A new Jelly Bean Android 4.1 based ROM is out for the Kindle Fire, based on the previous ROM that we covered a couple of days ago. Called Jelly Bean Tablet Edition, the new ROM gives you a tablet UI as seen on all Android tablets in place of the usual phone-like UI, along with the stock Android experience and with all the Jelly Bean features and enhancements included, such as smooth as butter performance, a better keyboard, improved search, Google Now, and more.

Again, the ROM is in its early stages and while almost everything is already working, there may be a few bugs and issues in the ROM, though none of them should be major. Here’s the list of not working things quoted from the development page.

Not working:

  • HW Codecs so video playback through apps like YouTube and Netflix is a no go right now (YouTube works if you turn off HD video)

Read on to find out how you can install tablet UI-based Jelly Bean Android 4.1.1 on your Amazon Kindle Fire.

Compatibility

This ROM and the guide below are compatible only and only with Amazon Kindle Fire. It’s not compatible with any other device. Check your device’s model number in: Settings » About tablet.

Warning!

The methods and procedures discussed here are considered risky and you should not attempt anything if you don’t know completely what it is. If any damage occurs to your device, we won’t be held liable.

How to Install Tablet UI-Based Jelly Bean on the Kindle Fire

  1. This procedure will wipe all your apps, data and settings (but it will NOT touch your SD cards, so don’t worry about those). Backup your Apps and important data — bookmarks, contacts, SMS, APNs (internet settings), etc. This Android backup guide would help you.
    Important! Don’t forget to at least make a backup of your APN settings, which you can restore later if your data connection does not work after installing the ROM. Use the backup guide to find out how.
  2. Make sure you have a custom recovery like TWRP recovery installed on the device. You can read how to get TWRP recovery → here.
  3. Download the latest version of the ROM from the official development page.
  4. Download the Google Apps package. This will install apps like Play Store, Gmail, Talk, etc. which are not present in the ROM by default (you might need to download apps such as YouTube from the Play Store).
    Download Gapps  |  Filename: gapps-jb-20120711.zip 
  5. Copy the two zip files downloaded in step 3 and 4 to the SD card on the tablet (do not extract the files).
  6. Boot into TWRP recovery. To do this, turn off the device. Then, press the Power button to turn it on and when you see the triangle on the screen, press the Power button again to enter TWRP recovery.
  7. Create a backup of your existing ROM so that you can restore it if this ROM doesn’t work or you don’t like it. Click on Backup to make a backup of the current ROM, then go back to the main menu by clicking on the home icon.
  8. Tap on Wipe, then select Factory reset to wipe data. This will only wipe your installed apps and data but will leave your SD card files intact.
  9. Go back to the main recovery menu, then select Install and select the ROM file (copied to SD card in step 4) to start installing the ROM.
  10. After the installation of the ROM is complete, repeat step 9 to install the gapps-jb-20120711.zip file which will install the Google apps package.
  11. After Google apps installation is complete, click on Reboot system (or click Reboot, followed by System) to reboot the device and boot up into Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean.

Your Kindle Fire is now running the tablet UI-based Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. Visit the official development page for more information and the latest updates on the ROM. Share your thoughts on the ROM in the comments below.