Amazon Fire Phone

[TheRevanchist]

Amazon Fire Phone has been announced, and, so far, it doesn't look like anything viable for the long term.

 

http://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-fire-phone-compare-apple-iphone-5s-samsung-galaxy-s5/

 

Just looking at the specs in comparison, the weight, the Bluetooth version, the OS, it's carrier being limited, and that it's going to get apps only from Amazon really bogs this phone down.  The phone's upsides, theoretically, as no one has had a chance to use it in large groups yet, are on it's features.  But, those are more neat-for-showing-off features that may be annoyances once people actually get to use the phones.

 

My real disappointment with this is the limitation of the apps.  Not being able to get Google Play apps on the phone is a real sticking point, as the Amazon app store is generally WAY behind Google and Apple for releasing apps.  I don't mind that so much on my tablet, but my phone is in use every day.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

This did not deserve its own thread.

[TheRevanchist]

I put this under March of Tech, but some rogue admin decided to changed my post. :/

[danielpholt]

Am I alone In not wanting to have to use FireOS? On any device..

[madbassman39]

The more I've used my kindle fire the more I want to just get a Nexus 7. I don't NEED the Nexus 7 but I just feel like there are a few things that I wish would come over to the fire (Hangouts is pretty much the biggest reason). The reason I haven't installed a base Android version on it or got the Nexus is because I purchased a few TV shows and movies on the Amazon video store, which you can't watch on an Android tablet. With a tablet I'm forgiving of the short comings, much like Revan, and the whole "customers who liked this app also purchased this app" has been a fairly positive experience in my opinion.

 

All those short comings on a phone though? I wouldn't enjoy that. Amazon uses the Kindle Fire to push content, and its obvious. I don't care personally because thats all I have a tablet for is to consume content. A phone is different in my mind and I dont want to be using a phone whose primary service is to sell me content.

 

It does look alright but I'm not interested, and I have a kindle, kindle fire HD, and a Fire TV. I don't need a phone to sell me more amazon content.

[deanb]

I am the rogue admin that figured a mobile phone wasn't exactly "march of technology" type thing in relation to androids, driverless cars, immortality, Fringe theme words, etc.

 

As for the phone itself, only thing that made me go "ooh" was that the base version has 32GB, which for too long 16GB has been a basic storage unit (even on devices without a MicroSD slot). But everything else about it is naf. The killer features for the phone are Firefly, a Amazon focused version of Google Goggles, and their 3D stuff which is quite disappointing it's nothing like Project Tango but just the same shit Samsung phones have had for ages and they're still only used in a handful of the bundled apps. I can't see developers building to support it if they don't even make use of the motion gesture and eye tech on omnipresent Samsung phones.

 

Oh and as Dan noted it's all wrapped up in a lovely FireOS package which is just a horrible unless you're super wrapped up in the Amazon ecosystem. I only make use of the App Store for the occasional free app, it's so far extremely limited and the updates for apps come through sporadically if ever.

 

Oh and it's super expensive, compared to the FireHD which pushed a friendly Nexus 7 level price to compete with the iPad. Fire Phone is same price as an iPhone, what market they aiming at there that wouldn't just go and get an iPhone or Galaxy to have the full android package instead of Amazons gimped attempt.