It was just recent when Google has handed the Jelly bean source code to the developers and we’re already seeing the AOSP version of the buttery OS being ported to various devices. Among the first few devices to run Android 4.1 smoothly is Amazon’s Kindle Fire.
A few months back we have reviewed the Kindle Fire running a custom and early build of the Android Ice Cream Sandwich ROM (click here to read the review), now let’s see how the Fire fairs running Android’s latest build, the 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.
The Jelly Bean experience was said to be a hybrid between a smartphone and a tablet so expect the UI to have better functionality. For the obvious ones, you get a different lock screen and home screen, widget placement is better, and the notifications bar is improved.
Earlier issues with the build were Wi-Fi connectivity and hardware video acceleration. But as of July 13th the ROM was updated with various bug fixes so WiFi connectivity and HD video playback are now working well.
As of now no swipe controls for the volume and some Google services such as Google Search are not working. But overall the major hiccups have already been addressed by the XDA developers. The UI is fast and very responsive at this point so expect it to get better over time.
Meanwhile you can check our hands on video below:
Hey it wasn’t so hard after all… managed to install it on my own. What a huge difference!
I got excited reading this — but is there someone who can just port this for me? I’m not very techie and I would hate to screw it up… gives me hope though that I can finally put this kindle fire (an impulse buy) to use here.
how much space does jellybean take from the fire’s 8gb?
Wow! Buti ang Kindle Fire may Jelly bean na habang Sony Xperia nasa Gingerbread pa rin…
No, it doesn’t. Both still have Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). BUT you can simply flash a custom rom and root. You’ll then have ICS / JB on your XPERIA.