I have just released version 1.1.0 of my Bookmarker apps for the Amazon Fire TV. The updated version now supports the new Firefox Browser in addition to the Silk Browser. You now have the option to select which browser each app will use when configuring the app. I’ve also added an option to have Fire OS prompt you to pick a browser, for those who want flexibility, instead of forcing a specific browser. Since web browsers are now also available on the 1st Gen Fire TV Stick and 3rd Gen Fire TV, the bookmarker apps are now compatible with all Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire TV Edition television models.
The Bookmarker apps function the same way they did before. You configure the app the first time it is launched with the URL you want to be loaded and the app will automatically load that URL every time it is launched. This gives you one-click access to websites directly from the Fire TV Home and App screens. The biggest change with this update is that now the Bookmarker apps let you select which browser, Silk or Firefox, you want to use to open the specified URL. If a certain website that you want quick access to works better in Silk, while another website works better in Firefox, you can configure each Bookmarker app independently to use the best browser.
Instead of selecting which browser is always used to open the saved URL, there is now also an option to use the default system prompt to select the browser that is used. This option lets Fire OS handle the browser selection, which has the advantage of letting you select which browser is used each time you launch the Bookmarker app. So if you select the option to use the default system prompt in the Bookmarker app, every time you launch the app, Fire OS will ask you to select a browser. By letting Fire OS prompt you to select a browser, it also allows you to select a sideloaded browser, if you have one installed.
After settings have been saved, the app now provides a button to exit the app. This ensures that the next time the app launches it doesn’t send you back to the settings screen, which was an issue with the first version. I’ve also added a picture showing how to clear the app’s data, since that’s the only way to change the app’s settings once it has been configured.
All Bookmarker apps are now also compatible with all Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire TV Edition television models. The prior version excluded the Fire TV 3 and Fire TV Stick 1 because they initially didn’t have any browser apps. Now that both Silk and Firefox are available for all devices, I’ve made the Bookmarker apps available on all devices as well. If you appreciate these free apps, you can support me and their development through Patreon.
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Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Not the write place, but …. it’s been a couple of months with the FTV3. Do you still think the FTV1 is better, performance wise, than the FTV3 with Ethernet adapter?
It’s a tough call because both devices have their advantages. If you have a Fire TV 1 and are thinking about replacing it with the Fire TV 3, I think you’re wasting your money unless you are going to be playing 4K and/or HDR content often. If you’re deciding between buying a used Fire TV 1 or a Fire TV 3, I say go with the Fire TV 3 unless having external storage is important.
Thank you! Sounds like good advice. I was just thinking after comparing the update process to the latest software to my FTV1 and FTV2 and was thinking the FTV1 is really getting dated. The FTV1 had me thinking it must have been a monstrous update, but the 2 zipped through it in 1/4 the time.
Thanks for the XMas Bookmarker gift Elias. Really appreciate you added the option for us that keep trying different browsers, even if a mouse is needed.
Have you thought of any solution about the icon or name of the 9 Bookmarker apps hinting about what Address &/Or Browser the saved settings point to. Not sure how doable is a dynamic icon for all of them. Maybe at the very lease some type of Icon Label editor built in.
Merry XMax to you & your lovely Family, Elias & to the whole AFTVNews Users Family.
It’s not possible to make the icon dynamic because the Fire TV pulls the home screen icons for official apps from Amazon’s servers and not from within the APK itself. That means that whatever icon I upload to Amazon when I submit the app is the one that everyone has to use.
The only way to possibly make the icon dynamic is if the Bookmarker app was sideloaded, since the Fire TV uses the icon inside the APK for sideloaded apps. But then you’re stuck with a low-resolution square icon. Even then, I don’t know if it’s possible for a sideloaded app itself to dynamically change its icon image or if a customized APK would need to be created first and then sideloaded.
I don’t know if the displayed name of the app is pulled from Amazon’s servers or from within the app itself. If it was possible to change the name dynamically, it wouldn’t help too much since the Fire TV doesn’t display the name of an app until it’s highlghted. While a dynamic name would certainly be helpful, it would be more like a “tooltip” that appears to remind you which bookmarker number goes to which site.
This is all stuff I definitely want to investigate further in the future when I have the time.
Thank you for the warm holiday wishes and Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones as well.
I was using one Bookmaker successfully. Unfortunately; an update, (my guess) possibly associated with the unveiling of Firefox, wiped my URL. Normally it wouldn’t deserve a mention, but it was a long and complex string with quite a collection of characters.
Thank you for letting me know. Obviously, there’s nothing I can do now, but I’ve figured out why it happened and I’ll be sure that it doesn’t happen again with a future update.
Thanks!
might we get an github repo, so we could alter the icons and names as we wish?
How I change web address on a bookmark already created?
You must clear the app’s data. Note that this will also make you have to re-enter the URL. To reset the data, go to the Fire TV’s “Settings” screen, select the “Applications” menu, select the “Manage Installed Applicatications” option, select the Bookmarker app you want to reset, and then select “Clear Data.”
Thanks for the info will do so.