

Manually Rooting the Kindle Fire 2 with a Mac - jakeburtn
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2065090

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

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w1ntermute
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.

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MatthewPhillips
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.

~~~
w1ntermute
> 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.

~~~
MatthewPhillips
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.

~~~
w1ntermute
I guess you're in the minority then. Most people are more than happy with
Netflix.

~~~
nowarninglabel
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.

~~~
w1ntermute
> 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...](http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/11/3317586/kindle-fire-hd-
review-7-inch)

1: [http://allthingsd.com/20121116/netflix-ceo-amazon-losing-
up-...](http://allthingsd.com/20121116/netflix-ceo-amazon-losing-up-
to-1-billion-a-year-on-streaming-video/#)

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AdamGibbins
Why?

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

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

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

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rikacomet
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?

~~~
jakeburtn
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>

