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Amazon Fire Phone

A failed product that is hanging on, I'd look to another maker for a better android implementation.
 
I don't have one but I would not recommend that you get one. I suggest you look at Samsung, Google (Nexus), Motorola, LG, etc. if you're in the market for an Android smartphone.
 
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Meh, we're trying it... It was really only $60...cheap enough to try. It might be nice to have another Netflix/Amazon Prime device and an extra camera to play with.
 
iMi said:
Meh, we're trying it... It was really only $60...cheap enough to try. It might be nice to have another Netflix/Amazon Prime device and an extra camera to play with.
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As much as I love deals. As much of an Amazon fan I am. (Prime member obviously).

I just couldn't even pull the trigger on the $159 deal 2 days ago. Hard to justify a purchase for that phone.

I guess for a budget good starter phone for someone I could have purchased on. But I would rather buy a $230-250 windows lumia 640-645 phone than the Amazon fire phone.
 
Are you guys speaking from experience? Have you all tried the device and found it to be poorly executed?

I'm really curious. Everything I've read suggests the failure had less to do with the device itself and more with the botched rollout - pricing being way too high and AT&T exclusivity hurting them badly. They essentially used the Apple playbook from 2007 to play a game in a very different, crowded and competitive smart phone landscape of 2014. It obviously failed to deliver the results they wanted, but does it mean the phone itself is deeply flawed?

The phone is for my wife to hold her over until iPhone 6S comes out (her words, exactly). I may try it after she's done. I've read that the recent update was massive and made the device much better to use. Side loading Google services is always easily accomplished - turning it into a solid performer. I'm really curious to see just what this thing is about.
 
iMi said:
Are you guys speaking from experience? Have you all tried the device and found it to be poorly executed?

I'm really curious. Everything I've read suggests the failure had less to do with the device itself and more with the botched rollout - pricing being way too high and AT&T exclusivity hurting them badly. They essentially used the Apple playbook from 2007 to play a game in a very different, crowded and competitive smart phone landscape of 2014. It obviously failed to deliver the results they wanted, but does it mean the phone itself is deeply flawed?

The phone is for my wife to hold her over until iPhone 6S comes out (her words, exactly). I may try it after she's done. I've read that the recent update was massive and made the device much better to use. Side loading Google services is always easily accomplished - turning it into a solid performer. I'm really curious to see just what this thing is about.
Click to expand...

I've used one but never bought one.

1) you are locked into Amazons ecosystem
2) stock apps are poor including the basics
3) the GUI is abysmal. They prioritised 'hokey gimmick parallax UI' over real end user experience. Menu system is atrocious, navigating and finding your apps requires far more effort than it ever should
4) It's a dead project - meaning software updates haven't been frequent.

Outside of software - the device itself is blocky and generic.

Fine if your picking up the device as a curio now it's being firesale'd - do so just to see for yourself. But do not expect a great experience - expect a confused middling locked down one and you really won't be disappointed - but you likely will still be underwhelmed. It's a failure for many reasons.

Seriously if it's just to tide you over - you'd be better served with a Moto E or Moto G until iPhone 6s comes out and you likely will have less issues reselling the E, G than you would the Fire Phone
 
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Hardly any international availability of the deals. No wonder it flops massively.
 
MRU said:
I've used one but never bought one.

1) you are locked into Amazons ecosystem
2) stock apps are poor including the basics
3) the GUI is abysmal. They prioritised 'hokey gimmick parallax UI' over real end user experience. Menu system is atrocious, navigating and finding your apps requires far more effort than it ever should
4) It's a dead project - meaning software updates haven't been frequent.

Outside of software - the device itself is blocky and generic.

Fine if your picking up the device as a curio now it's being firesale'd - do so just to see for yourself. But do not expect a great experience - expect a confused middling locked down one and you really won't be disappointed - but you likely will still be underwhelmed. It's a failure for many reasons.

Seriously if it's just to tide you over - you'd be better served with a Moto E or Moto G until iPhone 6s comes out and you likely will have less issues reselling the E, G than you would the Fire Phone
Click to expand...

I've had a chance to play with the phone. I actually like it. The Amazon ecosystem is something I'm already tied into as a Prime member and I really like that they now included the option to turn off product suggestions, so the entire device does't feel like a one big store front and you still enjoy Prime video, music (ad free) and unlimited cloud storage for media, etc.

The latest OS update is massive and delivers a vastly improved user experience. At the right price, this is a compelling device.
 
iMi said:
I've had a chance to play with the phone. I actually like it. The Amazon ecosystem is something I'm already tied into as a Prime member and I really like that they now included the option to turn off product suggestions, so the entire device does't feel like a one big store front and you still enjoy Prime video, music (ad free) and unlimited cloud storage for media, etc.

The latest OS update is massive and delivers a vastly improved user experience. At the right price, this is a compelling device.
Click to expand...

So get one of the android smartphones MRU recommended and a cheap Kindle Fire, you still would only spend $200. :)
 
My uncle had one for 2 weeks, because it was free.

He absolutely hated it. When I used it I thought it was pretty dumb.

We're just as invested in the Amazon ecosystem as others (We watch Prime video, my mom streams with Prime music, and buys and reads books with Kindle) and just having the Amazon apps on a different device is more enjoyable than the Fire phone.

The Fire experience should stay on tablets. If Amazon didn't have the phone so locked on a platform designed to be open (you can't download GPS or unlock the boot loader for custom ROMS) it would be worth it, but the AAS is a joke, the interface uncomfortable, and the "features" not worthwhile.

The phone itself, however, is a nice device.
 
I have one as a phone just to play around on or in case my BlackBerry dies on me. The prime deal was just too good to pass on for an okay backup phone. You can now put Cyanogenmod 11 on it, so it's turned into a pretty good device.
 
I just read about that... It can be rooted.

So, off topic and completely unrelated question :rolleyes: So, what would a fair selling price be for an iPhone 6, 64GB, Black, in mint condition with original box, new (unused headphones) and charger?
 
Yeah it's dirt cheap now including Prime.

I've got a friend who has one and he loves it. OK he's the only person I know who has one but he rates it, especially for the price.
 
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