Kindle Fire

pancakes101

thinking of getting a kindle fire online from the US, just wondering if anyone out there has one already and if its worth getting? really want an ipad but just cant justify the price of it so thinking the fire might be a good compromise! any help or info greatly appreciated! thanks

barrmur

Not sure if its a great idea. According to the tech slot on Newstalk yesterday a kindle bought in the US will not work here, though they did not mention why.

You can charge it via the USB I am sure but access to the amazon app store for apps and books is not possible, so I have heard. Open to correction though. Its the only thing that is stopping me buying one.

Bear in mind though that a version 2 is already being made and will be released in the UK not long after the version 1 is available.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/amazon/8904978/Kindle-Fire-2-and-iPad-3-to-go-head-to-head.html

Carter P Fly

I have one winging its way over from the US which was mailed to my brother over there.

Some things I Know already

Amazon Cloud doesnt work here, but then again neither does Icloud (I think)

I can now only buy kindle books from amazon.com, not amazon.co.uk. Changing my address preferences stc does not seem to affect this in anyway, I still am locked to amazon.com content.

I have yet to see if the silk browser will work over amazons netwek but I beleive it can easily work in standard browser mode over wifi.

TBH There are plenty of android tablets out there for similar price as the kindle (remember you'll have to add shipping and import taxes to the price tag) and they all run the kindle app so there really is a lot of choice out there for folk not obsessed with the apple branded products.

koHd

Seems as the Kindle Fire was made as a media streaming device, rather than a media and communication hub (it only has about 6.5GB of usable storage), the fact that most of amazon's streaming services are not available here really kills it for users outside of the US.

I'd be happily proven wrong if anybody in Ireland has managed to get their hands on one though, as I'll be over in the US for xmas and would definitely pick one up if it unlocks the amazon music/movie/tv streaming services.

Carter P Fly

It should be noted that the kindle has already been rooted which turns it into a standard android tablet so you can access all sorts of content outside of amazon. For the price circa 150 euros its a very good value android tablet.

barrybones_wx

Was thinking about getting one myself when I saw it coming out but decided to give it a few months to let the dust settle. Quite glad I did - while the spec. of the Fire is impressive for the cost - there are a lot of pretty significant problems with it (aside from the fact that it would only operate as a android tab for all intents and purposes here in Ireland).

Cons:
1) No way of locking it or password protecting it, so if someone found it they could conceivably order a bunch of stuff for themselves at your expense. Basically, it's not secure from a personal data point of view. 2) Existing kindle books you own won't all work on Fire, obviously only a problem if you already own a kindle (which i do). 3) Does not allow you to connect to proxy servers, so useless if you want to use it in most offices or in most colleges/universities. 4) No volume button - you have to go into a menu to change the volume when you're watching a movie or something. 5) Your kindle will automatically tell the next person who turns on your kindle what you were just watching/listening to/browsing! Another big privacy black mark against it... 6) The browser is reported to be extremely slow despite the hype. 7) the browser does not fill the screen which is a bit frustrating considering it is only a 7" screen... 8) A lot of people say they power button is in a stupid place and it turns off on them by mistake. 9) It gets hot very quickly, especially around the bottom where you would normally hold it.

However.... as far as android tabs go, it's a good price for a fairly top end product, even if it has problems. I'll probably wait for Fire 2 though... Hope it works out for you if you do decide to get it. A very unscientific look at the stats would suggest that it's definitely not nearly as good a product as the previous Kindle offerings.

Compared to the Kindle 3g/Wifi keyboard variety (the one I've got) only 6.2% of reviews give it a 1 or 2 star rating. The Kindle Fire's score is much higher. 21.8% of reviews give it a 1 or 2 star rating. Obviously not a slam-dunk but certainly an indication that it is not as well-received as the Kindle 3G-Wifi one. Probably an issue around failure to meet overly-high expectations explains the high proportion of low ratings but some of the issue s above really did surprise me when i read about them. hope you learn to love it anyway poster who has one on the way - i'd take one in a flash if i had half the chance

InTheTrees

barrybones_wx wrote: »

Cons:
1) No way of locking it or password protecting it, so if someone found it they could conceivably order a bunch of stuff for themselves at your expense. Basically, it's not secure from a personal data point of view. 2) Existing kindle books you own won't all work on Fire, obviously only a problem if you already own a kindle (which i do). 3) Does not allow you to connect to proxy servers, so useless if you want to use it in most offices or in most colleges/universities. 4) No volume button - you have to go into a menu to change the volume when you're watching a movie or something. 5) Your kindle will automatically tell the next person who turns on your kindle what you were just watching/listening to/browsing! Another big privacy black mark against it... 6) The browser is reported to be extremely slow despite the hype. 7) the browser does not fill the screen which is a bit frustrating considering it is only a 7" screen... 8) A lot of people say they power button is in a stupid place and it turns off on them by mistake. 9) It gets hot very quickly, especially around the bottom where you would normally hold it.

I've lived with a Fire for a week now and for $199 it's a bargain.

1. Yup. No way of locking it. I havent used it outside our house yet though so it hasnt worried me.

2. I havent noticed any books from my regular kindle not showing up on the Fire (its a minor annoyance that they all DO show up on the fire though!).

3. Its got wifi...

4. Hadnt noticed the lack of a volume button. I can see it could be annoying.

5. Yes, the User Interface is bizzare. A apple-like carrousel of your past usage history dominates the main page. No idea why.

6. The browser is average only. Neither fast nor slow really. Certainly not as quick as my home PC.

7. Browser screen size is fine. I love the 7" size, for me its perfect and I really didnt want something ipad sized. Its about the size of a paperback book.

8. It doesnt turn it off it just puts it to sleep so its one click and its on again. And i've only done it once by mistake. Not an issue.

9. I havent noticed any heat issues at all. Its Heavy though so you dont hold it like one of the e-ink kindles or you'll be tired.

My overall impression is positive. I love the size. I dislike the user interface but I expect they'll update it soon enough. Battery is good, charging time is slow. Display is nice, vibrant. The touch screen is much less responsive than my iphone but works well. Did i say I love the size? I'e been waiting for a ebay ordered cover to arrive so I havent taken it out and about with me yet though.