Amazon Fire Opinions

CosmicGalaxy

Hello all.

I've been thinking of getting a new tablet for a while as my trusty Hudl2 has started to present with a few problems. The latest Amazon Fire deals look good (I'd probably be thinking of getting the 8 HD) but I'd like some opinions first.

Is this the best deal for the money (roughly under £100)? My only reservation is the lack of Google Play store, and a few reviews have said that you need Amazon Prime to in order to truly "unlock" the tablet (in the sense of using all the things available). Is this a big hindrance?

Thanks in advance!

jshm2

For the price you'll not get better hardware. You can root or sideload apps onto it and then you don't need the "Prime" functionality.

almillar

I've just bought the Fire HD 8 and had the Google Play store on it in under 10 minutes.
Hudl was the rare 8 inch size so it's kind of a spritual successor. The 8 had a 'decent' resolution, whereas the 7 is a bit poor. Also 16GB vs 8GB. Makes £50 seem good value against the £30, and beats any other brand at the moment too. If your budget is £100, the bigger Fire 10 is £109 and obviously a much more capable tablet, if you want to go bigger.



To get Google Play (you do NOT need to root):

Install a file manager (File Kommander maybe)
In the Fire's Settings, goto Security and allow installation from Unknown Sources.
Download 4 Google .apk files (app installers) culminating in the Play Store.
Restart for luck, and let them update.
Goto the Play store and go wild.
XDA Developers has a thread with the instructions and links to the files. Do the browsing on the Fire itself. People stated a problem with the 'Install' button being greyed out for each install file - simply switching the screen off and on again makes it 'pressable'.
If you've done it before on a Fire tablet, not much has changed

pmduk

I bought my fire to replace a hudl2, I wish I been able to afford to spend more I can't put my finger on the reason, but I'm not a fan of the fire. NB the instructions above to add Google Play at least made the Fire bearable and are easier than they may seem on reading.