Kindlel Fire

[Mnfisher]

Now that this is out, what do people think of it. Wife has a year old kindle with 3G that she uses for reading. My son has a Kindle Fire that I played with some. I liked the lighted screed for reading, but didn't use it much. Amazon reviewers mostly say they prefer the e-ink kindles for reading. Any comments? Would the Fire be better for reading than the original 3g with the key pad or should I wait for an upgraded kindle Fire? Thanks

[Dbl]

I bought one the first day they came out. My take has been mostly positive so far. To answer a point or two you mentioned.

- Reader. I didn't buy mine primarily as a reader but have read a couple of books on it. No problem at all for me. The one advantage is the ability to use it at night as opposed to a normal Kindle that is not back lighted. So for me it gets a thumbs up as a reader.

- Media. I bought this for e-mail and video. The wireless has been stable and quick. I am a Netflix user and they came out with an app specifically for the Fire. Has not worked well for me. Audio out of sync, stuttering video, seems to be a common complaint from many users. I have a friend with a Fire and his Netflix app works perfect!

The Amazon video plays perfectly and I have used it on many different networks so something in the app is causing some grief for many of us.

- Battery life. I get a solid 8 hours with wireless off. The Kindle readers go a month or more. But it is getting what Amazon said it would get so battery life has not been an issue for me.

- Apps. Most of the apps I have on my IPod Touch are available through the Amazon Marketplace and the numbers are going up fast. The ability to use most android apps and not be limited to the Amazon App Store is a BIG bonus. (Wake up Apple)

Conclusions: If you are looking strictly for a reader a Kindle may be more of what you want. If you are looking for a multi-media device that functions well as a reader as well, the Kindle Fire does a very good job and I have found it very useful.

This is a very small description of what the Fire will do. There are a number satisfied owners of the Fire and I count myself as one of them!

[Mnfisher]

Thanks Dbl....Yes, I'm looking for more of a reader but sure like the idea of the backlight....Still undecided here!

[CJH]

That was a good review!!

I have the last gen Kindle 3G and really like it. I bought it for the the e-ink screen, which is much easier on my eyes. I don't read in the dark, so not having a lit screen is not a problem for me. I only wish I could swipe the pages to turn them, other than hitting a button.

Almost picked up a Kindle fire for apps/web surfing, but now I think I am going to wait and see if they come out with a GPS enabled version. Until then I will just continue to use my smart phone!

[Mnfisher]

As much as I like the Kindle Fire, being that wife uses it mostly for reading, I think I'll wait for them to improve the reading capabilities. I think she'd like the backlit though. Thanks for you opinion CJH

[B. Amish]

how much cheaper are e-books vs hard copy?

[nofishfisherman]

For my sake I hope they are cheaper because my wife buys alot of them.

I know they have a lot of special offers where you can get books for $1 or some other really low price. It just depends on if you want to read any of those books offered that day. My wife was raving about how she got a 3 book set that she had wanted for $1 on one of their specials the other day.

I think in general most of what my wife buys are in the $4-10 range if she buys at regualr price. Older books a lot of times are free and most libraries now allow you to check out e-books. You basically download the book but the library automatically takes it back once the time is up (saves late fees), I'm sure you have the ability to renew it though.

The one nice thing about buying off Amazon is if you end up buying more than 1 kindle on the same Amazon account you'll be able to share books between the 2 readers. My wife and mother in law were planning on buying 2 off the same account so they could share books between them.

[delcecchi]

how much cheaper are e-books vs hard copy?

If the book is only available in hard cover, somewhat cheaper. Paperback about the same.

Amazon has a lot of very low priced books, some even free. I don't know about stuff for nook since I don't have one.

Many libraries now are lending ebooks of both formats and you can do it from home. No overdue fines either since they just expire at the end of the time.

[CJH]

Thanks for you opinion CJH

Absolutely!!

If I am remembering correctly, most of the e-books I have been reading were $2 cheaper than paperback, but it depends on the title.

[landscaper]

The Wife just got her Kindle Fire today and i just looked at it and thats all. I will be looking at it later. WIll update later

[spearchucker]

Absolutely!!

If I am remembering correctly, most of the e-books I have been reading were $2 cheaper than paperback, but it depends on the title.

Wife has a NOOK. IMO electronic books should be more like 50% cheaper. They have to be making a killing on these e books.