Related
I saw the new Kindle Fire SD announced with slightly better specs available for $159. I wanted to buy it and also sign up for Prime to stream video and borrow books and have apps and stuff, plus root it and run Android 4.1 so I can have an awesome cheap "android tablet" with Amazon Prime
Is it worth the $280?
Will there be development?
Thanks in advance for aiding a little noob.
Encerspay said:
I saw the new Kindle Fire SD announced with slightly better specs available for $159. I wanted to buy it and also sign up for Prime to stream video and borrow books and have apps and stuff, plus root it and run Android 4.1 so I can have an awesome cheap "android tablet" with Amazon Prime
Is it worth the $280?
Will there be development?
Thanks in advance for aiding a little noob.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy it because you want to use it as an Amazon tablet. Whether or not these can ever be used as an Android tablet is the big question mark right now. There are rumors and much speculation about whether or not the bootloader will be secured in some way. The way that Amazon is marketing these things with lockscreen advertising, they have plenty of reasons to keep them from being easily manipulated like the first generation devices. Nobody will have any good idea about their potential until the right people start looking at them.
I have no idea where this $280 figure comes into play.
EDIT: I'm not sure the SD version is a good buy anyway. For $40 more, you get the better display, double the storage, bluetooth, HDMI out... that seems like the better choice.
kinfauns said:
Buy it because you want to use it as an Amazon tablet. Whether or not these can ever be used as an Android tablet is the big question mark right now. There are rumors and much speculation about whether or not the bootloader will be secured in some way. The way that Amazon is marketing these things with lockscreen advertising, they have plenty of reasons to keep them from being easily manipulated like the first generation devices. Nobody will have any good idea about their potential until the right people start looking at them.
I have no idea where this $280 figure comes into play.
EDIT: I'm not sure the SD version is a good buy anyway. For $40 more, you get the better display, double the storage, bluetooth, HDMI out... that seems like the better choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The $280 includes Prime, sorry I didn't clarify that
$40 doesn't seem like much at all, and your views on the SD tablet are very interesting. I honestly haven't even considered the HD version. I'll check it out.
Thanks for the input.
It's still a question mark on whether the developers will be able to root the new fire easily. I suggest waiting for a month or so.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
The new Kindles have a locked bootloader, but I have a feeling they'll be easily bypassed since Amazon lets you do manual updates via USB.
Ok you're asking us about 2 separate things. In my opinion, Amazon Prime is only worth $80 if you buy a lot of stuff online.
If I were in your shoes, I'd buy a used Kindle Fire or I'd find a way to get $40 together and buy a Nexus 7.
This is just a public service announcement regarding the Amazon Fire Phone's potential hackability based on Amazon's history.
Will it get root?
Most likely. Everything gets root eventually.
Will it get GApps?
Amazon did one hell of a job preventing people from getting GApps on the Kindle Fire HDXs by squeezing down the partition sizes and adding functions in system apps to keep Google apps from functioning properly. So maybe yes, maybe no.
Will it get a bootloader unlock?
Based on Amazon's not so good history of allowing the customization of devices, this may never get a bootloader unlock. They do a pretty good job at locking everything down, I must add.
So, in case you were too lazy to read the above, if you plan on bootloader unlocking this thing and installing the Google Play Store or CyanogenMod fresh out of the box, I would recommend searching elsewhere. The HTC One M8, perhaps, which has slightly better specs anyways.
r3pwn said:
This is just a public service announcement regarding the Amazon Fire Phone's hackability.
Will it get root?
Most likely. Everything gets root eventually.
Will it get GApps?
Amazon did one hell of a job preventing people from getting GApps on the Kindle Fire HDXs by squeezing down the partition sizes and adding functions in system apps to keep Google apps from functioning properly. So maybe yes, maybe not.
Will it get a bootloader unlock?
Based on Amazon's not so good history of allowing the customization of devices, this may never get a bootloader unlock. They do a pretty good job at locking everything down, I must add.
So, in case you were too lazy to read the above, if you plan on bootloader unlocking this thing and installing the Google Play Store or CyanogenMod fresh out of the box, I would search elsewhere. The HTC One M8, perhaps, which has slightly better specs anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do we know if the device has a removable battery?
Micro-SD?
Dual-sim?
AT&T is the first initial carrier - IMO this does not bode well for unlocked bootloader citing AT&T history, and Amazon's own history (as you mentioned with the HDXs.)
wilzard said:
Do we know if the device has a removable battery?
Micro-SD?
Dual-sim?
AT&T is the first initial carrier - IMO this does not bode well for unlocked bootloader citing AT&T history, and Amazon's own history (as you mentioned with the HDXs.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those three are unknown by me.
Even if you were to buy it off-contract, it would still most likely be locked. Amazon is the only manufacturer that I know if that does this.
Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk
wilzard said:
Do we know if the device has a removable battery?
Micro-SD?
Dual-sim?
AT&T is the first initial carrier - IMO this does not bode well for unlocked bootloader citing AT&T history, and Amazon's own history (as you mentioned with the HDXs.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No Idea
wilzard said:
Do we know if the device has a removable battery?
Micro-SD?
Dual-sim?
AT&T is the first initial carrier - IMO this does not bode well for unlocked bootloader citing AT&T history, and Amazon's own history (as you mentioned with the HDXs.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a single nano-sim, no micro-sd slot, permanent battery, and it will be able to be unlocked by at&t, not amazon, but not likely for a few months (through at&t, not sure about third-parties)
P.S. Personally I think the OS is goofy and not very intuitive. It definitely has a few cool visuals, but not in any kind of useful or innovative way. I was expecting a much cooler UI considering it has 6 cameras. It doesn't have a home screen, widgets or any real ways to customize it.
I will have my Fire Phone sometime in the next 12 hours. It's presently at my local UPS station waiting to get put on a truck for delivery. I don't know what possessed me to buy it. However, I wanted something different and my Galaxy S3 has been acting up big time. I will say, their free year of Amazon Prime offer was very tempting due to the sheer amount of buying I do each month from Amazon. I'm hoping GApps, especially GMail, will be supported somehow. Time will tell and, like I said, I wanted something different and this is definitely "different".
zoso28 said:
It's a single nano-sim, no micro-sd slot, permanent battery, and it will be able to be unlocked by at&t, not amazon, but not likely for a few months (through at&t, not sure about third-parties)
P.S. Personally I think the OS is goofy and not very intuitive. It definitely has a few cool visuals, but not in any kind of useful or innovative way. I was expecting a much cooler UI considering it has 6 cameras. It doesn't have a home screen, widgets or any real ways to customize it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A little off topic but I paid full price for the phone under the assumption "No Contract" means the same as "not locked to at&t.
I was sadly mistaken and AT&T won't help or do anything about it because it's "exclusive to them".
It pisses me off royally I spent $700 for new phone I can't use.
They won't even give a device unlock EVEN if you get a current AT&T customer to register it, and request an unlock. They simply won't do anything and I hope a root comes out soon making them lose millions for this.
That's atrocious - paying, waiting, then being told no.
I just read an article on theverge: "Unlocking phones in the US will soon be legal"
As long as your cell phone is not on contract, you should be able to get the unlock code from at&t after the President signs the bill.
r3pwn said:
This is just a public service announcement regarding the Amazon Fire Phone's potential hackability based on Amazon's history.
Will it get root?
Most likely. Everything gets root eventually.
Will it get GApps?
Amazon did one hell of a job preventing people from getting GApps on the Kindle Fire HDXs by squeezing down the partition sizes and adding functions in system apps to keep Google apps from functioning properly. So maybe yes, maybe no.
Will it get a bootloader unlock?
Based on Amazon's not so good history of allowing the customization of devices, this may never get a bootloader unlock. They do a pretty good job at locking everything down, I must add.
So, in case you were too lazy to read the above, if you plan on bootloader unlocking this thing and installing the Google Play Store or CyanogenMod fresh out of the box, I would recommend searching elsewhere. The HTC One M8, perhaps, which has slightly better specs anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So basically a lot has changed on the Amazon front since the Original Kindle Fire I have (running CM10). Darn and I was hoping this would be a CM alternative
jack9955 said:
I just read an article on theverge: "Unlocking phones in the US will soon be legal"
As long as your cell phone is not on contract, you should be able to get the unlock code from at&t after the President signs the bill.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's already legal. Are you speaking of apples' term of "jailbreaking?" This has since been "legalized," but just voids the warranty of the device. Wireless carriers always said it was illegal because they were unable to honor such things like warranty and insurance claims if your phone was "tampered with" whether you outright owned it or not. But, what has happened is the term "illegal" has been removed, and they are just simply stating the obvious of warranty void.
As far as unlocking the sim to use on another network, they must allow unlock of device no later than Feb 11, 2015 as your service terms have been fulfilled. But until then, AT&T is one of those companies that only took the 3 minimum options of the FCC regulations. Read this for Q&A, read this for the terms they must abide by, and you'll have to contact AT&T to see if they are even part of the list of companies abiding by these laws currently.
Good luck. I have AT&T as well, but only because they are the only carrier that works worth a damn in my area at a "reasonable" rate. Verizon just costs way too much to entertain.
Hackability
I thought it would be easy since the Kindle Fire was. I was right.
I know that question may seem inane at first but the elaboration is, it seems Amazon did some things to make this hard to customize like we love to do and its much riskier than say doing a Galaxy 4 phone. For some of us who just wanna play games on them and the remedial stuff, where we can still get the Google Playstore through secondary channels, why are some of you rooting and messing with it... from what I'v heard, the stock Amazon is pretty "clean" and also having access to their stock software to integrate with your Amazon account to download from their site seems like an advantage. I.e., if you really wanted a PURE Android tab, why not just get like a Lenovo, Acer, Samsung and root that... I am getting the HD 8.9 because its on sale for $180 in hand, and the display seems superior to almost any tab in its price range and class.
Thanks for any illuminating responses.
Having owned one for a year.
No. It gets slower with a custom rom. You're better off getting a Nexus.
I've used it stock, stock+root+Gapps, CM11, LiquidROM, PacmanROM currently.
Now that amazon offers its instant video with the android app, its even better off to go w/ a nexus. You just have to get it to use the Phone version of the app, not the tablet version. (which I did with the current pacman rom.) So, IMO there is no longer any benefit of the HD8.9 over faster/lighter tablets. I am strongly considering putting mine back to stock, and when a trade-in deal comes around trade it in for a Nexus tablet.
ydgmms said:
Having owned one for a year.
No. It gets slower with a custom rom. You're better off getting a Nexus.
I've used it stock, stock+root+Gapps, CM11, LiquidROM, PacmanROM currently.
Now that amazon offers its instant video with the android app, its even better off to go w/ a nexus. You just have to get it to use the Phone version of the app, not the tablet version. (which I did with the current pacman rom.) So, IMO there is no longer any benefit of the HD8.9 over faster/lighter tablets. I am strongly considering putting mine back to stock, and when a trade-in deal comes around trade it in for a Nexus tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply... they used to allow a second hand install of google play but even that doesnt work now and it seems they are forcing a root as the only way to get google play on it, sigh. I guess I will sell the stupid things as used and look for a deal on the nexus or samsung/lenovo/asus.... what a crock. I got it for $180 total which I thought was a decent deal brand new...
What trade in is available for this?
Sometimes stores like Best Buy will accept trade-ins. You'll definately not get the 180$ spent. But it'll ease the purchase price of something else.
ydgmms said:
Sometimes stores like Best Buy will accept trade-ins. You'll definately not get the 180$ spent. But it'll ease the purchase price of something else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya few months ago I got $100 for an XP laptop a client gave me from like 2002 for trade-in. I thinking I can get more just putting it on ebay for mint condition sale.
Well, if you bought it from Amazon..just return it.
Otherwise, ...good luck.
ydgmms said:
Well, if you bought it from Amazon..just return it.
Otherwise, ...good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Office depot.... :crying:
ebay/CL it is.......
I have the 8.9 rooted and running cm11 with no complaints. I enjoy the freedom of running full Android over the Amazon os. There are really only 2 apps that i havent been able to fully use. One was screen capture software, its always choppy or poor quality. Thats because the hardware isnt enough to run it properly, not an os problem. The other is the new Madden Football game, its very laggy. Again hardware problem, not the os. If the 8.9 is enough for you and Google play is the only thing holding you back, root it and install cm11. Get greenify and it will turn off apps for you keeping it running smooth. There is also an app called lagfix that cleans up the file system. Running lagfix once a month or so seems to keep it clean. In short go for it, if you don't like it flash it back Amazon os and unroot then trade it in.
Shack70 said:
I have the 8.9 rooted and running cm11 with no complaints. I enjoy the freedom of running full Android over the Amazon os. There are really only 2 apps that i havent been able to fully use. One was screen capture software, its always choppy or poor quality. Thats because the hardware isnt enough to run it properly, not an os problem. The other is the new Madden Football game, its very laggy. Again hardware problem, not the os. If the 8.9 is enough for you and Google play is the only thing holding you back, root it and install cm11. Get greenify and it will turn off apps for you keeping it running smooth. There is also an app called lagfix that cleans up the file system. Running lagfix once a month or so seems to keep it clean. In short go for it, if you don't like it flash it back Amazon os and unroot then trade it in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh really? I thought these Kindles were very particular in what they "took." I use CM for my Galaxy S4 and very satisfied with it so I have no problem trying it. I dont play Madden so thats fine (I was a big 2K fan LOL). I am really only looking to play Clash of Clans and some other remedial stuff, nothing too taxing. I guess I'll try that then since I think for the $$$ this screen is boss and the size is just about right too.
One thing, is the screen pretty responsive with CM in it? And is it ok if I ask a followup or two in case something goes out of sorts per your experience?
I play clash on mine all the time. I didn't say it was easy getting CM11 on my Kindle. It's a bit more work that rooting a Samsung phone but there are some good tutorials here on XDA, I used http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2128175. Follow it exactly and you will have no problem. The screen is responsive and works great for everyday use, books, and games like clash. Videos look great too. Feel free to ask me more
Dathaeus said:
Oh really? I thought these Kindles were very particular in what they "took." I use CM for my Galaxy S4 and very satisfied with it so I have no problem trying it. I dont play Madden so thats fine (I was a big 2K fan LOL). I am really only looking to play Clash of Clans and some other remedial stuff, nothing too taxing. I guess I'll try that then since I think for the $$$ this screen is boss and the size is just about right too.
One thing, is the screen pretty responsive with CM in it? And is it ok if I ask a followup or two in case something goes out of sorts per your experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went back to stock because all the custom roms were too slow. Found this on the hdx forum though, pretty much all google apps working without root! Just need one quick adb command and all done... http://forum.xda-developers.com/kindle-fire-hdx/themes-apps/how-to-install-gapps-root-t2954372
Play store wont work, but you can always sideload apps. So far have google+, youtube, maps and newsstand all working without a hitch. Works fine with my chromecast too.
That would be me!! lol. Amazon made me an offer I couldn't refuse -$159- I got the free year of prime- I paid for it last year by accident and ended up getting a lot of use out of it, so this made it easy. And the phone was $60 (after putting $99 towards prime), and I opened an amazon CC which gave me $40 in an instant credit- so this phone was $20 in the end!! plus taxes of course.
Before I pulled the trigger I looked to XDA to see where development was for this phone- and it looks like it is picking up and starting to move- so I will be getting this new fire phone tomorrow!!! I have to confess I have been using an iphone 5s (JB of course!) for the last year and a half and have been missing the challenge of rooting, romming, and making the best out of the hardware that is lacking due to poor software.
My plan is to put on the latest update and add google play market- leave it unrooted for now and see how it goes. But I am keeping my eye on beta CM11 and seeing how far it goes with CM 13 possibly in the future!!
@ggow- you seem to be very ambitious with this phone!!!! You are doing some great work and I am following your development closely :good::highfive:. I have never used safestrap before, but I may just have to give it a whirl. You make it very tempting
Why was I interested in this Fire Phone??? I bought a kindle 7 hdx last year and hacked that to run google market and it turned out to be a pretty great tablet that I also got a great deal on. It has the fire OS running along side google market with a great launcher running to swap back and forth. So kindle, instant videos, amazon music, and all the google apps too. It's specs were very close to the ipad mini and was a third of the cost. I gave it to my daughter to use in NYC running on att and she has had no complaints with how I modded it. And she is not very techy! :silly:
I am getting a little bored with my 5s and wanted a bigger screen- I passed on the 6+ since we are no longer getting subsidies and $850 for a phone seems ridiculous!! I don't know if 0.7 inches will make much of a difference, but for $20, I just had to find out
I have a Fire Stick TV also and I want to see how they work together. Very excited to receive this phone tomorrow.
Even after all the horrible reviews I read and watched on you tube!! Hopefully these modifications developed here will make it great!
Geez!!!! 75 views and no comments? Come on people- loosen up and let me know if you love your fire phone or hate it or Hate me cause I got it so cheap:silly: Please share your experiences with your Fire Phone. By now it's a year old, but still looks like a great phone for $60. I am basically a really cheap bargain hunter and wait for things to go on sale. This was really a good one.
Share what you did to make it a great phone! Would love to benefit from your experiences.:highfive: Do you love the Fire OS? Do you love the Market? Or CM11? Please share And I thank you in advance:good:
Great phone for the money. If throw yourself into the Amazon ecosystem the fire OS works quite well but I think only Jeff Bezos has done that so far. I'm using it with a custom launcher at the moment but when cm11 is final I might adopt it.
sashusmom said:
Geez!!!! 75 views and no comments? Come on people- loosen up and let me know if you love your fire phone or hate it or Hate me cause I got it so cheap:silly: Please share your experiences with your Fire Phone. By now it's a year old, but still looks like a great phone for $60. I am basically a really cheap bargain hunter and wait for things to go on sale. This was really a good one.
Share what you did to make it a great phone! Would love to benefit from your experiences.:highfive: Do you love the Fire OS? Do you love the Market? Or CM11? Please share And I thank you in advance:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you asked:
The hardware is incredible for the price. The antutu benchmark puts it slightly faster than a galaxy s5. However, the bells and whistles (extra cameras, 3D, etc) are irrelevant at best. -- The os is terrible. It works well enough but is far behind other smart phones' os. Also, Amazon's wish to completely control your "experience" gets in the way of good hardware. If you root and then add gapps and the google now launcher, the phone is better to use, but still feels wrong, especially when certain apps can only be added through amazon's app store. -- Finally, I'm still irked by the locked bootloader. It was at this stage I put it in the drawer to use as an emergency backup - or maybe a "mini-gamer" for kids.
Then came ggow and his work to bring CM11 to the phone. Thanks to him, I now use it as my daily driver. I have added Xposed Framework with a few modules, all my favorite apps, and the phone is great! The only annoyance is that there are very infrequent random google play services stops which quickly correct themselves leaving a msg that needs to be swiped away. This is no big deal and ggow might have this fixed by the time you read this. Ggow also mentioned bypassing lollipop (CM12) and looking to "M" for his next major upgrade. How this will happen with a locked bootloader I don't know, but all praise to the person who brought my firephone backed to life.
Enjoy your firephone.
I bought the Fire Phone 6 months ago (I think, don't remember), when it was $189 (and a year of Prime). Having a phone with those specs at $90 was a great deal and hard to refuse. Bought it, got it, and the first day of using it I was amused with how different it was from stock Android. I had a Nexus 5, which got stolen, and I wandered with a low-end phone until I bought the Fire Phone. The Fire Phone couldn't be more different from the Nexus 5, software-wise. I saw the lock screen, toyed with it and thought: "Wow, it moves depending on where I look it from, nice!" (my first lock screen was the one with the time made from the stars and the moon with below it) but also "Did Amazon really need 4 cameras just for that? It might drain my battery" and "Which real-world use could I give to this feature?"
Yes, it was nice to see how things moved thanks to the Dynamic Perspective feature, at least at first; then, like all novelties, my attention to it faded and eventually I disabled it. Having my battery drained wasn't worth for a feature I wasn't paying attention to and which the only real-world use I could think of was showing it to some friend to surprise them a for a little time. And because this phone doesn't have a removable battery, I couldn't afford to lose it for some gimmicky feature.
Then I saw the Carousel, which is the home screen where the most recent apps are shown, with the notifications below it. They were affected by the Dynamic Perspective too. I hated that dotted pattern they used for the Carousel, and then I tried to change it for, say, whatever picture this phone could've come with.
I went to Settings, and was surprised to see, first, that that annoying dotted pattern was there too, and then that there wasn't a way to change the wallpaper. I thought "Come on, it's 2015, every OS in the friggin' world has a way to change the wallpaper. It's the most basic form of customization. Even Apple (which I don't hate), with all that walled garden feeling, allows you to change the wallpaper." But Amazon's FireOS didn't (I haven't ever seen a Kindle Fire tablet). My phone shipped with version 3.6.8, and we had to wait until May to see such a basic feature with the upgrade to 4.6.1. I got annoyed by that, but there was nothing I could to about it.
I checked the pre-loaded games, which make heavy use of the same Dynamic Perspective. I half-liked the Planet Blocks game and played it for a while. After that, I forgot I had it and remained hidden.
Then I went to the Appstore to see what was new. I knew the Appstore didn't have any Google app, and understood it. Amazon had an equivalent to every Google app and, even though I didn't like how they looked, they got the job done, and that was what mattered. Downloading and installing was what I was used to, and updating was a breeze.
But I guess I missed some apps that weren't on the Appstore and was lazy to not sideload all of them. I needed to see good ol' Google on this phone, so I went to XDA and checked if there was a way to sideload Google Play Services. After all, underneath all the Amazon skin and no traces of Google, FireOS was Android at the heart (3.6.8 was based on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, which was pretty outdated even then). There was a way to install Google Play Services, and there was a way to root the phone too, but only if you were brave (and foolish) enough to downgrade to 3.5.1 (it was a bad idea, because if you did that, there would be problems with the Amazon account registration and also some nasty overheating issue). So, I stayed with just installing Google Play Services. It went smoothly and finally got Google. With the Play Store I'd be able to download and install SwiftKey and maybe Google Now Launcher or Nova Launcher.
I got no luck with SwiftKey. It installed, but then you couldn't use it unless you activated it via ADB. After that, got SwiftKey. And about launchers, they worked, except for widgets (which weren't supported in FireOS) and the wallpaper (there was a way to change the wallpaper in Nova; you could choose the image, but it never worked; you had to like the black background because it was the only option). I checked other launchers, some supported widgets (not all widgets, but some) and some found a way to change the wallpaper. I stuck with Buzz Launcher, which made the phone look and work most similar to Android.
I hoped Amazon would sometime hear what users here at XDA (and everywhere else) had to say. The Fire Phone was a great piece of hardware, but its software was a bummer. People were trying to google it but all you could do was sideload Google Play Services. The bootloader was locked (and still is), and the Towelroot method for rooting didn't work for 3.6.8, so downgrading was the next stage for googling up the device. I remember seeing some guys here at XDA offering some money to the first person to unlock the bootloader, and some people sending a letter to Jeff Bezos himself to unlock it and then also a Change.org petition, taking the example of the HP TouchPad tablet (it saw new life after HP unlocked its bootloader, after which people flashed Android instead of the built-in webOS, becoming the second-most selling tablet of 2011). It never happened.
Then it was the question if the phone would ever receive a FireOS 4 update (based on Android 4.4 KitKat), given its lackluster sales. It finally happened on May, and came with very necessary changes to help customize the phone.
This new version would eventually be rooted via Kingroot, which is a very shady-looking app for rooting. It worked, and then there was a way to change it for SuperSU, a more reliable root app. With all the long wait, knowing a developer found a way to flash a ROM even with the locked bootloader was a relief. I flashed it as fast as I could. Now I'm using Cyanogenmod 11 and it's great (no trace of Amazon). It's still beta (the developer uploaded the first build just 4 days ago), but it works pretty well right now, and it'll only get better.
Now we can use a phone that has a great price and good specs with a great OS to match. To the people out there wondering if the phone is worth the price (right now it went back to $449 and comes with a year of Amazon Prime, with $99 alone, so the phone's real price is $350), no, it's not, you could get a OnePlus One at that price (which comes with Cyanogen OS), or a Moto X, or a Xiaomi Mi4, or many other great phones below $350 (and then if, and only if, you want Amazon Prime you can subscribe). When it gets a big discount, which happens from time to time (last one was this week and the price went down to $159), it gets more attractive (especially if you were going to subscribe to Amazon Prime). The phone has many gimmicky features which are really useless, uses an OS that is difficult to adapt to, and is overpriced most of the time (no wonder Amazon failed to sell it at launch at $199 with AT&T contact, or later at $649 unlocked, or now at $449), but may be a great deal when bought at discount (this week the real price of the phone was $60, and at that price you cannot get any smartphone off-contract) and if you're willing to tinker with the phone and flash a ROM (Cyanogenmod 11 is the only one right now, but might be more in the future), it makes a pretty good phone.
A quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU, with Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM, a 13MP rear camera and 2.1MP front camera, 1080p recording, 32GB of built-in storage and now the ability to flash Cyanogenmod 11 for just $60? I'd buy it.
Wow!! Great responses guys. I thank you for taking the time to offer your opinions and I really look forward to receiving my Fire phone
Got my Fire phone!!
I really like the screen- overall size of the phone is not really bigger than my 5s but the screen real estate is a little bigger. It's not so lite that you will drop it or so thin you will drop it either. When I use my 5s bare, I have a hard time hanging onto it. It's in a wallet case that I can get a good grab onto. I like a little heft to it and it does feel good in your hand.
I have the incipio folio case on this fire phone that I got for $10 from ATT online store. That was a really good deal. Also did a screen saver just because I like them and the protection from minute scratches they provide.
So, on my Amazon account it was registered to me and the free prime was added on. When I went to set up the phone it requires you to register again to your account and I got all errors that it couldn't be done at this time, blah blah blah. I researched it and apparently this was a big problem at launch too.
So I updated it to the latest of 4.6.1 (820) and tried again, same deal. It just wouldn't register. So I de-registered it on my computer, and tried again on the phone, no go. You can't use the phone without it being asso. with an amazon acct- no apps at all are usable, even the preinstalled ones. So I chatted online, they couldn't help me and wanted to have their Fire Team support call me back- but I couldn't at that time so I will deal with it tomorrow. I'll have to search this forum and see if there's any info about it.
In the meantime I got the google apps working so now I at least have a pretty good list of apps, but no amazon services working yet. I still have to add a sim card and check the basic call functions- since it is a phone.
The benefit of picking up a phone that is a year old is you guys have already tackled the tough parts of rooting, modding, roms, etc. I checked out this forum before purchasing and was pleasantly surprised that you just made the break through just this week for CM. I may have to check that out! I have the att Mega and that poor orphan phone is so crippled most guys just walked away. I Love it for it's 6 inch screen size. The iphone 6+ was in my thoughts but can't justify that price tag. My mega was a penny when we still did subsidies.
I thank you all for your perseverance and hard work and your stick-to-it-ive-ness:good: This could actually be a decent phone with all the modifications. I am hoping I can leave it as is and swap between the Fire OS and the Nova launcher. Hopefully I'll get it registered correctly tomorrow. It's nice getting back into android after apple. I like them both- but I do get bored.
*************************************************************************
So even though it is 3 am here, I just got off the phone with fire phone support and I was told it was a system wide outage and there are many people having this problem. They will get back to me!! I won't hold my breath here
**************************************************************************************************************
Talked again to amazon and I am "on the list" to have this registration fubar sorted out. She took additional info- my mac address on the phone specifically, and supposedly this will be fixed OTA magically. We'll see.
I do have a working sim in and phone calls work fine. I have issue with the tinny sounding speakers that are suppose to be stereo- Sounds terrible- especially with music clips ringtones. Pandora sounds bad too. I did read the reviews about the sound and it appears to be true.
******************************************************************************************
So Amazon finally fixed the registration problem OTA. I can now access my Amazon stuff. Problem solved.
Atm i use this Phone as my Daily Driver. Just for testing for my Blog, but i love it. I wait for the Note 9 and i am really sad to use this not longer as Daily. Before that i had the S9 Plus, Pixel 2 XL, P20 Pro, OnePlus 9 asf.
I love this Phone but the Android under the Fire OS is old. But i really like it. It s the first Smartphone that i identifiy with.
With a better Camera, better Speakers, yeah. I would have it as my Daily Driver and dont buy the Note 9.
I dont understand why Amazon not try it again. The Phone was awesome.
I completely agree. I loved my Fire Phone. Amazon let us down my not continuing development. I always said, if they came out with a Fire Phone 2 tomorrow I would buy it.
BigHulkDiesel said:
I completely agree. I loved my Fire Phone. Amazon let us down my not continuing development. I always said, if they came out with a Fire Phone 2 tomorrow I would buy it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amazon has to release another phone in order for alexa to achieve full success. They need it to reach a wider audience. The question is when will they release?
Amazon isn't likely to try again. But I agree, the OS is more streamlined and practical than real Android. Also, much nicer than the newer Fire OS on tablets. But I got my phone a while after the initial release, when the most serious issues were fixed. The poor start played a big role in killing it. I feel very bad for the developers who created it.
I also have a Meego phone and Windows 10 Mobile. They likewise should have been continued. Very nice systems. I actually have all 3 charged and in use at the moment. Windows 10 Mobile I got only recently when it finally matured into a very nice OS. I was curious to try it before it disappears. Such a shame that we can't have this nice variety survive. App ecosystem rules the smartphone world. I have an iPad for apps and don't need everything on a phone. Maybe it will change with increased development of web apps, but I think it might be too late, if even mighty Microsoft and Amazon backed off.
Keep your Fire Phone. It is one of a kind, with its crazy set of cameras.