Quote:
Originally Posted by Branch Delay
This is fantastic. Someone is replacing KindleOS with a custom Android build that needs to be "activated"? We should reverse engineer this and see what's going on. Would be neat to have a generic Android build running on newer Kindles. Wonder how they got drivers working for the eink display?
Can anyone mirror the files while they're still up?
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The activation key is what the person is selling.
Already done.
Beware, there are some serious typos in the code.
Quote:
Originally Posted by coplate
I've mirrored enough of it I think, there is no source code, but the u-boot seems the important part to launch android?
I just cannot wrap my head around the boot loader process though.
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Yeah, calling u-boot as an upstart job is a bit tricky.
And making a KUAL menu button to launch it, not exactly a 'clean' way to do it.
He did use NiLuJe's bridge code to make the Android install "update safe".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Branch Delay
Initial guess is that someone cloned the Kindle hardware and ported Android to it as a feature upsell? Heck if I know, this seems like a lot of work for questionable gain.
Nevermind, looks like this was built with leaked (freescale) tools for the microprocessor. Less exciting, won't be able to build our own in the same way. 
Built from: /media/freescale/android4.4.2-source/.
Rough waters ahead, beware! |
Not cloned Kindle hardware, actual Kindle hardware.
The person had been selling Android conversion services since they first showed up here about a year ago.
I don't think there is any leak involved with the NXP (f.k.a: Freescale, f.k.a: Motorola) tools - they have had an Android example up for years.
But I thought that their example used RedBoot, not U-Boot. I could be mis-remembering that.
Yeah, that version is just about when Android adopted SELinux in full enforcing mode. IIRC it was somewhere in the 4.x series.
And if a person is planning to deal with that, they might as well start with a base of AOSP version 8.x
= = = =
Personally, I want to wait and see if Amazon announces an Android build for the i.MX6 Kindles.
There must be some reason that ADB can be found (erased) on some of them.
Although I will admit that I have spoken (written) with a few people privately about what to do if that is still what is being done - selling a "closed source" version for profit of the open source Android project.
And (properly) releasing a free version seems to be the best and quickest way to put an end to that.
Also, it appears that person is using Google's Android branding in ways not allowed by their branding usage publications.
Getting the Chinese government to pay attention to a few pissed off programmers is not likely to happen, but they will listen to Google - who is a major contractor of their GFC (Great Firewall of China).