How does a new owner of Amazon’s two hundred dollar tablet, the Kindle Fire, instantly lose all capabilities to play video? The solution is simple, just Root the device.
Following a trend set down from Apple with their tightly locked down iPhones, Android also did not allow for open source tinkering, or administration access for the ordinary consumer on their smart phones or tablets.
Seizing the potential to do more with the devices, such as make it run quicker through rearranging the cache memory, or loading full versions of the newest Android operating systems, the process of Rooting was born. Rooting gives the Android user full administrative access to their smartphone and OS, allowing them to do just about anything that they please.
As soon as the Kindle Fire set shelves ablaze, in its first week, adept owners carefully combined the Amazon SDK, a suitable USB connection, and SuperOneClick 2.2 App to Root it.
But there is an unexpected and unforeseen problem that has painfully emerged, due to the Rooting process: Rooting bricks the Fire’s ability to play videos. And this includes content purchased directly from Amazon too.
Rooting does void all of the warrantee and license agreements of the Kindle Fire, but no one anticipated this. Amazon was viewed as having a blasé stance when it came to fighting the inevitability of Rooting. People will always seek administrative control over their devices.
But now that the video-less Rooters are inquiring as to their current predicament, Amazon customer service representatives are plainly stating that “Amazon’s policy is not to let customers access their videos once they root the device.”
Ouch!
The OTA RootKeeper App does work to get around the video-ban, but is an inconvenient extra step, as it must be opened before being able to get Amazon Video to work.
It is entirely possible – in fact it is probable – that the hackers’ Rooting abilities will likely improve in the near future.
Fiery Android enthusiasts: Root or not to Root, that is the question.
