What Type of Custom ROM Do You Want For Your Amlogic Nextbook?

[shaunmt]

I've nearly completed work on modified 3e recoveries and stock ROMS for the Amlogic Nextbook models and I'm exploring options for developing custom ROMs. I would appreciate some input.

What base ROM do you want? Do you just want modifications to the stock ROM? Would you prefer an upgraded android version built from AOSP or Cyanagenmod? Or maybe you'd prefer a port of some other ROM?

Do you want to keep the stock UBIFS formatting for System, Data and Cache? This means I'd have to port Christian Troy's version of CWM or TWRP that contains UBIFS support, which may limit our ROM options.

Would you prefer to reformat System, Data and Cache to EXT4, which is supported by the standard CWM and TWRP builds and would offer more ROMS that could possibly be ported?

What modifications do you want to see? I assume everyone wants a deodexed ROM, with bloatware removed, unsecure ADB, init.d support and possibly more internal app space? I also assume everyone wants anything other than the stock Nextbook boot images? Anything else?

Give me some suggestions so I can determine what direction to work in.

Thanks!

ShaunMT

[duandroid]

I would love to see a port of paranoid android im really starting to like it.

I would also love to see us moved from the UBIFS to the ext 4, just makes long term sence I think.

[Rabid1]

What modifications do you want to see? I assume everyone wants a deodexed ROM, with bloatware removed, unsecure ADB, init.d support and possibly more internal app space? I also assume everyone wants anything other than the stock Nextbook boot images? Anything else?

ShaunMT

I have found gooing this route, the basics, is best. Anytime I have tried to really tweak a ROM out I end up getting the "I don't like this", "Can you change that". Plus If I am able to stay in within working with the stock recovery it makes it so much simpler for people to flash. CWM is great but it is also one more point of potential problems when you get less experienced users trying to set it up.


Good job !!

[shaunmt]

I would love to see a port of paranoid android im really starting to like it.

I would also love to see us moved from the UBIFS to the ext 4, just makes long term sence I think.

I'm leaning towards an EXT4 conversion myself. I've already build CWM from source for our tablets, but it can't mount any of the UBIFS partitions. I've also ported Christian Troy's CWM and TWRP versions, which mount the UBIFS partitions and can do backup ok, but I'm not sure if he ever got the restore function working and I haven't tested it.

If I convert the formats to EXT4, then the latest stock AOSP and Cyanogenmod versions should build and work without modifications. I've also seen an EXT4 port of Paranoid android for the Ainol series that should easily port to our devices, possibly without any modifications.

ShaunMT

[shaunmt]

I have found gooing this route, the basics, is best. Anytime I have tried to really tweak a ROM out I end up getting the "I don't like this", "Can you change that". Plus If I am able to stay in within working with the stock recovery it makes it so much simpler for people to flash. CWM is great but it is also one more point of potential problems when you get less experienced users trying to set it up.


Good job !!

See my comments about CWM and TWRP in my response to Duanandroid.

My modified 3e Recoveries can be used to attempt flashing anything signed with Google test keys, although they currently seem to have a limited busybox install, as edify updater-scripts that use busybox don't seem to work. I could probably add more busybox features along with insecure adb and init.d support to the 3e Recoveries though.

ShaunMT

[Th3rdborn]

My 2 Cents

When it comes to custom recoveries I am of the opinion that twrp>amonra>cwm. I think that when you make the new ROM it would be best to reformat to ext4 for compatibility reasons. My opinion on the custom ROM is that a basic revamped stock would be great for starters. The best custom ROM for tablets in my opinion is PA or AOSP. Just my thoughts based on past experiences. Thanks! BTW you rock for the continued progress. The NX008HD8G I bricked got sent back to E-Fun for replacement and the new one just got shipped out

[shaunmt]

When it comes to custom recoveries I am of the opinion that twrp>amonra>cwm. I think that when you make the new ROM it would be best to reformat to ext4 for compatibility reasons. My opinion on the custom ROM is that a basic revamped stock would be great for starters. The best custom ROM for tablets in my opinion is PA or AOSP. Just my thoughts based on past experiences. Thanks! BTW you rock for the continued progress. The NX008HD8G I bricked got sent back to E-Fun for replacement and the new one just got shipped out

I also favor TWRP.

If all goes well, I believe my next releases for the Amlogic Nextbook series will involve an EXT4 conversion with CWM and Cyangenmod built from source. After that, I'll probably work on TWRP and either an upgraded AOSP build or a Paranoid Android port.

ShaunMT

[stevemp]

Just bought mine at Wal-Mart today, nice tablet for $99.
TWRP, EXT4, and Cyangenmod sounds really good.

[Th3rdborn]

Custom kernal

I'm thinking custom kernel needed with overclocking/underclocking possibility, smartassv2 scheduler, and i/o scheduler options. I get some surface problems with the stock scheduler. I'm not sure which one was chosen for stock, probably performace. Maybe we can stretch battery life more with no hit to performance.

[shaunmt]

I'm thinking custom kernel needed with overclocking/underclocking possibility, smartassv2 scheduler, and i/o scheduler options. I get some surface problems with the stock scheduler. I'm not sure which one was chosen for stock, probably performace. Maybe we can stretch battery life more with no hit to performance.

I haven't yet learned enough to build a modified kernel, so you may have to wait awhile. I haven't even figured out how to properly isolate the kernel from the boot image.

Maybe I can find a custom kernel from another tablet with the same board and chipset. I'll take another look at the stuff available for the Ainol series and some of the other similar tablets.

ShaunMT

[Th3rdborn]

I haven't yet learned enough to build a modified kernel, so you may have to wait awhile. I haven't even figured out how to properly isolate the kernel from the boot image.

Maybe I can find a custom kernel from another tablet with the same board and chipset. I'll take another look at the stuff available for the Ainol series and some of the other similar tablets.

ShaunMT

Fair enough, I can't claim to know how to do it either. Perhaps I will try to set up my build environment on my linux machine and see if I can learn a thing or two also. Would be real nice if Nextbook sources would be released sometime soon!

[shaunmt]

Fair enough, I can't claim to know how to do it either. Perhaps I will try to set up my build environment on my linux machine and see if I can learn a thing or two also. Would be real nice if Nextbook sources would be released sometime soon!

Nextbook is never going to release any source. Some of the base code is available from Amlogic (if you have a wholesale account with them), but I don't believe it contains any of the component drivers or support.

I believe Yifang buys the main board from Amlogic and assembles the tablets then offers them wholesale to numerous vendors such as E-Fun / Nextbook. I'm not sure who does most of the stock ROM work, but if you look closely at the build.prop, you'll notice near the bottom there is a line that identifies the board or device or model as PMP something. That is the model of a tablet from another vendor somewhere in Europe. I'm guessing that Yifang provides a base rom and the vendors modify it with their own splash screens, bootanimation and bloatware. Either Yifang is sloppy when modifying the buildprop for different models, or E-Fun is copying the ROM from another vendor and being sloppy when they modify it.

[stevemp]

boards

I have searched a little and found a few tablets using the ARM Cortex-A9 Amlogic8726-M6 Dual Core 1.5 GHz Processor and Dual Core Mail 400×2 GPU.
Next8HD8G NX008HD8G
8.0" touchscreen, 1024 x 768 resolution

Ainol Novo 7 Elf 2
7" touchscreen, 1024x600 resolution

Ainol Novo 7 Fire/Flame
7" touchscreen, 1280x800 resolution

lsmod shows only two modules loaded. They are loaded from the boot.img,
boot/ump.ko
boot/mali.ko

You could probably use a rom for one of those tablets with our boot.img, need to switch some modules also. Look in system/lib/hw and system/etc/frimware for modules. Firmware for the wifi is in system/etc/wifi/40181. Place to start from anyway.

[shaunmt]

I have searched a little and found a few tablets using the ARM Cortex-A9 Amlogic8726-M6 Dual Core 1.5 GHz Processor and Dual Core Mail 400×2 GPU.
Next8HD8G NX008HD8G
8.0" touchscreen, 1024 x 768 resolution

Ainol Novo 7 Elf 2
7" touchscreen, 1024x600 resolution

Ainol Novo 7 Fire/Flame
7" touchscreen, 1280x800 resolution

lsmod shows only two modules loaded. They are loaded from the boot.img,
boot/ump.ko
boot/mali.ko

You could probably use a rom for one of those tablets with our boot.img, need to switch some modules also. Look in system/lib/hw and system/etc/frimware for modules. Firmware for the wifi is in system/etc/wifi/40181. Place to start from anyway.

Yeah, I haven't tried it yet, but I'm pretty sure some of Christian Troy's Ainol ROMs would work on our devices with just a few modifications.

FYI... I'm currently (as I'm typing) building Cyanogenmod from source for the Next8P12... I think I've nearly got all the compile bugs resolved. Still gotta merge it with our kernel and proprietary files though.

ShaunMT

[Th3rdborn]

Yeah, I haven't tried it yet, but I'm pretty sure some of Christian Troy's Ainol ROMs would work on our devices with just a few modifications.

FYI... I'm currently (as I'm typing) building Cyanogenmod from source for the Next8P12... I think I've nearly got all the compile bugs resolved. Still gotta merge it with our kernel and proprietary files though.

ShaunMT

I will be impatiently waiting!