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Amazon Fire Tablets get better (Read 184 times)
Oldfeller--FSO
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Amazon Fire Tablets get better
11/08/20 at 06:06:33
 

My wife uses Fire Tablets.  I gave her the first one (after trying it out as a potential tank mounted GPS device, a use for which it wasn't any good at all).  

Ducks and water, it turns out my wife is a natural Fireperson ......

She loves it for consuming Amazon stuff, which she does a lot of.   She also wears out the micro USB charging connectors and kills the batteries on a cell phone like frequency and she simply goes and gets another one.

I have inherited the old stuff and have played Joe fix-it on batteries and Joe failed to fix-it on the soldered in place micro USB connectors and Joe can't even try to fix it on the motherboard charging shut off circuits.

I learned a lot about Fire Tablets, and I did a lot of "failed to fix it" in doing so.

Tongue

We prefer the 8" form factor as it fits in the hand better than anything else we have found.

So, we have two old Apple iPads, three Fires (two working and one dead) and some misc. parts lying around.


===================================================


There is a new Fire 8 HD 2020 out now, and it costs $5 more than the old Fire 8 versions cost.
Why is it worth the extra $5 to a normal person ????  

*   Screen size is still the same, but the bezels are smaller and the top bezel isn't nearly so fat any more.
Yes, this means your old tablet holder thingie won't fit any more ......

*   Processor and rest of upgraded unit is 30-40% faster (depending on exactly what you are doing).

*   Graphics are faster, and there is a lag free Gaming Mode that shuts off all background uses and makes the thing MOVE FASTER while gaming.

*   Bigger Battery,  life is 12 hours of use instead of a limping 8-10 hours of use.

*   Best item saved for last ---- USB C connector for charging !!!!!


I am an expert on this one -- all our past Fires died limping deaths with bad batteries and multiple bad cables and tons of different "it won't charge" syndromes.

All of which originated with or started from Amazon's pick of the micro USB port format.

Replacement batteries and new cables can't fix it for more than a week or so before IT'S BACK sticking its ugly face up into yours.



Now, some Free Advice Time.

Use the charger that comes with the unit for the longest lasting total trouble free life span on the Battery Life.   I like you have more powerful chargers available to me, but the current unit simply isn't rated for 3 Amp Fast Charger use (yet).

A Fire Tablet has a charge level sensing circuit on the motherboard (it shuts down overcharging when full charge is reached) a circuit that gets damaged over time by mis-applying hyper charging plug up type chargers.    Right now the largest charger you can safely use at all is a 2.1 amp Apple charger, or surprise surprise, the 1.8 amp stock charger that came in the box with the oldest Fire tablet.

Later on in the lifespan of the battery you may be tempted to hyperdrive the charging a bit to get it to pick up faster, but please, not now while it is newish and still under warranty.  

You can damage the unit trying to hyperdrive the charger, I have been there, I have done that and can send you a tee shirt if you want me to  (it will only cost you $55-$80 for shipping).

Next, none of the current 1-9 gen FIRE-TWEEKING tool kits were built with this unit in mind as it simply wasn't out there yet.   Give them a year to completely catch up with the new Fire 8 HD internal circuit tweeks and various programming changes.   9.1 gen Kits just out may have some of it in there, but not all of it is fully understood, fully cooked and working good yet .....

Yes, I suspect they will eventually have a button or a slider to turn on GAMING MODE LAG FREE SPEED all the time for all uses, it is a thing that just begs to be done ......
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« Last Edit: 11/12/20 at 19:11:45 by Oldfeller--FSO »  

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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #1 - 11/08/20 at 07:50:43
 
Mine is about six years old. It's a pest. I unhook the battery to get it unlocked. The charge port seems to eat cords. Wifely unit bought some better cords off Amazon, they have lasted lots better..
Cloth wrapped, she says it was about thirteen bucks for two,gotta be ten feet long..
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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #2 - 11/08/20 at 14:08:11
 

Eventually, you too will make the decision to stop fighting it.   Just make sure you get a gen 10 or more modern unit (2020 year model or later) as your new replacement.

I got myself hooked on the occasional free audible copy of an existing purchase, and I found that many of the books I like to read are part of the wife's Kindle Unlimited.

I also realized from using audible that I actually speed read (& skip over things) more than I thought I did.    I have some very bad reading habits, especially late at night when I am tired.
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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #3 - 11/08/20 at 18:16:34
 
That day is coming.
I'll most likely ask you what to do when it does
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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #4 - 11/08/20 at 21:51:07
 
Mine is about 4-5 yrs old. Used only for reading news at breakfast, lasts 4 to 5 days per charge.  Great for travelling.
Cheers!  Cool
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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #5 - 11/09/20 at 16:45:31
 

https://liliputing.com/2020/10/amazon-fire-toolbox-v8-2-makes-hacking-amazons...

https://forum.xda-developers.com/hd8-hd10/development/official-amazon-fire-to...


This last one listed is the real link to the independently developed and maintained Fire Toolbox version 9.1 which is supposedly good for all the Fire Tablets.

The tool works, and it does allow you to detrash the Amazon junk off the Fire Tablets and replace it with access to the Google Play Store which then gives you all the pieces that you are used to and that you may prefer to use.

Be aware that Amazon gets into your tablet at night and "maintains" your software by a rotational replacement system.   Changes you make will be "fixed" over time by Amazon as part of their built in maintenance system.

Caution:

Blowing away all the Amazon stuff all at once is a stone bad idea.   What you want to do is blow away a few items selectively at a time then use the Fire a while to see if everything still works OK.

You would not think that killing the Kindle Newstand app would stop you from reading Kindle Ebooks already in your library, but it does ......   apparently key code was developed along with that Kindle Newspaper app that had calls placed on it by Kindle Unlimited Ereader.

Good news, you can detrash all the Amazon you want to if you go about it very carefully and slowly.   I even got rid of the lock screen ads, killing AMAZON Special Offers just shows you a textured background now with nothing on it, one that any finger stroke takes you on past it quickly .....  moving you right on to the normal Fire stuff.

This tool allows you to selectively "delete by hiding" or "delete by not starting" the separate AMAZON apps, but should this activity goe south you can use the Replace Screen to put everything back.

Seriously, "Delete All Amazon apps" automatically is just about 100% sure to mess your Fire Tablet up, but "Recover All Amazon Apps" gets it all back seamlessly.   I then selectively killed the kiddie Amazon apps separately, then the music apps, then most of the Amazon tools that I had already replaced by real Google Apps until I felt like I was tuned up as good as I could be.

Net effect was a tablet that used about the same internal memory as a default Amazon install, but has much better responsiveness and a much better grade of apps (and you are not waiting for layers of AMAZON ads to load all the time).  

And it costs WAY LESS than an Android tablet does as AMAZON subsidizes the price of a Fire Tablet just to get you to buy into all their layers of AMAZON sales ads and stuff.

The Fire Toolbox has other uses after your clean up is done, like upgrading and backing everything up with one click (which is a neat set of tricks and are some of the very best of these post clean up uses).

Upgrading everything on your tablet using the tool is now a "one click does it all" affair, and the tool will actually tell you if it is actually needed to be done or not.


===================================================


There is no GPS on any Fire Tablet  but GPS dongles for USB C do exist and the Fire Toolkit maintainers intend to bring a package of dongle based stuff to the 2020 Fire Tablets to give it GPS functionality off of the orbital satellites just like an Android phone has.

The closest Amazon can do now is to locate you off of the wifi sources that you are using as you travel along.    This is very spotty at best and always seems to rapidly crash due to "no signal" for it to home in on.

Note:  so wait until they get all this dongle stuff working good and then we will have to look at the cost involved in doing it.

A long time Fire Person user sees no real benefit in any of this, as they are used to using their Fire just for the Amazon stuff and then they use their Android phone for everything else.

Me, I have no phone any longer, the wife keeps it as she uses it a lot and I don't use it for much at all any more.
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« Last Edit: 11/11/20 at 15:10:05 by Oldfeller--FSO »  

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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #6 - 11/10/20 at 06:09:11
 

You can spot how frequently AMAZON replacement updates their software by how often all the crap comes back.    2-3 days, some of it will be back.

And, just like Microsoft, they really think they own your device, not you ......    

Amazon even gave you a subsidy and paid you $15 (your cost) on top of that to rent your lock screen ad space.

And here you were, trying to cheat them out of their investment.

Roll Eyes

But, taking a distancing breath for a minute,  since Amazon links up all their various functions where they sit rather than keeping multiple copies of stuff scattered all over the place (using up a lot of extra storage) you can see why Amazon does an intentional rolling replacement of your software at night, section by section.

Just like MS does.   Same reasons, it keeps it all working and healthy.    From the real owners point of view, anyway.

Tongue
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« Last Edit: 11/11/20 at 15:11:12 by Oldfeller--FSO »  

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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #7 - 11/11/20 at 00:16:06
 
When I got this from my wife,she had a lock screen password.I don't remember what I had to do, but I got rid of it. Just pick it up, turn it on, and go..
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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #8 - 11/11/20 at 15:02:27
 

You went to settings, security and hit the slider button to turn it off.
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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #9 - 11/12/20 at 13:13:46
 
My memory says there was a long struggle before it stopped demanding I use a code,, but,, Phhht, that is over..
BUT
Carol dragged up the cords,,


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YBGHYJO/ref=cm_sw_r_oth_api_fabt1_TnARFb5Z38TZ0?...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YBGHYJO/ref=cm_sw_r_oth_api_fabt1_TnARFb5Z38TZ0?...


An expenditure you won't regret.
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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #10 - 11/23/20 at 10:11:33
 
Black Friday price right now for Fire hd 10 inch $80.
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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #11 - 11/23/20 at 12:19:59
 

 Seems like a good deal.  I don't use the Fire Tablets but I know a ton of people that do.

https://www.amazon.com/Fire-HD-10/dp/B07K1RZWMC/ref=asc_df_B07K1RZWMC/?tag=&l...
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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #12 - 11/27/20 at 13:37:29
 
Rats!  took my fire 8 to MacD's for breakfast yesterday, WIFI connected but all websites refused to load/connect. What's with that ?
cheers >: ?
ps: works at home !
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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #13 - 11/28/20 at 07:17:33
 

Greasy McD has some sort of internet issue?
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Re: Amazon Fire Tablets get better
Reply #14 - 11/30/20 at 15:34:39
 

https://liliputing.com/2020/11/hack-your-amazon-fire-tablet-with-fire-toolbox...

A NEW Fire Toolbox is released now.    Here are some of the things you can use Fire Toolbox Release 10 to do:

Install the Google Play Store and Google services.
Change the default launcher app (you can use something like Nova launcher to make Fire OS look more like stock Android).

Change your screen density options (to make text and graphics look larger or smaller).

Uninstall some or all of Amazon’s pre-installed apps (I suggest using the manual option and just checking the apps you know you don’t want or need).

Enable or disable automatic updates, over-the-air updates, or change other system settings.

Sideload apps (install applications downloaded to your PC from trusted sites like APK Mirror if they aren’t available in the Amazon Appstore and/or you don’t want to install Google Play).

Backup all data on your tablet to your PC, or restore from a previous backup.

Move files to and from your tablet.

Record a video or save a screenshot.

Some of the changes and new features in version 10 include improvements for restoration from backups, improvements for sideloading apps, a new tool for installing custom keyboard, and an updated method for removing lock screen ads from Fire tablets — plus warning messages to make it clear that the official way to do that is to pay Amazon $15, but you know, if you bought a used tablet on eBay or something and didn’t know that there were “special offers” on the lock screen, that maybe it’s not entirely illegal to remove them yourself? Maybe?

ALSO NOTE The new Release 10 method can also be set to disable Amazon's OTA updates, which means that you won’t receive security or feature updates from Amazon. So I’d proceed with caution if using that particular option.


Click on the link at the top of the post to find the software download link and all this information spelled out in greater detail.



This Release 10 of the Toolbox can be set to address Amazon's pesky rewriting all your files every few weeks as they do a MS sneaky 100% rewrite on you late at night.   Cutting this action off will eventually make you lose some form of systems update that may be useful to you, so think about it a bit before installing the version 10 software with that option energized.
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