Kindle Fire

I have a regular nook ereader and love it.  I really want a tablet.  Decide what you want a get that.  Same reason I won't ever get a hybrid bike.  Get a road bike (tablet) if you want a road bike, or get a mountain bike (ereader) if you want an mountain bike.  The fire and new nook tablet are hybrid and I'm not sure they will do anything as well as a dedicated device. 

Plus if you get a nice android tablet (which costs less than an IPad) you can always get the kindle or nook app to read books from them.

The best thing about the nook or kindle (original) is the eInk.  It really does make it easy on your eyes for reading.  The worst thing, is the lack of color in eInk if you are reading anything with pictures (like technical programing or web design books).

Just my $.02

If all you're planning to use it for is reading, I have the 3rd gen Kindle.  I love it.  Has 3g so you can download books anywhere.  It takes about 30 seconds to download a book.  Amazon has a TON of books that are in Kindle version.

I don't know what the Fire does above the basic Kindle, but I was under the impression that the Fire is not 3g, only WiFi.

The Fire is a tablet, like an iPad. The other kindles are e-readers.

If you're looking soley for a "simple ebook reader" that does that one thing, and you don't want/need 3G then I'd get the basic Kindle or Kindle Touch.

But...For an extra $100 you could get the Kindle Fire which is a full on Android tablet.  It does web browsing (very fast and very well from the reviews), runs apps, games, movies etc.  It's also the first Android tablet I've heard of that gets excellent reviews almost across the board.

I have an iPad 1 which I do most of my reading on, that's pretty much become it's primary function besides some light web browsing, but if I were out to buy a tablet right now I'd purchase a Fire. It's a much better value particularly if you don't need the bigger screen of the iPad.  I see the Fire's smaller size as a plus. I think the iPad's a bit too big for what I mostly use it for.

I wouldn't call the Fire a poor man's iPad, I'd call it a smart man's iPad.

It is basically a glorified e-reader. It has wi-fi, but no 3G. There is no camera or microphone. There is also only 8GB of storage, and I do not believe it is expandable.

You can read books, listen to music, and watch videos. That's basically it. You can get some apps, but with the limited storage space you won't be able to get many. It runs a Android OS, but it was written for Amazon, so while it has the Android OS, you can't get apps from the Android Marketplace, you can only get them from the Amazon marketplace which limits you, for instance you can't get the Nook app.

It is a fancy Kindle, and will make reading in the sunlight more difficult. I personally do not believe you are getting very much for the price. I would pay the extra $50 to get the Nook tablet, if I really wanted a basic tablet.

I'd go with Marma:

I wouldn't call the Fire a poor man's iPad, I'd call it a smart man's iPad.

I heard reviews of these (and other readers/tablets) on NPR the other day, and looks like the $250 price point tablets are gonna give the $500+ iPads a run for their money -- just parroting the reviewers here.  They certainly had positive comments for the Fire if that's what yer looking for. They pretty much said teh same thing, about screen size as well.

Course I'm a big fan of Amazon and was on their bus as soon as Kindle 1 came out. 

I don't know, but I really, really would like one, and the hubs has enough points from his Amazon Visa to buy 2...maybe I can get him to get one for us for Christmas.

(and this is from a person who wasn't really looking for an e-reader.)

I cannot say this enough times:

THE KINDLE FIRE IS NOT AN E-READER. IT IS A TABLET.

(The "Kindle" name is a double edged sword for amazon--good brand loyalty and familiarity, s o you get folks who will but it over another tablet b/c of that (e.g. me)...but it also makes people think it's an e-reader, which it isn't.)

If you want a simple e-reader, the Fire is not it. The Fire is a tablet that has an reading app on it.

IMO, were I looking for a bare-bones reader, I'd do the $79 Kindle. (Or any one of the others--KTouch/KTouch 3g or the Kindle Keyboard if you want to pay a bit more)

The e-reader with digital ink is the best place to read books. I only use my android kindle app or my PC kindle app when I have to.

I will use my Fire for magazines and newspapers, but don't plan on reading on it.

I am a long time Kindle user, and have gone through its iterations. I have the Fire and the KTouch on order.

Mike, where did you find reviews?  I've been checking Engadget and a few other sites, but haven't seen any.

It does have a browser (the Silk split browser, which is supposed top make faster), and it is NOT an e-reader. Glorified or otherwise.

With the exception of the SD card/larger storage capacity, the Kindle Fire has pretty much everything the nook does...and then access to all of amazon's media content and cloud storage. I think for the bulk of users in the "bargain" tablet arena, it's got mor ethan enough.

The Amazon app store will have netflix and pandora and zygna games and other popular apps. There is also one free paid app per day. The Fire will also be rootable, and amazon has said they will not stop anyone from rooting it and it will be easy to do so.

Maybe people use more apps than I do, but you can load 80 apps, and still have room for almost 1000 songs. I don't really think of 80 as "a few".

SO I get it, you don't think it is a glorified reader.  But, I would argue that it is an incomplete tablet.  It doesn't have a camera, and is tied closely to the Amazon marketplace.   I guess if you were to root it, you would be free and could maybe add a camera, but I would not call it complete.  

So o.k., don't call it a ereader, but don't tell me it is a full on tablet.  As it has been created, it is another device, but not a threat to the IPad. (And I don't like the IPad).  It will server some people well for what they want, but I think a lot of people are getting confused when Amazon and Barnes and noble claim to be selling tablets (with restrictions)... 

I read along with a Live Chat yesterday about the Kindle Fire, the i_pad and one other.  The Kindle Fire is the way to go if you don't want to spend I-pad money. 

Here's a question for you guys though.  What would the best tablet be that has 3g?  My mother in law needs something to keep in touch, however they do not and will not have wifi at their home..

What's the big deal with cameras?  I do not want a camera on my tablet, I barely want one on my phone.

What's the big deal with 3G?  I don't want a 3G tablet, I don't want to pay for yet another line of data to AT&T.  Most people are with me on this too, something like 60-70% of all iPads have never had their cell networks activated.

I want fast, stable, and expandable, with wifi.  That's it.  Right now the choices basically are iPad, Kindle Fire, or a bunch of half baked wifi tablets in the $200 range.

The Fire runs circles around everything else in it's price point.

But, OP, if you want a e-reader, the Fire isn't one.

Please explain. Can't you dowload and read books on it?

I started looking at the basic $79 Kindle, demo-ed one at Sam's, but was not happy with it's functionality. I'm more used to the touch screen on my iPhone.

Up a step is the Kindle touch. $139 for the one without ads. For $60 more the Fire does what the Kindle does, plus music, apps, web browsing, etc.

Right? 

If so it's worth the marginal cost IMHO.

I don't think anyone will argue, but

Fire price < 1/3 * iPad price

Just like PC price< 1/3 * Macbook price

if the Fire does 90% of what the iPad does for 1/3 the price it will find a market.

A rear facing camera is kind of silly IMHO. But a camera that faces you as you use the tablet lets you video chat with people (like relatives that live far away).

As for 3G, if you only are going to use the tablet when you have WiFi, that's great. But sometimes I am places that I need the 3G (for example, if I am driving someplace and get a call from the hospital and need to enter orders or check on someone's labs.). But of course YMMV in terms of need.

Android tablets are giving iPads a good run. The only reason I would have to switch to an iPad is for some of the accessories that are out there (like the one that adds a joystick and old-school video game buttons to play older video games like Asteroids with a more arcade experience). If I did not care about the 3G, I think a Fire would do all that I want (read books, surf the web, check email while watching TV, watch Netflix or Hulu in bed).

Interesting blog from androinica (android blog site).  http://androinica.com/2011/11/kindle-fire-android-apps/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=androinica

Basically there will be a lot of apps that are not compatible withthe fire.  Seems Amazon will control what can be published to the fire.

I guess that explains why Android has a larger cell phone market share than the IPhone???

Yes, Apple makes some good products but the proprietary nature of Apple sucks for consumers. 

Yes--you can. It has a kindle app, just like you could get on your phone. But if you want a dedicated e-reader, with digital ink, then it is not that. The e-ink has no glare and is like reading on paper (as opposed to a cpu or phone or other backlit screen). Easier on the eyes, and actual reading speed is typically faster.

Straight up kindle=like a book/paper; Fire/phone/tablet=reading on a computer.

FWIW, don't be so quick to discount the ad version. the ads version is by far and away a better deal, IMO. The ads themselves are very inobtrusive, appear only on the screen saver and at the bottom of the home page (so they are not in your way, and do not appear when you're reading). Many people even thinnk they're better looking than the canned savers that come stock. Plus, they often have decent deals on content (like 10 for 25 bucks at amazon or that sort of thing).

When I bought my K3 (now K Keyboard) it wasn't an option...but with my new K3G Touch, I will definitely get it.

Amazon says that it can be rooted, and they expect some people to do it and they won't stop them. If you root the Fire, you can put the Kindle AND Nook apps on it, plus get rid of the Amazon version of Android, and install Honeycomb, which will give you access to the Android Marketplace, and a lot more apps. I have a Nook color and I put Honeycomb on it, then added the Nook and Kindle apps.