Kindle Fire
First: This is a great tablet for the money…and a great product. Movies look great, shopping is very enjoyable and easy. The display is great, sound quality is pretty good, the browser and WIFI are good… what’s not to like?
I don’t have to have GPS, SD card, HDMI out, or 3G/4G… so I feel that Amazon gave me more than my money’s worth for $199 !~
I think that lots of apps will come out for Kindle and most of us will be able to do a great deal of most of what matters in term of being productive , in communication or entertained.
We may have to find a few tricks to solve certain things or find new ways to adapt a little here and there… but this is a winner!
What about comparisons to iPad2 or Toshiba Thrive? I think it compares very well! This is a great size and form factor, nice build quality and incredible value! Amazon used very good judgement and delivered a truly great product.
The size , weight, look and feel are just right!
I’ve read many pre-release articles on the Kindle Fire and Amazon deserves credit for a very clever and affordable approach.
We have a loaded iPad2 and a 32GB Toshiba Thrive… so I can do some comparisons and will update this review as our family gets some time on the Kindle Fire.
Price,content and Amazon’s support of this product sure make a lot of sense! Look for an update this week. I received confirmation the Kindle Fire shipped by Fedex, so I started preparing.
So here’s the first part of the review:
The online instructions are lacking detail…they are adequate but not very detailed. Then the information about the Free Lending Library and whether other family members can use the second Kindle Fire on our Amazon Prime account is confusing, but it appears to be a possible area of frustration.
I know that HDMI is not included… so we will see if the lack of HDMI, SD Card, GPS, or other features like on our Thrive really matters.
And, it is not clear if there are any upgrade options, but not looking good.
So the first area of criticism is that Amazon’s : “Get ready: Kindle Fire is on the way” … email does not really lead to much useful information on getting started. And Amazon already wasted a chance to add excitement to a new purchase. As a customer, they missed a chance to help me further enjoy the new purchase experience. If I was a stockholder in Amazon…I’d be more disappointed.
I did find an owners manual online in another review… not much content there either.
So like most tech gadgets, I’ll probably learn by using and reading forums etc.
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Package arrived today.. simple low cost, but well designed packaging. Not much instruction included…but it is not needed. Just plug in and go! After using Droid phones everything is incredibly easy and obvious.
Kindles knew me [probably since I have Prime account] , connected to the internet instantly and updated automatically. Each Kindle labeled itself by my name as my Kindle and my 2nd Kindle.
Screen looks fantastic. Interface is easy and intuitive, good response…but not incredible. Web browser is also good and is expected to get faster over time.
Keyboard is good and I like the interface and the text prediction options.
Free Prime movies worked perfectly and look fantastic. The built in speakers are acceptable, and SkullCandy headphones from my Droid and iPhone sound very good.
Shopping on Amazon works perfectly as expected!
Downloaded free app and paid $0.99 for Angry Birds… The game looks great and the Fire is a great size.
Gmail works well in Kindle’s email system… but downloading a true Gmail Android app will take some forum help .. or a new Kindle Fire specific app from Google
Netflix already has a new Kindle Fire app , I downloaded it and it works well
Sugarsync I haven’t figured out.. but Box is an option.
Next step is to try Sugarsync, Dropbox, Bump, and Googgle Docx, and the Docs2Go functions and see what works…. and download media for viewing on airplanes and in cars.
Sugarsync does work if I log on to sugarsync.com and log in and I can retrieve the documents and photos…. and I haven’t even tried Amzon’s Cloud Drive.
I downloaded EverNote, Pandora, NetFlix…and I’m sure that either 3rd party apps, tech tricks , or new Kindle Fire apps will increase the Fire’s capabilities rapidly.
And with my Verizon 4G Hot Spot, I won’t miss having another $20 to $80 monthly data plan…
Another interesting feature is downloading app to both Kindle Fire’s on the Amazon site … I used my laptop. Later I went to APPs in the Cloud on the Kindle and the apps were waiting for a very easy and painless download. Cloud Drive may be another truly great feature.
Is this the perfect balance of features, performance, and price? I don’t know yet…at them moment Kindle Fire make a great impression. No ‘I thought it would be better’ buyers remorse. I am very happy with this purchase! 5 Stars rating is well deserved.
Product Description
The all-new Kindle has a new electronic-ink screen with 50 percent better contrast than any other e-reader, a new sleek design with a 21 percent smaller body while still keeping the same 6-inch-size reading area, and a 15 percent lighter weight at just 8.7 ounces. The new Kindle also offers 20 percent faster page turns, up to one month of battery life, double the storage to 3,500 books, built-in Wi-Fi, a graphite color option and more—all for only $189, and still… More >>
Kindle 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 3G Works Globally, Graphite, 6″ Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology
