[Android Software/Hacking General [Developers Only]] wigout:
Hello all-

I have a dual booting pocket-size (well, largish pocket- about the size of a 2.5" portable drive) media player called the HDX Bone.

Here's a link a to a place where I've begun to collect info on the device:

NOTE: I am adding spaces to the links below because I am too new to add live links to a post.

h t t p : / / minimodding.c o m/tiki-index.php?page=HDX%20Bone

(info here is one firmware release out of date- android 2.1 is now out for it)

&

Here's a link to the forum where I have mostly been figuring out how the bone works:

h t t p : / / minimodding.c o m/tiki-view_forum.php?forumId=44

(oh and for completeness here's hdx's own forum:

h t t p : / / w w w.hdx1080.c o m/forum/viewforum.php?f=36&sid=f3c932441675e25a26e25c14db6fe431 )

But here's the pertinent details:

It uses a Telechips Soc TCC8900

It is an arm1176jzf.

It has 128mb ddr2 ram x 2 (256mb total)

It has 256mb nand flash.

You can install 2.5" harddrive- and must have an internal harddrive if you want to boot android.

It has an ethernet port, a usb out port, hdmi, & composite.

It dual boots.

The default bootup "voir/v012" is a linux bootup with a media-playing gui overlay:

uname -a

Linux (none) 2.6.28 #827 Wed May 26 16:14:12 CST 2010 armv6l GNU/Linux

The android bootup was 1.6- but last week they released 2.1 for it.

uname -a

Linux localhost 2.6.29 #169 Fri Jul 16 20:36:50 CST 2010 armv6l GNU/Linux

Here's the latest 2.1 firmware install files, archived:

h t t p : / / w w w .hdx1080.c o m/bone/firmware/HDXV012_android_20100719-102014.rar

When you chose to install android 2.1, it:

activates the initial boot process to ask you if you'd like to boot into android

repartitions your internal harddrive:

/dev/sda2 281.0M 90.5M 176.1M 34% /media/sda2

/dev/sda3 265.8M 40.5M 211.6M 16% /media/sda3

dev/sda2 is the core android system.

dev/sda3 is the data partition for android 2.1. it gets mounted on /data.

the sdcard is just an unwritable directory by default.

The boot process, as near as I can fathom it, works like this:

tccboot.rom (telechips bootloader) loads-

if you do nothing, linux.rom is loaded and the voir/v012 is selected.

OR you can use the remote control to select android.

If so, linux_hdx_android.rom loads and eventually hands off to the install on the harddrive.

ANYWAY, I am starting this thread for one reason right now: the device won't let me install certain applications. And other applications it installs, but they won't open/forceclose.

I think this is tied to:

the system is mounted as read-only to begin with.

and the sdcard is not a writable partition.

I have tried:

making the system rw at start through the init.rc

mounting an extra ext3 harddrive partition in the /sdcard through the init.rc

(hasn't helped)

All the applications that fail/forceclose mention on screen when opened:

android.process.media

Apps that fail this way include:

Facebook

Music

Meridian Media Player

Two other applications open, but won't work:

streamfurious- initiates process to stream, but then quits.

slacker radio - login fails, though credentials supplied are correct.

The application installation procedure is to put apk's in /data/app- then at bootup, it adds those applications to the system.

I have also telnetted in, remounted the system as read-write and copied apk files to the /system/app/

Some applications appear right away in the application drawer this way- others do not. I don't know why this is.

Apps that won't show up include:

Superuser

Better Terminal Emulator

(BTW, UniversalAndroot does show up and shows the device to be "rooted")

Anyway, I have telnet access. Busybox is installed.

Help/insight/advice?

How applications get installed- and how they get rejected- is a mystery to me.

Why I am getting these media playback related failures is also troubling.

And if this is a really bad place to ask these questions, because this device is not a phone, or because this has already been answered 1000 million times, or whatever, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for your help.

-wigout