My wife and I bought each other Kindle Fires for Christmas. We also decided to subscribe to Amazon Prime for a year. Random thoughts:
[ul]
[li]Kindle Fire is not a tablet computer. Forget any comparisons to the iPad. Fire is an enhanced ebook reader, with some tablet features, but it is not a tablet computer. If you cannot get your head around this (especially if you are an iPad user), you will miss out the what Fire is and what it does.[/li][li]As an enhanced ebook reader, it’s super. Large color screen. Adjustable brightness control. Ability to use several document and ebook formats.[/li][li]Can stream videos via wireless. With Amazon Prime that means lots and lots and lots of free movies and TV shows. Others you can buy or rent. With Prime you store your rentals or buys in the Amazon cloud.[/li][li]Can play music. We don’t use our for that at all. Can’t comment.[/li][li]With Amazon Prime, and Internet-ready HD TVs, we can play all of the above on our TVs and computers, too.[/li][li]So far, only one of us needs to buy a book. It’s available to both Fires with no problem. Can borrow one book per month for free. So you can read New York Time’s best sellers for free. Even more free books.[/li][li]Tried to upload PDF files via special Kindle email accounts. Converts PDF file format to ebook format. Forget it. Takes too long and the conversion sucks.[/li][li]So either buy a book in the ebook format, or …[/li][li]Upoload your PDFs via a USB cable. Fire doesn’t come with one. Buy one at monoprice. I’ve uploaded maybe 75 PDF books (maybe 35 MB in size each) and the viewing quality is identical to reading it on a computer. Really, really nice.[/li][li]Download a few free games. Nice timewasters. Angry Birds is worth it.[/li][li]Turn off wifi when you don’t need it. Save battery life.[/li][li]Turn off Fire when you aren’t using it. Forget sleep mode. Conserve battery life.[/li][li]You can charge the battery using the same USB cable when connected to your computer. Not worth the effort. Takes too long. Use the charger. It’s faster, hands down.[/li][li]Buy an appropriate, high quality case for your Fire. Fire is a slippery little sucker. We bought leather roocases from Amazon. Fire sits in a leather cradle that attaches to the zipped leather case with velcro. So you can use the cradle and case in various ways. Also great way to store a stylus.[/li][li]Buy a stylus. The one with a rubber tip. Scour flea markets for them. We bought two for $5. In the store they would be $20 apiece. A stylus is so much easier to use that your fat fingers. Eliminates body oils on the screen. More accurate, too.[/li][li]With a stylus you don’t need to waste the cash and use a plastic screen protector. Also, a screen protector has been shown to reduce screen sensitivity by some folks. Just keep the glass screen clean with a microfiber cloth and quality glass cleaner. If you keep your Fire in a decent case, it’s stays cleaner.[/li][li]Web browsing is a snap. On par with laptop/desktop web browsing. Superior to the iPad (because the iPad web browsing is deliberately crippled by Apple).[/li][/ul]
As long as you understand my first point, you will not be disappointed.
SWMBO and I had original Kindles and upgraded them to Fires. We loves 'em!!
Completely agree with both of these.
NYTimes bestsellers in the lending library? Where do I find these?
I’ve had very good luck sending PDFs to the special Kindle email address.
Strongly disagree here. Always grab the iPad over the Fire for everything but the most casual browsing. Not sure at all what you mean about iPad web browsing being crippled, unless you’re talking about Flash.
Yes, Flash. Yeah, I’ve read Jobs’ “reasoning” to deny Flash. I think it’s typical Apple arrogance. I’m testing iPads for my fed employer. So far, most of us in the test mode are voting against iPads on this topic alone. May not make sense to some but we have a universal use factor and to deny Flash violates that requirement. Also, the iPad is a closed proprietary system. That’s also a killer for us.
But this is a Fire thread. I’ll stop now.
iPad seriously does not allow Flash?
Nope, no Flash on iPads or iPhones. Although it’s not a dealbreaker for me, it is highly annoying.
For the record, Apple managed to strongarm YouTube into providing a completely Flash-free version that works on the iPad and iPhone, so you do get YouTube videos. But that’s only one site…
I don’t think it’s strange at all. At the end of the day; an iPad is pretty much the same thing as a Kindle Fire… except the iPad is heavier and costs more. They both do a great job of handling email; surfing the web; playing lightweight apps. Yes I have both. I never touch my iPad. With the exception of specialty software apps that SOME people need an iPad for; the iPad just isn’t that useful except for the items mentioned above.
I cannot wait for Windows 8 to come out on the ARM chip tablet.
Kindle Fire comparison to iPad as a reader
Costs (a lot) less than iPad. (winner Kindle Fire)
is smaller (easier to read like a book in bed) (winner Kindle Fire)
free paid app a day (winner Kindle Fire)
charges with standard mini (or is micro?) USB. (winner Kindle Fire)
allows for locking of landscape or portrait mode (tie)
Free Amazon Movies with Prime membership (I think this is a tie, because I’m pretty sure I’ve watched movies on my iPad, probably through my now cancelled NetFlix account)
fairly easy to load books via usb or email to: username@kindle.com
I’m sure there are more; but that’s not a bad list off the top of my head.
I’ll use your quote to make an amendment to my list above.
While I wouldn’t agree that the sensitivity is god awful and unpredictable; I would readily admit that I have never experienced better touch screen than on Apple products. That being said; I have no problem with the Fire’s touch screen; it’s just not as good as my iPad. But let’s be real; 99% of my kindle use is reading books; and I have NEVER had a problem with the touch screen for turning pages.
I don’t think the browser is crappy at all. It’s every bit as good as the iPad IMHO.
Boy, I disagree with this statement wholeheartedly. I don’t think the iPad and Fire are the same thing at all, unless you’re talking about them in the most generic sense (ie, they’re both tablets.)
I use my Kindle Fire:
- to read
- to check my email if I happen to be reading
- to surf the web if Mr. Athena is using the iPad
- to use as a cookbook if Mr. Athena is using the iPad
I use the iPad:
- to surf the web
- to read and respond to email
- to play music or listen to Podcasts, along with the Bluetooth speaker (no Bluetooth on Fire)
- to play games
- to use as a cookbook, along with the recipes I store in Evernote
Basically, the iPad is always my first choice over the Fire for everything except reading. The iPad’s larger size makes it easier to read and easier to type. The apps for it tend to be better than the equivalent Android app. For everything but Flash, the iPad’s browser is better.
The only thing the Fire is 100% hands-down better at is reading, IMO. And I read enough that I’m more than happy to have a dedicated device just for that.
I think the size issue is a personal choice. I find the Kindle Fire fits my hands perfectly in a way that the larger iPad doesn’t. Typing on the Fire just works better for me. As far as web surfing goes, a 10" screen still isn’t big enough for me to surf without zooming into the page. I don’t mind doing that, because I’ve been using an iPhone size device all this time, but since I have to zoom and fudge around to read web sites either way, I don’t find the smaller Fire to be a disadvantage.
But ultimately, people will have a personal preference for size factor and neither side is wrong.
hehe, yep, that’s what got me hooked on mine. I mean, it hadn’t come out yet, I was already KINDA looking at MAYBE getting it when it did, but had resisted e-readers to date. Then…A Dance With Dragons came out. I actually put off reading any more of that HEAVYASSED book until I got the Fire. I like the Fire for a bunch of things, but just thought it was amusing that I wasn’t the only one who hates big fat books. 
Echoing the sentiment that if you just want ebooks, one of the other Kindles is a better bet. But I’ve yet to read an actual book on mine; I’ve used it for PDFs, games, and movies primarily. It hooks into Amazon, which I prefer to iTunes, it will stream from Netflix (though what doesn’t these days?), and is a solid little entertainment device. I have a desktop, a full-size laptop, and a smaller netbook when I need productivity.
When I want to read a book, I usually get the audiobook version and listen to it on my Android phone, which I use for my audio and super-portable gaming entertainment device. Android phone for audio, Kindle Fire for video.
OK, I concede I need to edit my original statement. For the purposes that most people use an iPad for; they’re interchangeable. No they are not anywhere near the same; and technologically the iPad is superior. It’s just technology that isn’t needed in most cases, nor is it even used in most cases. I touched on that in my OP when I said something about specialty software. Everyone I know primarily uses their iPad for: reading email, surfing the web.
We got one free with a new car purchase about 6 weeks ago. Here are my impressions:
As a book reader, I prefer the dedicated book reads. Fire is a hybrid between an iPad and a book reader. While reading books, a standard Kindle will last much longer than the Fire will, on a single charge. If you are planning to use it someplace where charging it can be a problem, that’s a consideration.
The web browser can be problematic. I’ve had sites that take forever to load. I’ve had even simple searches take way to long.
Ours gets used for light websurfing while watching TV. I’ve also taken it for use while sitting in a waiting room.
Wi-Fi, not cellphone connection. Most of the time that’s fine with me. But it means you aren’t going to use it as a GPS or to price compare while at a store.
As mentioned above, Amazon Plus is a plus. Free streaming movies and one borrowed book a month. Also check with your local library system. Mine checks out ebooks for 3 weeks, downloaded from your computer.