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EugeneJ posted:Amazon Fire HD 8 - you can sideload the Google Play store I came in here to ask about that, and it seems the question I had is already answered. I'm trying to stay below or at $100, I primarily need an ereader for a couple classes that send .pdf and .mobis to read, and my phone is competent but a pain in the rear end for it. I wanted to also have something competent for either Netflix, or just browsing the internet; I don't give much a flip about games. I know from a few websites, that pulling down apk's and toggling the 'allow packages from external sources' will painlessly get the Play store in there, and I'm about ready to drop the hammer on ordering one. I've been borrowing an Asus Zenpad C 7, and I've resented it. I haven't been able to find a good case or stand for it. The worst thing about it, is the default OS that Asus packs it with, blows. If you flip the internet on, it will compulsorily try to update everything, and it's just filled with apps that are constantly demanding new updates. I can't just turn the loving thing on and use a browser, without it being a reminder of dial-up days. If the Fire is as competent at web browsing as at the very loving least my Nexus 6p, I'm sold.
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Mar 16, 2018 16:56
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Been sitting with my new Fire 8 HD, and I kind of wish a little bit that I had considered paying the extra ten for the no ads version. I'll figure out how to kill that lovely lockscreen eventually... and that nearly ubiquitous special sale notification too.
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Mar 18, 2018 22:21
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5er posted:Been sitting with my new Fire 8 HD, and I kind of wish a little bit that I had considered paying the extra ten for the no ads version. I'll figure out how to kill that lovely lockscreen eventually... and that nearly ubiquitous special sale notification too. If you ask them via Chat in your Amazon account to remove the lock-screen ads, they'll do it for free - just say the ads are causing the tablet that you bought to lag
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Mar 18, 2018 22:31
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EugeneJ posted:If you ask them via Chat in your Amazon account to remove the lock-screen ads, they'll do it for free - just say the ads are causing the tablet that you bought to lag I will bear that in mind, thanks! I did get the Google Play store sideloaded without any trouble. If there are apps I want to use that happen to be both in Amazon's app store, and in Play, should I prefer installing from Google or from Amazon?
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Mar 19, 2018 02:00
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Oh they figured out how to root the most recent version of Fire Hd 8s? Now I'm really upset I returned my HD8 and bought this iPad. I didn't really have any problems with my Fire HD8 except for the goofy amazon software, and the display wasn't amazing. gently caress.
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Mar 19, 2018 06:14
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jokes posted:Oh they figured out how to root the most recent version of Fire Hd 8s? Now I'm really upset I returned my HD8 and bought this iPad. I didn't really have any problems with my Fire HD8 except for the goofy amazon software, and the display wasn't amazing. There's no root for gen7 fire HD8s. What people are talking about isn't rooting, it's downloading a bunch of APKs from random people on the internet that install google play services and the play store. Once those are installed, you're still running the amazon OS, but you can install software through the play store. The whole experience is a bit janky - amazon doesn't offer any guarantees that the play libraries will keep working, and you depend on random people on the internet for security and functional updates just like you do for installation. But hey, it's an android tablet for $80 that mostly works, and that appeals to a lot of people. If you care about polished software, you're way better off with the ipad.
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Mar 19, 2018 11:23
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I just needed a cheap ereader with a bit of future-proofing, and the occasional ability to browse the internet and maybe play some poo poo off Netflix. None of the Fire OS complications get in the way of any of that for me really. The main reason I wanted the Play store on there, was because my preferred ereader wasn't on the Amazon store. Otherwise I could have probably gotten by without having gone through the apk process I did. 5er fucked around with this message at 15:08 on Mar 19, 2018 |
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Mar 19, 2018 15:05
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You can pay the $ difference on your Amazon account to change to the no ad version, according to a Google search I did. Assuming support doesn't do it for free.
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Mar 19, 2018 15:22
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EugeneJ posted:If you ask them via Chat in your Amazon account to remove the lock-screen ads, they'll do it for free - just say the ads are causing the tablet that you bought to lag After you said that, I actually *did* notice that the lock screen would take somewhere between 5 to 15 seconds before I could unlock it, sometimes. Most often, it was after not using it for an hour or so. I opened a chat to Amazon, described the situation, and it played out exactly as you described. Wowee. Amazon customer response has always been good to me.
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Mar 19, 2018 20:39
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Happy customers makes for good business.
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Mar 20, 2018 00:00
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Is there any decent Windows tablets? I'll take a range of options.
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Mar 21, 2018 02:58
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Surface Pro 2017 with the fanless i5 is a VERY good pick. Great battery, silent, processor more than capable for most poo poo, even some light gaming. Course, it's expensive. I had a Surface Pro 4 and I loved it, except for the battery. I only used emulators on it for gaming and it ran like a dream. I even managed to put on-screen touch commands in the emulator for airplanes. Highly recommend. When I used the 2017 for a week, it was the perfect 2-in-1. But I didn't need a laptop to look at PDFs, so I just got an iPad. For office, etc., I had no problems with it. Or at least no more problems than you would with a laptop's touchpad. No slowdown, things like that. jokes fucked around with this message at 17:14 on Mar 21, 2018 |
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Mar 21, 2018 17:08
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Space Gopher posted:What people are talking about isn't rooting, it's downloading a bunch of APKs from random people on the internet that install google play services and the play store. Once those are installed, you're still running the amazon OS, but you can install software through the play store. I have one that's set up just like that. But this may complicate matters: Ars Technica posted:While Google's Android apps are only properly available as a pre-loaded app (or through the pre-loaded Play Store), they are openly distributed on forums, custom ROM sites, third-party app stores, and other places online. When a non-compatible device seller (or a user) loads these on a device, they can potentially trigger Google's new message at login.  https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/03/google-starts-blocking-uncertified-android-devices-from-logging-in/
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Mar 26, 2018 23:51
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Oh gently caress you Google.
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Mar 27, 2018 00:01
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Are you loving kidding me
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Mar 27, 2018 04:03
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I'm thinking of getting a kindle fire as a media holder for my car, whats the biggest sd card yall fit in one so far?
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Apr 2, 2018 17:29
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Statutory Ape posted:I'm thinking of getting a kindle fire as a media holder for my car, whats the biggest sd card yall fit in one so far? Jfc, 3 posts up are you all writing about how i can't load playstore on kindle fire anymore 
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Apr 2, 2018 17:34
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E: I'm dumb Endless Mike fucked around with this message at 02:30 on Apr 3, 2018 |
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Apr 2, 2018 21:41
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Endless Mike posted:They also don't take SD cards Really? The kids one does and it's just a regular fire in a case.
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Apr 3, 2018 02:19
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BonoMan posted:Really? The kids one does and it's just a regular fire in a case. Nah, I'm wrong. Disregard.
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Apr 3, 2018 02:30
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I need a tablet to read 500 page paper size pdfs. I tried out a fire 10 at target and it seemed to be able to handle the file just fine. So I'm leaning that way. Something cheap and simple. But I was also hoping for something that I could run Google Docs on and pair it with a Bluetooth keyboard and do some writing. But it sounds like that's not possible now that Google has broken sideloading the play store? Are there any other Android choices in that form factor that are decent and don't cost $500? Some other way to do writing within Amazon's ecosystem?
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Apr 3, 2018 17:48
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FISHMANPET posted:I need a tablet to read 500 page paper size pdfs. I tried out a fire 10 at target and it seemed to be able to handle the file just fine. So I'm leaning that way. Something cheap and simple. i have one of these https://www.amazon.com/ZenPad-2048x1536-Android-Titanium-Z500M-C1-GR/dp/B01MATMXZV?th=1 the only issue i have is that the home button is kinda wonky but i think that might just be mine since i couldnt really turn up anybody w that issue while googling it i also have a BT keyboard on it actually. the fintie KB/Case that is designed for that tablet. pretty good poo poo.
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Apr 3, 2018 18:03
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Google hasn't broken the Play store on Fire tablets; they've just made it so you have to individually configure each device on your account. It's just another step in the setup process, which wasn't the most intuitive thing in the world to begin with. What's limiting you to Android? Google is trying to forget they ever made Android tablets. Seriously, go look at what they're selling on the official Android tablet marketing page: three options that are literally discontinued and mostly NLA from the linked retailers, and a Samsung tablet from 2015 that's stuck on Nougat. If you want a PDF reader and document editor without having to hack around the Fire limitations, just get an iPad, Goodreader, and Google Docs. At this point they're as cheap as any of the Android options with decent hardware anyway.
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Apr 3, 2018 18:05
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Space Gopher posted:Google hasn't broken the Play store on Fire tablets; they've just made it so you have to individually configure each device on your account. It's just another step in the setup process, which wasn't the most intuitive thing in the world to begin with. i would have grabbed an ipad myself but lol if i was carrying around a lightning cable when my laptop and 2 phones are usb-c
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Apr 3, 2018 18:19
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Space Gopher posted:Google hasn't broken the Play store on Fire tablets; they've just made it so you have to individually configure each device on your account. It's just another step in the setup process, which wasn't the most intuitive thing in the world to begin with. And they may not have even done that. Everything I've read says their real target is Chinese knockoffs that are being sold as official Android devices. They don't really seem to care one way or the other about individuals coloring slightly outside the lines. A few days ago I put LineageOS on my old-rear end Nexus 7 as a learning experience, and was fully expecting to run into the new message. But nope, logging into my Google account from Lineage went perfectly smoothly. Maybe we judged Google a little harshly. Or, maybe they just haven't started the new lockout procedure yet. Hard to say.
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Apr 3, 2018 19:52
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So I can still install the Google Play store on the Fire, and I could still install Google Docs from there? What interests me about the Fire is that it's cheap, since I actually want to do very little with it. But If I'm going to spend more I'd rather stay in an ecosystem where I've already purchased things. But $329 isn't thaaaat bad for the 10 inch iPad...
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Apr 3, 2018 20:02
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How much of a pain in the rear end is it to add/watch mkv's and cbr's to an iPad? They seem much nicer than anything on the Android side of the fence but watching Blu-ray rips and reading comics would be 90% of my use case.
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Apr 6, 2018 20:27
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DonkeyHotay posted:How much of a pain in the rear end is it to add/watch mkv's and cbr's to an iPad? They seem much nicer than anything on the Android side of the fence but watching Blu-ray rips and reading comics would be 90% of my use case. My use case is similar to yours and the iPad is still my favorite tablet after having used android and windows tablets. Chunky comic reader is the best comic reader I've used on any platform. It's pretty easy to get cbr/cbz comics into it especially if you store your comics in the cloud. Other options are YAC reader and Comic Zeal I use Plex for media which usually streams moves from my computer but AVplayerHD or Infuse are pretty good for loading the iPad up with mkvs, although I haven't used them much.
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Apr 6, 2018 21:31
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So I got a Fire 10 this week and put Google Play on it, didn't have to register my device with Google or anything, so don't know what's up with that.
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Apr 14, 2018 02:43
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It might be, as mentioned above, more aimed at dodgy Android knock-offs rather than proper devices that opt-out of Google's ecosystem. I mean presumably Amazon have everything properly licensed. It's nice to know it still works should I need to go that way again.
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Apr 17, 2018 04:39
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Hobnob posted:It might be, as mentioned above, more aimed at dodgy Android knock-offs rather than proper devices that opt-out of Google's ecosystem. I mean presumably Amazon have everything properly licensed. They wouldn't; they're a fork of Android Open Source, they avoid all association with the Google Play system.
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Apr 17, 2018 04:48
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MikeJF posted:They wouldn't; they're a fork of Android Open Source, they avoid all association with the Google Play system. Huh, reading up on it now I had no idea the Android situation was that complicated. Kind of surprised it works, in that case.
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Apr 17, 2018 06:22
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Android was open source in one of Google's last gasps of having been founded by idealistic software developers out of college who had beliefs in that kind of thing. It's pretty clear the company regrets it now.
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Apr 17, 2018 10:54
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Then you're naive AF. Android hoovers up so much valuable data for Google through what you type, voice recognition and location data, on top of being so tightly-integrated with the rest of Google, it's an endless money-printing machine for them. To cite some numbers: Last year at I/O, Google announced that they had surpassed two billion active Android devices, and that Google Assistant was available on over one hundred million of them. https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/17/15654454/android-reaches-2-billion-monthly-active-users Just the ability to reach into people's lives to get them to use "OK Google", has allowed Google to rapidly train their algorithms, as well as getting people accustomed to using a Google smart speaker, resulting in Google steadily chipping away at Amazon's position at the top of the home automation market, bringing Amazon down below 70% for the first time. https://qz.com/1157619/amazon-echos-dominance-in-the-smart-speaker-market-is-a-lesson-on-the-virtue-of-being-first/ And if you think that Google regrets anything about Android being open-source, weighted against its ubiquity and data collection value? Please. SwissArmyDruid fucked around with this message at 12:40 on Apr 17, 2018 |
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Apr 17, 2018 12:37
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All of which would have just as easily been accomplished as a proprietary closed-source OS with (partial or full) source provided to phone manufacturers under licence, a more traditional corporate model. They wouldn't have needed to charge for it given they wanted it to spread far and wide, but it would've allowed them to keep tighter rein on it and stop Fire from happening, not to mention slowed down all these unlicensed knockoffs running Google Play they're having issues with now.
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Apr 17, 2018 12:47
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I got the free alcatel a30 from t mobile It is surprisingly not lovely 
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Apr 17, 2018 15:07
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My first mobile was an Alcatel. Good, sturdy cheap little fella. Smacked him on concrete a shitton, never complained. So easy to buy a phone back then.
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Apr 17, 2018 17:14
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It's pretty easy to buy a phone now too if you don't decide you want a $1k super star destroyer
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Apr 17, 2018 18:13
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MikeJF posted:Android was open source in one of Google's last gasps of having been founded by idealistic software developers out of college who had beliefs in that kind of thing. Google didn't write Android; they bought it. Besides, everybody whose main business is internet services open-sources big chunks of their client side stuff these days. They make money by tracking people and selling access to the highly proprietary stuff that's running server-side. If some small business or hobbyist wants to modify their endpoint, more power to 'em. Statutory Ape posted:It's pretty easy to buy a phone now too if you don't decide you want a $1k super star destroyer Remember when the US had phone choices of "CDMA, and if you didn't buy it from us go gently caress yourself" and "GSM, but if you want to unlock your phone go gently caress yourself"? Unless you're just a huge fan of service contracts it is way easier to buy a phone now.
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Apr 17, 2018 18:26
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Yeah though depending on the carrier getting phones unlocked is still too much bullshit compared to what it should be. 100% better now than it ever has been in USA. I work in the industry and have to deal with all the carriers on a daily basis and so maybe im more jaded than i should be
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Apr 18, 2018 15:53
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