Polaroid 7 inch resistive tablet

12-05-2011, 09:20 PM

I have a PMID700 Polaroid 7 inch resistive tablet with 2.3.1.
It is a Nenards black friday deal.
Its imported from China from Southern Telecom. No real complaints here.
Performs very well for $80 in my book.

Tips: calibrate screen very carefully for best results-I used a sharp pencil.
use a stylus when using or use a mouse with included adapter!
just plug into mini USB adapter and use firmware update
seemed to help responsiveness on keyboard and overall.
-------------------------

Android 2.3.1
408-1008 MHz Rockchip RK2918/
ARM CORTEX-A8 w/ Neon & 512 KB L2 Cache (armeabl-v7a)
OpenGL ES2.0 & OpenVG
1080p HD
512MB DDR3
4GB int memory
Micro SD up to 32 GB
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
4200 mAh Battery
gingerbread 2.3.1 rel api 9
Micro USB Port with USB host Flashdrive support
No HDMI out, no Camera, no trackball
3.5 MM headphone jack, DC in
7 buttons (front) home, back, menu. (right side) vol up, vol down, power. & (back) reset
led on top
rk29board
unknown bootloader & radio
display 800 x 480 160 dpi 20110926.170336
has android (software) hardware support for camera bluetooth and
 telephony (this tab doesnt have these)/system is ro (cramfs)

I was on southern telecoms website and found a 2.4 firmware update.img

link for pmid700 2.4 update from southern telecom dot com slash polaroid support slash firmware

Here is info on 2.4 firmware update straight from southern telecom Polaroid support website

Polaroid Tablet Firmware Installation Guide

Note: Please make sure that you backup your files to a computer
before you update your tablet's firmware. All content will be deleted.
You can re-download your purchased and/or free apps from the Amazon Appstore
once the firmware update is completed.

Make sure that the firmware update that you are installing is higher or equal
to your tablet's current firmware version.
You can check the version you are currently running by doing the following:
Open Settings on the tablet, then select About Device and read the number under Firmware version.
The number you see here should be equal to or less than
the Firmware version listed on our Updates webpage.

Part 1: Download the firmware file.

NOTE: This step must be performed on a computer.
Trying to download this file on your tablet will result in an unsuccessful firmware download
as the file can not be unzipped on our Polaroid tablets.

On your computer, please logon to southern telecom dot com slash polaroid support slash firmware

1. Find your model number located on the back of the tablet.
2. Select your model number on the support page, the download process will begin.
3. Then select Save, and save it your your computer.
4. Once the file has finished downloading, you must unzip the file.

Note: you will need to have a zip program such as 7-Zip, WinZip or WinRAR
to unzip the files.
 If you do not already have a zip program, then Download 7-zip here.


Step 2: Install the firmware file.

1. Hold the Power button down to power off the tablet.
2. In the Power Off dialog box, press OK to confirm.
3. Connect the tablet to your computer with the supplied USB cord.
********( side note from jandrosh- after this step the tab boots up normally then
you should mount usb like u normally would after home screen finishes loading )
4. The tablet's USB Connected screen will appear. Select Turn on USB storage, then select OK
(If you do not see the Turn on USB storage message on the tablet screen,
then unplug and reconnect the tablet to your computer).
5. Find the firmware file you downloaded from our support site.
 "Click and drag" or "Copy and paste" the Firmware file onto your tablet.
Be sure not to place this file in any folders.
6. Now select Turn off USB Storage on the tablet's screen,
then unplug the tablet from the computer
(step one says the Firmware version should be higher than the tablet's current version.
Actually, it must be higher or equal to).
7. You will now be directed to the firmware update dialog screen
(be sure to carefully read the on-screen instructions before you proceed)
8. Make sure you have the tablet plugged in to a wall receptacle using the included AC adaptor
(if the tablet powers off by accident during the install process,
the tablet and the information can be corrupted).
9. Press Install to begin the firmware update.
10. You will receive a brief message that your device will reboot.
At this point your tablet will go into Recovery Mode.
It is recommended that you do not move or unplug the device until the update process is completed.
11. When complete, you may be prompted to calibrate the screen.
This means the update was successful and your tablet is now running the latest firmware version.
12. You can check the version you are currently running by doing the following:
Open Settings on the tablet, then select About Device and read the number under Firmware version.
13. Your tablet is now set to factory default settings.
All settings such as date and time, wifi settings and more will have to be reset.

*********** so it seems when there is a update.img file on the root of sd card,
the system checks to see if its a valid firmware update and asks to install in a popup.
It does this at boot when home screen is loaded, shutdown, and after USB unmount.
I have updated this firmware myself, and all is well.

The /system folder is read only.
So i found a flash tool for the wopadi7 tablet that has the same rockchips rk29 series board and cpu.
I think this will work. Its called RKAndroid Tool v1.29 It uses these inputs for flash
Rk29xxloader.bin, 0x00000000 parameter, misc.img, kernel.img, boot.img, recovery.img, system.img
It also has a usb driver so when the tablet is off and connected to USB,
this tool and computer recognizes it.
I have ran this tool and everything wants to work.
I could try flashing the Wopad update to my polaroid if I knew it would work or
If i could get the original update.img loaded back.

So, can the firmware update image be modified for root and reflashed with this?
Or can the update image be unpacked and flashed with this tool? In case of brick?

Also I nave not gotten into recovery from any keystroke combo.
 In (Android System Info) app it shows unknown for bootloader.

I did install Gmail from Amazon App store and that setup a type of google sync to tablet.
You then can then go in Market website on tab or any other computer and log in to that same account.
You can then send Apps to the Tablet OTA and they install when finished.
Don't open the Market app when downloading or installing or it will fail.
I also installed onetimeinitializer.apk from a Gapps file I found online somewhere.
After reboot this lets you log into Google and Sync. I'm not sure if this is needed.

Thanks for a place to share!