'kindle' Fire

[AZZenny]

...doesn't deserve the name kindle.

I am very happy with my iphone, but I LOVE my kindle, and thought I was getting something in that vein, only more flexible.

The Fire is not really a tablet or e-pad, in that it is not nearly customisable enough; ergonomics are weak and processing quite sluggish, screen display is uninspired and NOT e-ink (so it's not even really a true kindle), user interface and app management are neither simple nor straightforward. It is more a 'commerical content delivery system for Amazon' as one reviewer put it, than it is a personal tablet you can tailor to your preferences.

I am 90% sure mine is going to be sent back within 24 hours.

 

[Dback Jon]

Thanks for sharing. I am debating getting an e-reader for myself.

 

[thirty-two]

Wow, Zenny! I freaking LOVE my Kindle Fire so far!

I mainly wanted 3 things: read books, watch movies (netflix), and play games (with the occasional internet mixed in). This does all of that and more. It's light, portable and perfect for on the go. I love the fact that it can read from your cloud account, too, for more storage.

I think for the price, you can't beat it - especially if you wanted a tablet but didn't want to drop 600+ dollars on it. But I do think those that wanted more of the "Kindle" side of things probably wouldn't like it as you're right, there is no e-ink.

My two complaints so far are the power button is on the bottom so I keep accidently hitting it and the screen goes blank and it's screen touch is not as sensitive (quick) as the Ipad2. But, since this isn't supposed to be an Ipad2, I will take it.

 

[MadCardDisease]

What is e-ink?

 

[AzStevenCal]

What is e-ink?

It's what made Kindle better than all the other readers (IMO). It refers to the Kindle display that makes it possible to read for hours on end without the eye strain you get from reading off of a computer or other readers.

I had originally ordered a Kindle Fire but the more I looked at the specs the less it interested me. Besides the fact you couldn't read in the e-ink style it only allows for 8 hours of reading (and that's only if you have everything else turned off). I can read for 40 hours on my Kindle and I can't see the Fire doing enough for me to warrant carrying it AND my Kindle with me. I'll wait until they've improved it enough to be a true replacement for my Kindle.

Steve

 

[AZZenny]

Sent mine back already. It was basically a $200 Amazon kiosk, and not nearly customizable enough for me. The carousel sounded OK on paper, but I really disliked it in practice, and you can't edit it or remove it or refine it. There's no excuse for such an erratic touch screen even at the low price; pre-installed apps I will never use cannot be uninstalled; you can't turn off one-click purchasing or set parental controls (not a problem for me, but it would be for others who intended family use) -- I didn't expect a full ipad-like tablet, but the kFire really lacks enough flexibility for me at this point and has too many drawbacks. I expected a lot better from Amazon.

Plus it offers me very little for having to put up with the stuff that really irritated me -- I have an iPod so I wouldn't use the Fire for music, I won't watch video on anything smaller than a laptop, and I will never use a non e-ink display for reading after being so spoiled (it's less eye strain than most print on paper), so my real kindle covers that.

I had thought it would handle pdf formats and personal docs better than kindle so I could use it for business (my one problem with regular kindle is pdfs and hassles editing personal docs) but understand it has significant limitations in accessing and displaying pdfs and personal documents, too. I thought it would surf better than my iphone, but it was no easier or faster, and no 3G, and then there's that carousel again. I'm in a meeting and there's no way to prevent books or apps I've bought or shopping I've done on Amazon from flipping across the screen, and that's nobody's business.

I think if you are looking for an Amazon-constrained media consumption device it's probably OK for the price, but to me, it was way over-hyped for what it really is.

 

[Dback Jon]

Looking at the new Nook tablet - any thoughts?

 

[AZZenny]

For what purpose? If it's primarily for reading books, you really ought to borrow a regular kindle for a couple hours and see the difference e-ink makes before a final decision. I was sitting next to a nook-user on my return from Baltimore, and it looked like a nice interface, probably better for magazines and newspapers, but the actual readability was about like any other backlit computer screen. I can read e-ink for 3-4 hours at a straight shot with zero eye-fatigue, and I can't even do that with real books.

I will say, regarding the kFire, the 4 and 5 star positive reviews on Amazon number just under 400, the 1 and 2 star negatives are just over 100, the 3-stars about 60 (those seem to be people who like it enough to keep it but who do have serious complaints about various aspects) -- so the majority of users seem very happy, even with the now widely-acknowledged design flaws like the on-off button position 32 mentioned, and the twitchy touch screen.

 

[devilalum]

I wonder what it'd do if you rooted it and installed Ice Cream Sandwich?

 

[Mathew81]

If you want e-ink they came out with 2 new kindles that have it. They got rid of the keyboard on the bottom and one of them is purely a touch screen ("kindle touch"). I've never owned a kindle but I never understood having the keyboard on it like it did.

What would bother me is that the fire apparently comes with your amazon username and password already entered.

http://www.androidcentral.com/editorial-dear-amazon-usernames-and-passwords-exist-reason

What the hell is Amazon thinking there?

 

[Dback Jon]

For what purpose? If it's primarily for reading books, you really ought to borrow a regular kindle for a couple hours and see the difference e-ink makes before a final decision. I was sitting next to a nook-user on my return from Baltimore, and it looked like a nice interface, probably better for magazines and newspapers, but the actual readability was about like any other backlit computer screen. I can read e-ink for 3-4 hours at a straight shot with zero eye-fatigue, and I can't even do that with real books.

I will say, regarding the kFire, the 4 and 5 star positive reviews on Amazon number just under 400, the 1 and 2 star negatives are just over 100, the 3-stars about 60 (those seem to be people who like it enough to keep it but who do have serious complaints about various aspects) -- so the majority of users seem very happy, even with the now widely-acknowledged design flaws like the on-off button position 32 mentioned, and the twitchy touch screen.

Reading, surfing, etc.

I like my touch screens - just seems more intutative

 

[Mathew81]

I wonder what it'd do if you rooted it and installed Ice Cream Sandwich?

It's already been rooted so I'm sure we'll find out.

 

[AZZenny]

What would bother me is that the fire apparently comes with your amazon username and password already entered.

http://www.androidcentral.com/editorial-dear-amazon-usernames-and-passwords-exist-reason

What the hell is Amazon thinking there?

Yeah, and the OUTSIDE of the shipping box is emblazoned "Amazon Kindle FIRE" just in case anyone wants to, y'know, borrow it before you get home. I deregistered mine before returning it, and I just hope that truly wipes out the connection to my account.

 

[AZZenny]

A new bug is being reported -- apparently at least some previously purchased kindle-compatible books are not compatible with kFire, which seems pretty ill-considered.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Just ordered a Kindle Fire. Should get it tomorrow! Woot!

 

[BigRedRage]

Tempted but I dont like the idea of amazon marketplace only. It has the normal free apps we all want but I assume selection is different or pricey when it comes to games and stuff that youd need for say an airplane ride.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Got it in the mail last night. Loving it so far except my kids kept stealing it from me.

Got the Amazon Prime membership and it is kind of a must if you have one of these. I usually buy everything from Amazon anyways so it's nice to get the 2 day free shipping on everything now. The kids like the free video streaming and have been watching some shows on the computer.

The kids have also been playing the usual games on it (Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, etc).

I borrowed a book (Hunger Games) from the lending library and you can borrow up to one book per month. Read 4 chapters on the Kindle Fire last night. I like how you can easily change the settings. I increased the font size and changed to white text on a black background. I found that was easier on the eyes.

I used it last night to follow FA signings on Twitter which worked out great. Checked the weather in San Diego (It's going to rain on our Spring Break Vacation ).

My wife has an Ipad2 that she loves however I'm not an Apple guy and for the price this does everything I'm looking for.

 

[Chaz]

After looking them all my wife decided this was the one she wanted and has been very happy with it.

 

[Jersey Girl]

Just ordered a Kindle Fire. Should get it tomorrow! Woot!

Cool.

Love mine!

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

I got my wife one for Christmas. She loves it...more than me.

 

[thirty-two]

Still love my Kindle Fire!