Thinking About Getting the Fire?

[[deleted user]]

I had such high hopes for the Fire, but sadly for me, it will be a no-go. I've been putting off buying an iPad, only because I already own the Kindle, an iPhone, and a netbook. Couldn't really justify the cost of an iPad. So I was really hoping the Fire would offer something at that great price that would work for me. But after reading and comparing, it's clear the two are apples and oranges (sorry for the bad pun).

I think the Fire will be great for people who want to play games and watch movies....with a 7" screen that is way better than an iPhone, lol! Sadly, I need a LOT more from a tablet.....as someone who travels for a living, I need 3G, I need way, way more memory (cloud storage is for Amazon content only....doesn't help me access the grad school paper I'm currently working on right?), and oh gosh, the apps. There are thousands of android apps out there that would have made the Fire so much more attractive....instead, they want their "own" Fire android apps? Of which there will be what...maybe 20 of them available when this thing ships? No decent apps, no deal for me.

As I say, I think the Fire will be a good match for some people (those, for example, that paid waaaaay too much money for a iPad when all they wanted to do was watch movies, read books or play games). But for us poor souls who need a heck of a lot more from a tablet, there is no comparing the capabilities of the Fire with the iPad.

So unfortunately for my poor bank account, when my netbook dies (hey, it lasted for 3 years for $200....thanks Asus!), it's an iPad for me.

But I'm keeping my Kindle. :P You'll pry that out of my cold, dead hands.

[Sheila]

Michelle, where did you read that ONLY Kindle apps will be able to be used?

[Jennifer]

@Michelle, I'm pretty sure the cloud storage is available for any content. I may have to research this later.

It takes time for any new platform to get developers to make apps for it. Considering there will be millions of Kindle Fire sold, I doubt there will be any shortage of apps. Are you sure the apps in the current Amazon Android App store won't work as well? Anyway, the iPad had similar issues at first too, stretching iPhone apps to twice the size.

Of course it's entirely your prerogative if you prefer something bigger, with more onboard memory, and an existing repertoire of apps built over a year+.

[[deleted user]]

Sheila wrote: "Michelle, where did you read that ONLY Kindle apps will be able to be used?"

Hi Sheila,

Take a look here: http://burke.patch.com/articles/kindl...

Of course, they may have their info wrong?

[stormhawk]

Color eInk exists, and uses a different technology than LCD screens. It will probably become an industry standard once they get it to production level. I hear that as a test device, it's beyond awesome, but isn't ready for large scale use.

[[deleted user]]

Jennifer wrote: "@Michelle, I'm pretty sure the cloud storage is available for any content. I may have to research this later.

It takes time for any new platform to get developers to make apps for it. Considering..."

Hi Jennifer,

I believe they state on the Amazon AppStore Developer Portal that they are "evaluating" how the current apps in their appstore work on the Kindle. No idea what happens if any given app doesn't.

As for the cloud storage, I believe that the storage may be for anything, but only Amazon content (very important caveat) will be free storage. How much am I to pay for the rest? No one knows yet.

I am a huge fan of Amazon (as purchasing history shows, haha)...I'm a prime member and got rid of Netflix in favor of downloading from Amazon even. I think the Fire will fill a great niche.

It's just not what I personally need. :(

[Jennifer]

Michele wrote: http://burke.patch.com/articles/kindl...

Of course, they may h..."

That's an interesting article, though again it does seem to punish the Fire for being new. I'll go ahead and say that a Skype app will be available in no time, rendering the "video calls" part meaningless. The article didn't mention the cloud storage for the Fire, or Apple's cloud service, which costs extra money. And if anyone doesn't think a bazillion accessories will be available for the Fire by the time the holidays roll around then they are really out to lunch.

[[deleted user]]

Jennifer wrote: "Michele wrote: http://burke.patch.com/articles/kindl...

Of course, they may h..."

That's an interesting article, though again it does seem to punish the Fire for being new. I'll go ahe..."

Oh I agree the accessories will catch up quickly in time for the holidays, LOL! I only use Skype when I'm out of the country, but I'm on the road so much that I love, love the Facetime app with my young kids at home. Personally, I wouldn't be using Apples cloud service either, especially with the higher storage capability of the iPad, I really don't see where it's needed.

I don't think they should even be comparing Fires and iPads....they aren't on the same level. Comparing the Fire and the new Nook might make more sense here. The iPad offers a lot more. A lot. But if a person doesn't need that "a lot more" why pay all that money for an iPad? That would be silly!

And that is where I think the Fire will really fill a great void out there.

[Kim]

I am for sure getting one but will most likely wait until Christmas. I want to be able to download children's books to read to my daughter and with my current kindle it just seems too boring with the black and white. I think the Kindle Fire will be amazing and I can't wait. Of course an iPad would be even better but I just don't need one and can't justify the cost.

[stormhawk]

I'm expecting a LOOONG waiting list, so I consider November 15 to represent an "early Christmas" for me.

As far as accessories goes ... Timbuk2 already sent me an email about a sleeve sized for it.

[Jennifer]

@Michele, yeah, they really are different things. I think of the iPad kind of like a portable TV screen that can do a lot of things. The Fire seems more like a versatile Kindle.

@Kim, how old is your daughter? I bet she will just love it, and I agree that color really is so important when reading children's books. Be sure and let us know when you're about to order! :)

[Terri]

Michele wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Michele wrote: http://burke.patch.com/articles/kindl...

Of course, they may h..."

That's an interesting article, though again it does seem to punish the Fire for being..."

I agree. The Kindle Fire should not be compared to the iPad...the iPad is in a totally different class. The Kindle Fire is for those (like myself) that don't need cameras and video conferencing and a whole lot of memory, just to pay $300-500 more for something they're not going to use. I didn't want to pay a whole lot of money just to watch movies, surf the web, and read textbooks and magazines. The Fire suits me just fine.

The Fire and the Nook Color are similar. The reason why I didn't get a Nook Color is because I have too many Amazon books...I didn't want to have to be tied to Barnes and Noble, and I'm not interested in getting ePub books.

[Kim]

@Kim, how old is your daughter? I bet she will just love it, and I agree that color really is so important when reading children's books. Be sure and let us know when you're about to order! :)

"

She is 4. One of my best friends has a Nook Color and she just loves to look at the kids books on there. It almost made me regret getting the Kindle over the Nook but the Kindle Fire will solve that problem! Plus I do love my Kindle. :) I may not be the one buying it as I'm either going to ask for it from my parents or get my husband to get it for me. But I will definitely be posting about it once I have it in my hands!

[[deleted user]]

@Terri: Exactly! Why pay for stuff you don't need? And I agree re: the Nook. I am an Amazon person through and through. (I was jumping up and down when Kindle finally, finally allowed library books to be downloaded!)

I would really consider the Fire for my young son who just learned to read and now can't stop devouring books. We're not too big on kids playing video games around here or watching movies (not that we're some kind of super-parents, we just don't play games or watch movies much ourselves so our household just naturally evolved that way), but I'm willing to do just about anything to encourage reading with my kids.

[Jennifer]

That's good, Michele! Getting kids hooked on reading pays off big time.

[Dee]

OK...I'm single. I have a desktop, laptop and a netbook. I have a KK3G and a DX. Someone PLEASE convince me that I can't live without a Fire.

[Traci]

I teach toddlers and was thinking that a Fire could be useful in reading them books..within reason of course. They wouldn't come into contact with my device but it would offer a way to get books to them without them getting ripped up, chewed on, etc. I can see vast benefits haha.

[[deleted user]]

Dee wrote: "OK...I'm single. I have a desktop, laptop and a netbook. I have a KK3G and a DX. Someone PLEASE convince me that I can't live without a Fire."

Don't know if I could do that, but would love to hear what you think of the DX....why both? Do you use them both? (I'm looking for excuses, too, lol).

[Jennifer]

Dee wrote: "OK...I'm single. I have a desktop, laptop and a netbook. I have a KK3G and a DX. Someone PLEASE convince me that I can't live without a Fire."

lol is that just because you want to have one even though you don't really need one? You could always give your DX or K3 away, but otherwise I do think there's a limit to how many devices a person should have. If you'll never use it, then it's not worth it, but it you will then that's something else.

[Dee]

Michele,
I love both my Kindles. And I use them both. The DX is great because of the size allowing larger fonts with fewer page turns, but I use it exclusively at home. The KK3G goes with me everywhere.

[Monica]

Okay what is DX and a KK3G?

I am still wanting a tablet just not sure if the Fire is for me. It sounds great. Some things that are keeping me from getting it is I only have $100 towards it and the Amazon Prime. I am trying to cut my bills as it is and adding Amazon Prime is just another expense, unless I would be able to get rid of my cable for it. (or most of the cable bill) Plus what tv shows are available on the Amazon Prime? And are they recent shows or just old shows?

I found a site that I am able to watch tv shows usually with in 24 hours after it airs on cable. (mainly HBO True Blood) So I was able to get rid of part of the cable bill but would still love to get it down even smaller. If I could get rid of the cable or most of the cable expense then the Amazon Prime would be something I could pay.

Just some questions and concerns that I have. I have looked at the Cruz tablets just not sure if I want that one instead.

The price is one reason I will not get the iPad. One reason I lean towards the iPad is because I am familiar with the Apple company more then Amazon.

Oh also in the first post Jennifer said something about how reading left-handed is tough. What is the difference reading left-handed to reading right-handed? I am left-handed and never noticed if I read differently than everyone else.

[Jennifer]

Hi Monica, Kindle DX is the big Kindle and the KK3G would be the 2nd generation Kindle (K2) with 3G as opposed to wireless.

Trying to cut down on bills is important, and I'll say that I don't even own a TV anymore, let alone pay for cable. Most stuff I watch is online on hulu.com. You can find a list of everything available on Amazon Prime here:

Amazon Prime Movies

Amazon Prime TV

About the left-handed thing in the first post. When they first announced how the Kindle Touch worked, it was hard to tell if you had to always tough the right side of the screen to go to the next page. I'm pretty sure it won't be a problem.

[Dee]

Jennifer,
The KK3g is the 3rd generation Kindle. They're now calling it the Kindle Keyboard which is available with WiFi only or WiFi and 3g. Therefore, KK3g.

[Jennifer]

Dee wrote: "Jennifer,
The KK3g is the 3rd generation Kindle. They're now calling it the Kindle Keyboard which is available with WiFi only or WiFi and 3g. Therefore, KK3g."

Ahh, thanks for the clarification, Dee. Not a term I use.

[Monica]

Thanks Jennifer,
It just seems like the TV shows are mostly old ones. I have a free site that I can watch a lot of old shows and I am able to catch True Blood the very next day.

I spoke to my daughter last night because she has the Prime free for a few months and she said it isn't as good as Netflix. That is her opinion.

Still thinking about the Fire.

[Melissa]

I really think that Amazon is making a brilliant move on making the Fire so affordable. However, I am in the group that is holding out for a Fire that will allow an "e-ink switch".
I spend 1-2 hours a day reading so not having e-ink would be rough on my eyes.

[Camille]

I want the Fire so badly! But I'm not sure I should splurge. :-|

Does anyone know if it has the ability to IM, like using gchat?

[Jennifer]

Camille wrote: "I want the Fire so badly! But I'm not sure I should splurge. :-|

Does anyone know if it has the ability to IM, like using gchat?"

Yeah, the Kindle Fire will have full internet capabilities, and I'm sure things like gchat will work on it. I was kind of on the fence about it too until I saw how much cheaper it was than the iPad. I know it'll get A LOT of use around my house. :)

[Awesomevegan (AKA JenReads)]

Does anyone know if which games are available that you can sync with Facebook? Some of the games I like are Zombie Lane, Gnome Town, Words With Friends etc. I am really thinking of getting one if I have enough gift card money this year! I also have a Netflix account already but I don't have Amazon Prime and I am not sure I really need both.

[Jennifer]

Well there's definitely a netflix app for the Kindle Fire, so you wouldn't really need both. Words with Friends is there, possibly the others. I'm not sure. It would probably be easy to jump back and forth.

[Awesomevegan (AKA JenReads)]

Thanks, Jennifer! :) I was thinking the same thing about the Prime. It would be worth it if I was doing a lot of shopping for physical items on Amazon but I mostly just buy my Kindle books and if I I get a Fire maybe a few apps. I don't order physical items as much. Great to see Words with Friends is one because it is a pain on the small screen of the iPod Touch and the Fire screen will be a bit better I hope.

I will have to look for some of the other ones. I know some of the paid games I will want are there. Like Angry Birds and Plants VS Zombies. I don't know if there are free versions of either but I would probably get the full versions since they are favorites. I am really wanting to play with Fire! hehe. :)

[Bookworm]

So I am getting the fire out of layaway tomorrow. I have the kindle with 3g now. I use my kindle for all of my internet purposes. We do not own a computer. Using our old internet address for GR. Will I be able to use the internet for GR at home? Second question. Will I be able to ransfer all of my books to the fire? Help I dont wanna lose GR seing as how I promised to give my 3g kindle away

[Melissa]

Yes, Bookworm. You can access the internet on the Kindle Fire just like on a regular computer IF you have Wi-Fi. It' doesn't work with 3g or 4g. If you don't have Wi-Fi at home, don't get rid of your 3g!

As soon as you register your Fire, you will automatically have access to all your Kindle books in your Amazon account. It works just exactly like your 3g .. you can download them onto your Fire and delete them when your done and they will still be on your Amazon account through the cloud technology.

[Bookworm]

I dont have Wi-Fi at home. Should we buy the Fire HELP

[Melissa]

I'm not sure what that is. Anyone else?

The Fire will only work with Wi-Fi. If you have a plan through your cell phone, like a hotspot or ... that allows you to use your cell phone as a wi-fi, then you would be okay. But there are monthly fees (from your cell phone provider) for that. I don't know much about it at all, but I know there are several people on here that do. Hopefully, someone who can explain it better than I can will jump on here.

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer)]

Bookworm wrote: "I dont have Wi-Fi at home. Should we buy the Fire HELP"
If you don't have Wi Fi then I wouldn't bother with buying the Fire to be honest. You really need to be able to access it to play some of the games and to access anything that you may have stored in the Cloud such as your books or movies.

Also without wifi it would make the use of using it for email and internet obsolete.

[Sheila]

I just told a friend the same thing Mlpmom. She was so impressed with what I could do with my Fire that she decided she would get one. Only catch is they don't have internet at their house. I told her it wouldn't be worth it for her.

[Jennifer]

I just sent a message agreeing with Mlpmom and Sheila. It would be one thing if you only needed to buy a wireless router, but if you don't even really get internet to your house then it would probably be too much to make it work. That said, if anyone travels or wishes their Fire had 3G, getting a MiFi hostpot, like Kaliki suggested is a good idea.

http://www.amazon.com/Novatel-Wireles...

[Monica]

Well my kids made the decision for me on the type of device I wanted to get. I'm typing this message from my brand new kindle fire! I am glad they made the decision for me. I will post more later. I have the best kids in the world.

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer)]

I have to say, I really am loving mine! Well, with what little I have used it, mostly my kids have had it, lol.

[Monica]

My daughter's boyfriend played with it but it is with me and not them. My son played with it too. I am loving mine too and glad they made the decision for me.