Who here has the Kindle Fire?

[Planogirl]

I'm thinking about getting one of those too but the price seems too good to be true. How is it with internet or books?

 

[plutotek]

I can tell you that the low end is a BASIC model with no connection for streaming to the TV. I have an older version of the 2nd highest version and have been very happy with it.

 

[Cloudy]

I have a first or second generation basic Kindle Fire and I love it. I have no problem downloading books or streaming video on wifi. I have Amazon Prime and enjoy the free video content available. I also download quite a few of the free books. I find reading quality and video quality to be good. Only problem I have is it is not good for reading books in bright sunlight like at the beach or a ball park. The lighting is not right. I do not use it for surfing the internet much because the screen is somewhat small for that but have used it on vacation instead of taking a large laptop.

Amazon is pricing the base model low in hopes that you will spend money downloading content. I think it is well worth the price.

 

[Planogirl]

I understand that memory can be an issue with these. I don't really need to download much at a time so I'm not sure that that would matter. I've also been told that many apps are already locked in and that things such as youtube won't work. I don't need that but just wondering if that is true.

 

[LAB81018]

I have the new basic model and haven't had any problems with it. I read, play games, stream Pandora and surf the internet with it.

It is also the first of amazon's tablets to have a sim card slot. Initially there were things that couldn't be save to the card, but I believe that now anything can be save to the sim card.

 

[pat fan]

Ok, here's an even more basic question. Say you buy a book on Amazon, if you are where there is no wifi, is the book still readable? I personally like a "real" book, but my husband would like together able to read on his breaks but doesn't want to lug books, and there is no internet where he works.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I understand that memory can be an issue with these. I don't really need to download much at a time so I'm not sure that that would matter. I've also been told that many apps are already locked in and that things such as youtube won't work. I don't need that but just wondering if that is true.

We all have Kindles. As long as you have a strong wifi signal, you can watch videos/youtube/etc.

Also, add a memory card. Helps a lot. Don't overload it.

Ok, here's an even more basic question. Say you buy a book on Amazon, if you are where there is no wifi, is the book still readable? I personally like a "real" book, but my husband would like together able to read on his breaks but doesn't want to lug books, and there is no internet where he works.

As lon as it's downloaded to the Kindle, you don't need internet. Same with games, videos, etc.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

I have a 4th generation and the only complaint I have is the glare on the screen is rather excessive depending on the sun/light. For the price though, I'd certainly buy another.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

I got my second Fire this year for Christmas. It's the HD, with ads, because they're cheaper, so it was $149. I bought a 64GB micro SD card to hold books and movies, and it's great. Streams Netflix and HBO Now with no issues as well.

 

[si-am]

I have a Kindle Fire and an ipad. The Kindle would never replace the ipad for me in terms of checking mail or surfing internet. It is slower and seems clunkier. However, I like it for e-books because it's a tad smaller, and it's good for travel because it's smaller and lighter and more easily fits in a bag. I really hate that it has pre-installed ads, though, but I don't want to lay the $15 to get them removed.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I have Fire HD, a Fire HDX, and I recently purchased the Kindle Fire you're asking about (the HD keeps crashing after several years.) I was so unimpressed I returned it. I've never sent anything back to Amazon, ever. As inexpensive as the Kindle Fire is, it still wasn't worth the money. I didn't like the keyboard. I didn't like that it was dissimilar to my other Kindles.

I did like the color choices. I'd picked tangerine.

 

[NMAmy]

DH and I both have Kindle Fire HD's. It's great for reading, internet browsing, and streaming Netflix & Hulu. I think my favorite feature is being able to download Amazon Prime content at no charge which is nice for times when I know I won't have wi-fi.

I love it for travel because it tucks easily into my purse and allows me to do everything I need to do. I'm a big reader and was very resistant to getting an e-reader but I'm definitely a convert.

 

[kimj88]

Ok, here's an even more basic question. Say you buy a book on Amazon, if you are where there is no wifi, is the book still readable? I personally like a "real" book, but my husband would like together able to read on his breaks but doesn't want to lug books, and there is no internet where he works.

Yes

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I'm a little bit confused about the terminology. Are we talking about the Kindle Fire HD range of tablets, or the low-end, $50 Amazon Fire? Our family actually owns both types. I have a Kindle Fire HD 7 and my daughter has an Amazon Fire tablet (which I purchased from Amazon on Black Friday last year for $25!).

Both have upsides and downsides, but my Fire HD is several years old now and I'm sure there are new features so I'm not going to comment about that tablet, since it's kind of obsolete. The battery life on the old tablets is amazing though, like I said, it's several years old and I use it daily and I've only just recently started to notice that the battery isn't lasting as long.

My daughter's Amazon Fire is an amazing value for the price. I did expand the memory on it, I had to because she filled up the memory within the first couple days of owning it, she loves making videos of herself playing with toys or doing things outside. I put a 32 gig card in it and she hasn't run out of space in the last year and a half. The screen is kind of small, but it's lighter than my Kindle so I prefer reading on her tablet. The experience of reading on a tablet isn't as good as an e-reader, the tablet is good for all-around versatility though. Amazon doesn't get all the same apps as Apple and Google Play, so there's no Pokemon Go for Amazon tablets and now my daughter is asking for an ipad so she can play that dumb Pokemon Game.

 

[pat fan]

Another, probably basic, question.

If you wanted something for reading/storing books and watching local live news (streaming) would you recommend some sort of kindle (which one) or a tablet/iPad (which one?)?

Thanks!!

 

[Lynne M]

I got the cheapie Kindle for Christmas, at the black Friday sale. $35, I think? I use it almost exclusively as an e-book reader, and I absolutely love it for that because it's small and lightweight. It's about the size of a skinny paperback, so it fits in my purse easily. It's great for reading while waiting for appointments, etc. In a pinch, I can check e-mail on it or do a web search, or check the weather.

It would never, ever replace my iPad. The screen resolution is wildly inferior, the touch screen is nowhere near as responsive. You have to touch in exactly the right spot at exactly the right angle. And it's just too small for me for most web-browsing and game playing. Apps that I have on the iPad just don't seem the same on the Kindle. They're more primitive looking, and less functional.

As your one and only tablet? No. Just no. As an incredibly reasonably priced e-book reader with the ability to look at sports scores, weather and e-mail from time to time? Yes. Definitely yes.

 

[maxaroni]

I have the $50 Fire that I was able to get for $25, including a case, from someone who hated it. The only reason I bought it from her was the price. I have a Kindle Paperwhite that I love as well as an iPad. I do have an iMac still that I love, but use the iPad for everything downstairs. I do not like reading on an iPad or Fire as it hurts my eyes too much. Love the Paperwhite for reading and so easy on the eyes. My only purpose of the Fire is that it can tuck so easily to take on vacation as my iPad is the iPad Pro, which is much bigger. I also have the case/keyboard, making it too heavy to travel. However, would never purchase the Fire, if not for a good deal. I have the 8gb but no problem as I don't plan on doing much, besides the fact it can be expanded with the larger SD card. As much as I love my Paperwhite, Amazons take on a tablet isn't impressive. I suppose it depends what you currently have and what you want to use it for.

 

[Planogirl]

I'm a little bit confused about the terminology. Are we talking about the Kindle Fire HD range of tablets, or the low-end, $50 Amazon Fire? Our family actually owns both types. I have a Kindle Fire HD 7 and my daughter has an Amazon Fire tablet (which I purchased from Amazon on Black Friday last year for $25!).

Both have upsides and downsides, but my Fire HD is several years old now and I'm sure there are new features so I'm not going to comment about that tablet, since it's kind of obsolete. The battery life on the old tablets is amazing though, like I said, it's several years old and I use it daily and I've only just recently started to notice that the battery isn't lasting as long.

My daughter's Amazon Fire is an amazing value for the price. I did expand the memory on it, I had to because she filled up the memory within the first couple days of owning it, she loves making videos of herself playing with toys or doing things outside. I put a 32 gig card in it and she hasn't run out of space in the last year and a half. The screen is kind of small, but it's lighter than my Kindle so I prefer reading on her tablet. The experience of reading on a tablet isn't as good as an e-reader, the tablet is good for all-around versatility though. Amazon doesn't get all the same apps as Apple and Google Play, so there's no Pokemon Go for Amazon tablets and now my daughter is asking for an ipad so she can play that dumb Pokemon Game.

I'm interested in all of them and of course the less cost the better.

 

[Swimnoid]

I had the first generation Kindle Fire so that is several years old. I loved it. It got to the point where I couldn't charge it. I also have an ipad mini that I got from work. I use that A LOT. But when I saw the kindle fire for cheap I replaced the old one. I still like it and can use it for most of the same things as the mini but as someone else said you have to hit just the right spots and it is a little slower. I don't mind the ad at all. It is just on the lock screen. I like that it has a card slot. The ipad doesn't. Its great for the price.

 

[Planogirl]

There's also a Fire HD 6 Tablet listed on Amazon that's actually a little smaller than the regular Fire but it's more expensive. It's marked down from about $100 to $69.99 and I'm trying to figure out the differences. It seems a little too small...