Kobo Vox Hacking Progress

[mr_nobody]

Firmware update (or "update firmware") is an app in the app drawer.

[Jesslynne]

It was only a software update, not a firmware update.

[oldyellr]

There was no new firmware update this time.

[Pose]

Originally Posted by oldyellr

There was no new firmware update this time.

Here's my firmware:

Build number:
imx51_bbg-eng 2.3.3 GRI40 eng.
CAN.20111027.172304.39765 test-keys

That seems really old compared to everyone else, is there a way to update this?

By the way sorry when I go to Firmware Update it says it is updated.

[oldyellr]

Originally Posted by Pose

Here's my firmware:

Build number:
imx51_bbg-eng 2.3.3 GRI40 eng.
CAN.20111027.172304.39765 test-keys

That seems really old compared to everyone else, is there a way to update this?

By the way sorry when I go to Firmware Update it says it is updated.

The build is the system, or software update. Since your October 27, 2011 build there were ones dated November 17, 2011, December 19, 2011, March 1, 2012.

What happened that you didn't get any previous updates? If your WiFi is on when you power up after any update is released, you ought to get notified to download it.

[Pose]

Originally Posted by oldyellr

The build is the system, or software update. Since your October 27, 2011 build there were ones dated November 17, 2011, December 19, 2011, March 1, 2012.

What happened that you didn't get any previous updates? If your WiFi is on when you power up after any update is released, you ought to get notified to download it.

Yea it does say I have an update, and I've tried multiple times and the method above to update and it goes through the whole process but nothing is actually ever updated once I boot it back up.

I don't know, I honestly think I have a developer device or something. My capacitive buttons at the button glow blue... I've never seen anyone else's Vox ever do that.

[gddeluca]

Hi,
After a lot of mucking about, interrupted by the Mar 2 update, I have my Vox rooted and the Marketplace (now Google Play) app installed. However apps I would like to install (like my bank's mobile app) will not install because Google says it doesn't recognize the K080 device.

Is this fixable? Can the Vox mask it's ID and look like some other device?

Or is this as good as it gets? It was a lot of work to get this far and then find out I still can't get the apps I want.

George

[mr_nobody]

You can sideload the app from another android device. But clearly the app is claiming it has some hardware requirement that the vox does not support (gps? I don't know, you didn't say what the app is)

[gddeluca]

Originally Posted by mr_nobody

You can sideload the app from another android device. But clearly the app is claiming it has some hardware requirement that the vox does not support (gps? I don't know, you didn't say what the app is)

I did say it was my banks mobile app. After a ton of searching for the app (most links simply end up pointing back to the Android Marketplace) I did manage to find it at www.1mobile.com. It loads and runs just fine since all it needs is web access.

So why is Google Play so fussy? I've downloaded other apps from it, including paid apps, so why is it so totally hung up on this device ID being 'known' or not.

It effectively won't even tell me it exists, even though I KNOW it's there. It is rather a ludicrous position to take. If it somehow is not compatible with my device, it just won't install/work, why not let me try and suffer the consequences?

[hieronymos]

Blame your bank's devs, not Google Play.

And maybe before downloading bank apps from shady places (basically everything else than your bank) think about what a person who knows how to decompile and recompile an apk could do with all your bank data.

[terranq]

Has there been any progress in getting a working recovery, or even better, a custom rom for the Vox?

[Ladyrixx]

There's a thread in here somewhere with the original firmware, so if you want to take apart your Vox (it's pretty easy) you can restore the internal card to factory fresh.

[hecatae]

Originally Posted by hieronymos

Maybe

http://download.kobobooks.com/vox/update.zip

?

Thank you for that, very useful, my wife got me one of these for my birthday last week.

I'm currently here:

mkimage -l uImage
Image Name:   Linux-2.6.35.3
Created:      Fri Mar  9 04:43:46 2012
Image Type:   ARM Linux Kernel Image (uncompressed)
Data Size:    2986784 Bytes = 2916.78 kB = 2.85 MB
Load Address: 70008000
Entry Point:  70008000

Anyone know if we are using a 2G or 3G VMSPLIT kernel?

There are Vox compatible Jellybean libs, the AMD Z430 is simply an Adreno 200, and ZTE have released Jellybean 4.2 for their N880E, which uses an Adreno 200 GPU.

If the current kernel is 2G VMSPLIT, it will be incompatible with AOSP or CyanogenMOD or MIUI or AOKP or Paranoid Android, as they all uses 3G VMSPLIT.
Has anyone grabbed the kernel config from /proc/config.gz yet?

./extract_uImage.sh uImage
Checking for uImage magic word...
1+0 records in
0+1 records out
4 bytes (4 B) copied, 5.0902e-05 s, 78.6 kB/s
uImage recognized.
Extracting data...
46668+1 records in
5833+1 records out
2986784 bytes (3.0 MB) copied, 0.0350658 s, 85.2 MB/s
Checking for ARM mach-type...
3+0 records in
0+1 records out
3 bytes (3 B) copied, 7.1491e-05 s, 42.0 kB/s
Checking for zImage...
1+0 records in
0+1 records out
4 bytes (4 B) copied, 5.2313e-05 s, 76.5 kB/s
1+0 records in
0+1 records out
4 bytes (4 B) copied, 5.3372e-05 s, 74.9 kB/s
1+0 records in
0+1 records out
4 bytes (4 B) copied, 5.3278e-05 s, 75.1 kB/s
zImage recognized with start 0x00000000, end 0x002D9320 and size 2986784.
>>> uImage extracted to zImage

getting further...

pasted the config here: http://pastebin.com/KtmbEVrt

bit long, dont want to junk this thread, yes we are using 2G SPLIT.

going to see if I can build a 3.2.0 kernel using:

git clone http://opensource.freescale.com/pub/scm/imx/linux-2.6-imx.git

built:

 Kernel: arch/arm/boot/zImage is ready
  UIMAGE  arch/arm/boot/uImage
Image Name:   Linux-3.2.0-rc2-30386-gb684452
Created:      Sun Dec 16 00:35:54 2012
Image Type:   ARM Linux Kernel Image (uncompressed)
Data Size:    2755456 Bytes = 2690.88 kB = 2.63 MB
Load Address: 00008000
Entry Point:  00008000

anyone want to try this, I offer no guarantees on things working, but got to start somewhere.

edit: yes I'm aware that load and entry addresses have changed from original, looking to see where the wrong information was picked up

finally:

Image Name:   Linux-3.2.0-rc2-30386-gb684452
Created:      Sun Dec 16 01:59:04 2012
Image Type:   ARM Linux Kernel Image (uncompressed)
Data Size:    2755456 Bytes = 2690.88 kB = 2.63 MB
Load Address: 70008000
Entry Point:  70008000

going to see if it boots

[hecatae]

MfgTool release 1.6.2.042 by Freescale

The MfgTool is a manufacturing tool from Freescale that runs under Windows. It is designed to program firmware to i.MX boards for mass production. Boards are connected via USB and execute the USB/UART (Serial downloader) mode.

available here, under Programmers: http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/...sign_Tools_Tab

[hecatae]

enabling recovery:

4.5.6 Software Update and Wipe Partition using Recovery Mode


It is possible to format the /data and /cache partitions or update software based on a update script using recovery mode as follows:
Prepare for all android source code that assumed to be saved in ~/myandroid directory.
Prepare for ADB over USB. make sure that ADB over USB is ok. USB cable is connected. Refer to ADB over USB section for more information.
Connect the UART to the PC and open a terminal to check for printed messages
Enter the recovery by manual
Only works on MX53_SMD: Press "VOLUME -" and "Power" , you can enter Recovery mode.
Developer notes:
to support your board or MX51 platform, you can reference this patch in uboot-imx.git:

ENGR00162491 Android: MX53_SMD: enter recovery mode by key.

to add your board supoprt.

When system had complete to bootup, You will see a Android Robot Logo