Literati eReader hacking
I got a Literati eReader from The Sharper Image for Christmas. The hardware itself isn’t half-bad, but the software is atrociously lacking in features. So how do I hack this thing to make it better?
Well, I haven’t been able to, yet. But here’s what I’ve observed so far:
- It’s running some form of Linux. I don’t know this for a fact, but based on the GPL/LGPL/BSD/MIT license information in the manual, and what I’ve read about it in reviews, it’s a safe bet.
- The firmware can be loaded from an SD Card by holding down “Q” while powering on. I don’t have a copy of any firmware to work with though…
- A port scan of the device when connecting to my router reveals ports 25, 110, 119, 143, 465, 563, 587, 993, and 995 but I’ve be unable to connect to any of them to do anything useful or get any useful information.
- There is a file “.kobo/Kobo/Kobo eReader.conf” file on the internal storage that can be used to hijack the “Store” tab in the software to a web address of my choice. This isn’t particularly useful, as I haven’t yet determined if it runs JavaScript, and if there’s any way to use that to my advantage anyway.
That’s all I got on the software front. I also cracked the thing open to see if there’s anything easily hackable in the hardware. I couldn’t find anything, but here’s how I did it in case you’re interested. Make sure to turn it off first:
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- Gently pry and slide off the white portion first.
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- Unscrew the two screws holding the gray portion on, and then gently slide it off as well.
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- Voila, open. Be careful not to touch the “reset” button while you’re working.
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- Here’s the external SD-card slot and a bit of the LCD.
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- This is a shot of the circuit board below the screen. The white connector goes to the external USB jack.
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- The main circuit board is double sided. I couldn’t get a good shot of the other side without cutting wires.
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- I assume this is the connection between the screen and the main circuit board. I believe the battery is right behind the LCD.
Make sure not to lose any of the tiny screws. I used a small pocket knife as a screwdriver, but obviously a glasses-repair sized phillips head would be preferable. There are four tiny black screws that hold the main circuit board in place, but as you can see above, there’s plenty of solder and wiring that keep the main board from really going very far.
I was hoping to find an SD card or some sort of internal USB port, or…something. Unfortunately, everything looked very hard-wired and unhackable (at least unhackable by me).
All-in-all, a disappointing experience. I post this with the hope of either saving someone else the time, or helping some smarter hacker than me to spark an idea.
Finally, a real site when I google “literai hacks”. I got one from Best Buy when they were on ridiculous sale after Christmas. It’s a decent reader but, like you, I feel it could be much more with better software. Thanks for the info and hope you update the site if you go deeper. Cheers!
Hey thanks for the comment on using the store to search the web, that is a pretty nice hack alone. I can go to google and facebook and everything. Sadly its like browsing the web without a mouse and takes a long time to navigate…
Here is a link which will give you the update file for updating the Literati and Lookbook readers.
http://download.kobobooks.com/firmwares/merchsource/1-9/KoboRoot.tgz
The Lookbook and Literati have what appears to be identical firmware.
The company which made these ereaders is Sunway electronics. I haven’t been able to find much more info yet. You can use the FCC ID number to get pics, schematics etc.
hey….tom ,how did u browse out?…..and the firmware link from ron,opened using winrar….am i suppose to put this on sd card {zipped or unzipped and how unziped),then do the holding “q” powerup…and have browser?…..im a dumb newbie,,,,be nice please….thanks don
Hey,
In the .kobo/kobo/kobo ereader.conf I changed:
WebsiteURL=http://www.kobobooks.com
WebstoreProxyURL=https://partner.kobobooks.com
WebstoreURL=http://webstore.kobobooks.com
all to http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi
I used google images because the Literati adds some extra stuff to the url that makes strait http://www.google.com give a server error. When you click on the store tab it will now load google images. Then you can use the arrows to navigate and the Del and Back to go back.
I read somewhere that you can add a ? to the end of the google.com to keep the Literati from adding /home.html to the end.
Hmmmm. I changed the config file and saved it. I backed up the original just in case too. It didn’t give me google but instead took me to the store. Guess what? The changes were not there! I have version 1.9 and maybe they won’t allow the config file to be changed now. More tests to confirm… Could be a problem with me too.
I changed it again with same results then I just changed the readerFontSize from 1 to 3 and saved it. The font size changed!! No problems with changing that but the kobobooks.com change to google.com is changed back.
I noticed that if you turn off your literati while its on the store setting it tends to remove the configuration changes, so if before you turn it off you switch to books or documents that might fix it. I have version 1.9 too and it works fine.
I am having this same issue, it seems that the file itself is saved as a read-only and I cant seem to find a way to change that.
Will not get off intitial screen “literati” what do I do? Thanks
Any idea how to open and change a conf file on a windows system?
oh by thge way….i have the lookbook version…..if no browser possible ,at least a header tab (links)addition to add different links other than kobo would be sweet…thanks….don….ps…im counting on you
Instructions from Kobo website help page.
1. Plug the eReader into a charger
2. Download v1.9 of the Literati or Lookbook firmware from – http://download.kobobooks.com/firmwares/merchsource/1-9/KoboRoot.tgz , and save the file somewhere you will remember
NOTE: Some browsers will download the file and rename it to KoboRoot.tar. The upgrade will not work with the .tar extension. If this happened with your download, please rename the downloaded file to KoboRoot.tgz
3. Keeping the charger connected, connect the Literati or Lookbook to your computer through the provided USB cable
4. The eReader will appear on your computer as a mass storage device
ON A PC:
1. Open mass storage device in Windows Explorer
2. Ensure hidden folders are visible (different for different Windows versions)
XP: Go to My Computer > Tools menu > Folder Options > View Tab > Advanced Settings > Hidden Files and Folders > Show hidden files and folders. Press OK all the way out.
Vista and Windows 7: Start > Control Panel > Folder Options > View Tab > Click Show Hidden files and folders > OK
3. Open .kobo folder in the mass storage window
4. Transfer the KoboRoot.tgz file you downloaded to the .kobo folder
5. Once file has transferred, safely eject the eReader
6. Turn the eReader off
7. Turn the eReader on
8. The eReader will take up to 10 minutes to start up, please be patient and do not reset or power off the eReader in any way.
9. Once the eReader restarts, it will have the latest version (v1.9) installed. You can verify this by pressing the menu button, selecting Settings and looking at the Version number
I have found that altavista works well with the browser hack. There are not too many linkks to scrol through to get to the search results. I haven’t tried the update yet on my lookbook. i want to modify theupdate with a better browser and menu options before I do it. I untarred the update and did not findthe kernel (vmlinuz). So theorize that this is just an udate for the kobo reader software.
thanks ron….got new lb update….extra tabs (mags and news @ documents) have kobo account on pc and lb……created adobe account @ downloaded adobe digital edition on to pc and lb…..can go to kobo store only on lb……. tom, please help….how did you go about changing or adding linkS….STEP-BY-STEP please….thanks in advance
don, it is simple reallyy. Turn on your reader. plug it into your pc. after the reader is seen as a linux file stor gadget navigate to the internal memory not thhe sd card. make all files visible with your browser not hidden. in windows you use the tools pulldown menu and select folder options. select the view tab. check ‘show hidden files and folders’ then apply and ok. goto the .kobo folder and find the kobo rer conf file. open it asa textfile. change all of the web addresses from kobo towhatver site you wnt. i sugest altavista. you can delete thee long cookie line. it wont hinder your browsing s itisinot needed. save thee file. disconnect the readder. use the store tab and voila! BTW i typed thisfrom my lookbok. typing is atrocious on this.
Ron or Tom can you put a copy of what you did with the file .kobo/kobo/kobo ereader.conf to access the web or screenshot of what you did. I try to change it but it did not work. I try to change kobobooks with teoma.
Here you go LD. This is my present kobo conf file.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EFPSVR1U
It will take you to Google images.
Ron you are a SUPAGENIUS and I love you. Thanks so much!
I’ve been looking around that KoboRoot firmware a bit. Not really sure what I’m looking for, or what I’m looking at, but I did find something that might be useful: in the /usr/local/Kobo folder, there are some shell scripts that look to be related to configuring wireless connections. I wonder if I could put my own commands into the scripts…kinda a pain to test though since I don’t have an emulator.
I did the thing where you said to boot my Literati up while holding down the Q and now it won’t leave the start up screen. I have reset and it still won’t. What can I do?
Tina
http://content.hccfl.edu/pollock/unix/findcmd.htm ….might be helpful
me again….. http://duckduckgo.com/ is also streamlined search…allows setting…. i think http://duckduckgo.com/tools.html has some interesting ideas as far as browsers….midori is very small and streamlined http://www.twotoasts.de/index.php?/pages/midori_summary.html
the twotoast -midori link includes links to older versions (smaller kb) that might be better suited (plus robably more streamlined) with or without gtk webkit….the online modori test link on twotoast ,could/would that work as an emulator …..let me know
Well I am fairly sure that Kobo was written in Qt and the Lookbook and Literati are running ARM linux. I am somewhat familiar with Linux since I have been tinkering with it for about 12 years. I would classify myself an overread noob in regards to linux. What I would like to see is a way to get the ereader to access the SD card for its file system. Then, I could change things around without having to flash the internal memory. Then, we could see about getting a decent web browser and perhaps remap some of the keys to get some more functionality out of it. Like having it scroll around the page and not having to go through all of those links just to get to content. An emulator would be awesome for this then.
Don, did you flash through your SD card with the update or did you go through the wifi?
wifi ron….i hadn’t had it on for a while….and when i turned it on …it was automatic….took about 15 minutes….i havn’t changed link to altovista yet…..you just used http://www.altavista.com/ ?
ron , you might want to try http://teoma.com/ its more streamlined than altovista ,still provides good search….seems faster too….let me know
Yep, teoma is simpler than altavista. I will switch it. i really dislike punching the down button whatseams like a hundred times just to get to search. BTW, I use puppy linux for my current flavor of linux. it is small fast and light. Plus you do not haveto format anything on your harddrive. it just runs. midori is the default browser on the newest version. it would work well on these devices. just have to figure out howto install it.
I think that a full modification of the opperating system is going to be a little more difficult than just installing. theres a lot of proprietary drivers and such. but modifying that firmware may prove more useful. I was very happy to see the familiar linux filesystem. Im no expert on hacking devices like this tho.
hey if you need help i had one for abit and im waiting for a new one http://nightflyertechblog.blogspot.com/
here’s what i have to bring to the table
/.kobo/upgrade/KoboRoot.tgz “Visual update”
/.kobo/upgrade/Upgrade.tgz “Silent update”
the kobo app is launched by \etc\init.d\rcS
when i get my new one im gonna see if theres away to get android up on it.
does holding Q bring up some boot menu?
oh also there is a internal usb port. the little board on the right of the sd card slot is the usb wifi dongle.
Is it pictured above? If so, could you point it out? If not, could you take a picture?
http://nightflyertechblog.blogspot.com/
posted my pictures there.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_VMyxKjQOmkc/TTiIrikLsEI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/xYIvekf0imU/s720/IMAG0195.jpg hope that works.
Ah, I see. But it’s all soldered, so I’d have to cut cables and install a usb jack or something. And who knows if that would actually help anything or not.
it is. it wouldn’t be to hard to solder in a usb port though. im waiting for my new one to come in the mail(i broke the cable for the lcd on my first) when i get it im gonna pull the wifi dongle and add a usb port. its no good tell its hacked but it does give hope that there can be more devices connected
Hey shoot me an email. Upgrade.tgz with some code to export the file system on the device. okay well i dont have that part figured out quite yet but the file ill send you would echo the directories on the device to a txt file and then i can make a copy script. basicly before mine broke i was copying everything of the device but i relized i need to exclude the /mnt/ directory on the device cause there is a swap partition that makes the script stop.
It worked!!! Thanks you guys.I didn’t want to have to throw my Literati away.
if [ ! -e ./mnt/sd/backup.tar ]; then
tar -cf ./mnt/sd/backup.tar ./ –exclude “./mnt”
fi
if you add that to the rcS file in init.d that will write the whole file system to the sd card properly
So wait: I can update the firmware files by putting a KoboRoot.tgz on the SD card that mimics the folder structure of the internal storage. AND, I can completely dump the internal storage by putting that bit into the rcS init file? Doesn’t that mean that I now have (very slow) complete 2-way access to the internal storage?
not on the SD card. you put it on your literati so it would be “E:/.kobo/KoboRoot.tgz” then you reboot the device and it will pop up a updating image.
ill post the update and you can look at it.
http://code.google.com/p/ivixen/downloads/detail?name=KoboRoot.tgz&can=2&q=#makechanges
may i suggest a browser like the MOTOROLA ATRIX 4G , with foxfire and andriod 3.0,,,,,search it……..THIS WOULD MAKE IT BETTER THAN AN I PAD…use one of these inside http://cgi.ebay.com/4-Ports-USB-2-0-HUB-High-Speed-PC-Laptop-Adapter-/320615100002?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa6262e62 attach a 16gb flash memory , wireless dongle and leave inside….let two usb’s hang out and attach external touch pad ,and have an extra usb ……bluetooth?…….the atrix is an dual processer though,and has full desktop browser running linux based software……..your turn
from what iv read google is making android 3.0 only for dual cores so no go on 3.0.
andriod is open source and there are different versions…3.0 gingerbread needs 1 ghz speed to run ( so that a no go), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)….does anyone know which kernot root the installed linux is running….find that…compare it to the different andriod version….should make install fairly easy if all perameters are correct ie mhz,ram,etc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)
Androids linux kernel had a few changes and they added some calls that arnt in the standard linux kernel alot of it had to do with battery control if i remember correctly
I am willing to test android on my Literati if you can port it. im not sure how else i can help but if there is ill do it
just released today as a free download,,,,could you slim it down and install? http://news.softpedia.com/news/Pardus-Linux-2011-Has-LibreOffice-Firefox-4-and-KDE-SC-4-5-5-179796.shtml …………..useful?
turned on my lookbook today to play and automatic update “version 2.0″ took about 15 minutes ….nothing stood out as being different or new …..any ideas?
nope. i dont have a lookbook. i get it has to do with the wifi control stuff though
I believe the Literati and the Lookbook are running the same software as Kobo listed the manual .tgz update as being for both the Lookbook and Literati.
they may be. i cant confirm or deny whether it is or not.if they are then cracking one cracks both.
how ever i would advice not putting the koboroot.tgz file i provided on to the lookbook
whoops too late. But it worked. The backup.tar file is 141M large. And the system file is 565b small.
jb , you determined the s3c6410 chip runs at 665mhz……..if you google s3c6410 with auto search on you get alot of possibilties http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=8&oq=s3c6410&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS405US406&q=s3c6410+android+adb+cruz+reader ….. what i get from it that it can run andriod 2.2 stable…. this must be very common chip…..but ghz varies…………..,inserted from http://www.slatedroid.com/index.php?topic=7581.30 I’ll post it somewhere else. Finally got my Cruz connected to a windoze box. The reader is not recognized immediately it shows up as S3C6410 Android ADB.
What you need to do is add:
;S3C6410 Android ADB
%SingleAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_B015
%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_B015&MI_01
or
;Cruz Reader
%SingleAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_B015
%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_18D1&PID_B015&MI_01
to the android_winusb.inf in the section
[Google.NTx86]
the \android-sdk-windows\usb-driver\ directory
since the existing file does not contain the correct vendor and product IDs.
Was new to me since the OSX adb driver does seem to connect with all my android devices, maybe does not check VID and PID…
I’ll tro to build a pushgoog.rar with a batch file instead of or in addition to the osx/linux pushgoog.sh, should be up today or tomorrow.
Thanks a bunch, that totally worked. Now if you could just help us getting market place on cruz reader, we would have a decent tablet. Thanks for all your help.
the andriod developer site http://developer.android.com/sdk/win-usb.html the usb windows driver installer,sdk tools , sdk components…everythings there ,,,,just gotta figure it, find it and use it….lmao…..then tell me about it
ok .. Im new to this so heres what i did .
Plugged up the literati
downloaded koboRoot.tgz
Do i copy all the file and paste to .kobo folder or extract ?
you just paste the KoboRoot.tgz file as is with out extracting it. the device may seem to freeze but it’s not. just plug it into the charger and let it sit for abit as its copying files.
Okay, I just did it with my LookBook. Worked exactly as advertised. It took only a few minutes. I was a little worried as the file was only 2.2k and was wondering if I was going to be ‘sans’ ereader for awhile. Now I have two files which I’m gonna peruse for a bit.
i do need to make it very clear that i am not liable for any issues that may accure from using this update. this is not a unlock or anything this is a debug tool to show system informations.
if you brick your device i can usaly help but i dont want to hear that it’s my fault.
when you use that file i posted you will need a sd card in your literati. the little script i made will write to that sd card 2 files backup.tar and system.
jb/mike is this the board we have ? allmost seems any s3c6410 can support android 2.1 or 2.2 once you have correct drivers and the android ware flashed http://forums.arm.com/index.php?/topic/14310-new-s3c6410-board-support-gps-wifi-camera-usb-adb-in-android-21-wince-60/ or http://forums.arm.com/index.php?/topic/14644-s3c6410-mini-board-with-lcd-support-4-system-only-179usd/page__pid__34950#entry34950 good resourse page= http://search.arm.com/search?site=Site-Search&q=s3c6410+board&entqr=0&output=xml_no_dtd&sort=date%3AD%3AL%3Ad1&client=Search&ud=1&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&getfields=Description&proxystylesheet=Search you can’t download s3c6410 drivers to windows http://www.fixya.com/support/t6687256-looking_driver_s3c6410_android and mike please check whereever the posts come in….i had found all the andriod and adb downloadable drivers list and sent it as a messege,it said it was being approved by site manager or something as such,but never posted…now i can’t find site again …im posting all my finding and ideas cause i know as a team were gonna crack this b-aych
bingo — http://cruzsupport.velocitymicro.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=5758&task=knowledge&questionID=858 still,i must find that other link i had web history here i come
pandidigital fireware http://www.slatedroid.com/index.php?topic=8453.180
do internal changes….internal memery expansion…usb ports as discussed earlier …..erase all internal mememory -download pandidigital firmware and flash it then update to newest version….if andriod is not present….follow steps above to flash install andriod …………… i know this has gotta be close to whats need to run andriod 2.1….then upgrade to 2.2…..then since you have more internal memory and all the goodies…..do this Alright, I had the Cruzn FM on one of my PDN’s, it was nice but begining to get outdated. I just downloaded Mac1′s OP w/ Market. I love it, its the best so far, I have done the WIFI Fix and the RAM Hack and 2D/3D also. The only thing I disliked was the lock screen so I was able to find a copy of KeyGuard Disabler.apk and pushed it to my PDN, Fixed the issue also.
I have the Market working perfectly, YouTube is fine. I am using Google Voice for Texting. Music Junk for Downloading MP3′s. I am using LauncherPro w/ Nexus Extended Dock and custom Icons.
I have upgraded my internal storage to 8GB and external storage to 4GB. I will be swapping them later tonight, I really do not need more than 4GB Internal, so having the 8GB External would be more beneficial. I also downloaded an APP to move all my Apps to External storage which has made my PDN run faster since its not using internal.
Went to BBB today, picked up the Merkury Sleeve and got BBB to Pricematch for $7.50 from Kohls Online, also picked up a Black Silicon sleeve (Fits Great, Looks Great). The case is a little snug with the case on it but does close fine.
PS. I have an extra PDN I am willing to part with, I got a little crazy and bought 4. It is a White PDN, It already has Mac1′s Android Open Platform w/ working Market. It is a great platform to get started with.
Here’s a pic of my setup. Basic homescreen, LauncherPro Homescreen, Google Voice Text Inbox, WIFI Toggle Switch (EVO 4G), Icons for Music Junk and Android Market. Google Search, than my dock which consists of Google Voice, GMail, Menu (With 3D Drawer), Browser (SkyFire) and Facebook.
Attached Images PDN2.jpg (62.3 KB, 283 views)
OLA ….LOL…one more link and im going on a thirty day vacation….feel free to comment…if i helped or not ,ill b checking http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=0&p=36190095 i think over all the lookbook /literali will be even better than a pandadigital ,cause it come stock with more ram and faster ghz ….and i am no way saying iv’e got it all figured out….i let other people do that
step 3 is in link above along with most the andriod instructions …..just gotta peice all the peices
last but not least ,the pandadigital firmware it downloads to pc http://www.pandigital.net/?PageID=391
use the memory card option…..read this page…….the so called update ….can actually install orinal OS …..then start the process http://www.instructables.com/id/Hack-your-pandigital-E-Reader-into-an-Android-tabl/
who wants to try it? **********look at step 3 first***************
please refrence all links in both msgroves ( above ) and http://nightflyertechblog.blogspot.com/ and http://developer.android.com/sdk/win-usb.html
Step 1. Install only 32-Bit JDK [oracle.com] java
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork…index.html
jdk-6u23-windows-i586.exe
76.32 MB file
somewhere here will go http://cruzsupport.velocitymicro.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=5758&task=knowledge&questionID=858
Step 2. Install ADB.
ADB file [android.com]
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
installer_r08-windows.exe
31.2MB file
Step 3. Download Driver for your Novel Device [slatedroid.com] **************** read thru this page —-somewhere lies the answers ***********************
http://www.slatedroid.com/index.p…ic=2853.60
go to reply # 65
download Hack-the-Novel1.zip [the-digital-reader.com]
http://www.the-digital-reader.com…Novel1.zip
Unzip the file and remember where you put it.
Connect your PDN using the USB cord. Windows will detect the PDN as new device and request for the drivers.
Hope this helps.
http://sites.google.com/site/learncodesnow/Home
Ok I’m confused is this all still about hacking the Literati? What is the Cruz? sorry if I’m being a bit of a noob
Tom:
Yea this is about the literati. the Cruz is a device Don has im not sure if the two devices are alike.
Don:
The literati cant use the ADB drivers as its not running Android. ADB stands for Android Debugger. the pandigital android install wont work cause the instructions assume you have u-boot for android and android pre installed.
break down:
Heres what needs to be done.
we need to find out which mtdblock the bootloader and kernel are installed in.
then we need to take the android source and u-boot source and build a new bootloader and kernel based on the literati device ie the s3c6410.
if we can get a bootloader we can use ADB i beleave
Oh ok thanks
with android sdk and adb on your pc you can push the andruid version along with adb into reader once new firmware is installed,and internal changes to reader are done,,,,as far as bootloader …something like hackthenovel link above?…..and don’t forget the drivers ….but again the pandidigital firmware might have drivers allready…..just hafta delete the fact the lookbook and literali don’t have touchscreens…..,,in my head it works,with all the info that is in the links i’ve left in my trail……its just getting it 2 work…..its gonna take someone/anyone alot brighter than me
i have found one site saying the novel(black) uses the same cpu. but again the novel runs android natively. its not so easy to port it over. i just looked at the firmware that pandigital supplied and im not sure i could use it.
I got a Literati eReader from Kohls on sale last week for just about $63 with discounts including taxes. They were only two units so I bought both one for my wife and one for me. You could see one them was either returned/used, while the other was brand new. I would have passed on the used one but I didn’t think they would be getting more of them at selling price of $69.99. It appeared to be a close out of their left over XMAS sales stuff. During XMAS there was a lot of activity on eReaders and they always seemed to be more that $100 depending on the brand.
I didn’t know much about eReaders in general or the Literati. Everyone I talked to said get a Kindle but they were in the $150 range and didn’t have color so the Literati seemed to be a good deal. I normally research before I buy, but I didn’t in this case. After I bought it then I researched them and found in general that most reviewers didn’t like them and basically said stay away from Literati eReaders.
I decided give it a try and searched on the internet for “free” ebooks. I found a lot, both in epub format and in PDF format. I already had a lot of documents in PDF format, so I thought the Literati would work well to read them.
While you can read PDF documents, PDF format by nature really isn’t a good way to read them on the Literati to take advantage of the eReader capabilities. Now epub format is what I believe what the Literati and eReaders in general are designed to work well with. They format to fit within the screen size and you can adjust the text size easily. PDF’s on the other hand are good for large computer screens but don’t format well in the smaller screen sizes. With PDF’s, after you get the text to a readable size the document scrolls off the screen and you have to use the pad to move the document to read it. Not really what the eReader was designed for. Epub format documents are the way to go and that’s the format that Kobo and other sell their books in.
I loaded up an 8 GB SD card with PDF documents I had, and by doing so I overloaded the Literati. The Literati’s memory, I guess keeps a database of the documents and there were too many documents to list for the memory it has. I maxed out the 210 MB (with ver 2.0 of the firmware update) it had available. I couldn’t add anymore PDF documents or ebooks. It left me no choice but to reset it to start over again using less PDF documents. However, the Literati, would not reset and clear the system used the built in function. Called the help desk both at Kobo and the equipment manufacturer and they were no help. The Literati was stuck saying it was full of documents that I didn’t want and couldn’t delete. I even tried deleting the files in the memory attached to a PC and there was an error when I tried to delete them. It wouldn’t allow any erasures. I was stuck and Kobo’s recommendation was to return the unit and get another one. Since I didn’t think there was any more left at Kohls that just meant I would return it and get my money back, but get no reader in return.
I didn’t want to do that and I thought that there must be a way to restore the firmware again another way. Sure enough, your board here had the KoboRoot.tgz file and you said that the firmware can be loaded from an SD Card by holding down “Q” while powering on. I tried it and it worked!! The Literati was now working again only back to firmware ver 1.9. As soon as I restarted and had WIFI access, it automatically found that there was an update (2.0) and asked if I wanted to update, which I did.
Everything is working again. They knock the Literati, because it doesn’t do more, like the Android models like Cruz and Pandigital. While they have come down in price to about $100, and are more than an eReader I think the Literati does its function well. It sized to fit comfortably in your hand and works well as an eReader for epub documents. You don’t need more and eReading is all you want to do, you don’t need all the other capabilities, which may or may not work well at anyway.
Your board helped me and should help others if they screw up their Literati like I did. I got it back to normal and it works fine as an eReader.
Thanks a lot.
Ok like I said I’m a bit of a noob at device hacking but couldn’t we just take the root filesystem dump and paste the android filesystem onto it, saying no to overwriting configuration files? I know this probably won’t work great but if they are both linux based it might be a start.
Yes and no. i beleave they are fairly different file systems all together. there are some differences in there kernels where android has some special calls. im still waiting for my ereader to get here. i have a bunch of source code and premade android images for the cpu we have im just waiting for the reader to get here so i can pull drivers and device specific stuff like partition setup, wireless drivers and keyboard drivers.
Could i do that on mine and send it to u? would that help?
FYI http://www.kickasstorrents.com/new/?field=leechers&sorder=desc there is a link to download ” BACKTRACK 4 R2 ISO ” also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9Sc-1PQpUo from what i understand it lets you dig deep in linux system
Hey I don’t know if this will help at all but I was able to install android on my laptop from this website: http://www.android-x86.org/
http://www.android-x86.org/documents/customizekernel from same site……whats been goin on?……any progress jb,mike,ron,tom? (and don)….together our names sounds like were in a boy band
Hey all –
I picked up a couple of these today as Bed Bath and Beyond had them for 39.99 online. Got amped up to see a couple of blogs with people in an active discussion so I picked up http://www.literatidevs.com and will have a forum up in a day or two.
Sean
Thats great! right now this blog post is sorta remote, having an actual dedicated site will get more people who search for literati hacks involved who can maybe fix these issues. Thanks
If you need anything from me, like a data dump of this thread or whatever, just let me know — any of you guys are free to email me: webmaster -at- this domain
mgroves, I didn’t mean that ur blog is remote its just that if u google literati hacking this post is way down the list. just incase there was confusion
so you purchase a $40 ereader, spend $10 to register a site plus hosting fees? For a $40 ereader?
Yeah! $40.00 for a little bit of gadget fun? Heck yes! That’s where the fun starts. I am sure this device is going to sell quick at many outlets and lots of people who want to squeeze more out of it will want to see what can be done.
still waiting for my new one to get here. backtrack 4 is for network cracking. i used it to crack WEP Protected networks for fun.
I was reading that kernel page, there are directions for recompiling with ARM processors maybe that would be the route to go
i haven’t looked to much into that page yet but the biggest problem iv had thus far is setting up a linux system with the required compilers and what not. also from just that page they show how to compile it for use on the goldfish arm emulator not a actual device. it may be as easy as changing TARGET_KERNEL_CONFIG=goldfish_defconfig to TARGET_KERNEL_CONFIG=s3c6410
if anyone is interested Sean has setup a forum here http://forum.literatidevs.com/index.php
im Pikoko on there.
Ok Im cstrrider. Ill make a how to for going on the internet
im donkinuts
hi, just read all your stuff. just to let you know the reason that BedBath&beyond are selling them for 40bucks is because literati isnt selling at all and Sharper Image are now in the poop. So they need to cut there losses and are now trying to sell all at cost price. Also fyi. If you buy one at BB&B and you brick it or mess it up some how. just return it. You will get a refund with receipt or store credit without one.
Also if you want one, get one soon as they wont be around for long.
i guess if you didnt buy one at bb&b and just said you did, you could prob still return it there.
Yep, they’re not going to be around very much longer.
Since the Literati is tied to Kobo, which is Borders, you can read the hand writing on the wall.
See the story:
http://chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2011/02/borders-preparing-possible-bankruptcy-filing%E2%80%8E.html
Borders is going under and Literati/Sharper Image with them.
So sad, I liked Borders.
There appears to be 2 different hardware versions of the literati available. If you’re in the store, check the box right above the UPC bar code, you should see either of the following numbers in parenthesis:
19027
19028
Here are the differences that I noticed in the 19028 versions:
- Plastic casing is a lot easier to remove (all you need to do is remove the tape)
- The charger plug seems to go all the way instead of sticking out a bit
- The plastic chrome seems a little bit shinier and the unit is a brighter white
- The hardware version in the system info is also different
I know the differences are extremely minor and you probably wouldn’t notice them unless you set them side by side, but I thought I’d post this anyway just so you can make an informed decision when buying.
Hey Joe – My black literati has a HW ver 19029.
Hey guys, I went through the outlined step to get Google images to show up and as advertised, it all worked great and I got access to other sites. The problem now though, seems to be that my wireless isn’t working. No matter what I’ve done, be it revert to versions 1.7 through 2.0, the wireless will simply not start up to scan for devices. on the oldest version available to me (1.7) of the firm ware, the error message when attempting to enable wireless is “failed to initialize wireless. Please reboot and try again.”
I’ve tried a lot of times lol. Has anyone encountered and even better, resolved this issue?
btw, thanks for the amazing work you guys have done with the hacks for this device. With the price having having gone down so drastically, its great to find such a useful device so cheap and a community that helps get the most of it.
Guys, its a bad solder joint on the wifi dongle and I’ll be fixing it tomorrow morning, but i help it together and turned it on to try once i discovered the issue and sure enough, it all worked fine.
Hey, hey! Thanks from Orlando! You are all gentlemen and scholars!
Anyway, I dug into the .Kobo config file and yielded great results; however, I posted a quick portal on my Google Sites instead of pointing the browser to Google or Altavista. That really relieved a lot of that cursor hunting. Furthermore, I pointed to each site’s respective mobile version, which yielded even better results! This reader is nearly half-functional now; and, I picked it up from Bed, Bath and Beyond for only $30 with coupon. Good times!
A few questions: does anyone know how to access a terminal, rw or download information (I have version 2.0) ? Also, does anyone know what kernel ARM Linux uses?
Thanks again for being the only legit Literati site on the net!
A lot of discussion has moved to http://forum.literatidevs.com/ – you are still welcome to post here, of course
It’s over. Today 2/9/2011 the Literati is no longer being sold on the BB&B website.
If you find any in a store you better get it while you can.
I have two questions about the Literati’s battery.
What kind of battery is it?
On page 6, under “BATTERY WARNING,” the Literati manual says: “Do not overcharge the device.” What dos the manual mean?
i did everything that was said when adding the KoboRoot.tgz file. it hasnt come back on yet and its been over 20 minutes. what should i do?
Ok I just have two questions.
First “Can we hack the Literati to RUN Android X.XX or somthing else?”
Second “If so what’s the process step by step?”
Thanks.
Woot.com has the literati on sale today for 49$
Seen these at “Ross” and “Kohl’s” in the Dallas Tx area, selling at about $50. March 2011. Kohl’s often has deep discount coupons available.
i dont have mine yet ,but why don’t you build a uclinux system with a better browser there driver and a sd card swap space
Hey trying to get users for the new forum anyone reading this should head over to http://literati.linuxprogrammer.org/
Very cool site. I modified .kobo/kobo/kobo ereader.conf to:
WebsiteURL=http://m.yahoo.com/?
WebstoreProxyURL=https://m.yahoo.com/?
WebstoreURL=http://m.yahoo.com/?
and deleted all other lines related to Kobo and the cookies. No more reloading of kobo website when swapping between reader and browser. I can even login and it will remember me. It appears to retain the mobile preferences until I leap to a regular site. Not the spryest browser, but if I HAD to, I could check email, weather, and news. Not going to turn my nose up at a reader/browser for $32. Does anyone know how to set the default to mobile? Kudos for the guys to discovered this. I was even able to do this hack with my Mac after turning on invisible files.
thank yuh peter ur comment helped alot
has anyone figured out how to keep the pointer there? when i use a hotspot, a pointer appears to check the box and agree to the terms… any ideas?
thanks
try http://litredirect.doctorsn0w.x10.mx/?
I threw it together after i read this article. It’s a good place to put in your kobo config file. Check it out on the computer if you want to!
hey guys! ive determined thaat the
Hey! Sorry about that message there! I was trying it out on my e-reader. Didn’t work so well! What i was trying to say is that the Literati doesn’t support Javascript. I confirmed that by going to one of my JavaScript-intensive pages on my Literati. It didn’t work. Note: That page works on the computer, so it’s not any coding issue!
Anyways, so gmail has to be set to Basic HTML, google mobile search, though it looks good on the literati, doesn’t work due to it’s usage of javascript.
I’ve also determined that you cannot download ebooks from other sources directly on your device. I tried it and it said…”Cannot connect to Kobo store”…it says that whenever i attempt to download anything on it. There will be a link to the Kobo webstore on my litredirect page above.
Thanks,
Dr. Sn0w
Suddenlly from last night my Literati ereader just not functioning… I have pressed the reset button (in back side) for several times and charge it too… but no response & looks like just DEAD..I dont know what to do… PLEASE HELP ME
Great break down of the device! Interesting to see the internals…
Hi, folks… if anyone is still checking this site, FYI Big 5 Sporting Goods in Los Angeles area is selling Literati for $59. Don’t know their inventory but I got one of 2 left on Wed. 9-28-11 at the 4th St., Long Beach location. The box has 19023, so I guess an earlier version(?). Thanks to all for the hacking info and url’s… Later…
got one in Ensenada a week ago for 80 pesos, which around 6.5 us dollars. I think this is about the best price you can get on one of these right now.
My husband bought this piece of junk for my birthday in January 2011. It was ok for the first 2 months then stopped working. Called support to ask where I could get it fixed and they said they would send me a replacement! I should have been suspicious at that point but I am always optimistic so I had them send another one which lasted about a month, then had to call again. After 6 months I have had 3 replacements and none of them last longer than a month. I wish I had saved my receipt because I would have gotten my money back! My advice is to take it as a life lesson, through the piece of junk away and invest in a better quality product. I’m going for an IPad next and it will be the best one I can find. With an IPad I can read and do wireless and everything else. CAN’T EVEN FIND THE LITERATI WEB SITE ANYMORE!
Hello, can someone PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME? I purchased the Literati sharper image for my daughters b-day. It asked me to update the e-reader. I did, it took a while and then it asked to be re-booted. So, I re-booted. Now it stays stuck on the Literati starter logo page and just stays on that page. I have tried the reset button on the back. I pushed it and let it go. I held it down for a few minutes and let it go. … I also turned it on while holding down the Q key. It asks me to insert an sd card and I do and it says nothing can be found…. ?? Is it just trash now?.. I really REALLY hope someone can help. Thank you,
Carolyn
Try holding down the power button at the same time as pushing in the reset pin hole. Hold them both until the screen changes/blanks. then the unit should be factory default rebooting itself. Only thing is that if you had loaded any new books onto the unit prior, they will be lost and only the 25 free books will remain.
hello i hope someone will respond but i know this stuff was posted a while ago but i need answers im 12 years old and i dont understand any of this. i just want internet on my literati ereader. who ever posted this mentioned some thing about a link, holding q during rebooting. can someone explain this in simply steps please and thank you.
The .kobo/Kobo/Kobo eReader.conf file is a linux configuration file and does not run in javascript but instead it only specifies configurations or settings to be used and the default values of these, much like the Mac OS X preference file.
As for your bet on it running a version of linux, upon close examination of the firmware software I’ve determened that it is indead a version of linux. Not to mention that there’s a file in the firmware software called linuxrc; this indicates a pointer or alias to the linux kernal image, this means that there is no formal boot loader in the device but instead is mostly design to run linux.
Hi! I need help. My literati comes on but remains on the start up screen then shuts off. I dont want to throw it away because it cost me $150 US dollars.I am from Trinidad and Tobago
hello i need help i want to turn my store tab into google or anything that i can have web access to and its not working evrytime i change the website on the .kobo files when io unplug it and it starts up its the kobo store please help and can you tell me step by step im a 13 year old girl and have no clue what im doing!!! PLEASE HELP!!!
I have not tried this and don’t quite understand it fully but it may provide clues for you:
Ron says:
January 15, 2011 at 12:29am
don, it is simple reallyy. Turn on your reader. plug it into your pc. after the reader is seen as a linux file stor gadget navigate to the internal memory not thhe sd card. make all files visible with your browser not hidden. in windows you use the tools pulldown menu and select folder options. select the view tab. check ‘show hidden files and folders’ then apply and ok. goto the .kobo folder and find the kobo rer conf file. open it asa textfile. change all of the web addresses from kobo towhatver site you wnt. i sugest altavista. you can delete thee long cookie line. it wont hinder your browsing s itisinot needed. save thee file. disconnect the readder. use the store tab and voila! BTW i typed thisfrom my lookbok. typing is atrocious on this.
Reply
LD says:
January 23, 2011 at 11:25pm
Ron or Tom can you put a copy of what you did with the file .kobo/kobo/kobo ereader.conf to access the web or screenshot of what you did. I try to change it but it did not work. I try to change kobobooks with teoma.
Reply
Ron says:
January 24, 2011 at 10:50am
Here you go LD. This is my present kobo conf file.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EFPSVR1U
It will take you to Google images.
Reply
Bonnie says:
December 1, 2011 at 9:42am
Ron you are a SUPAGENIUS and I love you. Thanks so much!
im a 17yr old girl and i cant open the ereaderconf as textfile it doesnt open need help want web browsing badly