I finally opened my Fire Phone. Nice build, though a bit on the thin side. It'll bulk up once I get a case for it. Still haven't decided. Leaning toward the Poetic Revolution.
* First Impressions --> the UI is a nightmare. It's worse than the tablets. The first thing I did was to replace the apps in the dock. I removed - Phone, Messaging, Email, Silk Browser and replaced them with - TuneIn Radio, Slacker, Prime Music, Pandora.
After that, I downloaded a bunch of apps and shoved 'em into folders. Then I moved the app dock to the top to eliminate the carousel. Now when I turn the phone on, it opens to app folders.
* Bluetooth --> paired nicely without a hitch to two different speakers -
Amazon Echo and
Photive Hydra. Really great sound from both. I was surprised at how loud the smaller Photive got.
* SIM Card --> not supplied.
* Fire OS 3.6.8 --> why hasn't Amazon upgraded the OS for the phone to OS 4.5.1 (the one used on the newer Fire tablets)? I don't like using two very different UIs when switching from the phone to the HD 6. Of the two OSs, OS 4.5 is superior to OS 3.6.
* Music --> why is there a separate app for Prime Music? Why isn't it integrated into their music app like it is on the Fire tablets? Also, why is Prime Stations missing?
* Primary Use --> I'm using this phone as a tablet - it's a pocket-sized Fire HDX.
* Value --> it's worth the $100 I paid for it. If I had to pay $200 with the current OS, it's a no go.
...more later
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