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Old 01-03-2012, 10:39 PM   #1
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[PIC] The benefits of rooting the PRS-T1

When I got my PRS-T1 for Christmas, I did not really see outright, the benefits of rooting my PRS-T1. My wife's Evo3D and my OG Evo are both rooted, and I've rooted numerous phones, so as far as that goes, rooting is a tremendous positive. For a simple e-ink device, I just didn't see a reason to do so, that is, until I tired of the limited selection of fonts available in the default reader app, and the lack of a on-screen clock like I had with the PRS-505. So, after only a few days of using the T1, I rooted.

For those of you who don't really see a reason to root, I've attached a picture that shows the before/after of rooting. I'm glad I rooted, and couldn't imagine using the default Homescreen/default reader. I use the Alternate Homescreen developed by mrspacemonkey.

Spoiler:

Last edited by WT Sharpe; 01-04-2012 at 10:14 PM. Reason: Place spoiler tags around large graphic.
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Old 01-04-2012, 06:17 AM   #2
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Hello. Thank you for this thread and the pictures. I just bought the same device yesterday, rather impulsively after seeing : good price for a Sony reader, good reviews, pdf and epub support, and above all possibility to root the device, and so other formats probably supported (djvu, chm, cbr/cbz for comics,...). I'm used to linux and android rooted phones.
May I ask you if you saw negative points after root? sound still working?
I wanted to use the Sony for a while with stock firmware to get a reference point before rooting it...

Last edited by oliwek; 01-04-2012 at 11:43 AM.
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Old 01-04-2012, 08:34 AM   #3
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Awesome, the statusbar (position, time and battery) are the points I was missing from my Onyx Boox. Gonna root it tonight...
Tnx, didn't see the bennefits of rooting untill now ;-)

ps. The statusbar in the picture is from FBreader? Or CoolReader?

Last edited by Venzent; 01-04-2012 at 08:44 AM.
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Old 01-04-2012, 11:07 AM   #4
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Your data intrigues me! I've been thinking about rooting to avoid the italics bugs in the default reader, and your screens show a definite improvement.
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Old 01-04-2012, 11:15 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Venzent View Post
Awesome, the statusbar (position, time and battery) are the points I was missing from my Onyx Boox. Gonna root it tonight...
Tnx, didn't see the bennefits of rooting untill now ;-)

ps. The statusbar in the picture is from FBreader? Or CoolReader?
the legend under the picture says FBreader
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Old 01-04-2012, 11:16 AM   #6
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This is interesting. I am a Debian Linux user. Is this possible using Debian Linux? My husband is a DD and could help me if he knew where to start looking for "how to".
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Old 01-04-2012, 11:24 AM   #7
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it is using android 2.2 froyo, another operating system for mobile devices, with its own libraries, on a linux kernel...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)
The whole point of "rooting the device" is this : android is secured, meaning the end user doesn't have superuser rights (administrator in windows language), and cannot alter system files, so cannot customize his device at will (as Linux allows the user to do). Rooting solves the issue and lets you install what you want, or even use the device for other means than Sony intended to.

for people interested, read this translation of the original russian thread where the rooting method was explained : http://translate.google.com/translat...hp%3Ft%3D21458

Last edited by oliwek; 01-04-2012 at 11:40 AM.
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Old 01-04-2012, 11:48 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by spindlegirl View Post
This is interesting. I am a Debian Linux user. Is this possible using Debian Linux? My husband is a DD and could help me if he knew where to start looking for "how to".
Hacking the PRS-T1?
A place to start is here:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=154285

It is almost as easy as copying a file over.

1- You choose which zip file to download, and you extract it to a folder.
2- Then you connect the reader in data transfer mode to the PC via usb and run a batch file.
3- The reader reboots, you unplug it, and you're good to go.
That easy.

Will it work from inside LINUX? Dunno...
It might work from inside Wine.

Some (advanced) users have done it by hand so if your "minion" is proficient enough it should be doable.

But since the thing takes, like, 5 minutes, maybe you could just get access to Windows PC at a library or internet cafe?

It adds real value to the T1 and makes it more than just another generic epub reader.
The result is not quite an android tablet (not enough app space for more than a handful of apps) but it expands the range of what you can do with it; install Kindle and/or Audible, or Nook, or Kobo, or music apps like Pandora andor LastFM...

Worth looking into.
Plus, you can always un-root if you prefer the stock config.

Last edited by fjtorres; 01-04-2012 at 11:53 AM.
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Old 01-04-2012, 12:06 PM   #9
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Thanks. I will get my husband to take a look. I have places I can go to use Windows, I'd just have to wait for the right opportunity.
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Old 01-04-2012, 12:19 PM   #10
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What fjtorres said. Though, even if the T1 had more space for apps, It still wouldn't be usable as a tablet because of the e-ink screen. I experiment with apps like FBreader and coolreader on my Evo first, and find the settings I like, then I apply those settings to the respective apps on my T1. The e-ink screen is a serious impediment to using the Android OS because it's a touch-centric OS that relies on a fast refresh rate and animations, and an E-ink screen isn't a conductive environment for that. Furthermore, when I look at the implementation of the Android OS on the T1, it does feel that Sony might have rushed this to market. It could have been implemented a bit better.

Rooting the PRS-T1 is a much simpler process than rooting a phone, at least for the average end-user, so fjtorres is correct in that regard.

With all that said; the font rendering engine and anti-aliasing in the default Sony reader app sucks. It is quite frankly, horrible when compared to Coolreader and FBreader. At first I thought it might have been the fonts used as the choices available in the default reader app, but those same fonts look better in FBreader and Coolreader. Additionally, PMN Caecilia looks better in FBreader than in Coolreader, even when I adjust the settings in Coolreader to match those of FBreader. But, it's not by much. The difference between Coolreader and FBreader is slight when it comes to the anti-aliasing. In FBreader, the anti-aliasing looks to be better than coolreader. This is just my opinion by the way.

FBreader will ignore stylesets in epubs though- I have to specify styling settings in FBreader for my novels to look right. I don't mind this as I read mostly novels and I prefer the formatting to be uniform throughout. Be careful not to use Droid Sans in FBreader otherwise italics are lost- the Droid Sans does not have an italic fontface.
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Old 01-04-2012, 12:33 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by oliwek View Post
May I ask you if you saw negative points after root? sound still working?
I wanted to use the Sony for a while with stock firmware to get a reference point before rooting it...

I'm not sure I am the right person to ask since I am fairly biased- I love rooting my Android devices. Furthermore, I am profoundly deaf, so, I also wouldn't be the right person to ask about the sound haha. :-D

In all seriousness about seeing negatives of rooting on the T1, none. So far, absolutely no negative has arisen. Only positives. I'll give you a heads up though, don't expect FBreader and Coolreader to work as far as opening different books using the default Sony Home app. For some reason, the initial book opened at device startup would keep opening in FBreader despite selecting different books in the default home app. I solved this by installing the alternative Homescreen app developed by mrspacemonkey. The default Sony Home app doesn't play nice with FBreader and Coolreader. Unfortunate. That's the only negative and that isn't due to rooting- it's just the way the default Home app was written; for the default Sony Reader app.
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Old 01-04-2012, 04:05 PM   #12
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I rooted my T1 last weekend and installed a couple of apps. I haven't had time to do much else with it since. This is my first attempt at rooting an android device and it seemed easy enough. The real learning experience is using android. I still haven't figured out how to move or consolidate icons on the homescreen

One of the things that confused me is there is no 'book viewer/chooser' that I could find. I had to use file explorer and drill down to my calibre folders to find books to open.

Did I miss something somewhere?

It's easy enough to switch back to the Sony homepage, but it kind of defeats the purpose of rooting. May just take some more time with it.
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Old 01-04-2012, 04:46 PM   #13
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What's the simplest way to get CoolReader or FBReader from my phone or other Android device to my PRS-T1, assuming I've bought the app and downloaded it from the Market?
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Old 01-04-2012, 04:51 PM   #14
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Hmm I am going to have to think about this. Thankfully it's a big ordeal to get to a windows computer so I do have time to think about it.

I currently like the way my books are organized and the way I can read them. But the time on the bottom of the page did look enticing. Plus, I'm kind of a natural at messing things up.
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Old 01-04-2012, 08:12 PM   #15
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What's the simplest way to get CoolReader or FBReader from my phone or other Android device to my PRS-T1, assuming I've bought the app and downloaded it from the Market?
Both of them are included in the standard rooting kit.
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