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I am looking for a replacement to the mad catz m.o.j.o console i had a refund on it but i want open android with superb graphics really,but the thing is i don't want anything too expensive or too cheap either,the problem is i don't know what models are best,or more importantly for this section of the forum what i can do in relation to getting a fire tv gaming and web browsing etc?Can i play games can more importantly can i sideload and also can i sideload downloaded stuff? Or possibly flash a rom on it?
PHYSC-1 said:
I am looking for a replacement to the mad catz m.o.j.o console i had a refund on it but i want open android with superb graphics really,but the thing is i don't want anything too expensive or too cheap either,the problem is i don't know what models are best,or more importantly for this section of the forum what i can do in relation to getting a fire tv gaming and web browsing etc?Can i play games can more importantly can i sideload and also can i sideload downloaded stuff? Or possibly flash a rom on it?
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Dont take this the wrong way, but to get everythihg you want you will need to custom build a HTPC with a computer. These android boxes are good and most are cheap, but they do have limitations and will not meeet all your expectations.
IMO, the FTV is the best box on the market in the under $150 category. If you are willing to comprimise, it should meet most of you expectations. All you questions are answered in this forum, so read up or use search.
byrdcfmma said:
Dont take this the wrong way, but to get everythihg you want you will need to custom build a HTPC with a computer. These android boxes are good and most are cheap, but they do have limitations and will not meeet all your expectations.
IMO, the FTV is the best box on the market in the under $150 category. If you are willing to comprimise, it should meet most of you expectations. All you questions are answered in this forum, so read up or use search.
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Had enough of pc's i am a computer repair technician,i want it for the lower power consumption but with nearing or par with console level graphics.Pc's are too expensive to run they are rubbish in small form factors they tend to burn out on the bridge on the board, or they come with cheap [email protected] psu's that cost a bomb for good one's in small form factor.If there's one thing i learned quickly it was never buy small form factor pc's if you want it to last or not to overheat.
But on the other hand android tv box's don't push the same high level temps because they are only passively cooled quite often as apposed to actively cooled,besides if i really want i'll cooling mod it like my k-r42 with 80mm fan and shimmed.
But basically i want an android unit that has gaming power beyond a mali400 and closing in on if not better than a snapdragon 8xx chip.I've looked at the huwaei tron but it's yet again a 4.2x android system with no guarentee my tv will be supported over hdmi properly i learned that from my mad catz m.o.j.o not outputting 1080p on my 1080p tv.So i may just hang on until k1 touches down in shops but it looks like they are not in a hurry although there is the mipad rumor,i think i'll be waiting until 2015 at this rate before a god unit comes out that has kitkat on it,i was wondering if any rockchip 8 core cpu's are out in tv box form yet,and if they have a heightened gpu to the mali 400? And was also wondering where they fit in terms of graphical power?
Firetv is anything but open. IMO android boxes are all underpowered and frustratingly issue laden. Pity as I too am wanting to buy something good... I bought a s89 tronsmart and it's not as good as I'd hoped. I was interested in the MOJO... Why did you return it, it's a lot more open than Amazon firetv surely?
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk
I've bought it as replacement for raspberry pi and was disappointed. Yes Fire TV build perfectly and has a good hardware. But software is a crap and no way for root by now, only hopes and blocking of update server. It's not clear for now what improvements OTA brings and if root will be issued. If you looking for a good device that works and not for fun reverse engineering hours. Try to find alternative.
May be once it will be a good choice but not now, unfortunately.
Sent from my LG-G2 using XDA Free mobile app
Rumored Android TV BOX... http://pulse.me/s/1jrW6M
God I hope that one IS true and GREAT!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I was 100% happy with my ouya, with stock OS, and then even better with CM11. performance was never a problem.
really the only reason I went for firetv was that I watch prime video A LOT. and between flash-plugin + pick-your-favorite-browser being way-EOL and a bit buggy, and the fact that it took literally 6-8 clicks/actions to go to the next episode of a show, vs 1 (or at most 2) clicks/actions on firetv (yeah first-world problems...)
ouya sales on amazon for $60 would still be worth it (esp they want like 50 bucks for just an extra controller) but at the 100 point might as well firetv or something else.
but honestly it all comes down to what do you want to do with it. oh wait I don't have to re-ramble all this...
http://www.xbmchub.com/forums/threads/21722-Fire-TV-vs-Ouya?p=185275&viewfull=1#post185275
Anyone who bought Amazon-anything devices and expect openness is definitely going the wrong path. Amazon has some great devices but it has a pretty strict walled garden environment (which, granted, is kind of pretty) where they are expected to stay. Amazon is somewhat similar if not worse than Apple in this regard.
Amazon's latest devices such as the Fire HDX and the Fire TV are amazing devices on their own right, but if you are not getting them because of what they can do out of the box but instead of what they 'should be able to do' and expect to hack/mod them, you are in for a disappointment. This is what differentiate them to Google's devices, where it can be a gamble whether a product can be 10x better or 10x worse in the few months following its release (see: Google TV vs. Chromecast).
With Amazon devices it's extremely simple. You go to the product page and look at what it's offering. If you're wowed by those, then get it, if you think that 'it has potential', then don't get it.
Newcron said:
Anyone who bought Amazon-anything devices and expect openness is definitely going the wrong path. Amazon has some great devices but it has a pretty strict walled garden environment (which, granted, is kind of pretty) where they are expected to stay. Amazon is somewhat similar if not worse than Apple in this regard.
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Yes and no - I bought this box because I wanted one device that did both amazon video and Netflix. Met expectations there.
But I also wanted to be able to use it as a front-end for music stored on my NAS. This is why I was never interested in Roku, might've been interested in the Apple product but don't remember it having Prime support, and kept using my Western Digital Live Plus for as long as I did - the access to files inside the walls is important to me.
By day 2, I had enabled ADB and sideloaded XBMC. Yes, I don't have root, but I have Amazon, Netflix and local files all in one place, which I like a lot.
From what I've seen, on the Fire tablets amazon doesn't block sideloaded apps, or I wouldn't have bought this device. It makes a decent HTPC device for my purposes, though, and is open enough for me. Of course I'd prefer root, but in this instance, not if having root broke the Amazon Video stuff.
My biggest complaint so far is that amazon doesn't give us a preference setting for how much bandwidth the box should allocate to itself. So I needed to do that with my firewall instead.
I'll be interested to see if Amazon makes Prime available for the rumored Google TV box. My guess is they will not. But if they do, and I'm within my return window when the device is fully announced...
After having my Fire phone for almost 3 weeks, I am relatively happy with it.
It is a slim phone, watching video on it is a pleasure, music sounds great. If you are an Amazon Prime member, the xray feature on some TV programs which is linked in with IMDB is just way to cool.. I think this way cooler than "Dynamic Perspective," which may be a feature yet to be exploited by apps and technology which are NOT yet in the Amazon appstore.
Amazon Prime Music is being way undersold by Jeff Bezos in promoting his new phone. Why, I do not know!? From the man who wants to sell you everything, this is a big marketing mistake in the world of iphones, itunes, ipods!!!! And for God's sakes, he owns Audible now, he should make that bargain basement now too, while he is playing Monopoly to gain control of absolutely everything fun.
Granted, my phone is more fun since gaining root, that is one reason I bought it, that and one year of extra Prime, the chance to throwaway a locked Samsung Galaxay S3 with crappy Boost mobile service. I never thought it was that great a phone, anyway.
Unlimited cloud storage of photos.
And by the way, Does anyone listen to all the iPhone fanboys complain about horrible battery life on their latest iteration of the iPhone? I thought Apple took care of that early on? All I'm saying, this is the FIRST Amazon phone. You don't have to be a fan, you can still love whatever iteration of iPhone out there (and still be apron-stringed to i-Tunes) or love your favorite Android...
Yes complaints that Amazon wants to sell you a store and not a phone, I ***** about that every time I buy a new PC with bundled so ftware.
To me, an iPhone is more paralyzing than either a Fire phone or generic android, and a Fire phone, rooted, is the best of android devices, but still some annoying features.
I have to agree with you. I work for o2 and I had the device 4 weeks before the realise date for 3 days.
Have to say I loved it, It just oozes pure quality much like, and I hate to say it... iPhone's except the build quality.
When I was using it all I could think of was "this would be amazing with the full play store on".
Now I can see Root access, it may not be a dream.
I have told a lot of people about this phone, me being very surprised.
A little hard to get your head around the OS butas Dilbert says, Its a store with a built in phone.
From an analytic point of view, Amazon have missed the boat on this.
A good 55% of consumers have brand loyalty, 20% follow them, 10-15% have the same but can not afford to have their 1st choice so opt for the closest and probably oldest. The rest take anything.
Now you might get some Kindle users wanting 1 but most would still rather have the iPhone etc,.....
They should target them 10-15% in price but not at £399.99 ($650). If I lost my phone or didn't have the money to get a new HTC or iPhone, Had £400 in my pocket............ I'd go and buy the Moto G2.
If they're planning on making money from their stores, they should focus on that lower the price and let word of mouth do the talking because they have the hardware to back it up.
Great phone, great first attempt.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
How often with current trends would a hardware refresh be necessary on android streaming boxes . From a developers standpoint does this cause as many issues as it would on say a xbox or ps4? I see so many people reference that Fire TV is getting long in the tooth already? It seems to me that many of the set top boxes are outdated already at release to keep the cost down? In there current state can they really compete in the gaming arena with the likes of Microsoft or Sony? I am A laymen when it comes to development but would love to learn what a dev has to do to put a game on Fire TV or Google Play?
These days, most electronic devices are obsolete after a few months, but not to me. I use my electronics til they stop working or I get something new. I still have an original Apple TV that I use all the time. Do not ever let people tell you when you need to replace your device. If it works, use it. A good example of this is the Galaxy Note 4 on AT&T, I commented the other day that I never thought it would get root, cause it was already three months old and it had not happened yet, so everyday it does not happen is another day that someone is losing interest in hacking it, and that developers are always looking for the next big thing. Just me saying that got the thread closed, but its true. If the Fire TV 2 came out next week a lot of people would say our Fire TV was garbage even though it works just fine. If my Fire TV last five years then it will get used for five years, period. Don't let anyone ever tell you when your device is outdated, make that decision for yourself. Normal people would never be ready to buy a new car or home every six months, but when it comes to electronics, a lot of people wanna throw away their device every time the new thing comes out. Those people are lame as hell, and only want new phones, tablets etc, cause society tellls them its cool to have it. I am still using the first Galaxy Note and will continue to do so till it dies. I have replaced the screen and went through two batteries exploding, and its still works, so why upgade? These devices are for casual gaming, not hardcore gaming. Android boxes were never meant to compete with or replace gaming consoles. All the people that say that the Android boxes are taking over game consoles are unintelligent. Android boxes provide a different type of gaming experience then modern gaming consoles and til google decides to make an android gaming consoles they will never be able to compete with sony or microsoft. I also doubt google would ever turn Android into a big time gaming platform, but I do think google will release a gaming console in the future to compete with sony, microsoft and nintendo, just won't be an android console.
I'm actually with porkenheimer on this. I have good equipment but I've become sort of a hoarder of electronics. Lots of stuff is older than 8 years and whether it's an external hdd or an old laptop or even an iPod, I've had amazing luck fixing things and I DO find a purpose for it. I've used laptops from a decade ago as ubuntu servers, got xbmc running on some.
I actually benefitted from people discarding what they think is broken and/or obsolete.
As for aftv, I don't think the hardware is the reason development will slow down. It's more to do with Amazon's resistance to opening it up.
In fact, I have looked around, here & abroad and I've found some good possible replacements but not in the price range of aftv. The processor will be a tad less powerful with the same amount of ram or the processor and ram will be better but the price is over bloated. But for now, I don't think you'll find a faster experience for the price. Once it gets to the $200 range I'm thinking of building an htpc or investing the money elsewhere because I'm satisfied with what's happening on my TV.
Of course I think if cyanogenmod becomes a reality on aftv, the hardware will be put to better use. Fast is great but fire os, imho, is not a worthy os.
Thank you both I appreciate your words of wisdom. I agree its so easy to pile up old hardware. I don't know why the android media streamers have become such a point of interest. I currently own Fire TV, Ouya, Madcatz Mojo, Android TV ADT1, and in the end they all basically do the same thing So, yes maybe its time for me to stand back and say to myself "What exactly am I trying to do with these devices"? I do no I have been searching for that box that has all my streaming apps and games with extra power to spare? The closest I have come so far is a modified Madcatz Mojo which has HBO Go, Showtime, Starz, Encore, Netflix, Hulu, Etc. its far from perfect! I have been eyeing (though I need to Stop) the forthcoming Razer Forge or Snail Games Obox? I dont like how amazon has locked out root, and all the proprietor y parts of the OS. Eight gig of storage is a joke for anyone who likes games?
You developers out there when you release your code on a device does it have to be custom configured for each chipset you release it on? Say you upgraded fire TV to the Qualcomm 810 would each app require modification?
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:
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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.
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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
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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.
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So Amazon finally fixed the registration problem OTA. I can now access my Amazon stuff. Problem solved.