Update to Amazon Fire Phone adds new features

One of the storylines that we listed as a flop and disappointment for 2014, was the launch of the Amazon Fire Phone. With the success of the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet line, why should Amazon not succeed with a forked Android smartphone? Rumors about an Amazon branded phone had been around forever, and while many became intrigued about the rumored use of sensors and talk about a 3D home screen, the reality was far less exciting. AT&T quickly took the price of the phone down to 99 cents on contract, and Amazon had a loser on its hands.

What brings this up is an update being sent out to the phone. Those with the AT&T version of the handset are receiving Fire OS 3.6.5, while the unlocked GSM model is the recipient of Fire OS 3.6.8. Both updates include a large number of new features and improvements. For example, after installing the update, Firefly will be able to translate text from/to English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. In addition, Firefly will also be able to recognize 2000 famous paintings with historical information from Wikipedia.

Best Shot will allow the rear camera to take three quick photos when you click on the shutter. It is then up to you to decide which one is the best shot. The update will also allow you to enable and disable SMS/MMS settings. You can also select from seven different keyboard languages, block unwanted calls and change your custom ringtones. One of the most important things that the update brings Fire Phone users, is an improvement to the battery life of the phone.

The update adds the WPS Office app to your Amazon Fire Phone. That means that you can view and edit your Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents right from your Fire Phone screen. The update will also allow you to view more information from the lock screen, and sync your Amazon calender across different Amazon devices. Auto-scroll will now let you read your Kindle books without having to touch the screen, and the update also takes care of bug fixes and UI improvements. Those updating to Fire OS 3.6.8 have the same changelist.

The update is coming your way OTA, which means it could take a few days before you actually receive it.. You can also try to manually update your phone by going to Settings > Device > Install System update > Check now.


source: Amazon via AndroidandMe