4 ms·

This seems compelling if you're already sold on the Amazon ecosystem, but not terribly so if you're not -- especially at that price.

toomuchtodo 12y ago
While looking at the product page, I thought: "So, I'm tied to Amazon and AT&T, and I'm paying for the privilege. How is this any better than my cheaper Nexus 5?" Also, isn't this going to be decimated by Google X's Project Tango? https://www.google.com/atap/projecttango/ https://www.google.com/atap/projecttango/
- tachyonbeam 12y ago
  So, they're going to use everyone's mobile phone to 3D map the entire world? Privacy advocates are going to scream, but roboticists are going to rejoice.
  - toomuchtodo 12y ago
    They're already building 3D virtual environments of roads/streets, which their self-driving cars use for navigation. Sometimes, I wonder if Google is going to collectively vanish out of our universe once it has collected every piece of data that it can from this one.
MBCook 12y ago
As an iPhone user, I already have access to the important parts of the Amazon ecosystem (books, music, movies, TV shows). But I have a superior app store. The only big feature I think could prove important is their live-chat help.
- evilduck 12y ago
  It seems like most of their Firefly feature is also available through Amazon's 'Flow' iOS app
  - rickyc091 12y ago
    Yep, it's also built into the default Amazon app. Hit search, then you'll see the regular text search along with barcode scan / flow.
- JohnTHaller 12y ago
  The 'superior app store' note applies equally to proper Android (the non-Amazon version) users as well. Amazon App Store users can't even download Google Chrome or Firefox, let alone the hundreds of thousands of other apps and games that are available to non-Amazon folks.
- Consultant32452 12y ago
  X-ray is really cool. Imagine if you were watching a video on your iPad and decided you wanted to see more information about one of the actors on screen. With X-Ray you can click on their face and it'll automatically bring up their IMDB info. This is a really cool integration that is lacking in competing devices. I'm not saying things like that make up for the inferior app store, just that it's really cool.
asafira 12y ago
As someone who spent a couple of weeks with a Kindle Fire tablet, I want to mention that the Amazon ecosystem is frustratingly closed. There are many apps that I use and prefer on my nexus phone that I just can't get in the Amazon appstore, and ultimately that's enough to keep me away.

toomuchtodo 12y ago

While looking at the product page, I thought: "So, I'm tied to Amazon and AT&T, and I'm paying for the privilege. How is this any better than my cheaper Nexus 5?" Also, isn't this going to be decimated by Google X's Project Tango? https://www.google.com/atap/projecttango/ https://www.google.com/atap/projecttango/

tachyonbeam 12y ago
So, they're going to use everyone's mobile phone to 3D map the entire world? Privacy advocates are going to scream, but roboticists are going to rejoice.
- toomuchtodo 12y ago
  They're already building 3D virtual environments of roads/streets, which their self-driving cars use for navigation. Sometimes, I wonder if Google is going to collectively vanish out of our universe once it has collected every piece of data that it can from this one.

MBCook 12y ago

As an iPhone user, I already have access to the important parts of the Amazon ecosystem (books, music, movies, TV shows). But I have a superior app store. The only big feature I think could prove important is their live-chat help.

evilduck 12y ago
It seems like most of their Firefly feature is also available through Amazon's 'Flow' iOS app
- rickyc091 12y ago
  Yep, it's also built into the default Amazon app. Hit search, then you'll see the regular text search along with barcode scan / flow.
JohnTHaller 12y ago
The 'superior app store' note applies equally to proper Android (the non-Amazon version) users as well. Amazon App Store users can't even download Google Chrome or Firefox, let alone the hundreds of thousands of other apps and games that are available to non-Amazon folks.
Consultant32452 12y ago
X-ray is really cool. Imagine if you were watching a video on your iPad and decided you wanted to see more information about one of the actors on screen. With X-Ray you can click on their face and it'll automatically bring up their IMDB info. This is a really cool integration that is lacking in competing devices. I'm not saying things like that make up for the inferior app store, just that it's really cool.

asafira 12y ago

As someone who spent a couple of weeks with a Kindle Fire tablet, I want to mention that the Amazon ecosystem is frustratingly closed. There are many apps that I use and prefer on my nexus phone that I just can't get in the Amazon appstore, and ultimately that's enough to keep me away.