Nexus 7

2015-May-21

About a month ago I removed CyanogenMod and installed the latest Google image (Lollypop). It's so-so, nothing strikingly different, but the battery now runs down every day, and things that used to work fine (like the browser) are now painfully slow.

So I am loading CyanogenMod back in. I tried CM12 around Dec 2014 and it was awful... I guess I will try again. I did recover the Nexus 7, see "Bricked Nexus 7" below.

Living without Google

With CyanogenMod installed, do I really really have to install Google Apps? Please say no! The biggie is that I lose the "Play Store". But then again I don't DO much with the tablet these days anyway other than read web pages.

Plan A - work around Play Store to get the apps I want.

https://sufficientlysecure.org/index.php/2013/11/26/an-android-without-google/

or Plan B - do what this guy suggests - http://www.itworld.com/article/2832391/mobile/can-an-android-phone-run-without-google-.html

I will end up with Plan B but will try Plan A because it's more intriguing. I like the ownCloud idea especially.

Apps I can't live without

The list is very short. Currently there are a couple dozen apps that Google installed when I put 5.x on. They are on my phone so Google assumed I wanted them on the tablet too. Many don't make sense or don't work on a tablet.

• Aldiko -- Book reader
• A file manager (Astro is the one I have used the longest)
• Firefox

Apps nice to have

• Bluetooth GPS Provider - lets me use a Garmin GLO
• Dropbox - ownCloud will replace this
• Overdrive so I can read library books

Cyanogenmod on the Nexus 7

The instructions for my Nexus 7 are here: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Install_CM_for_tilapia

I am trying to install CM12 using sideloading. Having successfully transferred the file to the tablet, I am waiting patiently. It says:

detected filesystem ext4 for /dev/block/platform/sdhci-tegra.4/by-name/APP
Patching system image unconditionally
detected filesystem ext4 for /dev/block/platform/sdhci-tegra.4/by-name/APP

I wonder how long this takes... OH. It says "you can tell it's complete if you have regained control over the menu." and I have! Rebooting... it says "Google". Ahhhh it's booting CM12!! Ohhhhh!!! Now it's doing that "optimizing apps" thing. Hope it works better this time! Recovery from the bad version was painful.

Living without Google, Plan A

Browse to http://f-droid.org/ and download their APK. Enable APK's from Unknown Sources (scary!!!) and install f-droid.apk Open it.

Now use it to install

• Fennec FDroid to replace Firefox.
• EPub3 instead of Aldiko or FBReader
• BlueGps to get GPS from Bluetooth
• Squeezer to control our Logitech Squeezebox

Things that are not available in F-Droid can be gotten via http://apps.evozi.com/

• Overdrive Media

Installing Google Apps later

In order to get the "Play Store" in there I booted into the ClockworkMod by opening a terminal window and typing

su
reboot recovery

Then I was able to use this to copy the zip up to the tablet

adb push gapps-jb-20130813-signed.zip /sdcard/

Do NOT leave off the last /, else you will remove the symbolic link and replace /sdcard with your zip file. This gives you shell access so you can fix things like this...

adb shell 

Then I used Clockwork to install it.

Bricked Nexus 7

1. Tried to install CM12. Continuous crashes of Trebuchet, Google Services, Google Play Store, Messaging.
2. Powered down.
3. Black screen. Won't start.

I found I could hold down power button for a LONG time and it would boot. I can't get into recovery mode from the device and when I boot into CM12, where once again my apps just crash over and over.

I think I might be able to connect via ADB.

Copying map files for c:geo

1. Download from http://ftp.mapsforge.org/maps/north-america/us/
2. Plug in and detect Nexus, you should see it with "adb devices"
3. Explore "adb shell" and make a directory to hold the maps. "mkdir /sdcard/osmmaps/"
4. Copy with adb push oregon.map /sdcard/osmmaps/

Switching to Ubuntu

Each time I try, Ubuntu is better and there are more reasons to switch. I tried 3 times. There are still no apps.

I am keeping my files here: Projects/UbuntuTouch

Ubuntu Tablet Install

To make Ubuntu Touch development easier I have already switched my desktop to run Ubuntu instead of Mint.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:phablet-team/tools
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install phablet-tools android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot
sudo apt-get upgrade

Make a backup

This apparently works to back up my data. Anyway a "full backup" screen came up on the Nexus, and it took a long time.

adb backup -shared

Android 4.2.2
Baseband 1231_0.17.0_1205
Kernel version 3.1.10-g05b777c
Build JDQ39

Download and save a copy of the stock image from Google. NakasiG Nexus 7 Mobile 32 GB

Download Ubuntu image from http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ubuntu-touch-preview/daily-preinstalled/current I found the names of the devices by looking on the http://cyanogenmod.com site, I have a Tilapia. Maybe I will try a different version of Android soon. There is no Tilapia Ubuntu build so I am using Grouper

-rw-rw-r-- 1 bwilson bwilson 33964483 Nov 17 10:02 saucy-preinstalled-armel+grouper.zip
-rw-rw-r-- 1 bwilson bwilson  5304320 Nov 17 09:05 saucy-preinstalled-boot-armel+grouper.img
-rw-rw-r-- 1 bwilson bwilson  7288832 Nov 17 10:02 saucy-preinstalled-recovery-armel+grouper.img
-rw-rw-r-- 1 bwilson bwilson 69844256 Nov 17 09:05 saucy-preinstalled-system-armel+grouper.img

See also http://download.cyanogenmod.com/?device=tilapia&type=nightly

• grouper = Google Nexus 7 (WiFi)
• maguro = Google Galaxy Nexus
• mako = Google Nexus 4
• manta = Google Nexus 10
• tilapia = Google Nexus 7 (GSM)