Wot no £99 Amazon fire phone thread

Theporter · 28-01-2015, 17:28

And you call this a mobile phone forum

d123 · 28-01-2015, 18:18

Quote:

And you call this a mobile phone forum

An Android phone with no Google support, sold sim free but locked to O2.

I don't think even at £99 it's worthy of a bargain thread....

moox · 28-01-2015, 18:26

I seem to remember reading that Amazon has only sold about 35,000 worldwide.

As the poster above says, it's a pretty crippled phone that is only available on the worst network in the UK.

They're basically repeating what Apple did with the iPhone, except that Apple's product was desirable and Amazon's isn't. If they made it a more generic Android phone and sold the things SIM only at a Moto G-esque price it might get somewhere, like their tablets that seem to sell reasonably well

Orbitalzone · 28-01-2015, 18:34

I can't say I feel sorry for Amazon, they must be taking a massive loss on selling these for £99 and what timing with Apple making 4999trillion dollars an hour or something like that.

drabble · 28-01-2015, 18:42

About the only thing going for it is that supports the common US and European LTE bands.

Even as a 02 customer and Prime subscriber I wouldn't want it.

klendathu · 28-01-2015, 20:30

I wouldn't buy one for 20 quid.

sdduk · 28-01-2015, 20:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by d123

An Android phone with no Google support, sold sim free but locked to O2.

I don't think even at £99 it's worthy of a bargain thread....

I Agree and what a failure for Amazon trying to take on Google and the iPhone with that crap.

coopermanyorks · 28-01-2015, 21:25

op,you can see why now ?

The Lord Lucan · 28-01-2015, 22:55

Had a play with one. It would have been great a year ago but it seems rushed, not well thought out and no real reason to switch. I do commend them for trying and I'm sure they will try again.. But no thanks.

jchamier · 28-01-2015, 23:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Lord Lucan

Had a play with one. It would have been great a year ago but it seems rushed, not well thought out and no real reason to switch. I do commend them for trying and I'm sure they will try again.. But no thanks.

It seems people are happy to buy Fire tablets with the amazon app store; especially when the tablets are ~£150.

But for a phone that is £500+ people don't buy it when the UK mainstream apps don't exist, and I'm talking about banking apps, Sky Go, etc rather than the international big ones (Facebook, twitter, instagram, WhatsApp etc).

Everything Goes · 29-01-2015, 00:00

You can install Google Play Store without rooting it.

http://www.technobuffalo.com/2015/01...thout-rooting/

http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire...-play-t2977237

At £99 its ok really.

jchamier · 29-01-2015, 07:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Everything Goes

At £99 its ok really.

Locked to O2 on SIM only isn't okay however. Not a good network for smartphone sales.

Rossby41 · 29-01-2015, 14:19

I think main problem Amazon had with their Fire phone was lack of android play store. Which as fine for the Kindle Fire, where people would want to read things on it. But you can't read whole books/magazines on the phone that well.

D_Mcd4 · 29-01-2015, 15:20

I saw that when I was looking for a spare phone but O2 is no use to me. I wonder what they were thinking restricting it as much as they have? I got a Moto G instead.

Everything Goes · 29-01-2015, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by jchamier

Locked to O2 on SIM only isn't okay however. Not a good network for smartphone sales.

You can get it unlocked. O2 contracts are free to unlock the phone.

d123 · 29-01-2015, 16:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Everything Goes

You can get it unlocked. O2 contracts are free to unlock the phone.

But that would mean you have an O2 contract...

It's the people on other networks that would be more likely to need it unlocked

.

alanwarwic · 29-01-2015, 16:52

Lol at the sheep comments. Quite funny when you realise many of same bunch probably liked that obsolete £99 HP tablet.
That one did not even run Android

alanwarwic · 29-01-2015, 17:11

Seems they sold out.

It is 'on order', at £300, still a £100 reduction. Hardly worth £300 but as we know, price value is always open to debate.

Everything Goes · 29-01-2015, 17:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by d123

But that would mean you have an O2 contract...

It's the people on other networks that would be more likely to need it unlocked

.

If you know someone with an O2 contact (they don't need to own a Fire phone) they can still request the unlock code for it for free. Technically cheating but it works.

d123 · 29-01-2015, 18:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Everything Goes

If you know someone with an O2 contact (they don't need to own a Fire phone) they can still request the unlock code for it for free. Technically cheating but it works.

Still won't help the huge majority on other networks who don't, so that wouldn't work to get it unlocked as you said.

moox · 29-01-2015, 18:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanwarwic

Lol at the sheep comments. Quite funny when you realise many of same bunch probably liked that obsolete £99 HP tablet.
That one did not even run Android

WebOS had its selling points and wasn't locked down like this Amazon thing is. It was just a different OS, like Windows Phone is.

That said, many people bought the tablet when HP discontinued it as soon as it launched primarily because it was hackable and people were able to shoehorn Android onto it.

frightlever · 31-01-2015, 12:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Everything Goes

You can install Google Play Store without rooting it.

http://www.technobuffalo.com/2015/01...thout-rooting/

http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire...-play-t2977237

At £99 its ok really.

Just a warning, maybe. I already started a thread about this because I didn't think to look beyond the first page. Whatever. I followed those instructions and I can get the Play store to load but not connect to the internet and it keeps saying the "Google Play services have stopped".

I got it as an upgrade to my 60 quid Android iPhone clone (seriously it was a copy of the iPhone 4 externally but with the buttons mirrored to the opposite sides and an Android logo on the back - baffled so many people with it. Sigh. Gone now.) and the hardware is lush but the UI design is just a bit too radical. I'm getting used to it. Kinda like it.

This was to be my new work phone and since we already use O2 and my previous phone was 2G only, it's all good. I don't even use that many apps but typically the two I do need aren't on the Amazon store.

To be honest the people disparaging the phone are the sheeple, as that's the prevailing popular meme being trotted out without actual experience of the phone. At 300 quid, yeah don't touch it, but for £99 there's nothing close hardware wise right now.

Then again I just enjoy gadgets, learning new UIs, tinkering and have more money than sense, so I'm easily pleased. Negativity gets you nowhere.

28-01-2015, 17:28	#1
Theporter Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 45	Wot no £99 Amazon fire phone thread And you call this a mobile phone forum

28-01-2015, 18:18	#2
d123 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 3,987	Quote: Originally Posted by Theporter And you call this a mobile phone forum An Android phone with no Google support, sold sim free but locked to O2. I don't think even at £99 it's worthy of a bargain thread....

28-01-2015, 18:26	#3
moox Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 14,641	I seem to remember reading that Amazon has only sold about 35,000 worldwide. As the poster above says, it's a pretty crippled phone that is only available on the worst network in the UK. They're basically repeating what Apple did with the iPhone, except that Apple's product was desirable and Amazon's isn't. If they made it a more generic Android phone and sold the things SIM only at a Moto G-esque price it might get somewhere, like their tablets that seem to sell reasonably well

28-01-2015, 18:34	#4
Orbitalzone Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Sussex Posts: 12,173	I can't say I feel sorry for Amazon, they must be taking a massive loss on selling these for £99 and what timing with Apple making 4999trillion dollars an hour or something like that.

28-01-2015, 18:42	#5
drabble Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 613	About the only thing going for it is that supports the common US and European LTE bands. Even as a 02 customer and Prime subscriber I wouldn't want it.

28-01-2015, 20:30	#6
klendathu Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 10,726	I wouldn't buy one for 20 quid.

28-01-2015, 20:45	#7
sdduk Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 216	Quote: Originally Posted by d123 An Android phone with no Google support, sold sim free but locked to O2. I don't think even at £99 it's worthy of a bargain thread.... I Agree and what a failure for Amazon trying to take on Google and the iPhone with that crap.

28-01-2015, 21:25	#8
coopermanyorks Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: In Gods Own County Posts: 20,678	op,you can see why now ?

28-01-2015, 22:55	#9
The Lord Lucan Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Scotland Posts: 4,966	Had a play with one. It would have been great a year ago but it seems rushed, not well thought out and no real reason to switch. I do commend them for trying and I'm sure they will try again.. But no thanks.

28-01-2015, 23:46	#10
jchamier Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: This forum Posts: 3,389	Quote: Originally Posted by The Lord Lucan Had a play with one. It would have been great a year ago but it seems rushed, not well thought out and no real reason to switch. I do commend them for trying and I'm sure they will try again.. But no thanks. It seems people are happy to buy Fire tablets with the amazon app store; especially when the tablets are ~£150. But for a phone that is £500+ people don't buy it when the UK mainstream apps don't exist, and I'm talking about banking apps, Sky Go, etc rather than the international big ones (Facebook, twitter, instagram, WhatsApp etc).

29-01-2015, 00:00	#11
Everything Goes Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In the future.... Posts: 11,257	You can install Google Play Store without rooting it. http://www.technobuffalo.com/2015/01...thout-rooting/ http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire...-play-t2977237 At £99 its ok really.

29-01-2015, 07:50	#12
jchamier Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: This forum Posts: 3,389	Quote: Originally Posted by Everything Goes At £99 its ok really. Locked to O2 on SIM only isn't okay however. Not a good network for smartphone sales.

29-01-2015, 14:19	#13
Rossby41 Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 843	I think main problem Amazon had with their Fire phone was lack of android play store. Which as fine for the Kindle Fire, where people would want to read things on it. But you can't read whole books/magazines on the phone that well.

29-01-2015, 15:20	#14
D_Mcd4 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 4,476	I saw that when I was looking for a spare phone but O2 is no use to me. I wonder what they were thinking restricting it as much as they have? I got a Moto G instead.

29-01-2015, 15:41	#15
Everything Goes Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In the future.... Posts: 11,257	Quote: Originally Posted by jchamier Locked to O2 on SIM only isn't okay however. Not a good network for smartphone sales. You can get it unlocked. O2 contracts are free to unlock the phone.

29-01-2015, 16:07	#16
d123 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 3,987	Quote: Originally Posted by Everything Goes You can get it unlocked. O2 contracts are free to unlock the phone. But that would mean you have an O2 contract... It's the people on other networks that would be more likely to need it unlocked .

29-01-2015, 16:52	#17
alanwarwic Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: the wild world web Posts: 28,132	Lol at the sheep comments. Quite funny when you realise many of same bunch probably liked that obsolete £99 HP tablet. That one did not even run Android

29-01-2015, 17:11	#18
alanwarwic Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: the wild world web Posts: 28,132	Seems they sold out. It is 'on order', at £300, still a £100 reduction. Hardly worth £300 but as we know, price value is always open to debate.

29-01-2015, 17:52	#19
Everything Goes Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: In the future.... Posts: 11,257	Quote: Originally Posted by d123 But that would mean you have an O2 contract... It's the people on other networks that would be more likely to need it unlocked . If you know someone with an O2 contact (they don't need to own a Fire phone) they can still request the unlock code for it for free. Technically cheating but it works.

29-01-2015, 18:07	#20
d123 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 3,987	Quote: Originally Posted by Everything Goes If you know someone with an O2 contact (they don't need to own a Fire phone) they can still request the unlock code for it for free. Technically cheating but it works. Still won't help the huge majority on other networks who don't, so that wouldn't work to get it unlocked as you said.

29-01-2015, 18:17	#21
moox Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 14,641	Quote: Originally Posted by alanwarwic Lol at the sheep comments. Quite funny when you realise many of same bunch probably liked that obsolete £99 HP tablet. That one did not even run Android WebOS had its selling points and wasn't locked down like this Amazon thing is. It was just a different OS, like Windows Phone is. That said, many people bought the tablet when HP discontinued it as soon as it launched primarily because it was hackable and people were able to shoehorn Android onto it.

31-01-2015, 12:03	#22
frightlever Forum Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,204	Quote: Originally Posted by Everything Goes You can install Google Play Store without rooting it. http://www.technobuffalo.com/2015/01...thout-rooting/ http://forum.xda-developers.com/fire...-play-t2977237 At £99 its ok really. Just a warning, maybe. I already started a thread about this because I didn't think to look beyond the first page. Whatever. I followed those instructions and I can get the Play store to load but not connect to the internet and it keeps saying the "Google Play services have stopped". I got it as an upgrade to my 60 quid Android iPhone clone (seriously it was a copy of the iPhone 4 externally but with the buttons mirrored to the opposite sides and an Android logo on the back - baffled so many people with it. Sigh. Gone now.) and the hardware is lush but the UI design is just a bit too radical. I'm getting used to it. Kinda like it. This was to be my new work phone and since we already use O2 and my previous phone was 2G only, it's all good. I don't even use that many apps but typically the two I do need aren't on the Amazon store. To be honest the people disparaging the phone are the sheeple, as that's the prevailing popular meme being trotted out without actual experience of the phone. At 300 quid, yeah don't touch it, but for £99 there's nothing close hardware wise right now. Then again I just enjoy gadgets, learning new UIs, tinkering and have more money than sense, so I'm easily pleased. Negativity gets you nowhere.

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Wot no £99 Amazon fire phone thread