PDN Wiki Index

Introduction to the Pandigital Novel

Beginners Guide

Pandigital Novel Hacking

• Intermediate to Advanced User Guide
• The Black One (QVC & BPDN)

Pandigital Novel Software

• Backup apps
• PDN Useful Utilities
• eReader Software Tips

Pandigital Novel Hardware Modification

Pandigital Novel Version

Contents 1 Finding and Installing Apps 1.1 Automatically with Market Enabled PDN 1.2 Installing Apps/APK's without Market access 1.2.1 File Explorer App 1.2.2 Custom PDN App Installer 1.2.3 Android Browser 1.2.4 ADB 1.2.5 Gmail 1.3 Where else to find Apps 2 Available Updates and Apps compatibility

Finding and Installing Apps

Any computing device is just so much plastic and wires without programs to run on it. It's easier than you might think to fill your PDN with games and apps, let alone eBooks, newspapers and magazines. It's just a bit different than what you might be used to.

Automatically with Market Enabled PDN

The Android Market allows you to browse and/or search for software, much of which is free or very affordable ($.99 on average), and will automatically install the apps on your Market Enabled, Hacked PDN. Market installed as part of an altered Firmware modification and/or by using either the "Ugly" or "Not Ugly" Market Fix is required. You will want to look at the discussion forum's How To Guide for Market Access as well.

Installing Apps/APK's without Market access

File Explorer App

Many free file explorers such as Astro, App Monster, EStrongs and Blackmoon will explore, copy, move, backup, install and uninstall apps on your SD Card from the PDN.

This very useful graphic tutorial for ES File Explorer can be applied to several of the other explorers as well.

Custom PDN App Installer

• Covarianttensor has developed a command line tool to make installing apps directly from your computer to the PDN easier. *Pandigital App Installer 1.0 (Beta 2)
  

Android Browser

• Download the file Apps_Installer_0.2.1.apk and copy it to the root level of your SD Card
  • Don't place it in any folder on the card - you can rename it to something simpler as long as you retain the .apk extension at the end
• In the PDN's browser type the following in the URL Address field: file:///sdcard/Apps_Installer_0.2.1.apk
  • Note the three "///'s"
  • If your SD Card isn't named "sdcard" don't worry, just type exactly what you see above because that's what the PDN recognized in that slot.
• If/when it sends you to a settings screen, check the "allow 3rd party" box then repeat step two. You can now use Apps_Installer to install any other apps you might have.

ADB

• Explained in detail in Moderate Guides found on the FAQ thread.
• ADB Command:
  • adb install com.amazon.kindle.apk
  • adb install aldiko.apk
  • pause

Gmail

The Gmail app will only work on altered systems that include the Full Google Experience (GE) - However there are several other Android eMail apps that can fully access your GMail account.

• Moving Apps, Books, Etc onto PDN via Gmail

Where else to find Apps

• Download apps to your computer - No market required. The community has collected many non-market sites to get you started. This short thread also contains a rather comprehensive list of apps that have been tested and found to work, not work, or do not show full screen.

• BiPolarBear's Ultimate apk archive is almost required. Clockworx's Google Experience Alpha has many useful apps (discussion here) as does Geebekazoo's Box.Net file depository.

• Some non-market sites, not all, will allow you to directly download an .apk (Android Package) directly to your SD Card through a web browser (the build-in PDN Browser downloads items to the internal "PD_Novel" Card, others to the external SD Card). You will need to use adb OR a file explorer and root access to install .apk's placed on the internal card by the stock PD Browser. Root access or adb is not necessary for installing .apk's from the external card.
• Unlike the stock PDN Browser, 3rd party browsers like X-Scope and Dolphin will make a direct call to the Android Package Installer when you tap a completed .apk download placed by them on the external card.

NOTE. Some files may end up with a .zip instead of a .apk extension when downloaded either to your computer or the PDN. To get them to install correctly simply rename the file with the proper .apk extension. Android Package files (.apk) are merely a compression shell much like .zip and behave similarly. In Windows, you may need to show file extensions in order to rename them. This is done in the folder options view tab. Make sure the checkbox for 'Hide extensions for known file types' is unchecked.

Available Updates and Apps compatibility

• Ongoing subforum discussion board devoted to PDN apps.
• Post your results for compatibility tests too and see what others found.
• Phd has tested many apps and posted his results here in a thread devoted to finding market alternative download sites.
• SlateDroid PDN Useful Utilites Wiki
• Flash Video
  • YouTube's App (and a few others like FreeTube) downloads video in MP4 format and replays it from the SD Card. (Tested version of YouTube.apk)
  • Skyfire's web browser has built-in video capability which allows limited playing of "some" Flash based video.
  • VLC for Android can stream video over your WiFi LAN from your desktop computer.
• Aldiko eReader App updates wirelessly with the open source Calibre eBook converter's WiFi server. No more hooking up USB to get your daily paper.
• It Reads EVERYTHING From Everywhere. Barnes & Nobel, Amazon.com, Borders, Kobo, Your Local Library and the 33,000 free public domain books they have at Project Gutenberg
• Barnes&Noble app/Reader access, see your Library and read the same as before but with open source. Recent firmware releases from Pandigital do not include Adobe Digital Editions which is used to access and read borrowed eBooks from the library. You can, however, access your library books via the included Barnes & Nobel app by following the instructions in this thread.