Saturday 26 June 2010

Axim Android (aka Axdroid) 2.2/Froyo First Test Image

So if you want to try this for yourself, here's how:
  • Download axdroid_20100625.zip
  • Unpack the files from there into the root of an SD card
  • Enable mirror mode on your Axim
  • Open file explorer on your Axim, navigate to the SD card and run haret
  • Click run
  • Wait - for quite a long time
I will reiterate that it runs pretty slowly, and that is especially true on the initial boot since the way I've set it up means that it creates a root filesystem image on the SD card the first time it's run (BTW, make sure the SD card has 200MiB free for that). So you'll see it taking a while to generate that image before Android is run. On further boots the existing image will be reused so it will run much faster. Also, once Android actually runs the Dalvik VM has lots to do, so it will be slow until everything's been compiled by that too. Essentially, run it then go away for half an hour by which time it might have progressed from ultra slow to just slow.

Things to do:
  • Power button
  • Keyguard won't unlock...
    • which makes the Axim a fairly pretty clock if you run Android after the initial boot
    • disable it? Axim has the lock switch anyway
  • SD card mountpoint
    • / is loopback to root.img on the SD card, possible to have the SD card under /mnt/sdcard despite that?
  • Audio
  • Suspend
  • WiFi
  • Bluetooth
  • Speed it up if possible
    • user rather than eng build may make a difference
Finally, if this is interesting to you and you happen to have the problem of just having too much cash I'd love to help you out:

15 comments:

James (Jeffrey) T Wang said...

Nice effort,
Is it at a point whereby it's a worthy replacement to the latest version of WM?

Paul Burton said...

Right now? I'd have to say no... But I'm working on it :)

James (Jeffrey) T Wang said...

apologies I saw this comment of yours:

"It's pretty slow, but it works! Minus sound, WiFi, suspend (and probably other stuff I've forgotten) that is."

So i guess the answer is a definite no! :)

James (Jeffrey) T Wang said...

good luck with it!

Anonymous said...

Good job getting a version other than 1.5 working on the Axim. I did some work for the AxDroid project and tried to port Eclair to the Axim, but I always ran into kernel panic. Could you release the source? I would like to make builds for the X51, X50, and X50v and maybe improve on some things.

Paul Burton said...

MaxMan: The kernel source is on Github - http://github.com/paulburton/axdroid_kernel

I haven't made the changes to the Android code itself available anywhere yet but will get around to that eventually.

Anonymous said...

I think this week, I may work on getting a hybrid kernel working. Or maybe 2 kernels that work on QVGA devices and VGA devices respectively instead of a kernel for each device. If I can't get some kind of detection working (as HaRET views all Axim devices as the x50) I could maybe set up some way to pass Axim-specific kernel arguments involving the model so it can set the right resolution and touchscreen driver to use.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Awesome work! I hope you keep on working to get a full functional Android on the x5(X) Devices.
Maybe you can work together with the people that are listed in the axdroid wiki. :)

Mat said...

Nice
Boot on X50v. Get to slightly flickering homepage. Can't figure out unlock yet?

Paul Burton said...

Fergus, make sure to use the latest version which is currently the one from http://paulburton89.blogspot.com/2010/08/axdroid-update.html

In that version the lock screen is disabled so it won't cause a problem. The screen flicker will still be there but I just fixed it in my kernel tree (for my X51v at least, hopefully X50v too) so the next build will be OK :)

Mat said...

Done No flicker, on the x50v. Don't see touch working. Might get better performance if I go back to wm2003se.Driver and power button
must be a lot of work? Thanks

Paul Burton said...

Great, glad it's working :) Hmm, if you don't have flicker with that version then I may have broken the X50v in my current code when fixing the X51v... I guess we'll find out when I push out the next build, will possibly have to set the LCD up differently for the X50v/X51v models.

Switching windows version shouldn't change anything, since when you run this it's effectively kicked out of RAM anyway.

There is a lot of work still to be done, but nothing impossible if I can find the time to do it :)

Unknown said...

Hello,
just wondering if this is 100% working? i would love to do it on my axim thanks madyicstik@gmail.com please let me know :)

Unknown said...

I would also like to know if this has gotten any farther. andrew_hawkins@hotmail.com. I'm heavily thinking about getting the axim X51V and this would be a reason that I would definately get it.