Related
Is there going to be any xda support on this? It's still trickling into Kmart stores right now. but if we are able to OC this, that would be great
Doubt it...
its a great little device for little cash. i bought one today after i heard. glad i did. was this or the bb chumby. this blows it away
Hey Pen --
Have you tried the Kindle app on it? I want an ereader that is bigger than my MT3G and I think one of these would foot the bill if I can find one. My local store only had one and it was on hold for somebody.
I am going to get a rain check today.
until they release the patch which allows the market to work i havent tried it. they should have the patch released by tomorrow
How is the screen?
How do you like the screen and how is its performance in general.
over all i like the device. im used to a resistive screen so thats not a problem. doesnt appear to have the auto rotate screen but waiting to hear back from them to find out what the deal is. the manual talks about auto rotating the screen so it should have it. lack of bluetooth is another draw back but i really dont need it. they also have a 2.5mm headphone jack on them instead of a 3.5 like normal but they are addressing that with an adapter i do believe.
power consumption wasnt too bad. i was using the device for 5 hours yesterday and only used a 1/4 reserve from what it said. so i was only down to around 72% charge after playing with it for 5 hours. was reasonably bright enough in a brightly lit room. the angle one can see is pretty good as well.
the microsd card slot isnt in line properly. so if you insert a card you will want to put a price of tape on the end of it so when you release it you can pull it out. i played hell getting the thing to pull out and it was dragging the top of the card so had to use a pair of tweezers to pull it out.
cant access the market yet so havent tried the nook or kindle apps but that will be my next thing. looking at pictures was good. just as good as my digi pic frame.
over all for what i bought it for i do believe it will work a treat. i was going to buy a chumby either the bb or the sony branded chumby and this will work so much better then either of those two devices.
Augen Tablet
Thanks for the info pen.
It surprises me that that it has a 2.5mm jack. I wonder how it ended up with that. You can get an adapter on Amazon or ebay for a buck or two. That would be important for me because I'd like to be able to watch movies on it when I am on the train to work. That is also why I am interested in the Kindle app.
Everything that I have read seems to indicate that it has an accelerometer to rotate the screen.
I get the feeling that Augen underestimated the interest this device was going to generate and put it on the market when it wasn't completely ready, thinking they could dabble a little and fix problems on the fly with the couple of people that bought them. oops.
My Augen Gentouch78 experience
I just picked up my Augen yesterday at the KMart here in Phoenix (KMart actually called me on my raincheck I had made over the phone! Kudos to them). I like the form factor but am quite disappointed overall. While I don't think it is sluggish in general, the resistive touch screen makes it seem that way. Using your fingernail or an old pda stylus helps considerably in that regard.
Couple of negatives:
1. Market download does not work, as others have pointed out (it just stays in the "Starting Download" phase.
2. Micro SD card is hard to insert/remove (you need to use your fingernail in both cases, and to remove you need to also flick it down a bit to slide out as it seems to catch on the lip of the slot).
3. The device could not "Mount" when connected to my PC via USB. I had better luck when the SD card was not in the device, as I was able to Mount it once then, and saw that I had 1.3GB of free space... even though the device SD card info showed only 246ishMB free... what's up with that? (documentation did say there was 2GB available, so the Mounted drive size was closer).
4. I lost sound twice.. had to power off to get it back (all sounds started coming out as loud white noise). Seems to occur when pressing the top front part of the frame... yup, near where the menu/home/back buttons are.
5. Percentage battery use shows that monitoring cellular network was using 57% of the battery, and suggested turning it off. However, you can't... network settings only have WiFi (I curiously did find a place where it prompted me to turn on Bluetooth, but I don't think it did anything).
6. I wanted to return the unit due to the sound problem, but wanted to clear out my google account info... the factory reset does nothing other than power off the unit, even though that is how they say to clear out all data including the google account data.
7. No auto-rotate. No rotate at all that I can see. Nothing in the setup relating to that, even though the manual says it should be there.
8. Non-US Standard earphone jack
9. No mic or web cam
10. Resistive touch screen makes typing on the on-screen keyboard a PITA. I did get somewhat use to it after a while, but still don't like having to press firmly.
On the positive side:
After manually copying a ripped DVD movie in mp4 format onto my SD card and inserting it into the unit, it played great.
So, first impressions are basically way down there for me.
Some other specs:
- Telechips TCC8900 ARM CPU (on an eval board no-less!)
- Android 2.1 - Update 1
- Build 2010-07-21 (boy did they push these out the door... likely with no testing!!)
Eric
whisper1980 said:
I just picked up my Augen yesterday at the KMart here in Phoenix (KMart actually called me on my raincheck I had made over the phone! Kudos to them). I like the form factor but am quite disappointed overall. While I don't think it is sluggish in general, the resistive touch screen makes it seem that way. Using your fingernail or an old pda stylus helps considerably in that regard.
Couple of negatives:
1. Market download does not work, as others have pointed out (it just stays in the "Starting Download" phase.
2. Micro SD card is hard to insert/remove (you need to use your fingernail in both cases, and to remove you need to also flick it down a bit to slide out as it seems to catch on the lip of the slot).
3. The device could not "Mount" when connected to my PC via USB. I had better luck when the SD card was not in the device, as I was able to Mount it once then, and saw that I had 1.3GB of free space... even though the device SD card info showed only 246ishMB free... what's up with that? (documentation did say there was 2GB available, so the Mounted drive size was closer).
4. I lost sound twice.. had to power off to get it back (all sounds started coming out as loud white noise). Seems to occur when pressing the top front part of the frame... yup, near where the menu/home/back buttons are.
5. Percentage battery use shows that monitoring cellular network was using 57% of the battery, and suggested turning it off. However, you can't... network settings only have WiFi (I curiously did find a place where it prompted me to turn on Bluetooth, but I don't think it did anything).
6. I wanted to return the unit due to the sound problem, but wanted to clear out my google account info... the factory reset does nothing other than power off the unit, even though that is how they say to clear out all data including the google account data.
7. No auto-rotate. No rotate at all that I can see. Nothing in the setup relating to that, even though the manual says it should be there.
8. Non-US Standard earphone jack
9. No mic or web cam
10. Resistive touch screen makes typing on the on-screen keyboard a PITA. I did get somewhat use to it after a while, but still don't like having to press firmly.
On the positive side:
After manually copying a ripped DVD movie in mp4 format onto my SD card and inserting it into the unit, it played great.
So, first impressions are basically way down there for me.
Some other specs:
- Telechips TCC8900 ARM CPU (on an eval board no-less!)
- Android 2.1 - Update 1
- Build 2010-07-21 (boy did they push these out the door... likely with no testing!!)
Eric
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they are pushing an update out should be out tonight or tomorrow to fix a couple of the things. i believe the eval board is not correct as someone has found the chinese version of this and it has been out for a while. i just think the cooking of this device wasnt the best. i am just hoping they push 2.2 out on it pretty quickly.
I also got one today
I can confirm the market is not working for me either.. Yes build date is really new. haha.. I'm trying to get apps installed by emailing myself APK's to Gmail but I need something like APKatcher to do it. So so far I've not installed anything, but going into settings, aplications and manage I was able to kill the running apps and speed it up.
So far it's a cool little device. I also lost sound once and a reboot fixed it. haha (interesting) I watched 20 minutes of avatar and it looks incredible and gets much louder than a cell phone.. My 16GB MicroSD card went in fine.
There's a Stylus if you guys didn't figure that out yet. Makes typing extremely easy.
Anyone know how I can install some APK's?
ES File Manager comes Pre Loaded.. you can add any app APK to the SD card. and use ES File Manager to install
Installing Quadrant, and some games right now.. I'll post back
Rainchecks
I got two rain checks tonight. I want to get one for myself and I know my wife will want one if it is cool.
If anybody really wants one and lives in Eastern PA, they have 4 of them in the Reading PA store. That is a little far for me to drive and I like getting a rain check because I can make sure they are going to put out an update to make the market work.
It seems like the early reviews are mixed at best but c'mon...they are $150. I mean, if I can get my 6 year old to watch a thomas the tank engine video on it for a few minutes of peace each day, I have gotten my money's worth.
Dev thread here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=7409528#post7409528
Well I got one yesterday and it is horrible.
I am hoping their support can help me get the screen a bit more responsive.
I mean I have to press on it like I'm trying to push through it.
The manual says there supposed to be a calibrations but there isn't.
The manual says there is an option to allow this to orientate according tot he direction held but theres not.
The manual says that when you charge the device the light should be red in color turning green when fully charged well I charged over night and its still red.
When I turn it on it says 100% battery...
Also I went into market which is like that on my Droid1, Incredible, Droidx... and chose to install a app like dropbox, weatherbug, MyMemo, SlingPlayer and it sis there saying downloading but its not.
I have my wifi connected to the device...
Anyone else with ideas???
I so wanted this to be a iPad alternative!!!
Thanks
I got one last night... I side loaded a bunch of apps from my Incredible... LauncherPro, Pandora, Quick Settings, Android System Info... Awesome Drop...they all work... The weird thing is some of the apps force the screen to Portrait, but i haven't found an app yet to turn it back.. (aside from rebooting)
I noticed the sound is wonky... sometimes it works...
I also noticed something installed called Dev Tools... It has a terminal, a bunch of dev settings, a package browser, sync tester, and some google tools..
I got one today as well. So far, all is not well.
Wifi seems to be an issue. I can connect to my network if I turn off security, but when I enable WEP, this thing just sits here and says 'Obtaining IP Address' and then shows 'Unsuccessful'. I have tons of other devices connected. The problem is not the network.
So, with security off, I played with it a bit. The browser seems to work fine. It defaults to mobile pages and I'd love to turn that off. No Flash as expected.
I also have a problem with sound. When anything produces sound (mp3, video, youtube, even clicking on something) all I get is horrible white noise.
I get constant alerts that things have failed to download. I assume that this is due to the Marketplace issue.
I threw in a micro SD that I had. I have no problems with it sticking as others have reported.
I will admit that this is my first taste of Android. I am a professional developer for other platforms though so I'm not a total knucklehead - just partial.
I hear that an update is imminent. Anyone have any info about this? Will it be done via the SD card? USB?
I REALLY want this to work
Greg
Update:
Looks like a reboot fixed a few things now. I am now connected to my secured network and sound is ok. So now I have a more or less functioning tablet.
You guys aren't having screen issues?
This is posted on the Augen website:
Patch for GENTOUCH78 Tablet (available 1700EST)
Dear Augen Customers (GEN Nation),
Thank you for showing your support and interest in our GENTOUCH78 Tablet. We became aware of the technical difficulties over the past 24 hours, and we will be posting an update for a patch to the software at the following link: http://augen.helpserve.com/ under latest download files within the next 48 hours.
Just to mention a few technical difficulties we have found and are patching are:
the memory size of 284mb not being shown as 2GB will be corrected as this is a glitch in the software.
Android Market place not being able to download apps will be fixed in this patch, as this is a glitch in the software. As of right now the operating system and pre-loaded applications are using .5 Gb so the available space displayed should be approximately 1.5GB.
To solve the issue with the headphone jack being too small for a 3.5 mm headphone connection, we ask you to send us an email to [email protected] with your Name, Adress, eMail Adress along with a proof of purchase. We will be sending you at our expense the 2.5 mm headphones to go along with the unit within 15-20 days. All future products that will be manufactured will have the new patch and a 2.5mm earbud to go along with the unit.
We want to make it a great experience for our customers. We apologize for disappointing some of you, and we are doing our best to make it a great experience at Augen.
Thank you for your support,
Daniel Gofman
Vice President
Augen Electronics Corp.
the screen sucks
I noticed something when my Windows 7 64 auto updated a few weeks back.
It would not let me mount my Captivate. The phone will mount, but the computer will not accept the instructions and open the disk drives.
After a system restore, all was back to normal until the next time the PC updated. After the 3rd time, I notice that was the only thing that change between the time it would mount and not mount was Windows update.
I have notice a few people on these forums notice the same thing that happened to me, and would like to go through this set of Windows updates to isolate the 1 or more that may be playing bully with our phones.
I will be updating this thread soon, after I install and mount/unmount, repeat with security updates. For now, a system restore should work, unless you have the time to go through the couple dozen updates and find the offender. If you do, please post your results.
Update KB2288621
It only allowed one drive to mount. Although this was not the original problem, when combined with other updates, they do not play nice with the mount and file transfer feature.
Update KB2434419
Windows Live Essentials. This update completely disabled my mount function.
rwj5279955 said:
I noticed something when my Windows 7 64 auto updated a few weeks back.
It would not let me mount my Captivate. The phone will mount, but the computer will not accept the instructions and open the disk drives.
After a system restore, all was back to normal until the next time the PC updated. After the 3rd time, I notice that was the only thing that change between the time it would mount and not mount was Windows update.
I have notice a few people on these forums notice the same thing that happened to me, and would like to go through this set of Windows updates to isolate the 1 or more that may be playing bully with our phones.
I will be updating this thread soon, after I install and mount/unmount, repeat with security updates. For now, a system restore should work, unless you have the time to go through the couple dozen updates and find the offender. If you do, please post your results.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you decided to open this thread. After talking with you I was able to get it mounted again. Great Job!
Might be obvious but... I installed both the Captivate drivers and the i9000 drivers since I was playing with images. It was working great with a Captivate image and any time I flashed an i9000 based ROM it would not recognize the phone. After installing the Kies app for the i9000 on top of the Captivate drivers it now recognizes all the time.
rwj5279955 said:
Update KB2288621
It only allowed one drive to mount. Although this was not the original problem, when combined with other updates, they do not play nice with the mount and file transfer feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have this installed and have no troubles mounting drives, both drives.
rwj5279955 said:
Update KB2434419
Windows Live Essentials. This update completely disabled my mount function.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This I don't have as I see Windows Live as a useless mess and a waste of time.
Windows 7 64 bit, all the updates (except the anti-piracy one ).
Works fine.
Sent from my Captivate.
The computer perfectly recognizes both drives when phone is connected. Am using Windows 7 x64 with all updates.
Rarely when it doesn't recognize, a simple "pull the cable off computer and connect again" works.
I don't see why we need to do all those tasks as above.
I have spoke with a few people who this was an issue. I went through the updates one by one and they surely are conflicting with my phone. A system restore was the only thing that fixed it.
I'm glad you guys aren't having any issues though, must be something with some individual Pc's.
cappysw10 said:
I have this installed and have no troubles mounting drives, both drives.
This I don't have as I see Windows Live as a useless mess and a waste of time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is useless. Sadly for me, my XPS graphics card is fried and I am using my girlfriends computer.
She uses that crap.
Sent from my molested SGH-I897
ATTENTION / WARNING / ACHTUNG!!!!!!!
Efun (distributor of what we know as the "Nextbook Premium 8SE") in fact sells two different tablets marketed under the same name. This rooting method will ONLY work with a Nextbook Premium 8SE running a Rockchip processor.
**Am very sorry if this has already been posted, searched and did not find anything.**
Soon after purchasing my Nextbook Premium 8 se I learned that many Roms, apks, etc. that I couldn't find via Google (in English, anyhow) are easily found in Italian.
Which brings me to what I found today
androidworldDOTit/forum/mediacom-smartpad-810c-381/%5Brom%5D%5Bics-4-1-1%5D%5Bxteam-4-0-jellybean%5D%5Bmediacom-810c%5D-67171/
Run that through Google Translate if like me you don't speak a word of Italian.
All right, time to sit down and write a guide to doing this. First things first: I didn't do any of this work! People like Devmonkey, Sunnyboy167, deeno33, and FinlessBob, (over at Freaktab) and Xteam at Android World Italy are the ones who've put in the legwork and hours to make this stuff possible. I'm just gathering their work in to one place.
Before you begin: Back up all your things if you want to keep them!
Also, remove your micro sd card from the Nextbook. I darn near fried mine because I didn't.
Next: You know the drill. You're a big boy, (or girl, or whatever. I'm not here to judge) I, nor anyone else is responsible if anything bad happens to your device, to you, your happiness, or your hard earned money or your time. YOU are choosing to root your device and install Jellybean on to it and YOU assume all responsibility. Cool? Also, this will probably void your warranty. But let's face it, if you're here, you probably don't care too much about your warranty anyway. Let's get rocking.
STEP 1: Make sure you have the device drivers installed for your Nextbook on your computer. I'm using a Windows 7 64 bit desktop. I imagine that other Windows desktops pre Win 8 will be similar. If you're using Linux, I believe that drivers aren't necessary. But hey, if you've installed Ubuntu, Arch Bang, Puppy, etc, you've probably got this figured out anyway.
Turn off your Nextbook Tablet Connect the micro usb cord to it, then hold in the volume up and down keys while plugging it in to your computer.
"NOTE: On your screen you should see a bubble pop up in the lower-right corner saying "Installing drivers". Most likely it will say it can't find the drivers. This is normal. Continue following the steps to install the missing drivers.
Step 2: Open the Device manager by typing mmc devmgmt.msc into your "Run" box on XP or search box in start menu on Windows 7 and hitting enter (you can also find Device Manager in your Control Panel options in Windows 7).
Step 3: With your N8 still in an off state and plugged in via USB you should see a yellow exclamation symbol somewhere next to "Unknown Device" in the list of devices in the Device Manager. Right click on it and select "Update driver software".
Step 4: Now it will prompt you to choose how you want to search for it. Select "Browse my computer for driver software" and it will bring up a window for you to navigate manually to the driver location which is in the "drivers" sub-folder in the NEXTBOOK8ROOT folder. Select which ever system you have (32bit or 64bit) and then hit "OK". You might go thru one or two prompts before it actually installs. Just "OK" everything and you should be fine." ~Sunnyboy167
Ok, now that the device drivers are installed you'll want to download the file linked from here: zippyshareDOTcom/v/60864398/fileDOThtml
Sorry, I have less than 10 posts, so you'll need to convert the dots to, you know, dots. I get why the site does that.
Scan that thing for any nasties, and then unzip it wherever you'd like. (I used my desktop) Open it and click on the folder "Mediacom 810c" Inside you'll find a file named "Rk29update.exe." Open it. You'll see a box like this:
See attached picture
That is what it will look like if your tablet is not hooked up to your computer. So if it isn't (which it should be, since I never told you to disconnect it) reconnect it now.
Click the box that says "loader," then click "Formatta!!" Which, as you might have guessed is Italian for "Format." No going back now, kid.
Let the thing run its course, it'll take a couple of minutes. Once it's done, click the box that says "Aggiorna!!" This will install Jellybean on to your Nextbook. Be patient, as this will take a few minutes. You'll hear your computer make the "device disconnected" sound, and you'll be all set. You can unplug your Nextbook from your computer now.
First boot up of the device on Jellybean was a touch slow for me, but don't panic. Once you've gotten through set up the Rom runs incredibly smooth and fast. The first screen you'll see will be the welcome (benvenuto) screen. You can select English (or your preferred language) from the drop down menu. From this point on it should be smooth sailing. Google Now works like a charm, Project Butter seems to really make a difference on this tablet, camera works, notifications work, everything seems good. There are minor bugs here and there, but nothing Earth shattering.
One last thing: for a $99 budget "craplet" from Big Lots, you could do a lot worse than this tablet. I've found it pretty sturdy, highly customizable, and generally responsive and fun to use. I also own a Nexus 7, and while this clearly can't touch it spec wise, it's definitely a fun second device to keep around.
ok, so far so good. The Rom is very responsive, Google Now is working well. Only thing to note, which I should have known: Take out your micro sd card first! I ended up corrupting mine when I flashed the Rom. (And guess where I had everything backed up too? = fail)
But again, other than that, this Rom is awesome
Request for Bug List
Thanks for posting about this Italian Rom for the Nextbook 8. I am thinking about installing it. Can you provide a list of bugs that you've noticed?
Thanks again!
Shaun
shaunmt said:
Thanks for posting about this Italian Rom for the Nextbook 8. I am thinking about installing it. Can you provide a list of bugs that you've noticed?
Thanks again!
Shaun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
of course!
As mentioned in the install guide, take out any MicroSD card, as you might damage it. That said, however, upon another reading of the original Italian install guide, apparently the "data system corrupted" bug that I took for being my MSD card being screwed up is in fact a known bug that is actually affecting internal memory, but only temporarily. The solution is to simply format it on device, and everything will work fine. The option to format is given as a push notification immediately upon getting through the sign in process, and nothing in actuality appears to be damaged, but until I did the format I could not access anything on my MSD card.
The big recurring one I've noticed may or may not be unique to this Rom, as my device had it before on a gingerbread Rom; namely, the battery charge level never seems to change. It always seems to be at 100% right up until it drops dead, no warning. Actually, that's not entirely accurate, because if it runs out, and I charge it and unplug while the charge shows a number less than 100% the battery icon will continue to show "charging" until 100% (even though unplugged) and then stay there.
When waking the tablet up it takes a couple of seconds to reconnect to wifi. Any notifications coming in will slow it down for up to a couple of minutes. I've noticed that if I try and use it during this time I occasionally "overload" the device, and end up with it rebooting. My best advice: wake it, give it a second to go from "no internet connection" to having found wifi, unlock the screen, and then wait about 1 minute before doing any heavy use until any notifications pop up; once you do that you're good to go.
If I think of or notice anything else hopefully I'll remember to edit this post.
2 Problems I found
Conect11 said:
of course!
As mentioned in the install guide, take out any MicroSD card, as you might damage it. That said, however, upon another reading of the original Italian install guide, apparently the "data system corrupted" bug that I took for being my MSD card being screwed up is in fact a known bug that is actually affecting internal memory, but only temporarily. The solution is to simply format it on device, and everything will work fine. The option to format is given as a push notification immediately upon getting through the sign in process, and nothing in actuality appears to be damaged, but until I did the format I could not access anything on my MSD card.
The big recurring one I've noticed may or may not be unique to this Rom, as my device had it before on a gingerbread Rom; namely, the battery charge level never seems to change. It always seems to be at 100% right up until it drops dead, no warning. Actually, that's not entirely accurate, because if it runs out, and I charge it and unplug while the charge shows a number less than 100% the battery icon will continue to show "charging" until 100% (even though unplugged) and then stay there.
When waking the tablet up it takes a couple of seconds to reconnect to wifi. Any notifications coming in will slow it down for up to a couple of minutes. I've noticed that if I try and use it during this time I occasionally "overload" the device, and end up with it rebooting. My best advice: wake it, give it a second to go from "no internet connection" to having found wifi, unlock the screen, and then wait about 1 minute before doing any heavy use until any notifications pop up; once you do that you're good to go.
If I think of or notice anything else hopefully I'll remember to edit this post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After I leave it charging, it goes into the sleep of death I guess? I don't know if this is because I had some apps downloading in the background. Also, my auto rotate doesn't work. I don't know if there's a fix for it, but so far, I havent found any
but besides those 2 things, the rom works great!
I'm having a hell of a time getting drivers for Windows 7 installed. Can someone point me in the direction to the drivers and possibly driver install instructions? .
I have tried with and without USB debugging turned on. In device manager I see M3-chip with USB debugging on. The only thing I can figure is I have the wrong drivers.
I have a Nextbook Premium 8 SE.
TIA
need new drivers
ardy said:
I'm having a hell of a time getting drivers for Windows 7 installed. Can someone point me in the direction to the drivers and possibly driver install instructions? .
I have tried with and without USB debugging turned on. In device manager I see M3-chip with USB debugging on. The only thing I can figure is I have the wrong drivers.
I have a Nextbook Premium 8 SE.
TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im having the same problem need help here guys i just got mine yesterday it looks like the newer ones has different software in them or are updated.in drivers it only shows m3-chip and will not in stall on window 7 or xp.
Link is broken
Conect11 said:
ok, so far so good. The Rom is very responsive, Google Now is working well. Only thing to note, which I should have known: Take out your micro sd card first! I ended up corrupting mine when I flashed the Rom. (And guess where I had everything backed up too? = fail)
But again, other than that, this Rom is awesome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Connect11 great job and thanks for collecting the information for us, can you please provide a new link because the current link is broken, I want to test on my Nextbook 8SE.
arnelpabustan said:
Hi Connect11 great job and thanks for collecting the information for us, can you please provide a new link because the current link is broken, I want to test on my Nextbook 8SE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good job gettin stuff together...i been trying to make it easier for folks to understand all this in the official nextbook 8se root thread. Info is so jumbled and most people dont read through the thread far enough to make sense of what they've just downloaded...lolz. anyways good work and heres a link to another great JB rom for this tab....big props to OMA for his work on this. I been runnin it for a 2 months now and i love it!! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1903745 This one can be tricky with the kernel and the system image so please follow directions carefully if you decide to try this rom...i had issues with bricks (my fault of course) but nothing the rk flasher tool cant fix. And of course backup, backup, backup, nuff said:laugh:
---------- Post added at 07:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:53 PM ----------
A bit off topic but im curious as to what recovery other nextbook 8se owners are using?? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
How to root my Xperia u st25i?? Pls help me
Sent from my ST25i using xda app-developers app
Help!
"STEP 1: Make sure you have the device drivers installed for your Nextbook on your computer.[/B] I'm using a Windows 7 64 bit desktop. I imagine that other Windows desktops pre Win 8 will be similar. If you're using Linux, I believe that drivers aren't necessary. But hey, if you've installed Ubuntu, Arch Bang, Puppy, etc, you've probably got this figured out anyway."
I'm stuck on this step! How do I find and install the drivers for the Nextbook 8? I went to the Device Manager already, I found my "Unknown Device", and I picked "browse my computer for driver software", but every time I pick the file to update it from, it says "windows could not find driver software for your device". Please help me!
thank you for the rom I'll give it a try
Nextbook Premium 7
Do they have jelly bean on Nextbook Premium 7.
cant turn on
hey, i turned my tablet off, and now it wont turn on :crying: I dont know if I'm doing something wrong, but it just wont power on... any help would be great!
deanfranks21 said:
hey, i turned my tablet off, and now it wont turn on :crying: I dont know if I'm doing something wrong, but it just wont power on... any help would be great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same thing happened to me, you'll just have to wait a day or two for the battery to completely die, then hold the power, and as soon as the screen comes on, plug it in, hope this helps! :good:
so far so good, g-sensor wouldnt work with both included kernels so i flashed the kernel from Finless Bob's ICS Rom for NEXT8P12 and it's working again except i cant use the OC settings that kernel from this ROM has.
Only issues:
Wifi is a bit inconsistent
Apps can't download to system memory, there has to be an sd card present
G-Sensor isnt working (have to use kernel from Finless Bob's Next8P12 ROM)
Nothing else yet
is there anyway i could use the g-sensor driver from the other kernel while still using the kernel from this rom, if that makes sense.
Thanx.
going great untill
cant find subfoldr NXTBOOK8ROOT in my computer aso the zippyshare file in the link doesnt work pleaase help
---------- Post added at 04:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:13 PM ----------
deanfranks21 said:
hey, i turned my tablet off, and now it wont turn on :crying: I dont know if I'm doing something wrong, but it just wont power on... any help would be great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there shul be a reset button in the back of the device if not you can boot it into recovery mode by holding the power key and voulme down key AT THE SAME TIME then u can wipe everythng and reboot your device:good:
midnite48161 said:
Im having the same problem need help here guys i just got mine yesterday it looks like the newer ones has different software in them or are updated.in drivers it only shows m3-chip and will not in stall on window 7 or xp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here
Sent from my Next8P12 using XDA Premium HD app
swordjamie said:
Same here
Sent from my Next8P12 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same for me as well... and it's really annoying me... I can't root it... so until someone finds a fix... I guess we're going to have to wait, also every time I go the whole driver thing, it says it can't find the drivers too. I don't really care to root it... but... I just wanted to try it.
Conect11 said:
ATTENTION / WARNING / ACHTUNG!!!!!!!
Efun (distributor of what we know as the "Nextbook Premium 8SE") in fact sells two different tablets marketed under the same name. This rooting method will ONLY work with a Nextbook Premium 8SE running a Rockchip processor.
**Am very sorry if this has already been posted, searched and did not find anything.**
Soon after purchasing my Nextbook Premium 8 se I learned that many Roms, apks, etc. that I couldn't find via Google (in English, anyhow) are easily found in Italian.
Which brings me to what I found today
androidworldDOTit/forum/mediacom-smartpad-810c-381/%5Brom%5D%5Bics-4-1-1%5D%5Bxteam-4-0-jellybean%5D%5Bmediacom-810c%5D-67171/
Run that through Google Translate if like me you don't speak a word of Italian.
All right, time to sit down and write a guide to doing this. First things first: I didn't do any of this work! People like Devmonkey, Sunnyboy167, deeno33, and FinlessBob, (over at Freaktab) and Xteam at Android World Italy are the ones who've put in the legwork and hours to make this stuff possible. I'm just gathering their work in to one place.
Before you begin: Back up all your things if you want to keep them!
Also, remove your micro sd card from the Nextbook. I darn near fried mine because I didn't.
Next: You know the drill. You're a big boy, (or girl, or whatever. I'm not here to judge) I, nor anyone else is responsible if anything bad happens to your device, to you, your happiness, or your hard earned money or your time. YOU are choosing to root your device and install Jellybean on to it and YOU assume all responsibility. Cool? Also, this will probably void your warranty. But let's face it, if you're here, you probably don't care too much about your warranty anyway. Let's get rocking.
STEP 1: Make sure you have the device drivers installed for your Nextbook on your computer. I'm using a Windows 7 64 bit desktop. I imagine that other Windows desktops pre Win 8 will be similar. If you're using Linux, I believe that drivers aren't necessary. But hey, if you've installed Ubuntu, Arch Bang, Puppy, etc, you've probably got this figured out anyway.
Turn off your Nextbook Tablet Connect the micro usb cord to it, then hold in the volume up and down keys while plugging it in to your computer.
"NOTE: On your screen you should see a bubble pop up in the lower-right corner saying "Installing drivers". Most likely it will say it can't find the drivers. This is normal. Continue following the steps to install the missing drivers.
Step 2: Open the Device manager by typing mmc devmgmt.msc into your "Run" box on XP or search box in start menu on Windows 7 and hitting enter (you can also find Device Manager in your Control Panel options in Windows 7).
Step 3: With your N8 still in an off state and plugged in via USB you should see a yellow exclamation symbol somewhere next to "Unknown Device" in the list of devices in the Device Manager. Right click on it and select "Update driver software".
Step 4: Now it will prompt you to choose how you want to search for it. Select "Browse my computer for driver software" and it will bring up a window for you to navigate manually to the driver location which is in the "drivers" sub-folder in the NEXTBOOK8ROOT folder. Select which ever system you have (32bit or 64bit) and then hit "OK". You might go thru one or two prompts before it actually installs. Just "OK" everything and you should be fine." ~Sunnyboy167
Ok, now that the device drivers are installed you'll want to download the file linked from here: zippyshareDOTcom/v/60864398/fileDOThtml
Sorry, I have less than 10 posts, so you'll need to convert the dots to, you know, dots. I get why the site does that.
Scan that thing for any nasties, and then unzip it wherever you'd like. (I used my desktop) Open it and click on the folder "Mediacom 810c" Inside you'll find a file named "Rk29update.exe." Open it. You'll see a box like this:
See attached picture
That is what it will look like if your tablet is not hooked up to your computer. So if it isn't (which it should be, since I never told you to disconnect it) reconnect it now.
Click the box that says "loader," then click "Formatta!!" Which, as you might have guessed is Italian for "Format." No going back now, kid.
Let the thing run its course, it'll take a couple of minutes. Once it's done, click the box that says "Aggiorna!!" This will install Jellybean on to your Nextbook. Be patient, as this will take a few minutes. You'll hear your computer make the "device disconnected" sound, and you'll be all set. You can unplug your Nextbook from your computer now.
First boot up of the device on Jellybean was a touch slow for me, but don't panic. Once you've gotten through set up the Rom runs incredibly smooth and fast. The first screen you'll see will be the welcome (benvenuto) screen. You can select English (or your preferred language) from the drop down menu. From this point on it should be smooth sailing. Google Now works like a charm, Project Butter seems to really make a difference on this tablet, camera works, notifications work, everything seems good. There are minor bugs here and there, but nothing Earth shattering.
One last thing: for a $99 budget "craplet" from Big Lots, you could do a lot worse than this tablet. I've found it pretty sturdy, highly customizable, and generally responsive and fun to use. I also own a Nexus 7, and while this clearly can't touch it spec wise, it's definitely a fun second device to keep around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you post a different link it says file dows not exist on this server
---------- Post added at 06:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:51 PM ----------
imthatkiid said:
Same for me as well... and it's really annoying me... I can't root it... so until someone finds a fix... I guess we're going to have to wait, also every time I go the whole driver thing, it says it can't find the drivers too. I don't really care to root it... but... I just wanted to try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I foiund a way around it you click start go into ur control panel and click system then to the side it should say device manger at the very top click it find where it says m3-chip left click on it chose update driver software click browse my computer click let me chose from a list of my drivers click show all devices click next click have disc then browse then chose the rk29 driver/win/64/rockusb click ok there u go
---------- Post added at 06:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:01 PM ----------
I got my device to be an rk29 device but its not coming up on the screen when the device is connected please help me
My old faithful Archos 101 has serious problems and just bought Ramos i9s -> http://www.ramos-tablet.com/ramos-i...35f-quad-core-android-4-4-2gb-32gb-white.html
My version has 16GB memory and no 3G modem/sim-card socket.
Tried to find any info about this from xda, but not a single message found.. did i just order crap? :cyclops:
wow.. this must be rare tablet :laugh:
Not rare at all
Great tablet -heavy, but very classy design. It's a bit like a 9" iPhone 4s. Speedy intel chip. I have both the i9, i7, and i10 Pro. The last one is dual boot Android / Win 8.1.
Yep, this is heavy.. but I like heavy, better than feather-like
AnTuTu Benchmark scored 31472 and games looks awesome.
My first delivered tablet crashes after couple hours of use, maybe display cable disconnected or something.. because screen just went black and resetting/rebooting didn't never show anything else than backlight in screen. Got replacement unit next day and this one works fine.
There is one update from manufacturer downloaded, but previous unit crashed and that update might caused that also.. so waiting if others have problems with that update, before trying to install it again.
I have tried to find updates and root for this tablet, but seems there is nothing for this.
Manufacturer provides only chinese download page at http://ramos.com.cn/Download_list/List
I have tried to download from there, but after over 20 re-downloads.. all files seems to be broken and unusable.
Most likely my last china-cheap tablet ever. :/
Kingo ROOT works for root and is very straight forward. As far as updates go, I have not had any luck on that either.
pki101 said:
Yep, this is heavy.. but I like heavy, better than feather-like
AnTuTu Benchmark scored 31472 and games looks awesome.
My first delivered tablet crashes after couple hours of use, maybe display cable disconnected or something.. because screen just went black and resetting/rebooting didn't never show anything else than backlight in screen. Got replacement unit next day and this one works fine.
There is one update from manufacturer downloaded, but previous unit crashed and that update might caused that also.. so waiting if others have problems with that update, before trying to install it again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was able to find firmware download at Ramos site but was not able to download. When I click on download button it takes me to another page which tells me all about the firmware and how to install but does not give me a download option. The file is [i9s] Blue Devils i9s Le Frog OS stable version of firmware. Have any clues as to how to download this file? Part of the instructions is to install, ManufacturingFlashTool_Setup_6.0.43.exe. Do you know where I might get this file?
WillyJo said:
Kingo ROOT works for root and is very straight forward. As far as updates go, I have not had any luck on that either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just downloaded app, didn't read any intructions.. just installed app and hit Root-button, after some waiting got error message and rooting failed.
That Kingo Root needs windows application first.. right? and connecting to Ramos via usb-cable.. right?
I don't actually see any need for rooting this and after that, none of manufacturer upgrades probaply don't work here.. but.. it's hard to test, because they dont distribute upgrades. lol
Great device, How about battery life?
Thus far, the battery life has been very good.
New google Photo app crashes.
Somehow it almost starts if disconnected from internet, but asks google credentials and don't accept my correct account username and password.
If starting app when connected to internet.. Photo app crashes right after spinning Google logo.
pki101 said:
New google Photo app crashes.
Somehow it almost starts if disconnected from internet, but asks google credentials and don't accept my correct account username and password.
If starting app when connected to internet.. Photo app crashes right after spinning Google logo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google released update and now it works..
As I am sure all Alcatel Idol 3 owners noticed by now, Alcatel have, over the last year or so, released on Google Play "updates" for most of their builtin software - the launcher, file manager, radio player, photo gallery, calendar and more - with what is, if I can be blunt - malware, updates whose only intention is to show you ads and notifications (whereas the original applications, obviously, did not have ads) which you have no way of disabling, and who knows what else.
I avoided this crap by "uninstalling" the updated applications and getting back the preinstalled versions.
BUT, today I started getting on all my Alcatel Idol phones (I have 3 of them!), OTA Android update. And I'm worried what would happen if I click it. Will I get the "updated" (malicious) versions of all the builtin applications with no way to revert them?
Does anyone have an experience with the new OTA update that came out yesterday? Can you tell me if after the update, the "joy launcher", "file manager", etc., are decent versions or the crappy versions which show ads?
P.S. Alcatel, you guys are idiots. I love your phones, and in the past bought 5 of them, but I'll *never* buy another phone from you because of this malware issue.
i have been wondering the same thing, i was scared to even touch the notification to see if it is a large upgrade or just 1 or 2 megabytes, in case touching it forces me to download it. please note, i have no idea if the OTA is any good, but i'm going to continue this post to vent about alcatel idol 3.
i was a bit annoyed with the last system upgrade, which started flashing the screen on and off periodically when any notifications were left active... for me, i always leave some notifications going, so that i don't forget about them or just want to leave them up even if i never take any action with them...
so i'm sure this takes a toll on my battery, since the screen will be flashing on and off for a few minutes before it stops.
i was shocked when a few months ago (or even a year?) apps started sending ads to the notification bar, from reading some posts i figured out you not only had to stop auto-updates in the play store, but also go into the updates app and disable them there. i didn't even know ads on a stock system were a thing, until i saw my dad's BLU $50 phone and realized that's how they make a decent phone $50.
since my idol 3 4.7" was relatively cheap at $180, i could see how they might need to put ads, but if i got a brand new alcatel phone at over $400, i'd be even more furious, do they put ads on their brand new phones?
i see a lot of cheap phones on amazon now listed having versions with "lockscreen offers and ads" including idol 5s
as long as the ads aren't malicious, and if you can just block notifications in android (i dunno if they somehow disable that) then it's sort of worth saving the money
anyway, i've had my idol 3 4.7" for just about 2 years, it's still fine, but i guess i'm starting to think about getting something else. i'd love to get another small phone, right before this i had an xperia z1 compact which i loved but the the battery started failing and bloating after less than a year and a half, so i'm kind of thinking i should never spend over $200 for a phone again (that one was $350)
my android history has been
nexus one $529
galaxy nexus $435.50
xperia z1 compact $350
idol 3 4.7" $180
i've been looking at nokia's new androids lately, or some kind of honor maybe
but my idol 3 4.7" is still working fine pretty much
i just remembered one other thing i hated about the marshmallow updated, which is the adopted SD card storage...
from what i understand if your phone dies, everything that was on the SD card can never be read again, because it works only when plugged into your phone. i mean i guess that's good for security, but it should be optional. it'd be nice to just be able to take that SD card to a new phone and just have everything that was there on it again.
i just noticed someone's post about "semi-adopted" SD card, which i guess means making 2 partitions, which kinda makes sense, but it would be nice if android offered that as a preset option. i had just gotten an SD card a few weeks before the marshmallow update came out and moving apps to SD for apps that supported it, worked fine.
anyway, i don't think and kinda hope no one read this, i'm not sure why i wrote this
I know that feeling, bros
Actually, I managed to uninstall built-in apps using adb shell, which was described in the discussion about Debloater (the app itself did not work after Marshmallow update):
Code:
pm uninstall --user 0 com.package.name
(this uninstalls system apps for the current user, so that they cannot be launched, do not notify about their updates in Google Play, and this works without root)
nyh said:
BUT, today I started getting on all my Alcatel Idol phones (I have 3 of them!), OTA Android update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear nyh, what is your region and phone model (like, 6045K or 6039Y or with other letter in the end)? Here in Belarus (Eastern Europe), my 6045Y does not notify of any update (current system version 6.0.1-010 20).
Mankann said:
Dear nyh, what is your region and phone model (like, 6045K or 6039Y or with other letter in the end)? Here in Belarus (Eastern Europe), my 6045Y does not notify of any update (current system version 6.0.1-010 20).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the 4.7" model 6039S, and three more phones of the 5.5" model, I don't remember now their model number.
What I'm running now appears to be Android 6.0.1 build number "1BGD-UED2". I don't know how this relates to your number. I noticed the "update" program tells me the new version is "0100020" which is suspiciously close to the number you said, maybe it's the same. With your version, does "uninstalling" the "Joy Launcher" (and other) applications to get back to the preinstalled one, gets you a decent version, or one with ads?
nyh said:
I noticed the "update" program tells me the new version is "0100020" which is suspiciously close to the number you said, maybe it's the same. With your version, does "uninstalling" the "Joy Launcher" (and other) applications to get back to the preinstalled one, gets you a decent version, or one with ads?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I understand now. It seems that your phone wants to update to the version that removes fastboot commands (so I suggest you triple-think and triple-check before upgrading).
"Uninstalling" system apps does not revert them to preinstalled versions, it makes them completely unavailable until hard reset (they are only listed in Settings labeled with "Disabled for current user" and cannot be run). If you decide to do this, you should first install some alternative apps (like Nova Launcher, Google Calendar etc), or else you won't be able to boot and use your phone.
I have the Idol 3 5.5 6045l(USA) Android 6.0.1 Build number 7VGE-UEE1.
I am reluctant to install the OTA I have pending:
______________________________
System update available
010 01 (471.5 MB)
New in this version
Version 7VGS-UES6 includes a security update that fixes Android major security flaw.
Update info:
- Netflix service
- Gameloft games
- UE improvements& bug fixes
______________________________
I am baffled that Alcatel would include Netflix & Gameloft with a major security fix.
After the adware riddled system app updates(that I've reverted to original) I will wait for more information before updating.
I love my phone and was considering buying a back-up or an Idol 4s especially as it seems that the front-facing speakers have been dropped from Alcatel's 2018 lineup.
But the bond of trust concerning system & app updates has been broken.
[Not sure whether one will be able to revert adware riddled system apps after the update]
That's real bad
Maybe this "security update" is resolving BlueBorne vulnerability (actually I wrote Alcatel about this, and they told me not to have bluetooth on all the time, wait patiently and install an antivirus which of course I did not do). But Netflix or Gameloft as system (priv-)apps is a no way (I struggled with TWO hidden Facebook services preinstalled on my phone until I found a method to "remove" them, which I described above).
If such an update comes to me (it may take days, weeks or months before it reaches all regions), and if no one installs it, I will do it and report here
I was stupid and sleepy and didn't fully check the update notes in depth when I saw it pop-up yesterday, I figured the majority of it was for security and maybe a couple of quality of life improvements like a new lock screen, even the entry about the Netflix app just sounded to me like they were fixing a problem people might have been having with it. suddenly I have and Netflix app I didn't want, a news app, some sort of Alcatel store front and two space wasting games (or at least one game and some gameloft "50 free games thing I have no use for).
I got rid of the apps that could be insta-deleted, and the netflix app can at least be disabled, but the filemanager is by far the worse offender. It's "boost" download and obnoxious UI, not to mention it clutters my notifications and lock screen. I've managed to quiet it down by canceling its access and whatever permissions I could. The fact that it restarts itself after a few seconds is just as irritating even before the reports that it actually may make my phone operate worse. I haven't experienced anything yet aside from the Google Play store crashing once while trying to figure out how to get rid of the update, but that was shortly after doing the factory reset and it's only been a day.
Whats mroe annoying is this now part of their most recent update on Idol 3. It's now impossible to revert or kill this as it's all baked in, not even factory reset will remove it. The new file manager app restarts at every turn, even after Force stop and will not allow you to disable it, and it seems to resist methods of hiding it from the user. I'm still seeking ways of getting rid of it that dont require rooting my phone but at this point it seems like the only possible answer, which is a shame because I was fine not rooting android, this was a really nice phone until they ruined it with this garbage. I know I'm pretty much screwed because My computer doesn't always seem to respond properly to Android stuff for some reason so any attempt to root will probably result in me bricking the thing, and even if I could root I'm not certain I'm comfortable with my phone being that open with other applications like this roaming around not to mention the questions of whether any of my desired apps will respond poorly to my doing it. But I wanted to at least add my voice to the rest that are complaining about this and telling Alcatel this is the last product of their's I'll ever own.
@PN04
Thank you for your very detailed report. Sorry to hear of the predicament you are now in. It goes without saying that I - thanks to you - will not be updating.
PN04 said:
I got rid of the apps that could be insta-deleted, and the netflix app can at least be disabled, but the filemanager is by far the worse offender. It's "boost" download and obnoxious UI, not to mention it clutters my notifications and lock screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you held down on a notification and hit the (i) and then block notifications?
does it somehow disregard that? that was a new feature added in marshmallow
zxcvb2 said:
have you held down on a notification and hit the (i) and then block notifications?
does it somehow disregard that? that was a new feature added in marshmallow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have, it takes you to the app notification section where you can reduce it's priority, stop it from peeking and "hide sensitive content" (not sure what that last one means but I turned them all off anyway). As far as I can tell it's teeth are pulled as long as I don't actually start the app or give it any permissions when it asks, but the fact that constantly force stopping it only gets rid of the menu bar on my lock screen for a few seconds and that little stupid broom icon is constantly showing in my bar at the top means it's still an ugly scar on an otherwise nice phone. also App memory usage claims it's used 27 mb in the last 3 hours and I havent' even touched it.
I'll probably be studying up on rooting this weekend.
ichmoimeyo said:
@PN04
Thank you for your very detailed report. Sorry to hear of the predicament you are now in. It goes without saying that I - thanks to you - will not be updating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, no update for me either thanks to PN04's findings. I have managed to silence the Update app by uninstalling updates on the app and then turning off auto update and notifications. So far so good, no nagging messages about the update. Considering my latest security patch is from Nov 2016, I was not expecting to get any more anyway.
Shame on you Alcatel for ruining an otherwise perfect phone! Maybe i can get one more year on this one. The Xperia XZ1 Compact is looking more and more attractive, apart from the price (native Wifi calling, VoLTE and band 12 on TMO US, stuff that this phone didn't have and start to become more important for me).
Glad it helped. I guess I can take some measure of comfort in that at least.
The result of the upgrade.
nyh said:
Does anyone have an experience with the new OTA update that came out yesterday? Can you tell me if after the update, the "joy launcher", "file manager", etc., are decent versions or the crappy versions which show ads?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I was surprised nobody came up to talk about their experience with the upgrade, so I took a risk and updated two of my Alcatel Idol 3 phones (mine and my son's) to the new update. Like in the old movie, I have good news, bad news, and ugly news:
The bad news was that the application content of the update was just as lousy as I feared it would be. It has the evil file manager and a bunch of other crap applications which spew notifications all the time, spontaneously install applications you never wanted to install, and so on. The strangest thing is that the update claims to add Netflix support, but actually uninstalled the Netflix app that I already had installed, which was very annoying (I had to re-install Netflix, re-download my downloads, and tell Netflix that I don't have the "old" device any more so it will let me download on the "new" one).
Also, the last on the bad list: after using the new system for two days, I haven't found a single thing to be better than the old system. This update doesn't upgrade Android - it's still exactly the same release 6.0.1 as it was before. The "patch level" is listed as November 2017, so maybe it has some security improvements, but I can't really tell.
The good news is that with some considerable effort, I was able to get rid of all of the crap (at least, everything I found so far). There is a new application called "Apps" which installs random crap. You can't uninstall it, but you can "disable" it and it never runs again. The evil file manager you can't uninstall (or disable), but its menu has an option to not send notifications, and then it doesn't. Then I went to the list of applications and uninstalled (luckily, that's possible) a bunch of games and other crap that Alcatel installed for me. If Alcatel had a better track record, I might actually enjoy trying out the new games they installed for me, but as it stands, I was worried about what might happen if I run them - I prefered to uninstall them. Anyway, after doing all that (sorry I don't have more detailed instructions), I am running with the updated Android for two days, and I haven't seen another ad, unexplained notification, or unsolicited application being installed. Hallelujah!
The ugly news is that after two days, I'm starting to worry that this version is less stable than the previous one. In two days I had to reboot my phone at least three times, once it hung during taking a video, once when Netflix suddenly couldn't find my downloaded content, and once when another app suddenly couldn't use the SD card (and a reboot solved these problems). I can't say I never had to reboot my phone, but this seems to be more frequent than I used to do it. I'm not sure this a real new problem or just a string of bad luck - only time will tell.
Mankann said:
Ah, I understand now. It seems that your phone wants to update to the version that removes fastboot commands (so I suggest you triple-think and triple-check before upgrading).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is "fastboot commands", and why should I be worried if they are removed?
Mankann said:
"Uninstalling" system apps does not revert them to preinstalled versions, it makes them completely unavailable until hard reset (they are only listed in Settings labeled with "Disabled for current user" and cannot be run). If you decide to do this, you should first install some alternative apps (like Nova Launcher, Google Calendar etc), or else you won't be able to boot and use your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not my experience... In the Google Play app. For most applications, "Uninstall" lets you really uninstall an app. But for built-in applications, when you "Uninstall" it asks you if you really want to revert to the pre-installed version, and that is actually what happens. This is why I did on my Alcatel Idol 3 for a year before this latest update. In application tray, when you long-press an application, it lets you "uninstall" regular applications, but for built-in application, the uninstall operation is simply missing. I never found any way to do what you describe - "disable for current user". Somebody above suggested this can be done through adb, but I never saw a way to do this in Alcatel's normal UI.
I wrote above my experience from the upgrade, which you can read, but I have two small comments about your experience:
PN04 said:
I got rid of the apps that could be insta-deleted, and the netflix app can at least be disabled,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's hilarious (or more accurately, sad) how people who already had Netflix installed (like me), their installation got deleted - but for people who never had Netflix, it got installed and made unremovable. Great job Alcatel!
PN04 said:
but the filemanager is by far the worse offender. It's "boost" download and obnoxious UI, not to mention it clutters my notifications and lock screen. I've managed to quiet it down by canceling its access and whatever permissions I could. The fact that it restarts itself after a few seconds is just as irritating even before the reports that it actually may make my phone operate worse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I did to solve this was to reduce its permissions and more importantly, go into the file manager, go into its "settings", and ask it to stop its notifications. Luckily, it worked, and I never heard from the filemanager again. I don't know if it continues to do evil stuff in the background. It appears it is still running (my app info tells me it has used memory in the last 3 hours), but using "0%" CPU.
PN04 said:
this was a really nice phone until they ruined it with this garbage.
I wanted to at least add my voice to the rest that are complaining about this and telling Alcatel this is the last product of their's I'll ever own.
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Click to collapse
Yes, I wonder if someone in TCL lost their marbles with these adware updates... As I said, I bought *five* of these phones - for me, my wife (two phones), mother-in-law and son, and I would have continued to recommend their phones if it weren't for the tricks they started to pull off last year.
nyh said:
What is "fastboot commands", and why should I be worried if they are removed?
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One of the Alcatel's OTA updates (IIRC, it was from Lollipop to Marshmallow) removed the ability to send fastboot commands to the phone, so that it became very hard to unlock bootloader and install root or custom ROMs. Actually it was already discussed here many times.
nyh said:
Somebody above suggested this can be done through adb, but I never saw a way to do this in Alcatel's normal UI.
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You can either use adb shell or you can use shell directly on your phone via apps such as Terminal Emulator (Google Play, F-Droid). Of course you cannot do this within "normal" GUI, because it is designed not-to-be-able-to-break-things
I work from home/am self employed so most of the time so my phone doesn't get outside except for a few occasions a week otherwise it's usually connected to the home wifi so that I don't waste data. But this weekend I had to run a few errands and in a single hour outing using mobile data, I force quit the file manager maybe 26 times as opposed to 5 - 8 times just connected to wifi so I feel like it's constantly trying to ping servers unless you restrict it to mobile data. I also noticed that number dropped by half to maybe 3 or 4 times in the house when I had a few apps like AIMP or one of the games I do play on it to pass time idling in the background. As I said before I did cancel every permission I could find for it and it still manages to crawl out of the grave every so often but maybe those apps had a high enough priority level so having them active an in memory pushes it down the list.... Literally while typing this just now I was charging the phone and got the signal that the battery was full, woke it up to check if file Manager was running, saw nothing on the lock screen, unplugged it and File manager popped up again.
This update is a cancer. I haven't had to restart yet, but I've definitely noticed a few more app crashes. The loss of Fastboot might explain why my first attempt to hide the offenders with ADB failed. after installing every thing , switching to developer mode and connecting it to my computer the phone just refused to show up in the program (again, this might still be a computer issue because I've had trouble with minor developer tools in the past). I may not be an Android developer like some people on this side but feel like I fiollowed the instructions correctly. I get the feeling this is bad news. We might not be able to even get a different rom installed on it at this point.
Is it possible someone has an older version of the firmware that can be reinstalled over top of this some how? ugh, I really can't afford to have to buy a new phone right now.
PN04 said:
This update is a cancer
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I agree. People, please try to avoid this update. If you can find a way to stop the "update" process from notifying you, great, if you don't, learn to leave with them - it's better than doing the update.
After another day experience with this update, I figured out that:
1. The "Google Play Services" processes takes 30% of the CPU all the time, and causes my battery to run out after 6 or so hours. This was not the case before the update. I can't figure out what is calling the "Google Play Services". I see the evil "File Manager" running, but it's not taking up CPU, and nothing else takes CPU except the "Google Play Services".
2. Every once in a while - several times each day (!) - something "hangs" in the OS, and applications start to hang: sometimes they can't start, sometimes they can't read their data (!?), sometimes they can't connect to the network (!?), and other bizarre phenomena. Rebooting the phone solves the problem, and I've been doing this several times each day now. Before that I rarely had to reboot the phone (maybe once a week).
Avoid this update. Like the plague. Shame on Alcatel / TCL.
Mankann said:
Code:
pm uninstall --user 0 com.package.name
(this uninstalls system apps for the current user, so that they cannot be launched, do not notify about their updates in Google Play, and this works without root)
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Doesn't work for me:
pm uninstall --user 0 com.jrdcom.filemanager
Error: java.lang.SecurityException: Package null does not belong to 10096