Viwoods

[Gormagon]

In another thread I asked: "Maybe we should start a Viwoods thread?"

Well, here it is.

And to have some content to begin with I just quote myself again from the same post in the other thread:

I've bought [the Viwoods AIPaper Reader] last year and really like it. For the AI button I disabled the opening of the AI feature, tough. I've clicked it too often by accident.
With the Keymapper app I was then able to refresh the screen with one click and go to Settings with a double click.
Pay attention to the firmware. Viwoods made changes which diabled the remapping of the buttons in firmware 1.3.4 although it works again in 1.3.8. Also adb commands weren't working in 1.3.4 anymore. For 1.3.8 you need a special software from Viwoods to make changes via adb on the Reader. This software is available for Windows, Linux and Apple.
I've contacted Viwoods multiple times via e-mail and they usually responded quite quick and also sent a download link for the mentioned software.
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...9&postcount=70

To add something new: I also bought a generic cover for the device from Shantime, which is quite nice for the ~12 Euro I paid. I added a small magnet on the right place and now the Reader goes off when I close the cover and wakes up when I open it. The Folio cover Viwoods offers is in my opinion much to expensive, after all it's just plastic.

[Renate]

I presume that what they did to ADB was to make it a bit non-standard somehow.
I can think of a few ways that they could do this.
If what they do for Windows uses an .inf file please post or PM it.

[Gormagon]

For Windows it's an exe file (almost 100 MB in size) plus a folder with the Android platform files (adb.exe, adwinapi.dll and adbwinusbapi.dll). When the tool is active and you've unlock the Reader with "adb enable device" you can also use adb in Windows command prompt, but that's really the same as using the Viwoods tool. You always hav to enable the device first. The firmware my Reader came with was much better regarding adb commands. But they fixed some other stuff like enabling fingerprint without the need to be connected to the internet, and I haven't really read the info about the first update.

The Tool for Linux has almost the same size as the Windows exe file plus there's a file named "adb" without file extension. I really have no clue about Linux. It looks like there are no file extensions for Linux.

I could upload the tools somewhere or you could just email Viwoods after you got the Reader. They certainly send you a download link. Firmware v1.3.8 is a beta version, though, and you need to contact Viwoods with the serial number of the device to take part in the beta program.

It's not that I use adb every other day but it's very useful to disable/deinstall apps that can't be disabled/deinstalled in the settings. And some apps require additional adb commands to be useful. So it's essential to have to personalize an Android device.

[rowe]

I think they locked down ADB/accessibility because their source code had been extracted and shared online.

With the most recent beta Viwoods will unlock ADB/accessibility for a device if their support is asked, so the tool isn't needed (I only have the Mac version).

Devices previously unlocked with the tool stayed unlocked.

[Gormagon]

The tool is needed every time you want to use adb. I asked them to enable adb for my device and they send me a download link for the tool.
Have you even contacted them about this?

[rowe]

Ah, ok. No another user sent me it when I whinged about accessibility service not working anymore.

I only really needed ADB to unlock that so my macros and keymaps worked again.

[rowe]

Just checked the release notes for the last beta...

[Developer Friendly] ADB debugging mode is now officially open to advanced users and developers;
(Note: To ensure system security, this feature can only be activated after contacting official customer support to obtain a dedicated authorization command.)

[Gormagon]

Originally Posted by rowe

I only really needed ADB to unlock that so my macros and keymaps worked again.

The keymapper app worked on the firmware my Reader came with and with the latest beta version it worked again without the need to use any adb command.
But if you want to use adb for something else you need the tool and you need to enable adb for every new session via the tool again and again. You can't enable it with Windows command prompt only the tool works.

[Renate]

But I use ADB every day.
There's no chance that I'm going to buy a device that requires asking "Mother, may I?" to customer support.

I presume that this device has Secure Boot enabled?

If somebody is bored they can try using this authorization while they have Wireshark running.
You can PM me the pcapng file.

[Gormagon]

Originally Posted by Renate

But I use ADB every day.

My...what are you doing every day or are you that bored?

Originally Posted by Renate

There's no chance that I'm going to buy a device that requires asking "Mother, may I?" to customer support.

When I bought the Reader it was different, as already mentioned. I had everything disabled I wanted disabled back then and the device itself is really good. Except for Viwoods closing down the Android system with firmware updates.

Originally Posted by Renate

I presume that this device has Secure Boot enabled?

How do I recognize this?

Originally Posted by Renate

If somebody is bored they can try using this authorization while they have Wireshark running.

I'm not really bored but I have some spare time. According to my firewall the Viwoods tool didn't try to connect on my Windows PC to any port. Only the adb.exe connects to local host (127.0.0.1) as always. The Reader was always in Airplane mode with Wifi disabled and without SIM card when I used the tool. So there are no outbound connections.
I don't think Wireshark is necessary when my firewall pops up with every try of an outbound connection.

[Renate]

I sync books, photos, reference materials using ADB and my AdbSync more than once daily on different devices.

Wireshark with UsbCap (or other) is for monitoring what they are doing over USB to get to ADB.
It's not for network usage (in this case).

You can try if "adb reboot edl" gets you to EDL.
You can try if an EDL cable and reset will get you there.
Of course there is also the internal test points on the PCB inside.

If you use an EDL client to do initial handshaking it will tell you the PK hash.
If it's a known one that may indicate Secure Boot is not being used.
My edl.exe is in my sig, there's also the Python edl.py

You can go to bootloader and "fastboot getvar all" and it should tell you reliably if SB is on.

[Gormagon]

The instruction is too short for me to know what to do. Maybe you could elaborate or link to a website that goes more into detail. For me PCB is the acronym for PolyChlorinated Biphenyl.
Or maybe there's an app that shows what you want to know?

In the app DevCheck (flar2.devcheck) I found under System -> Security:
Verified Boot (AVB)
AVB 1.3

Verified boot state
Green

dm-verify
Enforcing

Bootloader
Locked

Root access
Device is not rooted

Does this help?

[Renate]

PCB = printed circuit board, the internals, the guts.

Only fastboot in the bootloader or the log oout of the xbl can tell you easily Secure Boot status.

Either go to my website and read about EDL or Google the "bkerler edl"

[rowe]

Originally Posted by Gormagon

The keymapper app worked on the firmware my Reader came with and with the latest beta version it worked again without the need to use any adb command.

It was a change on a previous Beta that locked everyone on it out (which could be opened back up again with the tool). Prior to that the accessibility service had been available by default on previous official builds.

[Gormagon]

Originally Posted by Renate

Either go to my website and read about EDL or Google the "bkerler edl"

On your website it says:
"The EDL Utility is a Win32 utility for accessing the Qualcomm Emergency Download interface on Qualcomm processors."

The Reader uses the MediaTek Helio G99 (MT8781V/CA).