[compnovo]

Okay, I just downloaded and played a few minutes of Angry Birds, which I can see is going to be very addictive. Since I've never played it before on ANY device I don't have a point of comparison, but I will say the sound quality is good on the tiny speakers and the game play is smooth as silk. Can't ask for more than that.

[LiveBrianD]

compnovo, on 10 January 2012 - 09:07 PM, said:

Okay, I just downloaded and played a few minutes of Angry Birds, which I can see is going to be very addictive. Since I've never played it before on ANY device I don't have a point of comparison, but I will say the sound quality is good on the tiny speakers and the game play is smooth as silk. Can't ask for more than that.

I've played it a little (http://chrome.angrybirds.com/ - you don't need chrome btw, just a google account) and don't really like it. I prefer tetris (that's one of the only games that you can run on a ti-83/ti-84 btw, with a monochrome screen and terrible refresh rate).

[coastie65]

LiveBrianD, on 10 January 2012 - 09:19 PM, said:

compnovo, on 10 January 2012 - 09:07 PM, said:

Okay, I just downloaded and played a few minutes of Angry Birds, which I can see is going to be very addictive. Since I've never played it before on ANY device I don't have a point of comparison, but I will say the sound quality is good on the tiny speakers and the game play is smooth as silk. Can't ask for more than that.

I've played it a little (http://chrome.angrybirds.com/ - you don't need chrome btw, just a google account) and don't really like it. I prefer tetris (that's one of the only games that you can run on a ti-83/ti-84 btw, with a monochrome screen and terrible refresh rate).

Tetris is a classic and highly addictive. It has been around for a long time. It was invented by a Russian back in the days of the old Soviet Union.

[compnovo]

Update:
I commented earlier on the "tiny speakers" --- I have to say that I'm surprised at the volume and quality I'm getting from the things, they're better than my netbook's (although that's a pretty low bar). I can listen to music or watch streaming movies without having to resort to earphones (which give a better listening experience, although neither have any real bottom end).

This post has been edited by compnovo: 12 January 2012 - 09:31 PM

[compnovo]

Final update:

Based on its own merits I am really impressed. I've had it about two weeks, long enough to get a feel for its different functions and to upgrade the firmware twice (I'm on version 6.2.2). The quality of the build is excellent and the size it just right for me: easy to carry around, couch surf, read books, watch Netflix and Prime movies, etc. Yesterday I installed the KindletoPC app which makes transferring documents from my desktop or netbook much easier. I decided on the Fire because of the low price (for a tablet device) and its Netflix support; Prime is just icing on the cake although I don't know if I'll renew at the end of the month. I'm impressed with Amazon's support, continuous upgrades, and improvements, and I like the Amazon "ecosystem"; it doesn't bother me that many of the Android apps don't work with the Fire, there are more in the store than I will ever need or want.

What I'm doing with it:
Streaming movies;
Listening to music (music handling is superb, and the speakers are surprisingly robust --- you'll need headphones for best quality though);
Reading PCMag;
Reading eBooks from my local area library;
Watching mp4 movies (tip: they're easy to load in Windows Explorer via micro-USB cable but hard to find, you have to use the Gallery app that comes pre-installed on the Fire);
Gmail and Hotmail;
Surfing the web (the Silk browser works great on some sites, not so great on others, but the zoom function helps);
Playing games like Angry Birds and Bejeweled.

What I avoid doing with it:
Any sort of typing, I'm not good using thumbs and a virtual keyboard;
Content creation like spreadsheets, presentations, etc;
Messing with the basics. This is one device I'm not going to modify (e.g., "root"). I think it's fine just the way it is, even if it lacks features you'll find in other Android-based devices. My reasoning is that I have a desktop for the heavy lifting and a netbook for portable content creation and presentation;
High-end gaming (it isn't possible).

The Kindle Fire fills a nice niche on its own, as is, with one exception. I purchased an inexpensive "pleather" case to protect it, with an added benefit that the case makes it harder to accidentally hit the power button.

[LiveBrianD]

"Reading PCMag;" TRAITOR!!!!

"High-end gaming (it isn't possible)." Can it play Crysis? Oh wait...

"Messing with the basics. This is one device I'm not going to modify (e.g., "root"). I think it's fine just the way it is, even if it lacks features you'll find in other Android-based devices. My reasoning is that I have a desktop for the heavy lifting and a netbook for portable content creation and presentation;" How much different is amazon's firmware from stock android?

[compnovo]

LiveBrianD, on 21 January 2012 - 01:57 PM, said:

"Reading PCMag;" TRAITOR!!!!

I stopped subscribing to PCMag when it went digital, I didn't like reading it on a desktop. Turns out that the digital format is ideally suited to a tablet.

Quote

"High-end gaming (it isn't possible)." Can it play Crysis? Oh wait...

Is there an app for that?

Quote

How much different is amazon's firmware from stock android?

Judging from what I've read on the forums it's close enough that many have rooted the KF, but always with some function broken (like sound or wireless). Sounds like the problems you sometimes run into when loading Linux onto a Windows PC. I admit it's a subjective call, but I like the KF the way it is and I have other toys I can modify when the urge strikes.

[LiveBrianD]

When my PCMag subscription went all digital, I stopped subscribing. It felt like reading a PDF, and reading a webpage "feels" more natural on a PC. And when they hid the forum link, thus meaning far few visitors, I left and started posting here. I haven't bothered subscribing to any magazines since though - you can get everything online for free anyway.

Now that I think about it, you CAN run Crysis with pretty good detail on a tablet.*
*Well, not quite. You need to have a regular computer with a reasonably good GPU and CPU, like your Phenom II x4 righ with a Geforce 460, and you need to leave it on so you can connect to it via the tablet using remote desktop software.

[smax013]

BLuRR, on 10 January 2012 - 07:25 PM, said:

Can you make a reccomendation one way or the other for this over the ipad? How do games play on it?

I do not really read a lot but that might be a good idea for me to start doing that.

I might get an ipad this year at some point but I am trying to be frugal and the Kindle Fire has intigued me since it has been pretty stable at that price point.

Congrats on the tech-hy toy & Happy Birthday!

I would say it really comes down to what you want to do with it.

They are competitors and then they are not competitors. While this seems nonsensical, the point is that while they do overlap in some features, there are some things that the iPad can do that the Fire just cannot do (such a video chat as one example).

If you don't care about those things that the Fire lacks, then it will be a perfectly viable option. I have only used one briefly (trying to help my cousin setup some "parental controls" for the Fire she got for her kid...which Fire does not really have...at least not anywhere near the level of what the iPad has). It seemed to work fairly well for what it is designed to do...watch videos, read books, browse the web, use many Android apps (Amazon's store has a pretty good selection), play music, etc.

Ultimately to me, the two biggest factors to decide it are 1) is the lower price of a Fire worth the things that it cannot do compared to an iPad and 2) whose "ecosystem" do you want to be "trapped" in (or might already be "trapped" in.

For #1, if you don't need a camera or lots of storage space (the Fire has rather limited storage space and essentially no way to increase it) or a faster processor and Amazon has the apps that you need, then the Fire will be well worth it. Unless you want to video chat, then the camera is not really a big deal (the camera on the iPad is VERY low quality, so you are not generally gonna want to use it to take pictures...not to mention it is awkward using a 10" tablet to take pictures). The iPad has the option to have a LOT more storage than what the Fire can handle, but if you don't plan to keep on lot of videos on the device, then it is not a big deal. The processor on the iPad is much faster, but for most stuff you likely will not notice on the Fire...but I have seen some articles that suggest that it can be sluggish for certain things. The Fire might have trouble with some more "graphically" intense tablet games (for example, I am not sure if it could handle a game like Infinity Blade). And as far as apps go, while the iPad has way more apps actually designed for a tablet, most of the "basic" stuff is available for the Android tablets (for example, Netflix), so for most people that should not be an issue.

As to #2, both the Apple and Amazon ecosystem have some element of "trapping" you. While both pretty much allow you to use music on any device (Apple's is AAC, but it is NOT locked down with DRM anymore), the other stuff tends to get "locked" down. The other slight exception is books. Since Amazon has made Kindle apps for iPad/iPhone (as well as the Mac OS and Windows), you can read Kindle books on a lot of different devices. iBook (Apple's digital bookstore), OTOH, is ONLY available on iOS devices...you cannot even read iBook books on a Mac (which is why I DO NOT buy any books through iBook...only through Amazon). For videos and apps, you are stuck with whichever ecosystem you pick (although Android apps through Amazon will work with ANY Android device to my knowledge). The point is that if you are locked into one system already, then that tends to force you in one direction.

In my case, I went the path of an iPad. That is largely because I was sucked into the Apple ecosystem a while ago and it is kind of too late for me to get out. The other factor is that I have had a bad experience with an Android device. While it may not really be "Android's" fault (my Evo starting constantly rebooting about a year after getting it...Sprint would not help, so bye-bye Evo and Sprint), it left a bad taste in my mouth...which is kind of a shame...I kind of liked my Evo in many ways. If not for those factors, I would have seriously considered the Fire (although I don't like the fact the Amazon does not require some "re-entry" of your password to purchase stuff on a Fire like the iOS world does...but they might fix this in the future).

[compnovo]

smax013, on 28 January 2012 - 02:49 AM, said:

They are competitors and then they are not competitors.

I think that sums it up nicely. I wish I'd had some play time with the iPad because I can't do a fair comparison without personal experience; it appears that the bulk of the complaints I've read in the reviews are from people who thought they were getting a small iPad for two hundred bucks (don't people do their homework? I thought I was a bad impulse buyer ).

[crazy4laptops]

compnovo, on 28 January 2012 - 06:44 PM, said:

I think that sums it up nicely. I wish I'd had some play time with the iPad because I can't do a fair comparison without personal experience; it appears that the bulk of the complaints I've read in the reviews are from people who thought they were getting a small iPad for two hundred bucks (don't people do their homework? I thought I was a bad impulse buyer ).

I got an iPad for technically free (a friend of mine gave me her iPad in trade for a my old pc lappy) fair enough for me

My sister has the Kindle Fire, she loves it! I am enjoying my iPad because of my international friends on iMessage. But here at school, Kindle and TN Tech wifi don't get along unless the AP goes down to G mode. (It's native 5ghz N, with compatibility for 2.4ghz G/N too)

I tried Netflix side by side with iPad & Kindle, it all depends on the video playing and where I am in the house, sometimes iPad wins, other times Kindle wins...

[BLuRR]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Thats a far ways away for me (purchasing a tablet/reader) but definately nice to hear from you guys on both sides.

[BLuRR]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Thats a far ways away for me (purchasing a tablet/reader) but definately nice to hear from you guys on both sides.

[BLuRR]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Thats a far ways away for me (purchasing a tablet/reader) but definately nice to hear from you guys on both sides.

[LiveBrianD]

crazy4laptops, on 01 February 2012 - 08:01 AM, said:

I got an iPad for technically free (a friend of mine gave me her iPad in trade for a my old pc lappy) fair enough for me

My sister has the Kindle Fire, she loves it! I am enjoying my iPad because of my international friends on iMessage. But here at school, Kindle and TN Tech wifi don't get along unless the AP goes down to G mode. (It's native 5ghz N, with compatibility for 2.4ghz G/N too)

I tried Netflix side by side with iPad & Kindle, it all depends on the video playing and where I am in the house, sometimes iPad wins, other times Kindle wins...

Personally, if given the choice between, say, a core 2 duo laptop with 2gb ram or a 16gb ipad, I would take the laptop.

[LiveBrianD]

@BLuRR - I heard you the first time!

[compnovo]

LiveBrianD, on 01 February 2012 - 03:45 PM, said:

crazy4laptops, on 01 February 2012 - 08:01 AM, said:

I got an iPad for technically free (a friend of mine gave me her iPad in trade for a my old pc lappy) fair enough for me

My sister has the Kindle Fire, she loves it! I am enjoying my iPad because of my international friends on iMessage. But here at school, Kindle and TN Tech wifi don't get along unless the AP goes down to G mode. (It's native 5ghz N, with compatibility for 2.4ghz G/N too)

I tried Netflix side by side with iPad & Kindle, it all depends on the video playing and where I am in the house, sometimes iPad wins, other times Kindle wins...

Personally, if given the choice between, say, a core 2 duo laptop with 2gb ram or a 16gb ipad, I would take the laptop.

That would be a tough call for me if I was faced with an "either or" choice between the iPad and a conventional laptop. I'm still watching the ASUS Transformer, waiting for it to be released with Win8. Now that I know how much fun a touch screen is it may prove to be an irresistible combination --- for somebody who isn't ready to leave the Windows world yet (namely me ).

[LiveBrianD]

compnovo, on 01 February 2012 - 05:55 PM, said:

LiveBrianD, on 01 February 2012 - 03:45 PM, said:

crazy4laptops, on 01 February 2012 - 08:01 AM, said:

I got an iPad for technically free (a friend of mine gave me her iPad in trade for a my old pc lappy) fair enough for me

My sister has the Kindle Fire, she loves it! I am enjoying my iPad because of my international friends on iMessage. But here at school, Kindle and TN Tech wifi don't get along unless the AP goes down to G mode. (It's native 5ghz N, with compatibility for 2.4ghz G/N too)

I tried Netflix side by side with iPad & Kindle, it all depends on the video playing and where I am in the house, sometimes iPad wins, other times Kindle wins...

Personally, if given the choice between, say, a core 2 duo laptop with 2gb ram or a 16gb ipad, I would take the laptop.

That would be a tough call for me if I was faced with an "either or" choice between the iPad and a conventional laptop. I'm still watching the ASUS Transformer, waiting for it to be released with Win8. Now that I know how much fun a touch screen is it may prove to be an irresistible combination --- for somebody who isn't ready to leave the Windows world yet (namely me ).

I'm not convinced that touchscreens are worth it. My friend has an all-in-one with a touchscreen. I tried the touchscreen at once, but quickly found myself using the mouse again. It's a lot faster and more precise. Touchscreens are gimmicks. OK, sometimes they're useful, but generally, I see no need. (and on a desktop, the ergonomics of one are terrible)

[compnovo]

LiveBrianD, on 01 February 2012 - 06:19 PM, said:

I'm not convinced that touchscreens are worth it. My friend has an all-in-one with a touchscreen. I tried the touchscreen at once, but quickly found myself using the mouse again. It's a lot faster and more precise. Touchscreens are gimmicks. OK, sometimes they're useful, but generally, I see no need. (and on a desktop, the ergonomics of one are terrible)

Touchscreens aren't gimmics on the right device, which happens to be a tablet. As you noted, the ergonomics on a near-vertical monitor are all wrong, the arm strain along is enough to send you to a doctor. But for couch surfing, reading in bed, etc., not having to mess with a keyboard or mouse is sweet. Remember, I have a very small netbook that is extremely portable, yet in certain situations the 7" form factor is better for content consumption. For content creation and gaming a keyboard and mouse is still my preference.

I figured out a while ago that if I have it (whatever "it" is) you don't want one. Was it something I said?

[LiveBrianD]

lol...

On a netbook, a touchscreen isn't a bad thing (with touchpads being your only other option typically, and sometimes I don't want bother carrying an external mouse). I think a traditional tablet-pc thing is best (I saw one where you just have a 10" tablet, I forget what brand, and then you can put it in a dock to get a keyboard and pointing stick - cool, but I kinda want to keep the keyboard with it because I'd use that a lot. idk... it's not hard to bring the dock with it). Windows tablets without a keyboard are ok, but I type a lot (forums, homework...) and so that would be a problem. On a desktop, I see touchscreens as mostly useless. Besides, what I've found is that a lot of screen elements don't work too well with a touchscreen (probably why I tend to use the mouse on machines with touchscreens). Yes, larger icons help there, but I don't think the metro UI is the way to go (maybe turn up the windows dpi setting?). Certainly, for content creation the keyboard and mouse are needed. For consumption, they aren't (though for me, media consumption means listening to music while surfing the 'net, and occasionally watching a movie). I've brought my netbook to school before to work on group projects (ex. powerpoints) and it's been quite useful there, and a oversized phone/tablet wouldn't work well there. (I can see a traditional tablet PC being useful there though - it would make it easier to select things in the powerpoint.) I also wonder why touchscreens are ALWAYS glossy - you get fingerprints all over them, and then it looks ugly.

Hey, I'm not exactly an opposite to you. For instance, I have an acer monitor like you (though I'm noticing some color shifting on this, which is annoying me quite a bit, and the viewing angles aren't great, though that's not as big of an issue, and the factory color settings are awful), and I have an antec case (just not the same model, because I didn't need the included psu and wasn't willing to spend too much).

This post has been edited by LiveBrianD: 01 February 2012 - 08:23 PM