android apps on kindle ?

[vlamark]

I was wandering, since android is linux and kindle os is also linux and android apps are, mostly open-source, could it be possible to recompile some apps to work on kindles? For example, there are several grooveshark apps for android, excelent gmail etc. If someone started similar thread, I'm sorry, I was searching but couldn't have found it.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by vlamark

I was wondering, since android is linux and kindle os is also linux and android apps are, mostly open-source, could it be possible to recompile some apps to work on kindles? For example, there are several grooveshark apps for android, excelent gmail etc. If someone started similar thread, I'm sorry, I was searching but couldn't have found it.

Many text-base console apps for android already work on kindles without recompiling. GUI-based apps would need a lot more than just recompiling, due to the different underlying desktop APIs. Even on the K5 with Xorg, you still have some strict window-naming rules to follow to even see any X windows that your GUI app uses. It is a little easier for things that use a portable GUI environment like Qt or SDL, both of which have version that run on various kindle models and firmware versions. And then there is the issue of different input devices, different keycodes, and so forth, where many apps make assumptions that tie them to a specified platform rather than adapting to hardware changes.

[aditya3098]

Most android apps are java, aren't they?

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by aditya3098

Most android apps are java, aren't they?

That depends on what you call an "app". Java apps are usually called "applets" (or "kindlets").

I have a bunch of "native mode" apps on my kindle that were built for android devices. What makes them work here is that you use them in an SSH console.