Skip to main content

Kobo Glo Hacked (Again) – Now Runs Android

Kobo doesn’t have a large hacking community to support it but what the hackers lack in mass they more than make up for in inventiveness.

One such hacker is reporting that they have Android running on his Kobo Glo. SyreKron posted a proof of concept photo over on Mobileread a couple days ago. For the record, this is not the Kobo Glo’s normal home screen:

kobo glo-shine 1

This hack, which has been attempted on other Kobo hardware like the Mini without success, is based on the extracted firmware from a Tolino Shine. That 6″ ereader runs Android, and apparently it has enough hardware in common with the Kobo Glo that the code could be ported over with minimal effort.

The Shine runs Android 2.3, and it has a frontlight, touchscreen, internal storage, a microSD card slot, and Wifi. And like the Kobo Glo, it is intended strictly as an ereader.

Of course, the firmware for the Shine isn’t worth much unless you root it and gain access to the underlying Android, which is exactly what someone has done. Yes, there are now at least 2 hackers playing with Android on a Kobo Glo:

kobo glo-shine 2

Pretty cool, huh?

This is the second replacement firmware hack for the Kobo Glo that has been discovered in the past few months. Back in September I psoted about a firmware hack that turned the Kobo Glo and the Kobo Mini into Linux tablets.

This hack is much more useful, IMO. While it will probably reduce battery life it also offers readers the opportunity to load other reading apps besides Kobo.

Mobileread

Similar Articles


Comments


Kobo Glo hacked to run Android – Liliputing November 3, 2013 um 10:01 am

[…] via The Digital Reader […]


Your Kobo eBook Reader Has Been Eaten By a Grue – The Digital Reader December 19, 2013 um 6:08 pm

[…] the past few years Kobo’s ereaders have been variously turned into Android tablets, turned into Linux tablets (running Debian), and modded with solar panels. And now you can use your […]


Write a Comment