[Nook Touch General] nmyshkin:
The Phoenix Project--Phase 3--B&N system removed, new software added, with new UI and more

Update 7-15-24: I have finished the AlReader and Cool Reader builds with working partial e-ink refresh. Links to these

and

the new User Guides (there is some new software) have been updated. For those who prefer the originals, the old links can be found inside the "Spoiler".

View attachment 6124249

Featuring AlReader

NST-US-newUI-AlR115.zip (236 MB) (Nook Simple Touch, BNRV300)

[MD5: 37d127ac2a2916585d0fbb49e1357006]

NSTG-US-newUI-AlR115.zip (239 MB) (Nook Simple Touch w/Glowlight, BNRV350)

[MD5: c4b28bbbd4041d2db60c7168c583ffec]

Featuring Cool Reader

NST-US-newUI-CR115.zip (264 MB) (Nook Simple Touch, BNRV300)

[MD5: 5e185aa3e721a2457a3e8bf436e1b7b0]

NSTG-US-newUI-CR115.zip (237 MB) (Nook Simple Touch w/Glowlight, BNRV350)

[MD5: 1d4c0c1d5659c7b5657ee2d848b66fec]

Featuring FBReader

NST-US-newUI-FB.zip (234 MB) (Nook Simple Touch, BNRV300)

[MD5: a759f1ccd82d8cf9dabe9132b627133a]

NSTG-US-newUI-FB.zip (235 MB) (Nook Simple Touch w/Glowlight, BNRV350)

[MD5: 5a88fe9f74b8aa831228ada116523611]

Featuring Mantano Reader

NST-US-newUI-Man.zip (241 MB) (Nook Simple Touch, BNRV300)

[MD5: 81a1f73771a57a9069e886869f13abaf]

NSTG-US-newUI-Man.zip (242 MB) (Nook Simple Touch w/Glowlight, BNRV350)

[MD5: 6a629f1a478f2a681aecba230f50a988]

NST User Guide (w/AlReader)

NSTG User Guide (w/AlReader)

AlReader Help File (HTML, tr.)

NST User Guide (w/Cool Reader)

NSTG User Guide (w/Cool Reader)

NST User Guide (w/FBReader)

NSTG User Guide (w/FBReader)

NST User Guide (w/Mantano)

NSTG User Guide (w/Mantano)

Note: while the User Guides actually look rather good in EBookDroid, they contain some embedded hyperlinks which EBookDroid can't handle. Also, they were made with interaction in mind, so better to display them on your PC with your device near at hand.

"What are these?"

Each download zip contains three components:

1) a CWM backup of a pre-configured NST/G

2) the contents of an sdcard used for storage

3) the contents of the /media partition (i.e., the "Nook" drive).

The pre-configured NST/G was made by performing a factory re-image on the device and updating to FW 1.2.2 or FW 1.1.5 (see "Spoiler" below). The device was rooted with an updated NookManager card ("Traditional" version). NookManager was used to remove the B&N account and system. The kernel was updated for multi-touch, NoRefresh, and USB Host (including Audio). Finally, custom applications were added to create the new UI. Once all the configuration was done, a CWM backup was created (/boot, /system, /data, /cache). Restoring this backup to another device leaves the /rom partition untouched so device hardware information (serial #, MAC address, etc.) remains unchanged. Since CWM cannot backup /media or /sdcard, separate folders containing those files are included in the zip (

an sdcard is required for all of this to work properly

).

There are currently 4 versions (for both the standard NST and also the NSTG) which differ by the principal reader app (for epubs and perhaps a few other formats) and custom software needed for the UI:

AlReader

Cool Reader

FBReader

Mantano Reader

Colordict is integrated as a dictionary source for the principal reader apps and both the Merriam-Webster and Oxford English dictionaries are provided. Other dictionaries in StarDict format can be added.

Additional reader apps on all versions include customized versions of Amazon Kindle, EBookDroid and Perfect Viewer.

Most apps have been lightly pre-configured to make for a better first experience and reduce the amount of time and effort it takes to get up and running. There are a few exceptions and this information is covered in more detail (along with initial setup instructions) in the "User Guides" for each version (separate download above).

Unfortunately it is not possible to try out one version and then replace the principal reader app or add another reader app and not break the UI components since each reader app handles cover images differently. Of course you can always add a reader app to try it out (the various UI features will not work for it) and then perhaps decide you like it better. In that case you would then have to do a complete install of the version with that reader (including the files in /media and on the sdcard) for a fully functional system.

If you have no experience with any of the principal reader apps, the chart below may be helpful but is certainly not an exhaustive comparison of the various features, strengths, weaknesses, etc. In my opinion, the reader app most like the B&N stock reader in terms of simplicity and format capabilities (except for font support) is Mantano, but its screen UI elements are quite small.

View attachment 6123943

Spoiler content hidden.

"Who are these for?"

Anyone with a working device in any state can use these since they do not include or rely on any account information. However, if you currently have a device with a valid B&N connection, it would be wise to make a total device backup before trying out these images. CWM does not make a total backup. NookManager can do that. That way if none of this is to your liking you can easily restore your device to it's original condition.

"What do I have to do?"

The preparation and installation instructions are identical to those found in post #3 above (for "phase 2") (except for the name of the backup file to be restored). Please refer to that post under "What do I have to do?"