直讀中文 cBook

I remember with fondness Ian Wong's 直讀中文 cBook app.

There used to be a time when I read a lot of ebooks and this is one of the apps that I regularly use.

I hear you asking, if it's just ebooks, why not just use Moon+ Reader or Google Play Books or a physical ebook reader like Kobo or Kindle?

The unique thing about cBook is that it can only render Chinese ebooks. Kobos and Kindles can also handle Chinese epubs and AZW/AZW3, but cBook presents the text the correct way - right to left and top to bottom.

Another interesting thing about cBook: it can only open ebooks from HaoDoo using the pdb and updb formats.

So I got a new tablet and installed the latest version of cBook from the Play Store - 4.0.0Beta5. The ebook download function doesn't seem to work anymore, so I had to manually copy over my old pdb/updb files to /cBook folder. The app seems to be able to locate the folder, but it's saying there are zero files within.

Went to Ian Wong's personal website to download old APKs of the app, but the Dropbox links are not working anymore. After a bit of searching, I found a copy of version 3.2.0. Installed that and it was actually able to see the ebooks.

After some testing, it turns out that cBook needs permission to "Files and Media", but doesn't ask for it. Once I granted the permission, cBook 4.0.0beta5 now works as expected.

Flashing the Samsung SM-S9260

Wife was gifted a Samsung Galaxy S24+ phone bought from China.

Now I know that phones sold in China don't support Google services or apps. But when I checked the phone, it does have the Google Play Store installed. I didn't even bother installing more Google apps or testing if they work or not. I've had an S9+ bought in China before. Google apps install fine, but they don't really work 100%. Best thing to do is to replace the firmware with something else ASAP.

For the specific SM-S9260 model, you have a choice of firmware for China, Taiwan or Hong Kong. For guaranteed Google compatibility, I chose TGY (Hong Kong). It is possible to flash firmware from other regions (CSC), but there could be complications if the firmware if not meant for the hardware.

Two options to download the latest firmware:

1. from SamFW, which is the successor of SamMobile
2. or via Frija, which downloads directly from Samsung FUS (Firmware Update Server) for fastest throughput

Frija has an auto mode, which detects your phone's model and CSC and downloads the latest compatible firmware. You can also use manual mode, where you enter the phone's model, CSC, and SN/IMEI, and it will present the latest firmware for it.

Once all the files have been downloaded, run Odin and load the binaries to their corresponding fields.

Power off the S24+ by pressing Vol Down + Power buttons.

Connect the S24+ to a computer using a USB cable, then power up the phone into download mode by pressing both Vol buttons + Power button.

Flash the firmware binaries using Odin. Phone will auto-reboot after success flashing.

Kobo Touch Can't Connect to WiFi or Internet

So, I got myself a spare Kobo Touch. You know, in case my Kobo Glo conks out. Trying to save, so I got a secondhand one from eBay.

The Kobo Touch arrived, freshly factory reset. Selected my preferred language and was given a choice of Computer Setup or Wireless Setup.

For wireless setup, first screen asked me to configure the date, time and timezone. Proceeded to the next  screen, which is for WiFi connectivity. Selected the WiFi network and put in the password. It says connected, but then sends me back to the first screen, which is for the date/time/timezone. Tried it a couple of times and used different WiFi networks. It says connected, but didn't let me through to the next sign-in page.

Backtracked and tried the Computer Setup option instead. This time, it asks me to go to kobosetup.com and download the Kobo Desktop software. Kobo device was detected, but now the desktop software is saying it can't connect to the Internet, which is strange.

Quick check on the forums has multiple people reporting the same issue. It's like factory resetting the Kobo Touch essentially bricks the device and it can't complete initial setup. Apparently, you need to install the latest firmware to get the networking going, but you can't update to the latest firmware because networking is broken.

Good thing is, you can connect the Kobo to the PC and access the filesystem like a regular USB device. Download the firmware from here, copy it over to the .kobo folder, then disconnect from PC. The Kobo will then install the sideloaded firmware and away you go. The strange thing is, when I compared the sideloaded firmware with the installed firmware, they're essentially the same, so not really sure why it didn't work before.

Something I learned just now. For Kobo devices, you can actually convert regular epub files to what's called kepub (Kobo epub) format, which provides the following advantages:

• faster page turns
• image zooms
• footnote previews
• time-estimate metrics
• better responsiveness to text selection, font changes and searching
• page flip, etc.

If you're already using Calibre, you can download the KoboTouchExtended plugin, so epubs are converted to kepubs on-the-fly. Instructions here.

Double-check in the Extended tab for the plugin that the "Send books as kepubs" option is checked/enabled.

OR you can use the standalone software kepubify to do the conversion.

And if you're feeling adventurous, you can also patch your Kobo to display NickelMenu for extended functionality.

Jailbreaking the iPod Touch

Been using the iPod Touch for many years now. Never felt the need to jailbreak it. I mainly use them to play podcasts and stream online radio stations - either through the Sony dock or using the built-in speakers.

Just the other day, my Bose SoundTouch Portable died, so I'm thinking of replacing it with an iPod Touch on an Altec Lansing dock. Interesting thing I noticed - while one iPod Touch has the TuneIn Radio app, the other one does not. Worse, it can't even connect to the App Store to download it. Both 4th-generation and running the same iOS version (6.1.6) and on the same WiFi network. The only reason I can think of is that Apple must've cut off access to the App Store for unsupported devices.

I started reading online articles about jailbreaking iOS devices and that sounds like the solution I'm looking for, so here we go.

The articles suggest using checkra1n or p0sixpwn. checkra1n is currently only macOS or Linux. Tried to download the dmg on my MacBook Pro and got blocked/deleted by the company firewall/antivirus. Used my personal PC to download p0sixpwn instead. One thing to note, p0sixpwn requires iTunes version 11.1.5 for best results. iTunes doesn't need to be set up - it just needs to be installed on the PC.

After jailbreaking the iPod Touch, it didn't feel any different. There's just a new app called Cydia and that's it. After some more research, apparently, you'll need to install the tweaks or apps that you want from the default repositories / sources. If what you're looking for is not available, you'll need to add extra repos or sideload IPAs. Heck, you can even install other package managers like Sileo, Zebra, or Installer 5.

Now, sideloading IPAs is a whole different topic. Normally, Apple wouldn't let you sideload unsigned or expired IPAs, so either you'll have to set up or install an alternate app store and download from there. Or you can use Cydia Compactor to sideload IPAs, but the software asks for your Apple credentials and the IPA will need to be re-signed every 7 days. And there's also a limit of how many IPAs you can install. People with paid developer accounts have up to 1 year before re-signing is required. Sounds like a lot of work to me. All I want to have an old version of the free TuneIn Radio app installed.

That's where Karen's AppSync Unified comes in. "AppSync Unified is a tweak that allows users to freely install ad-hoc signed, fakesigned, unsigned, or expired IPA app packages on their iOS devices that iOS would otherwise consider invalid."

One option is where you download IPA from an online library via Safari. Send the file to the Filza file manager using the share option, then install from there. 

For me, instead of installing Filza, I installed OpenSSH and MobileTerminal instead. Once the IPA file has been downloaded to the iPod Touch (or copied over via WinSCP), it's just a matter of running appinst (e.g. appinst /var/mobile/app.ipa) - either locally using MobileTerminal or remotely using OpenSSH via Putty.

In summary:

1. Download and install iTunes version 11.1.5
2. Download p0sixpwn
3. Configure p0sixpwn to run in Windows 7 compatibility mode
4. Start p0sixpwn as administrator
5. Disable passcode lock on the iPod Touch, the connect it to the PC
6. p0sixpwn should detect the iOS device. Click on Jailbreak to start the process

After reboot, you should now see Cydia installed. On first run, Cydia will start refreshing itself. In my case, I had to disable Pihole for Cydia to work.

Post-install steps:

1. Install SSLPatch tweak.
2. Download SSL certificate from https://cydia.invoxiplaygames.uk/certificates/
3. Add Karen's Repo
4. Install AppSync United, Appinst and MobileTerm
5. Install OpenSSH.
6. Change password for root (default password is alpine) and mobile users

Where to find IPA files? From your iOS device browser, you can try https://mtmdev.org/webapp/ Click on the selected app to install.

You can also find some collections on archive.org

Pixel Experience (Android 11) on the Samsung Galaxy S6

Having recently installed Pixel Experience on the Redmi Note 4X, I might as well do the same for the Samsung Galaxy S6.

Checked out the ROMs on XDA Developers for S6 (zerofltexx) and settled on the Pixel Experience (Android 11). Not the newest one, but most of the stuff works. Latest build was released July 2021, but if you trawl through thread, famemanoan posted a newer build - August 2022.

For that, you'll need a new OrangeFox recovery. First things first, copy the recovery zip and ROM to the phone's root directory.

To flash OrangeFox recovery:

1. boot to recovery by pressing Home+VolUp+Power
2. flash the OrangeFox recovery zip
3. phone will auto-reboot to recovery

To flash the ROM:

1. ROM install instructions say to wipe cache, system and vendor partitions
2. However, OrangeFox wiki says to NEVER wipe system
3. As a compromise, I only wiped dalvik cache, cache, and data. Format data. Boot to recovery.
4. After reboot, the files on the internal storage are gone, so no ROM to flash. Good thing MTP is enabled (and works), so I was able to re-copy the ROM to /sdcard. Whew!
5. Flash ROM
6. Boot to recovery
7. Wipe cache again. Format data again.
8. Boot to system.

Checked Google Photos, and this ROM is able to upload unlimited photos in Storage Saver quality. Not bad!

Pixel Experience (Android 13) on the Redmi Note 4X

The wife hasn't been using the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X (mido) ever since she got the Samsung Galaxy S10. I upgraded it to LineageOS 18.1 (Android 11) a long time ago and haven't been used since. Was planning to sell the phone, so it's time to upgrade again.

Even though there is updated / latest LineageOS for mido, I decided to go with Pixel Experience because I've never tried that ROM before. And since there is official support for mido, why not?

On XDA Developers, this is the official thread for Pixel Experience (Android 13) for mido: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/rom-official-stable-13-mido-pixelexperience-aosp.4423487/

You can download the ROM here: https://get.pixelexperience.org/mido

Recommended custom recovery here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/nranjan-17/files/RETROFIT%20OrangeFox/OrangeFox-R11.1-A12-RETROFIT-Unofficial-mido.zip/download

Install guide here: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NRanjan-17/Pixel-Experience-Releases/main/RETROFIT_GUIDE.md

Pixel Experience website itself has a wiki and install notes for mido.

In any case, basic steps are below.

1) Flash RETROFIT recovery

• Reboot to your existing recovery (VolUp + Power)
• Wipe cache, data, system, vendor and Format Data
• Flash the RETROFIT Supported Recovery zip
• Reboot to Recovery (If flashing OrangeFox, it will be automatically rebooted to OrangeFox Recovery)

2) Wipe and format device

• After you flash and boot into the new OrangeFox recovery, format data and reboot to the recovery again. 
• Now, wipe all the partitions (i.e. cache, metadata, data, internal storage). Wiping Internal might throw an error because of missing /data/media/ which is okay, reboot to recovery again.  
• This format data and wiping of other partitions is required only once every clean flash.
• NB : encryption is now enabled by default and that is why a clean flash would cost you a data format.

3) Flash Pixel Experience ROM

• Flash the ROM
• Format data 
• Reboot to system (it may show no os installed ignore it, if it doesn't boot then flash the ROM again and reboot to system)

As far as I can tell, that Xiaomi phone became a Pixel device, except for the Camera app.

With Google Photos, it detects the handset as a Pixel and allows unlimited photo/video uploads at original quality. Bonus!

How I Got Myself a Pixel 6a

I've been using the Samsung Galaxy S9+ for more than four years now. Do I really need a new phone? Not really. Everything still works fine. Except that I noticed that the battery now lasts only a day (with minimal use). The camera app stutters once in a while when taking pictures. Some apps also take a few microseconds longer to start. Not a dealbreaker, but it got me looking around.

Just the other day, Telstra was selling the Pixel 7 for $499.50. Now that's a cracker deal. Only issue is I'm not a Telstra subscriber, so I'm not gonna be able to get it for that price. Checked with my siblings and parents. None of them used Telstra before - not even Telstra's cheaper MVNOs like Belong or Boost Mobile. I mean, there's so many cheaper alternatives out there, why would you? I checked with my sister-in-law, and turns out she's a Telstra subscriber. Yes!

Got her username and password and tried to place an order. Ordering page wants to verify the home address and 2FA for the account. Passed through that hurdle; now it wants to see some identification. In the interest of privacy and saving time, I went over to SIL's place during lunch break to get this sorted out. Unfortunately, Telstra won't accept her driver's license - the same ID she used to set up the account. Bummer.

Next opportunity came up when Google Store itself had the Pixels on sale - $399 for the Pixel 6a (down from $699) and $699 for the Pixel 7 (down from $999). Stack that with a 10% StudentBeans discount ON THE RRP, you can get the Pixel 6a for just $339.10! Was supposed to be working, but just can't let this pass.

Of course, the key here is to get a StudentBeans code in order to get that special price. Not being a student myself, I (and hundreds of other OzBargainers) are relying on the Code Giveaway Megathread to get a working code. The tricky thing is, you're not allowed to ask for a code. Someone will just post a code if they feel like it. After hundreds of page refreshes, I managed to snag a code that wasn't used within 5 seconds of it being posted. Paid and checked out successfully! Checked the delivery address on the invoice. Wrong address! Cancelled the order and quickly put in the correct address, and of course the code is now invalid.

After what seemed like an eternity, I got another working code. Verified the address this time and paid. Google Store says session has expired. Refreshed, checked the address again, paid, and went through succcessfully. Looked at the invoice - paid full price! For some reason, the discount code didn't get applied after the page refresh. Cancelled the order again.

At this point, there's less and less students posting codes on the thread. Every new code posted gets used literally within seconds. I've resorted to downloading a browser extension that refreshes the page very 3 seconds. A few desparate/brave souls started asking for codes openly, and their comments get removed. The smarter ones simply comment that it's so hard to get codes, etc. etc. Out of the blue, I get a DM with a code from a kind soul. By now, the Sage and Chalk options are out-of-stock. And just like that, I got myself a Charcoal Pixel 6a.

Resurrecting the 2009 iMac

Got hold of a 2009 21.5" unibody iMac.

Powered it on and was greeted by the startup chime and the Apple logo. Looking good so far. Progress bar steadily moving all the way till the end. Waited for more than 10 minutes, but still not loading the OS. It's most likely a really old CPU, but this is too long.

Suspecting a corrupted OS, I booted into macOS Recovery using Ctrl-R. There's a 1TB hard disk with 1.3GB used. Doesn't look like there is a proper OS on this thing though. Ran the Disk Utility to erase the disk - said "Unable to unmount disk". Chose the Install macOS option, but the 1TB hard disk does not show up as an option. First Aid reports the hard disk to be fine.

My guess is that because I'm running the recovery image from the HDD itself, Disk Utility is not able to unmount the disk. So the next step is to build a bootable USB stick, and run the erase/install from there. 

Downloaded a bunch of DMGs and APPs, tried TransMac and command-line, but the USB sticks either won't be detected during boot-time, or getting a forbidden sign as soon as selected, or won't even get created by the createinstallmedia utility.

Another option is to replace the hard disk and try Internet Recovery, which bypasses the hard disk altogether. However, this requires me to open up the iMac, which doesn't look easy (if you don't have the right tools).

So I simply took the easy way out. Created a bootable installer of CloudReady (now ChromeOS Flex) and boom! Mission accomplished.

Reinstalling Windows on Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 320-10ICR

My wife has been using the Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 320 for many years for one thing and one thing only - watching videos on KissAsian and YouTube.

It's a neat little tablet that does the job well. She doesn't even need to have the physical keyboard attached. Any typing required is done on the onscreen keyboard. The only complaint is that it's starting to get a little bit sluggish. All those Windows updates have used up all the free disk space, and the thing can't take any more new updates. The 32GB eMMC wasn't much to begin with.

I've always reinstalled the latest Windows 10 Pro to get around the updates issue, but looks like I need a more permanent solution. Given that the tablet is only used for media consumption, I've decided to just install Windows 7 on it. No performance degradation as there are no expected Windows updates. Turns out Windows 7 won't install as it's missing/asking for some device driver that it can't find.

Bumped it up to Windows 8.1. The operating system installed just fine, but the touchscreen does not work. Same goes for Peppermint OS. Need the touchscreen to work, so that we won't need to have the physical keyboard attached.

Looks like my only option is to just install Windows 10, then disable Windows Update. Version 21H2 didn't work. The ISO booted just fine, but the screen was all garbled. I can move the mouse and see something moving, but no way to complete the install. Then I read somewhere that Version 2004 and up won't work on the Miix 320. Tried Version 1909 and that one installed just fine. Took a looong time to set up though because every time I tried to create an offline account and set up the password, the system would switch to the "Just a moment..." screen then power off or hang.

I reckon this is because I've already set up the wireless network and it's trying to install drivers, while I was finishing the setup. After what felt like a dozen forced reboots, I managed to log in to Windows and set up my account. As for disabling Windows Updates, lots of tutorials out there, but none of them supposedly work anymore. Will just just reinstall the latest Windows the next time it slows down again.