41 replies to this topic

[folsom500]

does anyone here have an opinion of the new Amazon Kindle Fire tablet ? I would mostly use it to access the internet and the price and features seem compatible with my needs... Any comments about the B&N Nook new tablet ?


Cheers
F500

[mando]

Also consider the Kobo Vox.

[Darth Lefty]

NYTimes review wasn't kind

[nomad]

does anyone here have an opinion of the new Amazon Kindle Fire tablet ? I would mostly use it to access the internet and the price and features seem compatible with my needs... Any comments about the B&N Nook new tablet ?


Cheers
F500

If your needs are for a portal into buying Amazon content then go for it.

The Fire’s 7-inch, 1024×600 screen is too small for many key tablet activities. The Fire’s processor, a 1GHz dual-core chip, appears all but insufficient for fluid, silky-smooth web browsing, an area of performance found to be preternaturally slow. And unlike most of its tablet competitors, the Fire lacks a camera, 3G data connectivity, and a slot for removable storage.

As an assembly of physical components, the Fire lives at the bottom of the tablet food chain — and this limits what the Fire can actually do as a piece of mobile hardware.

Hardware, Schmardware — Let’s Sell Some Content
The business press has celebrated the $200 Kindle Fire as an iPad killer — a loss-leading product that’s been priced to lure away potential iPad customers, with Amazon making back all its money (and then some) by selling untold petabytes of content from its own digital storefront. In effect: Amazon may not make margins on the tablet itself, but the Fire will catapult the company’s digital sales sky-high, and lob a Nelson Muntzian “Ha-hah!” directly in the face of Apple.

[Dave Burrell]

I have to agree with nomad, it seems that tablet is really (really) geared twords selling amazon content. It's cool they give you unlimited cloud storage with it, but it's only for amazon purchased content. It does seem like a decent device and for the price it would be ok for web surfing, books and if you're an amazon prime member it would be great for streaming video (membership is $89 a year)

[folsom500]

Guess it is not for me -

[Dave Burrell]

Guess it is not for me -

Samsung has some better offerings

[mando]

There are a couple of things that the Fire offers that other tablets do not:

1. Streaming of Amazon video content - there's no app for that on other tablets (iOS or Android)
2. Access to Amazon lending library - you need a bonafide Kindle device for that

I believe that Cloud storage is available on other platforms. I know that I can use an Amazon Cloud music player on my Android phone.

I think it does well if viewed and used as a media consumption device. It does not look as competitive on paper as a general purpose tablet.

The Silk browser sounds interesting for Web browsing.

2c from someone who has never actually used the device - yet.

[rpo]

Well, it clearly appears not one person on the forum here has ever touched a Kindle Fire.....but I have! I have had mine for a few days now and have read the reviews as well.

First, you only mentioned browsing the internet as your reason for purchasing a tablet. That is my main use of the Kindle Fire as well. I have zero issues with lag or jumpiness when scrolling.

For example, it takes the Fire 9 seconds to load CNN.com. That includes multiple flash videos that an iPad has no capability of loading or playing. If flash is turned off, sites load even faster. Wikipedia loads in about a second. The main page on MyFolsom took six seconds which is the same amount of time as my MacBook. It loads each page of my business website in 3 seconds including some pages that are 100% flash. Again, that would never work an iPad.

Another factor is screen resolution. If the resolution is too small, websites will not fit or format correctly. That is not an issue on the Fire since it has a standard 1,024 lines of resolution. Almost all tablets have the same width of resolution. Some of the cheap ones do not though. The Fire has a widescreen. The iPad is not (standard 4:3). If you watch streaming movies/tv shows, almost all are widescreen now. Due to this, a widescreen video is actually similar in size despite the iPad having a large screen. It is difficult to contemplate this without having both devices in front of you.

If you plan on holding the tablet in your hand while using it, pay attention to the weight. I find my iPad 2 to be too heavy for such purposes and always prop it up against something for use. The Fire is slightly heavier than some other tablets. If the Fire undergoes the same trimming down that other Kindles went through, future models will get lighter and lighter.

Also, I have a correction for the Amazon cloud storage post above. It is not limited to items purchased from Amazon. They allow you to store 5GB's for free from anything you upload to the cloud. If you have 5GB's of music from wherever, you can keep it on Amazon's cloud and access it from anywhere from any device.

No other tablet comes close to the features for the price. $199 is incredibly cheap. You can always order it and return it to Amazon if you do not like it. Compared to the significantly higher prices tablets out there, it is "missing" some features. The key criteria is whether those "missing" features are really needed by you. Do you need a GPS or camera? I personally have never used them on my iPad and see no use for them. If I need a GPS, I use my phone. If I need a camera, I use a real camera.

[awood]

The key criteria is whether those "missing" features are really needed by you. Do you need a GPS or camera? I personally have never used them on my iPad and see no use for them. If I need a GPS, I use my phone. If I need a camera, I use a real camera.

And if I want to read, I grab a book. (aka, Library is STILL free unlimited use, doesn't need batteries and is really easy to use! HAHA)

[folsom500]

And if I want to read, I grab a book. (aka, Library is STILL free unlimited use, doesn't need batteries and is really easy to use! HAHA)

Bad comparison--- you have to DRIVE to the Library, drive back and then go there again to take your book back... Time and money expended for every book you get at the Library..

RPO- Thanks for such a great review from one that seems to us the Fire as I would.

[nomad]

Kindle not so on Fire. As much as 20% return rate from buyers, foggy #'s of "shipped vs sold."

http://tech.blorge.c...d-high-returns/


Still can't top iPad.

[chris v]

Kindle not so on Fire. As much as 20% return rate from buyers, foggy #'s of "shipped vs sold."

http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2011/12/05/kindle-fire-high-sales-and-high-returns/


Still can't top iPad.

The problem with the kindle fire is the user who wants it to be a cheap iPad. You, not you specifically, are a complete idiot who didn't do there homework if you even remotely think or compare the fire to an iPad. The fire is an ereader with some tablet capabilities.

[nomad]

The problem with the kindle fire is the user who wants it to be a cheap iPad. You, not you specifically, are a complete idiot who didn't do there homework if you even remotely think or compare the fire to an iPad. The fire is an ereader with some tablet capabilities.

The thing is a flop no matter what Amazon says. When 20% of something gets sent back that's some serious poop.

[rpo]

Kindle not so on Fire. As much as 20% return rate from buyers, foggy #'s of "shipped vs sold."

http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2011/12/05/kindle-fire-high-sales-and-high-returns/


Still can't top iPad.

That article did not say anything about a 20% return rate. Did you just make that up?

The thing is a flop no matter what Amazon says. When 20% of something gets sent back that's some serious poop.

That is not truthful and you know it. There is not a 20% return rate. That was made up out of thin air.