Kindle Fire - 3/4 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Jan

[Download] BurritoRoot 2 Gives Root Access Back To Kindle Fire Users After 6.2.2 Update

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Development, Kindle Fire, News

Last Updated: January 19th, 2012

Justin Case has done it again, bringing root access back to users of Amazon's Kindle Fire who accepted the recent firmware update to version 6.2.2. BurritoRoot 2 is an easy-to-use exploit that only requires adb (Android debug bridge) and a few moments of your time. Users looking to root their device after Amazon's latest firmware update can grab BurritoRoot 2 using the download mirrors below.

To use the exploit, just download the file and run the following commands from adb:

adb push BurritoRoot2.bin /data/local/

adb shell chmod 777 /data/local/BurritoRoot2.bin

adb shell /data/local/BurritoRoot2.bin

adb root

adb shell id

<if uid = 0 continue, if not start over>

adb remount

adb push su /system/xbin/su

adb shell chown 0.0 /system/xbin/su

adb shell chmod 06755 /system/xbin/su

adb remount

adb install Superuser.apk (skip this step if its already installed)

For more information, check out Justin's original thread over at XDA.

Jan

Amazon Kindle Fire's Firmware Update (To 6.2.2) Breaks Root, Adds Full-Screen Browsing

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Development, Kindle Fire, News

Last Updated: January 19th, 2012

In a familiar turn of events, Amazon has pushed out another root-breaking firmware update, bringing the Kindle Fire's firmware up to version 6.2.2.

Shortly after Amazon's last Kindle Fire update, our very own Justin Case made quick work of gaining root access for the Kindle Fire once again, releasing BurritoRoot, a tool that made rooting the Fire quick and (relatively) easy. Unfortunately, Amazon's latest update keeps BurritoRoot from doing its job, but it appears to bring about at least one useful change.

The only visible improvement is a full screen toggle button added to Amazon's Silk browser. Amazon's support documentation doesn't include information regarding 6.2.2 just yet, but when it does we'll be here to update with a full list of changes.

Dec

[Exclusive] How To Easily Root The Amazon Kindle, Regardless Of Its Software Version

Posted by Jaroslav Stekl in Amazon, Development, Exclusives, Kindle Fire, News

Last Updated: June 5th, 2012

Update: Justin has repackaged the Kindle Fire root app apk, removing encryption and open sourcing the file.

Update: BurritoRoot may not work on version 6.0 firmware. If you're having trouble, update your firmware and try again.

On the historic date of December 20th, 2011, Amazon pushed out software version 6.2.1 to its Kindle Fire. The update was fairly minor -- its main additions had to do with improved scrolling and WiFi passwords -- but it brought about one devastating change: it broke all previous methods of root.

Seeing the issue, our own Justin Case got right to work; and after a night's worth of coding, with a group of fellow devs helping him through the testing process (namely, Vashypooh, Trevor Eckhart, and IOMoster), he developed a new method to root the Kindle Fire -- a method that works not only on software 6.2.1, but on all currently known versions of the Fire's OS (future updates make break this).

Dec

Amazon, Barnes & Noble Pushing Updates To Their Respective Tablets That Break Root Access

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Kindle Fire, News, Nook Tablet

Amazon started pushing an update to the Kindle Fire yesterday, and two words that no Android geek wants to hear were muttered shortly after: breaks root. Unlike the previous update to the Fire, this update can't be re-rooted using SuperOneClick.

It's not all bad in Fire-world, though; for the un-rooted, this update brings a number of fixes and performance enhancements to the sub-$200 device:

You can now remove books, apps or other content from the carousel of recently used items on the home screen.
Scrolling is smoother.
There’s an option to require a password to turn on WiFi (which could help prevent kids from purchasing apps without a parents' permission).

Dec

[Deal Alert] Gameloft Offering 6 Games For $0.99 Each In The Amazon Appstore, Most For The Kindle Fire

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Android OS, Deals, Games, Kindle Fire, News

Owners of Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet have a great chance to expand their gaming portfolio right now thanks to Gameloft. One of the most popular game developers for Android is offering a handful of games for just $0.99 in the Amazon Appstore, most of them special Kindle Fire editions.

Among the discounted titles are Order & Chaos, Block Breaker 3 Unlimited, UNO, and Asphalt 6: Adrenaline. Those who don't own a Kindle Fire can still get Hero of Sparta HD or Shadow Guardian HD at a deeply discounted price. There's no word on how long these prices will last, so grab a game or two while you can here!

Nov

Kindle Fire Gets An Update That Breaks Root – Don't Worry, You Can Root Again

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Development, Kindle Fire, News, Tablets

Amazon has begun pushing a software update to Kindle Fire owners, updating the tablet's software to version 6.2. The online shopping giant kept quiet about just what the update included however. Given this (lack of) information, the real story here is that the update breaks root. Additionally, the Fire is configured to update automatically over WiFi, and there isn't an immediately apparent way to stop it.

There is a bright side, however. After your Fire updates, regaining root access is not only possible, but easy, using SuperOneClick. For instructions, head over to the discussion on XDA Forums. It's worth mentioning that the update may wipe the Android Market app and custom keyboards, along with your root privileges.

Nov

CyanogenMod 7 Makes Its Way To The Kindle Fire - Still A Bit Buggy, But Nearly Usable

Posted by Cameron Summerson in Kindle Fire, News

Just two short weeks after the Kindle Fire received its first dose of Android development goodness (read: root), the first full custom ROM has made its way to the device. The ROM is question is, of course, CyanogenMod 7, the most widely distributed custom ROM among Android devices.

Basically everything works, though there are a few glitches. The touchscreen was initially on the receiving end of one said glitch, as the alignment was off by 90 degrees. The developer behind the port, JackpotClavin, has since fixed this issue, so touch should be good to go now. Wi-Fi isn't 100% up-to-snuff just yet, though, as it will scan and find networks, but it is unable to connect.

Nov

Good News – The Android Market Can Now Be Installed On Amazon's Kindle Fire

Posted by Liam Spradlin in Applications, Development, Kindle Fire, News

Since before the launch of Amazon's Kindle Fire, the Android community has been atwitter, planning to break through the shopping giant's custom Android variant to achieve a true Android experience. Coming one step closer to that, BriefMobile has provided detailed instructions on how to get the Android Market running on Amazon's affordable 7" slate.

Of course, the Kindle Fire is not compatible with all the apps in the Market, so you may notice a few missing. Hopefully developers will be adding support for the Fire in the future, but for now, there are still plenty of reasons you want the Market on Amazon's Android tablet.

Nov

Is Amazon Deliberately Hiding Non-Kindle eReader Apps From Kindle Fire Owners?

Posted by David Ruddock in Amazon, Kindle Fire, News

It sure seems that way, according to Android Guys. They claim competing eBook apps such as Kobo and Aldiko don't appear in search results when using the Amazon Appstore on a Kindle Fire tablet. Additionally, eBook reader developer BlueFire claims that while his app is listed as Kindle Fire-compatible on the Amazon Appstore, it too fails to show up in search results on the device.

We've not heard of many apps mysteriously not showing up in the Fire's app list (presumably Amazon had lots of time to work on ensuring most apps on its store would be compatible) for a lack of compatibility, so if this does turn out to be true, we can probably assume that Amazon made a conscious decision to keep competitors' apps out of the hands of users.

Nov

Amazon Posts Kindle Fire's Open Source Code

Posted by Artem Russakovskii in Amazon, Development, Kindle Fire, News

Unlike some vendors which shall remain unnamed (*cough*, HTC, *cough*), Amazon didn't make us wait for the mandatory open source bits of the Android Fire's kernel and released them over at their Source Code page the same day the tablets themselves started arriving in consumers' hands. The download, which comes as a compressed tar.gz, weighs in at a whopping 809MB.

The source code should allow for custom ROMs and tweaks to the OS, which we can hopefully expect soon, considering the Fire has already been rooted. There is still no word on whether its bootloader can be easily unlocked, however, so theoretically there could be a few potential bumps on the road to the first custom ROMs.