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Kindle Fire
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Looks nice. If you want a 7" tablet, it seems the way to go.
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pre-ordered. Best 1-click ordering, return and customer service policies anywhere.
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cnet's take
The specifications, however, are lower than other comparable high-end tablets. While it has a dual-core processor, it lacks many of the other typical features found in a tablet, such as a camera, microphone, and 3G wireless access. It also only has 8 gigabytes of storage space. The device is more intended to compete with Barnes & Noble's Nook Color, which is essentially a stripped down Android tablet. The Kindle Fire will also use an older version of Android intended for smartphones, but Amazon remade the user interface, giving it a completely different feel from rival tablets. It can also play games and can surf the Internet using its own custom Amazon Silk browser that uses a combination of cached content on the device and on the Web. The company claims it can predict your browsing habits and preload favorite websites for faster browsing. |
Yes, a color Kindle and a bit more. But not a tablet.
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Originally Posted by Paint Horse
(Post 17187528)
Yes, a color Kindle and a bit more. But not a tablet.
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Originally Posted by Paint Horse
(Post 17187528)
Yes, a color Kindle and a bit more. But not a tablet.
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Originally Posted by ScottC
(Post 17187686)
Why not?
not much different than the iPad 1; except the 7" screen which would be nicer for travelling ^ |
It is a replacement for and an extension to the current Kindle line.
The reason I say that is that the screen is too small, the OS/interface is too peculiar to Amazon, and the target market is different. It is best used for what I use the Kindle DX for, a reader, or with the new capabilities as an extension to that into other forms of media that the others could never make. For example, I loaded mp3 files on the DX, but only used them once as I recall. All of the buttons and nonintuitive actions were just too much trouble. I expect the interface to the Fire to be easier to use. If not, back it goes. Then I will allow myself to be absorbed by the Borg, I mean Apple empire. |
amusing line from Amazon's "technical details" for the Fire:
System Requirements None, because it's wireless and doesn't require a computer. |
Amazon is very successfully applying the apple ipod model. Get them to upgrade every 18-24 months. Content keeps it sticky.
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Why should I care that "the OS/interface is too peculiar to Amazon"? Perhaps if I were an Android fanatic or developer, as a user?
For many people, a 7" screen is too small. For those who like the size, you can save a lot of money while giving up little if any usability, from what I've seen so far. |
I don't care if you care. I was asked for a list of reasons why I think it is a Kindle and not a tablet. That's one of them.
I am sure I will be very happy with the Fire when it arrives, but a tablet it is not. It is a way as the press has pointed out to extend what Amazon sells, not a way to sell a computer of any sort. Here Amazon is in the media distribution business, not the hardware business. This is the razor. |
Originally Posted by FLLDL
(Post 17187914)
amusing line from Amazon's "technical details" for the Fire: System Requirements None, because it's wireless and doesn't require a computer.
Thanks for injecting some humor in this thread. We're less than 12 hours since the announcement and folks are already taking shots at each other :td::td: I have both the K3 and iPad2, and this looks like a great product [line] -- something for everyone! I'm a happy long time amazon shareholder and look forward to a great 4Q earning report come early 2012. Peace people :D |
The form factor is perfect for me (10" tablets are too big, IMHO) and the price is perfect, too, but I agree that this isn't a general purpose tablet.
If it had a camera, GPS, and an SD slot, then it would be the perfect upgrade from my current tablet. But the Kindle Fire looks like a fantastic e-reader, which is what it's designed to be. |
Originally Posted by FLLDL
(Post 17187914)
amusing line from Amazon's "technical details" for the Fire:
System Requirements None, because it's wireless and doesn't require a computer. |
Originally Posted by mikew99
(Post 17188352)
The form factor is perfect for me (10" tablets are too big, IMHO) and the price is perfect, too, but I agree that this isn't a general purpose tablet.
If it had a camera, GPS, and an SD slot, then it would be the perfect upgrade from my current tablet. But the Kindle Fire looks like a fantastic e-reader, which is what it's designed to be. |
Read this yesterday re: Amazon/Fire:
"company has been on a tear to secure movies and TV shows that will make it competitive with other content distributors. It recently lined up Fox and CBS, but also has deals with NBC Universal, Sony, and Warner Bros. Yet Amazon isn’t expected to position the Kindle Fire as a potential iPad killer. The Kindle Fire will feature a carousel that makes it easy for users to buy and access videos, music, text, and apps from the online retailer. But the device also is expected to accommodate rival content services such as Netflix and Hulu. The inexpensive device with a 7-inch screen is designed to compare favorably with Barnes & Noble’s Nook and give Amazon a sexy product to sell this holiday season. The company’s challengers to the iPad should arrive next year: more powerful tablets with code names Coyote (for the 7-inch model) and Hollywood (for the 10-inch one)." I currently have a Kindle, so would be interested to see what Coyote or Hollywood offers when they come out & how it compares to ipad. Friends of mine who don't have a Kindle are definitely interested in the Fire, especially at that price point. Cheers. |
My Wish List
8.9"
Android Gingerbread or custom ROM unlocked 3G or FauxG Voice Commands ("Computer...Earl Grey Hot") 8-10 hour runtime 2 year "no questions asked" warranty Decent Camera(s) USB 2.0 Bluetooth Tethering BTW Bezos' latest offer is a game changer (if this isn't BS): http://www.talkandroid.com/63668-sil...plained-video/ |
Originally Posted by pdxer
(Post 17188393)
except that the kindle fire doesn't ship until november and ipads and iphones get that ability in a week or so when ios 5 is released.
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Did I read the specs right for it, it won't do anything without wifi?
I can understand needing wifi to surf the internet, but it's a step backwards not to be able to download books without it. |
A major drag is the inability to add memory. Apparently it has no microSD slot, etc.
Looks like a Nook Color lite. |
Actually the biggest disappointment is lack of 3G. Would have been sweet with the same kind of global no-fee 3G as eInk Touch or Keyboard models...
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Originally Posted by Doc Savage
(Post 17189894)
A major drag is the inability to add memory. Apparently it has no microSD slot, etc.
Looks like a Nook Color lite. Actually, I think if using domestically, where I'm sure I will have WiFi or at least 3G/4G, the thin client paradigm works well. The problem will be overseas and in situations connectivity is not great or guaranteed. Non the less, the price point does make it quite appealing. |
Originally Posted by Paint Horse
(Post 17187528)
Yes, a color Kindle and a bit more. But not a tablet.
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Originally Posted by DenverBrian
(Post 17190130)
At $199, you can call it a tableau as far as I'm concerned - that price blows away the iPad.
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Originally Posted by DenverBrian
(Post 17190130)
At $199, you can call it a tableau as far as I'm concerned - that price blows away the iPad.
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Originally Posted by planemechanic
(Post 17190479)
Are you really surprised that an inferior product has a lower price point?
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Originally Posted by mikew99
(Post 17188352)
But the Kindle Fire looks like a fantastic e-reader, which is what it's designed to be.
I use a Lenovo X220 for travel requirements, and this the ideal companion for reading and simple tasks. Like the idea. A lot. |
Originally Posted by Paint Horse
(Post 17187807)
The reason I say that is that the screen is too small, the OS/interface is too peculiar to Amazon, and the target market is different.
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Originally Posted by dawk
(Post 17189990)
Actually the biggest disappointment is lack of 3G. Would have been sweet with the same kind of global no-fee 3G as eInk Touch or Keyboard models...
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Originally Posted by antirealist
(Post 17191183)
That would be rather like buying a cellphone handset and expecting to get the service for free.
Actually I wouldn't even mind paying some reasonable monthly fee. What kills me is data roaming. |
They could allow you the same service you currently get for free in their other devices, and offer some type of upgrade to full service for browsing, etc.
The boards on Amazon are speculating it will happen next year. Though if they announced it now, they could not flood the market with them now, get people hooked, and sell them the new one in a few months. |
That's because you won't be doing bandwidth-intensive stuff on an eInk device (can you even access YouTube or Hulu?). If they offered the same on the Fire, it would only be a matter of time before someone found a way to use the 3G modem for unlimited data.
I liken it to having to choose from a rental car parking lot full of golf carts...until someone unlocked the gate that contains the parking lot full of Ferraris. |
The Sony Tablet S and the Samsung Tablet 10.1 look like better devices... and finally providing an alternative to the iPad 2.
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An article linking the Kindle Fire to a possible Amazon strategy to acquire Netflix:
http://www.thestreet.com/story/11262...cm_ven=GOOGLEN The company has been beefing up its streaming content library, most recently striking a deal with Fox for its movies and television shows. While Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said he doesn't see the tablet as a huge threat to Netflix, he does believe it makes an acquisition of the company by Amazon more likely. "In our view, Amazon has always wanted to be in the streaming business, and has been constrained from buying Netflix due to tax considerations," Pachter wrote in a note last week. |
Not a competitor but a complement to iPad
From a very respected Mac guru [and general technology]: http://tidbits.com/article/12526?rss.
He does a fairly balanced and in depth review, one of the first good articles published since yesterday's announcement. PS - another article: http://www.macworld.com/article/1625...#lsrc.rss_main. Funny that the Macworld is doing such a quick evaluation and review :) And worth mentioning, amazon's extremely liberal return policy: 30 days to try it, return for full refund, no questions asked. |
Originally Posted by cordelli
(Post 17189857)
Did I read the specs right for it, it won't do anything without wifi?
I can understand needing wifi to surf the internet, but it's a step backwards not to be able to download books without it. BTW - a FTer visited me a few weeks ago. Had an ipad, but only connects via wifi because she didn't want another data plan/cost. That actually appeals to me for the same reason. But odds are I won't get either a ipad or Fire or whatever next year's 3G models are until next year, so I've got time to think about it/reconsider.
Originally Posted by dawk
(Post 17189990)
Actually the biggest disappointment is lack of 3G. Would have been sweet with the same kind of global no-fee 3G as eInk Touch or Keyboard models...
Originally Posted by DenverBrian
(Post 17190963)
That much lower? Yes indeedy. That much inferior? Hardly.
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-...Razors-145524/ Cheers. |
Originally Posted by SkiAdcock
(Post 17194232)
Does it use whispernet like the other Kindles, or is it only wifi?
BTW - a FTer visited me a few weeks ago. Had an ipad, but only connects via wifi because she didn't want another data plan/cost. That actually appeals to me for the same reason. But odds are I won't get either a ipad or Fire or whatever next year's 3G models are until next year, so I've got time to think about it/reconsider. They're coming out with two 3G models (code-named Coyote & Hollywood) next year, based on articles I read. The eWeek article I read today said that the quality is actually pretty good, as is the price point. And they compared it to the Gillette marketing strategy - ie, you don't want to sell the razors but the razor blades. http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-...Razors-145524/ Cheers. Sincerely, Apple FanBoy |
Originally Posted by Gigantor
(Post 17192160)
The Sony Tablet S and the Samsung Tablet 10.1 look like better devices... and finally providing an alternative to the iPad 2.
Did any of the dear FTers actually got their hands on Fire? Wondering how deeply Amazon customized the OS... |
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