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Please share you first thoughts on the phone and software.. Also let us know if you picked it up opening morning; Was it busy? Was it worth it?
Im curious to see some Benchmarks and Network speed test? !
It'd almost too thin. I will definitely be getting a case for this. Or maybe an extended batter and a case.
The power button is too small/difficult to press. Probably just needs some getting used to. The back and menu button light up and go away so when you're looking at the phone you don't actually see them. this will probably also take some getting used to, but it does make the phone look minimal.
The screen looks huge and is very sharp. Like crazy sharp. There's a widget called Media Hub on by default and inside it are 3 little movie posters or box art covers and they are just incredibly sharp.
I have fairly large hands, but wouldn't want to use this if my hands were any smaller perhaps.
T-Mobile didn't have any accessories. They really weren't prepared for this launch.
update: The included headset seems decent. I was slightly miffed that the GS2 didn't include a headset since, the bulk pricing on them is like 5 cents. The only "but" is it has an always-tangle cord. Why do they even make these anymore? Flat, non-tacky/sticky cord would have been too much to ask for?
update: it did offer me the 50GB of free dropbox which some other carriers opted out of for some reason
Where are you located? Where did you pick it up? What color? Gb?How responsive is it? Sorry for the questions! Just eager to know!!
I live in Chicago. I was told 5 of our area stores got it in stock. ~75 phones per store. The store I went to was around 51st and Pulaski. I had called yesterday and a nice young girl put me on a list. My wife (who happened to be on staycation this week) showed up and picked it up for me.
The only one they have is the blueish pebble color, 16GB in stock. I don't think I would have paid $50 for the extra 16GB even if I had the option. I ordered a 64GB microSD (SDXC or whatever its called) for $50 from Amazon, but Newegg has them for even cheaper.
Not sure how to answer the responsiveness question since my "old" Galaxy S2 was quite responsive. Her line was eligible for upgrade also, so I gave her my GS2 and she gave me the GS3. Everything is pretty much instantaneous.
I would say going from a GS2 to a GS3 the only thing that really jumps out at me so far is the screen. It is incredibly sharp. The phone is also crazy thin.
I got mine at one of the Southcenter mall locations (about 10 miles south of Seattle). I got there 45 minutes before opening and the place was a ghost town. They opened the doors 10 minutes before opening time and there was no crowd at all. I walked right up to a sales person and purchased the phone.
T-Mobile made sure to point out (and require my initials in acknowledgement) the $50 restocking fee. That will probably keep me from returning the 16GB within my buyers remorse period and getting a new 32GB.
They only had the blue 16GB phone so that is what I got. I would have purchased the 32GB version if they had it. My previous phone is a Galaxy S1 running Slim ICS. The new touchwiz is taking a little getting use to, but it's not bad. I'm enjoying learning about the new face detect and motion jesture features. Seems like they might come in handy.
I'm stumped trying to connect my PC to the phone in mass storage mode. My only choices are media mode or camera mode. Neither are very fast. Windows is telling me it will take 5+ hours to move 7.5GB of data (that took about 10 minutes to copy from my old device).
I came to XDA today to see if anyone had made a rooting guide. I need to get adfree installed and Titanium backup would be nice to have so I could restore data from a small handful of apps.
EDIT: It was also interesting that debugging mode is enabled by default. That doesn't seem normal.
No worth the price.going back to my sgII.It's not that much better at all.I feel like a sucker to tell the truth.getting my money back.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
tennandcoz1 said:
No worth the price.going back to my sgII.It's not that much better at all.I feel like a sucker to tell the truth.getting my money back.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Enjoy the $50 restocking fee
FreydNot said:
...I'm stumped trying to connect my PC to the phone in mass storage mode. My only choices are media mode or camera mode. Neither are very fast. Windows is telling me it will take 5+ hours to move 7.5GB of data (that took about 10 minutes to copy from my old device)....
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Click to collapse
Install a server that can handle SAMBA/CIFS and install AndSMB on your phone. Then transfer files that way. it is pretty sweet, especially if you are running N on your wireless router.
FreydNot said:
I got mine at one of the Southcenter mall locations (about 10 miles south of Seattle). I got there 45 minutes before opening and the place was a ghost town. They opened the doors 10 minutes before opening time and there was no crowd at all. I walked right up to a sales person and purchased the phone.
T-Mobile made sure to point out (and require my initials in acknowledgement) the $50 restocking fee. That will probably keep me from returning the 16GB within my buyers remorse period and getting a new 32GB.
They only had the blue 16GB phone so that is what I got. I would have purchased the 32GB version if they had it. My previous phone is a Galaxy S1 running Slim ICS. The new touchwiz is taking a little getting use to, but it's not bad. I'm enjoying learning about the new face detect and motion jesture features. Seems like they might come in handy.
I'm stumped trying to connect my PC to the phone in mass storage mode. My only choices are media mode or camera mode. Neither are very fast. Windows is telling me it will take 5+ hours to move 7.5GB of data (that took about 10 minutes to copy from my old device).
I came to XDA today to see if anyone had made a rooting guide. I need to get adfree installed and Titanium backup would be nice to have so I could restore data from a small handful of apps.
EDIT: It was also interesting that debugging mode is enabled by default. That doesn't seem normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Debugging mode was also enabled by default on my One X (int version)
It's definitely something I wasn't expecting
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda premium
I got mine around noon today in Indianapolis. I wasn't excepting them to get them. I don't think they were either.
Coming from a G2X, I'm really liking it so far.
*The screen is very nice, especially when watching videos.
*It's light but it feels nice in the hand. I don't have really big hands but I find it easy to use one-handed. It helps that Samsung puts their power button on the side of the phone.
*It's fast and smooth. I just got all of my apps and widgets loaded and no noticeable lag yet.
Gonna play some more and report back.
So far hows T-Mobile network working with it? Do they have Visual voicemail and wifi calling?
1SiK1500 said:
So far hows T-Mobile network working with it? Do they have Visual voicemail and wifi calling?
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yes they do. I havent had much time to mess with my phone yet but one thing that bugs me is the Email App. you can't multi-select email and mark as read, only for mark as unread, deleting and move to another folder. Will test out other things later.
Here's a question that I haven't seen answered - hopefully it's not a stupid one.
One of the things I've really enjoyed about my G2 is the deep integration of Google Voice. It's like having a dual sim phone.
Has Samsung limited that integration with Touchwiz? Overall, how well-integrated is Google Voice?
harrij4 said:
Here's a question that I haven't seen answered - hopefully it's not a stupid one.
One of the things I've really enjoyed about my G2 is the deep integration of Google Voice. It's like having a dual sim phone.
Has Samsung limited that integration with Touchwiz? Overall, how well-integrated is Google Voice?
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Click to collapse
It looks like the same setup for the gs3. I was able to set my main messages app to use for google voice. So I don't even have to go into the voice app to send a text message
We need root
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Picked up phone at 9am at t-mobile in bellevue. 4G seems spotty for me so far..
display is nice and big though. Device is super light. Enjoying it so far
FreydNot said:
Enjoy the $50 restocking fee
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Better than the full price I paid.Its just not that much better than the gsII.so for me to spend that kind of money it better blow my mind.But good luck.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
I'm from Philly, my phone is the bomb. It's ultra responsive, just like ios, Touchwiz is way better, feels more refined for ics. I'm thoroughly impressed by Samsung for getting it.
Sent from Another Galaxy to the 3rd. Power.
eff0rtless said:
Picked up phone at 9am at t-mobile in bellevue. 4G seems spotty for me so far..
display is nice and big though. Device is super light. Enjoying it so far
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Hey I was at Bellevue Square to. bright and early. What time were you there?
FreydNot said:
I'm stumped trying to connect my PC to the phone in mass storage mode. My only choices are media mode or camera mode. Neither are very fast. Windows is telling me it will take 5+ hours to move 7.5GB of data (that took about 10 minutes to copy from my old device).
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Click to collapse
i think the reason for removing the mass storage mode is because of kies air.. samsung wants us to use the software..
Usually not, but damn. Last week my original GNex had it's radio's take a dump. After 11 solid months, I rebooted one night and had data, but voice never came back. So I put everything back stock and walked into Verizon and paid $15 to have a replacement overnighted to me.
Now, a week later, I've come to the conclusion that my replacement is fubared. I've never seen a device experience sleep of death + turning into an oven so quickly and consistently before. It's good for 30, maybe 60 minutes tops before it craps out. This is awesome when your phone is your alarm clock.
So here I go again, getting ready to waltz back into the Verizon store and do the same song and dance again. Pay $15, get a phone on Tuesday, probably have something massively wrong, rinse and repeat. Hey, devices take a crap from time to time, and luckily mine did while still under warranty, but I'm taking picks on how many replacement units I have to go through before one finally sticks.
My guess is the 3rd replacement is a charm. Who wants the over?
Those of you who have gone through the replacement fiasco with Samsung, how many tries did it take you to get a good one?
Why do you pay when you have still warranty?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
mariosraptor said:
Why do you pay when you have still warranty?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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Shipping to have it overnighted. It's also awesome that my local store doesn't toss out loaner phones while you wait (It'd make it easy to avoid that whole shipping thing). Maybe I'll call Verizon Tech Support just to bug them about.
no issues at all with mine...
I love Samsung personally
OOOh, free overnight shipping. Thanks Big Red!
Hopefully the next one is a charm because honestly, I don't know what I'd do without a Nexus device on Verizon's network. The alternatives make me cringe.
why is there no option for none
Read the last line of the OP.
I'm just curious to know if getting bum replacements is a "normal" thing because for a phone that went through a "100 point inspection", well, they dropped the ball on this one.
KWKSLVR said:
Read the last line of the OP.
I'm just curious to know if getting bum replacements is a "normal" thing because for a phone that went through a "100 point inspection", well, they dropped the ball on this one.
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Getting my third in the mail tomorrow Last one had ridiculous sensitivity issues, we'll see what the next one brings.
And why don't you just call em up instead of going in to the store? I keep my phone and they send me a refurb in the mail. The first phone was USPS, but after that one was crap they began overnighting it via FedEx.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
I went through 4 before I got my refurb, then I promptly sold it for a GSM model. That's one thing that I have to hand it to Verizon for, they were really good once I got the 1st defective one. I had 4 at one time, most overnighted at no cost and no fees or holds.
They did try everything they could to not send me one though... Unlike Google who were more then happy to send me multiple N7's.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
I had to replace one because of dirt under the screen even though its new and heat issues, the replacement was perfect and never get hot under normal use. I also bought one recently and it has heat issue and poor screen as well, but I'll live with it for the price. Its sort of a luck thing with this device, especially a lottery with AMOLED screen. I was going to get the N4 but it seem to also have lots of little issues on its own, such as getting too hot, I really hate phones getting overheat.I'm still waiting on confirmation on the USB OTG too.
After reading this it makes me think I need to bug Asurion tomorrow, I had to get an insurance replacement so I have to go through them for warranty now, they are definitely more strict on some things but like 3 minutes of complaining about signal got me a new one once already. The current one gets EXTREMELY hot under even normal use, so hot that it is uncomfortable to hold and definitely would be uncomfortable up against your face.
thesoldier said:
Getting my third in the mail tomorrow Last one had ridiculous sensitivity issues, we'll see what the next one brings.
And why don't you just call em up instead of going in to the store? I keep my phone and they send me a refurb in the mail. The first phone was USPS, but after that one was crap they began overnighting it via FedEx.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first time I went in, I was hoping that they'd have one in the back they could swap out for me, or a loaner phone (fat chance, I know). My job pretty much requires a working cell phone. I'm kind of surprised that Verizon was so willing to send a replacement out in just a few minutes. Granted, I don't know what alternative they'd have. There's no real way to troubleshoot SOD issues. My main concern is just not having to go through a massive fiasco running through multiple devices, especially with an 8 day vacation coming up.
bose301s said:
After reading this it makes me think I need to bug Asurion tomorrow, I had to get an insurance replacement so I have to go through them for warranty now, they are definitely more strict on some things but like 3 minutes of complaining about signal got me a new one once already. The current one gets EXTREMELY hot under even normal use, so hot that it is uncomfortable to hold and definitely would be uncomfortable up against your face.
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Click to collapse
Well, if it's still under warranty, I'd jump on it.
Let's see... My first nexus has a seriously bad screen. I shipped it out the same day I got it. Got my replacement (#2) and the screen was worse than the first one. So I sent that bad and got another one (#3). This one had the same issue as OP. Radios wouldn't work....no voice or data and the phone got really hot. Enough to where I couldn't hold it to my face. So I sent that one in and they sent me a Samsung Stratosphere (#4 replacement). Sent that in and got the nexus I currently have making 5 replacements (4 with nexuses). I also went through Verizon...
Good luck
I had to replace one about ~8 months ago for screen ghosting. I was really satisfied with the replacement until now because the ghosting is back on the replacement. I'm contemplating switching to T-Mobile though, so I dunno if I'm going to attempt to replace this one.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
RoyJ said:
Let's see... My first nexus has a seriously bad screen. I shipped it out the same day I got it. Got my replacement (#2) and the screen was worse than the first one. So I sent that bad and got another one (#3). This one had the same issue as OP. Radios wouldn't work....no voice or data and the phone got really hot. Enough to where I couldn't hold it to my face. So I sent that one in and they sent me a Samsung Stratosphere (#4 replacement). Sent that in and got the nexus I currently have making 5 replacements (4 with nexuses). I also went through Verizon...
Good luck
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Click to collapse
Well that sucks. My screens have been great. Well, that, or I'm not picky. The second replacement seems rock solid so far. Good data speeds, strong signal, solid screen, solid GPS and no SOD/Overheating. Maybe I've lucked out...but I'm not uncrossing my fingers.
I've been through 5+ Nexi already. Tec Asurion is totally worth the $6.99 per month! Free overnight shipping FTW.
Well, so much for Replacement #2. I highly doubt it's the sim card.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
KWKSLVR said:
Well, so much for Replacement #2. I highly doubt it's the sim card.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
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Lol why? Seems to me that 2 separate pieces of one HW with a common issue (signal) and only one other thing in common (SIM card) makes the one other thing the most likely suspect...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Because I'm not that lucky.
KWKSLVR said:
Because I'm not that lucky.
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Click to collapse
Thinking you're missing the forest for the trees.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
I picked up a Fire Phone during the Black Friday Firesale. I've given it a month to see if I could use it, but it spent the last week in my glove compartment. I just feel like FireOS is too limited. It's not any one thing, more like a bunch of small annoyances added up.
Pros:
Love the hardware
Integration with Amazon services is nice (Audible, Prime Video)
Most gapps work sideloaded
Cheap
Cons:
The whole OS is designed to sell you stuff. I don't like paying money (even just $200) for ads.
Doesn't feel like a true Android experience, even after sideloading Play Store and changing launcher.
At the end of the day, it's a phone I didn't use. I'd rather lug my LTE iPad mini around than use this phone. Even with a year of Amazon Prime ($50 since I'm a student), I can't really justify keeping it.
tanders12 said:
I picked up a Fire Phone during the Black Friday Firesale. I've given it a month to see if I could use it, but it spent the last week in my glove compartment. I just feel like FireOS is too limited. It's not any one thing, more like a bunch of small annoyances added up.
Pros:
Love the hardware
Integration with Amazon services is nice (Audible, Prime Video)
Most gapps work sideloaded
Cheap
Cons:
The whole OS is designed to sell you stuff. I don't like paying money (even just $200) for ads.
Doesn't feel like a true Android experience, even after sideloading Play Store and changing launcher.
At the end of the day, it's a phone I didn't use. I'd rather lug my LTE iPad mini around than use this phone. Even with a year of Amazon Prime ($50 since I'm a student), I can't really justify keeping it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason why I'm happy with it is because my sister wanted a phone and the max. she was willing to pay was US $125 for the price I got it for ($199 which includes a year of prime which I sold the other 4 slots for $25 a piece to people on a forum...) this makes the phone just $100 for that price you really can't go wrong, I'm running Google Play Store on it with Google Now Launcher.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
swati770 said:
The reason why I'm happy with it is because my sister wanted a phone and the max. she was willing to pay was US $125 for the price I got it for ($199 which includes a year of prime which I sold the other 4 slots for $25 a piece to people on a forum...) this makes the phone just $100 for that price you really can't go wrong, I'm running Google Play Store on it with Google Now Launcher.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
I'm glad it worked out for you. It really was a close call for me. So far I'm really happy with the Moto G. It's not as snappy as the Fire, but it's so nice to have vanilla Android.
While I'm sure Amazon will go under because you returned the phone, I don't get this whole "selling you stuff" and "ads". While it's true we cannot root the phones and install and adblocker, I'm not seeing all of these "ads" you're referring to. The ad-supported apps are certainly functioning by providing ads so we can have the app for "free", but otherwise, these ads that you're telling us about don't seem to be there. Amazon hasn't sold me anything, although they certainly designed the phone to make it easy for amazon customers to purchase from amazon. Other than some free apps that didn't work, as not all apps will work with the Fire Phone, I really haven't experienced any of this horrible "selling" and "ads" that you have found.
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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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.
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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.
So whats your initial thoughts? Now that you have it in hand.
I've got to wait till the 2nd September boooooooo
Sent from my SM-N930F using XDA-Developers mobile app
So far so good. Great improvement over my iPhone 6 Plus. Iris scanner works flawlessly for me and I have glasses. Overall I'm in love. Just sensuous using it as my case and screen protector won't be here until tomorrow. I'm on AT&T btw.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N930A using Tapatalk
nolimit06 said:
So far so good. Great improvement over my iPhone 6 Plus. Iris scanner spells flawlessly for me and I have glasses. Overall I'm in love. Just sensuous using it as my case and screen protector won't be here until tomorrow. I'm on AT&T btw.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N930A using Tapatalk
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I'm on sprint so hopefully tomorrow.
Who did you order from, I ordered from Samsung, and it seems I won't be receiving mines anytime soon.
The phone is absolutely gorgeous! I came from the iphone 6s+, the fit and finish is phenomenal. My case and screen protectors will be here tonight from Amazon Prime (same day delivery totally worth it), the only thing I dislike now about the samsung phones would be the "ok google" is not longer available for always on, and yes I know how to set it up I wish Samsung would have kept that feature like "Hey Siri" on the iphone 6s+.
It is going to take some getting used to as I have been away from Android for about 8 months rocking my iphone, but I have always tried out the new Samsung phones S6 edge plus S7 edge plus but I have always returned them and went back to the iphone so we will see with this phone if I keep it past the 14 days , but so far so good!!!
gthmcty1 said:
The phone is absolutely gorgeous! I came from the iphone 6s+, the fit and finish is phenomenal. My case and screen protectors will be here tonight from Amazon Prime (same day delivery totally worth it), the only thing I dislike now about the samsung phones would be the "ok google" is not longer available for always on, and yes I know how to set it up I wish Samsung would have kept that feature like "Hey Siri" on the iphone 6s+.
It is going to take some getting used to as I have been away from Android for about 8 months rocking my iphone, but I have always tried out the new Samsung phones S6 edge plus S7 edge plus but I have always returned them and went back to the iphone so we will see with this phone if I keep it past the 14 days , but so far so good!!!
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This exactly. Had the 6S and then went to an SE haha. When the Note arrives, it'll be twice the size. I've promised myself to at least keep the Note until the release of the iPhone 8, as it's supposed to be edge to edge display and ultra HD.. We'll see
mattjewell said:
This exactly. Had the 6S and then went to an SE haha. When the Note arrives, it'll be twice the size. I've promised myself to at least keep the Note until the release of the iPhone 8, as it's supposed to be edge to edge display and ultra HD.. We'll see
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LOL at least I am not by myself when it comes to trying out the latest and greatest! Thats so funny what you said about the iPhone8 .....I said the exact same thing LOL!!!!
Corbitt74 said:
So whats your initial thoughts? Now that you have it in hand.
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Indescribable upgrade from my S4 lol
Coming from an iPhone 6+, I'm very happy with it
Sent from my SM-N930F using Tapatalk
nolimit06 said:
So far so good. Great improvement over my iPhone 6 Plus. Iris scanner works flawlessly for me and I have glasses. Overall I'm in love. Just sensuous using it as my case and screen protector won't be here until tomorrow. I'm on AT&T btw.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N930A using Tapatalk
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Lmao I wouldn't even pick it up until I get a case and screen protector on it. I would just let it sit in the box and carry it around like that.
PearsonDKA said:
Lmao I wouldn't even pick it up until I get a case and screen protector on it. I would just let it sit in the box and carry it around like that.
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Haha I'm actually using it without a case but i left the stock "protector" on it. I am still waiting for the otterbox defender to be released so i don't have any plans on buying a case soon, i am temporarily using my mumu PS Vita pouch as a "case" to keep it in when I'm not using it as it has a very food material inside the prevents the device from getting scratched
j3yps said:
Haha I'm actually using it without a case but i left the stock "protector" on it. I am still waiting for the otterbox defender to be released so i don't have any plans on buying a case soon, i am temporarily using my mumu PS Vita pouch as a "case" to keep it in when I'm not using it as it has a very food material inside the prevents the device from getting scratched
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Same here. Well the front film anyway. In so tempted to remove it but I'm getting my screen protector in about 12 hours.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
aznmode said:
Same here. Well the front film anyway. In so tempted to remove it but I'm getting my screen protector in about 12 hours.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
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That's awesome, i will go to the mall tomorrow to get a screen protector. Hopefully there will be some available locally (Philippines). At first i wss fixed on getting a TGSP for my note7 but after reading a lot of things about TGSP on "edge phones" i think I'll stick with the "plastic" ones for now.
Hopefully the defender will be released soon, i am honestly not that comfrotable using the phone without any protection as from the videos on YouTube, it can get scratched easily.
Actually pretty jealous of you all. I had mine preordered but accidentally hit the cancel button instead of save one day and had to start over. I was 55th yesterday, and 54th today/tonight, guessing I won't be getting it anytime soon haha.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
That sucks, that happend to me once before. So i know the feeling haha
Coming from an HTC M9, love it.. I thought it was only going to be a small upgrade but it's a large step..
PearsonDKA said:
Actually pretty jealous of you all. I had mine preordered but accidentally hit the cancel button instead of save one day and had to start over. I was 55th yesterday, and 54th today/tonight, guessing I won't be getting it anytime soon haha.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
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Don't feel too bad for yourself lol. You could be in my position:
I ordered the Black Onyx 2 minutes after midnight with a Sprint invite code that was given to me by Sprint. Was supposed to get the phone over a week ago. But they screwed up my order. Instead of Black Onyx they are sending me the Titanium... Which I dont want. They refused to cancel my order or to even change the order to the proper one. Stating that they were 'still trying to find my device in the warehouse'... I'm sitting here like "well good, then you can tell them to STOP trying to find it" but they wouldn't. Then when I was told it would ship by a specific day, it didn't. I paid an extra 50 dollars for next day shipping as well, but guess what? It JUST shipped yesterday at 8pm! And wont be here until tomorrow while I'm at work. So I basically paid 50 bucks to have my phone shipped the same day as what it would have been with free shipping... Ontop of that, Sprint put a restriction on my package! So I can't have UPS hold the package at their sorting facility for me to just come pick up like I always have to do. My 'UPS Driver' is cruel and won't take the time to go down my drive way to deliver packages. Sure the drive way is around a quarter mile long, but his excuse every time is "I can't find the house"... When the house is two stores, the ONLY two story house in the area, and can be seen over the tops of the trees from the road... But nope, he just won't come down the drive way to deliver. So since I have that restriction, I can't pick up my package like I normally have to do. So, I now have to call off from work so I can sit at the end of the drive way to wait for the UPS guy to show up... Then I have to take the phone into a Sprint Store to have them exchange it for the Black Onyx one... IF they even have it in stock... Because apparently the stores haven't even gotten their devices in yet. I talked to them yesterday when I tried to see if they could just hand over the proper phone and then I'd drop off my current phone and the incorrect Note 7 back to them. They said they would, but they don't have any devices in the store. So I really need to hope and pray they have a Black Onyx version that hasn't been purchased yet...
Getting this phone has been the worst experience of my life in regards to trying to buy a smartphone... My Note 5 was a breeze, and my S4 was as well. I just walked into the store 4 days before launch and was like "hey, I wanna buy the S4" and the sales guy walked outa the stock room with an S4 and sold it to me. I pre-ordered the Note 5 within minutes of them opening up pre-orders, and got the phone 3 days later, weeks before you could even buy them in a store. And now, they ask me if I want this phone weeks early, and I take them up on the offer, and presto... worst experience ever.
HikariNoKitsune said:
Don't feel too bad for yourself lol. You could be in my position:
I ordered the Black Onyx 2 minutes after midnight with a Sprint invite code that was given to me by Sprint. Was supposed to get the phone over a week ago. But they screwed up my order. Instead of Black Onyx they are sending me the Titanium... Which I dont want. They refused to cancel my order or to even change the order to the proper one. Stating that they were 'still trying to find my device in the warehouse'... I'm sitting here like "well good, then you can tell them to STOP trying to find it" but they wouldn't. Then when I was told it would ship by a specific day, it didn't. I paid an extra 50 dollars for next day shipping as well, but guess what? It JUST shipped yesterday at 8pm! And wont be here until tomorrow while I'm at work. So I basically paid 50 bucks to have my phone shipped the same day as what it would have been with free shipping... Ontop of that, Sprint put a restriction on my package! So I can't have UPS hold the package at their sorting facility for me to just come pick up like I always have to do. My 'UPS Driver' is cruel and won't take the time to go down my drive way to deliver packages. Sure the drive way is around a quarter mile long, but his excuse every time is "I can't find the house"... When the house is two stores, the ONLY two story house in the area, and can be seen over the tops of the trees from the road... But nope, he just won't come down the drive way to deliver. So since I have that restriction, I can't pick up my package like I normally have to do. So, I now have to call off from work so I can sit at the end of the drive way to wait for the UPS guy to show up... Then I have to take the phone into a Sprint Store to have them exchange it for the Black Onyx one... IF they even have it in stock... Because apparently the stores haven't even gotten their devices in yet. I talked to them yesterday when I tried to see if they could just hand over the proper phone and then I'd drop off my current phone and the incorrect Note 7 back to them. They said they would, but they don't have any devices in the store. So I really need to hope and pray they have a Black Onyx version that hasn't been purchased yet...
Getting this phone has been the worst experience of my life in regards to trying to buy a smartphone... My Note 5 was a breeze, and my S4 was as well. I just walked into the store 4 days before launch and was like "hey, I wanna buy the S4" and the sales guy walked outa the stock room with an S4 and sold it to me. I pre-ordered the Note 5 within minutes of them opening up pre-orders, and got the phone 3 days later, weeks before you could even buy them in a store. And now, they ask me if I want this phone weeks early, and I take them up on the offer, and presto... worst experience ever.
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Holy hell that's terrible. Hopefully it all gets sorted out.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
PearsonDKA said:
Holy hell that's terrible. Hopefully it all gets sorted out.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
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Hoping as well haha. I wasn't even planning on getting the phone until they said they'd give it early and at a discount. But guess that was just too good to be true D=