Kindle Fire gets an update, stops attempts to hack it

Dan Seitz Contributing Writer, Tech

kindle fire 178x214 Kindle Fire gets an update, stops attempts to hack itThe Kindle Fire has hardly had a perfect debut, but that hasn’t kept it from being very popular. And, of course, it hasn’t kept it from being hacked by people who want to enjoy a cheap tablet. Well, a software update’s coming, and it’s good news for anybody who just wants to use it as it was intended, and bad news for everyone else.

First, the good news: this is a majorly great update. Among the improvements:

- The clunky scrolling has been overhauled and is much smoother.
- You can finally edit the “recently used” carousel to pull off the miscellaneous crap you don’t want, a major problem before.
- You can password-protect Internet access.
- You get more removal privileges, such as getting rid of the useless Facebook “app”, which was just a link to a mobile website and not an actual app.

Now for the bad news, if you like to modify objects that you have paid good money for and are your actual possessions: Amazon is taking a hard tack against anybody who wants a cheap tablet computer. Not only does the update, which downloads automatically and can’t be blocked, erase any attempts to make it a full-featured Android tablet, it also disables the easiest way to return your tablet to a more useful state.

This is annoying for two reasons: one, if you pay two hundred bucks for an object with software on it, realistically speaking you shouldn’t have to deal with a large corporation monkeying with your decision. Two, Amazon is picking a fight with nerds that it’s not only going to lose, because saying you can’t install software is like waving a red flag at a bull with nerds, it’s probably going to trigger some sort of stupid hacking protest. So brace yourself for lots of whining and probably some photos of dongs on the Amazon front page. Your mom will be horrified.

Amazon Kindle Fire 6.2.1 Update Fixes Bugs [Liliputing]

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