PCWorld Forums: The Kindle Fire, One Week Later: Sales, Gripes, And A New Model - PCWorld Forums

Post your comments for The Kindle Fire, One Week Later: Sales, Gripes, and a New Model here

What I think the Kindle Fire really needs is a(nother) software update. Amazon could fix a lot of people's problems without pushing out a new model.

I work at a school that uses Google Apps. Without Google Apps support (even just email) this is doa. Try explaining "I can't check my email" to anyone else with any tablet....

Amazon didn't forget to whitelist the Google Apps. They're not included because Amazon forked the OS and doesn't have Google's permission to include the apps. Wow, did you ever misunderstand the situation.

Also, maybe you could take the hint from the sales of the Kindle Fire that perhaps it DOES meet the needs of most people with respect to what they want out of a tablet (which might not be much more than a web browser), rather than continuing the current 'tech blogger' trope that it just isn't as good as the iPad. Sure maybe not but ITS $200!

Jeez.

KindleMad, on 23 November 2011 - 12:27 AM, said:

Then why not just purchase a Nook? It seems to get better reviews and has more storage, and a memory card slot?

I've had no problem with G-mail and Google maps on my Kindle Fire. Also, just go to the "Web" icon on top right and the Home Button appears along with bookmarks on bottom left! So what if it's a 2 step process!
What am I missing?

LarrySteinke, on 22 November 2011 - 09:37 PM, said:

TomKeller, on 23 November 2011 - 04:57 AM, said:

Larry - Read my post. Maybe not Google apps are available because of no "mike" but at least you CAN get a few.

Kindle Fire doesn't work when you touch the screen. Isn't that what it is all about?

It's amazing that people complain including PCword about all the Android so called "Ipad" clones. But when a company such as Amazon create a tablet completely in its own image, you bash it based on not being an "Ipad" clone. I suspect this is the reason why Amazon opted out in not sending the blogs review Units ahead of is release. Its a $200 dollar tablet!!!! Compare this tablet to all the other Cheap brands on the market right now, selling at walmart, and come back and tell me Amazon didn't do a good job...

You comparing a $200 dollar tablet, to a $500 dollar tablet LOL..

If you want a tablet purely for the specs, get a blackberry Playbook its only $199 too, heavly discounted.

But I warn ya, Only apps u get on playbook is Vevo, and a horrible Youtube app, and Kobo.. Good luck with that lol. I stick with Kindle Fire

This post has been edited by CodeHonor: 23 November 2011 - 11:10 AM

The response was not unexpected. People started pre-ordering this because of the media hype. Little to no coverage mentioned how much this was like the Nook Color (released a year earlier) with a faster processor. If Amazon makes it, it must be good. Then the comparisons with the iPad started. Shortly afterwards, B&N came out with another Nook with the same processing power, twice the memory, twice the storage and (once again) an expandable SD slot for up to 32GB of additional storage. I also don't think people really understood that you do not have access to the Android Market so very little free apps and an extremely limited app store in comparison to the Android market. One again the hype ends up burning shoppers.

Patruns, on 23 November 2011 - 11:53 AM, said:

Limited free apps ?? Yet another post written by someone just making stuff up.

The Kindle Fire is certainly not perfect, but I think it is a decent gadget for it's price point. I agree with some on here who point out that comparing the Kindle Fire to the ipad is a little off base. Mainly, the price of the various devices suggests that it is comparing apples to oranges when trying to compare a $200 device to a $500 or $600 device. I'm also guessing that the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet is a far better device than the Kindle Fire. OTOH, I'm not willing to pay $500 dollars for a tablet. No matter how nice the Sammy tablet seems to me. Now when a seemingly decent tablet is available for $200, it is more appealing and moves into my price range. It also offers what I hope to get for that price range. Namely, the Kindle Fire offers access to Amazon's vast digital selection of various types i.e. books, videos, magazines. Now this does not imply that the Fire is perfect. I think there are some weaknesses. Again, I'm not expecting tablet superiority at $200.

Lastly, the tech media in general have been off base on the Kindle Fire. One example is the aforementioned comparing of what amounts to a glorified e-reader/media consumption device to tablets that are in two different price ranges. Another example is here with PCWorld. PCWorld lists the Kindle Fire in their top 100 tech products of the year. IIRC, PCWorld ranks the Fire in the top 20 or 30. Yet later, their own reviews of the device strike me as being lukewarm at best, in my opinion. It seems to me that the tech media in general has been all over the place regarding the Kindle Fire. I think that has led to some confusion and misunderstanding regarding this reasonably decent Amazon product. Just my opinion that combined with $5 might get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

chrstservt, on 23 November 2011 - 04:08 PM, said:

We put the Kindle Fire in our Top 100, not because it was necessarily good, but rather because at $200 it was creating a space for cheap tablets. The same thing could be said for Chromebooks and the $99 HP Touchpad. They weren't necessarily any good, but they did do something different.

LarrySteinke, on 22 November 2011 - 09:37 PM, said:

You can still check your Gmail on Kindle Fire, access Google Reader etc. I like accessing it without apps better. Even on my iphone I prefer checking my gmail without the app. You just set up your existing email account onto the device.
My biggest problem with Fire is typing & editing with the keyboard. Very temperamental!
Good Luck & Happy Holidays

LarrySteinke, on 22 November 2011 - 09:37 PM, said:

Larry - Gmail, Voice and access to all Google Docs works just fine

You can now side-load the Android Market onto the Kindle so that you can install apps outside of the Amazon App Store.

ArmandoRodriguez, on 24 November 2011 - 11:09 AM, said:

Well, the chromebook concept in general just isn't that great. Why should I be stuck with web apps with no local storage or anything? Gee, how useful. And yet it costs MORE than a cheap windows atom netbook, or about the same as a higher end 11" AMD Fusion one. And with sleep mode, it turns on just as fast as a chromebook. Now what's the point of a chromebook again?

Wow what most critics are forgetting is the $199 price tag. I love my kindle fire even with its not so big problems. Does anyone remember the first version of Microsoft Windows? I rest my case. I am very happy with the first Kindle Fire

ArmandoRodriguez, on 24 November 2011 - 11:09 AM, said:

Are all editors as ignorant as yourself? I just have to ask because your comments are ill-informed.

I'm not a 'must have every tech gadget' type of person. While I am ready to upgrade certain components on my desktop,(an i7 2600k, 8gb, GTX560) and type this response to you on my year old quad core Asus G73 laptop, I have distinct uses for both. While I look at tablets, even though they've been around far longer than the likes of Apple or Samsung would have you believe, the technology is still in it's infancy and is rapidly moving forward. I just don't see spending $500+ on an iPad or Galaxy Tab that is really only a large screen version of my phone duplicating many features I just do not want or need. Maybe in a few more revisions I'll find a general-use pad more desirable, but not right now.

The Kindle Fire is the first tablet that has appealed to me. It has specific uses as a book and media viewer and ties in with the media I have available to me from my Amazon Prime account. It's a great gadget to have with you while on the couch when you don't want or need the bulk or complexity of a laptop. I don't need the camera. I already have a web cam on both my desktop, laptop and phone. My car as well as my phone has GPS so I'm good there. It doesn't have Android App Store... considering how much junk they have there, I see this as a selling point, not a detriment. And, with the amount of units that will be sold, developers will rush to cater for the Kindle Fire and the Amazon App Store. It doesn't need to be a larger version of my phone to have my satisfaction and in fact, for not trying to replicate that functionality, I'm grateful.

Now that I've had my Kindle for a month and a half, I can say that I'm pleased with my purchase. I use it every day... sometimes to look up NHL stats, google image an actress on Craig Ferguson or play a game when I'm bored and having a hard time falling asleep. This is one solid little device for the $200 it sells for. It also appeals to kids (this was the number one request from all my friend's children after playing with mine for some time). It's also appealing to people like me who hasn't had a tablet, didn't have a need for one or think tablets are either too expensive or evolving too rapidly to throw down the better portion of $1000 after shipping, taxes, accessories and software.

Amazon knocked it out of the ball park. While it's true that there is a big list of disappointment when your frame of reference is a $500+ gadget you've already grown accustomed to, you're really the minority. The majority have not yet purchased a high end tabled for any number of reasons, but when something like this comes along and is backed by a company with a huge pool of media, it's going to get everyone who has wondered about a tablet a reason to finally get one.

I can afford any tablet I want. The tablet that gave me dedicated reasons to use it at a disposable price point that wasn't just a larger version of my phone with less functionality was what sparked my curiosity. After owning it, sure I can list some negatives, but it has lived up to my expectations and has shown me that I can indeed enjoy it on a daily basis and find a purpose with a tablet. For $200 I was willing to experiment.

So, it's not a technological advancement which most people who are dissatisfied with it like to repeat. That's not it's purpose. Some people just don't get this. It doesn't have to be the biggest, lightest, fastest and flashiest gadget with the most features. In fact, the reason why it's so popular is because it's not. And some people won't get that either.