iPad 1 16gb or Kindle Fire?

dmk1974 said:

I'm thinking of getting my Mom one of these two for her birthday. I don't think she needs a camera on it, so I'm ruling out the iPad 2. But it seems that a 16 GB iPad 1 can be had for about $300. Compared to the $200 Kindle Fire, which is a better buy? Her use will mainly be email, reading (she has an old b&w Kindle that would be replaced), viewing photos, and light web browsing. Thanks!

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Nook Tablet. I could not stand the KF when I tried it. Constantly missing touch inputs, carosel was way to finnicky (trying to get it to stop on the app you want can be a real pain) and not to mention the constant app crashes. I seriously don't know how people can accept such a crappy experience? I would never, ever buy the Fire. Get her a Nook Tablet and spend another $30 on a 32gb sd card and fill it with books and video's of things you know she likes.

I am discounting the iPad, since it sounds like the 7" form factor may be better for her?

Or you could get this...

awesome deal...

I know it's $200 more but you are getting an AWESOME TABLET for that money and you're getting a full 1 year warranty. Just a thought, sorry it it's too pricey.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC497LL/A

I'd go refurb iPad. Piece of cake to use.

Both of those products are basically evenly matched. So the only question to ask yourself is a larger screen worth $100 to you?

I don't know where you're seeing a refurb for $300. I can't find a used first gen ipad for less than $400 anyways.

many friends that have kindles have not purchased a tablet to replace but to have the kindle as an ereadrer and a tablet.
Your mom may not want to schlep the heavier tablet around and that may not usable in the light.

My wife has an ipad 2 but carries the kindle for reading.

Something to consider with the ipad 2 is facetime.
How about a refurb ipad 2.
I would be skeptical in buying an ipad1 any more.

bruinsrme said:

many friends that have kindles have not purchased a tablet to replace but to have the kindle as an ereadrer and a tablet.

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That's exactly why we bought my wife a Kindle Fire. It's a lot lighter than the iPad and is excellent for reading.

OP, if you're mother already has an eInk Kindle I'd probably get her an iPad. It's really that much better for everything else.

Personally, I would not risk buying used off of craigslist versus a brand new kindle fire for less money. All the uses you talked about the kindle fire accomplishes very well.

Main point, I think it's smarter to get a new product for less money.

Looks like apple pulled the first gen iPad refurbs from its store, but lowered the price of iPad 2 refurbs to starting at $419

Why not get her a brand new iPad 2 WiFi 16gb for $499?

How about neither? Honestly, if you're going to go the Fire route, the Nook Tablet for $50 more is a better value, and the Nook Color for the same money is a better value. So here's my 2 cents suggestion for a "starter tablet".

You can get a refurbished Nook Color on ebay (direct from Barnes & Noble) for $129 with free shipping and 1 year warranty. The on-board OS, besides the eReader app, has a web browser, a simple but functional email app, Pandora, and access to the B&N app store for games and other apps. It also has the ability to load on pictures, music, and movies by connecting to a computer and simply dragging and dropping. The on-board memory is only 8 GB, but the Color also has a micro SD slot to add storage. That alone puts it ahead of the Fire, IMO. That's Part 1.

Part 2: If you go here: http://rootmynookcolor.com/ you can purchase a 16 GB bootable micro SD card for $50 with Android Gingerbread pre-loaded. Turn the Nook off, turn back on and you can boot into full Android from the SD card. The Color OS is not modified so the warranty is not voided. If you choose the MIUI card you get a user interface that is designed to mimic the look and feel of the iPad. You then have full access to the Android Market and the Amazon App Store, not to mention the cool ability to download the Kindle App and read Amazon books on your B&N device!

The rootmynook card also comes with a number of apps pre-loaded: Netflix, YouTube, Zinio (for magazines), Angry Birds, Facebook, Dropbox, TV.com, Amazon App Store, Kindle, Pandora, and Google Maps, Contacts, Calendar, and Mail.

No camera or microphone, but for less than $200 including the bootable SD card, it's hard to go too wrong.

Get the iPad 1. No question. The extra $100 is worth the refinement, polish, and apps that come with an iOS device.

Great find! I sold my 16GB ipad 1 for $250 last week,so a 64 GB version for $300 is a steal.

dmk1974 said:

Well, I bought her a 64 gb wifi iPad 1 on Craigslist for $300. It is mint with box and a nice white incase case. AppleCare til April 2013 too!

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Excellent I am sure she'll enjoy it

Used the Kindle Fire for a week... Never ever going to touch it again. My recommendation, watch the Engadget video review before you buy. Lousiest product ever... well, after PlayBook that is. It offers a lot but in order to do so, it should work in the first place.

dmk1974 said:

Bottom line...I'm going back and giving her an iPad 2 WiFi 16gb tomorrow and selling off the iPad 1 I just bought along with her iPod Touch. Net/Net all the same for me...and she'll have a nice upgrade from an iPod Touch to an iPad 2.

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I wouldn't be so quick to get rid of the Touch. Considering the Touch fits in your pocket, there will be times when your mom might miss having that portability.

One is a solar powered laser beam guitar the other runs Android.

iPad 1 for sure...much better all-round tablet. Kindle Fire fits a different niche.

3dflyboy1 said:

iPad 1 for sure...much better all-round tablet. Kindle Fire fits a different niche.

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Maybe you didn't read his latest post...

Try pinch and zoom with kindle fire. It is a nightmare.

iPad all the way...

You can get iPad around 300 dollars as refurbished.

Kindle fire is a great for an ebook reader. But, iPad is much better.

hcho3 said:

Try pinch and zoom with kindle fire. It is a nightmare.

iPad all the way...

You can get iPad around 300 dollars as refurbished.

Kindle fire is a great for an ebook reader. But, iPad is much better.

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(sitting here pinching and zooming on your post with my kindle fire)

I don't get it...