Amazon Backpedals On Encryption, But Fire "Still Sucks" 66
Just a day after it made headlines for announcing that it would remove encryption from its line of FireOS devices, reports Ars Technica, the company has reverted the change, and says that encryption will again be a user-selectable option, with an update to come sometime this Spring. Judging from comments here on Slashdot, that ought to please a lot of people. However, encryption isn't the Fire's only problem; Ricki Jennings at ComputerWorld has collected some of the user reaction to the change, and says that anemic hardware means that even with this small course correction, the Fire tablets themselves "still suck." I'm not so sure; I bought one of the low-end Fire tablets and returned it, disappointed not in the hardware (seemed not bad at all for $50, with a decent screen, snappy video, and sound that was better than reviews had led me to expect) but rather by the intentional limitations of the OS itself.
Still better than Firefox OS. (Score:1)
The part of this that's truly sad is that even with encryption disabled, FireOS was still better than Firefox OS.
Review notes (Score:5, Informative)
I bought a Fire on the first day of release as well, and set very low expectations for it based on how much I was paying. Ultimately, all I ever use it for is to watch movies I've downloaded on flights. It's Browser performance (just performing DNS lookups as far as I can tell from the UI, forget about getting pages to render) is anemic at best. I haven't even bother installing any applications that I could use to create or add data to it (like a text editor, dropbox, or even a non-throwaway email address), but I'm sure some people do that.
Oh on the plus side, it plays Minecraft like a champ, so it's useful for quieting the house.
Just amused that it can render rudimentary 3-D graphics, play full screen, full motion video, but I can't even use it to visit Slashdot...
Re: Review notes (Score:5, Informative)
I wish the bootloader weren't locked but they don't prevent you from sideloading Play Store. I got one for $40 for my daughter to take on an international trip to use as a Hangouts device and I was totally satisfied with the value and got a second one for my own use.
I think the "with special offers" idea is fantastic - I would have bought twice if they hadn't sold out (a whole Eneloop setup for $14?). By keeping them as restricted Android devices, they're keeping lots of potential shoppers away from Special Offers. I guess they've done the math on this and it says they make more from their app store than they lose from less Amazon shopping, but the $20 price difference indicates they are losing real profit for notional profit.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
I picked my fire up for £30 an amazons black friday sale (its starting to become a thing in the UK). The other day they emailed me to say they were recalling the charger as they were unsafe, and offered me £12 credit to buy my own. I've never used their charger, so for £18, I think this is the best value tablet I have ever bought. Sure it suck, but a no-name knockoff for that price would be aweful!
Re: Review notes (Score:5, Informative)
The bootloader is locked but you can still install cyanogen mod and have a decent fully functional tablet for 50 bucks. Go look at the XDA forums.
You can root the update directly (Score:2)
Boot loader isn't a problem with the right root.
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Re:Review notes (Score:4, Interesting)
That's entirely the shitty Silk browser at work there. Sideloading google services and Chrome improves that experience quite a bit. I suspect it's all the telemetry that Amazon loads.
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Thanks. Just dusted it off and plugged it in to get a charge, will try getting Chrome or access the Play store to see other options...
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Just amused that it can render rudimentary 3-D graphics, play full screen, full motion video, but I can't even use it to visit Slashdot...
Amazon must have fixed that, because I just responded to a /. post using my new (5th Generation) Fire, and it worked fine.
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You got the little $50/$35 fire to? I'm sure I've missed the latest updates, haven't touched the thing in a month and a half or more, maybe i'll see if something new came down the pike to make it a usable web browser...
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Sucks???? (Score:2)
okay for $39, find anything remotely close to this device. What I'd like to know is if I can program for it and use it's usb to control my arduino.
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Well, about 3 months back, I found a general-purpose 7" Android tablet for $39. It's not exactly Retina-level graphics resolution and the viewing angle is below average (some consider this a plus, though). But it's a perky little thing and yes, I believe it supports USB on-the-go, so I suppose you could use it is usb to control your arduino (sic).
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On mine the browser is much faster than firefox on a brand new window's 10 laptop with 16 gig of ram.
Seriously.
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perhaps I'm just spoiled using Safari on iOS on my mobile devices, and alternating between Safari, Chrome and Firefox on my MBPro... But seriously, slashdot was one of the first sites i tried to open on it, and it probably took a minute or two to load the page.
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I paid £35 for it, and I removed the OS in favour of Cyanogenmod. I use it like I'd use a phone or a small tablet, and it works. Email, some games, guitar tuner/metronome, surfing, facebook messenger. Basically everything I'd put on my phone of main tablet if I didn't mind install all sorts of crap and caning the battery. It's also great for PDFs/comics/graphic novels; I have a kindle for reason serious stuff but PDF support is poor on it, as is zooming in and out. It's great on the Fire; n
Re: The Washington Post sucks too. (Score:2, Funny)
We're all sorry to hear that you lost your job at Amazon.
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Hate working in an open-plan office? His fault, the bald-headed Millefiori bratcunt.
You can de-limit the operating system (Score:5, Interesting)
It's actually very simple [teleread.com] to get Google Services, including the Play Store, on the Fire. You don't even have to root it—just enable developer mode, activate USB debugging, install some drivers on your PC, and sideload a software package. Then, boom: you've got the Play Store and nearly every app I've tried works just fine. (Oddly enough, Google Inbox is one that doesn't.) As a side effect, it also disables Special Offers for free.
I gather you can go further with further hacking, outright replacing Fire OS with CyanogenMod or whatever, but I've never felt the need to. I have other pure Android devices, and this Fire the way it is is good enough.
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Can't you just install ES File Explorer from their store and use that to sideload stuff? That's what I did with the Fire TV Stick, which saved me from having to park myself next to the TV with a netbook for two minutes. #1WP
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I did everything one could to unlimit it -- got it working as one would want. And found it just wouldn't chromecast. It turned out to be a known problem.
There are other cheap tablets out there. They work better as a simple Android device.
Re:You can de-limit the operating system (Score:4, Informative)
There is basically a "one click" way to do this.. just takes a bit of time.
Once i did it to my own FIRE i then installed another launcher.. basically giving me an ASUS tab (using the asus launcher) for $30 thanks to black friday.
ASUS doesnt have anything that can come close to that price level.
I found moving to CyanogenMod left the device unstable and atually went back to FireOS and the playstore work-around.
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$30?!
When did it ever get down to that price? I saw $39 and $35, but never $30.
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Sorry, you may be right about $35, obviously it was a few months ago.. regardless once i applied some "updates" it became much more useful.
Artificial limitations suck (Score:4, Insightful)
Those include: Being unable to install software from outside of an official app store (iOS and Windows Phone), being unable to uninstall certain bundled programs (You can't uninstall certain Google apps even from unlocked Android phones), being unable to install apps on SD cards (Android), etc... All of them can be summed up as not allowing the user to be root on their own device.
Re:Artificial limitations suck (Score:4, Insightful)
Do you really think Amazon would be selling the hardware that cheap if it weren't locked down? They sell a $200+ tablet for $50 because they expect you to buy more than $150+ of Amazon stuff on it. That wouldn't work very well if they just let you buy from whoever on it.
Yet it does! (Score:2)
Mine is rooted. I buy Amazon books on it and ... nothing else.
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Comment removed (Score:3)
Disapppointed why? (Score:2)
Easy to push google stuff on to, easy to root. Cheap. Quad processor. Faster browsing than windows. Long battery life.
Programs like keyboards can get you to the hidden OS pages for installing keyboards.
Wait and see... (Score:2)
My question is will they attempt to do something mind-bendingly stupid like enabling a secret master key or key escrow when they re-enable encryption on the device. You know, just so they can cooperate with the FBI and show how they're better than Apple.
Great Value! (Score:2)
Seriously, for a little bit of money you get a decent throwaway tablet. If you lose an 800 dollar iPad you'll cry. If you lose this you'll go, "meh!"
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If I may be so bold... Why, pray tell, are you putting your personal data on it? Yes, your name and whatnot is on there. Why the other stuff? There's no storage of credit cards, there's no reason to have it tied to a private email address, there's no need to put things on there that you don't want to lose. If you're expecting security from a mobile device, a device that can be lost or stolen, then you're doing it wrong at the very start of the security process.
Nothing, and I mean that literally, is both sec
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I ROt13d your data. Pray I do not ROT13 it again.
Devices for non-nerds don't need nerd-features (Score:3)
So the hardware and the O/S is a little limiting? Fine. It isn't the type of device you need.
On the other hand, all of the ridiculous levels of settings and personalizations and all that on a 5.1.1 or 6.0 Android box is too much for my parents to want to argue with.
There's something to be said for "works well enough". As developers we should not forget that, lest a simpler product line come along and put your complex fully-featured super-product out to dry, no matter what features the new upstart is missing.
I'm not saying Amazon's Fire will do that to Android, as the tablet market right now is still pretty large and has room for all (and of course, Fire could easily re-enable Android features they've suppressed at a moment's notice should the demand truly be there). But it is something to consider that not all products are the right fit for all audiences.
I have a Fire that I use for reading at night (Feedly, Pocket, and Facebook - all the links i've saved throughout the day - and kindle books if i'm still awake after all that). It works perfect for that purpose (I also use it as test platform for my apps since i'm targeting that easier-to-use market).
But I take a Samsung Tab 4 with me during the day, because that's the better one for when I want interactive stuff or games or things that require Google Play Services and all that.
Right tool for the right job and the right audience.
(That said, FireOS 5 did have a few really annoying bugs I've had to work around, but nevermind... :) )
I Had a Fire HD (Score:2)
Who cares? (Score:2)
I bought one to watch movies and tv series in the gym and to buy Aliexpress and Amazon stuff on the road when I'm bored.
For 50$ I don't care if I lose or forget it.
Cyanogenmod (Score:3)
If you already have a Fire tablet, try an alternative ROM before returning/selling. As long as you are able to root the device, you can install safestrap, a ROM like cyanogenmod and Google apps. At this point, you have a fully functional device with a choice of launchers and app stores.
If you are thinking of this route, don't connect to WiFi during device setup. This way, you don't update bootloader and OS from potentially rootable versions and have most options for the device going forward.
Of course there is a wide choice of inexpensive Android tablets when shopping for a new device and rooting is hit or miss. But if you already have one in your hands, it's worth a shot.
Re: (Score:2)
Sadly it depends on the model. I had Kindle Fire HDX 7 3rd gen. First step was downgrading OS to original version I found on the web and rooting it (updated version did not have a working exploit). Then I was able to install Safestrap [xda-developers.com] and finally a build of cyanogenmod from xda-developer.
Value for money is there. (Score:2)
I got my Fire tablet for $35 in the Black Friday weekend sale. I certainly get enough use out of it to justify the price. I regularly read Kindle books on it, view web sites and YouTube videos, and occasionally stream a movie or TV show. Streaming from Amazon Video, Netflix, and Google (see next paragraph) all work perfectly.
I sideloaded the Google Play store and services, and use Chrome as my browser rather than Silk. People who have commented on a poor experience with web browsing may be dealing with inad
Great value, when de-Amazonned (Score:2)
My use case for this is to run SkySafari Pro 4, with the SkyFi box, to control my Celestron AVX telescope mount with a 6" reflector, and my SCB-4000 lowlight video camera for doing video-assisted astronomy.
It does this most admirably, and works very well when out at the scope, and it makes it easy to go chasing magnitude 15 galaxies from my backyard. Locate object in the app's database, center on screen, and tell the scope to slew from the screen. Then, I can s
FireOS is crippled Android (Score:1)