Considering Fire...a couple questions

[Girevik]

My 11 year old son has asked for an e-reader for Christmas, and I'm trying to decide whether to get him a basic Kindle (or possibly Nook) or go with a color reader.

So first of all, what functionality does the Fire give me other than just an e-reader. I know it doesn't have the Market. I'm assuming he could access Facebook on the browser, but probably not play games. We have AT&T Uverse....would he be able to download the Uverse ap and get shows? What else would this get him?

Also, what would a Fire provide that something like a Pandigital Novel \ Planet wouldn't do?

 

[RoboMonkey]

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Fire-A...pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1331677562&pf_rd_i=507846

 

[kennychaffin]

My 11 year old son has asked for an e-reader for Christmas, and I'm trying to decide whether to get him a basic Kindle (or possibly Nook) or go with a color reader.

So first of all, what functionality does the Fire give me other than just an e-reader. I know it doesn't have the Market. I'm assuming he could access Facebook on the browser, but probably not play games. We have AT&T Uverse....would he be able to download the Uverse ap and get shows? What else would this get him?

Also, what would a Fire provide that something like a Pandigital Novel \ Planet wouldn't do?

The two main differences in e-ink readers and tablet readers like Fire are the readability and the battery life. The e-ink readers require ambient light, they are not back-lit, whereas the tablets (nook, fire) are backlit like an lcd screen but they are not very usable in bright sunlight.

The tablets batter life is typically a day or less, whereas the e-ink battery life is perhaps a week or so -- all depending on usage of course.


Now beyond that there are many other differences. The E-Ink readers are aimed at only reading, text mostly though some will display b&w pdf's (not always well) and magazines etc. The tablets have many apps available, can do web browsing, email, play angry birds etc.

As far as tablet readers, these are primarily either nook or Fire. For me the Fire is the better choice because of the Amazon ecosystem -- movies, books, music, cloud connection - synced and shared between devices on the same account. (the nook however has an SD card which the Fire does not).

I've been using my Kindle Fire for a week now and love it! It is certainly not a full android tablet like my Xoom but it replaces about 98% (no gps etc.)

I highly recommend the Fire (unless it is going to be used primarily outdoors) and will be giving it myself as presents this holiday season.

Be glad to answer any additional questions.

 

[Girevik]

It is certainly not a full android tablet like my Xoom but it replaces about 98% (no gps etc.)

I think this is what I'm most interested in. I have a Nook, so I understand the limitations of the ink readers, and I have an Android phone so I know what they can do. What I don't quite have a handle on is how the Fire compares to a full blown Android tablen. I know it won't have GPS, which isn't a big deal. 3G would be nice, but not a deal-breaker.

A couple specific questions: Will it run most of the aps on the Amazon Appstore? Also, how full-featured is the browser? My son love games like Backyard Monsters on Facebook, but I'm assuming that wouldn't work.

I'm also not sure what the Fire would give over something like a PanDigital Android reader, other than a faster processor and more up to date OS, but I'm not sure where to find that information.

 

[ylexot]

I've been using my Kindle Fire for a week now and love it! It is certainly not a full android tablet like my Xoom but it replaces about 98% (no gps etc.)

It does not replace anywhere close to 98% of the Xoom unless you don't use a lot of what the Xoom can do.

 

[kennychaffin]

A couple of things. I'm not a game player (other than a bit of angry birds ) and I don't do facebook so I can't answer that.

The browser is great. It is the "split" browser that uses the Amazon Cloud to buffer, but that can be disabled if you prefer. It displays the "Look Inside" of books on Amazon whereas the standard Android browser (on my Xoom) does not.

There are some limitations on apps from the Amazon store -- some are restricted because they want you to buy Amazon content (e.g. the Nook reader etc.) but apps (.apk) can be installed without rooting ... I've got a couple of ebook readers installed for epub. I understand you can even install the android market...

The one thing you get with the Fire is full access to the Amazon ecosystem ... you are able to 'borrow' books from the Kindle Owner Lending librare on Amazon .. able to access Free Prime videos (though you can do that on the Xoom as well, via the browser), cloud storage and access.

Amazon has great customer service as well and I expect regular updates and bug fixes....but that remains to be seen at this point.

 

[kennychaffin]

It does not replace anywhere close to 98% of the Xoom unless you don't use a lot of what the Xoom can do.

It does for me. How do you know what I do. The point here is about using it for what it was intended to be used for - ebooks, videos, music, web browsing email.

Only thing I find missing some of the map stuff and weather stuff that relies on GPS which I only use on occasion.

In addition the Fire is extremely more useable, portable, holdable when reading.

98% yes 98!

 

[ylexot]

It does for me. How do you know what I do. The point here is about using it for what it was intended to be used for - ebooks, videos, music, web browsing email.

Only thing I find missing some of the map stuff and weather stuff that relies on GPS which I only use on occasion.

In addition the Fire is extremely more useable, portable, holdable when reading.

98% yes 98!

And that was my point. For you, it may be 98% of what the Xoom can do, but that means that you do not use everything the Xoom can do. Therefore, saying 98% to somebody who doesn't know you or how you use the Xoom is misleading. For me, I'd guess the Fire would do ~40% (yes 40!) of what I would use the Xoom for.

 

[A.Nonymous]

I'm going to guess you are a power user who is the exception to the rule. I've played with a Kindle Fire in the store so I have a pretty good idea what it can and can't do. I've got a Galaxy Tab 10.1. I can honestly say that the Fire will probably do 90-95% of what I do on my Tab right out of the box. On my Tab I - read magazines, books and comic books, watch movies, use it as a remote to control my computer, surf the web, do some light email and monitor radar when a storm comes through. I can do all of that with the exception of the weather stuff (which I can probably do through the web browser) on the Fire. If I were inclined to I could replace my Tab with the Fire. I have never turned BT or GPS on. If I need directions somewhere I pick up my phone. If I need to type out a long document or email, I go to the computer.

 

[kennychaffin]

And that was my point. For you, it may be 98% of what the Xoom can do, but that means that you do not use everything the Xoom can do. Therefore, saying 98% to somebody who doesn't know you or how you use the Xoom is misleading. For me, I'd guess the Fire would do ~40% (yes 40!) of what I would use the Xoom for.

And for anyone looking for a media consumption device. If you are a tweaker wanting something it doesn't offer, that's not my problem or the millions of others that have already purchased the Fire for what it is.

 

[ZachMob]

If you give it to your kid, they will likely spend more time playing games, watching videos and surfing the Internet than reading books.

The Kindle Fire is closer to a full fledged Android tablet than an e-reader. Most of the games that work on the phone will work on the tablet. The Fire has a top of the line processor and can render nice graphics with no slow downs.

The only limit now is a smaller selection of games on the Amazon Appstore but there are enough good ones to keep you entertained. I expect more games to be released as the Fire gets more popular.

 

[ylexot]

And for anyone looking for a media consumption device. If you are a tweaker wanting something it doesn't offer, that's not my problem or the millions of others that have already purchased the Fire for what it is.

Let me type slower.

I know what the Fire can do and what it's limitations are. Some people (like the OP) do not. So, to say that the Fire can do 98% of what the Xoom can do is misleading without more information. If the only things that you do on the Xoom are the exact same things that you do on the Fire, that does not mean that the Fire can do 100% of what the Xoom can do and it would be extremely misleading to say so.

I'm just trying to stop misinformation that can lead to people being disappointed in the Fire because they then expect it to do much more than it does.

 

[Girevik]

Ok, all this is great information. Can someone provide some specifics of that the Fire WON'T do? My guess it's it's not something a that would affect a kid much but would like to have a firmer idea. Obviously 3G and gps are in that category, and not really a concern for me.

Generally, how likely am I to come across an ap that I either can't get becuse it's on on the Appstore, or can't run on the fire?

 

[kennychaffin]

Let me type slower.

I know what the Fire can do and what it's limitations are. Some people (like the OP) do not. So, to say that the Fire can do 98% of what the Xoom can do is misleading without more information. If the only things that you do on the Xoom are the exact same things that you do on the Fire, that does not mean that the Fire can do 100% of what the Xoom can do and it would be extremely misleading to say so.

I'm just trying to stop misinformation that can lead to people being disappointed in the Fire because they then expect it to do much more than it does.

Let me type slower cause you apparently can't read, I specified exactly what I use the Fire and Xoom for and what it might be used for. The Fire does 98% of what I do with the Xoom.

You are confusing what your or others might possible maybe could be want to do with it. The Fire is not a generic android table, nor is it marketed as one. You are clearly confused about what it is.

P.S. is you want to discuss what the Xoom can do, go to the Xoom forum, this forum and thread was about the Kindle Fire.

 

[kennychaffin]

Ok, all this is great information. Can someone provide some specifics of that the Fire WON'T do? My guess it's it's not something a that would affect a kid much but would like to have a firmer idea. Obviously 3G and gps are in that category, and not really a concern for me.

Generally, how likely am I to come across an ap that I either can't get becuse it's on on the Appstore, or can't run on the fire?

Anything that relies on GPS, like google sky, google maps, etc. It has no bluetooth, no cameras, it has no sd slot, it is limited in memory 8 Gb total, but it is fast with its dual core processor. Also the audio is not that loud, but is fine through headphones. ...

That's about it, it's a great device

 

[ylexot]

Let me type slower cause you apparently can't read, I specified exactly what I use the Fire and Xoom for and what it might be used for. The Fire does 98% of what I do with the Xoom.

You sure didn't in your first post. But whatever, I'm done.

 

[ZachMob]

Ok, all this is great information. Can someone provide some specifics of that the Fire WON'T do? My guess it's it's not something a that would affect a kid much but would like to have a firmer idea. Obviously 3G and gps are in that category, and not really a concern for me.

Generally, how likely am I to come across an ap that I either can't get becuse it's on on the Appstore, or can't run on the fire?

The only major thing that the Kindle Fire can't do compared to a wifi tablet is video calling.

Most of the popular apps are on the Appstore. I would say it is similar to the Android market when it first started out compared to the iPhone. There might be a couple apps or games that you want that are missing, but you will find most of them there.

The Appstore will grow more as the Fire market share increases. Amazon makes it much easier to purchase apps than Google, which will attract developers to the ecosystem.

 

[serp]

The fire is missing camera, gps, bluetooth, and the google apps (market, gmail, etc).

Most of the apps that are not on amazon's app market but are on the android market can be sideloaded with a little effort and without rooting the device. There are some apps which do not work correctly but most seem to do so just by installing them. If you need an app, find out if it works before buying a Kindle Fire.

Getting the google apps onto the device requires more effort and most of the instructions require rooting the device (but not all).

If you are into tweaking, I feel the Fire is a great device. It is extremely popular and therefore is getting a lot of dev attention at xda. This device will have ICS mods on it by January. It's a nice piece of hardware for the price.