New Amazon Fire Phone Announced

[jerhyn]

Amazon Fire Phone

It comes with a year of amazon prime for a limited time.

What I am not sure about is the Fire OS. I know that it is Android like but, it makes me hesitant. Wonder if this will make a big difference in whether or not this get adopted.

[sealocan]

$649.00 are you freaking kidding me!!!

if it stays anywhere near that price it's doomed to fail!

I'm no phone expert but I know you can get a pretty nice phone in the under $500 area.

[DNA]

Yeah... quite honestly, it's a bit over priced.

Still better bang for the buck with Nexus devices (or Android Silver).

Or the ever elusive vaporware that's the OnePlus One.

Dan

[jerhyn]

Most of the new powerful smartphones purchased without a contract are over 600. A 2 year contract often drops the price by about $400-$450.

This phone is 199 with a plan and 649 without a plan.

[DNA]

Yeah, but both Nexus 5 ($350), OnePlus One ($300/16GB, $350/64GB) and Moto X ($350) all ship unlocked and off contract. The hardware is better on the OnePlus One with software from Cyanogenmod.

You're paying $200 or more for it. That brings it on par with the big boys, the Samsung S5/Note3, HTC One M8, Apple 5S, LG G3 and well, aside from the novelty of a 3D screen and the help button with live support what does it have to offer? A forked version of android? No access to google play? No developer community support (ROMs etc)?

No thanks. If I'm paying $$$ out of my pocket, it's not going to be for the Amazon Fire. Especially @ $650. I'd be getting the Nexus 5 and a case of 9mm. With that nexus I'd be getting a monster phone, guaranteed OS updates for 2 years from Google and years later from the Dev community @ XDA forums etc. But that's just me, to each his own

Dan

[the86d]

...No thanks. If I'm paying $$$ out of my pocket, it's not going to be for the Amazon Fire. Especially @ $650. I'd be getting the Nexus 5 and a case of 9mm. With that nexus I'd be getting a monster phone, guaranteed OS updates for 2 years from Google and years later from the Dev community @ XDA forums etc. But that's just me, to each his own

Dan

^ Preach-on the legit truth! ^

[Satex]

Looks like an iPhone 4/5 clone - that's lame.
I had an Amazon Fire a year back and sold it after a couple of months of frustration. What you get with Amazon is a neutered Android with a flaky user interface. It's the worst of all worlds. None of the alleged benefits of Android plus the disadvantages of an in house flavor of the user experience.

[InFamous20]

Keeping an eye out on the nexus 8

[FreedomIsNotFree]

Yeah, the Amazon phone is pretty much DOA. Everyone in the industry pretty much knows this. I give it 45 days, tops, before it's free. The price point and limited hardware/software capabilities dooms the device.

[Frisco3Gun]

$650 for an AT&T locked phone that doesn't offer anything above any major manufacturer's flagship phone? No thanks.

I've heard Nokia's new X2 (which is made by Microsoft) is a killer at only about $130. I rock a Nexus 5, but the screen is massive and I'm almost shy to pull it out in front of people. WTT for a Razr V3 in cobalt!

[the86d]

$650 for an AT&T locked phone that doesn't offer anything above any major manufacturer's flagship phone? No thanks...

"Unlocked GSM"...

Why can't we just get a common platform of Open Source devices that would better the planet and bring us one step closer to a simplified Star Trek-ish Interface that better's the world? Because people want control of your search-results and to capture your searches for marketing, so it's all about money.

I am guessing eventually someone will come out with AOKP that works will ALL Linux-based devices, or at least the unlocked ones, and make the world a better place.

[DNA]

$650 for an AT&T locked phone that doesn't offer anything above any major manufacturer's flagship phone? No thanks.

I've heard Nokia's new X2 (which is made by Microsoft) is a killer at only about $130. I rock a Nexus 5, but the screen is massive and I'm almost shy to pull it out in front of people. WTT for a Razr V3 in cobalt!

Nokia X2? Meh... Forked android... 2012 Called, the Galaxy Nexus had the same specs... Heck the new Moto E has the same specs for $129! Although the Moto G is current best bang for your buck @ $220ish w/ LTE, @ $199 w/ HSPA+ plus fast updates from Motorola for the OS. And, if you're with Verizon, the Moto G is available on their prepaid plans, at the subsidized price of $100! Yup, $100 phone and no contract.

Dan

[NTRDR]

Still waiting for the OnePlus - specs are great + comes rooted and on Cyanogen? Saves me the 10 minutes to root, sign me up

[FreedomIsNotFree]

Nokia X2? Meh... Forked android... 2012 Called, the Galaxy Nexus had the same specs... Heck the new Moto E has the same specs for $129! Although the Moto G is current best bang for your buck @ $220ish w/ LTE, @ $199 w/ HSPA+ plus fast updates from Motorola for the OS. And, if you're with Verizon, the Moto G is available on their prepaid plans, at the subsidized price of $100! Yup, $100 phone and no contract.

Dan

Unfortunately, Verizon's version of the Moto G doesn't have LTE built into it. In fact, Verizon doesn't currently offer any prepaid service with LTE, but that will be changing soon...very soon. I haven't seen a revised Moto G with LTE on their device road map, but it's still a possibility.

[DNA]

Still waiting for the OnePlus - specs are great + comes rooted and on Cyanogen? Saves me the 10 minutes to root, sign me up

You're telling me... but till they actually start shipping product... they're currently vaporware... lot of contests to spam people about a phone you can't buy.. Only been at it since the beginning of the year...

I didn't settle with waiting for a "flagship killer" for last years phones and got a Huawei Ascend Mate 2. The one that was announced last month and shipped at the end of the month. OnePlus could learn something from Huawei (then again they are partners with another chinese company, Oppo). Maybe they were hoping to drum up sales of the Oppo Find 7A (same phone as OnePlusOne ~$100 more and currently in stock! )

Dan