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-n...L_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.