to Android tablets/devices both in terms of hardware and software. So if my post is posted in the wrong thread or reposted pls pardon me. I just want to understand a few basics.
As you all may know, now the market is being flooded by those Chinese made Android tablets. And many of them looks good (at least on paper) and at a very good price. But the problem is most of the time when come to chinese goods, they don't usually do what they claims (if you know what i mean). and the best part most of the salesperson don't know anything about the products they are selling especially when comes to tech gadgets like the Android tablets.
So here i am seeking help from you gurus and hoping i can start my Android journey on the right step. Below are a few questions. Hope I can get answers (links to somewhere where i can read up or anything).
1. What are the conditions (CPU make, firmware, etc) to fulfill if i wan to upgrade/root/hack the original Android OS? Cos most of the chinese made tablets are running on Android 1.5. Hoping to be able to upgrade the OS whenever a newer one comes out. Like the latest 2.1 And be able to download new apps from the apps market.
2. Which CPU chip is better and what are the common CPU chips in the market now? I know there are the Rockchips, VIA, Telechips.
3. Can we tell what are the hardware (CPU make etc) and software (OS/firmware version, etc) that are being used in the device from the system setting or something?
4. I read somewhere that not all CPU chips can be upgraded to the latest OS. i.e. that any upgrade is determined by the CPU chip. Is it true?
5. As for custom ROM, is it also device dependable? Like is there a generic ROM for all devices?
For now these are the questions which are bugging me. Hope the gurus here can enlighten this Android newbie.
Sorry for the long winded post and thanks for any help.
Hmmm. Just check that it is upgradable to froyo and it has more than 500mhz cpu
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
if you are looking for a tablet just get an ipad. the android tablets i see floating around are just 1.5 or 1.6. even if you get a tablet that can do 2.2 (froyo)... i dont see how that can be any better than an ipad.
i just feel that 2.2 isnt meant to be in tablet form. if you can wait... wait for 3.0 before you decide. the main deterrent here is the maximum resolution for android (854 x 480 or something), and that the apps were made with phones in mind.
im very happy with my nexus one... i just cant imagine having a tablet running android as of the moment unless its very very cheap ($200 or so).
i for one will get an ipad next month. my nexus one with wifi tether + the basic wifi ipad will be gadget heaven. looking to get an ipad primarily for reading magazines (zinio) and comic books. android does not have zinio yet. the android comic viewer (ACV) i use on my nexus is ok... but not great. then theres the games. games on android are still so so with less variety and choices.
as a phone the android is great! better than the iphone (yes im an apple user through and through) even. but as a tablet... not quite yet.
Hp is going to release a tablet so is samsung with 2.2
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Hopefully start seeing some of these 2.2 tablets in the 3rd Quarter...

[Q] Can you all point me to a Reliable Fast and Supported Tablet?

So after the past week or so i have done some casual research. Looking thru various sites getting some not so reliable feedback i figured i would just ask at the top.... And i dont know why i didnt in the first place..
I am looking to get a Android Tablet when taxes come. Something not to expensive but not a cheap piece of junk either.
I am looking for something reliable, fast good graphics, a decent camera if possible certianly gps, wifi, bluetooth. I would like to dock it in my car for its Gps potential, and for movies and certianly its music capabilities (like power amp) and pandora last fm ect. I figured i would tether it to my Droid 2, and no i wont be watching movies on it thats more for my wife, friends ect.
I would defenatly want it to have the android market on it, wether i have to put it on there myself or if it was stock. I want to be able to play games like angry bird or whatever. Not just simple low end games but the potentintal to play anything i might want to..
And lastley i would like something that defenatly has some community backbone to it. Something that has been rooted, that people know and i can get reliable support on. I dont want to be running 1.6 on it it has to be like 2.0 or 2.2 and i can upgrade it. Something that runs really smoothly and has at least one decent rom.
I see some of these people who bought cheap tablets off ebay from Hong Kong or whatever and there having to scour the net just to find out what excatly it is called.. I dont really wana do that lol.
If i can find it locally great! If i got to order it off the net then so be it. I just want something that is open, reliale, smooth, fast and has some support behind it...
Sorry if this is the wrong section i looked for a overall tablet form but couldnt find one on XDA and i didnt want to post in every forum. If you have anylinks or even one u are thinking about buying like a link let me know id love to check it out!
Thanks Everyone!
Dude, get a NookColor! $249, supported in ROM Manager, and I'm sure soon to have full ROMs released..
It doesn't have a camera (but your Droid 2 does...) so that might be a deal breaker. It's not a tablet, it's an e-reader, but it's a neat little thing. I can't wait to see the development take off.
Other than that, the Motorola Xoom looks promising, but it's currently unreleased.
-pd
I would recommend the nook Color as well except for the fact that it is lacking a GPS. Therefore it does not fit into the car model. I have one for my son and it is a nice device.
The gps is kind of a nessisity for me, i could give up the camera but im stuck with the gps. But the nook or nook color is out for me. I see it as lacking later on because of its processor and it wasent built to be a tablet. I want something that will ride out for a few years if possible. It needs a 1 ghz prosessor and sufficent ram. And i got to have 2.2+ on it. And 7 inch minumum. Thank you for the suggestion thus far though
Consider the Archos 101 or 70.
Pretty sure it has everything.
There is a forum for it here too.
as far as I know no tablet meets your demands ( 1ghz/2.2/lotso ram/etc) probably best shot at the moment is a flytouch II from lightinthebox ...
10", decent rom support coming together, inbuilt gps, 2 cardslots for storage, android 2.1 with kernel 2.6.32.9 once you upgrade/update it to v1568 firmware.
another OEM provider promised 2.2 was going to be out last weekend but havent seen anything filtering out as of yet
chachi said:
as far as I know no tablet meets your demands ( 1ghz/2.2/lotso ram/etc) probably best shot at the moment is a flytouch II from lightinthebox ...
10", decent rom support coming together, inbuilt gps, 2 cardslots for storage, android 2.1 with kernel 2.6.32.9 once you upgrade/update it to v1568 firmware.
another OEM provider promised 2.2 was going to be out last weekend but havent seen anything filtering out as of yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, Archos already has 2.2 with 1ghz
http://www.archos.com/products/ta/archos_101it/specs.html?country=ca&lang=en
The RAM is not listed on that page but it would be easy to find out.
I'm just stepping out.
And there seems to be a GPS solution here http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=37910
Sry... what I meant was I want to run the most uptodate firmware I can so im kosher with 2.1 what im hoping to avoid is where I have seen a lot of them running 1.6. I've been thinking about archos but I just haven't heardb from anyone who ones a archos or a flytouch.. I would defenatly like to hear experiences... thanks again everyone
Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk
Also and i forgot to mention it.. It has to have a Capacitive and Multitouch screen like my Droid X or Droid 2.... Does that FlyTouch have that? cause i cant seem to find any information pertaining to that.
no flytouch2 is not multitouch but otherwise i am more than happy with mine, best €130 ish i've ever spent

Honeycomb apps on Kindle Fire?

What was the determination on running Honeycomb apps on the Kindle Fire? I had read somewhere that they would not work because they were only compatible with HC but has anyone actually tried to see if they will run? I would be very curious to know if they work because the phone apps are a little awkward at times on the larger screen of the kindle.
If someone has apks for any HC apps and would be willing to post them I'd be more than happy to try them out and report back with what works and what doesn't, maybe get a dedicated compatibility list going until someone releases an ICS rom for kindle.
The Fire is running Gingerbread so any HC apps would refuse to install. If HC had been open source Amazon probably would have used it since it is more suited for tablets.
They will probably issue an update with ICS so tablet apps can be used, but since the Kindle runs such a heavily modified version of Android, it will be a while before we see an Amazon issued ICS update.
This would be so awesome I've been doing a lot of searching on this for the past hour. It seems the consistent answer is that we have to wait for ics.. :-!
We may see CM9 on this long before Amazon releases an update. They already have ICS booting on the Fire and it looks pretty stable, but there isn't much hardware support yet. Looks promising though:
http://moooom.dyndns.info/?p=107
why?
what makes honeycomb apps special anyway ? i never used any tablet that runs honeycomb
buhind said:
what makes honeycomb apps special anyway ? i never used any tablet that runs honeycomb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many of the apps are more tablet optimized to take advantage of the extra screen space provided. If you look up Gmail for honeycomb you can see what I mean.
Honeycomb Gmail actually kind of sucks on a 7" tablet. It's really made for the 10"ers, on a 7" it's just crammed like you're back on a 2.5" phone screen.

[Q] Generic Chinese Clone Devices

Ok, so I'm pretty new to this whole Android thing, but I'm not daft and know a think or two about computers and software, so I'm not a complete 'noob'...
However, to spare me the drama of trawling through thousands of pages, I have a few quick concise questions, and would appreciate concise answers.
So I bought a generic handset, branded as an Onyx Dragon though AnTuTu benchmark app tells me its a Yusu... details and specs from Chinavision.com (search Onyx Dragon).
I initially bought it because I needed a new phone (been on a Moto V3 Razr for about 6 years!) so got this cos it was cheap and looked good. Runs Froyo on what I have found to be pretty **** hardware (MT6516, advertised as 416MHz but shown to be around 207MHz, but not sure if this is main CPU or radio core...) with not a lot of RAM. I installed an 8Gb SD card to save the apps and keep as much free internal space as possible, in case the OS supports disc memory (?). The wireless is good and screen works well, but the GPS, navigation and camera are rubbish, but they are not why I bought it; I have a decent camera and I can read a map. Its definitely 'entry level' so I'm not too bothered if I brick it.
Since I got it, and seeing the many cheap 'clones' out there, I'm keen to get into them a bit more and start developing. I already rooted it with z4root, BusyBox and Superuser all installed fine. ROM Manager is running but because I don't know the actual brand I'm not yet running ClockWorkMod (doesn't show up in the list). I'm keen to install Gingerbread or maybe even CyanogenMod 7, but cannot flash the ROM without CWM. Can anyone tell me what phone 'model' I should use for this particular handset?
I can't overclock the chipset, but have been looking at other clones to play with, such as htc Incredible G11i Pro clone from etotalk.com and 'CyberStar' 3G handset with MT6573 650MHz chipset (also from Chinavision).
Does anyone have any knowledge/experience with these clones? They look great and if they work as well as the budget model I have now then there is certainly potential. Sure, they may not be as good as a genuine Galaxy or Nexus, but then the price reflects that. However, as a cheap development platform you can't really go wrong! I'd like to see faster processors and more hardware mod ability such as clocking, just to see what is possible. Anyone tried ICS on one of these? I read elsewhere that if Froyo runs ok on a cheap device then GB should be better. My friend has GB 2.3.3 on a genuine $500 Galaxy S2 and I'd love to show him up with a rooted and clocked clone running ICS for a fraction of the price!!
Well, thats not as concise as I would like, but it covers pretty much everything. One last thing though, I cannot install ES File Explorer 1.6.1, it will download from Market and attempt to install but then fail. The latest version I have is the pre-installed 1.4.2.2. I've tried everything I can think of; downloading on my Mac and copying via USB to install from Astro making sure ES is not running, failed. Tried uninstalling ES with ROM Toolbox having root access and disabled AVG, failed. Tried to launch new version from package options, failed. I have installed ES Task Manager v1.2 but cannot use all the features as it says File Explorer needs to be updated, and needless to say updating it from the prompts failed as well... Any ideas? I'm thinking a flash to GB should include the latest version (or better alternative).
Thanks all in advance!
I don't think it's possible to run ICS on such a low spec'd device. This onyx dragon runs on a 416Mhz ARM9 processor with a 200 Mhz ARM7 GPU. Even the G1 that uses a 528Mhz ARM11 CPU can't run ICS well. I would suggest that you give up on theses crappy chineses devices. If you don't have money you can find a LG Optimus One for 100 bucks on ebay and it is A LOT better than any of these chinese crap phones
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
For CWM, take a look at this site http://www.koushikdutta.com/2010/02/clockwork-recovery-image.html and the quote below
Don't see your phone? Email me if you want to help me get it working!
And of course, all the source can be found on Github.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A
Hey all, thanks for the feedback. Basically, sure I don't want to spend a lot being a student, I don't have a lot, but I'm keen to get more out of what I can afford, hence the Chinese crap (yes it is crap but if it does what you need...) : ) just a shame I can't clock mine! Does anyone know if ANY MediaTec chips can be?
Sure, I think running ICS is a bit optimistic, but I'd still like to give GB or C-Mod a go, providing I can get CWM installed. I'd like to compile myself and even think about refining my own version, perhaps slimming down a newer version to run on low performance hardware. What's this about a special cable needed with a 3.5mm jack?
And am I right in thinking Honeycomb was only for tablets, not phones...?
droidscope said:
Hey all, thanks for the feedback. Basically, sure I don't want to spend a lot being a student, I don't have a lot, but I'm keen to get more out of what I can afford, hence the Chinese crap (yes it is crap but if it does what you need...) : ) just a shame I can't clock mine! Does anyone know if ANY MediaTec chips can be?
Sure, I think running ICS is a bit optimistic, but I'd still like to give GB or C-Mod a go, providing I can get CWM installed. I'd like to compile myself and even think about refining my own version, perhaps slimming down a newer version to run on low performance hardware. What's this about a special cable needed with a 3.5mm jack?
And am I right in thinking Honeycomb was only for tablets, not phones...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you are right about honeycomb. As for the device. Without kernel source which will never be released due to copyright issues you may have a bit of trouble Modding it. CM only supports authentic devices and not clones as the hardware specs as you learned are faked and never true.
droidscope said:
Hey all, thanks for the feedback. Basically, sure I don't want to spend a lot being a student, I don't have a lot, but I'm keen to get more out of what I can afford, hence the Chinese crap (yes it is crap but if it does what you need...) : ) just a shame I can't clock mine! Does anyone know if ANY MediaTec chips can be?
Sure, I think running ICS is a bit optimistic, but I'd still like to give GB or C-Mod a go, providing I can get CWM installed. I'd like to compile myself and even think about refining my own version, perhaps slimming down a newer version to run on low performance hardware. What's this about a special cable needed with a 3.5mm jack?
And am I right in thinking Honeycomb was only for tablets, not phones...?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi droidscope,
Not all the Chinese phones are crap there are a few very capable phones now entering the market and they are catching up the bigboys rapidly.
For more info & reviews on the latest Chinese phones check over here http://www.gizchina.com/category/phones/ Try to stick with the branded chinese phones such as Zopo, ZTE, Newman etc because there is at least some support where as the direct copy/clones have no support at all. If buying try to get the phone pre rooted because some of the Chinese phone are getting more difficult to root. I would look here http://www.etotalk.com/ if buying and select the MOD ROM $4.99 for most phones then the phone will come pre rooted with working playstore language etc. They do not 1 to 1 copys although some of the phones have more than a passing look of some of the more famous brands. I have used them a few times and they have not let me down be sure to email them first to ask about stock levels though.

[Q] Noob question about ICS

I am getting a bit confused with all the different versions of android.
ICS should be based on android 4.0.x and xoom is a tablet which uses android 3.0.x.
What happens to all the apps that are tablet only? aka only 3.0.x? Will they still run on 4.0.X?
Shadowwoelf said:
I am getting a bit confused with all the different versions of android.
ICS should be based on android 4.0.x and xoom is a tablet which uses android 3.0.x.
What happens to all the apps that are tablet only? aka only 3.0.x? Will they still run on 4.0.X?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Xoom has the hardware capability to run Android 4.0. The apps that work on Honeycomb (and gingerbread, froyo, etc) mostly work on ice cream sandwich, but the developer of the apps need to update their apps to make them compatible.
So google is just making it so the phone/tablet work on the same version? No more updates for 3.0.X?
Shadowwoelf said:
So google is just making it so the phone/tablet work on the same version? No more updates for 3.0.X?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, correct.
This is actually something that mildly concerns me. I have paid for a few tablet only apps. I assume these will be supported with ICS.
But what about apps that were paid for in GB? Say someone bought Splashtop for phones and they are running a phone with GB that gets upgraded to ICS. Will the app they purchased still be able to run on their device? Will it be optimized for ICS? Or will they need to buy the "tablet only" version?
I have a feeling this will be on an app by app (or developer by developer) case, but hopefully there won't be many issues.
Apps will have to be updated to work with ICS
Think about it. These apps, in order to remain relevant, will need to be updated to ICS, sooner rather than later. It's the new OS that all new and many older devices will be running. So don't worry...it will take a bit, but will probably work out better for us in the long run, as all those apps scaled for phones will also be able to scale for the Xoom.
Cubanluke88 said:
This is actually something that mildly concerns me. I have paid for a few tablet only apps. I assume these will be supported with ICS.
But what about apps that were paid for in GB? Say someone bought Splashtop for phones and they are running a phone with GB that gets upgraded to ICS. Will the app they purchased still be able to run on their device? Will it be optimized for ICS? Or will they need to buy the "tablet only" version?
I have a feeling this will be on an app by app (or developer by developer) case, but hopefully there won't be many issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Out of all the apps I have on my Xoom. So far I only have 1 app that won't run on ICS and supposedly the developer is working on an upgrade. And a good portion of those are regular phone apps. Don't sweat it. Most developers are very responsible and provide upgrades to paying customers. And the advantages of ICS are worth it.

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