# So is the Fire basically like a smartphone...without the phone?



## lilybean (Apr 10, 2012)

That would make it like an iPod Touch, right? If not, what are the differences? 

Does the Fire have any features that a person with a smartphone/Droid/iPhone doesn't have?

TIA


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

The Fire screen is bigger than any smartphone screen out there. . . .though not as large as a full sized tablet.  But, then, it doesn't cost as much as a full sized tablet either. 

I have both a RAZR phone and a XOOM tablet. . . .the Fire is between the two size-wise.  The size of the Fire is better than the RAZR for reading and some games and web stuff.  

But, lacking a 3G/4G receiver, it requires a WiFi hotspot.  Or, of course, larger tablets can be configured for 3G/4G, though mine is WiFi only.  Where I live hotspots are pretty ubiquitous, and I can set one up with my RAZR if needed, so don't see the need for 3G/4G on either the Fire or XOOM.

Whether or not that means it's like an iPod Touch I can't say as I don't have one of those.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

lilybean said:


> That would make it like an iPod Touch, right? If not, what are the differences?
> 
> Does the Fire have any features that a person with a smartphone/Droid/iPhone doesn't have?
> 
> TIA


And I have an iPod Touch and a Fire, but don't have a smart phone of any flavor  so can't really address the differences. Although I would say that an iPod Touch and an iPhone are slightly more similar than the Fire and an Android phone because the Fire has Amazon's interface and things like contacts are handled differently. I've found very few (any?) iPhone apps that don't work on the iPod Touch. There may be some, but I haven't found them to my recall.

From reading here, smartphones can be used as GPS devices, the Fire cannot. There are some android apps that would work on a smartphone, apparently, that won't work on the Fire (separate from the issue of the Google Play(Android Market)/Amazon Marketplace).

Betsy


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> From reading here, smartphones can be used as GPS devices, the Fire cannot. There are some android apps that would work on a smartphone, apparently, that won't work on the Fire (separate from the issue of the Google Play(Android Market)/Amazon Marketplace).
> 
> Betsy


Yes. . . good point. Fire has no GPS and no cameras so anything that relies on/uses those features won't work. Also, although it has sound output, it does NOT have sound input. . .so apps that rely on it being able to 'listen' to something won't work.

It also, at this time, does not allow for alternate keyboards.

Note that a lot of these extras were left off to make it more affordable. Some find their lack to be deal breakers, but I don't miss 'em.

The flavor of Android on Fire is different than 'stock' software on a smart phone -- Amazon's dressed it up a bit and customized it for optimum Amazon utility/purchasing -- but not so much as it would cause you problems if you're used to the one and switch to the other, in my opinion.


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## JimC1946 (Aug 6, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Note that a lot of these extras were left off to make it more affordable. Some find their lack to be deal breakers, but I don't miss 'em.


I don't miss them either. I don't think any other device that sells for around $200 can match the Fire for features and overall performance.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I think the Fire is a fine device...although I wouldn't mind more flexibility as far as the keyboard (I don't personally like the changes Amazon made to the on-board keyboard).

But to get back to the OP's question--what are the differences between the Fire and an Android smartphone?  Any that haven't already been discussed?

The larger screen is the most obvious thing that the Fire has that smartphones don't.

Betsy


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## Bob327 (Nov 17, 2011)

I do own an Android smart phone..EVO 4 G as well as a Fire...

Fire lacks of course the camera and the GPS of the phone which I do not use anyway on the phone except I can get local weather via the GPS when traveling with the phone..I;d have to manually set my location to do that with the weather app I have on my fire...

Screen size difference is huge ..reading a kindle book on the phone is doable but not quite as easy on the eyes
Plus  the phone can supply a wifi signal to the fire  if I am out of range of a wifi signal.. and need one for the fire...

Personally I could not "survive"  without either of them..and both of them easily fit into my pockets so they are both truly  mobile devices..

Bob G


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## Xopher (May 14, 2009)

In a way, yes, the Fire (and pretty much any Android tablet) is somewhat like a large Android phone. The same thing could be said for the iPad and iPhone.  The main thing being that the two devices run the similar operating systems, with different screen resolutions and the larger screen device is without phone capabilities.  

I have both an Android phone, and a tablet. What I find is that I do a lot more on the tablet than I do with the smaller phone screen. The larger screen has a lot of advantages over the phone. Things like reading ebooks and magazines, editing photos, drawing, watching videos, and HD apps and games are much better on a larger screen. Plus, tablets are quite portable - even more so than a laptop. Plus, tablet batteries typically last twice as long as a laptop or netbook.

The neat thing is that most apps work on both devices (without requiring a separate purchase). If you have an iPhone, the same app can run on iPad or iPod Touch. Most Android phone apps run on tablets. There are some tablet-specific apps as well. Phones also require a phone plan of some sort. Some tablets require a 3G/4G data plan, but you can get a tablet that is wifi only (like the Fire) that doesn't require monthly fees.

So, yes, they are similar. But they can be quite different.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Yeah, you could say the ipad is like a big iphone without the phone part.....but that is different enough to be a totally different animal......

same for the fire


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

SO excited!!
Got an email from Amazon today, saying the Fire will shortly be available in the UK! 
Now I just need a good excuse to justify buying one instead of waiting for my birthday in October.
Any suggestions?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Professional reasons....books sometimes look different on the Fire than on other Kindles (from my personal experience).  

Betsy


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

Grace Elliot said:


> SO excited!!
> Got an email from Amazon today, saying the Fire will shortly be available in the UK!
> Now I just need a good excuse to justify buying one instead of waiting for my birthday in October.
> Any suggestions?


Hmm... haven't had that email yet - and considering I've bought so many of their other Kindles, I'd have thought I was on the list! Did they say exactly when, or just 'shortly'?

Given the OP's question, it does make me wonder if I really need a fire anyhow - I have a great Android phone - a Samsung Galaxy S2 which has just about the largest screen you can get on a phone. Lilybean, is that what you're thinking too? For me, a lot would depend on the price - they're all so much more expensive here.


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

Linjeakel said:


> Hmm... haven't had that email yet - and considering I've bought so many of their other Kindles, I'd have thought I was on the list! Did they say exactly when, or just 'shortly'?


Email was 'now available to order - Kindle Fire.' 
Interestingly my hubs hasnt recieved the email yet either (same surname!) - which is odd, because we usually order each other kindles for our birthdays - which are a day apart.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

Did the email come from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com? I get them from the US site all the time trying to sell all kinds of stuff we can't get here yet, because I used to have a US account before the UK Kindle store opened.

The UK site is still saying "Kindle Fire is not currently available for delivery outside the US" when you search for it - so it's definitely not available to order yet.


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