Cheap Android Tablet: Amazon Fire HD8 + Fire Toolbox

[Lamron]

Amazon Fire tablets are much cheaper than comparable hardware, because they lock you into using only Amazon services.
This means Amazon video, music, books, and apps have to be bought from them. No Google Play Store. Also, the lockscreen shows you advertisements.
It basically makes the tablet just an Amazon content delivery device, so that subsidizes the hardware cost.

HOWEVER, there are of course people who have figured out a way around these restrictions.

You can strip out almost all of the Amazon stuff and make it act like a regular Android tablet and use the Google Play Store.

This is the tablet I'm using. The "refurbished" unit I got is new as far as I can tell. This is what you want. Not only is it much cheaper, but its more likely to be an older unit with the older version of the OS. This is important.


www.amazon.com/dp/B07WTJYS9Q?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details


EXTREMELY IMPORTANT:
UNCHECK "Link device to your Amazon account to simplify setup." ON THE ORDER PAGE BEFORE YOU PURCHASE IT.

DO NOT LET THE TABLET CONNECT TO WI-FI AT START-UP. SKIP THE PAGE WHERE IT ASKS YOU TO SELECT NETWORK, THEN TURN OFF WI-FI!

THE VERY FIRST THING THE TABLET WILL DO WHEN TURNED ON THE FIRST TIME IS ATTEMPT TO DOWNLOAD AN UPDATE. THIS UPDATE MAKES EVERY MODIFICATION HERE IMPOSSIBLE. AMAZON WILL DO EVERYTHING IT CAN TO STOP YOU FROM DOING THIS, AND IF AN UPDATE GETS PAST YOU, YOU'RE DONE. EVEN A HARD RESET TO FACTORY SETTINGS WON'T FIX IT.

You're not missing out on anything important by completely disabling updates. Most of the updates are there to stop people from doing what we're trying to do.


Watch this video first for an overview on how the process works.




Then go here to get the tool and read the instructions. When it asks you which launcher to use, I recommend "Nova". It works very similarly to what you're used to on an Android phone. And for keyboard, I recommend the GBoard (Google's keyboard), its better than the stock one.


forum.xda-developers.com/t/windows-tool-fire-toolbox-v28-9.3889604/

After you've done everything else, and BEFORE you enable Wi-Fi for the first time, download and install this app NoRoot Firewall:

www.lamronverse.com/android/NoRoot%20Firewall%204.0.2%20%28app.greyshirts.firewall%29.apk

This is a very aggressive firewall. Its available in the Google Play Store, but the idea is to get it running before you connect to the internet.
Set it to auto start on boot. Go to apps and disable (Red X) everything everything with "Amazon" or "Fire". This is a backup to prevent Amazon from sneaking in an update somewhere else.
Any new app that tries to connect to the internet will get blocked and you'll get a notification to Allow or Deny. If you can't think of a good reason for an app to NEED the internet, deny it. This will block ads that are built into apps.

Make sure you understand all of the instructions before starting. It is possible to make an unfixable mistake. If you happen to receive a tablet that came from Amazon with the latest OS version already installed, you can return it and try again. If you want to check before starting (after you've disabled Wi-Fi), go to Settings / Device Options / System Updates. The current OS version will be shown here (don't click check for updates). You want something BEFORE version: FireOS 7.3.2.2. There are some partial work-arounds for later versions, but they don't work as well and updates can't be completely disabled. Meaning, Amazon could still force an update to break the work-arounds later.


If anyone wants to do this, I can suggest a few more tweaks, apps, and accessories.

[RedRock]

As usual, I'll go with the Apple product. My iPad is now 4 years old and does everything I need it for, and it basically is a portable replacement for my desktop and a useful adjunct to my iPhone for mapping, streaming, etc., especially when I'm on the road (it has its own cellular number and cell data service, or I can connect it to wi-fi). More expensive, and it does need a keyboard for easy typing/entry of data, as you also recommended for the android tablet. Costs more, probably, than any Android thing, of course, but you get what you pay for without having to re-invent the wheel, or remove the new wheels to put on older, less flashy, less bumpy wheels.

My wife has the Amazon Fire pad (> 5 years old) and likes it, and uses it for games (Balloon Tower Defense or some such nonsense) and reading books (including from the public library), but she's forever coming to me and saying it won't connect, or she can't get back to the home page or can't find her chosen app, etc., and I have to "fix" it (usually by just finding the arcane, hidden, illogicaly-located menu or menu item to do what she wants; man that interface is not intuitive at all. I can't pick it up and try to use it without (again) appreciating the intuitive simplicity and power of my Apple products).

[Lamron]

The iPad is clearly superior (at 10x the price of this $40 tablet) if you are looking for a downsized replacement for a desktop or laptop. But if you are just wanting to do cellphone type stuff (or book reading) on a larger screen, this option works well for its price. The Nova Launcher makes it work more like an Android phone, so people familiar with that will have no trouble installing and using their favorite apps. The stock Amazon Fire Launcher is as bad as you say.

Of course, some people just can't leave perfectly working things alone and feel compelled to tweak and modify them. There's probably something wrong in the head with those people.

[RedRock]

Sept 12, 2022 10:04:04 GMT -5 Lamron said:

Of course, some people just can't leave perfectly working things alone and feel compelled to tweak and modify them. There's probably something wrong in the head with those people.

Now that's funny, but actually, that is your best quality, Lamron, IMHO. You are an inveterate tinkerer! It's what made the MOH playground servers so much fun!
And for those that can, they should! With servers, guns, household appliances, vehicles--whatever they can get their fingers into and tools around!

The rest of us will just sit back and watch, with awe (and some grins!).