$50 Fire In Hand - Page 3

ApK · 10-02-2015, 04:28 PM

I've had mixed results at the genius bar. I suspect the adage "an expert is someone who knows more than you" applies. I knew zero about Macs when I brought my MBP in, so anyone with a modicum of Mac tech knowledge and decent presentation skills would impress me, and they did.
But other times, I've asked more technical questions about problems with ipods or accessories and I just got referred to the website forums for answers I had already found on my own.
I'm pretty self-sufficient on Android devices, so if something came up I needed help with, I'd be curious to see if the Mayday folks could cut it.
For my mom and and my Aunt, on the other hand, I WISH their iPads had Mayday buttons!

ApK · 10-02-2015, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomsem

They may have fudged on what Mayday means. It may mean that once you contact Customer Support, they're able to take control of your screen and walk you through something you are having trouble with.

Perhaps.

Coincidently, I'm at a friends house right now, and he just got his Fire yesterday, so I'm playing with it.

Sure enough, I can find absolutely no mention of Mayday nor any Mayday-like support option in any obvious place.

I bet there are people complaining to Amazon at this moment and getting apology credits.....

Anyway, it's a very nice looking tablet. Someone asked how it's weight feels compared to a first generation fire: This new tablet feels like an empty plastic shell compared to my gen 1.

My friend got his to replace his broken K3, and says that while he prefers eink, especially in sunlight, he is perfectly OK reading on the new Fire.

ApK

leebase · 10-03-2015, 11:06 AM

With the brightness turned to about 30%, I was getting an hour long TV show for 10% battery. I am getting a good deal of enjoyment from this $50 tablet. Can't try out the microsd card until it arrives Tues. It will be a real winner if I can load movies onto the card to play on trips.

leebase · 10-05-2015, 06:26 PM

More progress. Was able to install FBReader by just going to their website and clicking on the link for the apk. FBReader has built in OPDS support. Seems to be a decent reading app. No problem storing/opening books to and from the sd card.

Plex app works fantastic. Streams from my home PC to this fire tablet no problem. I went ahead and signed up for the premium account to test out the ability to download the movies. Worked like a charm. Plex server automatically transcodes the moves from whatever native format to a nice small format for the device and then downloads them to the sd card.

Not sure how long I'll keep with the $5/mo plan to have that feature vs just using Handbrake to convert the formats on my computer and just load them on the card myself.

I think I have my use cases covered. Of course all the Amazon services worked great out of the box. Kindle books, Audible books, Prime movies and Music. All work fantastic.

Netflix and HBO Go are both available officially. No apk side loading needed. Hulu is too but I don't subscribe to them.

As so much of my travel is sans decent enough wifi (airplane, many hotels, vacation destinations where Sprint has no coverage) - I also needed to be able to load content to the device and not just stream it.

With some work with locating and installing APK's, I have an epub reader and with Plex the ability to load movies. I know I can just load them on the card myself too.

Really happy with this $50 device

AnemicOak · 10-05-2015, 06:59 PM

FYI, for APK's of free apps you can paste the Google Play store URL into this site and get the APK that way...
http://apps.evozi.com/apk-downloader/

davidrothman · 10-06-2015, 05:18 AM

FBReader runs on the $50 Fire, as noted earlier in this thread. But that's not all. I've also successfully tested Moon+ Reader Pro, Aldiko, and Mantano and explained in detail how I sideloaded them from my Samsung tablet. Yes, I was able to bring over paid apps, though I can't promise this will work with all of them. See http://teleread.com/amazon/how-my-50...-and-fbreader/ . Have fun!
David

leebase · 10-06-2015, 09:34 AM

I think I have an old Samsung android phone in a drawer somewhere. Now that I know of the method, I too can purchase apk's and then port them over. Not exactly the most user friendly of experiences...but once you get your device setup the way you like it, it's great.

I have a movie and a whole season of a show loaded up on my Fire...ready for whenever I travel next.

davidrothman · 10-06-2015, 04:26 PM

Good luck, Leebase.

Let me know how it works out for you.

David

leebase · 12-25-2015, 09:09 PM

I finally gave in and installed Google Play Store as I found this very easy to follow solution. Doesn't even involve rooting your device.

YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-glxYTY8O8

Page with the downloads: http://rootjunkysdl.com/?device=Amaz...re%205th%20gen

Took about 10min. Very easy to do. Video covers everything. All I've done so far is install Gmail, Chrome and Moon+ reader. All appear to work fine.

This is done without "rooting" the device.

I feel much more comfortable putting Google Play Store on the device and then getting my apps from Google than the various other "link here to the apk" type solutions which MAY open you up to malware (not that Google Play is completely free of that risk).

leebase · 12-25-2015, 09:16 PM

Time has not diminished my enjoyment of this tablet.

It is fine for reading books - for those who don't have a problem with LCD (the majority of people). Obviously devices with higher resolution are better, "but for $50" I find this to be a nice reading tablet. As I own an iPhone and iPad, both with retina screens, I don't read on this device much.

My #1 use case is loading movies and tv shows (with Plex and with Amazon Prime Video). It's fantastic to use this device on a plane. I just fold the case flap over behind the magazine holder in front of me and the fire sits at a nice viewing height.

I've given two away as gifts to very happy recipients.

Ravensknight · 12-26-2015, 03:15 PM

How much room does a typical movie/tv ep take up?

rjcchan · 12-28-2015, 09:09 AM

are the special offers obtrusive?

Yolina · 12-28-2015, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjcchan

are the special offers obtrusive?

Not as much as I feared (and I have a deep hatred of advertising plastered everywhere!) It's only the screensaver when you wake the tablet up, I've quickly learnt to just ignore it.

leebase · 12-28-2015, 10:19 AM

300-500mb for fhe tv shows

The ads only snow on the lock screen. Not obtrusive at all when you are using the device.

A fres six month subscription to the Washington Post is nice.

10-06-2015, 04:26 PM	#38
davidrothman Connoisseur Posts: 60 Karma: 32 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Alexandria, VA Device: Paperwhite, $50 Fire, iPad Air 2, Nexus 6, Kobo Aura H2O	Good luck, Leebase. Let me know how it works out for you. David Last edited by davidrothman; 10-06-2015 at 04:30 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Fire HDX 7 & Fire TV Bundle for $249	tubemonkey	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	0	05-28-2014 02:21 AM
Kindle Fire 2 ($129) & Fire HD ($159/$179) on Sale	tubemonkey	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	2	07-15-2013 12:54 AM
Physical Retail Stores that carry Amazon 2012 Kindles (Paperwhite, Fire 2, Fire HD)	Top100EbooksRank	Amazon Kindle	6	09-21-2012 07:57 AM
Free (Kindle) U.S. Army Hand-To-Hand Combat by Department of the Army	arcadata	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	1	07-01-2011 03:21 AM

10-02-2015, 04:28 PM	#31
ApK Award-Winning Participant Posts: 7,316 Karma: 67862884 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: NJ, USA Device: Kindle	I've had mixed results at the genius bar. I suspect the adage "an expert is someone who knows more than you" applies. I knew zero about Macs when I brought my MBP in, so anyone with a modicum of Mac tech knowledge and decent presentation skills would impress me, and they did. But other times, I've asked more technical questions about problems with ipods or accessories and I just got referred to the website forums for answers I had already found on my own. I'm pretty self-sufficient on Android devices, so if something came up I needed help with, I'd be curious to see if the Mayday folks could cut it. For my mom and and my Aunt, on the other hand, I WISH their iPads had Mayday buttons!

10-03-2015, 11:06 AM	#33
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,934 Karma: 26616647 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	With the brightness turned to about 30%, I was getting an hour long TV show for 10% battery. I am getting a good deal of enjoyment from this $50 tablet. Can't try out the microsd card until it arrives Tues. It will be a real winner if I can load movies onto the card to play on trips.

10-05-2015, 06:26 PM	#34
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,934 Karma: 26616647 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	More progress. Was able to install FBReader by just going to their website and clicking on the link for the apk. FBReader has built in OPDS support. Seems to be a decent reading app. No problem storing/opening books to and from the sd card. Plex app works fantastic. Streams from my home PC to this fire tablet no problem. I went ahead and signed up for the premium account to test out the ability to download the movies. Worked like a charm. Plex server automatically transcodes the moves from whatever native format to a nice small format for the device and then downloads them to the sd card. Not sure how long I'll keep with the $5/mo plan to have that feature vs just using Handbrake to convert the formats on my computer and just load them on the card myself. I think I have my use cases covered. Of course all the Amazon services worked great out of the box. Kindle books, Audible books, Prime movies and Music. All work fantastic. Netflix and HBO Go are both available officially. No apk side loading needed. Hulu is too but I don't subscribe to them. As so much of my travel is sans decent enough wifi (airplane, many hotels, vacation destinations where Sprint has no coverage) - I also needed to be able to load content to the device and not just stream it. With some work with locating and installing APK's, I have an epub reader and with Plex the ability to load movies. I know I can just load them on the card myself too. Really happy with this $50 device

10-05-2015, 06:59 PM	#35
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	FYI, for APK's of free apps you can paste the Google Play store URL into this site and get the APK that way... http://apps.evozi.com/apk-downloader/

10-06-2015, 05:18 AM	#36
davidrothman Connoisseur Posts: 60 Karma: 32 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Alexandria, VA Device: Paperwhite, $50 Fire, iPad Air 2, Nexus 6, Kobo Aura H2O	FBReader runs on the $50 Fire, as noted earlier in this thread. But that's not all. I've also successfully tested Moon+ Reader Pro, Aldiko, and Mantano and explained in detail how I sideloaded them from my Samsung tablet. Yes, I was able to bring over paid apps, though I can't promise this will work with all of them. See http://teleread.com/amazon/how-my-50...-and-fbreader/ . Have fun! David

10-06-2015, 09:34 AM	#37
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,934 Karma: 26616647 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	I think I have an old Samsung android phone in a drawer somewhere. Now that I know of the method, I too can purchase apk's and then port them over. Not exactly the most user friendly of experiences...but once you get your device setup the way you like it, it's great. I have a movie and a whole season of a show loaded up on my Fire...ready for whenever I travel next.

12-25-2015, 09:09 PM	#39
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,934 Karma: 26616647 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	I finally gave in and installed Google Play Store as I found this very easy to follow solution. Doesn't even involve rooting your device. YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-glxYTY8O8 Page with the downloads: http://rootjunkysdl.com/?device=Amaz...re%205th%20gen Took about 10min. Very easy to do. Video covers everything. All I've done so far is install Gmail, Chrome and Moon+ reader. All appear to work fine. This is done without "rooting" the device. I feel much more comfortable putting Google Play Store on the device and then getting my apps from Google than the various other "link here to the apk" type solutions which MAY open you up to malware (not that Google Play is completely free of that risk).

12-25-2015, 09:16 PM	#40
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,934 Karma: 26616647 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	Time has not diminished my enjoyment of this tablet. It is fine for reading books - for those who don't have a problem with LCD (the majority of people). Obviously devices with higher resolution are better, "but for $50" I find this to be a nice reading tablet. As I own an iPhone and iPad, both with retina screens, I don't read on this device much. My #1 use case is loading movies and tv shows (with Plex and with Amazon Prime Video). It's fantastic to use this device on a plane. I just fold the case flap over behind the magazine holder in front of me and the fire sits at a nice viewing height. I've given two away as gifts to very happy recipients.

12-26-2015, 03:15 PM	#41
Ravensknight Serpent Rider Posts: 1,123 Karma: 10219804 Join Date: Jun 2009 Device: Sony 350; Nook STR; Oasis	How much room does a typical movie/tv ep take up?

12-28-2015, 09:09 AM	#42
rjcchan Zealot Posts: 118 Karma: 176306 Join Date: Oct 2013 Device: none	are the special offers obtrusive?

Advert

Advert

12-28-2015, 10:19 AM	#44
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,934 Karma: 26616647 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	300-500mb for fhe tv shows The ads only snow on the lock screen. Not obtrusive at all when you are using the device. A fres six month subscription to the Washington Post is nice.