Anyone else own a Kindle Fire?

[EnviroBat]

I just got one last night basically for the sole purpose of reading books. What are some of the other things you find yourself using this thing for? What are the pro/cons of it in your experience? I was attracted to the 1/3 the cost of an iPad feature. One thing I'm finding is that the relationship with Amazon can become an expensive "addiction" if you let it...

[renie408]

1. I often find myself having to arm wrestle my husband to the ground

to take it away from him so I can actually READ something. He plays games on it. He is addicted to the card games like Spades and Hearts. It makes me want to kill him when I want to read and the damn thing is dead because he spent the whole night playing games.

Other than that, I use it to check the internet in the middle of the night when I can't sleep and don't want to get out of bed and I got a good calendar app that lets me keep track of my appointments, etc. I also have a sleep sounds app and a fireplace app that both help me get to sleep, I check the news on it, and listen to music.

I got mine last year for my birthday from a group of friends. I am DYING to get one of the new, big ones, but we can't afford it right now. I would like to give my husband the regular Fire and get an HD for me.

[MoonRiver]

2. I ordered the new one, which I won't get until November.

I primarily read books on my current Kindle, but I'd like to watch movies when we travel, surf the web and get email more easily. Also ordered the new iPhone. Gonna be all teched up pretty soon!

[onehandle]

3. A smaller, cheaper iPad is coming out in October. nt

[renie408]

5. The attraction for the Kindle HD vs. iPad

is that you get 250 per month of 4g connection for $50 a year with the Kindle and can buy larger packages if you need more

[onehandle]

6. Right. Basically they are charging you for what was free 3G with older Kindles.

250MB per month, is not much.

[Jersey Devil]

11. No - the original Kindle Fire is wifi only

That was one of the complaints people had about it.

[onehandle]

13. I meant pre-Fire Kindles.

They gave you free data to buy books with.

[renie408]

23. Its not much, but it costs $180 a year on an iPad.

So, $50 is less that $180 and therefore a better deal.

[CBGLuthier]

14. The Apple Corps is sleeping late today. Took three posts before ya yelled BUYAMAC!

I can only imagine an apple fanboy on Jeopardy and answering all the questions with, "What is Buy a Mac, Alex?"

[MattBaggins]

34. Macheads or RayGunites?

Who is worse?

[TeamPooka]

40. Worst Sophies Choice ever! :) nt

[tularetom]

4. Bought it for the books, use it for movies

When I bought mine it came with a 30 day free Amazon prime subscription which entitled me to see a ton of free movies and TV episodes. I was so impressed with it that I paid the 80 bucks to use it for a year and I've probably watched 100 movies in the year since I bought it.

It's great for reading without keeping my wife awake because I can turn the light out. Or even movies with headphones.

For web surfing it's OK. It uses the android OS which to me is not as easy as the iPad. You can send and receive email with it but it's kind of clunky.

It's primarily a platform to sell you Amazon content. Once you realize that and accept it you'll be happy with it.

[TahitiNut]

15. What's the battery life ... and recharge time???

I'm seriously considering buying one for books, movies, and DU browsing ... while in the backyard getting sun and fresh air.

[tularetom]

16. I can watch 2 full length movies on a charge plus web browsing for a few hours and still have

some battery left. Like most of these devices there is a low battery indicator (20% IIRC).

I've never really checked the recharge time because I always leave it on charge at night. And it's fully charged in the morning. So I guess the maximum would be 8 hours but it could be a lot less.

[TahitiNut]

18. From what I gather, it recharges using USB 2.0 ... right?

Does it come with an AC recharger for the USB or do you have to connect it to your desktop PC?

[tularetom]

20. Yes and yes

It uses USB 2.0 and it comes with its own AC recharger.

One caution. You probably know this already if you have a cell phone, iPad or any other hand held device. If you charge it for an hour and then disconnect it from the charger it will show a full charge on the little battery icon. But of course it isn't charged. I've never checked to see if there is some battery indicator somewhere in the system but I'm going to do it now. I'll let you know if I find anything.

[tularetom]

33. Yep it has a battery indicator where you can see the remaining battery in %

in addition to the little icon in the upper right corner of yer screen.

[TahitiNut]

41. Kewl! Thank you VERY much for being so helpful.

I looked at the Amazon site for this kind of info and just couldn't find it. I'm wanting something like the new Kindle Fire for all those times I'm not sitting in my "man cave" working on my pallor. Like soaking in a hot bath and reading. Like getting some fresh air and sunshine in the backyard and watching a movie. Like driving in my pervertible and using Mapquest or Google Maps. Like eating out (by myself) and browsing DU.

I can use WiFi at home (and backyard) and in many venues (restaurants, etc.) and I figure I can store maps for road trips. I'm cellular-free and like it that way ... so I'm not inclined to do 3G or 4G.

[enlightenment]

29. True about the Amazon content,

but I haven't had any difficulty opening and reading files I've sent myself that are in .mobi format (mostly from E-Guttenberg). I also use it to transfer Word and Excel files, using a free App that allows you to open them.

[marlakay]

32. I love that too, especially at Hotels

at home if you want to stay up late you can go to living room or guest room to have a quiet place to watch movie or tv but in hotel you are in the same room, so being able to hook up with head phones and the light is so minimal no one is bothered by it.

[ananda]

7. I read on an iPad ...

... because I get all 3 e-readers in one.

I am a very happy camper today because
I got Eco's The Prague Cemetery for $2
for the Nook. It'sa very great read so far!

[BumRushDaShow]

8. I got 2 last year for a niece and nephew

They are decent devices for the price and are easy to use. They are great for non-techies once you figure out how to handle the volume, etc. Definitely excellent for ebooks.

Compared to my other tablets (2 gtabs and an ipad), they do what they do well. Only thing is if you want to go too far beyond books to the apps and want a non-Amazon one - These don't allow easy access to Google's apps.

[mcctatas]

9. love mine but I've already replacee.it once due to an issue with the charger port

I'm getting the new one for Christmas so hopefully they've fixed that bug.

[riderinthestorm]

10. I love our Kindle Fire. Its my "travel" tech device. Books, movies, internet - it does all that.

But its small enough to fit in my bag without a lot of extra weight. Phew - even my laptop was feeling cumbersome with the bulk and weight so the Kindle Fire is lovely!

I did find I have to have a stylus to be effective for the web stuff - the keypad defeats my fingers. Its impossible for my husband's very large hands to use without the stylus.

I have the standard "freebie" flip phone so I don't use my cell for a lot of the apps. My Kindle handles that stuff on the road for me with a bigger screen AND the e-book/movie/internet stuff.

FWIW, I borrowed my sisters IPad when I went for a month to San Francisco in February in order to "try" it. I wasn't any more impressed with the IPad than I am with the Kindle Fire.

[mcar]

12. Love my Kindle Fire

Books, internet, video streaming - I even work on it cause I get emails and can download documents to it.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

17. I got one as a gift about 6 mos. ago and I can't make it work

It apparently needs something called a wifi. I went to the public library where they have that. Once I was able to connect, I still couldn't get it to go anywhere. I guess at 62, I'm just too old this and the Internet is my limit. Give me a good old-fashioned book instead of this new crap that keeps manically changing every few months so they can sell, sell, sell.

[Melinda]

35. Nooo, you just need to get wifi at home! Contact your internet provider to come and hook you up!

Once you have wifi, you are no longer tied to your desktop computer to surf the net. You can use your Kindle fire to do that from your easy chjair, lol!!

Seriously, I have DSL so I bought a new dsl modem/wifi combo, and installed it in minutes, but this is something you can have your internet provider (tel company, cable, other) do for you. My favorite use (besides the books and movies) is to take it into my kitchen, browse recipes, and cook and bake while reading the instructions.... no paper!

Best of luck!!

-Melinda

On edit: You may need to invest $ (anywhere from $40.00 - $100.00) in the wifi equipment itself, but your internet provider does not add an additional monthly fee for having wifi... once you have the equipment, the service itself is free.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

19. I Love Mine

I bought one for my wife for Christmas, and I ended up loving it so much I went right back out the day after Christmas and bought one for myself.

I use it pretty much like a version of a laptop computer. I'm able to sit in my living room in front of the TV and surf the interwebz, read books, watch movies, etc. I especially like to take it with me when I know I'm going to be traveling or stuck in one place with nothing to do for long periods of time, because then I can load it up with movies/TV shows and watch those while I wait. I don't fly much, but I would imagine it would be handy to take on an airplane for the same reason.

The one thing I've had a problem with is my kids like to play the games on it (they're Angry Birds fanatics), and they figured out how to buy upgrades without my permission. So I ended up having to put a password protection anytime someone tries to make a purchase with it. They've made it so easy to go to Amazon and buy things that it makes it just as easy for any unauthorized user to buy things in your name (and on your dime). That's really the only downside I've noticed so far.

[EnviroBat]

21. That's the one thing I'm really noticing on this thing.

You have a direct "one click" tether to all things Amazon. If you're not careful you can run up quite a credit card bill...!

[msanthrope]

22. Love this!!! I have my books, my shows I want to catch up on,

Angry Birds, Tetris, and Quell for my daughter. Can get the Internets, too.

[Blue Belle]

24. Thanks for posting your question...

I've been thinking of getting a Kindle Fire and I was happy to read the feedback.

[spinbaby]

25. I've been looking at it just for games

I have a regular Kindle for my reading and a laptop for my computing, so don't want it for myself. However, we have an elderly relative who's addicted to computer solitaire but is having trouble sitting up to use a computer. A Kindle or an iPad might be perfect for him--still comparing features.

[Waltons_Mtn]

26. Got one for my daughter.

All she does is play games on it now. It has been four months since she read a book on it.

[reflection]

47. I got two, one for each daughter.

Note that there isn't (at least a month ago when I checked) any parental filtering software on it. I was sitting next to my oldest and she was surfing Youtube videos and took a wrong turn into pornville right in front of me. I looked around for some kind of blocker after that but came up zeroes.

[truebrit71]

27. The Fire was the first time I became a fanboy and bought it the day it came out...

I use it to read my newspapers and magazines, the subscription rates are dirt cheap. i LOVE the hook up with Amazon Prime and the cloud and use it regularly to watch tv documentaries and movies that my wife is not interested in watching. I also have my 'desert island' collection of music on it as well.

I have had no problems with it at all, and the only thing that would tempt me to go with the newer version is the one that has double the memory (oh and the front-facing camera)...but it would have to be ten times the memory to get me to SERIOUSLY considering dumping my current one...

Absolutely love it...

[aquart]

28. I won't buy a dedicated device again.

Right now I have so much more content on my tiny Samsung Galaxy Player 4.0 than my Nook Color that there is just no contest. I have about 6 ereaders, maybe more. And so much other stuff available from the Android market. (I even found a cuneiform app. I'm in heaven.)

When I go looking for my next 7-inch tablet, the first place I'll go will be Samsung. Especially since one of their tablets has an infrared universal remote which is a feature I adored on my old iPaq.

[marlakay]

30. I bought one for my husband

so he could play words with friends with his daughter two states away…now he is currently playing 12 people…

But that said he loves to look at motorcycles from all over the country on Craigslist. And checks his email with it when we are traveling.

He wasn't going to use it as much as me so didn't get him Ipad.

I don't think he even reads books with it!

That said, you were saying amazon gets expensive. Check your local library for ebooks. I read a lot on my Ipad through my library but my daughter who has Kindle Fire uses the library ebooks with it.

[Iwasthere]

31. get a nook... you can pop an sd card in it and

Dual boot... essentially a full computer .... kindle can do it too but you have to wipe os... nook keeps os

[B Calm]

36. Would this make a nice xmas gift for a 5 yr old

girl? She uses her dad's laptop to check out Toys-R-Us, etc.

[Melinda]

43. It would be a VERY nice gift for any child...

most especially if they are responsible and take care of their 'things'. My 12 yr old grandson wanted an Ipod touch last Xmas, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy him a Kindle Fire if he wanted one. It depends on the child; 5 is young, and it's not a toy, but if she loves to read, and an adult is present when she uses it, it may work out fine. Good luck!

[B Calm]

44. Thanks Melinda, grandpa will get her one!

[slumdoggandu]

37. primarily to watch netflix

[abolugi]

38. This thread is very timely..

My daughter just called me last night and wants me to find her a Kindle Fire.
Great feedback and information!!
Damn... you guys just saved me a TON of time researching it!!

Thank you all very much!

[maryellen99]

39. I love mine

I use it mostly for reading books,magazines, and watching videos. I also sideloaded the NOOK android app on it and I'm able to read books that were on my old nook plus I also have another place to buy ebooks

[JI7]

42. WHy would you get the Kindle Fire if you just want to Read Books ?

why not one of the cheaper, more simple ones ?

[goclark]

45. love my fire!!

I am using it for this reply.
Use it for my mail for a quick response.
My home at@t/uverse has been out for three days- finally the service guys were able to restart my monitor---- finally my precious Kindle works again...no wfi means---- no computer and no kindle.

3 days of trying to post at du with my droid cell phone

Someone told me about getting a "Clear" ?---a portable wifi connection.
After my experience..may look into it.

I use my other kindle for reading books...its lighter

[gollygee]

46. I have two e-ink readers, and I got my daughter a Nook Tablet

I have a Nook Simple Touch, and I also have the cheapest Kindle. My eyes are bad and the e-ink feels more comfortable for me. I love them and read tons with them, because I can adjust the text however I want and however works for me. And I love having all the books stored electronically rather than all over my house.

I got the Nook as a gift, and I love it, but there are a lot of free Amazon deals out there, so I got a cheap Kindle as well. I can get the deals that are out there for each, and I can read one and my husband can read the other.

[distantearlywarning]

48. Big Kindle Fire fangirl here

After looking at all the tablet options, I decided to get a Kindle Fire because it seemed like the best balance of stuff vs. price. Also, I was a big Amazon user before I bought the Fire, so was familiar with their customer service, website navigation, etc. And I already had a student Prime account to use with it.

So hubby bought me a Fire for Valentine's Day.

And literally since the first day I owned it, I have not left the house without it. The only function it does not help me with in my life is making phone calls (have a cheapo Virgin no-contract plan for that).

Here is just the short list of the things I have done with my Kindle Fire since February:

Read and surf the internet in bed in the dark when I don't want to wake hubby with my insomnia
E-books (I read a LOT, and I now save at least $50 a month on the price of e-books vs. paper books)
Reading & mindless games (e.g., Plants vs. Zombies) when I ride public transportation (daily commute is much more pleasant since my acquisition of the Kindle Fire)
Listening to my music when I have forgotten my IPod (happened just this morning, actually)
Surf the web at wi-fi hotspots, like restaurants
Light and easily transportable email & internet surfing at hotels when I travel
Entertain myself on a long airplane ride without taking up huge amounts of space in my carry-on handbag with a laptop
It has completely replaced my appointment book, as I found a brilliant calendar app that automatically syncs with my Gmail calendar
Keep track of important phone numbers, door codes, etc. in a notepad app
Use a great Kindle Fire dice-rolling app for my weekly tabletop role-playing game
Longform.org - great free site that will send cool long form non-fiction to a Kindle daily
Downloading certain reference books in PDF format
Get lots of free books from my local library (this feature alone has saved me hundreds in the last 7 months!)
Surf the internet in the living room while watching football games
Easily and quickly look up movie reviews/descriptions on IMDB app when trying to find a movie to watch OnDemand

Basically I manage my whole life and entertain myself with it. If I had to give it up now, I would be a seriously sad camper. It's become almost indispensable to me. It's just an incredibly valuable object to me in terms of making my life less boring and more efficient.

The only thing I would change about it is the wi-fi vs. 3G. I wish it had 3G or 4G. But I understand the newer models do come with $50/year 4G. I think it would be worth paying the extra $$$ to get 4G rather than wi-fi, as many places do not have free wi-fi.

In other words, I can't recommend the Kindle Fire enough. No offense to IPad users or anything - not having an IPad, I have no basis for comparison, but I do love my Fire. I don't feel like I'm missing anything I might potentially need out of a tablet (except the internet access as above).

Also, after having it for a month and seeing how great it was, I talked my husband into getting one for himself. He didn't think he could use a tablet enough to justify the cost, but he let me convince him. Now guess who plays Plants and Zombies in bed at night, and who never leaves home in the morning without his Kindle Fire in his work bag?