Any hope for upgrading cheapy Android Tablets?

  • Replies:45
louis uk 2
louis uk
  • Forum posts: 9

Jan 26, 2011, 3:25:10 PM via Website

Quite a few people have the cheapy type 7 inch Android Tablets probably like mine stuck back at OS 1.6. I believe it is highly unlikely they can be upgraded to 2.1 or 2.2 and its not worth trying. Has anyone succesfully done this with a Generic Flytouch? It does seem there are great problems - it may not work at all, it may lose the Market, etc. I do know about putting the script on the SD card and of course you can get the scripts, but does anyone know anything that definately works? Many thanks.

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Douglas Carter 26
Douglas Carter
  • Forum posts: 1,891

Jan 26, 2011, 7:53:01 PM via Website

New official Android updates getting onto your device will always be the job of the company that makes the device. I believe that Google employees have said that there is no hardware requirement for ANY version of Android. I know a guy on the German side of AndroidPIT that has a myTouch 3G (basically the first ever android phone ever (T-Mobile G1), but without the keyboard) and he runs Android 2.2 on it with fairly good performance.

I believe your tablet likely is powerful enough for Android 2.1 or 2.2 or maybe even 2.3, but likely your only hope is to try and find a custom ROM to run on your tablet. That will likely be a problem though, as I've never heard of your device before, and it seems like only the better-known devices have custom ROMs made for them.

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louis uk 2
louis uk
  • Forum posts: 9

Jan 27, 2011, 9:15:04 AM via Website

Thanks so much for that, Douglas. These I believe are called Generic Gome Flytouch Tablets, have a camera, and a plug in unit which gives two USB ports and a LAN port, and run Android OS 1.6. They sell commonly on Ebay, have an ARM VIA CPU of about 450 MHz, and do work quite well.
They do come with MSN, and the QQ IM, which is all in Chinese, I imagine the video chat does work with the Chinese QQ. They will not run Skype or of course any 2.1/ 2.2 Apps.
More technical details:
OS Android 1.6
Boot Notice shows .... WMT 2.0.1_105
Memory Ram ... 256 Mb
Model ....Generic
Firmware .... 1.6
Kernel .... 2.6.29-00236-g4f8dbbb-dirty
They do have the Android OS Open Source Notices.
I suspect this OS is common to some phones, so if they could be identified then an upgrade of that would or should work, There is no manufacturer shown, and very little technical detail either. Having a camera the normal phone camera/ video works.
Like you I think they would upgrade to say 2.1 or 2.2 but no further given the CPU speed.
Any further help on upgrading would be very welcome, as I expect there are a lot of these Generic Tablets out there and many want information on safe upgrading. I have heard though that some tried random ROM Flashes and the units have totally locked, of course with no backup of the original OS this is very risky.
Since this is a Android OS I wonder if they could offer advice. Thanks for anything further.

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Douglas Carter 26
Douglas Carter
  • Forum posts: 1,891

Jan 27, 2011, 11:20:46 PM via Website

I'll get back to you on this soon. If you could post back in here tomorrow to remind me, that would be great.

— modified on Jan 27, 2011, 11:21:16 PM

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louis uk 2
louis uk
  • Forum posts: 9

Jan 28, 2011, 8:57:21 AM via Website

Thanks So much on that Douglas. I think it is worth investigating since as I say, these Tablets have sold in vast numbers, and I am sure the question of upgrading will arise again and again. I have now seen virtually the same design on sale running Android 2.2 on Ebay, so it obviously can be done. Thanks.

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Douglas Carter 26
Douglas Carter
  • Forum posts: 1,891

Jan 28, 2011, 7:34:03 PM via Website

The hardware looks solid enough. You have a little bit less RAM than the HTC Hero, a phone that many people run Android 2.2 on, so that is still okay.

Your first step in upgrading you tablet (aside from receiving an official update) is to start looking for rooting methods for your device. Do you know what rooting and ROMing is? Have you taken a look inside of the XDA-developer forum to see if any work is being done on a project that would work for you?

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louis uk 2
louis uk
  • Forum posts: 9

Jan 28, 2011, 8:03:56 PM via Website

Thanks will look into Rooting. Will come back.

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louis uk 2
louis uk
  • Forum posts: 9

Jan 31, 2011, 12:56:48 PM via Website

I think the Rooting process is well documented. There do however not seem to be any upgrade Roms available for this build of Android OS 1.6. This may be connected with it being a phone OS modified for tablet use. For instance the tablet has USB ports and a LAN port. A phone would of course not have these. Unless the Rom is designed specifically for this tablet these may not later work. Continuing to look for Roms though.

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Douglas Carter 26
Douglas Carter
  • Forum posts: 1,891

Jan 31, 2011, 6:39:36 PM via Website

Well, I believe every Android smartphone has at least a mini or microUSB port, so having support for at least one shouldn't be impossible I would think. Two ports could very well be a possible problem though. Have you found a dedicated forum based around your tablet yet?

When doing searches for a ROM, I'm not sure it is a good idea to include any reference of the Android 1.6 that came with the tablet. Maybe just include the rough name of the device itself and search for Android 2.1 or 2.2 along with.

— modified on Jan 31, 2011, 6:42:05 PM

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louis uk 2
louis uk
  • Forum posts: 9

Jan 31, 2011, 8:16:22 PM via Website

Thanks so much for help Douglas. I found some references to this generic tablet and its OS. But there are no clear upgrade routes as far as modified or custom Roms are concerned, though of course there are with many phones. Also I am really unfamiliar with the Android OS system. I assume unlike say Windows or Linux it is not possible to do a Format, then load in an image of the desired OS Rom? There does not seem to be any straightforward route to upgrading Android. But its very much an ongoing search - not at all finished. The number of these generic tablets so must be very high and thus there must be a lot of owners wish to upgrade the maximum probably being 2.2. On the other hand not wanting to "brick" it by experimenting ....

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Douglas Carter 26
Douglas Carter
  • Forum posts: 1,891

Feb 1, 2011, 3:07:50 PM via Website

You are correct that there are undoubtedly lots of people buying the generic tablets, but whether those same people are the ones who hack into the devices and create custom ROMs for them, well, that may not be so likely.

From my time on the forum, I've heard lots of complaints of people who've had severe buyer's remorse after receiving their generic and/or cheap tablet and having software/hardware problems show up quickly, or just suffering from false advertising regarding the specs.

I can't say for sure, but I believe that a large amount of the development community for Android tends to focus more on the devices from the more expensive brands (HTC, Samsung, Motorola, LG, Sony Ericsson) because of better quality control.

Have you seen this yet: http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic156153.html

Or have you looked at some of these results: http://www.google.de/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Generic+Gome+Flytouch+Tablets

— modified on Dec 2, 2011, 11:09:49 AM by moderator

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louis uk 2
louis uk
  • Forum posts: 9

Feb 1, 2011, 4:24:28 PM via Website

Thanks for that. As you say upgrades for Android arise mainly for phones and indeed specific ones, In fact Google did not like early Android being used for tablets at all. Hence there was no Google support for such devices. Will though run through your links and see what they offer.

Have had no real problems with mine only the restrictions the earlier 1.6 impose i.e. no Skype, no Flash (2.2 has both) but it is used only for specific purposes. I do think its probably worth waiting for 3.0 built for both phones and tablets.

Thanks for your links.

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Douglas Carter 26
Douglas Carter
  • Forum posts: 1,891

Feb 1, 2011, 10:11:57 PM via Website

Ah, no need to thank me. One link may be a bit helpful, the other one was just a google search results list, not helpful if you've already done the search that I did.

— modified on Feb 1, 2011, 10:12:10 PM

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louis uk 2
louis uk
  • Forum posts: 9

Apr 18, 2011, 10:01:42 AM via Website

Thanks to those who helped me on here. In the end I could find no solution to this so I bought a Frayo 2.2 Tablet which runs Flash etc. great. In fact its a far better tablet than the other one, quicker processor, runs Angry Birds well, just about runs TV Catchup, better build. And cheaper too at £58 post included from HK. A friend is happy with his iPad 2 but at 10 times the price of my Android tablet, he should be? Thanks to all anyway!

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1
Sandra Green
  • Forum posts: 3

Dec 1, 2011, 12:05:09 AM via Website

I got the same crap tablet.I'm on disability and can't afford a good one. So if anyone can suggest apps so I can do my essays for school,Id appreciate it.I have had no luck with olive office.I also need a keyboard app, and a media/video player.Peace

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Aaron Tilton 19
Aaron Tilton
  • Forum posts: 838

Dec 1, 2011, 1:01:38 PM via Website

I'll do some looking but if it's an older tablet it would be nice to know what version of Android is on it so I can know if it compatable. Could you look in your settings under tablet info and let me know?

thanks! Hope I can help!

Android News I Android Apps I > App Center

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1
Sandra Green
  • Forum posts: 3

Dec 1, 2011, 6:53:18 PM via Website

its running 1.6-its garbage- i hadda scrounge to afford it and its fairly useless..i can get the link to my exact model if you want.

thanxx soo much

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Aaron Tilton 19
Aaron Tilton
  • Forum posts: 838

Dec 6, 2011, 12:45:19 PM via Website

OfficeSuite Pro is supposedly compatable with Android 1.5 and Up and it's also 50% today in the AppCenter. Documents to go also has a good rating and works with Android 1.5. I hope one of those will work for you as I couldn't find any others that are still compatable with Android 1.5

Hope that helps!

Android News I Android Apps I > App Center

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David Leo 4
David Leo
  • Forum posts: 10

Dec 6, 2011, 4:05:05 PM via Website

YES!! I have the upgrade if your tablet is a WM8650

I have done many of these tablets and. I have enlosed my instructions below
and the link to the files from my website.

Follow these directions exactly:

Make sure your tablet is off.
Remove the SD Card.
Download the V9 Final ROM file to your PC from my site. Make sure you know
where to find it after it downloads:

I have uploaded the rom to my own website and it should
download very quick for you. Here is the link to my site
http://creativeconceptcomputers.com//downloads/public/WM8650.7z
save it to
your desktop and get winrar to unpack the zip file at
http://rarlab.com/rar/wrar41b4.exe
Insert the SD Card into the media reader on your desktop PC.
The SD Card will now show up as a drive letter on your PC's File Manager,
just like C:\, except with a different letter assigned.

Every computer will be different. Let's just say that on your PC it is G:\.
Right click the drive letter of the SD Card (G:\). A pop-up menu appears.
Select "format" and format the card to Fat32.
Now, using a program like winzip or winrar, extract the ROM file that you
downloaded to your PC earlier to a new folder on your desktop
.
After it has extracted, it will have these folders:
firmwareinstall
Changer_files
and these 3 files on it:
changer.bat
wmt_scriptcmd
Universal_Uberoid_WM8650_v9.1.2.txt

Using your PC mouse, double click the "changer.bat" file.
A pop up screen appears.
Type in RT3070 and hit "enter" (this enables WiFi support)

Select the option number that corresponds to your tablet and press enter.
( I found option 27 to work on most wundermedia wm8650 ) if that dont work
run it again and choose option 2 (if that dont work,keep trying differnt
options until you get the right one) if that one hangs on the option
you selected, you will just have to keep running the changer and selecting a
different option number until you get it right. Make sure that after it does
boot, to select wmtlauncher as the default and that the touchsreen does in
fact work.

(Please, if you are trying multiple options, just remember to try options
only for the size tablet you have.)
For instance, if you have a 7 inch tablet, try only options
1,2,7,8,9,11,12,13,16,20,21,23,25,26,27,28,29,30,31, and 32.

After you select your option number and hit enter, the changer.bat will ask
you if you want to install the ROM on your SD Card hit y (yes) and if you
want your SD Card formatted. Answer "NO" since you already formatted it
earlier, let the program finish running completly and it will tell you when
its done.
Now safely remove the SD Card from the PC media reader.

Insert the SD Card back into your tablet and turn it on.

it will show a progress bar on the botton, when it's done it will tell you
to remove the sd card , (don't remove card until it says to) when you do
the tablet will reboot
.
Select the wmtlauncher when it comes to options screen and set as the
default and thats all there is to it.

This should only take a few minutes to boot the first time. Make sure that
after the tablet is up and running , that you reformat the sd card in a
computer again before you put it back in your tablet for storage.

Main features:
* Live Wallpaper Support! ("butterfly" live wallpaper included!)
* HoneyComb styled launcher, framework and icons
* Extreme WM8650 compatibility (60 models +!)
* Customizable ROM, make it even more LITE for example (see CHANGER 'x' for
more info)
* 100% Rooted
* Audio Boosted
* Memory cleaning boosted
* Memory read/write boosted
* Lite version, stripped away many apps
* Tries to support as many languages as possible
* Real Google Market (v3.1.3)
* Real working YouTube

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1
Sandra Green
  • Forum posts: 3

Dec 6, 2011, 9:59:18 PM via Website

thank you!you know this works ?i cannot risk destroying the dumb thing,lol

peace

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David Leo 4
David Leo
  • Forum posts: 10

Dec 6, 2011, 10:06:48 PM via Website

Yes it works for sure, so long as you have a wm8650 tablet 7" or 10" I run a computer repair company and have done dozens of these tablets

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David Leo 4
David Leo
  • Forum posts: 10

Dec 12, 2011, 2:37:35 AM via Website

Sandra Green
thank you!you know this works ?i cannot risk destroying the dumb thing,lol

peace

Yes it works for sure, so long as you have a wm8650 tablet 7" or 10" I run a computer repair company and have done dozens of these tablets

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1
anwar ullah
  • Forum posts: 1

Dec 26, 2011, 11:10:27 PM via Website

Hi

please help.

I wanna upgrade my 10 inch tablet pc (Epad). Model ZT180, Firmware:Android 2.1 Update1-20101030, Kernal Version:2.6.32.9 USBANDROID#1608, Build Number:ZT180-ENG2.1 Update 20101030.
I cannot access to internet and its keep showing error message- Sorry "The Process com.google.process.gapps has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again", "Force close" icon to close the message window.
Do I need to upgrade the firmware or there is a solution to this problem.
Any advise/help will be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance

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1
maniahmed
  • Forum posts: 1

Jan 7, 2012, 11:06:40 AM via Website

Dear David,
This changer.bat doesnt create a folder by the name of script on my SD card and it seems that mine wouldnt execute without a script folder, i even failed to boot.

Any help?

Regards
arehman2003@gmail.com


David Leo
YES!! I have the upgrade if your tablet is a WM8650

I have done many of these tablets and. I have enlosed my instructions below
and the link to the files from my website.

Follow these directions exactly:

Make sure your tablet is off.
Remove the SD Card.
Download the V9 Final ROM file to your PC from my site. Make sure you know
where to find it after it downloads:

I have uploaded the rom to my own website and it should
download very quick for you. Here is the link to my site
http://creativeconceptcomputers.com//downloads/public/WM8650.7z
save it to
your desktop and get winrar to unpack the zip file at
http://rarlab.com/rar/wrar41b4.exe
Insert the SD Card into the media reader on your desktop PC.
The SD Card will now show up as a drive letter on your PC's File Manager,
just like C:\, except with a different letter assigned.

Every computer will be different. Let's just say that on your PC it is G:\.
Right click the drive letter of the SD Card (G:\). A pop-up menu appears.
Select "format" and format the card to Fat32.
Now, using a program like winzip or winrar, extract the ROM file that you
downloaded to your PC earlier to a new folder on your desktop
.
After it has extracted, it will have these folders:
firmwareinstall
Changer_files
and these 3 files on it:
changer.bat
wmt_scriptcmd
Universal_Uberoid_WM8650_v9.1.2.txt

Using your PC mouse, double click the "changer.bat" file.
A pop up screen appears.
Type in RT3070 and hit "enter" (this enables WiFi support)

Select the option number that corresponds to your tablet and press enter.
( I found option 27 to work on most wundermedia wm8650 ) if that dont work
run it again and choose option 2 (if that dont work,keep trying differnt
options until you get the right one) if that one hangs on the option
you selected, you will just have to keep running the changer and selecting a
different option number until you get it right. Make sure that after it does
boot, to select wmtlauncher as the default and that the touchsreen does in
fact work.

(Please, if you are trying multiple options, just remember to try options
only for the size tablet you have.)
For instance, if you have a 7 inch tablet, try only options
1,2,7,8,9,11,12,13,16,20,21,23,25,26,27,28,29,30,31, and 32.

After you select your option number and hit enter, the changer.bat will ask
you if you want to install the ROM on your SD Card hit y (yes) and if you
want your SD Card formatted. Answer "NO" since you already formatted it
earlier, let the program finish running completly and it will tell you when
its done.
Now safely remove the SD Card from the PC media reader.

Insert the SD Card back into your tablet and turn it on.

it will show a progress bar on the botton, when it's done it will tell you
to remove the sd card , (don't remove card until it says to) when you do
the tablet will reboot
.
Select the wmtlauncher when it comes to options screen and set as the
default and thats all there is to it.

This should only take a few minutes to boot the first time. Make sure that
after the tablet is up and running , that you reformat the sd card in a
computer again before you put it back in your tablet for storage.

Main features:
* Live Wallpaper Support! ("butterfly" live wallpaper included!)
* HoneyComb styled launcher, framework and icons
* Extreme WM8650 compatibility (60 models +!)
* Customizable ROM, make it even more LITE for example (see CHANGER 'x' for
more info)
* 100% Rooted
* Audio Boosted
* Memory cleaning boosted
* Memory read/write boosted
* Lite version, stripped away many apps
* Tries to support as many languages as possible
* Real Google Market (v3.1.3)
* Real working YouTube

Reply
2
Amrit Rastogi
  • Forum posts: 4

Jan 23, 2012, 4:34:03 PM via Website

hey can i suggest somethin?...first u should root it using z4root and them download root toolbox pro.apk and make a nandroid backup of ur whole tablet on sd card now put it on pc >> http://androidforums.com/samsung-i7500/136176-how-extract-files-nandroid-backup-windows.html ..using the tool inside the link explained now u can see the kernel and it modules just get the kernel and compile a new custom rom for that u should be an advance user ..or contact some tablet developer for information regarding the compilation and things needed to do it!

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1
Josie Joiner
  • Forum posts: 2

Feb 21, 2012, 3:41:00 AM via Website

What about 8 inch tablets? I tried option 27 anyway and it works except 1 inch of the screen (lol). We want to make our cheap tablet work for our daughter. (It didn't make sense for us to buy an expensive one for a kid)

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31
Eric McBride
  • Forum posts: 1,790

Feb 21, 2012, 1:25:42 PM via Website

Josie Joiner
What about 8 inch tablets? I tried option 27 anyway and it works except 1 inch of the screen (lol). We want to make our cheap tablet work for our daughter. (It didn't make sense for us to buy an expensive one for a kid)

Whats the exact model name of your device?

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1
Josie Joiner
  • Forum posts: 2

Feb 21, 2012, 11:37:06 PM via Website

MID 80006 VIA WM8650

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1
Michael Hubbert
  • Forum posts: 1

Feb 26, 2012, 9:30:33 AM via Website

What about the 7" PANDIGITAL BPDN?
Model No. R70E200

— modified on Feb 26, 2012, 9:35:16 AM

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31
Eric McBride
  • Forum posts: 1,790

Feb 27, 2012, 1:38:50 PM via Website

I cant find much when it comes to custom ROMS for this device. I ll keep looking around.

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hodged02 2
hodged02
  • Forum posts: 8

Mar 21, 2012, 4:28:19 AM via Website

I have just been given one of these nice little tablets (Giani Mipal PC-710), for free, so not really bothered that its an entry level device, will mainly be using it for the kindle app, but would like to upgrade the OS to 2.1 if possible, the info on the device says:

processor Via 8505
RAM 128mb
Model no. generic
firmware 1.6
kernel 2.6.29-00236-g4f8dbbb-dirty
build no. WMT2.710Cu

Can i use any Rom that matches the kernal and build no.?
also would like a rom with the android market working as can't get that working yet

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1
Vishal T Bharatwala
  • Forum posts: 1

Apr 6, 2012, 7:06:56 PM via Website

hi friend , as you said i did all but i am not able to use touch pad when "wmtlauncher as default", as i mention i have china tablet which come with simcard slot, 3g inbuilt, wifi and front cam 7"... please help me because i didnt use this more then 1 day and its useless as what you say in blog for upgrade.. and also i want to upgrade 4.0 if possible.please friend reply me

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2
Pam Smith
  • Forum posts: 2

May 23, 2012, 7:41:19 PM via Website

I have 2 Oscar Pad Dark A10-mid capacitive multyi touch tablets both with the exact same specs, only 1 has android 4.0.3 and the other has android 2.3.4. I ordered them a week apart before march 23 or whenever the new ICS was to become standard They said they were upgradable to 4.0, but again one already came with Ics installed. I have tried looking for a way to upgrade the one with android 2.3.4, Does anyone know and how to upgrade this tablet, If so Please Help!!!! The one with Ice cream sandwich works so much better and i already gave that to my daughter :(

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31
Eric McBride
  • Forum posts: 1,790

May 25, 2012, 2:29:53 PM via Website

Pam Smith
I have 2 Oscar Pad Dark A10-mid capacitive multyi touch tablets both with the exact same specs, only 1 has android 4.0.3 and the other has android 2.3.4. I ordered them a week apart before march 23 or whenever the new ICS was to become standard They said they were upgradable to 4.0, but again one already came with Ics installed. I have tried looking for a way to upgrade the one with android 2.3.4, Does anyone know and how to upgrade this tablet, If so Please Help!!!! The one with Ice cream sandwich works so much better and i already gave that to my daughter :(

If you have 2 of the same tablet and one is running ICS, you should be able to contact the manufacturer per email to see how you can upgrade the other one. After all, there's no way they can tell you its not possible if the other is running it.

Have you went into settings and searched for an update manually on the tablet?

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2
Pam Smith
  • Forum posts: 2

May 25, 2012, 10:18:48 PM via Website

I ordered them from amazon they came from China, and when I emailed them my reply came back in chineese and the users manual is prety shotty written, however thease 2 tablets are the 3rd and 4th I purchased they came with real android market 512mgb ram and 1.2ghz processor better and paster then the wm8650 and the Boss tablets i first baught. And although the one I kept is only running 2.3.4 it is still prety decent it's just that I used the one with ICS FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND THAT THING SEAMED LIKE IT RAN BETTER OR MAYBE I just like ICS more. When I go into the settings on the one with 2.3 it doesn't have anywhere for me to update it manually. I guess I just thought since i was able to put froyo on that wonder media tablet i could upgrade this myself.

— modified on May 25, 2012, 10:30:18 PM

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1
lou bourque
  • Forum posts: 1

May 28, 2012, 5:02:51 PM via Website

Hi everyone. This is a great forum. I truly enjoy visiting. The information is current and useful. In fact, am wondering if someone can tell me if I can upgrade my A10-Mid 7-inch tablet to a newer version?
Follows related info:
Model - A10-MID
Android vs: 2.3.4
Baseband vs: 2.0.3
Kernel vs: 2.6.3b-android chiphd@ubuntu #13

Info much appreciated. Keep up the great work.
Lou

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PJK2011 2
PJK2011
  • Forum posts: 2

Jun 4, 2012, 9:05:01 AM via Website

Unfortunately this is a very hardware-specific issue. Just as Windows or Linux installs drivers for your PC, Android needs drivers to fit the hardware. It's also not a matter of just using your old drivers, just as Windows XP drivers often do not work with Windows 7.

I've been watching this process closely because I also have a Samsung S8500 Wave phone. The hardware is very similar to the Samsung's Android phone, the Galaxy S I9000. The Wikipedia S8500 article states that due to the limitations of its weak Bada OS kernel, "a phone with great hardware specifications is being under-utilized." So with the hardware similarities to the I9000, it is a natural choice to try to port the I9000's Android ROM to the S8500.

Even the kernel port was not easy. Differences in the 2 phones required kernel adjustments before the phone could even run on the Android kernel. Then once the kernel was running, most of the functions were not working because drivers needed to be written. This port has been in development for over a year, and they have got a lot of things working, like WiFi (and the ability to install from Google Play) but they are still working on writing the modem driver. Other small things like the microphone and camera drivers are awaiting attention as well.

So the take-away from this is that upgrading an unsupported device is a major technical exercise for engineers and developers. It's not as simple as upgrading your PC from Windows XP to Windows 7. Microsoft performs a major service by collecting as many hardware drivers as they possibly can to include on the distribution media, or download from Windows Update. If the manufacturer of a tablet or smartphone doesn't have the resources to keep their hardware updated, it is a major hobby project for a knowledgeable programmer to get Android working on such a device. If you have a mainstream device, there will probably be a ROM at CyanogenMod. If you have a marginally mainstream device, there may be a ROM at XDA Developers. Otherwise, you're on your own.

— modified on Jun 4, 2012, 9:06:48 AM

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31
Eric McBride
  • Forum posts: 1,790

Jun 5, 2012, 4:07:45 PM via Website

PJK2011
Unfortunately this is a very hardware-specific issue. Just as Windows or Linux installs drivers for your PC, Android needs drivers to fit the hardware. It's also not a matter of just using your old drivers, just as Windows XP drivers often do not work with Windows 7.

I've been watching this process closely because I also have a Samsung S8500 Wave phone. The hardware is very similar to the Samsung's Android phone, the Galaxy S I9000. The Wikipedia S8500 article states that due to the limitations of its weak Bada OS kernel, "a phone with great hardware specifications is being under-utilized." So with the hardware similarities to the I9000, it is a natural choice to try to port the I9000's Android ROM to the S8500.

Even the kernel port was not easy. Differences in the 2 phones required kernel adjustments before the phone could even run on the Android kernel. Then once the kernel was running, most of the functions were not working because drivers needed to be written. This port has been in development for over a year, and they have got a lot of things working, like WiFi (and the ability to install from Google Play) but they are still working on writing the modem driver. Other small things like the microphone and camera drivers are awaiting attention as well.

So the take-away from this is that upgrading an unsupported device is a major technical exercise for engineers and developers. It's not as simple as upgrading your PC from Windows XP to Windows 7. Microsoft performs a major service by collecting as many hardware drivers as they possibly can to include on the distribution media, or download from Windows Update. If the manufacturer of a tablet or smartphone doesn't have the resources to keep their hardware updated, it is a major hobby project for a knowledgeable programmer to get Android working on such a device. If you have a mainstream device, there will probably be a ROM at CyanogenMod. If you have a marginally mainstream device, there may be a ROM at XDA Developers. Otherwise, you're on your own.

DAMN...good...answer :)

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PJK2011 2
PJK2011
  • Forum posts: 2

Jun 5, 2012, 4:46:02 PM via Website

Eric McBride
DAMN...good...answer :)

Thanks! ;)

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2
scott wetlaufer
  • Forum posts: 1

Jul 16, 2012, 7:14:44 PM via App

I've got an Arnova 8 G3, that came stock with Ice Cream Sandwich, for $169. l
Love it.

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Jim Passi 1
Jim Passi
  • Forum posts: 1

Nov 15, 2012, 2:09:13 AM via Website

i have a MDI android tablet 7"
they say it has a USB port but it does not look like any USB i ever seen
flat slot that plugs in side with 2 USB ports & cat 5 plug
i tryed a USB A to USB A cord but nothing happends
is there aright cord to use
my computer does not see it {dell 620 6 core }
i wanted to do a defrag disk clean & check for virus's
does not have a phone i dont think

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jim cram 2
jim cram
  • Forum posts: 2

May 22, 2013, 8:53:31 PM via Website

Hi,,from Jim,, I have a J-Q88B and you can use Amazon.com ,for you App's it is as good as Google play
:)

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jim cram 2
jim cram
  • Forum posts: 2

May 22, 2013, 8:59:32 PM via Website

:D try using Amazon.com ,for your App's....:)I use it,Jim

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1
Jason Eagle
  • Forum posts: 1

Aug 14, 2013, 12:21:01 AM via Website

okay I have an android tablet with an unknown manufacturer Model number: A13-MID Android version: 4.1.1 jellybean Base Band version: v0.4rc3
Kernel version 3.0.8 android@linux #188 Build number: nuclear_evb-eng 4.1.1 JRO03c 20130416 test-keys
if anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated, and i do not have the update button under settings so please don't jump on me flaming me as an idiot!

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Kris Carlon 35
Kris Carlon
  • Forum posts: 1,110

Aug 14, 2013, 11:33:12 AM via Website

Hi Jason, check out this thread from XDA, there's a link in the third post to a range of ROMs for your tablet. Have a solid read through of all the comments and be sure you are aware of the possible issues with rooting and modding your device. If you're ok after all that go ahead and let us know what you think of the updates.

Follow Kris on Google+ and Twitter / Forum Rules - Recommended for new AndroidPIT members! / Important to all community members: please read before posting

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