# Amazon Kindle Fire Questions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400 "2013-06-19T22:19:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pauly1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a8b319/32.png) [@pauly1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pauly1)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/1 "2013-06-19T22:19:27Z")
Looking at getting one of these. See they have it on amazon. They charge it for 199.99 plus tax of 17.66 for total of $216.66 for the 16GB one. > **[Amazon.com: Kindle Fire HD 7", Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 16 GB - Includes...](https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Tablet-Previous-Generation-2/dp/B0083PWAPW)** > > Amazon.com: Kindle Fire HD 7", Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 16 GB - Includes Special Offers (Previous Generation - 2nd) : Electronics I go on another site such as best buy online and they have it on sale it seems? > **[Best Buy: Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 (Previous Generation) 16GB Black B0085P4OWM](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/amazon-kindle-fire-hd-7-previous-generation-16gb-black/6237076.p?cp=1&id=1218769111490&lp=2&skuId=6237076&st=amazon%2Bkindle%2Bfire%2Bhd)** > > Shop Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 (Previous Generation) 16GB Black at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee. They charge $169.99 plus tax of 6.80 for total of $176.79. 1. Apparently best buy doesn’t ship it and you have to pick it up yourself at best buy. Has anyone purchased from best buy online before and then went to the best buy and got their item without problems? 2. I also noticed this is for the kindle with special offers and its an extra 15 dollars plus tax without it. I think this has to do with the ads? Is it worth it to pay the extra for without special offers? 3. Amazon is supposed the cheapest for most sites so why does amazon charge the same amazon kindle tablet for 40 dollars less? Or is my math wrong here? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/2 "2013-06-19T22:28:00Z")
Reported for forum change. I have a Kindle Paperwhite and the ads are extremely unobtrusive (they’re only there when it’s off.) I doubt the Fire is much different. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/3 "2013-06-19T22:33:51Z")
Since the OP is looking for opinions, let’s move this over to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/4 "2013-06-19T23:26:50Z")
You opened two threads so I’m not sure where to put this… Do you mean Galaxy Tab 2 or what? The OS is the same. Amazon’s is technically proprietary and you can’t access some of the same things. There are ways around it. Either hack it (and void your warranty) or Sideload programs using a USB cord or similar. 1. I _think_ I have done that (not for a tablet), or at least I have with other stores. It’s easy. Go straight to customer service 2. Ads: absolutely do not pay the $15 for no ads. IMHO they are very non-obtrusive and sometimes informative. But if they bother you that much, you can pay the same after buying it to get rid of them. I don’t know of an option where you can cancel the opt-out. 3. I’m not sure what you’re saying here, sorry. Oh, power: Amazon sells a charger which works faster than others. But all you really need is to get a charger that is high amperage. ---
**Author:** ![pauly1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a8b319/32.png) [@pauly1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pauly1)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/5 "2013-06-19T23:47:55Z")
Yes the galaxy tab 2. The one that is 7’. Is there a reason it cost less than the amazon kindle fire? The samsung one looks better than the kindle fire… ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/6 "2013-06-20T00:10:53Z")
From what I can note: Tab 2 is $20 cheaper Tab 2 gets 4G for a much lower price point (need Kindle HD 8.9) Fire HD has twice the storage at that price (8Gb vs. 16 Gb). And $30 more for 32Gb Fire. Then I see no reason to get 16 Gb. Kindle resolution is better: 1280x800 vs. 1240x600. In other words, Kindle is closer to wider 16:10 ratio (movies are often 16:9). Tab 2 is WSVGA, doesn’t really round as well. Both are probably okay for movies. Kindle can support 720p, though. Kindle has higher **advertized** battery life. Kindle his faster processor, but nowadays that’s difficult to interpret. Kindle is 13.9 oz Tab 2 is 12.2 ounces. Neither can be considered excessively heavy. Tab 2 is bigger, and if I’m reading right, 4x as thick. Tab 2 might have better camera from what I can tell. Fire intends it for Skype and such, but you can use it as a regular camera if you know how. Forward facing, unfortunately. I have a Fire HD 7 and like it. Those specs suggest the Kindle is better, but I have no hands-on comparison. And of course, for either vs. iPad Mini: way cheaper, Android instead of iOS. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/7 "2013-06-20T00:26:25Z")
Just get the Nexus 7 \>.\> Much better imo ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/8 "2013-06-20T03:18:03Z")
Don’t overthink this. Get the kindlefire HD 7" I’m on it right now. Love it love it love it. I bought it from Amazon. It uses android apps. The keyboard is far superior to the iPad because it has Swype- You slide your finger rapidly over the on screen keyboard instead of “typing.” I have about 250 books on it. Use for mail and web surfing. I love it with the passion of a thousand suns. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/9 "2013-06-20T03:59:54Z")
FYI, the [Nook is reported to be discounted](http://techland.time.com/2013/06/17/its-official-nook-tablets-are-now-ridiculously-cheap/)and open to the entire Google Play store. I like our Fire, but I’d have a hard time saying that it’s better than the Nook now. ---
**Author:** ![pauly1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a8b319/32.png) [@pauly1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pauly1)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/10 "2013-06-20T18:52:45Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Don’t overthink this. Get the kindlefire HD 7" > > I’m on it right now. Love it love it love it. I bought it from Amazon. It uses android apps. The keyboard is far superior to the iPad because it has Swype- You slide your finger rapidly over the on screen keyboard instead of “typing.” > > I have about 250 books on it. Use for mail and web surfing. I love it with the passion of a thousand suns. Do you have 16 or 32gb? Does it make sense to just get the 32gb since its only about 35 dollars more? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/11 "2013-06-20T18:57:06Z")
> [@pauly1](#): > > Do you have 16 or 32gb? > Does it make sense to just get the 32gb since its only about 35 dollars more? I have the 16 gig. For the extra $$ might as well get 32 gig. I know the other tablets are good, but I use this A LOT for downloading books from amazon. So getting the native amazon tablet made sense to me. Unlike the iPad, it does support Flash. Did I mention I love mine like a puppy? ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/12 "2013-06-20T20:40:47Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Unlike the iPad, it does support Flash. Isn’t that temporary? I thought Adobe dropped support for Flash on all mobile devices, so everyone’s getting by with the last version as long as they can. I had to load Dolphin’s browser and add some software for it to work on my sister’s Fire HD. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/13 "2013-06-20T21:01:53Z")
I know Flash is on the way out, but plenty of sites still have it. I didn’t HAVE to load the Dolphin browser on my kindlefire, but I did. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/14 "2013-06-20T23:01:31Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I didn’t HAVE to load the Dolphin browser on my kindlefire, but I did. I didn’t know much about them at the time (still don’t, really) but the impression we got from the Kindle forums on Amazon’s site is you needed Dolphin and some other files (one of the mods pointed me to them in her own dropbox) to see Flash video. That’s why I thought it was required. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-kindle-fire-questions/661400/15 "2013-06-25T21:58:34Z")
[B&N gives up on the Nook](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324637504578567283575391380.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird) Maybe you need Dolphin to view Flash. Don’t know. But I like it better than the native browser, Silk.