# Kindle Fire Phone



## JumpingShip

I've only seen one thread on the phone and it was about data usage. Weeding through the slew of bogus one-star reviews on Amazon, I haven't seen other complaints on that, so hopefully it was just a weird bug for that poster. I'm saying that because as I write this, the dh is out and about doing errands, and he took my phone to possibly get a Fire phone for me. My two year contract with ATT expires in December, and I was going to wait and get the phone then, but I spoke to an ATT person who said going with the Next program would save me money in the long run versus starting a new two year contract or something like that. Anyway, dh never trusts those folks so he wanted to go talk to them too.  

I decided on the Fire because I have so much investment in the Amazon ecosystem already with being a Prime member and owning about five Kindles. Also, I have a Windows phone and I hate it, so can't wait to get rid of that! I never could stream music on it--had to sideload a playlist and then it took up a lot of memory. I could never figure out Windows cloud storage system. It seems I had a password for Microsoft years ago and can't recall it and there were quite a few hoops to jump through to get it reset. I never bothered. 

If anyone has a Fire phone, I hope they'll chime in here with their experience so far. I am not a heavy data user, ie, I don't stream video. I am also usually somewhere with wifi access, excluding the car. Since I have a Kindle Fire HDX usually with me, if I ever want to watch video, I'd be using that with wifi. 

I'll mostly be checking things like email, FB, Twitter, and some blogs. Oh, and taking pictures. I do a lot of that with my phone.


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## JumpingShip

Well, I now have the phone and I love it. I'm not sure why it's getting such a bad rap. Lots of cool features, great camera, excellent screen--seriously, the screen is the brightest, most crisp I've ever used. I only have it on one third bright level too. 

Maybe it's just because I'm coming from a Windows phone, and nobody ever makes apps for it (for example banks will make an app for iOS and Android, but never Windows) but the fact that I can get more apps for this than my other phone probably makes me someone coming at this from the opposite direction of someone coming from an Android with Google Play behind it. In other words, I'm thrilled, but I don't go crazy with apps anyway. On my Kindle HDX, I use about three apps even though I have dozens.


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## Ann in Arlington

FWIW, when the Fire phone was rumored -- I was very interested.  But then I learned it'd only be on ATT, at least initially, so my interest waned.  We have Verizon and weren't going to change. I think people were disappointed that it wasn't a quantum leap above what already existed . . . . . I didn't expect that, but was due for a newer phone.  But, I ended up with a Droid MAXX which I'm also quite happy with.

How do you like the dynamic perspective bit, and the Firefly feature?


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## CegAbq

I think Ann makes several good points: 
*if AT&T is fine for you,
* if you aren't deeply into the Android ecosystem or are not a tinkerer (which is part of the draw for Android)
*if you are deeply into the Amazon ecosystem
*if you aren't a really heavy Android apps user (although you could probably side load Android apps, much as you can do on the Kindle Fires), 
Then likely you'll continue to love your Fire phone.

Enjoy. My first 2 smartphones were Windows phones (Q & Q9) & then Android phones started coming out. I've never looked back.


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## JumpingShip

Yes, I'm not a tinkerer, and I've been with AT&T since it was Cingular so I had no need to switch carriers. 

I haven't done much with either dynamic perspective or Firefly because I haven't left the house since I got the phone. lol. I had my grandson over yesterday and at six months, he keeps me really busy, so my attempts at learning the phone kept getting sidetracked. I tried the Firefly with my tv by aiming at a history channel program we had on this morning. It successfully figured out the program and if it would have been available for purchase on Amazon, it would have given me a link to that. I think it gave me the IMDb link. Yesterday, it figured out a Mickey Mouse Playhouse show. I'm not sure how that will ever come in handy, but you never know!


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## Ann in Arlington

CegAbq said:


> I think Ann makes several good points:
> *if AT&T is fine for you,
> * if you aren't deeply into the Android ecosystem or are not a tinkerer (which is part of the draw for Android)
> *if you are deeply into the Amazon ecosystem
> *if you aren't a really heavy Android apps user (although you could probably side load Android apps, much as you can do on the Kindle Fires),
> Then likely you'll continue to love your Fire phone.
> 
> Enjoy. My first 2 smartphones were Windows phones (Q & Q9) & then Android phones started coming out. I've never looked back.


But . . . the Fire Phone IS an android phone. It's just got a proprietary 'desktop'.

I've found very few apps through Google Play that weren't also available via Amazon. And those usually were available via 1Mobile which have downloaded to my Fires just fine.


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## Ann in Arlington

MaryMcDonald said:


> Yes, I'm not a tinkerer, and I've been with AT&T since it was Cingular so I had no need to switch carriers.
> 
> I haven't done much with either dynamic perspective or Firefly because I haven't left the house since I got the phone. lol. I had my grandson over yesterday and at six months, he keeps me really busy, so my attempts at learning the phone kept getting sidetracked. I tried the Firefly with my tv by aiming at a history channel program we had on this morning. It successfully figured out the program and if it would have been available for purchase on Amazon, it would have given me a link to that. I think it gave me the IMDb link. Yesterday, it figured out a Mickey Mouse Playhouse show. I'm not sure how that will ever come in handy, but you never know!


Next time you're out and about, aim it at something on a store shelf and see what it says.


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## 68564

ATT is huge, so being on ATT was not the main problem - I think the main problem with the phone was for the legions of Android users out there it did not offer anything over what they had to make them want to switch. It just was not different enough. That is my opinion as a nobody at least. 

It does seem like a great option for the price, so maybe it will slowly gain ground as Amazon releases new generations. Who knows? Amazon did bet a lot on it, so they must have had some reason for that.


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## Gertie Kindle

My contract with AT&T is up in March and I'm just trying to be patient up until then. 

I had an Iphone for a couple of years, which I enjoyed, but after two years it died. I think they had a time bomb in it. To get the upgrade was $200 and I couldn't go for that. They were supposed to get me a Samsung Galaxy for $100, but it never came in so got the 99 cent Pantech. Yuck. I ended up with a Nokia windows phone which is okay, but it the kindle and audible apps really don't work all that well with it. 

And that's why I want the Fire phone. I use it more for reading and listening to books than I do as a phone and I'm sure that the kindle and audible apps will work just fine. The only thing I don't like is the size. It's pretty big. 

I think I'll look into that Next program. So many companies are doing that sort of thing. I even have my Office program on a monthly plan that gives me every update at no extra charge.


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## JumpingShip

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> My contract with AT&T is up in March and I'm just trying to be patient up until then.
> 
> I had an Iphone for a couple of years, which I enjoyed, but after two years it died. I think they had a time bomb in it. To get the upgrade was $200 and I couldn't go for that. They were supposed to get me a Samsung Galaxy for $100, but it never came in so got the 99 cent Pantech. Yuck. I ended up with a Nokia windows phone which is okay, but it the kindle and audible apps really don't work all that well with it.
> 
> And that's why I want the Fire phone. I use it more for reading and listening to books than I do as a phone and I'm sure that the kindle and audible apps will work just fine. The only thing I don't like is the size. It's pretty big.
> 
> I think I'll look into that Next program. So many companies are doing that sort of thing. I even have my Office program on a monthly plan that gives me every update at no extra charge.


Yes, check on the Next program. I was going to wait until December when my contract was up, but it actually cost more to go that way than to sign up for Next.


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## 68564

The NEXT program is great. I just got my iPhone 6 with it. I will pay it off in few months probably and boom much lower phone bills, no contract and free to upgrade whenever I want. 

My wifes' iPhone 4s is still going strong... probably thanks largely to the big honking Otterbox case on it!


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## Gertie Kindle

VydorScope said:


> The NEXT program is great. I just got my iPhone 6 with it. I will pay it off in few months probably and boom much lower phone bills, no contract and free to upgrade whenever I want.
> 
> My wifes' iPhone 4s is still going strong... probably thanks largely to the big honking Otterbox case on it!


I had an otterbox. Expensive little suckers, but they do offer the best protection.


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## 68564

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I had an otterbox. Expensive little suckers, but they do offer the best protection.


They are great cases. They recently bought the Lifeproof case company, and I am happy for that because I like the Lifeproof a little better. Much thinner, waterproof and never had a problem with drops. I am sure it is not as powerful as the Otterbox, but at 1/4th its thickness it was a good trade. But yeah, pricey as heck.

He the very first day I had my iPhone 5 in a Lifeproof case it slipped out of bag, fell about five feet on to concrete and slide into a puddle. Phone was completely unharmed. Case earned its pay that day!


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## Gertie Kindle

Okay, I took the leap. Got the phone (will arrive in about a week), canceled my home phone and went for the AT&T security system which doesn't require a landline. I'm not sure I really saved any money. I think everything was just kind of spread out differently, but I'll get a free year of Prime which will save me $99 next year. 

The thing is that I wanted the phone so I let them talk me into things. Canceling the landline will net me $33 extra a month. I'm happy. 

My only now is with no landline, I'm going to have to have my phone with me as I'm walking around the house. Any suggestions for a way to carry it other than my hand?


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## Ann in Arlington

Looks like there are a number of 'holsters' available on Amazon that are designed specifically for the Fire phone.  There are also generic ones you can find at Target, etc.

They may be designed to fit snugly on the phone or be more like a slip case.  They generally have a loop or hook for securing to a belt or waist band.


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## cinisajoy

Front pocket of your pants.  Though my phone usually winds up on the counter or nearest table.


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## JumpingShip

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Okay, I took the leap. Got the phone (will arrive in about a week), canceled my home phone and went for the AT&T security system which doesn't require a landline. I'm not sure I really saved any money. I think everything was just kind of spread out differently, but I'll get a free year of Prime which will save me $99 next year.
> 
> The thing is that I wanted the phone so I let them talk me into things. Canceling the landline will net me $33 extra a month. I'm happy.
> 
> My only now is with no landline, I'm going to have to have my phone with me as I'm walking around the house. Any suggestions for a way to carry it other than my hand?


Why not just leave it in one place like you would with an old phone with a cord? We haven't had a landline in years, but then again, I don't like to talk on the phone that much. About three people call me--my mom, my bff (she calls me to pass the time on her commute home from work) and my work may need to call me from time to time. Otherwise, it's mostly text.


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## CegAbq

I either keep my phone in a pants pocket - or if I'm wearing something without any pockets, I have a nifty very slim cloth "pouch" on a long cord that I throw over my neck/shoulder & slip my phone in there (something like a small over the shoulder purse)


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## Gertie Kindle

Thanks everyone. I'll be right by Target tomorrow morning and I'll stop in to see what they have. I never where a belt so a holster, which is probably the best solution, won't work for me. Right now, I'm wearing an apron and in it's the pocket.


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## J.D. Fournier

The firefly works, at least for purchasing stuff, on any Android phone with the amazon app. Not sure about iPhone.


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## Ann in Arlington

jobs.jdfournier said:


> The firefly works, at least for purchasing stuff, on any Android phone with the amazon app. Not sure about iPhone.


Really? I'll have to try it. . . . . though I'd understood it to also work to identify music, video, tv shows, etc. . . . .


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## JumpingShip

Ann in Arlington said:


> Really? I'll have to try it. . . . . though I'd understood it to also work to identify music, video, tv shows, etc. . . . .


On the Fire phone, I was able to identify a TV show on the History Channel. It just looked and listened and came up with it.


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## Ann in Arlington

MaryMcDonald said:


> On the Fire phone, I was able to identify a TV show on the History Channel. It just looked and listened and came up with it.


Right -- but what I was wondering is if, as was suggested, that feature is available on a non Fire phone somehow? I know there's the Amazon store for scanning merchandise, and I can always look things up on iMDB. But it would be cool to just point the phone at the TV and have it say what it is and who's in it.


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## 68564

Ann in Arlington said:


> Right -- but what I was wondering is if, as was suggested, that feature is available on a non Fire phone somehow? I know there's the Amazon store for scanning merchandise, and I can always look things up on iMDB. But it would be cool to just point the phone at the TV and have it say what it is and who's in it.


I just used the Amazon App on my iPhone in Target and it was recognized products in the store by picture, not bar codes. Literally as I was walking down the toy aisle it kept picking images off the shelf in real time and linking to them on Amazon. Some where as much as 25-30% cheaper too. I have not tried it on a TV show... because I do not watch TV.


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## Gertie Kindle

VydorScope said:


> I just used the Amazon App on my iPhone in Target and it was recognized products in the store by picture, not bar codes. Literally as I was walking down the toy aisle it kept picking images off the shelf in real time and linking to them on Amazon. Some where as much as 25-30% cheaper too. I have not tried it on a TV show... because I do not watch TV.


Now that is seriously cool!

Mine should arrive by Tuesday at the latest.


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## Gertie Kindle

My phone got sent to the AT&T office instead of my house. I finally stopped by to see where it was and the claimed they didn't have it and it han't been shipped. After many minutes on the phone with their CS (always an exercise in futility), they determined it had been shipped to the store. For some reason, it wasn't with all the other orders. It was on the lunch break table. I didn't ask.

Copying over my contacts and media files was so easy and quick. The tutorial was great. 

So, all I got to do with it was read cuz when GD arrived, she took over the phone for the rest of the day. We were watching a Potter marathon and she used Firefly a lot. Pretty neat. Maybe I'll have time to explore tonight.


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## Sandpiper

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> My phone got sent to the AT&T office instead of my house. I finally stopped by to see where it was and the claimed they didn't have it and it han't been shipped. After many minutes on the phone with their CS (always an exercise in futility), they determined it had been shipped to the store. For some reason, it wasn't with all the other orders. It was on the lunch break table. I didn't ask.


Very typical for AT&T. AT&T is impossible except for techs who make house calls.


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## cinisajoy

I cannot stand our local ATT store.  One of the two reasons I switched to Straight Talk for my cell.  Other reason was one phone gets 300 MB of data for $40 where a family of 4 gets 10GB of data to share for the same $40 a phone.


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## Sandpiper

I had a very bad customer service experience in a Verizon store some years ago.  Haven't done business with Verizon since.


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## Gertie Kindle

Sandpiper said:


> I had a very bad customer service experience in a Verizon store some years ago. Haven't done business with Verizon since.


I had such a bad experience at an AT&T store several years ago, that I called AT&T to complain. Since then, they seem to have trained their in-store associates to smile and be helpful and courteous.

Had a little problem with my Fire phone. Every few hours it would make a noise like a dying duck (don't know how else to describe it) so I used the Mayday feature. Gabrielle had no idea what the problem was but advised me to do a hard reset and it worked. Good thing. That awful noise was waking me up.


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## 68564

AT&T is a massive company, and as with all massive companies, the quality of your customer experience will vary depending highly on which call center and which store you get. I used to get better service by calling in, now the AT&T store in my local market is far superior, with sales reps even giving me advice regularly that reduces or eliminates their own commissions. I am with AT&T for coverage, and their price is not bad. 3 iPhones, 15GB of data, everything else unlimited $135/mo with no contract. 

I am not saying everyone switch to AT&T - stay with whatever company is giving you the service you want for the price you think is fair.  Just offering my perspective on the matter.


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## Sandpiper

VydorScope said:


> AT&T is a massive company, and as with all massive companies, the quality of your customer experience will vary depending highly on which call center and which store you get.


When I've been on the phone lately with AT&T, that's exactly what I've been telling whomever -- *AT&T is too big.* The whole gigantic thing is just not well organized. (Bring back Ma Bell / Illinois Bell.) Apple and Amazon are also big also, but getting what you need is easily done with either. If you need to call Apple central, you have a choice of two toll-free numbers. Pretty much the same with Amazon. You finally get a live person at AT&T and they tell you to call a different toll-free number -- different from any other. AT&T wants you to set up an account here, there, and everywhere. I don't know which account to go to for what.  Recently got an e-mail "Set up an account to . . . ." That would be number 3 or 4. AT&T is impossible and ridiculous. Communicating with AT&T is nothing but frustration. And I do not trust AT&T about most anything.


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## cinisajoy

Out here Straight Talk has better coverage. 
Now amusing thing: there are almost no cell towers on Interstate 37.  It runs between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.


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## booklover888

I got an unlocked Fire Phone during the recent sale. I love it! Yesterday I got it down to the AT&T store. They put in a SIM card for me, so now I have the GoPhone $25 a month plan (unlimited texting and 250 minutes for calls). Woo hoo! I am very satisfied. I was SO tired of my Windows phone. It's now set up for my 11 yo daughter on the 10 cents a minute plan.


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## CegAbq

booklover888 said:


> I got an unlocked Fire Phone during the recent sale. I love it! Yesterday I got it down to the AT&T store. They put in a SIM card for me, so now I have the GoPhone $25 a month plan (unlimited texting and 250 minutes for calls). Woo hoo! I am very satisfied. I was SO tired of my Windows phone. It's now set up for my 11 yo daughter on the 10 cents a minute plan.


Congrats!


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## Gertie Kindle

booklover888 said:


> I got an unlocked Fire Phone during the recent sale. I love it! Yesterday I got it down to the AT&T store. They put in a SIM card for me, so now I have the GoPhone $25 a month plan (unlimited texting and 250 minutes for calls). Woo hoo! I am very satisfied. I was SO tired of my Windows phone. It's now set up for my 11 yo daughter on the 10 cents a minute plan.


My windows phone kept messing up my kindle and audible apps which is the main reason I wanted a fire phone. Loving it. Still exploring and having fun.

Since I dumped my home phone, I have to carry my cell with me around the house so I broke down and bought a holster. Then I had to buy a belt because I don't own one. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LFNBYUG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Nice colors and it has an easel stand for reading. Also comes with screen protector.


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## booklover888

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> Since I dumped my home phone, I have to carry my cell with me around the house so I broke down and bought a holster. Then I had to buy a belt because I don't own one.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LFNBYUG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
> 
> Nice colors and it has an easel stand for reading. Also comes with screen protector.


That's the exact same style case I got, although it was a different brand. I don't wear a belt, I just clip it to my waist band.


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## booklover888

I also got a Poetic Revolution case for my Fire Phone. Wonderful case, but the integrated screen protector is not so great. I have a huge rainbow splotch on the screen. I'm thinking of cutting it out and applying my own screen protector. I love the look and feel of the case, and for $8, I am not unhappy.


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## StarDozer13

I'm an apple girl.


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