Is touchpad a good option for kids in 2020 - TouchPad Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi- I have a 9 year old daughter who is learning to play piano. We were recommended to give her a specific Android app by her teacher to use. The problem is, I'm having a hard time finding an appropriate device for her. I already have several phones in the house, some old kitkat era cheap-as-heck tablets from forever ago, 3 Kindle Fires, 2 Microsoft Surfaces and some laptops. It runs perfectly fine on my old phone, but the screen is too small for her to read along and practice. I can run bluestacks on a laptop and get it working on a nice big display, but its too cumbersome and not practical for her, not to mention some complications with Google's account services in paying for courses on the app. It seems to recognize that it isn't a real Android environment in the emulator. The Kindle Fires are the perfect form factor and can sort of sideload the APK, but it's the same problem as the emulator, the app relies heavily on Google's account services framework to work, and while I was able to launch the app, I can't make it connect to an account to purchase courses properly (keeps throwing errors). The old kit-kat era tablets are having trouble even loading up the app, so I think it just needs a more modern OS.
So I'm sitting here thinking, gosh, I should just buy another tablet. Which feels dumb for a specific-use like this. I'm having trouble justifying the cost of another portable computing device. My brother offered his old Touchpad, saying it is honestly collecting dust right now and runs some versions of Android. So I headed over here to see how development is going.
I see there's some Pie flavors available now (nice!), but I'm also seeing that they are somewhat works-in-progress and may not be reliable, fast, or have full support for audio (something I definitely need - the app requires mic and sound control). Kit kat seems like it was reliable on the Touchpad, but I definitely don't want to go back that far and find out it still won't work like my other tablets.
How's Oreo on this device? Is it well supported? Does it run smoothly with all hardware working?
Am I barking up the wrong tree?
Looking forward to your opinions, thanks so much!

Related

[Q] Android phone or iPhone with Nook Color

I am new to android and the NC is my first device with the OS. I currently have a Storm 1 on Verizon and I hate it. I love Verizon's network but hate hate hate my phone. I'm out of contract and ready for a new phone.
With all the Verizon iPhone rumors, I'm conflicted. Do I get an iPhone when it most likely arrives on Verizon or an android phone that is already there to go along with the NC?
I'm asking this here as you all seem to know so much about android and the NC. I want to tether whatever phone I get to the NC. I'm a mac user solely and like the compatibility there and would have gotten an iPhone immediately a year ago. Now, after experiencing android, I'm not so sure anymore that I even need or want the iPhone.
What are your thoughts on the two paths in regards to phone/NC compatibility and also to a Mac/phone/NC relationship? I really want to sync data between all three fairly seamlessly. Would having devices running different OS's make things too tough or are there enough cross platform apps and functionality to make it not matter?
I fully understand that the NC's capabilities are a long ways from being fully tapped. This might also be moot as both probably can serve my purposes. Figured I would pick your brains and experiences.
Sent from my Nook Color
I have a Mac, iPhone 4 and NC right now and love all three. Apple's stuff are sexy and reliable but closed off. Android is less mature and lacks polish but has so much more potential. When I'm ready for my next phone, I'll look long and hard at an Android. If you like to.customize, I'd say go android. But I love my iPhone. You'll need to jailbreak it to unleash its potential.
Sent from my XDA app on my Nook Color
This is exactly my setup, Mac, iPhone, NC. Syncing, one word - Dropbox. There is entire cottage industry around Dropbox, your Mac, and iOS devices. I don't think you'll be hard pressed to find exactly what you need right there.
But out of curiosity what are you going to be using the NC for, light word, excel type documents, pdf's? I use mine mostly to read ebooks/pdf's, 90%. There are a lot of things in the cloud that are fairly platform agnostic, Evernote comes to mind and different calendar sync apps. Just iTunes search for various one's to sync with google if want it to go with your NC.
As far as Verizon and iPhone, we'll just have to wait. In the US we have it bad, as iPhone (limited by att) does not tether. It's shocking, because in the rest of the world people tehter their iPhones.
I'd say go with iPhone, best of all worlds here, Mac, iOS with iPhone, and Android with the NC. What's not to love, you have it all. That's speaking as a Mac user of course.
newton1666 said:
I'd say go with iPhone, best of all worlds here, Mac, iOS with iPhone, and Android with the NC. What's not to love, you have it all. That's speaking as a Mac user of course.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same. I love my i4 and I also love playing around with my rooted NC, I wish the phone could just dual boot both OS and I could be content with that magic phone for the rest of my life.
Each has his/her own preferences, it's really what you're looking for . . . I'd recommend spending time with a rooted android phone--not just the NookColor--before making a decision.
We're doing some amazing stuff here with the NookColor--considering what we started with--but this is barely scratching the surface of development on a device that's still running an eReader's stock ROM for crying out loud. That's not even to mention that it's based on (in tech years) an ancient version of android.
If you spend some time with a rooted Evo, Nexus S, or Droid X running a cyanogen ROM, I wouldn't even remotely say android is immature or lacks polish compared to iOS. If anything, I'd say it's the other way around.
I'm a former iPhone 4 and iPad owner, and I much prefer both my HTC Evo and the NookColor (even in its relatively primitive stage of development) over both of them (Plants vs Zombies is the only thing I miss, and it'll be on Android soon).
They say opinions are like a-holes: everybody has one . . . If that's the case, people having a-holes makes the world go 'round, because android would be much less interesting without iOS, and vice versa. I'd say go to stores where you can play with each OS' flagship devices for a while, check out the best each has to offer, and find what works for you.
I would actually say that stock android is better than stock iOS. But until android can support encryption out of box, I can't make the full switch because I can't sync with work.
Sent from my XDA app on my Nook Color
As usual, ask a question like this and you will end up getting every response possible if you wait long enough.
I know folks who love their Iphones and tether with them here in the US. Jailbroken, or whatever its called and some custom stuff, of course. So I don't think that needs to be an issue in the choice.
Android phones have excellent qualities out of the box though, and once they start being rooted and rom'd- fantastic, as far as I am concerned. The ability to customize and make them YOURS instead of the CARRIERS (at least in function and appearance) is far and beyond anything I have seen on an Apple phone.
There are some advantages to either, as always- if you are on the fence then I too would suggest trying to "spend some time" with both and see if that helps make the decision.
I appreciate all the responses. I know that everybody is different, but it's still nice to hear others experiences regarding their setup.
I an an architect by trade and my mac is my lifeline to do all my drawings and graphics, etc. I'd be lost without it. I won't be a hardcore user with all three phone/mac/NC in regards to work. I mainly want email, music, movies, contacts, calander, etc. to be able to be sync'ed between all devices. I make a change in one and I can update in all three.
I've been playing with both iPhones and rooted Android phones and it really is a tossup. I do like the idea of having the iPhone so if there are special iOS apps, I can get it and have the NC for any special Android apps. Best of both worlds. I also really have to wait and see how the Verizon iPhone will be. I'll play with it in store for awhile before I make a choice.
Then the next question is do I wait for the 4G Android phones to come out on Verizon? I'm content to wait until late 1st quarter 2011 until the dust settles on some of this. I just wanted to get some feedback from people on how their NC's are working with their phones, iPhone and Android.

Any Laptop

Alright guys. I'm getting a new laptop for school next year, and I can get basically anything that I want. I don't really want a Mac, because quite honestly, I'd end up installing Windows on it and never using the iOS. So, what computer would you choose (laptop, anyone you want!). I've been looking at The Lenovo IdeaPad Y540 with the RapidDrive. Any suggestions?
toshiba satellite laptops are good. my sister has one. it's good, and not too expensive.
KHeeney5 said:
Alright guys. I'm getting a new laptop for school next year, and I can get basically anything that I want. I don't really want a Mac, because quite honestly, I'd end up installing Windows on it and never using the iOS. So, what computer would you choose (laptop, anyone you want!). I've been looking at The Lenovo IdeaPad Y540 with the RapidDrive. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get one of thw intel i5 i3 and something else ones.
I have i5 and i3 blazing fast and HP!
KHeeney5 said:
Alright guys. I'm getting a new laptop for school next year, and I can get basically anything that I want. I don't really want a Mac, because quite honestly, I'd end up installing Windows on it and never using the iOS. So, what computer would you choose (laptop, anyone you want!). I've been looking at The Lenovo IdeaPad Y540 with the RapidDrive. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to the dell website and customize a laptop to whatever you want, you know, choose your own: processor, ram, hardrive space, graphics card etc.
I customized an inspiron 1525 a whil back and its running nicely
how about the best of both worlds , getting a macbook to show around and get the honeys in school , and having it dual boot windows at home to get some work done (when nobody sees you , ofc)
I use Lenovo Thinkpads normally. They are awesome. I really like their customer service. It's really IBM, but they are very patient and knowledgeable.
Well, you'd never use iOS on a Mac anyways, since iOS doesn't run on Macs (except in the emulator as part of the iOS SDK).
It is all about what you need. I'd get a Dell and run Ubuntu on it if I wasn't relying on certain Mac OS X software. Oh wait, I have a Dell running Ubuntu that I use a lot, in addition to my MacBook Pro.
The problem is you don't specify your needs at all, there is no best computer. I love my MacBook Pro and I love my Dell. And I'd happily recommend either of them to you, or several other machines - depending on your needs. So, what do you need?
I'd advise against getting a Dell Inspiron. There's a design flaw in the hinge where the case starts to spread apart; my girlfriend, mother, and roommate all have the problem and it started just after a year of owning their laptops. If you're already looking at Lenovo and you really can "get pretty much whatever you want" I'd suggest looking at a ThinkPad, the build quality is much better than the IdeaPads.
What are you exactly planning to do with the laptop?
You might need extra graphics muscle for vid editing our gaming.
Go for something with a sandy bridge. I'll be somewhat futureproof.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
souljaboy said:
how about the best of both worlds , getting a macbook to show around and get the honeys in school , and having it dual boot windows at home to get some work done (when nobody sees you , ofc)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seconded.
Or you can just boot Windows and say;
"I REALLY love the hardware, but Mac is sooooo last picosecond ago."
Otherwise, go for an ultraportable.
http://goo.gl/TDMgh
This one.
sakai4eva said:
Seconded.
Or you can just boot Windows and say;
"I REALLY love the hardware, but Mac is sooooo last picosecond ago."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you ever actually USED OS X? Like I said, a computer is a tool. OS X provides the core foundation to do things Windows users can only dream of. Want me to blow your mind? I can show you videowall and blended projector setups running all in software (plus some Matrox TripleHead2Go's) doing things that required thousands of dollars worth of video processing hardware five years ago.
Granted, that's a rare application, but the same benefits apply to lower-level programs too. Mac OS has had true, full system-wide color management since the first OS X release. Windows? Their new, much-touted color management is about on the same level as Mac OS 9 was - 11 years ago.
Apple has done a great job providing creative professionals with an amazing platform. Sadly, it seems like they're abandoning us in favor of the content consumers and iOS. We shall see. But for right now, it's the best thing out there for the needs of many creative professionals.
Mark Uhde said:
Have you ever actually USED OS X? Like I said, a computer is a tool. OS X provides the core foundation to do things Windows users can only dream of. Want me to blow your mind? I can show you videowall and blended projector setups running all in software (plus some Matrox TripleHead2Go's) doing things that required thousands of dollars worth of video processing hardware five years ago.
Granted, that's a rare application, but the same benefits apply to lower-level programs too. Mac OS has had true, full system-wide color management since the first OS X release. Windows? Their new, much-touted color management is about on the same level as Mac OS 9 was - 11 years ago.
Apple has done a great job providing creative professionals with an amazing platform. Sadly, it seems like they're abandoning us in favor of the content consumers and iOS. We shall see. But for right now, it's the best thing out there for the needs of many creative professionals.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you ever actually USED Windows 7? Like I said, a computer is a tool. Windows 7 provides the core foundation to do things Mac users can only dream of. Want me to blow your mind? I can show you 16xAA and 4xAF graphics on SIX monitors (plus some sick DirectX 11 tessellation) doing things that required thousands of dollars worth of Mac hardware five months ago.
Granted, that's a common application, but the same benefits apply to lower-level programs too. Windows 7 has true 3d games since its release. Mac? Their new, much-touted app store is probably 4 to 5 years behind.
Microsoft/AMD/ATI/NVidia/Intel has done a great job providing gamers with an amazing platform. Sadly, it seems like they're abandoning us in favor of the content consumers and consoles. We shall see. But for right now, it's the best thing out there for the needs of many gamers.
FTFY.
Um, not sure if it was your intent, but you only proved my point. Different uses need different tools. We've got Windows 7 sitting and running up at the church on two machines that have replaced our sound boards (both front of house and monitor mix) and much of our effects and processing gear. Software Audio Console by RML Labs. Great product, and runs fantastically well on Windows 7. The developer is a bit of a nut, and he himself is always complaining about what Microsoft does poorly in Windows (especially in regards to memory management, which he notes is tuned more towards most processing power, not lowest latency like one desires in a live audio application). Regardless, he's managed to get Windows down to a few milliseconds of latency, and he has the whole setup working very, very well.
So, you proved my point. Windows 7 is a great gaming OS. I never said it wasn't There's a lot more to this world than games, but if games are what you want, the Windows 7 is where it's at - though OS X is catching up. It's definitely had "true 3D" since release. Right now the two big issues are drivers that aren't really tweak-able - and tuned more towards rendering accuracy than performance; and the actual support of developers (though both have improved a lot in the last year).
Mark Uhde said:
Um, not sure if it was your intent, but you only proved my point. Different uses need different tools. We've got Windows 7 sitting and running up at the church on two machines that have replaced our sound boards (both front of house and monitor mix) and much of our effects and processing gear. Software Audio Console by RML Labs. Great product, and runs fantastically well on Windows 7. The developer is a bit of a nut, and he himself is always complaining about what Microsoft does poorly in Windows (especially in regards to memory management, which he notes is tuned more towards most processing power, not lowest latency like one desires in a live audio application). Regardless, he's managed to get Windows down to a few milliseconds of latency, and he has the whole setup working very, very well.
So, you proved my point. Windows 7 is a great gaming OS. I never said it wasn't There's a lot more to this world than games, but if games are what you want, the Windows 7 is where it's at - though OS X is catching up. It's definitely had "true 3D" since release. Right now the two big issues are drivers that aren't really tweak-able - and tuned more towards rendering accuracy than performance; and the actual support of developers (though both have improved a lot in the last year).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm just trying to say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whatever platform that you use, as long as you are happy with it. I will not begrudge you if you decide to buy a Mac for legitimate reasons (graphics editing, etc.), but a Windows PC for me is a much better deal. Maybe its because I've grown up around Windows, so I'll never get the "need" for an overpriced and underspec'd computer.
And, yes, my PC is kinda heavily modified
Glad we could find a middle ground
Get a Macbook Pro, At least you wouldn't be getting those annoying updates and useless Norton Anti-virus notification. I been a pc user for more than 10 years and Os X is really not bad like people make it out to be.
sakai4eva said:
I'm just trying to say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whatever platform that you use, as long as you are happy with it. I will not begrudge you if you decide to buy a Mac for legitimate reasons (graphics editing, etc.), but a Windows PC for me is a much better deal. Maybe its because I've grown up around Windows, so I'll never get the "need" for an overpriced and underspec'd computer.
And, yes, my PC is kinda heavily modified
Glad we could find a middle ground
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think if you'd shop it, you'd find Macs aren't bad for what you're getting, price wise. There are things that have value people don't mention. Things like the glass screen on laptops (hard to damage and easy to clean - sadly, also REALLY bad glare) and the large full-multitouch glass trackpad... it's a joy to use, easy and fast.
As for the desktops, Mac Pros are crazy pricey at first glance. But when you look closer, they're using server (Xeon) processors and server-grade components. Which makes almost no difference in performance, but it does legitimately add a fortune to the cost. Apple needs a true desktop machine. But if you compare it to other machines using the same components, pricing is similar or better.
The big thing is that Apple has no low-end, cheap-built, high-performance machines. Their machines are all made THEIR WAY. No choices. 1984 style, even. I do not like that, but when looked at in the broader market, it's not so bad - Macs are one of many choices to find the best tool for each job. Windows is also one of many choices. I spend much of my time on a Dell in Linux
BTW, I wasn't even talking graphics editing. Though the color management engine makes Macs great for that. Next time you go to a concert and see walls of video screens behind the stage and stuff like that, and you assume there's a ton of fancy video gear, there might not be. The software exists, on Mac OS X, to do that all in software today. And the software exists, on Windows, to mix sound all in software, today. And the results, in both cases, are as good as traditional hardware solutions.
Sorry I have't posted back guys. But I ended up ordering:
Toshiba Portege r700
Windows 7 Pro 64 bit
Intel i7 @ 2.67 GHz
4 GB DDR2
120 GB SSD
Fingerprint Scanner
HDMI Out
13.3 inch widescreen
The SSD and DDR2 was important to me since I will be a computer engineering student. I love it. Fast, extremely thin (for all the guts) and just as light as my girlfriends MB Air.
Thanks for your help.
Sent from my DROIDX
Sounds like a nice machine, but I question why you wanted DDR2, and not DDR3. I'm just a noob though.
ASUS G51J works GREAT for gaming and school

When will Google Tv be loved?

This is just a topic open for debate and discussion based on my limited knowledge and consumeristic, impatient, and biased views.
Perhaps like many of you when I heard about Google TV I dropped a load. Holy $&!# I thought. My android phone is rooted and running custom ROMS and doing things the manufacturer and carrier never allowed or implemented. So I went out and bought a NSX46GT1 and havent looked back since. I have never been able to compare my Sony say LG's version or Apple TV but I feel its safe to say that Google TV is the future. Its kind of "gimmicky" right now but Im confident it will only grow because of Androids almost limitless potential. There has been some back and forth at least from big manufacturers about producing a set top box or all in one TV. However at least a handful of kickstarters and smaller companies are putting Google TV and Android on USB sticks or other peripherals. Amazing in my opinion and I cant wait for it to blow up for the simple reason of when I can finally modify and play with as I have been accustomed to with my phone and tablet. As of right now I am disappointed with the growth of development, at no fault to the community itself. Firstly Sony (maybe others) have updated their TV's to remove root exploits. Secondly saturation in the market is very low. The less people and devs are exposed to it the less of community will build around it. Thirdly, and this may be a sticky point, fragmentation. The variety of set top boxes and TV's, ect. can effect development. Now I have side loaded a number of Apps, Launchers, File Browsers, Live Wallpapers, ect. and at least in my case much of it has been removed because it mostly doesn't play well. Again I only have experience with my TV so milage may vary. And also updates; I'm still running 3.2! Thats 2 versions behind. If I had to rethink my purchase then perhaps I would either wait or buy a set top box. When it gomes time to upgrade either your Google TV or TV set, you can do so seperatly with a set top box. Also Sony isn't the best company when it comes to unlocking their devices as has been seen with the PS3. Most of my complaints stem from impatients but that is because I know how great the potential can be. To end, again Im biased, not a developer, an Android Fan Boy, and clinically diagnosed with ADD! So what are your thoughts?

Should i buy a Lumia 730?

Should i enter the world of windows?
Without knowing more about what you look for in a smartphone, and what services you already use, it's going to be really hard to make a useful argument.
I mean, practically everybody here uses WP, and many of us have been using it since WP7, and many used WinMo before that. So in general, we're obviously biased in favor of WP. But there's probably all kinds of related things there. For example, we probably haven't dropped a bunch of money on Android or iOS apps, so we don't have that reason to use a different platform. We probably don't rely too heavily on Google services; although some of them work quite well on WP the integration is obviously better on Android. On the other hand, we probably do use OneDrive, OneNote and so on, where the integration is a lot better on WP. We're also more likely to have an Xbox Music pass (what used to be called a Zune Pass), and WP is the only phone OS that can make use of that.
If you care a lot about Xbox Live gaming, then WP is a good choice; it's the only phone platform I know of with XBL support, and there are many games on WP that give XBL achievements and Gamerscore. If you like hacking, it has less malware than Android but is a little more open than iOS, although due to the relatively few people hacking on it progress tends to be slower than on iOS. On the other hand, with relatively few people hacking on it, you can be a big fish in a small pond if you can come up with new hacks or make existing ones work better. Cortana appears to be more powerful (and with better voice recognition) than Siri, and more reliably useful than Google's equivalent. It's easy to get early OS updates if you don't feel like waiting for carriers that drag their feet. WP runs better on low-end phones than Android does, and you can get better battery life out of the same hardware.
Seriously, without more idea of what you're looking for, it's really not going to be easy to tell you. The things that I like about the platform may be completely unrelated to the things you would like.
thanks for you reply
my primary needs in a smartphone are.
1) Camera (i like clicking pictures)
2) Social Networking
3) Gaming
I've used my brothers lumia 520 and found it great. The camera itself was great though its of 5MP.
On the other hand i've also used an android phone and i liked it too playin Clash of Clans all the time
I've not owned a smartphone till now.
And aware of not entering the flagship devices.
I just need a premium midrange phone .
For windows i've opt for L730
and for android the new Moto G 2nd gen.
So what should i do now...
The lumia got that fabula design ahead when compared to moto g
the camera too is great on lumia.
But the moto g has got the things to entertain you when you get bored.
Exploring android is awesome indeed.
You've got CoC when you need to waste time, torrent to download movies.
Dead Trigger to kill zombies
So what should i do?
I like both the device
and my needs are partially separated in bothe the device.
But i just need one to go with.
Give me your help
GoodDayToDie said:
Without knowing more about what you look for in a smartphone, and what services you already use, it's going to be really hard to make a useful argument.
I mean, practically everybody here uses WP, and many of us have been using it since WP7, and many used WinMo before that. So in general, we're obviously biased in favor of WP. But there's probably all kinds of related things there. For example, we probably haven't dropped a bunch of money on Android or iOS apps, so we don't have that reason to use a different platform. We probably don't rely too heavily on Google services; although some of them work quite well on WP the integration is obviously better on Android. On the other hand, we probably do use OneDrive, OneNote and so on, where the integration is a lot better on WP. We're also more likely to have an Xbox Music pass (what used to be called a Zune Pass), and WP is the only phone OS that can make use of that.
If you care a lot about Xbox Live gaming, then WP is a good choice; it's the only phone platform I know of with XBL support, and there are many games on WP that give XBL achievements and Gamerscore. If you like hacking, it has less malware than Android but is a little more open than iOS, although due to the relatively few people hacking on it progress tends to be slower than on iOS. On the other hand, with relatively few people hacking on it, you can be a big fish in a small pond if you can come up with new hacks or make existing ones work better. Cortana appears to be more powerful (and with better voice recognition) than Siri, and more reliably useful than Google's equivalent. It's easy to get early OS updates if you don't feel like waiting for carriers that drag their feet. WP runs better on low-end phones than Android does, and you can get better battery life out of the same hardware.
Seriously, without more idea of what you're looking for, it's really not going to be easy to tell you. The things that I like about the platform may be completely unrelated to the things you would like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't have xbox either
cabba403 said:
thanks for you reply
my primary needs in a smartphone are.
1) Camera (i like clicking pictures)
2) Social Networking
3) Gaming
I've used my brothers lumia 520 and found it great. The camera itself was great though its of 5MP.
On the other hand i've also used an android phone and i liked it too playin Clash of Clans all the time
I've not owned a smartphone till now.
And aware of not entering the flagship devices.
I just need a premium midrange phone .
For windows i've opt for L730
and for android the new Moto G 2nd gen.
So what should i do now...
The lumia got that fabula design ahead when compared to moto g
the camera too is great on lumia.
But the moto g has got the things to entertain you when you get bored.
Exploring android is awesome indeed.
You've got CoC when you need to waste time, torrent to download movies.
Dead Trigger to kill zombies
So what should i do?
I like both the device
and my needs are partially separated in bothe the device.
But i just need one to go with.
Give me your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can actually torrent on wp, but if ou really like gaming on your cellphone you're better off with an android, just make sure the specs are high enough!
matgras said:
You can actually torrent on wp, but if ou really like gaming on your cellphone you're better off with an android, just make sure the specs are high enough!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but i love Lumia too !
cabba403 said:
but i love Lumia too !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Windows phones are absolutely fantastic on my opinion and any other OS just doesn't feel right, there are a lot of games on wp but android simply has more.
But it's up to you to decide

What to do? unopened Fire 7 (2015)

Looking for input/opinions- thanks in advance!
I bought a Fire during one of the Christmastime sales a few years ago and never did anything with it. The box is still in shipping plastic.
I'd like to have an Android tablet for surfing and a few simple games (think sudoku, solitaire, word games).
I watch a lot of youtube videos, so being able to do that is a must.
Also, getting onto my google play account would be nice, hence the Android request.
Seems that Amazon has fallen out with Google of late and taken out much of the cross-connections from the Amazon interface. Is that right?
Not afraid of rooting things- been doing it since OG Droid days.
I'm not really sold on becoming a netizen of the Amazon fabric. I don't have any sort of Prime membership or use any of their services, outside of buying stuff.
I appreciate any and all responses!
phonetool said:
Looking for input/opinions- thanks in advance!
I bought a Fire during one of the Christmastime sales a few years ago and never did anything with it. The box is still in shipping plastic.
I'd like to have an Android tablet for surfing and a few simple games (think sudoku, solitaire, word games).
I watch a lot of youtube videos, so being able to do that is a must.
Also, getting onto my google play account would be nice, hence the Android request.
Seems that Amazon has fallen out with Google of late and taken out much of the cross-connections from the Amazon interface. Is that right?
Not afraid of rooting things- been doing it since OG Droid days.
I'm not really sold on becoming a netizen of the Amazon fabric. I don't have any sort of Prime membership or use any of their services, outside of buying stuff.
I appreciate any and all responses!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Given your description there is a good chance the device has the original 5.x bootloader which means a custom lollipop based ROM (Fire Nexus or Lineage 12.1) can be easily installed and maintained. Both are stable and feature complete. There is no reason to boot FireOS...ever. Doing so may yield an unrootable device that can not be rooted or accommodate a custom ROM. Once FireOS has been banished the device has no affiliation with Amazon other than the name on the back.
Keep in mind the device is strictly entry level: 1 GB RAM, 8 GB User Storage (5 GB usable), 600x1024 low-res panel, etc. Almost any modern phone (and most burner varients) will run circles around a 5th gen Fire.
I'm happy to provide an outline of the steps required which are not lengthy/hard if you remain somewhat skilled in tethered operations and have familiarity with terms such as ADB, Fastboot, GApps, SuperSU and TWRP. You'll also need a suitable Windows host, be comfortable working with file systems and the Windows command prompt. That said, I prefer not to invest the time if the device will remain drawered or sold given its limited capabilities. A simple ask before responding.
Davey126 said:
Given your description there is a good chance the device has the original 5.x bootloader which means a custom lollipop based ROM (Fire Nexus or Lineage 12.1) can be easily installed and maintained. Both are stable and feature complete. There is no reason to boot FireOS...ever. Doing so may yield an unrootable device that can not be rooted or accommodate a custom ROM. Once FireOS has been banished the device has no affiliation with Amazon other than the name on the back.
Keep in mind the device is strictly entry level: 1 GB RAM, 8 GB User Storage (5 GB usable), 600x1024 low-res panel, etc. Almost any modern phone (and most burner varients) will run circles around a 5th gen Fire.
I'm happy to provide an outline of the steps required which are not lengthy/hard if you remain somewhat skilled in tethered operations and have familiarity with terms such as ADB, Fastboot, GApps, SuperSU and TWRP. You'll also need a suitable Windows host, be comfortable working with file systems and the Windows command prompt. That said, I prefer not to invest the time if the device will remain drawered or sold given its limited capabilities. A simple ask before responding.
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Thanks very much for the info and offer!
I would like to try to put one of those two on the device.
I'm away from home this week, so cannot attempt anything just yet.
My Windows machine is a Samsung UMPC running Win7, otherwise I have a Raspberry Pi that does daily work. It does have ADB, but I haven't used it successfully (couldn't figure out the proper command structure on linux).
I'll do some reading this week on what's needed for the effort.
Thanks again!

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