Manually Rooting the Kindle Fire 2 with a Mac | Hacker News Reader

Manually Rooting the Kindle Fire 2 with a Mac

forum.xda-developers.com

25 pointsjakeburtn15 comments

Or return it and buy a Nexus 7, which is $15 cheaper and can be unlocked by running "fastboot oem unlock".

Yeah, I think the only reason that Amazon has sold any Kindle Fires since the Nexus 7 came out is due to how much they advertise it on their site and because most consumers are poorly informed. Google needs to do a much better job of advertising the Nexus line.

There is absolutely no justification for an informed customer to pick the Kindle Fire over the Nexus 7. The latter is cheaper, has a much better and more updated OS, a lot better app selection, and can still access all the content the Kindle Fire can, except Prime Videos (which can still be sideloaded using an APK from XDA-Devs, the site linked here).

And of course part of the reason is that many people are buying these tablets as gifts. You don't put as much thought into a gift as you would into a purchase for yourself. Not only because people are selfish, but also because during Christmastime you have to buy gifts for a lot of people, and you know yourself better than you know anyone else.

Not having access to Amazon Video (note that you don't have access to any Amazon Videos, not just Prime). I wasn't able to get the app to work side loaded on the Galaxy Nexus. Not saying it doesn't work on the Nexus 7 but it would make me hesitate.

> I wasn't able to get the app to work side loaded on the Galaxy Nexus. Not saying it doesn't work on the Nexus 7 but it would make me hesitate.

This was probably because of the difference in form factor. The app was not developed with phone users in mind, since Amazon doesn't have a smartphone (yet).

And either way, not having access to Amazon Video is an insignificant inconvenience compared to all the advantages the Nexus 7 has.

Not having Amazon Video is a pretty big deal for me. It's the only cross platform way to buy new movies and TV shows. I have a lot of purchased content on Amazon and not being able to watch that in bed would be unfortunate. But then again, it might very well work on the Nexus 7.

I guess you're in the minority then. Most people are more than happy with Netflix.

I don't think he is, and you don't have any data to back up your assertion. I bought a Fire as a gift for a relative specifically because that relative wanted to use it as a gateway to Amazon content, consuming books and videos. Yes, it offers less than the Galaxy, but here's something to be said about creating a streamlined and simple interface to a couple of succinct choices, rather than overwhelming the user with too much choice. So, while personally, I'd agree with you and purchase a Galaxy over a Fire (I don't want either one, but theoretically), I don't agree that it's what the majority of consumers want, at least not without some data showing that.

> I don't think he is, and you don't have any data to back up your assertion.

No, I don't, but in my personal experience, I know a TON of people who use Netflix, but almost no one who uses Amazon Prime Video. Amazon hasn't shared any usage data, so it's hard to say for sure.

Edit: here is some data[1]:

> Last week, a report from broadband service company Sandvine pegged Netflix’s share of Internet traffic at 33 percent, with Amazon at 1.8 percent.

Sounds like Netflix is far and away in the lead. On the basis of what data were you making the assertion that MatthewPhillips isn't in the minority?

In fact, I know many people who have Amazon Prime Video access because of their Prime subscriptions, but don't even know Prime Video exists. You said you have one relative who likes Prime streaming. But how many people do you know who use Netflix? I don't think the number is comparable.

That said, there's nothing inherently wrong with Prime Video, but there's nothing wrong with Netflix either. They're both pretty good, but Amazon hasn't really got the mindshare in that market, compared to Netflix.

> Yes, it offers less than the Galaxy, but here's something to be said about creating a streamlined and simple interface to a couple of succinct choices, rather than overwhelming the user with too much choice.

It's also a bad idea to have "buggy and sluggish" software.[0]. Another choice quote from the linked review: "I'm not entirely convinced that Amazon has such good ideas about functionality and workflow, which makes for some confusing moments when trying to get around."

It sounds to me like the Kindle Fire has anything but a "streamlined and simple interface". I'm not too surprised - Amazon's cluttered website shows that it really needs to hire some UX experts. Getting around the site is a total pain in the ass. The only reason I still use it to buy stuff is because of the low prices and Prime shipping.

> I don't agree that it's what the majority of consumers want, at least not without some data showing that.

Well, this whole conversation started as a result of a post on XDA-Devs about rooting the Kindle Fire. If you're going to do that, you already don't fall into the "majority of consumers" category.

Moreover, like I said, you can simply sideload the Prime Videos APK on the Nexus 7.

0: http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/11/3317586/kindle-fire-hd-rev...

1: http://allthingsd.com/20121116/netflix-ceo-amazon-losing-up-...

This is literally the only thing the Kindle Fire is used for in my family. YMMV.

I just got a Fire as a gift. I was told it was on sale very cheap. Maybe you're talking about the HD?

Why?

The main reason I root my Androids is for TitaniumBackup and Nandroid.

MarketEnabler/MarketAccess is also very useful, especially for people not in the US.

I got a Kindle Fire HD. Very grateful for it!

Am I the only one, or the article is missing any advice (if not tutorials) on backing up, before trying this? common, you don't want to spend your christmas/newyear along a kindle you just ..err.. technically suicided?

Should probably add that, if your interested I ran adb backup -all first.

Although I'm not sure exactly how useful the produced backup will be. More info at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1420351

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