Kindle Fire Hack Installs Ice Cream Sandwich

Amazon's Kindle Fire is not only a great way to access Amazon content, soon it may also be a cheap way to get your hands on a tablet running Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Android. JackpotClavin, a hacker on the xda developer forum, has released what is being dubbed as a pre-alpha build of Ice Cream Sandwich for the Kindle Fire. But as the term "pre-alpha" suggests this release is still a little buggy and is really targeted for developers who want to help improve how Google’s operating system works on the Kindle Fire.

Some of the various bugs and issues popping up include a problem with mounting SD cards, and the blog Liliputing says Ice Cream Sandwich on the Fire has problems rendering video. Nevertheless, this latest Fire hack appears to be promising and if the project continues, the $199 Fire could be a better option for a cheap Ice Cream Sandwich tablet than the $99 Novo7.

If you'd like to give ICS on the Fire a try, keep in mind that this release is targeted primarily at developers. If you're feeling daring, you can find ICS for the Fire on this xda thread. JackpotClavin's version of Ice Cream Sandwich for the Fire is based on CyanogenMod 9, according to Liliputing. CyanogenMod is a popular version of Android for people willing to root (gain administrative control) over their devices. The current stable build of CyanogenMod is version 7 based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

Ever since Amazon released the Kindle Fire in November, hackers have been hard at work getting the device to run unofficial software. Just two days after Amazon's media tablet started shipping hackers were able to root the Fire. A recently released app called Kindle Fire Utility, a command line interface for the Amazon tablet, can also be used to root your device

Source : Kindle Fire Hack Installs Ice Cream Sandwich

Amazon to Release a Kindle with Ads

Amazon's going to release yet another version of the Kindle, the Kindle 3. This time it will be Wifi only and $25 Rs.1,104) cheaper, so the total cost will now be $114 (Rs. 5034). What's the catch? The e-reader will come with advertising. When the device is idle, it will run screen savers from companies like Olay and Visa which are promised to be good looking. They're letting users vote on the screen savers too indicating preferences of which ones they'd like to see on their device. Users will also have to go through the occassional special offer.

The 6 inch device will still have all the same specs. It will be called The Kindle With Special Offers and is available for pre-order now. It will ship in the United States on the 3rd of May. 

Source : Amazon to Release a Kindle with Ads

Amazon Appstore for Android claims better interface and features than Android Market

Amazon has launched the Amazon Appstore for Android, meant for both phones and tablets. Including free as well as paid apps, the online retail giant supposedly decided on Google’s mobile platform because of its rapid growth and open nature.

Offering Android applications, you might wonder what separates the Amazon Appstore for Android and the Android Market. According to Amazon, the very 'rapid growth' of the platform that attracted them to it also implies that consumers are hard-pressed to discover apps that suit them on the Android Market – and with Amazon’s long experience in the online retail segment, the company believes it can help shoppers better find what they are looking for.

From a macroscopic perspective, it is evident that Amazon wants to become the singular, one-stop-shop for all the needs of Android users – the place they land when they want anything from Android applications to digital content, or anything else from Amazon’s vast online shelves. Android therefore becomes a great choice not just for its growth, but for the wide variety of devices in the platform, as well as the upcoming app-compatibility with such non-Android devices as the QNX-based BlackBerry PlayBook. Rumours of an upcoming Android-based Kindle device or an Amazon-branded Android tablet also fit seamlessly into the strategy. 

The Amazon Appstore will use your regular Amazon ID, and therefore will also be able to recommend products based on your already documented Amazon interests and purchases. How well this will work – content purchases guiding app purchases – remains to be seen. Other advantages the Amazon Appstore claims to offer over the Android Market include an application test platform called ‘Test Drive’ that consumers can use to try out an app on their computer before they buy it for their phones or tablets.

Amazon has also taken the onus of testing each app for malicious code before listing it on their store. The store will also only list applications that comply to its content guidelines, implying that it will be clean of adult/pornographic material, unlike the Android Market. Though the advantage of the browser access of the Appstore is now moot, as Android Market is also accessible via the browser, the Amazon Appstore also offers customer reviews, and its own one-click payment options that people might just prefer to Google Checkout. Also like the Android Market’s web interface, the Amazon Appstore will feature detailed product descriptions, including screenshots and video content.

While Amazon has not mentioned the number of applications on the store at launch, it has said there will be a broad selection available, including everything from Evernote to PacMan. Prices will also be competitive with Android Market rates. The Amazon Appstore will also feature one paid app available for free daily. The purchasing power of Amazon is also a force to be reckoned with, so some exceptional deals can also be expected, as well as bonus/exclusive offerings, such as ad-free Angry Birds, etc.,.

As for the developer side of things, Amazon's Appstore for Android will feature a different pricing model, one that might just piss Google off. Amazon will pay developers 70% of the sale price of the application, or 20% of the list price, whichever is greater. According to Amazon, the developer will set the list price while Amazon will set the sale price, which can go all the way down to zero if it decides. Developers will be charged an annual access fee of $99 to the Amazon Appstore, however, this first year will be free.

Source : Amazon Appstore for Android claims better interface and features than Android Market