Amazon, B&N Issue Firmware to Make Their Tablets Less Desirable

[Rob Williams]

Remember when those $200 tablets looked to be a great deal? Well, it seems that both Amazon and Barnes & Noble are doing all they can to lessen the attractiveness of their respective tablets, with the help of updated firmware. Amazon recently forced an update through (isn't that nice?) to all Kindle Fire tablets that disabled the ability to root the device. B&N released a similar update that disables the side-loading of non-B&N market apps.

Read the rest of our post and then discuss it here!

 

[TheCrimsonStar]

This is just like when Sony removed the "Install Other OS" feature. They're ruining their products for everyone.

 

[RainMotorsports]

This is just like when Sony removed the "Install Other OS" feature. They're ruining their products for everyone.

Wasn't an intended feature on Amazon's part and not sure on B&N. They as a company end up paying for other peoples mistakes. Rooting the device and then bricking it at some point or software causing piracy or other issues.

You have to look at it from the stand point of running a business. Sony's other OS was an advertised feature. Amazon and B&N have to deal with their agreements with publishers and protecting their interests. As well as preventing potential losses through warranty service.

B&N could have benefited from people caught between tablet or this. But side loading isn't actually any worse for them than full market access. The market is not highly regulated so even if they opened it up to the market they still have the same issues. As far as Amazon is concerned they did not bring the device to market to sell to tinkerers. Yes more profit the better but you have to protect the primary market first.

 

[DarkStarr]

Doesn't matter. Droid hackers will have this removed VERY quickly especially on such popular tabs. Also, I will be looking at picking up 2 of the nook tabs when we can afford it as long as they can run Cyanogenmod or at least be rooted.