Like most other tablets that aren't the iPad, Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet (and Barnes & Noble's Nook Color) is powered by Android, Google's open-source operating system. Because the programming code to Android is available for free on the Internet, companies like Amazon and Barnes and Noble can use it to make smartphones and tablets without needing to ask permission.
They aren't the only ones who are doing things with the Android code, though. The CyanogenMod team has taken the open-source Android programming code and made a custom version of Android, which can be used as an aftermarket upgrade for smartphones and tablets in the same way that PCs and Macs can be upgraded with Ubuntu. And people on the XDA-Developers message board are experimenting with ways to bring CyanogenMod to the Kindle Fire, while the Nook Color already has well-established ways to turn it into a full Android tablet.
Whichever tablet you own, here's what to do before trying it:
Know what the difference is
E-readers like the Nook Color and Kindle Fire only run Android "under the hood," so to speak. Everything on top was made by either Barnes & Noble or Amazon, and was designed to make it easy for you to read and buy books and videos.
Normal Android was designed by Google as an all-purpose multitouch OS. It's meant to be sort of like the iPad, where it can do a little of everything. It's also very customizable, so you're not stuck with bookshelves for your home screen. But that also means that it's "some assembly required," and CyanogenMod gives you a lot of options ... most of which you may not even know what to do with. (I certainly didn't.)
Know what you're giving up
CyanogenMod (and the Nook Color's version of Honeycomb) don't have the Nook Color or Kindle Fire software built in. There are Amazon and Nook apps you can download for "normal" Android through the Android Market, to get back to reading your books, but any apps that you've bought won't work once you convert your tablet over. You'll be able to buy new apps from the Android Market, but you'll lose what you've already purchased.
If you convert your Nook Color, you won't be able to bring it into a Barnes and Noble store for free browsing and in-store specials ... unless you put Android on the microSD card, and keep your Nook Color's built-in software in the internal memory. (The Kindle Fire doesn't have this option.)
Know what the risks are
You won't be able to get tech support from Amazon or Barnes and Noble if something goes wrong ... and you won't be able to rely on the CyanogenMod team, either. This is something that hobbyists do, knowing the risks if something goes wrong.
Having said that, right now it's the Kindle Fire that's riskiest, because it's still in the experimental phase. As of this writing, there are no finalized instructions for how to put CyanogenMod on a Kindle Fire, but there are for the Nook Color ... and you can even buy premade microSD cards for the Nook Color that will let you use Android on it without breaking it.
The Upshot
Right now, rooting and reflashing the Kindle Fire is only for the hardest of hardcore techies. They're working on a way to bring it to everyone, though, just as they've already done for the Nook Color. Before trying it out for yourself, or helping with their projects, keep in mind the risks and the advantages.
Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.
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