Installing Einstein on Android (tested on a Samsung Note 10)

  • Install EInstein
    • download the zipped EInstein .apk using the browser on your phone: MessagePad.org
    • the browser should offer to unpack the zip archive
    • inside is a file ending in .apk; tap that file to install the content
    • Android will explain that software from unknown sources can be harmful and will verify at least once that is can install Einstein
    • once installed, find the EInsttein app in the app list, tap and hold, and a menu should pop up, tap on "App Info", go to "Permissions", and allow access to "Storage"; Einstein needs this permission to access the ROM and write the Flash file

  • Download the ROM file
    • the Einstein User Manual describes how you can download the ROM from an existing MessagePad using the Unix tool nc or the Windows implementation ncat.
    • name the ROM file 717006.rom and store it in Internal Storage > Download > Einstein; you may have to create the Einstein directory yourself

  • Launching EInstein
    • just tap on the Einstein App Icon, and the screen should go black; after a few seconds, the Newton logo should appear and NewtonOS will boot
    • if the screen stays black, Einstein can't find the ROM, or does not have permission to read the ROM; retrace your previous steps; also, make sure that your ROM is named 717006.rom and that your device is held in portrait mode

  • Installing Newton packages
    • Newton packages are installed by moving them into the Internal Storage > Download > Einstein directory
    • when Einstein launches the next time, it will install all newly added packages

  • Limitations
    • the current version of Einstein for Android is in an alpha stage; it is not feature-complete, and there are several known bugs, hangs, and crashes
    • there is no sound yet
    • rotating the phone into landscape mode will crash the app
    • pausing Einstein, or moving to another app and returning to Einstein may lock up the app
    • the Einstein screen may at some point start to blink rapidly while drawing