Introducing Kinology - The Premier KFHD7 Custom ROM
Standard Disclaimer: I cannot be held responsible for loss, damages, or any kind of issue whatsoever that could arise from installing this ROM. You install it at your own risk.
Kinology is the premier custom ROM for the Kindle Fire HD 7" tablet. It will not work on any other device. Kinology should be considered a "hybrid OS"; it contains Amazon's 7.3.1 ICS-based core along with Google's ICS Services Framework and application stack. Let's dive right in to the feature set:
Feature List
Visual:
Display density set to 200
Lower brightness levels enabled
Notification icons enabled instead of "My Kindle" text
Many tablet / dual pane layouts are enabled due to the density change
Approximate percentage (rounded to 5%) shown on status bar battery icon
Easily uninstallable third-party apps: OI File Manager, AdAway, and Adobe Flash Player (Note: Flash will also require installation of a supported third-party browser of your choice)
Google Apps/Framework:
Google package includes the ICS Framework, FaceLock, Gallery, Gmail, Play Store, Talk, and TTS
Fixed crash on Gmail notifications (this is an Amazon OS bug, not Gmail)
Fixed non-scrollable wallpaper issue
Fixed Lockscreen turning black at custom DPI
Fixed potential battery drain due to searching for a cellular signal
Show only the secure lockscreen when enabled
Removed:
Kindle Fire Tutorial
Kindle Freetime Tutorial
Lockscreen Ads
Amazon Store's Market link stealer
Installation
You MUST have a working custom recovery on your Kindle before attempting to install this ROM!
If you do not currently have one, try Hashcode's bootloader + TWRP.
The following instructions will get you to the latest version of Kinology. Note step 0b carefully - it determines whether you are "upgrading" (dirty-flash) or doing a clean install (wiping user data)!
Step 0 - Preparation:
If you are not currently running Kinology or Stock OS with TWRP 2.4.4.0, download Kinology-step0a-boot-7.3.0-twrp-2.4.4.0.zip. This will flash four items: stock 7.3.0 xloader, stock 7.2.3 bootloader, Freedom boot/kernel 7.3.0, and TWRP recovery 2.4.4.0.
If you want to do a clean install, download Kinology-step0b-wipedata.zip. If you want to keep your user apps and their data, do NOT include this file. Flashing this will wipe out EVERYTHING except the internal storage (sdcard). It will, however, move your currently installed apps (but not their data) to the sdcard at Kinology/AppBackup. Don't forget to delete the AppBackup folder to free up some space once you no longer need it.
Transfer all downloaded zip files to your Kindle's storage
Reboot into TWRP Recovery
Choose "Install"
Select the first zip file you downloaded
Choose "Add More Zips"
Select each zip file you downloaded in order and repeat until all files are queued
Swipe to Confirm Flash
Choose "Reboot System"
As this is a deodexed custom ROM, the first boot will take extra time to complete while it regenerates the Dalvik cache.
Additionally, if you did a clean install, please reboot your Kindle the first time you get to the "Choose your language" screen. After a clean install, Kinology needs to do some configuration that can only happen during the second boot. If you did not reboot during setup, don't worry, nothing is permanently broken - just be aware that you may experience FCs or other oddities until you reboot.
There are a few behind-the-scenes boot-time options that can be configured through files located at /sdcard/Kinology.
OTA updates:
The packages used for OTA updates can be enabled or disabled at boot time. Just rename the file to either "ota-disable" or "ota-enable" and reboot your Kindle. It is, of course, highly recommended to leave OTA disabled, as an Amazon-triggered updated would wipe out most, if not all, of Kinology from your device.
ADB root access:
By default, ADB uses the 'root' account, and then immediately drops to the 'shell' account. This custom ROM injects a version of adbd that does not drop to the shell account. To change this behavior, rename the file to either "adbd-root" or "adbd-shell" and reboot your Kindle.
Automatic ZipAlign:
This behavior can be changed by renaming the file to either "za-enable" or "za-disable".
The Recents dialog doesn't accept touches when launched from a full-screen app. The workaround is to pull down the notification window first, then long-press the home icon. So far, I have been unsuccessful at finding a fix for this.
Updating the Amazon Mobile (Tablet) app from the Play Store will cause the "Shop" link on Amazon's Launcher to stop working. There is no workaround - despite being marked as an update, these two apps are not equivalent. If you do accidentally update the app, just use Google Play Store to uninstall the update and everything will return to normal. This cannot be fixed due to the two apps sharing the same Android identifier.
If no accounts have been added yet, the Accounts & Sync page is completely blank. Just press the menu button to add an account. While awkward, this is the intended behavior.
If the first Google account is added by launching Play Store, you may need to wipe Play Store's data before the "My Apps" page will work properly. The workaround is to add your account through Account & Sync settings, or by launching Gmail or Talk instead. This will not be fixed, as it seems to be a bug in the Play Store / Google Framework interaction.
The Amazon Accessibility options override the advanced options. For example, if you enable LockerPro in the advanced options, then change the Voice Guide setting from the main options, LockerPro will become disabled. This will not be "fixed." The Amazon options are left available so that the accessibility options can easily be reset to an Amazon standard configuration.
If an app attempts to launch Accessibility options, it will FC (the intent listener is missing from Settings). You will simply need to go to Advanced Settings in Accessibility and enable the service in question manually. Still investigating fixes for this.
Amazon's Keyboard options handling is absurd. For english users, "English (US)" is AOSP and "English (United States)" is Swype (similar for UK). For other languages you'll probably need to try the available options to figure out which is which - the order seems to be somewhat random. I may look into changing the keyboard selector, but it is not a high priority.
Voice/Video chat functionality in Google+ Hangouts and Google Talk does not work. Attempting to use it may cause your Kindle to become unstable until rebooted (something wreaks havoc with the audio system). This cannot currently be fixed. Someone out there please prove me wrong!
If there are lots of notifications, the icons will overlap the clock. I don't intend to fix this, as the effort involved just isn't worth it. It's also fairly common to encounter this bug in any Android ROM that uses a centered clock.
Facelock does not work with a PIN set. It does, however, work correctly if you use a Pattern instead. This is probably fixable, I just need to track down where exactly in the code the PIN is overriding Facelock.
Change Log
2.0.1 - 2013/04/20:
Updated the base OS to 7.3.1.
2.0 - Not publicly released:
Updated the base OS to 7.3.0.
Host file ad-blocking is no longer enabled by default. If you want this, enable it in the AdAway app that is now included. If you don't, feel free to uninstall AdAway.
The status bar now shows notification icons instead of the "My Kindle" text.
The lowest four brightness settings are now usable.
The menu button on the Navbar should now be present in all non-Amazon apps. Some apps fail to request it, and it sometimes get confused on its own. This change does add a bit of visual clutter but should prevent all of those "where'd the menu go?" moments. Note that Amazon apps will continue to do whatever they want with the Navbar buttons as they tend to crash if they don't get their way.
App suppression has been removed from Amazon's Launcher (Home). This allows you to launch things like Amazon MP3 or the App Store from their icons instead of from the menus. It also allows you to add them to the favorites window.
The certificate fixing process now only happens during Kinology's install process, so apps won't suddenly stop working if they're using generic certs.
Most recent Amazon apps integrated with the system (includes Kindle Free Time).
Gmail, Google Play, and GmsCore updated to the most recent versions.
Completely overhauled the installation process. Boot/Recovery are also now included.
1.1 - 2013/03/03:
Modified AOSP Keyboard to have a right-side margin so that the keys are no longer under the NavBar in landscape mode
Disabled scrolling cache for smoother scrolling
Disabled standard lockscreen when a secure one is enabled
Modified Bluetooth sharing to receive all file types
Modified hosts file so that BBC iPlayer can function properly
Fixed some missing libs that caused video to not play in Amazon Video app
Fixed UnifiedSearch FC (it may still FC after a fresh install, but will be fixed at the next reboot)
Modified the boot-time OTA disabler to speed up the boot process a tiny bit
Modified the Kinology version display on the About page
Integrated DSPManager from CM9
Integrated latest SuperSu (1.25)
Replaced CalendarProvider with the AOSP version to fix Google calendar corruption at boot
Updated GApps to include FaceLock, Feedback, MediaUploader, and the latest GmsCore
1.0.1 - 2013/02/26:
Added CM9 Keyboard
Added Kinology version, Select Screen Lock, and Advanced Accessiblity settings
---------- Post added at 10:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:57 PM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by psych0phobia
Introducing Kinology 1.0 - The Premier KFHD7 Custom ROM
Kinology is the premier custom ROM for the Kindle Fire HD 7" tablet. It will not work on any other device. Kinology should be considered a "hybrid OS"; it contains Amazon's 7.2.3 ICS-based core along with Google's ICS Services Framework and application stack. Let's dive right in to the feature set:
Feature List
Visual:
Display density set to 200
Tablet UI and dual pane layouts enabled where possible
Approximate percentage (rounded to 5%) shown on status bar battery icon
Fixed crash on Gmail notifications (this is an Amazon bug, not Google)
Fixed non-scrollable wallpaper issue
Fixed Lockscreen turning black at custom DPI
Fixed potential battery drain due to searching for a cellular signal
Removed:
Kindle Fire Tutorial
Kindle Freetime
Kindle Freetime Tutorial
Lockscreen Ads
Amazon Store's Market link stealer
Known Issues
Recents dialog doesn't accept touches when launched from a full-screen app. The workaround is to pull down the notification window first, then long-press the home icon.
Updating the Amazon Mobile (Tablet) app from the Play Store will cause the "Shop" link on Amazon's Launcher to stop working. There is no workaround - despite being marked as an update, these two apps are not equivalent.
If you haven't added any accounts yet, the Accounts & Sync page is completely blank. Just press the menu button to add an account.
If you add your first Google account by launching Play Store, you may need to wipe Play Store's data before the "My Apps" page will work properly. The workaround is to add your account through Account & Sync settings, or by launching Gmail or Talk instead.
Installation
You MUST have Hashcode's bootloader on your tablet before attempting to install this ROM!
If you do not currently have Hashcode's bootloader installed, STOP and read the previous line. Kinology does not include a kernel or bootloader as part of the installation. The install scripts rely on you reading the previous line.
In order to reduce the size of downloads for future updates, Kinology is distributed in four parts plus gapps - a total of five parts. You must download all five parts to install the first time (at least if you want the feature set above - technically, gapps are optional). Parts 1 - 4 are not designed to install separately - they must be installed as outlined below. Part five can be installed at any time, but it is recommended to simply include it in the procedure below.
Procedure:
Transfer all five zip files to your Kindle's storage
Reboot into TWRP Recovery
Choose "Install"
Select the part1 zip file
Choose "Add More Zips"
Select the next part zip file
... repeat steps 5 and 6 for each of the zips, in order
Swipe to Confirm Flash
Choose "Reboot System"
As this is a deodexed custom ROM, the first boot will take extra time to complete while it regenerates the Dalvik cache.
and tablet ui, i though that you changed softkeys and the status bar
Sorry, I meant tablet layouts, not the Android Tablet UI - fixed in original post. By the way, would it be possible to unquote the first post in your responses? It's liable to be changing a lot
Sorry, I meant tablet layouts, not the Android Tablet UI - fixed in original post. By the way, would it be possible to unquote the first post in your responses? It's liable to be changing a lot
but tablet ui is possible if all is deoxed, after editing it i odex it and is faster and you have android ui, if you have it deoxed try, i dont have my tablet so i cant
So now that you've enabled accessibility, can I use lockerpro for example? Would love to know... downloading meanwhile, but answer please. Tha ks for your work btw! First ROM for HD7 !
So now that you've enabled accessibility, can I use lockerpro for example?
What's the link between accessibility and LockerPro?
Edit: I suspect you're looking for the option to disable the built in Kindle lockscreen? If so, I'm afraid I missed that option for version 1.0. I've already added it to the security settings though, and will release a flash patch tomorrow.
XDA Developers was founded by developers, for developers. It is now a valuable resource for people who want to make the most of their mobile devices, from customizing the look and feel to adding new functionality. Are you a developer?