Best option for mom? - Kindle Fire Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I got a kindle fire for my mother. Wondering what the best course of action would be. Looking for a rom that i can install and not worry about updates, so as stable as possible. i was looking through and it seems like there is a netflix bug with the 3.0 roms? that is a bit of a deal breaker. can i get the play store and everything just with root?

can someone at elast tell me if there are any bugless roms? actually a couple bugs are fine, but i think no netflix kills it.

Have you a considered leaving it like it is? There's a lot to be said for the stock ROM for Moms and suchlike.

Lotek said:
Have you a considered leaving it like it is? There's a lot to be said for the stock ROM for Moms and suchlike.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, the stock rom is pretty hard to "F" up through normal usage.

Just my opinion, I had the same decision to make on my wife's, so I flashed the MoDaCo 6.3 and she didnt even know, except that you can tell by some downloded apps icon's resolution not showing great. But she is OK with that. Also, keep in mind that she doesn't watch movies on the Fire.

I have no problems on ics roms with Netflix. Once you mod the build.prop it will work. For her, I would go with modaco though. Everything works, and it feels like an Amazon device.
Sent from my MB870 using XDA

I'd say keep it stock too. If she has issues with it, then you can try a rooted rom then.

i just stayed with stock 6.3 and rooted and added the play store with go launcher...can't beat it...

i have no problem keeping it stock. i haven't looked into it too much. but mainly I just need to be able to side load apps, movies, music and books. I just assumed it wasn't possible with stock. the play store would be very nice too, but i'm almost positive that isn't possible stock. plus i'll be doing any tech support so i'd rather her have a nice ics rom that i know well.

i also just noticed aokp is officially supported, i didn't realize. I've got that on my phone and tablet. but there is no thread for the fire on rootzwiki, so i can't really tell what kind of bugs there are. anyone using aokp m5?

getting the play store on stock is possible cause i have it on mine,have you check xda for the aokp m5....you stay this is for your mother,i just leave it stock then cause the ics maybe a little confusing for her....ics is more advance in customization,don't get me wrong about ics...it's good,but there is always problems and it's not yet 100%...good luck in your journey...

Related

[Q] amazon services : Stock v/s CM7 which is better

I am not trying to stir up debate
I have a amazon prime account, as well as i love books provided by amazon.
so right now i have stock rom rooted and customized to my need.
however i want to know is if i go with CM7 what are the changes i should expect what features i should expect not to work.
any other precaution i need to keep in mind.
Right now i have rooted, google play installed, go launcher as default launcher Stock rom. which now doesn't looks much like stock rom.
anantshri said:
I am not trying to stir up debate
I have a amazon prime account, as well as i love books provided by amazon.
so right now i have stock rom rooted and customized to my need.
however i want to know is if i go with CM7 what are the changes i should expect what features i should expect not to work.
any other precaution i need to keep in mind.
Right now i have rooted, google play installed, go launcher as default launcher Stock rom. which now doesn't looks much like stock rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your really into prime then dont change... you wont be able to use prime video and personally the stock kindle book app is better than the play store book app...but if you go with cm7 you could get netflix going and still read and be able to play more games... but if you like what you have i wouldnt change. seems like you have a good setup for your needs
If your going to stay stock consider this LINK
DJLamontagneIII said:
If your going to stay stock consider this LINK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Modaco GR8 (from above link) is a spectacular rom. I use it and have access to Netflix, Hulu (NOT HuluPlus with paid app called Flash Video Browser) Dish, Slingplayer as well as Amazon Prime (native, not the Play app) and Amazon book lending. Basically the rom gives you everything from the stock rom (and I mean everything) along with the Play market and everything else you want. Best of all worlds.
DJLamontagneIII said:
If your going to stay stock consider this LINK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This looks like something interesting.
masquerading as Galaxy Tab for maximum app availability​This is only thing i have not done will do it and then i think i will have a better system.
will download the rom to see what makes it tick.
Thanks all for helping with suggestions.
CM7 rocks!!

[Q] Mother's Day gift...need ROM suggestion

So I got a kindle fire for my mom for mother's day...need some advice though. *Keep in mind that she used to use a touchpad running CM9, but recently broke her screen...
With that said, she also did occasionally need help with ICS. That *may* have simply been bc cm9 wasnt entirely stable on the touchpad at the time (wifi issues, occasional reboots, etc.)...do you suggest that I give her AOKP/CM9 on her Kindle Fire, or should I just leave it stock? She mainly used the touchpad for reading, simple gaming (puzzle games mainly, angry birds, etc), email, and web, basic news apps (last I know of was Google Currents).
I know most ppl suggest that stock is fine for basic users, but just wanted some other suggestions in my case, since she's coming from a CM9 touchpad...albeit she did not use ics to it's fullest IMO.
Thanks
PredZ said:
So I got a kindle fire for my mom for mother's day...need some advice though. *Keep in mind that she used to use a touchpad running CM9, but recently broke her screen...
With that said, she also did occasionally need help with ICS. That *may* have simply been bc cm9 wasnt entirely stable on the touchpad at the time (wifi issues, occasional reboots, etc.)...do you suggest that I give her AOKP/CM9 on her Kindle Fire, or should I just leave it stock? She mainly used the touchpad for reading, simple gaming (puzzle games mainly, angry birds, etc), email, and web, basic news apps (last I know of was Google Currents).
I know most ppl suggest that stock is fine for basic users, but just wanted some other suggestions in my case, since she's coming from a CM9 touchpad...albeit she did not use ics to it's fullest IMO.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If she's only going to be using it for that stuff then I say go with the MoDaCo Gr8 ROM. It's stable, fast, and has Google Play.
If you want ICS then go with Energy or gedeROM.
Thanks for the suggestion...I did see that, but I wonder how any of Amazon's auto-updates may affect it? I do not live nearby, so if somehow her firmware gets autoupdated, and it breaks things (mainly GAPPS I would assume), I wouldn't be able to fix it asap...I don't want to set false expectations
i would stay on stock with root,with most of the roms not being stable and you don't live close...then stock is best,i'm on stock 6.3.1 with root...if it does updated the only think is she looses root and that very easy to get back...i'm using go launcher and over clock to 1.2 ghz....all i think one would need for basic things...
PredZ said:
Thanks for the suggestion...I did see that, but I wonder how any of Amazon's auto-updates may affect it? I do not live nearby, so if somehow her firmware gets autoupdated, and it breaks things (mainly GAPPS I would assume), I wouldn't be able to fix it asap...I don't want to set false expectations
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can modify some file and it will prevent it from updating automatically.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=25648278
Here is the file that you need to rename.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=25648278
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
PredZ said:
So I got a kindle fire for my mom for mother's day...need some advice though. *Keep in mind that she used to use a touchpad running CM9, but recently broke her screen...
With that said, she also did occasionally need help with ICS. That *may* have simply been bc cm9 wasnt entirely stable on the touchpad at the time (wifi issues, occasional reboots, etc.)...do you suggest that I give her AOKP/CM9 on her Kindle Fire, or should I just leave it stock? She mainly used the touchpad for reading, simple gaming (puzzle games mainly, angry birds, etc), email, and web, basic news apps (last I know of was Google Currents).
I know most ppl suggest that stock is fine for basic users, but just wanted some other suggestions in my case, since she's coming from a CM9 touchpad...albeit she did not use ics to it's fullest IMO.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd recommend AOKP Milestone 5. Remember to remove the unicorns.
HOWEVER, the recovery is extremely easy to get to, and the last time my grandmother accidentally went into recovery she wiped the entire system. Flash stock recovery if possible.
PredZ said:
Thanks for the suggestion...I did see that, but I wonder how any of Amazon's auto-updates may affect it? I do not live nearby, so if somehow her firmware gets autoupdated, and it breaks things (mainly GAPPS I would assume), I wouldn't be able to fix it asap...I don't want to set false expectations
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got my mother a kindle fire and put MoDaCo Gr8 on it because I figured it would be the best of both worlds: Play Store with no updates but stock Amazon functions intact (only way to still play Amazon Prime Video, which you get free for first month). She also lives to far away for me to maintain it for her, so I decided on MoDaCo because some folks said it is immune to updates. However after reading through the MoDaCo ROM thread, I see that previous versions were not immune to updates and nobody has talked about this version being immune to updates, but some are renaming the file etc/security.otacerts.zip to be doubly sure it will be immune to updates (you dont want updates because it breaks root and Play Store). A few folks who have MoDaCo Gr8 did NOT rename this file and report that they did not get the update.
I would highly suggest the MoDaCo Gr8 ROM because it is really nice, stable, optimized, stock, has location services, rooted with Play Store and other Google services, and possibly immune to updates, but do what I failed to do when I sent mine off to my mother and rename that etc/security/otacerts.zip file. Then I think you can be reasonably sure it will be immune from updates.
You can install GO Launcher, make it the default launcher, configure a wallpaper and lock it (with KFU), and add a shortcut back to "Launcher" (kindle fire launcher) which will launch the stock looking kindle fire interface like an app... home button always brings you back to GO... this way it feels like a fully unlocked android tablet.... VERY SLICK!

Question about app compatibility

I want this game
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spidweb.avadon&hl=en
It says my devices are not compatible so will not even show up in the market, even though it would probably run.
Is there a way for me to get purchase this? I can't buy it and backup from my phone since my phone doesn't meet the requirements either (I assume because my phone is 480x800 resolution.
I am actually not sure what is causing the game to appear as not compatible to my Fire but whatever.
I have AOKP installed on my Fire which I assumed would have the fix to trick the market but I'm not sure. Am I wrong in thinking that? I will install one of the other ICS roms if I must though I would prefer an easier route. The build.prop lists the device as an aokp_otter-userbug in the build description.
I'm not sure what to say. I'm running AOKP 35 and the play store says my device is compatible.
Which AOKP are you using?
Weird. I am using build 36...I think their latest. Maybe I'll try a different one then. It sounds like I should be able to get it to show up which I am happy about.
Thanks
Well I have flashed two different ics roms with compete wipes of everything and neither is compatible even though they have updated build.props. I'm out of ideas.
Woohoo, cm7 barebones hooked me up. I was finally able to see it in the market.

[Q] r800x/CDMA rom compatibility?

Hi all!
I picked up a Verizon Xperia Play r800x at a thrift store yesterday for $33. Needless to say, I was excited for the find!
I've been looking at the various roms available, and amd getting mixed messages on what is compatible with the r800x... A lot of the information I am finding seems to be outdated.
So, simply put, what compatibility issues should I be concerned about when looking for roms? I'm trying to find a debloated, gaming centric rom, but the ones I have been looking at do not specify GSM/CDMA compatibility. If anyone has a rom recommendation for the device, or can tell me what to look for, I would be very appreciative!
Just as an aside, I do not ever plan on using the phone as a "phone," since I'm on T-Mobile and, well, ya know. I do want Wifi to be working, obviously, but the cellular functionality is totally superfluous to me, if that makes a difference.
Thanks!
Pfhortune said:
Hi all!
I picked up a Verizon Xperia Play r800x at a thrift store yesterday for $33. Needless to say, I was excited for the find!
I've been looking at the various roms available, and amd getting mixed messages on what is compatible with the r800x... A lot of the information I am finding seems to be outdated.
So, simply put, what compatibility issues should I be concerned about when looking for roms? I'm trying to find a debloated, gaming centric rom, but the ones I have been looking at do not specify GSM/CDMA compatibility. If anyone has a rom recommendation for the device, or can tell me what to look for, I would be very appreciative!
Just as an aside, I do not ever plan on using the phone as a "phone," since I'm on T-Mobile and, well, ya know. I do want Wifi to be working, obviously, but the cellular functionality is totally superfluous to me, if that makes a difference.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't care about cellular service then you can use any ROM. I recommend you get gin2 jellybean or Aurora play, or xperia next 2 , or dixperia 3, or Bos. They are all great roms but you should also unlock your boatloader and flash a custom kernel like lupus v12 so you can over clock it'll make gaming a lot smoother
Sent from my Xperia Play (r800x)
Awesome! Thanks for the reply! I'm probably going to be using dixperia 3, that one looks super nice!
abdel12345 said:
If you don't care about cellular service then you can use any ROM. I recommend you get gin2 jellybean or Aurora play, or xperia next 2 , or dixperia 3, or Bos. They are all great roms but you should also unlock your boatloader and flash a custom kernel like lupus v12 so you can over clock it'll make gaming a lot smoother
Sent from my Xperia Play (r800x)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So the real question is if you intend on using as a phone or not. If you do, I personally recommend unlocking, rooting, and staying with stock (debloat it with Titanium Backup or the like.)
You'll find that the original Verizon rom is ridiculously stable (very plain vanilla), has around 212 or more of free ram, and everything "just works" how it's supposed to.
Use Holo Launcher and Holo Locker if you want the JB look.
Radon_22 said:
So the real question is if you intend on using as a phone or not. If you do, I personally recommend unlocking, rooting, and staying with stock (debloat it with Titanium Backup or the like.)
You'll find that the original Verizon rom is ridiculously stable (very plain vanilla), has around 212 or more of free ram, and everything "just works" how it's supposed to.
Use Holo Launcher and Holo Locker if you want the JB look.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OP said that they didn't intend on actually using it as a phone, as they are on the T-Mobile network (and thus couldn't use it as a phone anyway).
Also, the 2.3.4 Verizon version broke the Google sync, which causes a host of issues (Google Talk doesn't work, stuff done on the Google Play store website won't be noticed by the phone until Google Play is launched on the phone itself, notifications from some apps will not work).
Thunderbird8 said:
The OP said that they didn't intend on actually using it as a phone, as they are on the T-Mobile network (and thus couldn't use it as a phone anyway).
Also, the 2.3.4 Verizon version broke the Google sync, which causes a host of issues (Google Talk doesn't work, stuff done on the Google Play store website won't be noticed by the phone until Google Play is launched on the phone itself, notifications from some apps will not work).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I swear I didn't see that part :cyclops:. And you're right: 2.3.3 is definately the place to stay if staying stock.
That's unfair!
I'm bought one secondhand in 2015 for $41. Sh•t.

[Q] Looking for data on stability of major ROMS

Is there any good data on which of the major ROMs are most trouble free?
I am a pretty simple guy. All I really want is to be able to use my phone as a hotspot, take pictures without the camera app crashing and easy access to turn the torch on and off. Seems like a lot of the reviews spend a lot of time focusing on how many colors you can change and relatively little on the actually reliability of the ROM. This sort of leaves us asking eachother and it seems like everyone and their brother has an opinion on how stable any given ROM is and all swear by different ones.
At any rate, this just leaves me wondering if there is actually any good reviews or sources that summarize what the weeknesses of each ROM are. I know it is a tricky thing to ask, because they are always changing with each nightly build, but I have been pulling my hair out for the last couple years trying to find a properly stable ROM for my T999.
They cant really review stability and functionality on some roms, such as CM for example. Its going to be different for every model device, and even between 2 identical model devices you will still find one has issues while another does not. Thats why they usually stick to reviewing features and options. But also, what works best will vary from person to person even more so than from one device to the next. As is stated in all the "what's the best rom" threads, only you can determine what suits your needs best.
But for what its worth, imo, if its stability you're after, stick to whatever the manufacturer included on any given device.
DocHoliday77 said:
They cant really review stability and functionality on some roms, such as CM for example. Its going to be different for every model device, and even between 2 identical model devices you will still find one has issues while another does not. Thats why they usually stick to reviewing features and options. But also, what works best will vary from person to person even more so than from one device to the next. As is stated in all the "what's the best rom" threads, only you can determine what suits your needs best.
But for what its worth, imo, if its stability you're after, stick to whatever the manufacturer included on any given device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would stick with the stock rom, but I just really don't like it. I have also gotten very used to using a more stock version of Android and don't want to have to adjust back to using the stock rom, even if there are ways to get tethering to work.
aviphysics said:
I would stick with the stock rom, but I just really don't like it. I have also gotten very used to using a more stock version of Android and don't want to have to adjust back to using the stock rom, even if there are ways to get tethering to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What don't you like about the stock ROM? You say you want simple and don't care about changing anything, but you're not happy with stock either. What do you really want? lol. Also note, than any other ROM is not going to have the Samsung camera app, they are all going to be a lot more basic camera's, no wifi calling if you use that t-mo feature.
Torch on and off can be accessed with a shortcut on stock ROM, any third party app that lets you add a widget, or if you install xposed framework, you can add torch to the volume up button, so you can turn the torch on without even waking the phone. I'm with Doc, I'm a Touchwiz kind of guy too. I don't get the hate for it.
I just don't like some of the extra junk Samsung adds on. I like a more stripped down vanilla Android. I originally switched yo get rid of sVoice in particular and just got used to it. Not needing extra apps for WiFi tethering is a nice bonus.
At any rate. Just totally wiped the phone back to stock with Odin and installed the latest AOKP. No problems yet.
You can strip the Samsung apps out, and there is mods to enable native tethering.. But aosp or the kind is a nice option as well, just depends on what you want and need
aviphysics said:
I just don't like some of the extra junk Samsung adds on. I like a more stripped down vanilla Android. I originally switched yo get rid of sVoice in particular and just got used to it. Not needing extra apps for WiFi tethering is a nice bonus.
At any rate. Just totally wiped the phone back to stock with Odin and installed the latest AOKP. No problems yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thinly veiled best ROM thread. SlimKat with Banks' minimal gapps.
I don't use my S3 anymore, but I have that ROM on it and my other two devices. It is filed under d2lte on their site, it's a unified build.
If you have kernel problems, use ktoonsez'. That one was always really solid.
Aerowinder said:
Thinly veiled best ROM thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL. Totally not meant to be a best ROM thread. Just wanted to know if anyone was tracking reliability or issues common to the different ROMs in a way that was easy to sift through and not totally anecdotal.
SlimKat with Banks' minimal gapps.
I don't use my S3 anymore, but I have that ROM on it and my other two devices. It is filed under d2lte on their site, it's a unified build.
If you have kernel problems, use ktoonsez'. That one was always really solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never figured out what was causing problems with my last ROM. TBH, I don't even recall what the kernel and ROM combination was. It was just something some random XDA forum member suggested. The biggest issue is that every time I opened the camera app, went away from it and came back, it would crash. Also happened when switching between camera and video. Sometimes it would require a system reset to get the camera back. I think it was something to do with the app itself, cause other apps that took pictures never had any problems. Super annoying. There were some other issues to. I stuck it out for a long time because the app fixed a BT audio issue I was having and I was too lazy to do more searching or reflashing my phone from scratch.
Right now I am just trying to make my phone last until the Sony Z3 launches. I am pretty sure that will be my next phone. Hopefully it won't cost a crazy amount to import it if t-mobile doesn't get it right away.
aviphysics said:
LOL. Totally not meant to be a best ROM thread. Just wanted to know if anyone was tracking reliability or issues common to the different ROMs in a way that was easy to sift through and not totally anecdotal.
I never figured out what was causing problems with my last ROM. TBH, I don't even recall what the kernel and ROM combination was. It was just something some random XDA forum member suggested. The biggest issue is that every time I opened the camera app, went away from it and came back, it would crash. Also happened when switching between camera and video. Sometimes it would require a system reset to get the camera back. I think it was something to do with the app itself, cause other apps that took pictures never had any problems. Super annoying. There were some other issues to. I stuck it out for a long time because the app fixed a BT audio issue I was having and I was too lazy to do more searching or reflashing my phone from scratch.
Right now I am just trying to make my phone last until the Sony Z3 launches. I am pretty sure that will be my next phone. Hopefully it won't cost a crazy amount to import it if t-mobile doesn't get it right away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AOSP camera was always crap in general but especially so on the S3.
You can get an updated on in the play store now, so you can freeze the AOSP one.
Aerowinder said:
AOSP camera was always crap in general but especially so on the S3.
You can get an updated on in the play store now, so you can freeze the AOSP one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The camera in the latest AOKP was working fine, but I downloaded the Google Camera app just to check it out. Works fine taking normal pictures, but the blur mode causes it to crash when you try to take a picture and the panorama/photosphere modes won't take pictures. I found some other people with identical problems, but didn't see a clear solution.
aviphysics said:
The camera in the latest AOKP was working fine, but I downloaded the Google Camera app just to check it out. Works fine taking normal pictures, but the blur mode causes it to crash when you try to take a picture and the panorama/photosphere modes won't take pictures. I found some other people with identical problems, but didn't see a clear solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was originally for the Nexus 5, then they put it on the play store for everyone. Clearly issues with non Google devices.
I'd suggest a third party camera app, like Camera ZOOM or something.

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