How to Install Android Market on Polaroid PMID701
I’ve had this tablet for a couple weeks now, and I have to say that the out of box performance is a little lacking. While it does ship with a basic suite of apps they’re not very good. Even the free ones I’ve gotten from Amazon’s Appstore are rather lacking when compared to the official Google apps (gMail, gReader, etc).
Luckily for me there’s a way to install Android Market and thus get the official apps. It’s also really easy.
Note that this isn’t a set of instructions on how to hack the tablet; I’m only interested in achieving a certain minimum level of ability with the least work required.
Update: There are now at least 2 related Android tablets with the PMID701 moniker. These instructions have been confirmed to work on the PMID701C and the PMID701I.
A few days back one commenter pointed me at this page, which has both a set of instructions and the necessary apps. I’ve installed them without a hitch and I am now much happier about this tablet. I followed the instructions on that page and got the exact same results. Here’s how you do it.
- Download this ZIP file to your computer.
- Open it and copy the contents of the ZIP file to your Polaroid tablet over USB. Then unplug your tablet.
- Once you’ve done that, open the file manager on your tablet and go to the folder where you put the files. Try to install the following apps in this order (double click on the files in order to run them):
- OneTimeInitializer-signed.apk
- SetupWizard.apk
- vending-3.1.3-signed.apk
As a 4th step you might want to press the home button, select the checkmark which says "open always with", and then select Launcher. This will guarantee that whenever you press the home button you will see the home screen and not be prompted with a menu.
All 3 apps installed okay, and I now have the Android Market working. I’ve downloaded and installed several apps. I know that it’s weird that the icon and app still says Android Market, not Google Play, but it works so I do not care.
But there is one small problem. For some reason the Setup Wizard app is listed as an alternate home screen. This does not impact the functions of the tablet, but it is a little annoying so I checked the box to always open the home screen with the other item (Launcher).
All in all, this is a much nicer tablet now. It doesn’t quite have the vibe of the IdolPad but at least it’s no longer coming up short in the apps department.
No Comments