Amazon's new Kindle Fire tablets are likely to be hack-resistant

[ ](http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/17/amazon-kindle-fire-locked-bootloader/)

If you were counting on getting all imaginative with the firmware on a new [Fire](http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/06/amazon-kindle-fire-2012/) or 7-inch [Fire HD](http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/11/amazon-kindle-fire-hd-review-7-inch/), you might want to check out a recent forum post over at _XDA_. Written by user kinfauns with input from another XDA regular called pokey9000, it concerns evidence that -- unlike the original [Kindle Fire](http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/16/kindle-fire-gets-rooted-with-one-click-paves-the-way-for-amaz/) -- both of these devices come with more sophisticated protection, including locked bootloaders and the use of "high security" features offered by Texas Instruments' OMAP processors. Such discoveries probably won't inspire the same degree of outrage as certain other [locked devices](http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/15/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-verizon-bootloader-unlocked/), considering how Amazon is understandably focused on its own ecosystem and [advertising](http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/08/amazon-has-change-of-heart-will-allow-opt-out-of-kindle-fire-hd-ads/), but they might still count as a disadvantage against the pure Android [Nexus 7](http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/nexus-7-review/). The _XDA _thread ends with only the merest hint of hope -- the potential for a workaround similar to what's been used on the [Nook Tablet](http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/20/nook-tablet-gets-rooted-bootloader-stays-under-lock-and-key/) -- but it's hope nonetheless.

Filed under: [Tablets](http://www.engadget.com/category/tablets/)

[Amazon's new Kindle Fire tablets are likely to be hack-resistant](http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/17/amazon-kindle-fire-locked-bootloader/) originally appeared on [Engadget](http://www.engadget.com) on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our [terms for use of feeds](http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).

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