Kindle Fire

[kf0rt]

Starting a new thread on this to avoid hijacking a political thread...


By all means let us know how you like it. I'm this close __ to ordering one.

I wish it had a micro SD slot, but I guess external storage can be done via the mini USB port.

But then, Grandma alwasy said "if wishes were horses, beggers would ride". Or maybe it was something about wishing in one hand and shitting in the other................

Think you'll like it, Eddie. The Fire arrived about 6:30 last evening, and it would NOT register to my Amazon account. Played with it for a couple hours and the registration finally took at about 9PM, just as I was ready to turn it off and head for bed. I was about half convinced that it was defective and would have to send it back. I'm guessing now that Amazon's registration servers were just swamped with traffic.

Took it to work today and it ran flawlessly (I work in a geek shop where this sort of playtime isn't discouraged). Lots to figure out and play with, but apart from the registration issues, I like it. A lot. Just handed it off to my wife, and will probably have to order another one for myself. The color touchscreen is stunning -- very crisp and vibrant. The screen auto-rotates, just like an iPhone. And, unlike the Kindle eInk units, the web browser is actually usable (multiple tabs, even). A lot of effort went into the multimedia stuff; streaming video, music, etc. It comes with a free 1-month trial of Amazon Prime which gives you some (not a whole lot) of free content. This may be enough to push me over the edge on buying into the Prime thing.

A few odd odd thoughts...

It's heavier than I expected, but essentially the same size as the older Kindle 3, only a bit thicker.

The Amazon packaging is tres minimal. No manual or anything. Turn it on and start learning -- the power button is the ONLY control outside of the touchscreen. To Amazon's credit, it arrived with the batteries at 75% charge.

Previous Kindles we've had came with an Apple-styled AC adapter -- a little white brick that plugs into the wall and a detachable USB cord that plugs into the AC brick or your computer. The Fire comes with a cheaper wall-wart charger and the cord isn't detachable. Considering Amazon's volume on this, you know their accountants were working in the sub-penny range on cost. If you want to connect it to your computer, you'll need to find a separate cable for that. Haven't tried that yet, but the USB connector on the Fire is the same as previous Kindle's ("micro-USB") -- the old Kindle charger works and I assume the old cable will work for a computer connection, too.

The web browser works without a tie-in to an Amazon account, so if you need a cheap tablet-based WiFi web browser, this might be worth consideration (Fire has no 3G capabilities). Android email apps are available; haven't tried that yet.

Wanted to buy a protective case (still looking). The Fire lacks the little slots on the side for a solid attachment to the cover. The covers I'm seeing are mondo expensive for what they are and use elastic straps to "hold the Fire" (bush-league compared to previous models, IMHO). $30-$45? You know they crank these out in China for about 44.6 cents apiece (and I guess this makes me a "damn liberal" for even mentioning it)... I'm cool with profit, but this is obscene.

Once registered, the Fire downloaded the "sync" content from our account. That is, it downloaded covers from every book we ever purchased (just over 100 of them; xyl and me share an Amazon account), but didn't download the book contents. Organizing all this still remains a mystery, but I'm sure it's possible. And we haven't figured out how to download or use the interactive content yet (word games, crossword puzzles, etc.) from the old stuff. I've sic'd the xyl on that project; she's no dummy, but it is her turn. No real downside here yet -- just a minor puzzle to solve.

My Pandora account fired right up on the Fire and I played with that a bit (download the free app). Sounds great with the headphones; like any modern MP3 player. The Fire has "stereo" speakers built into the top edge of the case, but as one might imagine they're wholly unsuitable for music. They do work well enough to demo an episode of "King Of The Hill" to a small crowd, though. :rofl:

To the best of my knowledge, there exists no audio INPUT to the Kindle Fire. This may be the one thing that prevents it from replacing both an iPod Touch AND the older Kindle. Think: Skype. The iPod Touch can do this, but it wasn't well known for some time... so maybe?

Most of the rest is in the specs: the eInk versions of the Kindle are probably easier on the eyes for book reading and the LCD color display of the Fire isn't well suited to sunlight use. It has twice the memory of a Kindle 3. It's Android based. The display drains the battery faster and it's not quite as easy to turn the WiFi off (work the power ratios: it's not as necessary).

XYL says I should "get my own" after playing with it for about an hour. And it's cheaper than a pool-boy.

Will keep learning...

[K7SGJ]

Thanks for the report. If you get a chance, see if you can move anything in/out with external memory of some kind. That's the only thing I haven't been able to confirm one way or the other. Not really a deal breaker, but it would be nice for uploading PDF files without going thru the cloud. Me thinks I'll probably be ordering one PDQ.

BTW I use to clean pools. But alas........................they were cesspools.

[X-Rated]

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4230706/Teardown--Inside-Amazon-s-Kindle-Fire-?cid=NL_EETimesDaily

[W3MIV]

My impression is, the Kindle Fire is not so good a Kindle as the Kindle 3 and not so good a tablet computer as the iPad -- or, indeed, the other competition from Samsung, HP, and other tablet makers.

[kf0rt]

Thanks for the report. If you get a chance, see if you can move anything in/out with external memory of some kind. That's the only thing I haven't been able to confirm one way or the other. Not really a deal breaker, but it would be nice for uploading PDF files without going thru the cloud. Me thinks I'll probably be ordering one PDQ.

BTW I use to clean pools. But alas........................they were cesspools.

Just tried this and it works fine (connect to computer via USB, the Kindle's memory shows up as a disk drive). Copied a PDF file to it and it reads fine. :)

[kf0rt]

My impression is, the Kindle Fire is not so good a Kindle as the Kindle 3 and not so good a tablet computer as the iPad -- or, indeed, the other competition from Samsung, HP, and other tablet makers.

This is true. But, but, but... I can buy 2+ of these for the cost of a "real" tablet. ;)

Something I just noticed though... (where the Fire beats the regular Kindle). The Fire allows you to zoom with PDF files. Also, I've had a book or two that contains graphics (charts or program listings that are embedded as photos and contain small print) -- can't zoom these on either Kindle, but they seem a lot easier to read on the Fire.

[W3MIV]

Something I just noticed though... (where the Fire beats the regular Kindle). The Fire allows you to zoom with PDF files. Also, I've had a book or two that contains graphics (charts or program listings that are embedded as photos and contain small print) -- can't zoom these on either Kindle, but they seem a lot easier to read on the Fire.

That is true, and it is an advantage. I do not believe, however, that it is a deal-breaker. My normal Kindle goes for weeks (literally) on a single charge, has a vastly better screen for reading text -- which is the purpose for which I own it -- and I can read it in any light, including sunlight (and add a simple LED gooseneck when I am in the dark -- no, don't go there ;) ).

Best of all, I got my Kindle for $114 because I gave up the screen savers ( pix of Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, etc) for a changing series of ads from AT&T, Amazon and some movie group. As I say, all I do is read on the thing. If I want to do silly apps, I have the iPhone.

I bought the xyl a first-generation iPad (32G) for less than $500, and I admit I am more impressed with that gadget than I expected I would be. It was the deciding factor in my planned changeover to a Mac Mini in the near future (I think Ms Claus is going to throw one at me).

[WØTKX]

I'm waiting for an original Kindle "special" for Amazon Prime Members.

Joined "Prime" shortly after it came out, and I've broken even with the free shipping already.

BTW, did you know Amazon has O-Scopes? True Story.

[W3MIV]

I find myself more amazed at the few things Amazon does not carry than what they do offer. They have an excellent stable of suppliers, for the most part, and stand behind them. I, too, am a Prime member (also charter) and my only disappointment is that all of the suppliers do not offer prime routing.

[WØTKX]

Enough of them do that it's not a problem. I'm trying to decide which free book to "borrow" with the Kindle Reader app.

I'm about ready to start buying Kindle versions of some of my favorite S.F. authors.

[kf0rt]

That is true, and it is an advantage. I do not believe, however, that it is a deal-breaker. My normal Kindle goes for weeks (literally) on a single charge, has a vastly better screen for reading text -- which is the purpose for which I own it -- and I can read it in any light, including sunlight (and add a simple LED gooseneck when I am in the dark -- no, don't go there ;) ).

Best of all, I got my Kindle for $114 because I gave up the screen savers ( pix of Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, etc) for a changing series of ads from AT&T, Amazon and some movie group. As I say, all I do is read on the thing. If I want to do silly apps, I have the iPhone.

I bought the xyl a first-generation iPad (32G) for less than $500, and I admit I am more impressed with that gadget than I expected I would be. It was the deciding factor in my planned changeover to a Mac Mini in the near future (I think Ms Claus is going to throw one at me).

Guess it's all in your purpose.

I wouldn't mind having an iPhone but refuse to pay for the cell connection. Have a TracFone that is much more cost effective for how little I use telephones. But I do have an iPod Touch (2nd Gen) that still sees a fair amount of use for checking email (and yes, a few silly apps). So, there is some thought of combining the functions with the Fire.

That said, I still haven't had a chance to do any real reading on the new device -- it will be a true shame if it sucks at that!

[W3MIV]

That said, I still haven't had a chance to do any real reading on the new device -- it will be a true shame if it sucks at that!

I don't assume that it sucks; it is probably a very good screen, but it is still either an LCD or LED display using RGB matrices that have a rather coarse limit on maximum resolution (when compared to the microink particles used in the Kindle display). What you will likely experience is a kind of anti-matter difference between the two genres -- whereas the Kindle shows type superbly, it handles graphics poorly, and I suspect your Fire will handle graphics superbly, but type not so sharp, though it will still be crisp enough to read unless you try to limbo.

[KC2UGV]

This is true. But, but, but... I can buy 2+ of these for the cost of a "real" tablet. ;)

Something I just noticed though... (where the Fire beats the regular Kindle). The Fire allows you to zoom with PDF files. Also, I've had a book or two that contains graphics (charts or program listings that are embedded as photos and contain small print) -- can't zoom these on either Kindle, but they seem a lot easier to read on the Fire.

But those tablets that cost twice the Fire have things like a mic, front camera, can sideload, and unfettered Android.

[NQ6U]

My impression is, the Kindle Fire is not so good a Kindle as the Kindle 3 and not so good a tablet computer as the iPad -- or, indeed, the other competition from Samsung, HP, and other tablet makers.

I agree completely, Albi. If you want strictly an e-reader, the Kindle is the way to go. If what you want is mainly a tablet that can also be used as an e-reader when it suits you, then the iPad is the best choice.

[K7SGJ]

Just tried this and it works fine (connect to computer via USB, the Kindle's memory shows up as a disk drive). Copied a PDF file to it and it reads fine. :)

Thanks for checking that out. I do appreciate it.

[n6hcm]

i got mine last tuesday (!!) ... turned it on tuesday night and it connected up pretty quickly and registered easily. i thought they registered these in advance--my fire was showing up on my account a few days before i got it--but i guess not. the android app store recognized all of the handful of apps i purchased there but did not download them (you only get about 6GB usable space on the fire) ... it will download them if i tell it to do so. reading was very zippy and my email (with Kaiten) regularly downloaded my email messages while i was reading on the fire.

[KK4AMI]

Starting a new thread on this to avoid hijacking a political thread...



Think you'll like it, Eddie. The Fire arrived about 6:30 last evening, and it would NOT register to my Amazon account. Played with it for a couple hours and the registration finally took at about 9PM, just as I was ready to turn it off and head for bed. I was about half convinced that it was defective and would have to send it back. I'm guessing now that Amazon's registration servers were just swamped with traffic.

Took it to work today and it ran flawlessly (I work in a geek shop where this sort of playtime isn't discouraged). Lots to figure out and play with, but apart from the registration issues, I like it. A lot. Just handed it off to my wife, and will probably have to order another one for myself. The color touchscreen is stunning -- very crisp and vibrant. The screen auto-rotates, just like an iPhone. And, unlike the Kindle eInk units, the web browser is actually usable (multiple tabs, even). A lot of effort went into the multimedia stuff; streaming video, music, etc. It comes with a free 1-month trial of Amazon Prime which gives you some (not a whole lot) of free content. This may be enough to push me over the edge on buying into the Prime thing.

A few odd odd thoughts...

It's heavier than I expected, but essentially the same size as the older Kindle 3, only a bit thicker.

The Amazon packaging is tres minimal. No manual or anything. Turn it on and start learning -- the power button is the ONLY control outside of the touchscreen. To Amazon's credit, it arrived with the batteries at 75% charge.

Previous Kindles we've had came with an Apple-styled AC adapter -- a little white brick that plugs into the wall and a detachable USB cord that plugs into the AC brick or your computer. The Fire comes with a cheaper wall-wart charger and the cord isn't detachable. Considering Amazon's volume on this, you know their accountants were working in the sub-penny range on cost. If you want to connect it to your computer, you'll need to find a separate cable for that. Haven't tried that yet, but the USB connector on the Fire is the same as previous Kindle's ("micro-USB") -- the old Kindle charger works and I assume the old cable will work for a computer connection, too.

The web browser works without a tie-in to an Amazon account, so if you need a cheap tablet-based WiFi web browser, this might be worth consideration (Fire has no 3G capabilities). Android email apps are available; haven't tried that yet.

Wanted to buy a protective case (still looking). The Fire lacks the little slots on the side for a solid attachment to the cover. The covers I'm seeing are mondo expensive for what they are and use elastic straps to "hold the Fire" (bush-league compared to previous models, IMHO). $30-$45? You know they crank these out in China for about 44.6 cents apiece (and I guess this makes me a "damn liberal" for even mentioning it)... I'm cool with profit, but this is obscene.

Once registered, the Fire downloaded the "sync" content from our account. That is, it downloaded covers from every book we ever purchased (just over 100 of them; xyl and me share an Amazon account), but didn't download the book contents. Organizing all this still remains a mystery, but I'm sure it's possible. And we haven't figured out how to download or use the interactive content yet (word games, crossword puzzles, etc.) from the old stuff. I've sic'd the xyl on that project; she's no dummy, but it is her turn. No real downside here yet -- just a minor puzzle to solve.

My Pandora account fired right up on the Fire and I played with that a bit (download the free app). Sounds great with the headphones; like any modern MP3 player. The Fire has "stereo" speakers built into the top edge of the case, but as one might imagine they're wholly unsuitable for music. They do work well enough to demo an episode of "King Of The Hill" to a small crowd, though. :rofl:

To the best of my knowledge, there exists no audio INPUT to the Kindle Fire. This may be the one thing that prevents it from replacing both an iPod Touch AND the older Kindle. Think: Skype. The iPod Touch can do this, but it wasn't well known for some time... so maybe?

Most of the rest is in the specs: the eInk versions of the Kindle are probably easier on the eyes for book reading and the LCD color display of the Fire isn't well suited to sunlight use. It has twice the memory of a Kindle 3. It's Android based. The display drains the battery faster and it's not quite as easy to turn the WiFi off (work the power ratios: it's not as necessary).

XYL says I should "get my own" after playing with it for about an hour. And it's cheaper than a pool-boy.

Will keep learning...


Thanks for the report. You have been forwarded to Santa Claus as part of my argument!

[n2ize]

I'm pretty much the luddite here. No kindle, no 3D TV, no iPad, and I still read books printed on paper and my favorite writing implement is still a pencil and paper (although there are times I go modern and use a quill or fountain pen).

Okay, I do have a multi function cell phone and of course my desktop computer and a hybrid wired/wireless network with many services but the buck stops there, at least for now.

[W3MIV]

...but the buck stops there, at least for now.

Time determines gear.

[KB3LAZ]

I tried using an ereader I just cant do it. I miss the feel and smell of paper. Particularly old paper. However when it comes to the aspect of readability the original kindle is easiest on my eyes.

[kf0rt]

Bit of an addendum...

Now own two of these (xyl not willing to give up the original purchase, and given her hard work recently, I'm a push-over, so bought my own).

She liked the games that were available on the original and finds this lacking on the Fire. In particular, she's into crossword puzzles these days and says that the original Kindle (the one with the keyboard) is a lot easier to operate. For book reading, she's fine with either. The games aren't transferable as the Fire won't run content from the original Kindles.

Amazon has done a good job of integrating content -- where the books are concerned, we have access to their "cloud" storage, so any book ever purchased is available for download to any device that's on the same account. It would be nice if they could segregate this by users on the same account, though (our tastes in book-reading are vastly different). The problem is you see everything on the account, so her hysterical romances get mixed up with my mysteries and Matt Tiabbi tomes. No way to categorize anything on the Fire that we've found.

Jumped into email today. It looks like the Fire comes with a native email app and contact list. This was pretty easy to configure, and it pretty much just works on my Comcast POP account. The Microsoft Exchange Server we run at work takes a separate app for access. The Android app I found for that seems to work okay; 30 day free trial, then it's $9.99. Will test that further, but it accesses my work calendar and I think it'll do. We just upgraded to Exchange 2010 at work, and the Fire app seems to be running in 2007 mode, but gets the job done. Downside: My 3-year-old old iPod Touch understands Exchange stuff natively -- I need a separate paid-for app for this?

Ultimately, about what I expected. It's a compromise, but I think it will work out well here. I've loaded all my PDF camera manuals into the thing and these play better on the Fire than on the eInk devices due to the better contrast variability on the LCD display. Finished a book on the Fire that I started on an older Kindle -- no problems, but have turned the display intensity down. For constant book readers, the eInk display is still the better game, IMO.

[n6hcm]

Will test that further, but it accesses my work calendar and I think it'll do. We just upgraded to Exchange 2010 at work, and the Fire app seems to be running in 2007 mode, but gets the job done. Downside: My 3-year-old old iPod Touch understands Exchange stuff natively -- I need a separate paid-for app for this?

look in the amazon appstore--you may find a free app there to do this. not sure if k-9 will do it (i don't care about exchange and calendars).

[NQ6U]

Downside: My 3-year-old old iPod Touch understands Exchange stuff natively -- I need a separate paid-for app for this?

Apple has licensed Exchange from Microsoft and includes it in all iOS devices.

[n6hcm]

Apple has licensed Exchange from Microsoft and includes it in all iOS devices.

but nothing older than exchange 2007. only the oldest of the old farts (like the VA) run exchange 2003 or older.

[KC2UGV]

look in the amazon appstore--you may find a free app there to do this. not sure if k-9 will do it (i don't care about exchange and calendars).

K9 does it, as well as Pure Android. The vendors pull it out, and put their own broken implementations in, which usually don't work.

[n2ize]

I tried using an ereader I just cant do it. I miss the feel and smell of paper. Particularly old paper.

Yes, I am the same way. Electronic reading just doesn't cut it for me either. There is nothing like cracking open an old volume and being greeted by that sort of mouldy smell of the old paper and binding. And no power source required. Just a little sunlight from a window or, if at night just light a candle or turn up the gaslight a bit..

[K7SGJ]

Starting a new thread on this to avoid hijacking a political thread...



Think you'll like it, Eddie. The Fire arrived about 6:30 last evening, and it would NOT register to my Amazon account. Played with it for a couple hours and the registration finally took at about 9PM, just as I was ready to turn it off and head for bed. I was about half convinced that it was defective and would have to send it back. I'm guessing now that Amazon's registration servers were just swamped with traffic.

Took it to work today and it ran flawlessly (I work in a geek shop where this sort of playtime isn't discouraged). Lots to figure out and play with, but apart from the registration issues, I like it. A lot. Just handed it off to my wife, and will probably have to order another one for myself. The color touchscreen is stunning -- very crisp and vibrant. The screen auto-rotates, just like an iPhone. And, unlike the Kindle eInk units, the web browser is actually usable (multiple tabs, even). A lot of effort went into the multimedia stuff; streaming video, music, etc. It comes with a free 1-month trial of Amazon Prime which gives you some (not a whole lot) of free content. This may be enough to push me over the edge on buying into the Prime thing.

A few odd odd thoughts...

It's heavier than I expected, but essentially the same size as the older Kindle 3, only a bit thicker.

The Amazon packaging is tres minimal. No manual or anything. Turn it on and start learning -- the power button is the ONLY control outside of the touchscreen. To Amazon's credit, it arrived with the batteries at 75% charge.

Previous Kindles we've had came with an Apple-styled AC adapter -- a little white brick that plugs into the wall and a detachable USB cord that plugs into the AC brick or your computer. The Fire comes with a cheaper wall-wart charger and the cord isn't detachable. Considering Amazon's volume on this, you know their accountants were working in the sub-penny range on cost. If you want to connect it to your computer, you'll need to find a separate cable for that. Haven't tried that yet, but the USB connector on the Fire is the same as previous Kindle's ("micro-USB") -- the old Kindle charger works and I assume the old cable will work for a computer connection, too.

The web browser works without a tie-in to an Amazon account, so if you need a cheap tablet-based WiFi web browser, this might be worth consideration (Fire has no 3G capabilities). Android email apps are available; haven't tried that yet.

Wanted to buy a protective case (still looking). The Fire lacks the little slots on the side for a solid attachment to the cover. The covers I'm seeing are mondo expensive for what they are and use elastic straps to "hold the Fire" (bush-league compared to previous models, IMHO). $30-$45? You know they crank these out in China for about 44.6 cents apiece (and I guess this makes me a "damn liberal" for even mentioning it)... I'm cool with profit, but this is obscene.

Once registered, the Fire downloaded the "sync" content from our account. That is, it downloaded covers from every book we ever purchased (just over 100 of them; xyl and me share an Amazon account), but didn't download the book contents. Organizing all this still remains a mystery, but I'm sure it's possible. And we haven't figured out how to download or use the interactive content yet (word games, crossword puzzles, etc.) from the old stuff. I've sic'd the xyl on that project; she's no dummy, but it is her turn. No real downside here yet -- just a minor puzzle to solve.

My Pandora account fired right up on the Fire and I played with that a bit (download the free app). Sounds great with the headphones; like any modern MP3 player. The Fire has "stereo" speakers built into the top edge of the case, but as one might imagine they're wholly unsuitable for music. They do work well enough to demo an episode of "King Of The Hill" to a small crowd, though. :rofl:

To the best of my knowledge, there exists no audio INPUT to the Kindle Fire. This may be the one thing that prevents it from replacing both an iPod Touch AND the older Kindle. Think: Skype. The iPod Touch can do this, but it wasn't well known for some time... so maybe?

Most of the rest is in the specs: the eInk versions of the Kindle are probably easier on the eyes for book reading and the LCD color display of the Fire isn't well suited to sunlight use. It has twice the memory of a Kindle 3. It's Android based. The display drains the battery faster and it's not quite as easy to turn the WiFi off (work the power ratios: it's not as necessary).

XYL says I should "get my own" after playing with it for about an hour. And it's cheaper than a pool-boy.

Will keep learning...


I was going to PM you with a question. But after reviewing this thread, I decided to ask you here, and bump the thread. Why? Because Albi posted in it and it's time for a refresher on a few of his posts. It's still hard to believe he is gone.

The question I have is if your Fire (or anyone else on here with one) ever locks up on you and wont turn on? All you get is the green power light, briefly. Won't charge, won't reset, won't do shit. After several trys with the power button held down, it will finally reset, reboot, and all is well. This has happened a couple of times, and I see from some of the posts at Amazon, others have experienced it, too. Not a big deal, more of an inconvenience. I still love it, and use the hell out of it. It really is perfect for what I use it for. It won't ever replace my other computers, but it sure is a handy little gadget.

[kf0rt]

I was going to PM you with a question. But after reviewing this thread, I decided to ask you here, and bump the thread. Why? Because Albi posted in it and it's time for a refresher on a few of his posts. It's still hard to believe he is gone.

The question I have is if your Fire (or anyone else on here with one) ever locks up on you and wont turn on? All you get is the green power light, briefly. Won't charge, won't reset, won't do shit. After several trys with the power button held down, it will finally reset, reboot, and all is well. This has happened a couple of times, and I see from some of the posts at Amazon, others have experienced it, too. Not a big deal, more of an inconvenience. I still love it, and use the hell out of it. It really is perfect for what I use it for. It won't ever replace my other computers, but it sure is a handy little gadget.

Agree on Albi. :(

Haven't run into the problem with the Fire locking up here and like you, still love it and use it daily. It's my "armchair computer." I've had apps lock up, but you can use a task manager type program to fix that.

[K7SGJ]

Okay, thanks for the info. I do the same thing with mine. Like I say, it's not all things computing, but for what it does, it does them well. It is really handy for putting service info on for radios and that such I work on, my tractor service stuff and parts lists, and even videos I've taken for dissassembly and reassembly of some rather complcated clock movements. I used to take them apart to clean them, and by the time I got parts, or made parts, I had a a time getting the wheel position and timing right.

[kf0rt]

If only the battery life was better. :yes:

We took the old Kindles (e-ink with keyboard) to Mexico last week, mostly because of the battery life and their readability in the sun. They ran all week without needing a charge, but if I had known I would have good WiFi access, probably would have taken the Fire and just dealt with the charging/sun issues. It was real nice to avoid packing a bunch of books. With the Fire, could have avoided taking the iPods.

I assume the service info and stuff is all PDF files? I've been doing that with all my camera manuals -- very convenient.