I finally decided to make the jump when I saw this posting on Ebay:
Amazon Fire Phone 32GB 4G LTE at T Unlocked Smartphone w Prime Warranty | eBay
When I purchased it, it was $139.99. It was cheaper than buying from Amazon directly and I didn't have to pay sales tax.
A couple disclaimers:
1.My phone had all the appearances of being a brand new sealed phone from Amazon--no complaints.
2. It's been confirmed that the phone still comes with a 1 Year manufacturer's warranty from Amazon
The Unlock code was included and it was easy to use with my old legacy TMO plan with no data requirement
As soon as I logged into my Amazon account on the phone, it added 1 Year to my 30 day free trial of Prime.
I've never been a Prime member before, but figured this was a decent deal and could be worthwhile.
On to the phone....
I've never had a Kindle Fire either, so I had no experience with Fire OS. It was frustrating and I didn't really want to invest the time with learning a new OS. Regardless, I was still happy to use it as a junker phone for an old TMO plan that I rarely use.
I know there are many people that aren't into rooting or romming their phones, but this is the time you should make an exception.....
A very savvy developer ggow was able to work around Amazon's locked bootloader and port CyanogenMod 11 (Kit Kat) to the Fire Phone
[ROM][STABLE] CM-11 for Safestrap v4 2015/07… - Pg. 74 | Amazon Fire Phone | XDA Forums
It's not perfect yet, but it really transforms the device into a very capable Android handset.
Fire OS may have been better, if I had invested more time into learning it. but using it without Google Apps was not an option for me. I was either going to sideload Google Play and keep Fire OS or install CyanogenMod.
This phone is extremely quick and could easily be a reliable daily driver to someone on AT&T or TMO.
If you're already a Prime Member, this phone would also be great as a wifi only device.
1. Root the device
2. Install Safe Strap 4.0
3. Download and Install Cyanogen 11
Goodbye Fire OS and Hello Googly Goodness. Maybe I've just become a spoiled brat, but it was so frustrating to use Fire OS without the standard notification bar and Android Home, Back, Menu, and Task buttons.
The funny thing is, this has actually made me more excited about Amazon. For under $150, I have a damn good phone and a year of Prime. I can definitely see the value in some of the Prime benefits.
And, for those are concerned there are several ways to restore the phone back to its original condition, if you have second thoughts.
Amazon Fire Phone 32GB 4G LTE at T Unlocked Smartphone w Prime Warranty | eBay
When I purchased it, it was $139.99. It was cheaper than buying from Amazon directly and I didn't have to pay sales tax.
A couple disclaimers:
1.My phone had all the appearances of being a brand new sealed phone from Amazon--no complaints.
2. It's been confirmed that the phone still comes with a 1 Year manufacturer's warranty from Amazon
The Unlock code was included and it was easy to use with my old legacy TMO plan with no data requirement
As soon as I logged into my Amazon account on the phone, it added 1 Year to my 30 day free trial of Prime.
I've never been a Prime member before, but figured this was a decent deal and could be worthwhile.
On to the phone....
I've never had a Kindle Fire either, so I had no experience with Fire OS. It was frustrating and I didn't really want to invest the time with learning a new OS. Regardless, I was still happy to use it as a junker phone for an old TMO plan that I rarely use.
I know there are many people that aren't into rooting or romming their phones, but this is the time you should make an exception.....
A very savvy developer ggow was able to work around Amazon's locked bootloader and port CyanogenMod 11 (Kit Kat) to the Fire Phone
[ROM][STABLE] CM-11 for Safestrap v4 2015/07… - Pg. 74 | Amazon Fire Phone | XDA Forums
It's not perfect yet, but it really transforms the device into a very capable Android handset.
Fire OS may have been better, if I had invested more time into learning it. but using it without Google Apps was not an option for me. I was either going to sideload Google Play and keep Fire OS or install CyanogenMod.
This phone is extremely quick and could easily be a reliable daily driver to someone on AT&T or TMO.
If you're already a Prime Member, this phone would also be great as a wifi only device.
1. Root the device
2. Install Safe Strap 4.0
3. Download and Install Cyanogen 11
Goodbye Fire OS and Hello Googly Goodness. Maybe I've just become a spoiled brat, but it was so frustrating to use Fire OS without the standard notification bar and Android Home, Back, Menu, and Task buttons.
The funny thing is, this has actually made me more excited about Amazon. For under $150, I have a damn good phone and a year of Prime. I can definitely see the value in some of the Prime benefits.
And, for those are concerned there are several ways to restore the phone back to its original condition, if you have second thoughts.
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