Install Android on all of your devices
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Project Goal
Android everthing!
Install Android on to a non-Android
device. Our main example is going to be the HP TouchPad but the tools and
techniques apply to a whole range of devices.
REQUIRES
HP TouchPad or suitable device
Devices come and go, so new and relevant
devices will change over time. We've chosen the HP TouchPad as many people
snapped these up cheaply in mid-2011.
CyanogenMod
Android
This is the chosen build of Android. As
Android is open source anyone can create their own version and CyanogenMod
has built up a reputation for stable, well-supported builds that cover a wide
number of devices.
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We've reached that tipping point, the green
Android army is on the march. Not even the beautifully crafted armour of
Apple's worshipped products can protect it from inevitable defeat. While
Android may not be as slick as Apple iOS, BlackBerry Tablet OS or even HP WebOS
(and not forgetting Windows Phone 7) its open source nature has won it many
resistance-style friends. These digital counter-insurgents are happily
undermining other OS opponents by sabotaging their devices with Android
installed packages. Blasting open their defences and letting in the droid shock
troops.
It's the open-sourced nature of Android
that has enabled it to proliferate so widely, but it's the touch-friendly
interface that has had it so eagerly embraced by so many. This has enabled
anyone that wanted, to direct their intellectual powers to porting Android to
any device they want.
This has lead to disgruntled owners of
Android devices that have waited a few months too long for OS updates to create
their own updated builds. Owners of devices with outdated or dead operating
systems - such as Windows Mobile - have devised builds of Android of their own.
While people who just fancy the damn challenge have done it for perfectly
functioning devices, such as the iPhone BG.
Robot spares
For this example we've picked the HP
TouchPad, there was a lot of noise about this in mid-2011
HP announced it was dumping its WebOS
division and there was a fire sale on its only tablet the HP TouchPad. This
runs WebOS, which, while in itself is a fine OS, has very limited third-party
app support. With the death knell sounded for WebOS the challenge was on to
create a working build of Android. The renowned hacker group, CyanogenMod took
up the challenge and delivered a working alpha in a month.
So how do you go about replacing the OS on
a device? It's just like replacing an OS on a standard PC but with the added
complications of gaining the right access to the original OS; having the tools
to inject a replacement boot-loader; and having access to a replacement OS with
the correct drivers in place. Sounds tricky, doesn't it?
Thankfully the internet is a vast and
varied place, inhabited by helpful and intelligent types. Sites like
http://xda-developers.com and http://rootzwiki.com host communities of avid
Android fans, dedicated to creating builds of Androids for specific devices.
These gals and guys have created an armoury
of tools that people can easily reuse for a host of devices.
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Jargon Explained
Boot-loader
The bit of software that's initiated at power-up,
which in turn starts the OS load sequence.
Root
Gaining 'root' access to a Linux system or device,
enables you to install anything you wanton it including a new OS.
A4
Apple's system on a chip application of the ARM
processor architecture.
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Missing a pillar
Three basic pillars are required: a copy of
the target OS for the device; a system to inject this onto the device; and a
boot-loader to kick start the device with the new OS. The injection stage is
interesting as it usually hijacks the manufacturer's built-in firmware upgrade
or recovery process. Most devices provide a low-level recovery mode that
involves holding down a combination of hard buttons as it's turned on. With the
HP TouchPad this is the Volume Up button. For other devices, such as the iPhone
this is initiated via the software itself.
Beyond that initial process, of course, a
build of Android is required, ideally but not necessarily with all the device
drivers in place. As with Windows, lacking a driver doesn't necessarily break a
device but renders that part - be it the GPS, Wi-Fi or audio for example
-useless or in other cases semi-functioning or often functioning but lacking
power-saving features. If you jump onboard a part-done build you'll often find
such issues.
Last, the boot-loader kicks the whole thing
off. For some devices, usually those that cannot be flashed, this is a one-time
process that has to be rerun each boot. The HP TouchPad gets the best of all
worlds as it can be partitioned and have a multi-OS boot-loader installed
called Moboot.
You won a brick
Do be aware there is a chance of bricking
your device. We strongly advise backing up your data and any files on it. It's
well worth fully charging the device beforehand and leaving it plugged in as
well. Once the 'upgrade' is initiated don't interrupt it, even if nothing seems
to be happening.
Once Android is in place there can be
issues with Android Market and it will often need installing separately, but we
cover that in part 2. On some devices it may also block many apps as the device
isn't correctly recognised. This can often be fixed by clearing and force
stopping the Google Services Framework and then the Market via application
settings.
Beyond this there's a world of Android
enjoyment to be had. The Android 4.0 source code has been released too, so we’re
expecting a slow update for many devices to the tasty Ice Cream Sandwich.
Android eats an Apple
The Android craze has even managed to
reach the heights of touching Apple itself with a group porting Android for a
selection of Apple iPhones and the original iPod touch.
The http://idroidproject.org has
successfully developed a working Android build and system for installing it
on the original iPhone, iPhone 3G and original iPod touch. With the deepest
of respect for them this is utter madness, but we're sure they'd say
"This. Is. Android!”
It’s not something we'd do; taking one of
the most expensive handsets on the market with probably the most finely tuned
hardware/OS match, to be replaced with a generic OS build. As an intellectual
undertaking that's another thing. If you've already jailbroken - that's
rooted in Apple speak - your iOS device then this could be something you're
interested in. Word on the street is an'A4'version is in the works and that
would open up Android for the iPad, new iPod touch and the original iPhone 4.
