Anyone have a Kindle Fire? How do you like it?

[secretpantssam]

I wanted to get my husband a tablet for Christmas. I only really have experience with an Ipad that I was issued through work. I do like my Ipad but it just seems too expensive for a thing he'll probably just be checking internet on. So I was looking at the Kindle fire but wanted to see how people who owned one felt about it.

Also, if you have another decently priced tablet you love (or hate) feel free to give me your reviews!

 

[JanaDee]

I wanted to get my husband a tablet for Christmas. I only really have experience with an Ipad that I was issued through work. I do like my Ipad but it just seems too expensive for a thing he'll probably just be checking internet on. So I was looking at the Kindle fire but wanted to see how people who owned one felt about it.

Also, if you have another decently priced tablet you love (or hate) feel free to give me your reviews!

DD has a Fire and a mini ipad (both bought with her own money). She much prefers the ipad and finds the Fire to be glitchy and freezes often.

Her Fire has been gathering dust the last 6 months, ever since she got the mini ipad.

 

[JanaDee]

I have an ipad Air and it is used multiple times a day, mainly for email/internet. With the new versions of the ipads coming out, you should be able to find decent deals on older models.

 

[albarellic]

My husband LOVES his fire. He's had it now for almost 2 years. He loves it so much we bought one for his 84 year old grandmother last year for Christmas. We tried several cheaper tablets for her and the battery life/ screen resolution were terrible.

The only problem we've ever had was trying to explain how to use one to an 84 year old hard-of-hearing grandmother She has the occasional issue, but it's more often than not user error.

 

[Lorajo]

We use our ipads and iphones so much for everything else.

I have the classic Kindle and it is so much easier on the eyes and pleasant to read in large amounts.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I have a Kindle, a Kindle Paperwhite, a Kindle Fire HD, and a Kindle Fire HDX. Oh, and an iPod. And no, I don't work for Amazon.

I like them all. These are all the older versions. I think I'm set for a while. Clearly, I enjoy the Kindle. Drawback in my opinion is there are far fewer apps for Kindle than for ios or Android.

 

[kbwright]

I have had a Fire for 2 years...or I did before it was commandeered by my BF who loves it...I sometimes get visitation if he leaves it on the table

 

[blackpearlpirate]

I received the Kindle Fire HD for Christmas last year. I use it mostly for checking email and browsing the web. I use it everyday and quite often during the day. I have had a few problems with the silk browser crashing if I don't clear the history often. My Kindle also freezes occasionally and won't turn back on unless I wait a day or two before trying. I'm not sure if it's freezing all the time because I"m putting too much wear and tear on it? I like it but I think I might invest in a nicer tablet in the future.

 

[RmeDad]

My wife has a Kindle Fire and after 1 year and a month, it has quit working. JUNK! I have both a Nook HD+ and a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 both work well.

 

[puffkin]

We have a family ipad and my DS8 uses it all the time. I decided to get him a Kindle Fire last year for Christmas. I have Amazon Prime and liked the Free Time service for kids and thought it would be great for him.

Well.....I just sold the Fire last week. We all hated it. It was glitchy. Very clunky to use. Most of the games he liked from the Ipad weren't available on the Fire. It was very cumbersome to do anything on it. The battery was constantly drained, it didn't seem to hold a charge. He hadn't even touched it since spring. I do have an older Kindle keyboard for reading and I love that, but we were not impressed at all with the Kindle Fire. I am using the proceeds to get him an ipad mini this year. I shouldn't have cheaped out last year. Lesson learned.

 

[3boymthr]

Oldest DS has a Kindle Fire and a Samsung tablet. He MUCH prefers the Samsung. He likes the Kindle but says the ports, etc. on the samsung are just so much more user friendly. However a Samsung Tablet is much more expensive than a Kindle.

If thinking about Android tablets, Dell makes both a 7 inch and an 8 inch. We got one free with our computer but I can't say how it works as I put it with the box of Christmas presents. However; the price on the Dell is less than the Kindle Fire. $150 for the 7 inch with 16 GB storage.

 

[mjkacmom]

We've been through 3. We liked them when they worked, but haven't managed to get 2 years out of any of them (and we exchanged 2 of them - still couldn't get to the 2 year mark).

 

[JanaDee]

We've been through 3. We liked them when they worked, but haven't managed to get 2 years out of any of them (and we exchanged 2 of them - still couldn't get to the 2 year mark).

My DD's made it to about 14 months. She had limped it along for a couple months before that, but she finally got frustrated with the constant crashing, freezing and glitches.

 

[yoopermom]

I have a first generation Kindle (that I still use for reading books on), a Kindle Fire (first gen) that I gifted to a relative last Christmas when I got a Kindle Fire HDX (which I am on probably three hours out of the day, mostly nights). I also have/had an Ipad Mini that my Apple Eating parents insisted on buying me, but which I sold within six months because I didn't like it .

Benefits of Kindle:
1)excellent customer service, bar none, including "Mayday" on the new Fires where the rep can actually "see" and manipulate your Fire remotely to diagnose possible problems, talk you through things
2)beautiful screen image (I stream tons of movies on my HDX, and the picture is prettier than on two of our tvs!)
3)if you have "simple" needs, no clutter to confuse you (I watch movies, surf the net, check my email, and maybe a half dozen apps, I'm a simple gal)
4)ease of purchase/use withing the Amazon empire (look I'm buying a crate of toilet paper, now I'm streaming a movie, now I'm getting a free chapter to preview a new book to possibly purchase, etc)

Now I do have to say that I buy Squaretrade warranties for all my electronics, and under that had my original Kindle Fire replaced at least twice (due to known charging issues). Just buys peace of mind.

The best thing to do is to go to a store where you can handle and try out each and every one, since every user is different. And remember that technology is changing constantly, so don't presume that anything that you buy will be used beyond a few years from now....

Terri

 

[laurafergie]

I have gone back and forth on this myself for DD10. I wanted to get her own tablet so she would leaver my iPad and her sister's laptop alone. Lol. Right now on apple.com you can get a refurbished iPad mini for $209. Same warranty as a new. After reading reviews of Kindle Fire glitches and I have apps already purchased through apple, I decided on a refurbished mini for Xmas. For what its worth, I love my kindle for reading and the iPad not so much.

 

[NYEmomma]

My 5yo has a Fire and loves it. She's had it for 2 years now and we've had absolutely no problems but I'm sure if we did have any, Amazon customer service would be very accommodating and helpful. I have a Kindle Touch and they sent me a replacement one next day when it wouldn't work properly.

We're getting my 2.5 year olds Fires for Christmas as well.

I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab and DH has a Google Nexus that neither of us have any complaints about either. Both are every bit as affordable as a Fire HD, I believe (don't quote me on that, it's been a couple years).

 

[JanaDee]

My 5yo has a Fire and loves it. She's had it for 2 years now and we've had absolutely no problems but I'm sure if we did have any, Amazon customer service would be very accommodating and helpful. I have a Kindle Touch and they sent me a replacement one next day when it wouldn't work properly.

We're getting my 2.5 year olds Fires for Christmas as well.

I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab and DH has a Google Nexus that neither of us have any complaints about either. Both are every bit as affordable as a Fire HD, I believe (don't quote me on that, it's been a couple years).

Unfortunately, Amazon wasn't all that helpful when it came to DD's Fire. Yes, it was technically out of warranty, but I expect a product to last longer than a year. It would no longer charge, either.

They told us we were out of luck.

 

[Darcy03231]

DH has an Ipad Air, I have a Kindle Fire and a Kindle Paperwhite. DH loves his Ipad. I haven't picked up the Fire since I got the paperwhite (which was in April 2014). Prior to getting the paperwhite I only used the Fire infrequently. I can't say that I really liked it. I am debating picking up an Ipad mini if there's a deal on one on Black Friday.

 

[Stargazer]

I had a Kindle Fire, but when it decided to stop charging, I switched to the Samsung Tab 4.

I liked the Fire okay, but I absolutely the Samsung. It's much faster, I can still read my Kindle, and I can put more stuff on it since you can mount a micro SD. DH has already asked for a Samsung for Christmas too!

 

[NYEmomma]

Unfortunately, Amazon wasn't all that helpful when it came to DD's Fire. Yes, it was technically out of warranty, but I expect a product to last longer than a year. It would no longer charge, either.

They told us we were out of luck.

Really? That surprises me. Mine was out of warranty and wouldn't transfer
books from my comp onto it anymore. Had a new one next day.