Amazon's new Kindle Fire tablet: an in depth review

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  • Reply 41 of 157
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by easy288 View Post


    I could spend 20 minutes rebutting various aspects of this 'review.' But that would be a waste of time for this audience.



    You mean the name of this site isn't a clue that it could harbor an Apple bias?



    There are plenty of non Apple sites that are equally as lukewarm about the Fire.



    (And really, is it so pro-Apple to expect that when you spend $200 on a device that it actually performs well? When did we get this idea that electronics and software should be of dubious quality - I mean, Microsoft have been producing decent software for........ah, I get it now. We're all so blinded by beta quality crap by Microsoft and Google, that our expectations are despairingly low these days)
  • Reply 42 of 157
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,153member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    I don't think so. Shrinking the iPad OS in half wouldn't be ideal. I'd think a 5-7" iPod Touch with the 3:2 aspect ratio and a brand new version of iOS UI for the device would be more likely.



    So what would be the difference between a 7" iPod touch and a 7" iPad. Honest question.
  • Reply 43 of 157
    ahmlcoahmlco Posts: 432member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by easy288 View Post


    Ain't gonna happen. Jobs said people would have to sharpen their fingertips to use touch on such a small screen.



    Steve also said that people would never watch video on such a small screen (iPod video), that you can do everything needed for the iPhone based on web standards (App Store) and that people don't read books anymore (iBooks).



    And I don't recall ever having to sharpen my fingers to use my iPhone...
  • Reply 44 of 157
    I don't know why every one is upset over this review, its been getting garbage reviews form all websites including the NYT and WSJ. this is the fisherprice/Easybake oven of tablets. they will sell loads because its cheap, after all thats how android took off in the first place
  • Reply 45 of 157
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ahmlco View Post


    And I don't recall ever having to sharpen my fingers to use my iPhone...



    It's a different UI.



    "But it looks the same…"



    It's a different UI. You don't have to take HCI classes to see it, but it helps greatly, and you get a much better understanding of why Apple does what it does.
  • Reply 46 of 157
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by umrk_lab View Post


    Does anyone know the name of the guy who designed the packaging ?



    How do you know it's a guy?
  • Reply 47 of 157
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ahmlco View Post


    Steve also said that people would never watch video on such a small screen (iPod video), that you can do everything needed for the iPhone based on web standards (App Store) and that people don't read books anymore (iBooks).



    And I don't recall ever having to sharpen my fingers to use my iPhone...



    what you don't understand is tablet is billed to offer a full web experience. the iPhone is a mobile experience thats why there is pinch to zoom. why buy a tablet where you still have to zoom and treat as a mobile device, you may as well use you're phone
  • Reply 48 of 157
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post


    So what would be the difference between a 7" iPod touch and a 7" iPad. Honest question.



    Why didn't they call the iPad an iPod Touch? You can't put everything into the same product category for shits and giggles and expect it to succeed. The 5-7" 3:2 device is much closer to the iPod category than the iPad. It would help prop up the iPod's dropping sales and be seen as a great alternative to whatever Sony and Nintendo plan to make in the handheld console market. It would fit in a purse, something an iPad can't do not should be able to do. Bottom line: you add a flagship device to a struggling product category instead of adding an entry level model to a thriving product category.
  • Reply 49 of 157
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by easy288 View Post


    Ain't gonna happen. Jobs said people would have to sharpen their fingertips to use touch on such a small screen.



    Yeah, had to use one of these before using the iPhone.



    [pic of knife sharpener]*



    Not arguing against the 7 inch size. - just the argument. Reviews are saying that the Fire isn't great for reading books and it's too small for magazines. So the jury is still out regarding that one.



    *EDIT: I see it was already argued against. Don't see why someone can't make a UI good enough for a 7" tablet though.
  • Reply 50 of 157
    guch20guch20 Posts: 173member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by thesmoth View Post


    The iPad is FAR away from a laptop replacement. It cannot yet really do anything well enough to replace a laptop. Even simple web browsing is faster and more efficient on a laptop, AND You can watch flash videos (actually a big deal). There are a lot of sites I frequent that require flash, so the argument that it isn't a big problem anymore is completely false. The iPad is an expensive toy and all I see on these boards are people desperately trying to justify their expensive and unnecessary purchases. You spent a lot of money on a nearly useless toy, accept the fact and deal with it, stop making up pathetic justifications. iPads are really cool, pretty, trendy, well advertised, fun to interface with, have cute games, etc... But that is all they are and all they will be. They are great to have around for those odd occasions where you don't want to use your laptop or you are traveling, etc... but they are worth about $200 in the functions they return. Slowly the number of useful functions they can perform is increasing, and slowly their prices will drop, and in about 2 years those will balance out and we'll have tablets worth buying. For now you early adopters are beta testers funding development of the real deal.



    Wow, how uninformed are you? You talk about how the iPad 2 can't replace a laptop, as though your opinion is somehow gospel.



    My iPad 2 has replaced my $2000 Windows 7 laptop most of the time. In fact, just about the only thing I use my laptop for is to wirelessly sync my iPad and iPhone.
  • Reply 51 of 157
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Why didn't they call the iPad an iPod Touch? You can't put everything into the same product category for shits and giggles and expect it to succeed. The 5-7" 3:2 device is much closer to the iPod category than the iPad. It would help prop up the iPod's dropping sales and be seen as a great alternative to whatever Sony and Nintendo plan to make in the handheld console market. It would fit in a purse, something an iPad can't do not should be able to do.



    Soo... To answer the question directly, the differnce between a 5-7 inch iPod and iPad is the screen size and thus instead of scale apps down, scale iPod apps up.
  • Reply 52 of 157
    guch20guch20 Posts: 173member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    The Fire is very similar to most v1 Apple devices, sure the first version has some attractive points, but what you really want is v3 or v4 which has been heavily refined over years of feedback.



    Probably the most interesting thing about it is the 7" form factor, which at least makes it possible to hold in one hand (not so with an iPad).This greatly increases portability and opens it up to new use-cases.



    I really do think it's only a matter of time until we get a smaller iPad.



    I'm holding my iPad 2 in one hand as I read this site, as I do most of the time. So there goes that...
  • Reply 52 of 157
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by thesmoth View Post


    That is the worst, most biased writing i've ever heard. It just drips of apple fanboy.



    I think the gist fo the review is correct, just written poorly and very biased sounding.



    This is kind of an idiotic comment IMO.



    You are saying that the review is accurate, but you don't like the attitude of the writer (as you perceive it, between the lines, etc.)?



    If it gets across an accurate description of the product, that's all it was intended to do. If you "perceive bias," but said bias doesn't seem to affect the review, then how is it bias? WTF?



    What nonsense.
  • Reply 54 of 157
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dagamer34 View Post


    The Fire is very similar to most v1 Apple devices ...



    To even say this highlights your complete lack of knowledge about Apple and their products.



    Apple would never, and never has, come out with any product this unfinished, with this many glitches, with this much missing software, that lacks any kind of hardware software integration and a dozen other points as well.



    The Kindle fire might be an "okay" device for some purposes and many people might even like it a lot, but in no way is it even remotely similar to a "v1" Apple product.



    Not even close.



    PS - No one can hold an iPad in one hand? WTF? I hold mine in one hand all the time for long periods of time.
  • Reply 55 of 157
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    That was one long review.



    Basically, the Kindle Fire is a substandard mini-tablet that might appeal to some frugal people who have never been exposed to the greatness and superior performance of Apple's devices.



    People who have low standards, little money and people who are not used to quality might find the Kindle Fire attractive.
  • Reply 56 of 157
    guch20guch20 Posts: 173member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by easy288 View Post


    Wow, what a waste of 7 minutes reading this. If anybody wants a real review, check out the many available video's on youtube and from not biased independent reviewers from other websites.



    I could spend 20 minutes rebutting various aspects of this 'review.' But that would be a waste of time for this audience.



    I would note that my 8gb 3rd gen iPod Touch apparently didn't have that Apple 'magic' pre-packaged in the unit because it also lacks decent sized memory to carry around my videos,



    The difference is that you had the option of buying an iPod with more than 8GB if you weren't such a cheapskate. You have no such option with the Fire.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by easy288 View Post


    it also stops for several seconds at a time for no apparent reason and apps stop working and crash. Yet it still sold 12 million in the last year. Go figure.



    Some apps crash, which is the fault of the app developer (which is why they release updates that include descriptions such as "Fixed crash bug"). The difference is that on the Fire, built-in apps often crash. My wife can't even read a book on hers because it crashes whenever she tries to turn the page.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by easy288 View Post


    Recently I wanted to re-install the Amazon app for comparison shopping. I thought I successfully re-installed the app. I saw the icon on page two loading. After it downloaded, I couldn't find the app. App Store said it was installed. Search did not yield a result for the app. I reset the device- just I occasionally do with those supposedly flawed Windows PC's - and lo and behold, there the app was on page two.



    An Amazon app crashing and acting weird?! Be still my heart! Maybe they should release a patch for their buggy software.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by easy288 View Post


    Something in iOS was hiding the Amazon app. If I were paranoid, I would think that Apple didn't want me running the app and deliberately blocked it from view.



    LOL. Magic indeed.



    Now that's just snarky.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by easy288 View Post


    By the way, I have a 22 inch 'rectangular' LCD monitor and I have no difficulty reading web pages. I don't see why a rectangular screen would be a reason why one could not read a web page. Do you people have square eyes?



    You should totally write a joke book.
  • Reply 57 of 157
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by boeyc15 View Post


    Soo... To answer the question directly, the differnce between a 5-7 inch iPod and iPad is the screen size and thus instead of scale apps down, scale iPod apps up.



    Of course not. Since when has Apple ever not created a unique UI for their iOS-based devices of difference screen resolutions?
  • Reply 58 of 157
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    From an Apple centric pov I think the single greatest thing about te Fire is that it may pave the way for a future 7" iPad. I know there are many good reasons for and against and at least 65% of forum member know for a fact why I am right or wrong The market now is very different than when the iPad was first launched and if the 7" tablet gains main stream traction I think Apple would like to / need to be there.
  • Reply 59 of 157
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Bottom line: you add a flagship device to a struggling product category instead of adding an entry level model to a thriving product category.



    Succinct!
  • Reply 60 of 157
    [QUOTEYou can, however, disconnect the Fire from the account it shipped with an set it up to use a separate Amazon account (unlike previous Kindles, which were hardwired to your Amazon account). The Fire does need to be configured with an Amazon account (and a credit card for billing) before you can download any content, even free apps. This is no different than Apple's iOS and iTunes. ][/QUOTE]



    iTunes accounts can be set up and used without a credit card. My account was set with a credit card, but has since been removed. The account I made for my sister's iPad was created without a credit card and has never had one attached to it. It is said you can create a iTunes account on another Nation by using the adress of a Apple Store.
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