I ordered it and am hoping I won't be disappointed. I would love an Ipad but they are so expensive. I hope this one lives up to all the hype.
Personal opinion: If you buy this product expecting to get an iPad, you're going to be disappointed. This is more of an iPad-Lite. Be sure you're realistic about this product's capabilities.
Please let me know what you think. I love to read and always wanted a Kindle, but never got one. DH thought they were too expensive and didn't understand why I couldn't just read a book a borrowed from the library. Now with the Kindle Fire he seems more open to the idea. I like the price point much more than the iPad. We are thinking about getting one but only after Christmas.
You're right that the library will always be cheaper (if the book you want is available), but I much prefer reading on my Kindle: You don't have to hold the pages "open", it saves your space when you stop reading, you can look up words instantly, you don't need a bookshelf on which to store your book, and it's so easy to carry it here and there.
Are you waiting 'til after Christmas 'cause you think they'll be cheaper? The new Kindle line is already budget-priced, and I wouldn't expect a better price for a year or more. If ever. I'd expect that as time goes on,
Amazon'll add more features rather than lower the price.
As for DD11...I just can't buy a $500 iPad for someone her age. She constantly misplaced her DSi, etc. $200 is a very nice gift in our family, but could live with it if it was somehow permanently misplaced.
Sounds like the voice of reason. Several of the girls in my scout troop have Kindles, which they brought on our recent trip. They just weren't careful with them: Left them on the floor by their beds, even after warnings. One of them's already on her second Kindle. You know your kid. I'd lean towards waiting an extra year to make SURE the girl's ready for a fragile, expensive toy. My girls've always been pretty good about taking care of their things, but I wouldn't have bought them a Kindle before they were teens. If they'd been careless and broken them, I would've been inordinately upset, and I'd rather just avoid that. Now that they're 14 and 17, I'd absolutely buy them one . . . but neither one wants one this year. Their interests lie elsewhere right now.
Our school just got Ipads and we have been trying them out. They are too big for what I want and my arm aches from holding the dang thing.
I own a Kindle 2 and an iPad. When I got the iPad last Christmas, I thought I'd move all my Kindle books over PLUS have a Nook app . . . I thought the iPad'd become my one-stop favorite. Nope. My Kindle is sooooo much lighter, and when you read for hours at a time
that matters!
With so many options available, it's smart to start by asking yourself WHY you want this product. If you want to read books, the plain old Kindle can't be beat, and the weight (or, lack of weight) is at the top of the "why this is #1" list.