Well, it's supposed to be coming out soon... But I tought Fire devices had Instant Video available, don't they? If not, that's a HUGE oversight on Amazon's.
I'm not going to beat around the bush. Its horrific
We bought one at work for testing and I spent about 45 minutes with it. I'm not going to beat around the bush. Its horrific. I would rather use a BlackBerry. The dynamic perspective works well but at best is just annoying. At worst, it gets in the way. Fonts look horrible on many screens because the have a hokey 3D drop shadow. The UI itself is not very intuitive, and certainly isn't anything like stock android. The silk browser is fast for simple pages but seemed slow for JavaScript. The gestures worked inconsistently and were annoying. But the worst flaw is the overall UI. Its just really bad.
Glad I didn't spend my own money on this thing!
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I think you missed a critical point here: Your parents USE another Kindle device. They're used to stuff 'their way'. It's just like going from iOS to Android or from Android to iOS. You'll always find the new stuff uncomfortable, until you get used to it.i disagree. I find that the UI is very intuitive. It's more intuitive than I think stock android. My parents both got the phone because they have a Kindle Fire HDX and like it. They were able to move to it very easily. My dad had the HTC One (M7) prior and was very frustrated by it.
Dynamic perspective works great on the lock screen and in games. When using the phone in most day to day tasks I haven't found a need. I have used the gestures while playing music and they work but I think just using the thumb to slide from the left/right is just as easy.
The UI is easier to use than TouchWiz.
i disagree. I find that the UI is very intuitive. It's more intuitive than I think stock android. My parents both got the phone because they have a Kindle Fire HDX and like it. They were able to move to it very easily. My dad had the HTC One (M7) prior and was very frustrated by it.
Dynamic perspective works great on the lock screen and in games. When using the phone in most day to day tasks I haven't found a need. I have used the gestures while playing music and they work but I think just using the thumb to slide from the left/right is just as easy.
The UI is easier to use than TouchWiz.
I think you missed a critical point here: Your parents USE another Kindle device. They're used to stuff 'their way'. It's just like going from iOS to Android or from Android to iOS. You'll always find the new stuff uncomfortable, until you get used to it.
Two of the keys of any effective UI are consistency and intuitiveness. Fire OS has neither. Start with the carousel. It is literally different every time you pick up the phone. Swiping madly through icons there trying to find the one you want is frustrating and unnecessary. Instead of being able to remember that an app, say the e-mail app, is always near the left edge of the carousel would be useful. Having no idea where it is because it changes its place every single time the phone is used is not useful. Another example is the switch between dark grey backgrounds with orange highlights to white backgrounds with fuzzy black fake 3D highlights. Not helpful.
Want another example? The gestures of tipping right or tipping left don't consistently work. Swiping in from the sides always works, so why even have the motion gestures? Oh, but if you are swiping through photos in your gallery, stay away from the edge. If you don't, you get a menu where instead you wanted the next photo.
The 3D effect on the left menu just makes the fonts look unreadable. Sure, you can keep the phone pointed at you and minimize this, but then why have it. Or, you can do what most people will do and just turn off all of that. The dynamic perspective feature as implemented in v1 add almost nothing positive to the experience, and in many cases add unnecessary complexity to the UI.
The Fire OS is objectively NOT great UI. And subjectively, I have shared it around to 10 tech enthusiasts here at the office, and the reaction is universally bad. Those aren't great odds for Amazon. Sure, maybe they don't use the Fire tablets, but nobody had ever used an iPhone before it was invented and yet t was an instant hit. You shouldn't have to use a Fire Tablet as a prerequisite to appreciate a different device.
Yup, that's what I was going for hehe. Most people will find a new phone, with a different OS, uncomfortable. My main driver is Android, but my work phone is an iDevice, and though I like how straight forward things are on iOS (yes, limited, and very locked down, but still straight forward) I still fringe every time I pick it up and can't do the things I'm used to do on my Androids.You're making my point for me. Going from iOS or Android to Fire OS and you'll find new stuff uncomfortable until you get used to it. Who do you think Amazon is making this phone for? I think it's for people who own a Fire tablet.
It's subjectively a bad UI. I don't think showing the phone to ten tech enthusiasts is the right audience. I work for a large software company and when I showed the phone to the other engineers on my floor they aren't going to want it. I took it down to the basement where sales and marketing folk sit and they were impressed. The phone isn't for a tech enthusiast. It's for Amazon customers and first time mobile phone buyers.
The carousel is actually a really nice element of the interface. Your last used app is front and center and it flows out from there. IF you want something else you swipe up and go to your app drawer. It's not complicated. I prefer stock Android. I'm sending the fire back to Amazon tomorrow. But having using the S5 and the Fire Phone, I'd take the Fire Phone over it. It's a lot easier to use than TouchWiz.