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Amazon Fire HD 10 - tips n tricks

sracer

sracer

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where hip is spoken
With the holiday shopping season upon us we can bet that Amazon will be offering aggressive sales on their line of Fire tablets. Reports are out that all models will be going on sale, with the Fire HD 10 selling for $100. ($50 off)

I know many dismiss the Fire tablets as junk to give to kids, but there's quite a bit that these things can do with just a little tweaking... maybe some here already have one and think it is limited to its intended purpose... consuming Amazon goods and services.

Here are a few things that I use mine for that might give others some ideas... and maybe others will join in to share their ideas as well.


ADD SUPPORT FOR GOOGLE PLAY and GOOGLE SERVICES. I won't post the links here, but a simple google search will provide easy step-by-step guides to add Google Play and Services without hacking or rooting the Fire tablet. (basically tweak a built-in setting, download and install a few files, reboot)

BLUETOOTH KEYBOARD AND MOUSE SUPPORT. Out of the box, the Fire HD 10 supports external keyboards and mice. Here's a photo of my Fire HD 10 with a Motorola keyboard w/trackpoint. Note the mouse cursor (hard to see, but in the middle of the screen). When the mouse isn't used, the cursor disappears.

20181114_085949.jpg

Here's a close-up. The mouse pointer is near the center of the screen. The app displayed is the web version of MS Excel. This is far more functional than the iOS and Android versions.

20181114_090902.jpg


SCREEN CASTING/MIRRORING TO A CHROMECAST. Once Google Play and Services are added, the Fire HD 10 can cast or mirror its display to a chromecast.

20181114_090040_HDR.jpg


EXTENDED DISPLAY FOR PRESENTATION MODE. When running a slideshow presentation like Google Slides, you can cast the presentation screen to the chromecast while having the presenter screen visible on the Fire HD 10 itself. The Fire also supports USB peripherals like my Targus presentation remote.

20181114_090158_HDR.jpg

GAME EMULATORS and USB GAME CONTROLLERS. There are quite a few game emulators that work on the Fire HD 10. And there is a variety of game controllers that work with them.

20181114_092658.jpg


STREAMING VIDEO SERVICES and LIVE TV. The vibrant screen of the HD 10 makes it great for watching video from any of the online streaming services as well as live TV.
20181114_092912.jpg


If you have a Fire HD 10, what are you using it for?
 
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840quadra

840quadra

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Thanks for sharing this. I am considering one as a cheap android based tablet, and would use or primary as an input device for checklists and documentation at work.

In most cases I don’t need much power, but the ability to cast is important for me. I’ll be keeping an eye on Black Friday deals for sure!
 
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mi7chy

mi7chy

macrumors G4
Oct 24, 2014
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Metasploit Framework running on a $99 tablet.

Now I wonder how well it would run on the new Fire TV Stick 4K on a $30 (with trade in) to $50 budget.

https://www.amazon.com/Fire-TV-Trade-In/b?ie=UTF8&node=17869251011

Screenshot_2018-11-14-19-39-42.png


Anyone interested in playing with Metaploit just install Termux app from Google or Amazon store or sideload from apkmirror.com then copy and paste each line to Termux terminal. 'unset LD_PRELOAD' line is specific to Amazon Fire HD 10 2017 tablet only for PostgreSQL to run so probably remove if you try on a non-Amazon device.

cd $HOME
pkg install wget
wget https://Auxilus.github.io/metasploit.sh
unset LD_PRELOAD
bash metasploit.sh
Click to expand...

Get paid to play.


 
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sracer

sracer

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CLASSIC GAME EMULATION.
I'm too lazy to capture some video and upload it to YouTube but.... here's the HD 10 playing Mupen64FX (Nintendo 64 emulator) playing Goldeneye. I'm using a Logitech F310 game controller with a USB OTG cable.

Performance is terrific! I've been playing classic emulators for Atari 2600, Intellivision, Colecovision, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, 32X (even Virtua Fighter 32X and Virtua Racing 32X), N64. Next, I'm going to try some of my 32XCD games and PSP games. This really is, "the little tablet that could". :) If I get some time, I'm going to create an extensive YouTube video (along the lines of Sean Ong's classic "Why I love my Surface RT").
2018-11-21 13.21.07.jpg
 
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sracer

sracer

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FULL WPS OFFICE SUITE (included!)
In showcasing what additional things I'm doing with the Fire HD 10, I neglected to show some of the things that come right out-of-the-box. :eek:

Included at no extra charge is the full WPS Office Suite. This Android-based MS Office alternative is highly compatible with MS Office and actually offers more capabilities than MS Office for Android (or iOS). (no, that's not my check register, I just created a sample to show what a WPS spreadsheet can do :) )

20181213_132830.jpg
 
T

three

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Jan 22, 2008
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Thanks for continually updating us. I've been wanting to play around with a cheap Android tablet, I think this would be a fun pickup.
 
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sracer

sracer

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This little device continues to delight... I was able to mix some tracks for a throwback dance party on the Fire HD 10. With 128GB microSD card loaded with music, it sure beats hauling milk crates filled with 12" vinyl. :)
2019-01-17 05.59.19.jpg
 
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spacebro

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I had the hd 10 before I got an iPad. I could not figure out how to make it cast to a tv screen. I even bought a fire stick, and it was not compatible to cast from the fire hd 10. I returned them both, have never before been more disappointed in a purchase as the fire hd 10. All I wanted it to do was run streaming apps and cast them to my tv and the amazon tablet failed hard.
 
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sracer

sracer

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Apr 9, 2010
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spacebro said:
I had the hd 10 before I got an iPad. I could not figure out how to make it cast to a tv screen. I even bought a fire stick, and it was not compatible to cast from the fire hd 10. I returned them both, have never before been more disappointed in a purchase as the fire hd 10. All I wanted it to do was run streaming apps and cast them to my tv and the amazon tablet failed hard.
Click to expand...
Yes, it is very frustrating that the Fire tablets can't cast to the Fire TV. Back a few generations of the 10 it DID cast and Amazon subsequently removed that capability.

But after adding Google services and installing Google Home, I am able to cast to my chromecast.
 
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spacebro

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sracer said:
Yes, it is very frustrating that the Fire tablets can't cast to the Fire TV. Back a few generations of the 10 it DID cast and Amazon subsequently removed that capability.

But after adding Google services and installing Google Home, I am able to cast to my chromecast.
Click to expand...

How did you get it to cast chrome cast? In all the apps that have the chrome cast icon, like youtube, it just isn't there when you run those apps on an amazon tablet. I'm glad it didn't work, because then I got an iPad which is able to cast and replace my whole MacBook.
 
sracer

sracer

macrumors G4
Original poster
Apr 9, 2010
10,405
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where hip is spoken
spacebro said:
How did you get it to cast chrome cast? In all the apps that have the chrome cast icon, like youtube, it just isn't there when you run those apps on an amazon tablet. I'm glad it didn't work, because then I got an iPad which is able to cast and replace my whole MacBook.
Click to expand...
Once Google Play is installed on the Fire, I installed Google Home from the Play Store. Once THAT is installed, apps like YouTube, EarthCam, etc. display the cast icon. From there you can cast to a chromecast device.

I posted screenshots earlier in this thread of not only mirroring the Fire's screen to the chromecast, but also casting as a 2nd display for presentation apps like Google Slides and PowerPoint.

With the Fire HD 10's native support for mice, trackpads, game controllers, and near full support for USB peripherals (including hard drives, etc.) I'm able to do some things that are not possible on my iPad Pro.
 
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Shanghaichica

Shanghaichica

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spacebro said:
How did you get it to cast chrome cast? In all the apps that have the chrome cast icon, like youtube, it just isn't there when you run those apps on an amazon tablet. I'm glad it didn't work, because then I got an iPad which is able to cast and replace my whole MacBook.
Click to expand...
Did you install the playstore and google play services on it?

I have a fire HD 8 and I can cast to my chromecast.
 
S

spacebro

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Shanghaichica said:
Did you install the playstore and google play services on it?

I have a fire HD 8 and I can cast to my chromecast.
Click to expand...

I didn't know I could and didn't see any option to do that. I even contacted amazon support and they said you couldn't chrome cast and they confirmed that fire cast was also not supported.
 
Shanghaichica

Shanghaichica

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Apr 8, 2013
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UK
spacebro said:
I didn't know I could and didn't see any option to do that. I even contacted amazon support and they said you couldn't chrome cast and they confirmed that fire cast was also not supported.
Click to expand...
You have to side load the google play store. This is not something officially supported by amazon.
 
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segfaultdotorg

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FYI - the HD 10 was updated recently and now supports USB-C charging (get with the program on all your new devices, Apple!) and has an octo-core processor. I believe it will be on sale for $99 on Black Friday, and I plan to order one then to replace my 2015 Fire 7. The Fire 7 is a decent tablet for media consumption, but it's extremely laggy when switching from one app to another, and the screen is a little too small to make typing comfortable. I'll use it along with the iPad mini 2 I already have.
 
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