some Kindle Fire reviews are already in

[jsh1120]

Browser support for Flash is dead. 1. It was killed off and 2. The iPad displays Flash too with Photon Web Browser.

Alternate keyboards are fine, except when they don't work! This is because the touch sensitivity of the device sucks and you get no indication if you have actually hit what you wanted to hit.


Again, this = Fail. Jsh, you have no ground left to stand on. Just admit the Fire is nothing like th iPad, it does not do 80-90% of what the iPad does and that it is a poor excuse for a tablet. It is an excellent ereader for books and access to Amazon's store as a catalog. To call it anything else, is pure crap.

Oddly enough I've been using alternate keyboards on my Android phones for a couple of years. They work fine, especially SwiftKey. Of course, since you have no experience with anything other than the one keyboard Apple allows you to have, you wouldn't know that.

As for browsing...

"...Oh, and that much bandied browser, Silk? It works just as well as Amazon said—pages rendered fine and rapidly, thanks to the cloud-crunching, and can be bookmarked, emailed (via Amazon's capable little native client), Facebook shared—and yes, tabbed. Silk is as real a browser as mobile Safari, and ultra legible thanks to that book-worthy display. Pinch it! Zoom it! It's great. The best part is it'll only become faster as more beings start caching their online journeys for the rest of us. Thanks, fellow Kindle Fire owners! We're in it together!

http://gizmodo.com/5858779/kindle-fire-review-the-ipad-finally-has-serious-competition

Yes, I know. You don't believe Gizmodo on this point though you're happy to believe anything negative said in the review.

Oh, by the way, I haven't noticed all the Flash content disappear from the web since the announcement that Adobe will focus on HTML5. Perhaps by next week, eh?

What I find remarkable is your desire to run down a product you've never used and never even seen just because it doesn't have an Apple logo on it. Most consumers would be happy to see innovation cut the price of functionality. Apparently, you're not one of those people. Obsessive worship can do that.

 

[Mac.World]

Oddly enough I've been using alternate keyboards on my Android phones for a couple of years. They work fine, especially SwiftKey. Of course, since you have no experience with anything other than the one keyboard Apple allows you to have, you wouldn't know that.

As for browsing...

"...Oh, and that much bandied browser, Silk? It works just as well as Amazon said—pages rendered fine and rapidly, thanks to the cloud-crunching, and can be bookmarked, emailed (via Amazon's capable little native client), Facebook shared—and yes, tabbed. Silk is as real a browser as mobile Safari, and ultra legible thanks to that book-worthy display. Pinch it! Zoom it! It's great. The best part is it'll only become faster as more beings start caching their online journeys for the rest of us. Thanks, fellow Kindle Fire owners! We're in it together!

http://gizmodo.com/5858779/kindle-fire-review-the-ipad-finally-has-serious-competition

Yes, I know. You don't believe Gizmodo on this point though you're happy to believe anything negative said in the review.

Oh, by the way, I haven't noticed all the Flash content disappear from the web since the announcement that Adobe will focus on HTML5. Perhaps by next week, eh?

What I find remarkable is your desire to run down a product you've never used and never even seen just because it doesn't have an Apple logo on it. Most consumers would be happy to see innovation cut the price of functionality. Apparently, you're not one of those people. Obsessive worship can do that.

LOL. Gizmodo. Seriously? They will lick the nuts of anything not Apple. Majority of the reviews are bashing the web browser as laggy and stuttery. Slower than even the original iPad, but on par with the Playbook. That pretty much sums up the quality of the Fire browser, right there.

As for me using nothing but Apple keyboards. I guess my Touchpad and HTC must be using Apple's keyboards. I never knew.


And my point has nothing to do with the Fire. It has to do with people like you, who has never used one either, making claims that this is as good as an iPad. It clearly is not and I've been saying this the whole time. And now that the reviews agree with what i have been saying, you have no ground left to stand on except to argue insignificant pompous points. Really, you bring Flash up. That's all you have left? It's pathetic and quite frankly, i'm done talking to you. The Fire will have limited success and will appease the Amazon faithful, but will piss everyone else off that got the impression, by people like YOU, that they were going to get an iPad experience at half the cost!

 

[PracticalMac]

http://www.wired.com/reviews/2011/11/kindle-fire/
The Fire isn’t a dud, but its real-world performance and utility match neither the benchmarks of public expectation, nor the standards set by the world’s best tablets.

The Fire’s 7-inch, 1024×600 screen is too small for many key tablet activities. The Fire’s processor, a 1GHz dual-core chip, appears all but insufficient for fluid, silky-smooth web browsing, an area where I found performance to be preternaturally slow. And unlike most of its tablet competitors, the Fire lacks a camera, 3G data connectivity, and a slot for removable storage.

As an assembly of physical components, the Fire lives at the bottom of the tablet food chain — and this limits what the Fire can actually do as a piece of mobile hardware. But all those consumers who pre-ordered the Fire knew this going in, right?

http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/amazon-kindle-fire-review/
without HDMI output there's no way to get this video content onto a larger display. We asked Amazon if wireless video streaming might be in the cards, but the response is that instead the company would like you to try streaming your video content through any of a number of other devices that can pull Amazon content. So, here's to hoping you own one of those, too.

When stacked up against other popular tablets, the Fire can't compete. Its performance is a occasionally sluggish, its interface often clunky, its storage too slight, its functionality a bit restricted and its 7-inch screen too limiting if you were hoping to convert all your paper magazine subscriptions into the digital ones. Other, bigger tablets do it better -- usually at two or three times the cost.
(overall they gave a good review for the price)

http://gizmodo.com/5858779/kindle-fire-review-the-ipad-finally-has-serious-competition
I said the Fire is very responsive, most of the time. Most of the time, yes. But when it's not, it's awful. There's absolutely no excuse for a machine with these guts to be unable to turn pages with zero lag. It has two cores, for Chrissake. What are they being used for? Lag is, other than using your tablet to bludgeon someone to death, the worst possible sin of portable computing. Unfortunately, the Fire is probably cursed with the same blood as every other Android device that can't manage to run a mile without tripping over its laces. Luckily for Amazon, its tablet is among the peppier around—but it's pretty pathetic that it can't match the iPad at this point. Paper doesn't lag. Your Kindle shouldn't either. A pity.
(also gave a good mark in price/performance)

http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/amazon-kindle-fire/4505-3126_7-35022491.html
The Kindle Fire is here to entertain us, and at $199, I suspect many will take Amazon up on the offer. If you need a tablet that can keep up with your jet-setting, spreadsheet-editing, video-chatting lifestyle, I can point you to a few dozen better options. For the rest of you, read on.

(exactly! If anyone expect it to do better then iPad, they will be very, very disappointed!)

http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/14/2560084/kindle-fire-review
This isn't an iPad-killer. It has the potential to do lots of things, but there are many things I have yet to see it do, and I wonder if it will get there given the lean software support. It's my impression that Amazon believes that the Fire will be so popular that developers will choose to work on its platform rather than on Google's main trunk of Android, but that's just a theory right now.


What I have been saying all alone, Fire will do well mainly because it is Amazon, but anyone experienced with iPad, Galaxy, or Xoom will likely immediately return it.

CNet is on mark "The Kindle Fire is here to entertain us", but to be productive with it, even to see movies, it will fall short.


OH! How many notice the Steve Jobs book in the Fire pics?

 

[jsh1120]

As for me using nothing but Apple keyboards. I guess my Touchpad and HTC must be using Apple's keyboards. I never knew.


And my point has nothing to do with the Fire. It has to do with people like you, who has never used one either, making claims that this is as good as an iPad. It clearly is not and I've been saying this the whole time. And now that the reviews agree with what i have been saying, you have no ground left to stand on except to argue insignificant pompous points. Really, you bring Flash up. That's all you have left? It's pathetic and quite frankly, i'm done talking to you. The Fire will have limited success and will appease the Amazon faithful, but will piss everyone else off that got the impression, by people like YOU, that they were going to get an iPad experience at half the cost!

You use an HTC and Touchpad ONSCREEN keyboard on an iPad? Perhaps you should brush up on your reading skills.

And for the umpteenth time, I never claimed the Fire "is as good as an iPad." Another problem with your reading skills.

And apparently you cannot read the conclusions of the reviews that started this thread. That's strike three on your ability to read.

You might want to check around. There are tutoring services available nearly everywhere that can get your reading up to grade level.

 

[Statelymwhite]

The price point of the Kindle Fire means I can get one for my technophobe in-laws and not worry that I blew $500. Portable email and web browsing without calling me ten times a day about viruses, spyware, bloat, and general Windows nastiness is worth it.

The iPad was like the only car available being a Ferrari. Now there's a Honda Civic available, which is perfect for those for which that's all they need.

 

[Confuzzzed]

The iPad was like the only car available being a Ferrari. Now there's a Honda Civic available, which is perfect for those for which that's all they need.

Well, almost a good analogy. At least you expect the Civic to start and to go! It sounds to me that the one aspect of the Fire that I most looked forward to having a good experience on, that of browsing, seems to be inferior than even the iPhone 3GS. The other attraction was to be able to have a cheaper device to let my kids play games on without worrying about them breaking my more expensive iPad 2. But I can achieve that with an iPod Touch and plenty more as well including FaceTime with my other iOS devices. So from this non-savvy electronics consumer, my Kindle Fire pre-order was cancelled.

 

[Yr Blues]

The bezel is larger at the bottom. That bugs the hell out of me. PM me if you need design consultation, Jeff.

 

[BergerFan]

The bezel is larger at the bottom. That bugs the hell out of me. PM me if you need design consultation, Jeff.

Agreed. I'm a stickler for symmetry.

 

[iEvolution]

Amazon apologists who swallow Bezos's bezoars without any thought will tell you "Oh, that's okay, I'm sure they'll fix that in a software update." The problem with this thinking is two-fold:

1) We don't know for sure that it will be updated, or even that it can be. It may be a hardware issue.

2) How many everyday, non-tech users are going to know to expect an update or care? Most people expect the major features to work seamlessly (or at least fairly so) right out of the box. That's why so many were bummed about the Playbook not having a built-in email app, despite the promise of one coming in an update.

But facts get in the way of their Amazon-induced boners, so good luck arguing it.

Oh no apple has NEVER released buggy software or hardware before EVER!
(2007 iPod Touch inverted blacks, 2007 Classic/Nano, Classic as it stands now is not very responsive, the countless monitor problems they've had, etc.)

Apple is one of the companies I would consider to have one of the worst quality controls when it comes to releasing new products. While they (99% of the time) fix bugs over time quite well their initial products (unless based upon a previous device) are pretty poorly tested.

If they can't get a 1Ghz dual core with 512MB of RAM to run smoothly they need to find some new software developers because that hardware should be plenty.

I do think Amazon should have had a well tested machine out the gate instead of using pricing as a gimmick and pull a "upgrade as you consumers test". I mean they have some serious competition and they didn't think to have it running smooth out the gate?

----------

Well, almost a good analogy. At least you expect the Civic to start and to go! It sounds to me that the one aspect of the Fire that I most looked forward to having a good experience on, that of browsing, seems to be inferior than even the iPhone 3GS. The other attraction was to be able to have a cheaper device to let my kids play games on without worrying about them breaking my more expensive iPad 2. But I can achieve that with an iPod Touch and plenty more as well including FaceTime with my other iOS devices. So from this non-savvy electronics consumer, my Kindle Fire pre-order was cancelled.

So you've pretty much read other people's reviews and didn't bother to find out for yourself? What can you not form an opinion all on your own? Can always take it back later.

 

[monkeylui]

I received the kindle fire a couple of hours ago. Turned it on, connected to wifi, register to my amazon account. Then an update downloaded, didn't take long, but I plugged it in & let it sit because I was watching dexter. Lol.

I downloaded my currently reading book, Steve Jobs, which like any kindle device took under a minute.

The interface is beautiful. I really like the design. I think the update may have addressed some of the concerns and issues that some of the early reviews were talking about. Honestly I have had nothing like what some showed. It's fairly smooth and responsive. No, not like the iPad 2, which I'm currently typing on, but it's nothing at all like the videos and reviews were mentioning.

I downloaded the Pandora App, and it was quick and easy. No problems at all. I set up my email and it was very easy, just signed in to gmail and checked off a couple of settings and it was done within 15 seconds. I even replied to an email. I have to get use to the android keyboard, but it's fine. It's a software qwerty keyboard. Spacing is a little different for a 7in device, I've only had experience with my ipad and my iphone, so the in-between size is new for me.

Reading on it is very much like on the kindle for ipad app. the only difference is you get a set of fonts, which is cool, similar to ibooks. Page turns were quick and responsive, all of your normal settings are there, brightness, page type, font size, etc.

It's a little heavier than I expected, but of course not as heavy as my ipad. No biggie as I usually have my ipad resting on my lap or sitting up on it's case.

So overall I'm very impressed. I think it's a great experience and look forward too using it more.

Hope this helps.

 

[Heisler98]

Read the title of the website

It's called MAC Rumors fyi. Mac implying Apple.

Kindle is owned by Amazon.

 

[m3coolpix]

I received the kindle fire a couple of hours ago. Turned it on, connected to wifi, register to my amazon account. Then an update downloaded, didn't take long, but I plugged it in & let it sit because I was watching dexter. Lol.

I downloaded my currently reading book, Steve Jobs, which like any kindle device took under a minute.

The interface is beautiful. I really like the design. I think the update may have addressed some of the concerns and issues that some of the early reviews were talking about. Honestly I have had nothing like what some showed. It's fairly smooth and responsive. No, not like the iPad 2, which I'm currently typing on, but it's nothing at all like the videos and reviews were mentioning.

I downloaded the Pandora App, and it was quick and easy. No problems at all. I set up my email and it was very easy, just signed in to gmail and checked off a couple of settings and it was done within 15 seconds. I even replied to an email. I have to get use to the android keyboard, but it's fine. It's a software qwerty keyboard. Spacing is a little different for a 7in device, I've only had experience with my ipad and my iphone, so the in-between size is new for me.

Reading on it is very much like on the kindle for ipad app. the only difference is you get a set of fonts, which is cool, similar to ibooks. Page turns were quick and responsive, all of your normal settings are there, brightness, page type, font size, etc.

It's a little heavier than I expected, but of course not as heavy as my ipad. No biggie as I usually have my ipad resting on my lap or sitting up on it's case.

So overall I'm very impressed. I think it's a great experience and look forward too using it more.

Hope this helps.

Stop it!!!! Most in this thread don't want to see a positive review.....

And, besides, mine won't be here til tomorrow....<sigh>

It's always tough to gauge the responsiveness of a product through a video, and I always reserve judgement til I play with the device (liberal return policy). For example, the video I saw today from the LA Times had very respectable response for moving around, and some of the ones linked earlier in this thread....not so much.

 

[jsh1120]

Stop it!!!! Most in this thread don't want to see a positive review.....

Actually, some of us are interested in reading multiple reviews and assessing the overall experience rather than looking exclusively for points to criticize.

 

[weespeed]

I got mine this morning.

It was really easy to set up. Had it up and running in minutes.
Then I went to videos and watched IP Man2 with my prime member ship. Clear and streamed great.
I even side loaded a .m4v, but had to rename to .mp4 and it played fine.
Used ES File explorer.

Overall I like it. It really is a device that connects you to Amazon services. If you're a prime member, it's a no brainer.

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that other tablets have, but it wasn't meant to be. It was priced and meant to be a portal into the world of Amazon.

I have an iPad1, iPad2, GalaxyTab 7" and a TouchPad.
I'll say that I'll use this more than my iPads and much more than my TouchPad.
My GalaxyTab is the original 7" tablet, and I'm attached to it. But the Fire actually runs smoother. It could be because it isn't asked to do the things my Tab is, but it is a better experience so far.

My only complaint is the power/sleep button is in an awkward spot. I pressed it a couple times while doing something and it put it to sleep.

Anyone know how to change the lock-screen background?

 

[jsh1120]

...It's a software qwerty keyboard. Spacing is a little different for a 7in device, I've only had experience with my ipad and my iphone, so the in-between size is new for me.

If you're inclined, you might want to purchase the SwiftKey X keyboard app. I use it on my Android cell phone and find it to be the best predictive typing experience I've found. Once it becomes accustomed to the words you use, it eliminates about 25% or more of the keystrokes required.

I believe, by the way, that there are two versions of that keyboard available, one apparently optimized for tablet use.

Another option you might consider is the "Better Keyboard" app. Many people like that version, as well. Altogether, I think there are at least half a dozen alternate keyboards that you can select from if you're not enthused by the stock keyboard.

 

[monkeylui]

If you're inclined, you might want to purchase the SwiftKey X keyboard app. I use it on my Android cell phone and find it to be the best predictive typing experience I've found. Once it becomes accustomed to the words you use, it eliminates about 25% or more of the keystrokes required.

I believe, by the way, that there are two versions of that keyboard available, one apparently optimized for tablet use.

Another option you might consider is the "Better Keyboard" app. Many people like that version, as well. Altogether, I think there are at least half a dozen alternate keyboards that you can select from if you're not enthused by the stock keyboard.

I think it's fine. I'll get use to it, just like I did with the iOS keyboard.

 

[monkeylui]

Stop it!!!! Most in this thread don't want to see a positive review.....

And, besides, mine won't be here til tomorrow....<sigh>

It's always tough to gauge the responsiveness of a product through a video, and I always reserve judgement til I play with the device (liberal return policy). For example, the video I saw today from the LA Times had very respectable response for moving around, and some of the ones linked earlier in this thread....not so much.

LOL...

I am an apple fan through and through. But this truly is a great device. I still love my ipad and iphone. But this is a nice in-between. I love the amazon ecosystem just as much as I love the apple ecosystem. I think this will be great for my kids to use also. A couple of kids apps, like i do on the ipad, and the car rides are set. Though the ipad 1 was given to them when I bought the ipad 2. LOL... Spoiled kids and their daddy's hand me down electronics.

 

[m3coolpix]

LOL...

I am an apple fan through and through. But this truly is a great device. I still love my ipad and iphone. But this is a nice in-between. I love the amazon ecosystem just as much as I love the apple ecosystem. I think this will be great for my kids to use also. A couple of kids apps, like i do on the ipad, and the car rides are set. Though the ipad 1 was given to them when I bought the ipad 2. LOL... Spoiled kids and their daddy's hand me down electronics.

Yeah, our Fire is actually the wife's Christmas....

Stop it!!!! Most in this thread don't want to see a positive review.....

Fixed the quote....forgot to smiley it. Was definitely TIC comment!

 

[monkeylui]

Yeah, our Fire is actually the wife's Christmas....



Fixed the quote....forgot to smiley it. Was definitely TIC comment!

cool. my wife asked me what i wanted for xmas, i said the fire was enough. lol. she said i could wait till then to open it. i said no way!!!!

i should also mention that I was at first worried with some of the reviews i read and the couple of videos out. but with the update they pushed out today it seemed to fix any hiccups. it truly is a pretty smooth interface. yes, not as snappy as the ipad, but i think it's still excellent. and i'm glad amazon did it themselves, i don't know that anyone else has yet to create the android os like they have with the fire. not from what i've seen and read from other android tablets, in general.

 

[Confuzzzed]

So you've pretty much read other people's reviews and didn't bother to find out for yourself? What can you not form an opinion all on your own? Can always take it back later.

That's what reviews are there for. Why throw away $200 when I can read between the lines and make my semi-informed decision. Besides, it's not like I can walk into an amazon store and play around with the device before buying it. Your argument is nutts. If it wasn't, there wouldn't be so many reviews of consumer electronics. Good luck with your new toy.

 

[vitzr]

My my, the fear based responses in this thread are very revealing. Further amplified by the full blown hypocrisy on display.

One minute while defending Apple they say specs don't matter, calling others spec whores. Then suddenly when ripping the Fire to shreads, specs are important.

The next minute it's about Apps.

Then it's bashing the low price. "cheap crap" they say, as their fear peaks.

Seems rather hilarious to this hardcore Apple enthusiast. I see things quite differently.

First of all, the reality is the Fire comes out of the box already setup with the buyers info, all ready to be used. That's a big advantage not to be easily dismissed. Especially when Apple lords *itself over others for ease of use. While not a big deal to us enthusiasts, its a huge deal for non techies and seniors.

So I ask, why the fear ? It's _NOT_ an iPad.

Next up, Amazon is being criticized because they're losing a few bucks per unit in this first generation product. So what? It's not _your money_ !

So I ask, why the fear ? It's _NOT_ an iPad.

They are going to sell millions of these because just like Apple, Amazon has made a name for itself, is trusted and valued by their existing customer base.

So I ask, why the fear ? It's _NOT_ an iPad.

Unless you own the latest generation of Kindle ( I do ) then you can't possibly appreciate what Amazon has accomplished.

*So I ask, why the fear ? It's _NOT_ an iPad.

This is a great product that is properly priced and will only get better. So what?

I will be receiving mine shortly since they _are_ different and my wife, like other wives all across America loves her Kindle. And guess what? She also loves her iPad 2 and fully appreciates the differences between the two.

Who says they both cannot peacefully coexist ?

Only fearful, single minded Apple lovers. Those who must designate a "winner". Those who are so insecure they're already calling the fire a POS. How sad.

In my house we each enjoy variety, choices & competition. Neither of us is filled with fear just because Amazon has built the Fire. She might love her Kindle for reading, and will love her Fire for other Amazon content, but make no mistake, neither replaces her iPad 2 for what it excels at.

Therefore rather than fearfully bash this new tablet from Amazon, I celebrate it's arrival as an enhancement to the category.

It's as simple as that

 

[monkeylui]

That's what reviews are there for. Why throw away $200 when I can read between the lines and make my semi-informed decision. Besides, it's not like I can walk into an amazon store and play around with the device before buying it. Your argument is nutts. If it wasn't, there wouldn't be so many reviews of consumer electronics. Good luck with your new toy.

you can walk into best buy & try it out.

 

[Confuzzzed]

you can walk into best buy & try it out.

Not in the UK you can't! I had mine on pre-order to our NYC office and was going to have it brought over by a colleague. I cancelled my pre-order on reading the reviews

----------

One minute while defending Apple they say specs don't matter, calling others spec whores. Then suddenly when ripping the Fire to shreads, specs are important.

I'm one of the bashers. And I make no apology for it. If you read my posts when the product first came out, I was all for it. In fact I pre-ordered on the dot. But I have some VERY simple expectations of the device. One being decent 'browsing'. Not computer quality but certainly not 4-5 year old smart phone quality. The other is basic gaming so I can do away with the need of a gaming console for my kids and consolidate my devices. So when I read the reviews, I decided the KF was not for me. So I cancelled my pre-order. Does that make me a bad person? Lets not get dogmatic about this. It's only a device not a religious icon. All it's doing as far as I am concerned is competing for a share of my purse like many other things out there. Period.

 

[monkeylui]

Not in the UK you can't! I had mine on pre-order to our NYC office and was going to have it brought over by a colleague. I cancelled my pre-order on reading the reviews

----------



I'm one of the bashers. And I make no apology for it. If you read my posts when the product first came out, I was all for it. In fact I pre-ordered on the dot. But I have some VERY simple expectations of the device. One being decent 'browsing'. Not computer quality but certainly not 4-5 year old smart phone quality. The other is basic gaming so I can do away with the need of a gaming console for my kids and consolidate my devices. So when I read the reviews, I decided the KF was not for me. So I cancelled my pre-order. Does that make me a bad person? Lets not get dogmatic about this. It's only a device not a religious icon. All it's doing as far as I am concerned is competing for a share of my purse like many other things out there. Period.

Ahhhh, sorry then.

 

[jsh1120]

Duplicate. Sorry.

----------

...So I cancelled my pre-order. Does that make me a bad person? Lets not get dogmatic about this. It's only a device not a religious icon. All it's doing as far as I am concerned is competing for a share of my purse like many other things out there. Period.

No, it just makes you semi-informed. You could, of course, make up your mind once you had the product in hand and return it if you didn't like it, but as you point out, it's your decision.