Amazon new launch event June 18th

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

No Google.

Originally Posted by rkw

Seriously? Then their journey to the darkside is complete

You can sideload many Google apps (Gmail, Chrome, etc) on Fire tablets without rooting them. When phones hit hands, we'll see if they can do the same thing or if Amazon has erected any roadblocks.

[tubemonkey]

When will they add folders to their tablets?

Organize your apps and media items into dedicated folders, accessible right from the home screen grid.

[tubemonkey]

Will there be any AT&T bloatware on this phone? and will Amazon do the OS upgrades?

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Will there be any AT&T bloatware on this phone? and will Amazon do the OS upgrades?

They do on the tablets. Transparent OS updates is one of their calling cards.

[jersysman]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Will there be any AT&T bloatware on this phone? and will Amazon do the OS upgrades?

Why would this phone be any different from all the other phones that you get from the various cell providers?

[BenG]

I love the Amazon e-ink readers but not the Fire.
I have an unlimited data plan from Verizon, apparently for as long as I don't make any changes to it. Of course the only time I use more than 2 gigabytes is when I'm traveling, so losing that wouldn't be a big deal.

Still, I'm happy with my iPhone (or even an android phone. Android has improved a great deal since the Droid I had in 2009.)

[Atunah]

I would get it if I could afford it. I am in desperate need of a phone and a plan. I am on a prepaid plan right now, low end go phone and the phone is on its last legs. I wanted a nice smart phone to use on a pre paid of $25 and below.

I can't afford a $60 plus a month plan.

And the whole thing is so confusing to me. I am not versed in cell provider speak and it took me forever to figure out the plans that are available and I am still confused and not clear. And even if I could afford the unlocked version, I don't know what that means and what service to use that on. Since it says ATT I assume even the unlocked can only be used on it and their smart phone prepaid plans are still expensive, so what is the advantage there.

I was hoping if anyone could make this simple for me it would be Amazon. So I am disappointed.

And I am back to square one trying to find a phone.

But the phone itself is really nice. I would love to have that, but alas too much money.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I would get it if I could afford it. I am in desperate need of a phone and a plan. I am on a prepaid plan right now, low end go phone and the phone is on its last legs. I wanted a nice smart phone to use on a pre paid of $25 and below.

I use an old school Samsung flip phone on a Verizon family plan. I refuse to pay for a data plan, because I don't need it. Since it isn't optional, I use a dumb phone. If I need access to the net while out and about, I have an unlocked Nexus 4 ($250) and easy access to free WiFi via Starbucks or McDonald's. This combo saves me lots of money.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Atunah

And even if I could afford the unlocked version, I don't know what that means and what service to use that on. Since it says ATT I assume even the unlocked can only be used on it and their smart phone prepaid plans are still expensive, so what is the advantage there.

An unlocked phone can be used on any network: that's what "unlocked" means. Just buy a SIM for your network of choice.

[DiapDealer]

Pattern:

Amazon releases a new device.
Immediate response; "why would I need/want/use that when ..."
Then the dust settles and Amazon sells said new device by the bucketful.

lather, rinse repeat.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by HarryT

An unlocked phone can be used on any network: that's what "unlocked" means. Just buy a SIM for your network of choice.

As long as the network uses the same technologies.

Of the four biggest providers in the US AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM (SIM Card switching should work), Sprint & Verison use CDMA (don't use SIMs, hard to switch from one CDMA provider to another). Many other services use one of these providers networks.

[wizwor]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

The phone, which will be exclusive to AT&T and be available next month, will start at $199 with a two-year contract for the 32-gigabyte model. It will cost $649.99 without a contract. For a limited time, customers can also get a year of Amazon Prime, the company's $99 loyalty program, thrown in.

If those numbers sound familiar, that's because they are. That's the standard two-year contract pricing for the base models of Apple's iPhone 5S and Samsung's Galaxy S5, the flagship phones from the two companies that absolutely dominate smartphone sales in the U.S.

When did apple and samsung begin bundling a free year of prime with their devices?

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

I have a prepaid cell phone, and I think I'll stick with it. If Amazon could come up with a way to deliver cheap cell phone service, I'd consider switching.

I would want Amazon to have a record of every phone call I make or receive about as much as I want Google to read every email I send or receive.

[DiapDealer]

... aaaaaand out comes the tinfoil.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

You can sideload many Google apps (Gmail, Chrome, etc) on Fire tablets without rooting them. When phones hit hands, we'll see if they can do the same thing or if Amazon has erected any roadblocks.

That's not correct. There may be a few Google apps you can sideload, but most of them require changes to the framework to run (on custom roms you flash the gapps package to get these changes). Also, more and more apps rely on the Google Play Services library, which is also missing from the Amazon build, so any app relying on that (not just Google's) wouldn't run.