The Amazon Kindle Fire has been a raging success so far due to its low price despite its fairly low end specs. This has made the device popular with the Android Mod community keen to get Android goodies and the latest Android OS Ice Cream Sandwich (or ICS) onto the device.

Would be Kindle Fire modder’s beware, several reports are emerging from users that managed to Brick their devices in gaining root access. Details are sketchy as to the exact cause. Probable causes include the recent Amazon update, bad permissions and even the mere presence of Vending.apk (Android Market) itself. In the worst case the device goes into a recovery boot loop with the message:

“Your Kindle has detected a problem and must clear app storage. The recovery process will erase some applications and data from your device. Apps from the appstore are stored in the cloud and can be reinstalled later.
This will reset your kindle to its original factory settings. you will need to re-register your kindle prior to downloading items from your Amazon account.
Please press power button to proceed.”

However, after following the prompt the Fire reboots itself back to the same screen. The dreaded boot loop or bricked state where the device cannot be communicated with over USB. Congratulations your Kindle Fire is now as useful as a brick, albeit an expensive one! This is a serious issue as in many cases there is no adb shell or Fastboot access to the device leaving it impossible to fix without sending it back to Amazon. One solution remains – the factory cable fix.

It appears the device can be brought up in factory mode by using a factory cable. This is a special micro usb cable that has an pin 4 connected to +5V, a pin that’s not normally used. You might be lucky searching online for a Motorola factory cable. If you have a little DIY experience with a soldering iron its easy to make one yourself. BE WARNED!!! This has the added danger of blowing up your Kindle Fire and PC USB port if done wrong!!! Details on how to make one can be found below. When the factory cable is connected the device comes up in Fastboot mode which means custom ROM’s can be flashed to the device. Right now we’re days away from a CM7 build and will no doubt see a CM9 ICS build early next year.

UPDATE:Be warned that larger system partitions such as system can’t be reflashed due to fastboots’ memory limit. The latest favored fix is to use TWRP 2.0 recovery tool to restore which uses the smaller recovery partition, more here.

Making a DIY Factory Cable

WARNING: REQUIRES SOME PREVIOUS SOLDERING EXPERIENCE AND A STEADY HAND AS PARTS ARE SMALL

DISCLAIMER: WE ACCEPT NO LIABILITY IF YOU SHORT CIRCUIT OUT YOUR PC IN THE PROCESS!!!!!

REALLY!!!

What you will need:

• USB->Mini/Micro-B USB cable
• Sharp model knife
• Soldering Iron and Solder
• Soldering tools: pliers, wire stripers, desolder
• Small piece of insulated wire (red)
• Elecrical tape
• Continuity Tester
• Optional: In case you butcher the micro end of your USB cable a handy alternative is the Sparkfun USB MicroB Plug Breakout Board, its way easier to solder and avoid shorts this way.

If your device manufacturer uses this method to flash their device your device should boot into factory mode

Once you’ve used the factory cable for recovery purposes do not use it for normal use!

The Kindle Fire is a neat little Android tablet from Amazon and what better complement than a cool Android 4 ICS style launcher. Installation is via a simple package download:

• Make sure that in Settings->Device Allow Install from Unknown source is enabled.
• Download the apk via device web browser from Syndicate Apps.
• Open the downloads folder and install the apk from there.
• Navigate back to home. Click the option to always use launcher by default.
• Note: this is still in beta so not everything is working yet such as folders, you can upgrade if you so desire.

Now you can enjoy the Android goodness you have come to expect such as live wallpapers, desktop widgets and more.

Not happy with the selection of apps on the Amazon App Store or simply miss Android Market. Fear not there is a way to install it on your Kindle Fire for the tech savy. First you need to have gained root access, instructions here. Now lets begin:

• Disclaimer: We take no responsibility for damage to your device, this guide is for educational purposes only! Please cross reference the latest instructions available as they may change.
• Before you begin you should consider Amazon is determined to stop device rooting. They sell the device at a loss as they expect to profit from the digital service sold on the device. Device updates have already unrooted some devices and un-installed third party apps such a Android Market.
• Download require files: Several files make up the Google Service Framework including Android Market, Books, Voice, Maps, Google+, Reader, Gmail, Street View, Youtube, Talk, Netflix. A few others are need too:
  • Google Services Framework APK
  • Vending.apk
  • Root Explorer (Google App Store – copy to SD card) or ES File Explorer (Amazon App Store)
  • Go Launcher or Market Opener
• Unknown Sources: Make sure that the “Allow Installation of Application from Unknown Sources” is already switched ON. Also you should enable the “Side Loading Apps” on your Kindle to make this work.
• Connect over ADB: Assuming you have the Android SDK installed connect to the device with ADB.
• Install Packages: Copy Vending and Google Service Framework APK file to your Kindle. Using ADB
  • Run the adb shell and remount the /system folder to rw mode, first check mount is correct using cat /proc/mounts
    
mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system


  • Use ADB to push over Vending.apk
    
adb push /yourpath/Vending.apk /data/app/.

  • Use ADB to change the file permission for Vending.apk
    • Launch ADB Make sure that root owns the file by executing chown root.root Vending.apk.
    • Verify if you’re successful by issuing the command ls –l
    • Change the file permission to RW by issuing chmod 644 Vending.apk.
    • Checked again by issuing the command ls –l. The file should now have the –rw-r–r—permission.
    • Once you’re done with the correct file permission reboot your Kindle Fire.
• Install the Launcher for Android Market: Using the Go Launcher you can access the Android Market from your Kindle. Alternatively there is Market Opener which is easier to use. The installation will be the same for both launcher so you should not have problem installing either of the two. But don’t install them both. Copy your preferred Android Market launcher to your Kindle Fire. Using Root Explorer or ES File Explorer navigate to the folder location where you put the files. Install the APK file. Press the ‘Home’ button. If you install the Market Opener, you should see a market icon on the Kindle UI. But if you install the Go Launcher select it to launch the Android Market.

When things go wrong:

• Bricked bootloop: Message saying your kindle has detected a problem, see here

The Amazon Kindle Fire was a break through in affordable quality tablets. Something which gets the mod community very excited and keen to get customizing under the hood. Be warned rooting is not for the average user but is easier than you may think. Having root access opens that little black box for customization of the underlying software. In particular installation of android market and future ROMs for Android 4.0. The following steps can be used to root the Kindle Fire via a Win/Mac/Linux PC:

• DISCLAIMER: We take no responsibility for damage to your device, this guide is for educational purposes only! Please cross reference the latest instructions available as they may change.
• Copy Protection Warning: Videos will not play on rooted devices. You need to use OTA Root Keeper to temporarily unroot the device.
• Install the Android SDK: Tools are required from the Android SDK, you need to download this first from developer.android.com
• Install Kindle Fire Driver: In the folder where the SDK was installed open the google-usb_driver folder. In that folder find the file android_winusb.inf (or the platform equivalent) and add the following code to both the [Google.NTx86] and [Google.NTamd64] sections:
  ;Kindle Fire
%SingleAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_1949&PID_0006
%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_1949&PID_0006&MI_01

  Close and save this file.

  Alternatively: For Windows download this ini file (right click save link as) and copy it inside the Android SDK folder /google-usb_driver. In My Computer ~> device manager under unknown devices go through the driver update steps and point to the latter directory. When installation is complete the Kindle Fire should show up under Android Devices -> Android Composite ADB Interface.
  

• Enable Access via ADB: Navigate to the .android directory in your home folder and edit the adb_usb.ini file, adding the following line of code at the end: 0×1949 Close and save that file. Run adb in a terminal and run:
  
adb kill-server
adb start-server
adb devices

• Root with Super One Click: Connect the Kindle Fire to the PC. Navigate to Device Manager (Windows) and under “Other Devices” find your Kindle Fire. Choose the android_winusb.inf file (Mac/Linux may require tweaking). On the Kindle Fire, tap the settings icon in the status bar. Then choose ‘More’ option, then ‘Device,’ and finally check the box that enables unknown sources. Download Super One Click and start the program. Run the tool and choose the “Root” option. Your Kindle Fire is now rooted!

Next learn how to install Android Market!

A growing number of Apps are adopting AirPush as a advertising system that places ads in the Android notification menu. Such a system can rapidly become annoying for the user since the app doesn’t need to be open in order to create the ad via a background process. There are a few options to stop Airpush ads. Firstly you can remove the offending app, this may not be an option if you have several apps causing the problem. In which case you can use the App Airpush Detector to help. Secondly, you can use the App Airpush permanent Opt-Out.

On first setting up your Android phone you will have entered your Google account details. If you wish to change this Google account further down the line there are a few methods to do so based on which device you have.

In Android 2.2 upwards you can change your account details via Settings>Accounts & sync, prior to this version the following options may be useful:

• On the web go to your google account settings and change your password. A notification should appear to change account details.
• Go to Settings>Applications>Manage Applications>Google Service Data and clear all data. Do this for all other Google related apps too. A notification should appear to redo the setup wizard.
• Performing a factory reset will also reset account details, this may be the best solution anyway if you have purchased a secondhand phone.

If you don’t have and Android phone and ever wanted to try the Google Android OS on your PC (Windows,Apple or Linux) there are currently a couple of ways you can. Note: These allow a demonstration of the Google Android OS on your PC but do not provide a permanent system.

The LiveAndroid project provides a live CD disc image of the Google Android operating system. Just burn the image to a disc, stick it in a CD-ROM drive, and reboot your computer and you can check out Android without installing it or affecting any files on your PC. Installation details can be found here.

An Android Emulator is supplied with the Android SDK package. This takes a little more work to configure. The simplest way is to install the Eclipse development package and add the android tools plugin. This allows emulation of all the major Android versions including the latest version Honeycomb design specifically for tablets. Installation instructions can be found here and here.

Resources

Also see http://www.android-x86.org/

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The Android platform has seen rapid adoption to several mobile devices since its release. This growth looks set to continue as the platform spreads further across handset, tablet and other home media devices. Android’s popularity has been driven by the large number of apps available and the simplicity for developers to publish their own apps. Sadly it wasn’t long before Android was exploited for ill or criminal intent.

The power of the average smart phone today roughly rivals a desktop PC a decade ago. As with the PC the increased complexity has opened up more vulnerabilities to attack. According to Kaspersky the first Trojan for Android appeared in August 2010. The Trojan SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer comes disguised as a media player app. Secretly in the background it sends text messages to various destinations the users expense and the criminals profit.

Malicious apps for Android can be classed under malware, spyware, phishing, virus and adware. The number of malicious apps directed at Android now seems to be growing. As an indicator the twitter feed below showing recent tweets globally on #android #virus which gives an idea of the scale of the problem.

Several security solutions are now available for Android by a few of the major distributors for the PC as well as smaller scale developers. These are available as free and paid applications. Currently one of the most popular security apps is free Lookout Mobile Security which offers anti-virus monitoring of all software with scan options, as well as phone location monitoring an backup. SmrtGuard Security provides similar features. Major distributor AVG also offer a free and paid security solution which protects against virus and malware in real time. The paid version uses cloud computing to save your phone resources. McAfee offer WaveSecure but this only provides backup and restore functionality. As yet Norton Security have only provided a Beta application but will offer anti-virus protection.

These security solutions run as background applications and have the side effect of consuming CPU and memory resources. On low end phones this can be unacceptable warranting removal of the app. A solution is to find a security app that can be run on demand or periodically, or try to avoid sources of infection. So what can you do to avoid viruses and other malware. An simple start is only to install software from official app stores which can be regulated. However, policing these stores can be a slow process. Sound advice is to check the app rating and read the comments. Before installation check the apps access permissions, do they seem fair for what the application does.

A default Android boot screen.

It’s possible to change the default Android flash screen displayed as the phone boots. Currently this is not an easy process. Doing so is only recommend for advanced users.
Before you begin this is a guide for advanced Android users and requires root access to the phone. This is only for devices with 320×480 resolution.
For more info see this guide.

The Auto Brightness and Brightness Rocker apps.

A comfortable screen brightness when using a mobile device depends on the application activity and situation. In some cases a brighter screen is helpful when reading text. In general a dimmer screen is adequate for most activities and helps save battery power.

On an android phone the screen brightness can be adjusted in the main menu

Settings
Sound & Display
Brightness

The android app store has a selection of free widgets that you can install to do the same thing more quickly. An example is Brightness Control which can be placed on the desktop. Want to control the brightness of each app then try Brightness Rocker which allows the volume buttons to be used to control the brightness. Brightness profiles can be created using the Brightness Profiles app which allows different user defined levels to be set and selected. The Auto Brightness app takes this further by changing the profile automatically based on the battery level, time of day, location and user defined times.