I know this is Apple Insider, but seriously?! The Apple-centric bias here is suffocating! You guys are worse than the Faux News Channel!
So it's not as good as an iPad. Big deal. It's a lot cheaper than an iPad, and it's plenty good for a large number of users. As an Amazon Prime member and as a "normal" person (i.e., not an Apple fanboy), the Fire makes a lot of sense to me.
My wife and I each have an iPhone 4, we have two iPods (including an old iPod touch), and we have a Mac mini. (Although our primary machines are Windows desktops and notebooks.) I like Apple products. I've coveted an iPad for several years. But they're just too expensive, they're not sufficiently more useful than my iPhone, and I've never purchased any audio or video from iTunes and have no desire to start. The Fire has its problems, as to be expected of a 1.0 device, but the pluses far outweigh the minuses for me. Evidently for a lot of other people, too.
It is The best-selling product on Amazon. In what universe does that make it a "failure"? I don't see an iPad in the top 100 of electronics. (However, there are a few iPod touches and the Apple TV in the top 10.) Is the Chevy Cruze a "failure" because it isn't a BMW? I don't see any BMWs on Forbes's list of the top-selling vehicles of 2011, but the Cruze is #9.
Like it or not, expect the Fire to be around for the long haul and attract significantly more purchasers than the iPad.
But who cares?! You have your iPad, and you like it. Good for you. Why do all you fanboys have this intrinsic need to look down your noses at anything without an Apple logo stamped on it? Seriously, you're like those morons in the Samsung ads. (Excellent ads, by the way!)
As it happens, I do drive a BMW. It matters to me not one whit that there are a lot more Cruze drivers out there.
I've heard this argument before... I like it, therefore it will do well.
The reason I don't think it will do well is because at some point Amazon has to start making money with this thing. Making more and more and more of them only digs Amazon deeper into a hole if people aren't purchasing content. A company can only lose money for so long on an item before they have to pull the plug. I'm not sure what sort of window Amazon has given the Fire but I'd imagine it isn't too long into the future. [I also believe that a lot of Fires will sit on the closet shelf after Christmas]
Having said that, I also question the strength of iPad sales in 2012. My guess is that the tablet market is getting fairly saturated and if new iPads don't do much more than an iPad 2 then I can't see people going out of their way to upgrade. Sooner or later, though, someone (my guess is Apple) will introduce a tablet that will more closely parallel a laptop (ie. MS will introduce Office for tablets, Adobe will introduce almost full fledged PS and AI apps.) and then I can see tablets taking a huge leap forward in numbers shipped.
I've heard this argument before... I like it, therefore it will do well.
Actually, my argument was not that it will do well, but that it already is doing well, unless you believe Amazon is fudging their sales ranks. I was mainly reacting to the overt and ridiculous Apple bias of the original article and many of the follow-up comments.
Quote:
Originally Posted by island hermit
at some point Amazon has to start making money with this thing.
They do, but unlike Apple (and the rest of the market, for that matter), they have no need to make money on the hardware, and if the regular Kindle is any indication, no desire to, either. (I believe the regular Kindle has always been sold at or below cost, but I could be wrong.) Amazon is in the business of making money on the content. It's the old "give away the razor, make money on the blades" model.
Actually, my argument was not that it will do well, but that it already is doing well, unless you believe Amazon is fudging their sales ranks. I was mainly reacting to the overt and ridiculous Apple bias of the original article and many of the follow-up comments.
We haven't even seen the quarterly results (from just one quarter no less) and you are ready to call this a success. So you're telling me that they are giving away the razor but without even knowing if people are buying the blades you are ready to call the promotion a success. I need a lot more evidence than that. ... and, yes, I truly think Amazon is fudging its sales.
Quote:
They do, but unlike Apple (and the rest of the market, for that matter), they have no need to make money on the hardware, and if the regular Kindle is any indication, no desire to, either. (I believe the regular Kindle has always been sold at or below cost, but I could be wrong.) Amazon is in the business of making money on the content. It's the old "give away the razor, make money on the blades" model.
... and I already covered that in my reply to your original comment.
I know this is Apple Insider, but seriously?! The Apple-centric bias here is suffocating! You guys are worse than the Faux News Channel!
So it's not as good as an iPad. Big deal. It's a lot cheaper than an iPad, and it's plenty good for a large number of users. As an Amazon Prime member and as a "normal" person (i.e., not an Apple fanboy), the Fire makes a lot of sense to me.
My wife and I each have an iPhone 4, we have two iPods (including an old iPod touch), and we have a Mac mini. (Although our primary machines are Windows desktops and notebooks.) I like Apple products. I've coveted an iPad for several years. But they're just too expensive, they're not sufficiently more useful than my iPhone, and I've never purchased any audio or video from iTunes and have no desire to start. The Fire has its problems, as to be expected of a 1.0 device, but the pluses far outweigh the minuses for me. Evidently for a lot of other people, too.
It is The best-selling product on Amazon. In what universe does that make it a "failure"? I don't see an iPad in the top 100 of electronics. (However, there are a few iPod touches and the Apple TV in the top 10.) Is the Chevy Cruze a "failure" because it isn't a BMW? I don't see any BMWs on Forbes's list of the top-selling vehicles of 2011, but the Cruze is #9.
Like it or not, expect the Fire to be around for the long haul and attract significantly more purchasers than the iPad.
But who cares?! You have your iPad, and you like it. Good for you. Why do all you fanboys have this intrinsic need to look down your noses at anything without an Apple logo stamped on it? Seriously, you're like those morons in the Samsung ads. (Excellent ads, by the way!)
First of all, I take issue with your suggestion that there's anything wrong with liking Apple, and seeing the world filtered accordingly. The Apple ownership experience has raised my standards about how consumer electronics should work, and everything else has to measure up to that. You obviously think there is something wrong with that. You compared Apple fans to the "morons" in the Samsung ad. That reminds me another post by someone else in a recent thread that also suggested that the people waiting in line at Apple's new Grand Central Store were iKoolAid drinking sheep or otherwise weird. Well, if that Samsung ad speaks to you, then you don't understand why people line up for new iPhones and iPads. Neither does Samsung. They aren't morons. They aren't "iSheep" either. They are people like my dad and my sister. Apple fans are normal people: there's no Apple fans as opposed to normal people as Microsoft fans have long pretended.
There are a few very active trolls who inhabit these forums posting day and night saying basically the same thing: you Apple fans are freaking morons because you don't think like me! You can't appreciate anything not made by Apple. Therefore, I am better than you. They cannot stand the idea that someone else doesn't think like them (and they don't respect them). The irony is: they accuse Apple fans of looking down on other people, but that's exactly what they are doing on these forums. If you can accept that someone doesn't think like you, whether you personally agree with them or not, welcome. If you've come here to put down "Apple fans" as sheep and weirdos, then this isn't the right place.
I remember a lot of people having a lot of complaints about the initial iPad
Allot of people complaining about the iPad didn't own one, didn't understand it and were predicting failure from day one. Many of them are still complaining
iPad complaints and Kindle Fire complaints aren't even in the same league, and many of what was cited as complaints in this article will require a hardware refresh - not just a software update.
Nonsense. It's a version 1.0, and it's useful for reading books and other media, which is what it's supposed to do.
Sure - but it's being touted as the second coming for tablets. Make up my mind - is it a "media tablet" or an iPad competitor? Because it's touted or one or the other - only when convenient, mind you
Quote:
I'd say that it's best as a good second machine for an iPad owner who doesn't want to lug the thing around and try to wield it just to read something
Huh? The Fire offers NOTHING over the iPad for just reading. I own a Kindle (actually, just upgraded to a DX) because the eInk screen brings something new to the table. But if I have an iPad (and I do) there is no reason I would want a Fire. None.
I could see the Fire for a non-iPad owner, but what the heck would a Kindle bring to the table other than the desire to throw it out the window and return to the iPad?
Quote:
Could it better? Sure. So could the iPad. And they both will be.
You called a thought other than this bone headed? Here's the difference - even if the iPad didn't get another update it would still be very functional as it is right now. So far the Kindle Fire is looking barely tolerable for simple media consumption, with a bunch of silly hardware issues (Really Amazon? What is it with power switches? People complaining about the idiotic placement on the original Kindle's wasn't enough?). Even if they can clean up some of the issues with the software, the underlying hardware is still half baked and more than likely will REQUIRE a hardware update. Whereas the iPad 2 was a refinement of the original iPad - not addressing basic flaws in the original product.
And perhaps your good with that - good for you and your sister. But stop pretending it's even remotely similar to the iPad and implying that they are both flawed and it's just a matter of time before the Fire bests the iPad. Talk about spin!
Been using the Fire for about 2 weeks (prepping it for my wife). Mostly using it for the wonderful selection of FREE movies & TV (classic, camp & comedy for me).
Point of order, the "FREE" movies and TV will only continue if you continue to pay for Prime.
I use Prime because it saves on the shipping so it would be "FREE" for me too - but if you weren't a Prime subscriber before, just be aware that after your free year is up, so will your "FREE" movies and TV shows.
Even for only $200 I expect that a product would still be able to function adequately - ie hitting button targets, adequate hardware functionality, safety/privacy settings implemented, smooth interface etc etc. For it's price point, it's hard for Amazon to fail with the Fire, but with these faults for me it is a fail. Just not good enough. John Siracusa and Marco Arment nailed it in their critiques of this device.
Proprietary interface as opposed to what? It's a Kindle built on top of Android. If it lacked a proprietary interface, it would be just an Android tablet running the Kindle App.
Er, no it wouldn't - it will never be "just an Android tablet". It's an Android fork. Android is a trademarked name reserved for manufacturers that play by Google's rules. While it might be using the core of what eventually makes Android, it's not "Android" that people think of when you say Android.
The UI, store and other parts are Amazon proprietary because they have to be. Because they choose to be so they didn't have to be beholden to Google (or plaster Google crap all over the place). I don't blame Amazon for that - it's brilliant actually. Leverage the work of Google while ensuring they see no benefit. At least Amazon is really liking "Open" I'll bet!
So while the Fire may be built on the foundations of Android, it is NOT Android - and that's why Amazon doesn't tout it as such either.
Why not? For reading on anything other than paper, nothing beats eInk today. I love my Kindle(s) - eInk versions, that is!
Quote:
but what you have to say is really ignorant of what these readers are.
Yup - as you point out, all his "objections" are pretty shallow.
My biggest complaint - there needs to be a way to organize content on the Kindle - folders, tags, groups - something. And I should be able to add/remote/organize items on my Kindle from my Amazon web account.
Quote:
But for people that want a light-weight and convenient device to read books, the eInk devices (Kindle, etc) are a much better option.
Meh - size and weight aren't even an issue for me. The real saving grace for the eInk Kindle is the display. I love it. I can read on a Kindle all day (and I literally have) without feeling fatigued. Not so on a computer screen or my iPad. The high contrast display is top notch for reading. I like it so much, I just got a used DX today. Synced it to my Amazon account and had a few books on it in less than a minute. I think i like the button placement on the DX even better than the 4th generation (or whatever the one right before the touchscreen) Kindle I also have.
This thing was hyped, intentionally or not, as an iPad killer. Cheaptards, err I mean price conscious consumers thought they were getting an iPad for a third of the price. Now they are finding out different and are complaining? I don't understand.
I don't get it either because the Kindle works fine. People must have it pretty good if the major problem in their life is a $199 e-reader/tablet not having all the features of a $500 tablet.
I don't get it either because the Kindle works fine. People must have it pretty good if the major problem in their life is a $199 e-reader/tablet not having all the features of a $500 tablet.
Don't forget people are also comparing its usability against the iPhone, iPod Touch, and even Android-based phones, all of which have a much better touch-interface and UX experience than the Fire t this point. It's all about thinking "I'm getting 40% the quality of an iPad".
Even for only $200 I expect that a product would still be able to function adequately - ie hitting button targets, adequate hardware functionality, safety/privacy settings implemented, smooth interface etc etc. For it's price point, it's hard for Amazon to fail with the Fire, but with these faults for me it is a fail. Just not good enough. John Siracusa and Marco Arment nailed it in their critiques of this device.
I just don't see it. It's not hard to hit the buttons, they work, turning off one click is easy, you can you use other browsers with more privacy features. It's not perfect, but for a convenient entertainment device that I don't have to worry about losing, having stolen, and is small enough to pocket easily its a win. The last thing I want to do is drop $500+ on an iPad2 and see the iPad3 in a few months, which is the Kindles biggest win. Its so cheap its an easy buy for an e-reader with the bonus of being able to goof around with an Android tablet check out what the Android fans like so much about rooting and "open" systems and keep me generally entertained until next years new generation of tablets. Variety is good.
I could see the Fire for a non-iPad owner, but what the heck would a Kindle bring to the table other than the desire to throw it out the window and return to the iPad?
It's smaller, I don't always want to carry an iPad with me. There's a lot more peace of mind traveling with a $200 gadget than a $500+ gadget. It's different, I like to use Windows, Mac OS X, Android, and iOS devices. Tech is fun, why limit yourself to one eco-system?
The reader that works even better under the sun or bright lighting than it does in dim lighting and without hurting your eyes and with awesome battery life...that's what Kindle is all about.
What the heck is the Fire for? Is it for failing?
I got a Kindle Touch. I love it. Of course, the UI is written by a team that would get a D or F in any college intro-to-programing course:
It has dead-ends that force me to restart the thing to escape.
The latency when entering my 4-digit unlock code is one full second/stroke.
I love the text-to-speech feature. But it has no way to scrub back if you miss a few words.
It needs a 30-second rewind and it needs a way to turn back pages without exiting t-2-s and then paging back and then re-launching t-2-s. ALSO: does it take Steve Jobs resurrected to think of a feature like a sleep timer. If I had this, I could have the Kindle read me to sleep and then shut the hell up after, say, 30 minutes. How nice that would be! How many lines of code would it really take? But...noooooooo!!!!.... we don't get that. It would be way too "Apple".
Anyway, I think that if my folks bought me a Kindle Fire instead of an iPad, I would be truly upset.
Still, I think this Touch is what Kindle ought to be about, instead of a half-assed tablet that has all the flaws of back-lit displays and a lousy user experience from a loser UI.
The lighted, leather case from Amazon is awesome, but the cover flap is not secured: how about some tiny magnets at two corners so the cover will p-r-o-t-e-c-t the screen in the event of a drop? Huh? Why not? As it is, the flap will likely flip open to let the device fall on its face and break or scratch...a truly beautiful cover with that mandatory, dumb-ass flaw.
But...if you like to read, I highly recommend the Kindle Touch 3G; especially if they hire some paid, pro, code pounders to fix the UI experience and if they hire me to think of brilliant features like sleep timer, screen-savers that we can make ourselves with our chosen jpegs, without jail-breaking the poor thing into a bricked state; LOUDER SPEAKER !!!!; faster response; etc.
Comments
Aaargh....... z boyz are out in force....
Give up, guys. It's a POS. You get what you pay for.
Didn't you know: if you root a Volkswagen it turns into a Porsche!
That's their answer to everything: root root root.
Gimme a break!
I know this is Apple Insider, but seriously?! The Apple-centric bias here is suffocating! You guys are worse than the Faux News Channel!
So it's not as good as an iPad. Big deal. It's a lot cheaper than an iPad, and it's plenty good for a large number of users. As an Amazon Prime member and as a "normal" person (i.e., not an Apple fanboy), the Fire makes a lot of sense to me.
My wife and I each have an iPhone 4, we have two iPods (including an old iPod touch), and we have a Mac mini. (Although our primary machines are Windows desktops and notebooks.) I like Apple products. I've coveted an iPad for several years. But they're just too expensive, they're not sufficiently more useful than my iPhone, and I've never purchased any audio or video from iTunes and have no desire to start. The Fire has its problems, as to be expected of a 1.0 device, but the pluses far outweigh the minuses for me. Evidently for a lot of other people, too.
It is The best-selling product on Amazon. In what universe does that make it a "failure"? I don't see an iPad in the top 100 of electronics. (However, there are a few iPod touches and the Apple TV in the top 10.) Is the Chevy Cruze a "failure" because it isn't a BMW? I don't see any BMWs on Forbes's list of the top-selling vehicles of 2011, but the Cruze is #9.
Like it or not, expect the Fire to be around for the long haul and attract significantly more purchasers than the iPad.
But who cares?! You have your iPad, and you like it. Good for you. Why do all you fanboys have this intrinsic need to look down your noses at anything without an Apple logo stamped on it? Seriously, you're like those morons in the Samsung ads. (Excellent ads, by the way!)
As it happens, I do drive a BMW. It matters to me not one whit that there are a lot more Cruze drivers out there.
I've heard this argument before... I like it, therefore it will do well.
The reason I don't think it will do well is because at some point Amazon has to start making money with this thing. Making more and more and more of them only digs Amazon deeper into a hole if people aren't purchasing content. A company can only lose money for so long on an item before they have to pull the plug. I'm not sure what sort of window Amazon has given the Fire but I'd imagine it isn't too long into the future. [I also believe that a lot of Fires will sit on the closet shelf after Christmas]
Having said that, I also question the strength of iPad sales in 2012. My guess is that the tablet market is getting fairly saturated and if new iPads don't do much more than an iPad 2 then I can't see people going out of their way to upgrade. Sooner or later, though, someone (my guess is Apple) will introduce a tablet that will more closely parallel a laptop (ie. MS will introduce Office for tablets, Adobe will introduce almost full fledged PS and AI apps.) and then I can see tablets taking a huge leap forward in numbers shipped.
We'll see.
I've heard this argument before... I like it, therefore it will do well.
Actually, my argument was not that it will do well, but that it already is doing well, unless you believe Amazon is fudging their sales ranks. I was mainly reacting to the overt and ridiculous Apple bias of the original article and many of the follow-up comments.
at some point Amazon has to start making money with this thing.
They do, but unlike Apple (and the rest of the market, for that matter), they have no need to make money on the hardware, and if the regular Kindle is any indication, no desire to, either. (I believe the regular Kindle has always been sold at or below cost, but I could be wrong.) Amazon is in the business of making money on the content. It's the old "give away the razor, make money on the blades" model.
We'll see.
Indeed.
Actually, my argument was not that it will do well, but that it already is doing well, unless you believe Amazon is fudging their sales ranks. I was mainly reacting to the overt and ridiculous Apple bias of the original article and many of the follow-up comments.
We haven't even seen the quarterly results (from just one quarter no less) and you are ready to call this a success. So you're telling me that they are giving away the razor but without even knowing if people are buying the blades you are ready to call the promotion a success. I need a lot more evidence than that. ... and, yes, I truly think Amazon is fudging its sales.
They do, but unlike Apple (and the rest of the market, for that matter), they have no need to make money on the hardware, and if the regular Kindle is any indication, no desire to, either. (I believe the regular Kindle has always been sold at or below cost, but I could be wrong.) Amazon is in the business of making money on the content. It's the old "give away the razor, make money on the blades" model.
... and I already covered that in my reply to your original comment.
Indeed.
Yes... indeed.
Gimme a break!
I know this is Apple Insider, but seriously?! The Apple-centric bias here is suffocating! You guys are worse than the Faux News Channel!
So it's not as good as an iPad. Big deal. It's a lot cheaper than an iPad, and it's plenty good for a large number of users. As an Amazon Prime member and as a "normal" person (i.e., not an Apple fanboy), the Fire makes a lot of sense to me.
My wife and I each have an iPhone 4, we have two iPods (including an old iPod touch), and we have a Mac mini. (Although our primary machines are Windows desktops and notebooks.) I like Apple products. I've coveted an iPad for several years. But they're just too expensive, they're not sufficiently more useful than my iPhone, and I've never purchased any audio or video from iTunes and have no desire to start. The Fire has its problems, as to be expected of a 1.0 device, but the pluses far outweigh the minuses for me. Evidently for a lot of other people, too.
It is The best-selling product on Amazon. In what universe does that make it a "failure"? I don't see an iPad in the top 100 of electronics. (However, there are a few iPod touches and the Apple TV in the top 10.) Is the Chevy Cruze a "failure" because it isn't a BMW? I don't see any BMWs on Forbes's list of the top-selling vehicles of 2011, but the Cruze is #9.
Like it or not, expect the Fire to be around for the long haul and attract significantly more purchasers than the iPad.
But who cares?! You have your iPad, and you like it. Good for you. Why do all you fanboys have this intrinsic need to look down your noses at anything without an Apple logo stamped on it? Seriously, you're like those morons in the Samsung ads. (Excellent ads, by the way!)
First of all, I take issue with your suggestion that there's anything wrong with liking Apple, and seeing the world filtered accordingly. The Apple ownership experience has raised my standards about how consumer electronics should work, and everything else has to measure up to that. You obviously think there is something wrong with that. You compared Apple fans to the "morons" in the Samsung ad. That reminds me another post by someone else in a recent thread that also suggested that the people waiting in line at Apple's new Grand Central Store were iKoolAid drinking sheep or otherwise weird. Well, if that Samsung ad speaks to you, then you don't understand why people line up for new iPhones and iPads. Neither does Samsung. They aren't morons. They aren't "iSheep" either. They are people like my dad and my sister. Apple fans are normal people: there's no Apple fans as opposed to normal people as Microsoft fans have long pretended.
There are a few very active trolls who inhabit these forums posting day and night saying basically the same thing: you Apple fans are freaking morons because you don't think like me! You can't appreciate anything not made by Apple. Therefore, I am better than you. They cannot stand the idea that someone else doesn't think like them (and they don't respect them). The irony is: they accuse Apple fans of looking down on other people, but that's exactly what they are doing on these forums. If you can accept that someone doesn't think like you, whether you personally agree with them or not, welcome. If you've come here to put down "Apple fans" as sheep and weirdos, then this isn't the right place.
If you've come here to put down "Apple fans" as sheep and weirdos, then this isn't the right place.
Time to get my black t-shirt, white lettering... Apple logo on the back and "I'm a Weirdo" on the front.
because that _NEVER_ happens with apple gear!
Only for iPhones. On launch day.
Not for browsing every web site. At Christmas when it's safe to assume there will be a spike in activity.
Should be fun to watch. I guess we'll see how elastic Amazon's servers really are!
I remember a lot of people having a lot of complaints about the initial iPad
Allot of people complaining about the iPad didn't own one, didn't understand it and were predicting failure from day one. Many of them are still complaining
iPad complaints and Kindle Fire complaints aren't even in the same league, and many of what was cited as complaints in this article will require a hardware refresh - not just a software update.
Nonsense. It's a version 1.0, and it's useful for reading books and other media, which is what it's supposed to do.
Sure - but it's being touted as the second coming for tablets. Make up my mind - is it a "media tablet" or an iPad competitor? Because it's touted or one or the other - only when convenient, mind you
I'd say that it's best as a good second machine for an iPad owner who doesn't want to lug the thing around and try to wield it just to read something
Huh? The Fire offers NOTHING over the iPad for just reading. I own a Kindle (actually, just upgraded to a DX) because the eInk screen brings something new to the table. But if I have an iPad (and I do) there is no reason I would want a Fire. None.
I could see the Fire for a non-iPad owner, but what the heck would a Kindle bring to the table other than the desire to throw it out the window and return to the iPad?
Could it better? Sure. So could the iPad. And they both will be.
You called a thought other than this bone headed? Here's the difference - even if the iPad didn't get another update it would still be very functional as it is right now. So far the Kindle Fire is looking barely tolerable for simple media consumption, with a bunch of silly hardware issues (Really Amazon? What is it with power switches? People complaining about the idiotic placement on the original Kindle's wasn't enough?). Even if they can clean up some of the issues with the software, the underlying hardware is still half baked and more than likely will REQUIRE a hardware update. Whereas the iPad 2 was a refinement of the original iPad - not addressing basic flaws in the original product.
And perhaps your good with that - good for you and your sister. But stop pretending it's even remotely similar to the iPad and implying that they are both flawed and it's just a matter of time before the Fire bests the iPad. Talk about spin!
Been using the Fire for about 2 weeks (prepping it for my wife). Mostly using it for the wonderful selection of FREE movies & TV (classic, camp & comedy for me).
Point of order, the "FREE" movies and TV will only continue if you continue to pay for Prime.
I use Prime because it saves on the shipping so it would be "FREE" for me too - but if you weren't a Prime subscriber before, just be aware that after your free year is up, so will your "FREE" movies and TV shows.
Proprietary interface as opposed to what? It's a Kindle built on top of Android. If it lacked a proprietary interface, it would be just an Android tablet running the Kindle App.
Er, no it wouldn't - it will never be "just an Android tablet". It's an Android fork. Android is a trademarked name reserved for manufacturers that play by Google's rules. While it might be using the core of what eventually makes Android, it's not "Android" that people think of when you say Android.
The UI, store and other parts are Amazon proprietary because they have to be. Because they choose to be so they didn't have to be beholden to Google (or plaster Google crap all over the place). I don't blame Amazon for that - it's brilliant actually. Leverage the work of Google while ensuring they see no benefit. At least Amazon is really liking "Open" I'll bet!
So while the Fire may be built on the foundations of Android, it is NOT Android - and that's why Amazon doesn't tout it as such either.
I don't want to be supporting eInk readers here
Why not? For reading on anything other than paper, nothing beats eInk today. I love my Kindle(s) - eInk versions, that is!
but what you have to say is really ignorant of what these readers are.
Yup - as you point out, all his "objections" are pretty shallow.
My biggest complaint - there needs to be a way to organize content on the Kindle - folders, tags, groups - something. And I should be able to add/remote/organize items on my Kindle from my Amazon web account.
But for people that want a light-weight and convenient device to read books, the eInk devices (Kindle, etc) are a much better option.
Meh - size and weight aren't even an issue for me. The real saving grace for the eInk Kindle is the display. I love it. I can read on a Kindle all day (and I literally have) without feeling fatigued. Not so on a computer screen or my iPad. The high contrast display is top notch for reading. I like it so much, I just got a used DX today. Synced it to my Amazon account and had a few books on it in less than a minute. I think i like the button placement on the DX even better than the 4th generation (or whatever the one right before the touchscreen) Kindle I also have.
This thing was hyped, intentionally or not, as an iPad killer. Cheaptards, err I mean price conscious consumers thought they were getting an iPad for a third of the price. Now they are finding out different and are complaining? I don't understand.
I don't get it either because the Kindle works fine. People must have it pretty good if the major problem in their life is a $199 e-reader/tablet not having all the features of a $500 tablet.
I don't get it either because the Kindle works fine. People must have it pretty good if the major problem in their life is a $199 e-reader/tablet not having all the features of a $500 tablet.
Don't forget people are also comparing its usability against the iPhone, iPod Touch, and even Android-based phones, all of which have a much better touch-interface and UX experience than the Fire t this point. It's all about thinking "I'm getting 40% the quality of an iPad".
Even for only $200 I expect that a product would still be able to function adequately - ie hitting button targets, adequate hardware functionality, safety/privacy settings implemented, smooth interface etc etc. For it's price point, it's hard for Amazon to fail with the Fire, but with these faults for me it is a fail. Just not good enough. John Siracusa and Marco Arment nailed it in their critiques of this device.
I just don't see it. It's not hard to hit the buttons, they work, turning off one click is easy, you can you use other browsers with more privacy features. It's not perfect, but for a convenient entertainment device that I don't have to worry about losing, having stolen, and is small enough to pocket easily its a win. The last thing I want to do is drop $500+ on an iPad2 and see the iPad3 in a few months, which is the Kindles biggest win. Its so cheap its an easy buy for an e-reader with the bonus of being able to goof around with an Android tablet check out what the Android fans like so much about rooting and "open" systems and keep me generally entertained until next years new generation of tablets. Variety is good.
I could see the Fire for a non-iPad owner, but what the heck would a Kindle bring to the table other than the desire to throw it out the window and return to the iPad?
It's smaller, I don't always want to carry an iPad with me. There's a lot more peace of mind traveling with a $200 gadget than a $500+ gadget. It's different, I like to use Windows, Mac OS X, Android, and iOS devices. Tech is fun, why limit yourself to one eco-system?
I just don't see it.
But so many others do, hence the complaints and negative reviews. And Joe Average isn't going to know the work-arounds.
Variety is good.
Oh, I agree. But I expect a certain level of quality where basic functions actually work all the time, and easily.
The whole idea of a Kindle is lost.
The reader that works even better under the sun or bright lighting than it does in dim lighting and without hurting your eyes and with awesome battery life...that's what Kindle is all about.
What the heck is the Fire for? Is it for failing?
I got a Kindle Touch. I love it. Of course, the UI is written by a team that would get a D or F in any college intro-to-programing course:
It has dead-ends that force me to restart the thing to escape.
The latency when entering my 4-digit unlock code is one full second/stroke.
I love the text-to-speech feature. But it has no way to scrub back if you miss a few words.
It needs a 30-second rewind and it needs a way to turn back pages without exiting t-2-s and then paging back and then re-launching t-2-s. ALSO: does it take Steve Jobs resurrected to think of a feature like a sleep timer. If I had this, I could have the Kindle read me to sleep and then shut the hell up after, say, 30 minutes. How nice that would be! How many lines of code would it really take? But...noooooooo!!!!.... we don't get that. It would be way too "Apple".
Anyway, I think that if my folks bought me a Kindle Fire instead of an iPad, I would be truly upset.
Still, I think this Touch is what Kindle ought to be about, instead of a half-assed tablet that has all the flaws of back-lit displays and a lousy user experience from a loser UI.
The lighted, leather case from Amazon is awesome, but the cover flap is not secured: how about some tiny magnets at two corners so the cover will p-r-o-t-e-c-t the screen in the event of a drop? Huh? Why not? As it is, the flap will likely flip open to let the device fall on its face and break or scratch...a truly beautiful cover with that mandatory, dumb-ass flaw.
But...if you like to read, I highly recommend the Kindle Touch 3G; especially if they hire some paid, pro, code pounders to fix the UI experience and if they hire me to think of brilliant features like sleep timer, screen-savers that we can make ourselves with our chosen jpegs, without jail-breaking the poor thing into a bricked state; LOUDER SPEAKER !!!!; faster response; etc.
You're being way to kind to the Fire and Amazon. Your bias is pretty obvious.
That poster's comment was pretty neutral. I think you need to get outside more.