Related
I have a Gtablet enroute right now and have been doing a lot of reading the last few days. When first released all the talk was that it was a nice peice of hardware but to be any good you had to use a custom ROM with it. Is this still the case with the latest 4xxx update?
Pexcer,
It all depends on what you want. That's what the choices XDA offers here are all
about.
When we started with G-Tablets back last fall, the software was so bad it was
almost unfunctional. It has improved with each update. With 4349 installed you
can put your apps on it and have a functional tablet -- but whether it is good enough
for you is your call.
There are a number of alternate ROMs and each has it assets and liabilities.
The only way I know to approach it is to read the threads related to each rom and
see what those advantages and disadvantages are. You can eliminate some that way.
And whatever you have left, you will just have to try and see what you like.
I know this is not the "Go use the _______________ rom" that a lot of people will
give you -- but I'm not pandering for anybody's rom. I believe everyone should
research, try and make their own choice.
Rev
Pexcer said:
I have a Gtablet enroute right now and have been doing a lot of reading the last few days. When first released all the talk was that it was a nice peice of hardware but to be any good you had to use a custom ROM with it. Is this still the case with the latest 4xxx update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm more inclined to go with the fastest rom I can get my hands on. I don't care about looks. And stock rom will never be able to fun as fast as custom rom.
That said, you should make this decision on your own. Depends on what you want. If you are like my brother in law who wants everything to be official and fully officially supported, then I suggest you stay with the stock upgraded rom. If you're like me who doesn't care that it's the official release and would rather have a super fast tablet, then custom rom is definitely the way to go.
In another thread, I was endorsing the new calk/clems combo v3, which my quadrant test resulted in 4081. I've posted a picture in this post. Right now, the only thing that seems to be faster than this is the modded xoom, which is only about 80 more. I highly doubt the stock rom will ever be able to give us this much power.
Thanks for the response. I may try the stock UI for a few days when I get it. I have been having difficulty in really seeing the differences between the different ROMs out there though. One thing I plan to do a lot is watch TV shows I've downloaded from TVtorrents, these are 720p x264 in an MKV, is there one mod that can handle Video like that or is that a non issue. I can also grab non HD formats which would have a higher chance of working, but would rather not.
I've also read that hulu can be made to work, at least on one ROM, can't recall which now. If one does Hulu and another doesn't that would be an issue as well. I only download shows that Hulu or Netflix doesn't have.
Any guidance from people familiar with the different options would be appreciated, might save me from some trial and error in the next couple weeks.
Pexcer said:
I've also read that hulu can be made to work, at least on one ROM, can't recall which now. If one does Hulu and another doesn't that would be an issue as well. I only download shows that Hulu or Netflix doesn't have.
Any guidance from people familiar with the different options would be appreciated, might save me from some trial and error in the next couple weeks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Torrents blows goats. their download speeds are as fast as my original G Tab os. File Hosting is the way to roll.
Off my soapbox, I agree with goodintentions. Speed and stability is the key. after that, ADW, 3D Launcher, VTLauncher and a few other Home screen launchers can customize your experience. let us know how yours runs. I won't go that route until the ROM's for it (1.2) are out and stable.
I don't have the newest update that just came out, so I can't comment on that. But I can mention why I went back to the stock ROM. I got my g tablet when woot was selling them. I left the stock rom on for a week and it worked pretty well as a shared device between me and my wife. The stock apps let you keep separate accounts. I put on clockwork and formatted the drive as recommended, then I tried TNT lite, g harmony, and cyanogen. They make your tablet like a big phone. When you sign in to the google apps, all you contacts, calendar, and emails are imported. This didn't work so well as a shared tablet. I decided to leave clockwork mod and the recommended formatting but put the original ROM back on. With the proper formatting, the thing isn't too bad. Probably not as fast as some of the folks here would like, but it serves our purpose as a shared device.
Half the fun (and half the aggravation) is trying different roms. Which is best? That is hard to say. Here is what I suggest. Don't get the latest update with the locked bootloader because then there is nothing you can play with. Get Titanium Backup so you can back up your apps. Learn how to connect t o your pc with usb so you can copy your stuff safely away while you play. Install clockworkmod so you can fix things and install different roms. NVflash is also a good thing to set up and learn but you don't have to right away unless you got the latest update. Now do this.
1. Use clockwork mod to make a backup of your original rom and copy it to your pc.
2. Download and install a new rom calkulin/clemsyn is nice. Use clockwork mod again to make a backup of that installation.
3. download another rom and install. Use clockworkmod to make a backup of that one.
4. When you've tried enough of them you can decide which one you like and restore it using clockwork mod.
5. Changed you mind? Restore one of the others!
6. Rinse and repeat as needed.
Remember Titanium Backup will backup your apps and data - so, if you install a new rom you can restore your apps and data. That means you don't have to go fetch them all in the market and you don't have to restart angry birds at level one.
There are lots of tutorials on how to do this stuff - read the stickys.
Good luck
Try a bunch of ROMs
I agree with enigma. I got my Gtablet last week and immediately updated hoping that the new stock ROM was good enough. It isn't. It's slow and "chunky" plus doesn't have access to the Android market.
I've heard good stuff about the calkulin/clemsyn and Vegan. Being that Vegan is Honeycomb I just went with that though I really should have tried calkulin/clemsyn too as so many must like it for a reason.
I'm new to Android as well so don't get too hung up on the difficulty of installing ROMs. There are very clear, step by step instructions to be found here. Each install takes maybe 15 minutes. So in an afternoon you could easily install and play with half a dozen ROMs before deciding on which you like better.
enigma0456 said:
Half the fun (and half the aggravation) is trying different roms. Which is best? That is hard to say. Here is what I suggest. Don't get the latest update with the locked bootloader because then there is nothing you can play with. Get Titanium Backup so you can back up your apps. Learn how to connect t o your pc with usb so you can copy your stuff safely away while you play. Install clockworkmod so you can fix things and install different roms. NVflash is also a good thing to set up and learn but you don't have to right away unless you got the latest update. Now do this.
1. Use clockwork mod to make a backup of your original rom and copy it to your pc.
2. Download and install a new rom calkulin/clemsyn is nice. Use clockwork mod again to make a backup of that installation.
3. download another rom and install. Use clockworkmod to make a backup of that one.
4. When you've tried enough of them you can decide which one you like and restore it using clockwork mod.
5. Changed you mind? Restore one of the others!
6. Rinse and repeat as needed.
Remember Titanium Backup will backup your apps and data - so, if you install a new rom you can restore your apps and data. That means you don't have to go fetch them all in the market and you don't have to restart angry birds at level one.
There are lots of tutorials on how to do this stuff - read the stickys.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you need vpn, cifs then you need a custom ROM
It depends on what capabilities you want. I need VPN and COFS so I use TNTL 4.4. Also, you can install alternate keybaords. The custom ROMs also tend to fix a lot of issues.
Shame on Viewsonic for locking bootloader in the 1.2 branch.
ConfuciusTse said:
. Being that Vegan is Honeycomb I just went with that though I really should have tried calkulin/clemsyn too as so many must like it for a reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know somebody is gonna see this and say something, so I figure I'll be the first to point out its gingerbread not honeycomb.
muerteman said:
I know somebody is gonna see this and say something, so I figure I'll be the first to point out its gingerbread not honeycomb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha, GB is good almost HC good so far.
So I ordered a gtablet and read that flashing it will improve its performance, so I plan on doing that.
I read the guide on how to do it.
I realize each one has its good and bad points.
I am not sure what rom to use. I was going to put vegan on it as I have seen a few people recommend it. I was going through posts on the ginger edition of vegan and saw posts of people having trouble with videos. SO I am leaning towards the vegan 5.1 as people say its stable
I mainly will use the tablet to watch movies, read digital books/comics/magazines and web surf. Would vegan ginger be good pick? Seemed like people were having trouble with video.
When the tablet arrives Im assuming that I should not update it to the latest firmware? Ive seen posts about 1.2 not being compatible. Do I need to make sure I am on certain firmware to root/flash?
.
One other quick question. In the tutorial it mention that when you put clockwork on you make new partition. Does this affect the external sdcard, or is it referring to internal memory?
Just want to make sure as I ordered a larger microsd card so I will wait to flash if its needed to partition.
Thanks. If anyone has any tips or tricks you could offer Id appreciate it as well.
THank you
I'll let others answer your questions since I'm fairly new myself, but I wanted to mention a couple things.
As someone that's certainly computer literate, but completely new to tablets and android, I was able to install Vegan 5.1 following the instructions here. I've been happy with it, but still learning the ropes.
My main issue came from not having a gmail.com email address. My google account was linked to a yahoo email address and that caused issues with Google Talk (which also caused issues with the android marketplace). Other than that, it was fairly painless.
all of the things you want to do, watch videos, read books, and surf the web can be done on a Stock G-tablet. If you don't like the visual appeal of the stock rom, or want to have root access to flash kernels, etc, then you'll need to flash a custom Rom.
More than likely, the G-tablet will not be on a 1.2 firmware out of hte box. Viewsonic pulled the 1.2 update a day after releasing it. The 1.2 branch of development is working under the assumption that all future updates will be of the 1.2 form. So, if you flash a 1.1 Rom now, you may need to be prepared to flash a 1.2 rom later on, if you want future official updates.
I was usuing Vegan 5.1.1, and it worked well. It was stable, I could watch videos, read books, and surf the web, just like you want to. Recently, I flashed Brilliant Corners, which is a 1.2 version of Vegan 5.1.1. It works just the same, but now I'm prepared for any future 1.2 Roms with updates that may include hardware acceleration. The only Honeycomb rom, right now, is being developed on the 1.2 development branch. It's still in the Alpha stages, but if you ever want ot check it out, you'll need to be on 1.2.
The partitioning in the instructions does refer to the internal SD card. With any Vegan rom (from what I've observed) including Brilliant Corners, you need to add a file to each folder, including the root of the external SD card if you plan on putting any music or video files on it. You need a ".Nomedia" file. If you don't have that file, for some reason, the media gets wiped occasioanlly on reboot, waking, etc.
I have never tried any of the "ginger" roms (CM7 and Veganginger) Neither have true official hardware acceleration from NVidea, which is what causes some of the video issues.
My personal opinion...since you are a new user, and have a virgin G-Tab, I would suggest that you flash a 1.2 Rom. If you like Vegan-Tab 5.1.1, then flashing Brilliant Corners gives you the same thing. It's not that hard a process, but it's more involved than just flashing a 1.1 rom. The advantage you have right now is that you are bone stock, so you're already halfway there.
Regards,
Todd
Doesnt flashing make the tablet run smoother and give you the android market so you have more apps to choose from?
I'll admit Im getting discourage from reading the forum. Seems like after you flash a rom then you have to do alot of this to get that working again afterwards. Like it will be one problem after another.
Is this the case? Or is it just that people dont post when it works only when it doesnt making it seem worse to people looking around.
I was looking around and see some posts about running nvflash first before anything else.
I tried searching for a guide on it but couldnt find one on how to make initial back-up before I start flashing.
Can anyone post the correct link?
I see other posts about clockwork recovery.
So I am not sure what to do.
Should I just follow this guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=865245
or should I do something more?
Don't be discouraged, the problems don't happen to everyone, and most are resolved.
If you know how to work a computer and can follow instructions you should be fine.
I got my g Tablet in april, it still had the original ROM on it, from the time I opened the packaging to the time I got VEGAN Ginger running on it was about 40 minutes, and most of that was from downloading and installing things on my windows machine, lol.
Once I got VEGAN ginger running I haven't had any major issues with it. I have full access to the Android market, the Amazon market, and the NVIDIA market.
The VEGAN ginger runs Tegra games great BTW, Dungeon defenders and GunBroz both run flawlessly.
It's definitely worth it to put a custom ROM on, and VEGAN ginger is a good choice.
If you'd like, later I'll try to put a few movies on it and play them, that's one thing I haven't done. Also I've heard theres a netflix app available, I'll try that as well.
Doesnt flashing make the tablet run smoother and give you the android market so you have more apps to choose from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say that originally customs roms made it run smoother, only becuase the original stock rom was pure garbage. As for android market fixes, you don't need a custom rom for them.
Seems like after you flash a rom then you have to do alot of this to get that working again afterwards. Like it will be one problem after another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends on the rom, I think. Some of them are still in development, so aren't the completed versions yet. I can tell you that my first flash of Vegan 5.1.1 worked flawlessly. Everything worked as I expected it when I was done flashing.
I was looking around and see some posts about running nvflash first before anything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is preventative mantainence...being comfortable with NVflash will help you in case anything goes wrong. People suggest that you are familiar with it because many times, it's the only way to recover from a soft brick.
As I mentioned before, just about everything you want to do can be done on stock firmware. Rooting your device will give you more options, like overclocking, or running custom kernels. It will also give you the option to flash the custom roms, if you ever want to. CWM will give you more recovery options, enabling you to make a backup of your system, etc.
If you find that stock firmware isn't workign up to your standards, then by all means, take the plunge and root your device, install CWM, and flash the rom of your choice.
Not sure if its the right place to post (forgive me it's my 1st post)
I'm currently running '1ceCream Flavour (Beast)' ROM. (Brilliant ROM btw. I've used Elelinux, Ligux, and HTX MIUI also, so props to those ROM authors)
I'm not sure if it's related to the ROM itself, but I can't get it Fancy Widgets and Genie (News and Weather) Widget to use my location. As far as I am aware it worked for most the day. Location via GPS works but not thoroughly tested to confirm that. However Location via Wireless/Network doesn't seem to work. The Apps fail to find them. I am pretty much sure it's the same across all Location based Apps. (The location services work under the other ROMs, although HTX MIUI had a similar issue)
I've tried reflashing/wiping..formatting SD card/SD EXT etc. Stopping google framework and clearing cache for that and market.
flashed the v1.1 of 1ceCream Flavour to see if it solves it. after making sure everything is wiped. still the same.
Any ideas??
BTW I can't post in the Dev Section because I don't have 10posts count yet so that's why I'm here
have you authorised it in the settings?
(sometimes the answer is quite simple you know...)
Probably was a Gapps issue or Location Services process not running..
I checked in the usual places, however after flashing a newer version of BEAST, sorted the issue.
Even tried looking at the logcat but couldn't see anything that stood out to my little knowledge
Could be to do with the older decked_x based rom being in US English language. But i'm sure i had location working for a while
anyway. flashing a newer ROM fixed it...now just waiting for a stable cm7.2 based SHPONGLE v3.5
I've installed from the link on page 1 of Android Revolution HD 9.0.0 and very pleased so far. I did a full Superwipe as suggested and everything went well... except I had to set up all my apps again and move them back to the screens I want them.
I've seen some people mention auto-download of their apps from Play after they flash new ROMs but that doesn't seem to occur for me. I'd like to be able to have my apps install fresh from Play but also would like them to return to the screens I have them on rather than having to set it all up again.
With a new clean ROM I'm wondering how likely I am to bring back possible issues if I restore TB data and system? Can I just restore 'All Apps with Data' and not bring problems to the new system? Do I need to restore 'Missing Apps + All System Data' to have things come back to their original places?
TIA for any assistance. (*grins* Missus is getting a bit cheesed at how much time I am spending reflashing my phone instead of doing the work she has for me... )
If you want to flash different ROMs to your phone you have to get used to losing all of your data (apps etc.) unless you are going from whateverrom 1.0 to 2.0, generally they are non wipe unless indicated.
If going from a Sammy touchwiz ROM to cm10 or another aosp ROM then you will have to wipe.
When restoring from TB restoring apps with data is fine, just not system apps, that can cause problems.
"It's all in the game yo, all in the game..." - Omar Little
nodstuff said:
If you want to flash different ROMs to your phone you have to get used to losing all of your data (apps etc.) unless you are going from whateverrom 1.0 to 2.0, generally they are non wipe unless indicated.
If going from a Sammy touchwiz ROM to cm10 or another aosp ROM then you will have to wipe.
When restoring from TB restoring apps with data is fine, just not system apps, that can cause problems.
"It's all in the game yo, all in the game..." - Omar Little
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey thanks for the Reply - I kinda figured that is how it was, but wasn't sure if I would be better re-install the apps rather than Restore them. I'm still puzzled about comments from a couple of threads about having their aps auto-download when they've flashed though. Guess I'll need to look further into the Play Store options.
So... here is an issue. On my new 'Superwiped' Revolution, I was out and about and I had no Internet access. Phone worked and I wasn't in a Wifi area but I had no H+ or 3G in the Notification bar.
Looking at the ARHD setup stuff I can't see what the problem is - my phone worked fine and Mobile Data was on. I figured APN settings but adding Telstra didn't change access issues.
I used CWM to revert back to a previous Clean JB DLI5 image from 2 days back and all was fine.
What did I miss/fail to do in the ARHD flash process? Is it a Kernel issue? A Modem flash? (still a bit confused about what flash does what in the phone...)
Any ideas as to the Web access issue? I am puzzled as to why in ARHD9 I can't access web via NextG but can as soon as I reverted to the previous JB image - it is also DLI5. I was hoping to continue with ARHD as the new DLI7 should be available soon, but if I can't work out why it won't do internet on the phone connection I will need to find another ROM to use...
I had a thought that maybe I needed to flash a modem but then, I don't think I'd be getting phone/text at all and wifi would be an issue. I'm going to try the ARHD9 without the tweaks and see what happens, although I might wait for Mike's DLI7 release to do that. In the meantime I'm going to try the leak and see what it is like.
Hey Guys,
I have a couple questions about this android box I purchased that's had me somewhat puzzled.
I have been an avid android user over the past many years. I am familiar with flashing tons of roms to all the phones I have had. Except my s6, it just sucks for roms. Anyways I have purchased the android box in this link (can't post links this new) I can't seem to fine a manufacturer website, I've Google a million things about the box and searched but I can't find anything. even in the instruction book there's no website or anything.
basically I'm looking to figure out how to at least update this box. there's no option in about device. also I don't like how the flash drive on the device is split into nand flash and regular storage. I would like to merge them all into one. I am also looking for custom roms that might enable me to achieve that, however nowhere I look has this box in their forums or anywhere. maybe it's a cloned box? there are other boxes that have the exact same components (or so they say) with custom firmware, however I don't want to chance it and rich bricking this device.
anyone that can offer any help or lead me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. thank you in advance!
CPU-Rockchip*3368*Octa-Core(1.5GHZ)
GPU-Quad-Core*Mail-T6X*series
Memory-DDRIII*2GB
Flash-EMMC*16GB*(Support*32GB)
WiFi*- 2.4GB+5GBIRInfra*
Remote*control
Bluetooth4.0*
PowerDC*input**
5V/2AAccessoriesgift*box
Power*charger*adapterHDM*cableIR*remote*controlAV*cableUser*ManualI/O1*HDM*2.0Up*to*2160P(2K*4K)2*USB*HOSTHost**USB port1*SPDIFCoaxial*1*TF*CARDSUPPORT*1~32GB1*RJ451000*BaseT1*Power*input5V/2ASoftwareOSAndroid*5.1 LollipopVideoMKV,WMV/VC-1*SP/MP/AP,MPG,MPEG,dat,avi,mov,iso,mp4,rm,H.264,H.265,realVideo*8/9/10,etc.*up*to*2160PAudioMP3,AAC,WMA,RM,FLAC,OGGPicturejpg,JPEG,MJPEG,PNGAdobe*FlashAdobe*Flash*10.1*support*or*aboveSupport*languageChinese*,*English*,Germany*,Japanese,*Korea**etc.**24*languagesDLNASupports Video and Music Playback over networkGoogleTV*RemoteThrough*wi-fi*network*to*realize*control*the*productLANThrough*the*LAN,*can*check*other*devices*to*share*information3D*moiveSupport*3D*movieMotivator*air-mouseSupport*the*body*feeling*game,*such*as*playing*tennis,*paper*planes,*shooting,*etcApplicationsOnlineBrowse*all**video*websitesAppsDownload games and applications from the Google play storeMediumLocal*Media*playback,support for HDD, SD*cardTalk*onlineSupport**SKYPE*video**call*,MSN*,*facebook*,twitter etcOthersSupports Wifi, has router network extender functionsSupports KODI,*Email*and more
Many roms / firmwares being updated for this device:
http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player...y-x6-acemax-ak838-z4-rk3368-ekb368-custom-rom
http://chinagadgetsreviews.blogspot.ro/2016/01/download-latest-android-lollipop-511.html?m=1
This 1 used by me and referred in other posts. Fast and stable. 16gb unified storage. Kodi and the works.
Make sure you use restore in FactoryTool_v1.39 from archive:
http://download1691.mediafire.com/p...dating+instruction&Drivers&Flashing+Tools.zip
http://4pda.ru/forum/lofiversion/index.php?t702783-100.html
roland deschan said:
Many roms / firmwares being updated for this device:
http://freaktab.com/forum/tv-player...y-x6-acemax-ak838-z4-rk3368-ekb368-custom-rom
http://chinagadgetsreviews.blogspot.ro/2016/01/download-latest-android-lollipop-511.html?m=1
This 1 used by me and referred in other posts. Fast and stable. 16gb unified storage. Kodi and the works.
Make sure you use restore in FactoryTool_v1.39 from archive:
http://download1691.mediafire.com/p...dating+instruction&Drivers&Flashing+Tools.zip
http://4pda.ru/forum/lofiversion/index.php?t702783-100.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just picked up one of these about a week ago and found instructions to install TWRP and update SuperSU. The box had 'root' out of the box but it was some specialized root based on an old version of SuperSU (1.93 I believe).
I have successfully installed TWRP 2.8.7.0 and updated to SuperSU 2.46.
Since this is just an android tablet essentially, does anyone know if you can flash these ROMs through TWRP?
Not to my knowledge, just use above tool. It will go alive once you are in bootloader with usb otg cable connected to win (of course with driver pack etc. installed). Titanium or else can do that, instead of trying to press reset button while powering on. Of course recovery will go back to default.
roland deschan said:
Not to my knowledge, just use above tool. It will go alive once you are in bootloader with usb otg cable connected to win (of course with driver pack etc. installed). Titanium or else can do that, instead of trying to press reset button while powering on. Of course recovery will go back to default.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you running liamstears custom ROM or the 12/22 factory firmware?
The split internal storage is something I would like to do without, but I was wondering if it was changed on the 12/22 factory firmware?
12/22 firmware. Fast and stable.
Havent tried liamstears yet. Feedback if you do please.
awesome thanks! thats what I suspected when I was going through the firmwares for these devices. I just wasn't sure if the z4 rk3368 device would work on this one. I've seen a few brands with z4 and as I know with phones.. wrong brand and you're bricked lol. anyways.. I ended up buying a tronsmart vega s95 telos.. but it didn't come rooted. so I rooted it and now I'm getting play services force close and all sorts of bugs and errors.. maybe I'll just keep the z4. it seems to work better.
what link did you follow to get twrp installed?? same thing I'm guessing, punch z4 twrp in google and eventually come upon the right place.
12/22 factory firmware? mines stuck at Nov 10 I think.. it won't let me update using the rk settings app.. which is why I was fed up with it in the first place lol.
12/22 firmware. Unified 16gb App storage. More available with microsd card. Fully functional Kodi with channels, etc. 4k HEVC x265 movies. Youtube 1080p.
Easiest method to update rom is to put extracted update.img from zip file
http://chinagadgetsreviews.blogspot.ro/2016/01/download-latest-android-lollipop-511.html?m=1
on a sdcard / usb and boot. After about a minute into the Android desktop, system will ask for update prompt. Only applicable to system still with default recovery.
If you have some stability issues or with different recovery, you can backup your apps / data with Titanium etc. and then use above Factory tool restore new rom.
These roms usually come with their own recovery, but some modded ones with TWRP/full root, supersu and all. But you dont really need them.
thanks a lot man! I'm downloading right now and will test it on my box tomorrow after work!
I've tried 100 times and it just keeps saying failed to mount /mnt/external_sd (no such device)
I'm using my USB flash drive.
this is becomming a huge pain in the just to update I'm starting to think why this company can make these products and not have any support or anything for it . and that flash tool is in mandarin and I can't even figure out how to work that. I put in the update.img and press go.. but whenever I try to boot to download mode like you mentioned in one of the posts it just turns off the box.. this thing is literally a piece of junk. and so is this tronsmart vega s95.. same thing. it's extremely frustrating. whoever developed this z4 box did a really chappy job on the firmware.. and I do not recommend it to anyone..
If you had gone through the instructions pdf, it clearly shows how to change into English by pressing the World icon. Remember in bootloader mode the tv screen would be black, if you are using the tool. The big red button will turn into green to show readiness.
For automatic update you dont even have to go into recovery as seen in attached image. Easiest.
Hi Roland,
love to see that there are already XDA-members looking at the Z4 TV box. I have just ordered one and hope to get it within a few weeks. Just some dumb questions, hoping you can provide me with some information:
- I see that there are several 'versions' of the Z4: for instance Acemax, but I have ordered the Andoer. Are those just different manufacturers?
- Are there any differences in model/content (installed app's) per manufacturer?
- If my Andoer turned out to have an older firmware than the 22/12, could I still use the Acemax 22/12 firmware you refered to in your link?
- Kodi will be preinstalled, I saw. I do not know what version of Kodi that will be, but can it just be updated to the most recent version in the Google Play Store?
- I do not know what other apps are installed, but is it possible to de-install apps you do not need, or are they part of the firmware and impossible to delete
I know, part of the answers I surely will discover once I got the Z4, but I just can't wait to start experimenting, even it is only in my mind
Thanks in advance!
Jos
hi Roland
I tried that batch tool first which is the one I couldn't change languages in lol. but the other tool with the red button I changed into English. however I did not know that it would remain blank when in download mode. I will have to give it one more go tonight with it. I figured that I loaded it into bootloader and the z4 box light turned red so I thought it was off and didn't load to bootloader.
I also did the USB update and it would just fail on me every time I used it. the update prompt did come up and I pressed install. perhaps I need to check if USB debugging is on. I think it is but it wouldn't hurt to check. but I think I will have to go through the factory tool to update way for sure.
thanks for your help roland, I will write back after I give it another go tonight!
i can't find the 22/12 update ! can anybody share the link direct to firmware ?
@DriftJos
l have got an Andoer too. Most of these brands come from the same hardware factory and thus have the same specs/apps.
Yes you will use the same firmware https://mega.nz/#!JBBXgDgC!VSra8Hc6KR77Pvdw67eDpjeT_ku-TXdYgYaInSAfyvU (direct link @prisim) or several user dev roms. Unified 16gb app storage etc and the works.
You can uninstall bundled Kodi (by Titanium free etc.) by official Kodi Jarvis 16.0 beta 5 & such with pass-through support test builds @ http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=252852
Again you will be able to uninstall useless apps directly or through Titanium.
---------- Post added at 11:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:43 PM ----------
@mikekuel25
Always mention the firmware version you are having and which recovery? The automatic update should work if you still have the factory recovery.
Check the FactoryTool process in attached images.
I'm trying to flash the firmware that I downloaded from that China gadgets site that was mentioned on this thread. I think it's the stock 12/22 for the device. and I have stock recovery.
I extracted the update.exe file and saved it to my USB drive plugged it in and restarted. relieved the update prompt. chose install update and it rebooted into recovery and tried to apply the update but it fails. I'm not ready to give up yet with this device lol. it's just another platform I have to learn. it took me a bit with smartphones to figure it out back in the day.. perhaps it's the same thing now..
and I'm updated to 12/22.. awesome. those pictures really helped me man thanks.
now as for installing twrp and all that. you mentioned that it's not really needed? I'm assuming I can flash any rom given they are in .img format using factory tool. however the benefit of twrp would be an easier interface for creating nandroid backups and clearing cache/factory reset. perhaps I will install it. i might give leamstears rom a try. I will let you know how it is if I do.
thanks again!
so I updated to the new 12/22.. everything works fine except with Google play store.. I keep getting a can't retrieve source error with everything I try to download. I've refreshed and factory reset the firmware 5 times now and kept trying.
so I got fed up with the stock so I tried leamstears rom and it works great.. except sometimes it just becomes completely unresponsive. I'm starting to think there is something wrong with this box. even on stock firmware from the box I've been having issues with unresponsive freezing.
what do you think of the nvidia shield?
mikekuel25 said:
so I updated to the new 12/22.. everything works fine except with Google play store.. I keep getting a can't retrieve source error with everything I try to download. I've refreshed and factory reset the firmware 5 times now and kept trying.
so I got fed up with the stock so I tried leamstears rom and it works great.. except sometimes it just becomes completely unresponsive. I'm starting to think there is something wrong with this box. even on stock firmware from the box I've been having issues with unresponsive freezing.
what do you think of the nvidia shield?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The PlayStore error you were seeing is because the 12/22 firmware comes with a *very* old version (5.2.x). The PlayStore will eventually update everything to the latest version by itself but if you don't want to wait, go over to apkmirror.com and download PlayStore 6.0.5 and install it manually. Once you do, it should also update the Play Services to 8.4.x and your should be good to go. I had this issue as well but I had seen it before and knew I needed to update.
So far the 12/22 version has been great, and having the unified internal storage is a huge plus.
If you feel so inclined, knowing that some of the custom builds of Kodi take up a large amount of space... there is this trick that was introduced in Helix:
http://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Change data location for Android
This will allow you to have only the Kodi app on internal storage (~125 MB) and any data from addons/programs etc. in another location (such as an external SD).
I often
1. Install Kodi on internal storage
2. Zip up the contents of org.xbmc.com directory
3. Copy it to external storage
4. Unzip it in /external_sd/kodi_data
5. Create the xbmc_env.properties file that references my Kodi data location.
6. Delete the contents of /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.com/
Voila! You have freed up internal storage.... You can also persist a Kodi setup this way or run multiple custom installs. If you re-image your media box, you can re-install Kodi and as long as the xbmc_env.properties points to your external_sd with your Kodi data, it will start right up back into your setup... :good: