Were looking at picking up an eReader. I was leaning towards the Kindle Fire vs Nook Color but now read about the Nook Tablet. From what I am understanding the KF is rootable now? And at this time what one would you pick and why? I do not want to buy only to regret the decision later?
Secondly when rooted does a Barnes and Noble app work on it also? And is their any problem with the cloud?
When rooted does the Android Market work also?
What are some of the things I would want to consider when I compare them? Also from what I understand you lose storage space of the cloud when rooted so loose alot of storage is this true?
molitar said:
Were looking at picking up an eReader. I was leaning towards the Kindle Fire vs Nook Color but now read about the Nook Tablet. From what I am understanding the KF is rootable now? And at this time what one would you pick and why? I do not want to buy only to regret the decision later?
Secondly when rooted does a Barnes and Noble app work on it also? And is their any problem with the cloud?
When rooted does the Android Market work also?
What are some of the things I would want to consider when I compare them? Also from what I understand you lose storage space of the cloud when rooted so loose alot of storage is this true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would reccommend the kindle fire to start off... Yes the kindle fire is very rootable when useing kindle fire utility. The nook tablet and color have options for more space however if you choose not to flash a custom ROM on your kindle fire then you have unlimited amazon storage in the cloud. (Only for Amazon stuff) you also have 5 GB of cloud storage for anything you want. Expandable (for a couple bucks a year). You will not regret buying a KF. Yes B&N app works on rooted kindle fire. No problems with the cloud so far... the android market works when rooted yes.. If you don't mind having to be connected all of the time to wifi to be able to access your books/movies/mp3 files then is it great! No when you root a kindle fire you do not lose the cloud.... that only happens if you flash a custom ROM. However devs are working on USB hosting for the kindle fire so that means flashdrives.. hope this helps you.
I can't think of much else to add. I've had mine since launch and love it. If rooting and flashing custom ROMs are things that interest you then you should definitely go with the KF. The Nook Tablet is apparently lacking in development as I've checked there and am pretty sure they don't have a stable version of CM7 yet when the KF has several rock-solid CM7 ROMs and our devs are making great strides on CM9.
Problems with WiFi Connectiviy
There have been quit a few reports of Kindle Fires not being able to connect to a secure router using WPA/WPA2 - PSK (Personal). Encryption Type TKIP+AES.
They said it works with WEP, but that isn't secure enough.
I bought a Kindle Fire last week and have not been able to maintain a connection on a secure connection. I'm hoping someone in here might have some ideas. Other sites have no been helpful, and I'm hearing support for this is extremely lacking. Hope I posted in the correct place, Thanks.
I've had the nook color and the tablet and the fire. It really depends on what you want, if a ton of support and on board storage are things you want, and don't need the fastest thing ever, the color wins. Also cheaper then the other two. If you just want root but not custom roms and on board storage with more performance then a color, nook tablet. However at a little less you have the same or better performer with custom roms to pick from and don't mind losing onboard storage expansion, the fire wins.
As I said I have owned and hacked modded whatever all 3, for me its nook color or fire, forget the nook tablet for now. I sold my color to get the nook tablet, which I returned and got a fire. I've since moved on to an Acer iconia a100 and my mom uses the fire, rolling an ics rom and doing fine. I can't answer the wifi thing other then it connected to my wpa2 wifi fine for the 15 minutes before it got rooted and rommed. Still works with my wpa2, I've since changed from dlink to Linksys routers, never had an issue not due to a rom bug.
Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2
Mattwm said:
There have been quit a few reports of Kindle Fires not being able to connect to a secure router using WPA/WPA2 - PSK (Personal). Encryption Type TKIP+AES.
They said it works with WEP, but that isn't secure enough.
I bought a Kindle Fire last week and have not been able to maintain a connection on a secure connection. I'm hoping someone in here might have some ideas. Other sites have no been helpful, and I'm hearing support for this is extremely lacking. Hope I posted in the correct place, Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't heard these reports. Anyway, I run stock, have been for months my home connection with wpa2 has not given me any problems with my kindle. Solid.
I got a fire in trade, played withit in stock form. It does its job. I'm accustomed to stock android and am running. CM9 build as of now. The lack of storage do sent bother me because anything no want to listen to is on iheartradio or on Pandora and movies, I can find them if I need them. Mostly tho, I browse the web and XDA looking for a different from for my toys... B-)
Sent from FIREING MA LAZER... \BAUGHHHH/
Deleted. Wrong thread.
But since I'm here anyway...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=23747567
I saw the new Kindle Fire SD announced with slightly better specs available for $159. I wanted to buy it and also sign up for Prime to stream video and borrow books and have apps and stuff, plus root it and run Android 4.1 so I can have an awesome cheap "android tablet" with Amazon Prime
Is it worth the $280?
Will there be development?
Thanks in advance for aiding a little noob.
Encerspay said:
I saw the new Kindle Fire SD announced with slightly better specs available for $159. I wanted to buy it and also sign up for Prime to stream video and borrow books and have apps and stuff, plus root it and run Android 4.1 so I can have an awesome cheap "android tablet" with Amazon Prime
Is it worth the $280?
Will there be development?
Thanks in advance for aiding a little noob.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy it because you want to use it as an Amazon tablet. Whether or not these can ever be used as an Android tablet is the big question mark right now. There are rumors and much speculation about whether or not the bootloader will be secured in some way. The way that Amazon is marketing these things with lockscreen advertising, they have plenty of reasons to keep them from being easily manipulated like the first generation devices. Nobody will have any good idea about their potential until the right people start looking at them.
I have no idea where this $280 figure comes into play.
EDIT: I'm not sure the SD version is a good buy anyway. For $40 more, you get the better display, double the storage, bluetooth, HDMI out... that seems like the better choice.
kinfauns said:
Buy it because you want to use it as an Amazon tablet. Whether or not these can ever be used as an Android tablet is the big question mark right now. There are rumors and much speculation about whether or not the bootloader will be secured in some way. The way that Amazon is marketing these things with lockscreen advertising, they have plenty of reasons to keep them from being easily manipulated like the first generation devices. Nobody will have any good idea about their potential until the right people start looking at them.
I have no idea where this $280 figure comes into play.
EDIT: I'm not sure the SD version is a good buy anyway. For $40 more, you get the better display, double the storage, bluetooth, HDMI out... that seems like the better choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The $280 includes Prime, sorry I didn't clarify that
$40 doesn't seem like much at all, and your views on the SD tablet are very interesting. I honestly haven't even considered the HD version. I'll check it out.
Thanks for the input.
It's still a question mark on whether the developers will be able to root the new fire easily. I suggest waiting for a month or so.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
The new Kindles have a locked bootloader, but I have a feeling they'll be easily bypassed since Amazon lets you do manual updates via USB.
Ok you're asking us about 2 separate things. In my opinion, Amazon Prime is only worth $80 if you buy a lot of stuff online.
If I were in your shoes, I'd buy a used Kindle Fire or I'd find a way to get $40 together and buy a Nexus 7.
This could benefit many who buy a new fireTV/stick and want to root it. It's a bit long but read on---
First, a little background; I bought my first fireTVstick a few months ago - 5.2.1.1 was on it before I even saw the home screen. I looked into rooting, but found that the hardware soldering method was the only way.
As you know, the fireTV asks for wifi password prior to initial setup & updates itself before you can intervene. But after initial setup, Amazon home can launch without a wifi connection..like on someone else's network..
A friend gave me a stick that hadn't been used since mid2016.. I plugged it in at my house, and before connecting to my network, discovered it was running 5.1.5.0 - so immediately i hid updates and then tried to root with kingo, unsuccessfully. I tried and tried to think of a way to go up one version, to 5.2.1.0, without going all the way to 5.2.1.1--nothing..
Until I stumbled onto a post by sconnyuk about his discovery: by plugging into a laptop USB port for power and performing a factory reset.. the device reboots with low power "complaints" and allows you in without updating - Then, when you go to manually update - POOF: 5.2.1.0 is what you get, and you can root and downgrade etc. Brilliant.
From then until a week and a half ago, I assumed a device with old software was very hard to come by. The only way you would have a chance to root is IF a stick was purchased pre 5.2.1.1, IF it was then setup pre-5.2.1.1, and IF it had not been connected since 5.2.1.1 was pushed out to devices. That's a lot of IF's.
And naturally you would assume that new device = new software....If 5.2.1.1 has been out for months, all new devices should ship with that version by now...right?
But the devices all auto-update prior to initial setup, as soon as they are connected....so who knows what version was there, on the device, in the box, sitting on the store shelf?
The day the voice remote fire TV stick 2 shipped in the US (oct 21) I purchased a standard fire tv stick from a major US electronics store.
Out of pure curiosity, I plugged it into my laptop's USB port, just to see what would be there if the stick was unable to update.
5.0.5.1....from a firetvstick1 purchased NEW at the END of OCTOBER 2016.
I figured it was a fluke- checked someone else's, purchased in a different city, days later.
Also 5.0.5.1.
So I updated to 5.2.1.0, rooted, blocked updates, downgraded etc and have two brand new sticks running 5.0.5 with FireStarter instead of Amazon home.
My question is, has anybody else looked into this?
Is this a coincidence..is it something localized to my area? or is Amazon relying solely on auto updates and leaving old software on ALL fireTVsticks?
One step further -
- Can this same process be done on the fireTV?
-- If so, what version comes loaded on new fireTVs at this point in time?
---Can new ones potentially be rooted/downgraded as was done with these sticks?
And for that matter..
-What about the fireTVstick 2?
--New updates were pushed the day of release...but what version is on the device when it comes out of the box?
To anybody who buys a new stick/tv/stick2:
plug it in to laptop power and go check the version, pre-update. Then post your findings.
I am very curious how common/widespread of an occurrence this is, what versions are being found and when/where, and whether it also includes other fireTV models.
Stick 1/2
Got a stick 2 on Saturday, purely out of curiosity..5.2.2.0, and it updated itself to a newer 5.2.2.0
Also grabbed a new stick 1, like the ones I stumbled onto a couple of weeks ago, it also had 5.1.5.0 - sweet!
But how long will they continue to ship in a possibly-software-rootable-condition?
Anybody have info on what software version the gaming edition, firetv1 or firetv2 ships with?
I'd like to pick one up for myself IF it is rootable; however I don't particularly want to spend 3-4x the cost of the stick for a box that ultimately has less functionality..
Anybody? What version does the FireTV 2 ship with? Gaming edition?
Firetv2
5.2.1.1 straight out of the box..not sure if this is everywhere or just the one I got...device says it was last updated in August 2016...even though I just got it today
This leaves the FireTV 1 --- I'm going to assume that "refurbished" devices from Amazon will already have been updated - but what are the chances of finding a new in box 2014 model ftv with 5.1.5.0 or older?
Somebody?? Anybody??!
Millenials Guide to Tech, Firmware edition.
1. WOW! Found out something crazy, you all should learn about!
2. So I bought this on saturday, and I thought, and then I went there,,,
3. And then a buddy told me...
5. But then I read on the internet...
6. So I'm wondering...
7. What do you guys think?
8. HELP ME!!1!!
Ok - how about we do this for real?
1. Fire TV (/Stick) has to be online to first register it (set it up with a username/pwd), or you would not have access to the main interface, which basically is something you cant work without.
2. Best way to do this is to be fast, and unplug your wireless router, as soon as the login goes through and you see the main home page.
3. Using an underpowered usb connection can delay it, but it wont delay downloading the next new firmware. I guess if you really knew what you were doing, and could root the Stick (because this is not, or less applicable to Fire TV boxes?) always staying on underpowered usb (edit: Or can you? Because su has to be written to the system partition, and actually I don't know how the "do not update check" works (does it prevent stuff like dalvik cache being reinitialized...) - but for now I am guessing, that staying on underpowered USB might be a valid solution...), you could then delete the already downloaded firmware, effectively withou ever updating the firmware once. (Having stayed online long enough for the next firmware to be downloaded... - throttling your routers DL speed is a real solution independent of all this, If you know how to do that.)
4. Fire TV (/Stick) updates are incremental. This information already is in the adventure report in the OP, but to summarize, what that means is, that the devices (as of now) will update to the next firmware update in row, and only then to the next one (downloads the next update, installs it on reboot or promt, ...), and so on and so forth...
5. Fire TV (/Sticks) that come directly from Amazon have a higher chance to be on a newer firmware, because Amazon has a process to preload your account information on there, if you don't buy the device as a gift. So they already power up the device, before shipping it out to you. Which means, that they also can lift it to a more recent firmware without much hazzle. We can't look into this process - or when it changes and how (which means, that at least I don't know if you have a better chance of receiving an older firmware version one, if you order it as a gift for example (username doesnt get set up by Amazon) - but I actually doubt it...).
6. Which means, that your best bet to get a device that actually can be rooted, is actually to go into a box store that doesn't sell through those devices quickly and grab a boxed unit that has been sitting on shelves for months.
7- Which of course means that you have to forego, those GREAT DEALS (wow, so GOODZ) on Amazons refurb path or discount windows.
Now you could crowdsource this out to get more information, if you actually had a community of buyers that was interested in this, and at least somewhat tech savvy, but as with any Fire device, you don't have that. (Generally speaking).
Also - as for the incremental updates - it isn't set in stone, that it will always be this way. Amazon could flip a switch and change that serverside. Its not especially likely that they do (because it requires having someone in charge of the firmware team, that actually knows what they are doing), but it is something that could change eventually, even over night.
Wow
There's no need to be condescending because you don't like my wording.
I'm well aware of incremental updates and the low likelihood of purchasing a NiB device from a major retailer with potentially rootable firmware on it.
The fact that Amazon cranks out "factory refurbished" devices at a lower rate would be a red flag in and of itself; even without considering the fact that the device would have already been updated if it had been used enough (once) to create the need to "refurbish".
I stumbled onto something which one would think would be a highly unlikely find - multiple times - from a MASSIVE electronics retailer with hundreds of locations across the USA.
I wasn't talking about finding a device that fell behind a shelf 6 months ago; this was from 4 different locations of a store which can't keep Amazon devices in stock no matter how many or how frequently they order..
My posts after the OP were primarily just to bump the thread in search of a response (which, what do you know? It worked) - not begging for somebody to help me figure out why I can't root the refurbished fire stick I got from Amazon for half price.
I guarantee I'm not the only person who would be excited to discover that a new device had rootable firmware on it -
A fire tv 2 with 5.2.1.1 pre-loaded is what you would expect to find; having bought it from the same place I found 5.0.5.1-loaded sticks +/-6 months after the version began getting phased out, I thought maybe it could also be the case with the box.
The purpose of my original post was to ascertain whether or not this is a common or localized find..to "crowdsource" .in the one place one would EXPECT to find FireTV enthusiasts..
Pardon my enthusiasm.
Have a stab at it. Crowdsource away.
You are only up against a userbase that doesnt know the least bit about the device, buys their Fire TVs in high percentages from resellers on Amazon, ebay and the local used good portal, because they saw a "free HBO" and SPORTZ label on it, that got told for the better part of two years that root is not necessary - by a freaking product blogger who maybe single handedly killed this scene - syphoning out all information from this community to sell it against ads on his portal (but he contributed pictures)...
And even now most people cant decide if they'd rather have "eazy Amazon Alexa fullservice", or be able to own their devices - but "has hacker found a way so I can use Alexa in *insert country here*".
People don't know how to interface with the device, or even how to copy files, people are told, that they don't need to know anything other than how to sideload using ES File Explorer. And as long as most people have their piracy options - they don't care about the rest.
Thats the deal. When Amazon started to force people that wanted to use alternative launchers away from their upgrade path - product bloggers celebrated it, because it would make stuff, so much more eazy.
Good luck getting the numbers. I have yet to get the impression that anyone (but me and a few others, but I can only buy so many Fire TV 2s in my lifetime...) actually care.
The broader lesson here is - that no one who cares about root rights, buys FIre TVs anymore. And rightfully so. There was so much wrong information circulating, structurally - because some people cared more about establishing their own dependencies, being on the hunt for "great dealz" and buying their way around having to learn basics - that there simply never was a culture of ownership (caring about root rights) around this product.
People updated root away, because product blogger told them, new firmware had great new feature.
Also - Amazon in the backend - now is set up very well to make the windows where devices are rootable very, very short. They don't even provide you with a prompt anymore - they just update away. They update before shipping, they force you having to be online to activate the device...
Those are structural issues. If you don't see them, having worked in the industy for several years, look again.
Back of the shelf boxed units still would be the best bet for people willing to take a chance - and word of mouth that "one guy got an older firmware on a refurbished stick, sold by Amazon" is just that. Word of mouth.
In the meantime you can wait for a new rooting method, and don't care, that amazon restricted apps from reading logs via adb and put in all kinds of non standard android features like "great blacklist, so eazy", and there is still no full conversion rom for this thing, because navigating via a remote is only slowly becoming part of android as an OS.
Its a pitty that it turned out this way - because for a short window - both the Fire TV Stick and the Fire TV2 where the best value for money in this sector you could buy (raspberry pie still has less "power" than a AFTV2) - but you had too many interests only "faking" that they would act in favor of a homebrew community - too many users that only cared about solving problems that came up as a result of them not understanding what they bought on shady channels - looking for service, to many people too willing to excuse Amazon of wrongdoing, before even all the facts came out...
The truth is, that this is a dead category.
Give the raspberry pie two more years, and understand that if you care about openness and doing stuff the manufacturer hasnt set up for you - open hardware will be more and more your only opportunity.
Not so much because devices become harder and harder to hack open (which is also an increasing issue) - but because you cant set up a community thats set on "demanding enduser service", paying resellers to cut corners as far as them learning to set up stuff, and listening to product bloggers that provide them with tutorials stolen from here ("But they have added pictures!!"), as long as it is convenient for them, but then help mask the fact, when and how amazon splits this community or moves against our interests, because they benefit more - when they can make their readers entirely dependent on Amazon - and look, its so easy....
Try to get your numbers in this environment. I watch.
harlekinwashere said:
Have a stab at it. Crowdsource away.
You are only up against a userbase that doesnt know the least bit about the device, buys their Fire TVs in high percentages from resellers on Amazon, ebay and the local used good portal, because they saw a "free HBO" and SPORTZ label on it, that got told for the better part of two years that root is not necessary - by a freaking product blogger who maybe single handedly killed this scene - syphoning out all information from this community to sell it against ads on his portal (but he contributed pictures)...
And even now most people cant decide if they'd rather have "eazy Amazon Alexa fullservice", or be able to own their devices - but "has hacker found a way so I can use Alexa in *insert country here*".
People don't know how to interface with the device, or even how to copy files, people are told, that they don't need to know anything other than how to sideload using ES File Explorer. And as long as most people have their piracy options - they don't care about the rest.
Thats the deal. When Amazon started to force people that wanted to use alternative launchers away from their upgrade path - product bloggers celebrated it, because it would make stuff, so much more eazy.
Good luck getting the numbers. I have yet to get the impression that anyone (but me and a few others, but I can only buy so many Fire TV 2s in my lifetime...) actually care.
The broader lesson here is - that no one who cares about root rights, buys FIre TVs anymore. And rightfully so. There was so much wrong information circulating, structurally - because some people cared more about establishing their own dependencies, being on the hunt for "great dealz" and buying their way around having to learn basics - that there simply never was a culture of ownership (caring about root rights) around this product.
People updated root away, because product blogger told them, new firmware had great new feature.
Also - Amazon in the backend - now is set up very well to make the windows where devices are rootable very, very short. They don't even provide you with a prompt anymore - they just update away. They update before shipping, they force you having to be online to activate the device...
Those are structural issues. If you don't see them, having worked in the industy for several years, look again.
Back of the shelf boxed units still would be the best bet for people willing to take a chance - and word of mouth that "one guy got an older firmware on a refurbished stick, sold by Amazon" is just that. Word of mouth.
In the meantime you can wait for a new rooting method, and don't care, that amazon restricted apps from reading logs via adb and put in all kinds of non standard android features like "great blacklist, so eazy", and there is still no full conversion rom for this thing, because navigating via a remote is only slowly becoming part of android as an OS.
Its a pitty that it turned out this way - because for a short window - both the Fire TV Stick and the Fire TV2 where the best value for money in this sector you could buy (raspberry pie still has less "power" than a AFTV2) - but you had too many interests only "faking" that they would act in favor of a homebrew community - too many users that only cared about solving problems that came up as a result of them not understanding what they bought on shady channels - looking for service, to many people too willing to excuse Amazon of wrongdoing, before even all the facts came out...
The truth is, that this is a dead category.
Give the raspberry pie two more years, and understand that if you care about openness and doing stuff the manufacturer hasnt set up for you - open hardware will be more and more your only opportunity.
Not so much because devices become harder and harder to hack open (which is also an increasing issue) - but because you cant set up a community thats set on "demanding enduser service", paying resellers to cut corners as far as them learning to set up stuff, and listening to product bloggers that provide them with tutorials stolen from here ("But they have added pictures!!"), as long as it is convenient for them, but then help mask the fact, when and how amazon splits this community or moves against our interests, because they benefit more - when they can make their readers entirely dependent on Amazon - and look, its so easy....
Try to get your numbers in this environment. I watch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair enough... I don't have the funds to test the waters on the spread of still-rootable FTVs either. Matter of fact, I returned the one I bought, the day after I posted the bit about it being unrootable.
Dead category or not, I still enjoy screwing around with them and I know others out there (in here, in this forum) do too..
The problem is, as you said, it's a device that sells out not because of the people who populate these threads, who have both (hopefully) the interest and ability to investigate, understand, and modify, the ins-and-outs of the things they buy...but because of the people who buy the devices up 10 at a time and run an automated process to sideload kodi with outdated wizards, so they can make $15 a pop..
I think the back of the shelf copy is a thing of the past, at least in my area..the number of retailers is a small one, only a few places carry them - they get a whole bunch in, then sell out in a day or two..and nobody has any for weeks..
I don't know if anybody still stocks ftv1's but I am still curious what remains floating around in circulation...
The search continues...