[ NITdroid ]

Android operating system

for Nokia Internet Tablets (NITs)

NITdroid is a kernel and userspace port from scratch of the Android operating system (by Google and the Open Handset Alliance) to the NITs hardware. It is a software alternative to the Maemo platform that ships with the Internet Tablets.

This project is an ongoing effort to make Android usable/useful on NIT devices (N770, N800, N810, N810WE).

WARNING: It is a work in progress. Use at your own risk.

Google Code project.
Discuss or report problems on itT forum.
You can track the development progress.
Want to chat about NITdroid on IRC? #NITdroid on freenode.

Status The good:
Latest Linux 2.6 stable kernel.
Touchscreen.
Hardware watchdogs.
Hardware keyboard on N810.
Battery charging.
WiFi for N8x0 (using the open/free stlc45xx driver).
Android Debug Bridge (ADB) and (at the same time) storage USB gadget.
Keyboard fixed, now even Fn keys works.
No longer crashes.
LCD and keyboard brightness working.
Battery metering.

The bad:
Sound not working.
Bluetooth not working.
No GPS exploration yet.
No DSP exploration yet.

Instructions Install NITdroid to your Internet Tablet:

Easy install guide.

Hardcore install guide:
-Connect your tablet when running Maemo to your PC (via USB cable).
-Find out which device is the internal MMC that is exporting the tablet to your PC (probably /dev/sdb).
-Partition /dev/sdb via something like 'fdisk /dev/sdb'.
-Create 3 partitions, first with FAT, second whatever and third must be android (128MB is ok).
-Create an EXT3 filesystem on /dev/sdb3 with something like 'mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdb3'.
-Mount the new filesystem with something like 'mount -t ext3 /dev/sdb3 /mnt'.
-Extract the NITdroid files to your new filesystem with 'cd /mnt;tar -xjpvf path_to/rootfs_nitdroid.tar.bz2'.
-Unmount the filesystem with 'cd;umount /mnt'.
-Flash the NITdroid kernel with 'sudo ./flasher-3.0 -f -k zImage-nitdroid-n8x0 --enable-rd-mode -R'.
-Enjoy! ;)

(The first boot takes much longer populating the Dalvik bytecode cache)

A better GUI installer/bootselector is cooking...

To flash back the original Maemo kernel:
sudo ./flasher-3.0 -f -F RX-44_DIABLO_5.2008.43-7_PR_COMBINED_MR0_ARM.bin --flash-only=kernel --disable-rd-mode -R

Build it from source.
soon.

Downloads Pre-compiled (ready to use):
As a workaround enable R&D mode to prevent turn off crash: sudo ./flasher-3.0 --enable-rd-mode
NITdroid kernel for N8x0 (2.6.28-5).
NITdroid filesystem (0.4.3 Mar/15/2009).

Source:
Patch (GPLv2 license) against Linux OMAP kernel source code.
Patch (Apache v2.0 license) against Android userspace source code.
Config file for the kernel.

Requirements for building from source:
Google Android source code.
Linux Kernel OMAP source code.

For testing and debugging:
NITdroid debugging kernel for N8x0 (2.6.28-5)
Debugging kernels have the console output redirected to screen and serial.
Pre-compiled ADB binaries for Linux x86 and MacOSX x86, to control/debug your device from another computer with a plain USB connection.
ADB simple usage: sudo ./adb shell

Other Android ports to NIT devices Nth-code port to the N810 (it was done in parallel to NITdroid without my knowledgement).

The Big Credits List This port have been possible thanks to the great hackers that preceed me in this or in many other areas that would be impossible to advance without all that great work, in no important order: fanoush, Stskeeps, PenguinBait, b-man, qwerty12, qole, johnx, etc.
To Meizirkki who volunteer to test/debug my initial crashy versions, for it's nice videos, high quality feedback, and for dedicating a lot of time to answer ppl's questions. Thx a lot dude!
To Stskeeps of Deblet / Mer fame who patiently attended my first questions and ideas. It a man who ppl want to watch for his great projects, he always make great things!
To pfft who help me debug android userspace and for proving me that "hard" bugs can be chased in 1min.
To andrewfblack and Proteous for awesome artwork.
To Bundyo for testing and debugging until N800 works.
To jakemaheu for his nice install guide and for supporting ppl.
To Al Sutton of AndAppStore.com who asked me and gives permission to include their application installer client!
To Jérémie Banier for contributing the MacOSX adb precompiled binary.
To the fine ppl at #maemo who are always useful and I appreciate a lot.
Thanks to the contributors of this guide and to eLinux in general, they have the base for my initial experiments.
To the OMAPZoom crew from whom I learned by styding their differences how to modify the Android build system.
To the OMAP tree people who are performing an excellent work keeping in good health the OMAP ports.
To Nokia for manufacturing great devices, but most importantily for their great contributions to Open Source and specially to the people in charge of the NITs, are closely true open devices except just for the required proprietary software stuff.
To Google for freeing the Android source code and for being a great company very friendly to F/OSS.
To Universidad Galileo for being the best technological University in Central America and for hosting the GUUG site.

Other NIT projects
More by solca
[ GUUG ]