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KINDLE FIRE!
![[image loading]](http://gadgetmix.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Kindle-Fire.jpg)
I got my Kindle Fire in the mail on Tuesday but I have not been able to open it until today because of damn midterms. Sorry for making you guys wait for a first impression/review.
*disclaimer*
This is my opinion.
My Kindle Fire came with a specialized shipping container. I don’t have a regular Kindle so I don’t know if they send those with special packages. Anyway, I open the container and I find my Fire along with only a charger. This charger isn’t a snazzy iPhone charger that lets you connect the Kindle to your computer so those people that have ordered one will have to buy a cord to connect to your computer.
![[image loading]](http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6217/6351128754_578cd9b9b9.jpg)
Back to the Kindle. It looks exactly like the pictures and the back is made of a rubbery material that helps you grip it. I’m a pretty huge fan of the back because without it I think I would continuously drop it, not that it is awkward to hold or anything. I am just a clumsy individual.
![[image loading]](http://dotnetmobile.com/wp-content/plugins/RSSPoster_PRO/cache/e58f3_Amazon%2520Kindle%2520Fire%2520Back.JPG)
The power button is on the bottom next to the charging spot. I am not a big fan of that because I tend to read my books while charging and I found that the cord is not long enough to hold the Kindle upside-down. It may depend on you. Another gripe that I had was there being no HOME button. IF you own an apple product you will be familiar with the big round home button that will take you to your directory. Not having that button will take time to get used to and I really don’t think I want to get used to it. To alleviate the problem, most amazon approved applications feature the home button in very obvious locations; its usually located on the bottom left of your screen. I have an issue with not having basic external buttons. The Kindle also does not include volume adjustment buttons outside. Instead you need to tap it and then slide across the screen to either increase or decrease the volume.
![[image loading]](http://static.arstechnica.com/11-14-2011/kindle_fire_bottom.jpg)
Ok so I got the Kindle started up, it uploaded all my info/music/etc from amazon cloud and updated itself to the latest firmware. I am not sure if it will do it automatically from now on but that was convenient. Keyboard is pretty nice, its like every other tablet.
![[image loading]](http://gadgetcatalog.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Amazon-Kindle-Fire-review-keyboard.jpg)
This is a Kindle so the basics are there, reading is easy but it doesn’t replace the feel of a book. You can read PDF’s and normal documents. You also get a kindle address that you can get documents sent directly to. The Kindle is quite responsive. But, it has some tracking issues with my fingers but that should not be a huge issue for most people.
The app selection is pretty small but its only the first week. Ill complain if the app selection remains like this in 2 months. There are your basic apps like Netflix and Hulu, they run pretty well and magazines look nice. The SILK browser doesn’t feel faster but that could also be because ive used this thing for like 3 hours so far.
The screen is pretty good but honestly how good do you expect the screen to be. It isn’t going to blow you away or anything. It is just normal. I know a lot of people are going to read this to see whether or not the Kindle can watch streams. I tested Destiny’s stream, Huk’s stream and Naniwa. Those are 2 twitch.tv streams and 1 from ow3d.tv. They work but putting the stream to 1080 didn’t really change anything so that was disappointing. Its an e-reader with some tablet functionality.
Verdict:
For what it was aiming for, Amazon did really well. But if you want a fully functional tablet the iPad is what you want. If someone told me that the Fire was costed 200 dollars and I didn’t know better, I would think that he was lying. Keeping the cost in mind I give the Fire some leeway in terms of functionality. To me it scores a 4/5.
Ask any questions that you have in the comments; I will try to add pictures and answer your questions when I have time. Thanks for reading!
 
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if they sold those in Germany I'd be all over it.
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I'm gonna be getting my hands on a Blackberry Playbook as soon as they go on sale for $200 (16GB) tommorow. From what I hear it's much more functional and has better hardware than the Fire so I hope not to be disappointed.
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you've base all your gripes about the kindle on the fact that it isnt an ipad. -__-
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On November 18 2011 06:02 onewingedmoogle wrote:
you've base all your gripes about the kindle on the fact that it isnt an ipad. -__-
Do you want me to compare it to nothing? I dont see how comparing it to one of the best tablets on the market is a problem :/
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United States7481 Posts
really? your charger doesn't connect to the computer?
to me that is shocking because the normal kindle one does.
did you try pullling off the plug from that end of the cable? there might be a hidden usb end there.
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On November 18 2011 06:04 Spicy_Curry wrote:Show nested quote +On November 18 2011 06:02 onewingedmoogle wrote:
you've base all your gripes about the kindle on the fact that it isnt an ipad. -__- Do you want me to compare it to nothing? I dont see how comparing it to one of the best tablets on the market is a problem :/
That's a big problem. If youre gonna make a comparison, at least compare it to something in its class. Say the 7in galaxy tab, or even (maybe a little stretched) the nook color. How are you gonna compare a corolla to a lexus?
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On November 18 2011 06:13 Antoine wrote:
really? your charger doesn't connect to the computer?
to me that is shocking because the normal kindle one does.
did you try pullling off the plug from that end of the cable? there might be a hidden usb end there.
Well the charger looks like this:
![[image loading]](http://static.arstechnica.com/11-14-2011/kindle_fire_charger.jpg)
I doubt I can pull that out.
On November 18 2011 06:15 henzi wrote:Show nested quote +On November 18 2011 06:04 Spicy_Curry wrote:On November 18 2011 06:02 onewingedmoogle wrote:
you've base all your gripes about the kindle on the fact that it isnt an ipad. -__- Do you want me to compare it to nothing? I dont see how comparing it to one of the best tablets on the market is a problem :/ That's a big problem. If youre gonna make a comparison, at least compare it to something in its class. Say the 7in galaxy tab, or even (maybe a little stretched) the nook color. How are you gonna compare a corolla to a lexus?
You are right but in the end I say that it is not an iPad so dont expect it to be one. The Kindle is exactly what amazon markets and I am just slightly annoyed that there arent physical keys because I am so used to apple products.
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United States7481 Posts
hm yeah that's a lot different lol. that's pretty surprising, i guess they just want you to email everything to it
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I ordered mine yesterday. Can't wait. I'll be using to watch videos before I drift into sleep.
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I kind of like that there are some actual design features that can separate it from an iPad. If I wanted something that looked like and acted like a slightly cheaper version of an ipad, but with less apps, then I would just buy an ipad instead. This at least looks like amazon is trying to create their own product and not some cheap knock off. I guess if you already have an ipad though, then there's not really much need for a kindle, is there?
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I've been kicking around the idea of getting one of these, thanks for your review.
One of the main reasons I'm looking into an e-reader is that my gf and I have very different sleep schedules and I like to read before I go to sleep, but if she is already asleep I don't want to turn the light on to read a book. So my question is, would reading from this in an otherwise dark room be A. possible? and B. enjoyable? I know very little about e-readers so sorry if it is a dumb question.
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On November 18 2011 05:20 Spicy_Curry wrote:
My Kindle Fire came with a specialized shipping container. I don’t have a regular Kindle so I don’t know if they send those with special packages.
they do
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United Kingdom14464 Posts
WHY DONT ENGLAND GET COOL SHTUFF??
Thanks for the review. For it's cost, the Fire looks amazing, comparing it to the Ipad is silly, of course it's going to lose. If this was out in the UK it would probably be on my christmas list, but as it is, I'm sure a newer and shinier low end tablet will be released by then.
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On November 18 2011 07:03 Lemonwalrus wrote:
I've been kicking around the idea of getting one of these, thanks for your review.
One of the main reasons I'm looking into an e-reader is that my gf and I have very different sleep schedules and I like to read before I go to sleep, but if she is already asleep I don't want to turn the light on to read a book. So my question is, would reading from this in an otherwise dark room be A. possible? and B. enjoyable? I know very little about e-readers so sorry if it is a dumb question.
Reading from a dark room is definitely possible. Its not really a huge issue for me to read in the dark since there are options to change the brightness.
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I think the less expensive tablets are a smart idea, there's no reason for them to cost a lot considering the limitations of the hardware. If you can browse and watch streams that's pretty sweet. I'd love to use that from my couch instead of my laptop.
But for a reader it could never replace an eink display for me, I would only ever use it for browser based stuff and video
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Can it read divx?
Oh and if you cant plug it to you PC how can you transfer sutff on it?
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Good review, I got my Kindle Fire two days ago and I pretty much agree with all you like and dislike of the Fire.
I'll cross my fingers hoping app developers support this tablet in the near future.
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Wait if you cant connect it to your computer can you put mp3's on it and dvi videos?
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So it can handle stream at a reasonable quality? I do not need 1080p on a 7 inch screen. How does it work with GOMtv and MLG VODs? I really wanted to get one, but only if I could watch SC2 on the majorty of websites.
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EPT
