How you can root the Amazon Kindle Fire and install Android Market and sideload Android Apps on it
filed in Ecosystem Android, Tutorial Guides on Nov.18, 2011
The Amazon Kindle Fire. A $199 Android device that Amazon wants you to only use to assess their Amazon music, applications, movie and buy things from them. I am sure not many of you want to use it ONLY for that.
So how can you have more fun with it? We saw what happen to a cheap Android device with a relatively good hardware in Nook Color which got hacked pretty thoroughly such that so many people are buying it off Barnes and Noble.
It’s a matter of time before it happens to the Kindle Fire.
Root the Kindle Fire through SuperOneClick
To enable your device from being able to have that much freedom, you need to give it root access, which in layman terms is to give it the super user access so that they can do everything.
Note: Rooting your device can be risky, and may end up rendering the device in an unrecoverable state or void your device warranty
1. Download Android SDK and install ADB [Instructions and guide here >>]
2. Download SuperOneClick 2.2 [Download link >>]
3. Go to your %USERPROFILE%\.android on your system and local the file adb_usb.ini. Edit the file and append the following at the end of file: 0×1949 and save the file.
4. Go to the folder where you have the Android SDK installed and open the google-usb_driver folder and then edit the file android_winusb.inf. just add the following to the [Google.NTx86] section and [Google.NTamd64] section:
;Kindle Fire
%SingleAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_1949&PID_0006
%CompositeAdbInterface% = USB_Install, USB\VID_1949&PID_0006&MI_01
then save the file
5. If Kindle Fire is already plugged into the USB you may have to open device manager and find “Kindle” under other devices and choose the android_winusb.inf file.
6. On Kindle Fire make sure to turn on installation of apps from unknown sources.
7. Now launch a command prompt windows (cmd) and run the following commands:
adb kill-server
adb devices
8. You should be able to see you device listed there. If it is then you are good to go.
9. Finally just launch the SuperOneClick tool. Hit the root button to get the SU binaries, BusyBox, SuperUser etc. pushed to your device automatically.
10. Kindle Fire is rooted.
Sideload other android apps
Sideloading android apps not on the Amazon App Store is just doing 3 things
- Get the app APK
- Ensure that quick settings > More > Device > “Allow installation of applications from unknown sources” is turn on.
- Move the APK over and install it.
You can find more detail instructions here [Instructions here >>]
Getting Android Market on your Kindle Fire
You would need to root your device first. XDA developers then have the GoogleServicesFramework.apk and vending.apk for you to install and configured to work.
[Files and instructions here >>]
Getting other Google Android Apps to work
Once you get Android Market working, the rest of the apps should be a smaller problem for you.
Follow the instructions here to get them downloaded and installed. [Instructions here >>]
Conclusion
I hope you have fun with this device. Its price point is lower than that of the iPad but looks like a good hardware to do a lot of the productivity stuff.
