Posts
The Kindle Fire is not due to be released for a month yet, but Amazon has already updated its Android developer FAQ with information about developing apps for the Kindle Fire. As expected, the minimalist hardware and highly modified build of Android on the e-reader-tablet hybrid will present some interesting challenges for developers, and could also affect the user experience. There are no Google apps on the Fire, so this is Amazon’s show to run.
Part of the document instructs developers on how to set up their Android emulators to test apps for the Fire: 600×1024 display, 169 LCD density, API 10 and 512MB RAM. Aside from confirming that the Fire is built on Android 2.3.4, this means little to users. Although it’s nice to know that apps can easily be tested without a Fire on hand.
The Amazon Android Appstore has a few thousand apps at present. Before the Fire officially goes out the door, Amazon will be screening those apps for compatibility with the Kindle Fire using an automated process. If a problem is detected, the developer will be contacted and allowed the opportunity to fix it. Amazon will review any changes made to an incompatible app in about a week.
Apps that don’t work correctly will not be exposed to Kindle Fire devices using the Appstore. This has to mean that Amazon will be doing some sort of filtering of apps, which is actually good to hear. At present, any phone can access any Amazon app, even those that it are unable to run because of hardware limitations. For users, this means a smaller, more curated selection of apps on the Fire.
Almost all the Google has been drained from Amazon’s Android build, so that means that apps will not be able to access Google mobile services like cloud-to-device push, data sync, and location services. Also, hardware like camera, Bluetooth, gyroscope, and GPS are missing and cannot be implemented by an app. Amazon specifies that if a developer’s app makes use of these features for full-featured Android phones, that the app must “degrade gracefully” when these features are activated on the Fire. Amazon suggests a message saying, “This feature is not currently available on this device.”
There are also a number of application types that Amazon says are a no-no for the Kindle Fire. Before even getting to the device guidelines, Amazon’s FAQ says that no wallpapers or themes that alter the home screen are permitted. This presumably also applies to home screen replacements. In a similar vein, no replacement keyboards, like Swype, will be allowed in the Appstore for the Fire.
Perhaps most concerning is Amazon’s decision to bar apps that use root access from the Kindle Fire. There are already a great number of root apps in the Appstore for Android phones, but apparently Amazon wants to discourage rooting on its tablet. We understand why; Amazon wants the Fire experience to remain as designed, because it has been designed to make Amazon money by pushing its services.
At the Kindle Fire launch event, Amazon reps were telling everyone that sideloading was going to be possible on the Fire, but it’s unclear if they meant app sideloading, or just digital media. If apps can be sideloaded, the restrictions on apps in the official Amazon Appstore are of little consequence; users will be able to manually install whatever apps they like.
The Kindle Fire is coming in at such a spectacular price point that it is sure to be a hit with Android modders, much like the Nook Color was last holiday season. Even if Amazon seeks to lock the device down and prevent sideloading of apps, the community is likely to find a way around that, and even port stock Android ROMs to the device. The user will have options, they just might not be the most convenient.
Read more at Amazon’s developer FAQ
