[Review]: A human review of the Kindle Fire

[Andy_T]

I'm happy with the fire so far for reading, and I am used to the iPad (1). Have also used the iPad 2 a bit and did not see great differences between 1 and 2.

Speed of apps is also fine on the kindle, on par with my iPad, whereas I can see significant lags when I run some of them on my older iPod touch.

Battery performance remains to be seen, right now the kindle seems to be draining its battery quite quickly (most likely based on app usage).

For me it's about the content. I wanted the fire as I had the e-ink kindle and loved it (especially the size of it) but it was too fragile (broke my first K3 after 3 weeks and Amazon replaced it immediately, which made me very happy), and I simply do not want to break another e-ink device.

However, considering that I would have to buy all my apps that I already have on the iPad again, it would make more sense for me to get another iPad, even though it might be more expensive initially. Also, IMO there are a lot more legal free offerings on the Apple appstore than on the Amazon marketplace from developers who want to get their apps known, so you can try them out and see if you like them.

Best regards,
Andy

[Blossom]

Apps play a big role in battery usage. If you notice significant battery drain. I Would suspect a buggy app. My battery on my Fire is excellent! 3 days is more then I could ask for. At 68% right now.

[Andy_T]

Wow, right at the moment I certainly have to recharge it every night.

(And whenever I remember to check for "running apps", there are only a few standard amazon/kindle apps running).

But yes, I agree, if you play a game for 30 minutes, you might drain a lot of the battery.
Also, I guess turning off Wifi and reducing display brightness will help here, have to remember these...

Best regards,
Andy

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

The apps are not even updated all that much for the fact that all the games will always pretty much work with any update to the Android OS, whereas iOS always breaks everything every update.

Please don't write complete rubbish like this, it weakens the rest of your post.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Your comment is very interesting. Like you, have two iPad 2 and couple of Apple products. My question for you would be, how the Fire can fill any gap in your reading experience? I mean, I'm assuming you have a smartphone too, right?

I am not so sure if keeping the Fire . Not a bad device but don't see a strong reason that justifies having an iPad, Android phone and now a Kindle Fire. Just curious ...

I'm in a similar situation with an iPad, NC and iTouch.
I got the NC because the smaller size is more convenient for holding in one hand when reading in bed, but still has a decent sized screen for reading, considerably bigger than the iTouch.

[carld]

Originally Posted by Andy_T

Also, I guess turning off Wifi and reducing display brightness will help here, have to remember these...

Best regards,
Andy

I thought the default setting on the Fire was awfully bright. The first thing I did was turn the brightness all the way down, and I've left it there. Maybe I'm just sensitive to it.

[Jessica Lares]

murraypaul, I wouldn't say it if it weren't true.

If there is one thing I hate about OS X and Apple in general is that when a new version of their software comes out, a lot of applications get left behind. Stuff that could have been easily used in OS X Lion but gets broken in Leopard because of ONE simple API change. The same thing happens in iOS. A lot of the first applications that came out when the App Store debuted haven't worked since iOS 3.

Most of us are sideloading applications that were not previously tested on the Fire. Heck, most of the Fire approved apps AREN'T made for it. Just having a play with the Android SDK, it seems everything's pretty backwards compatible.

[obsessed2]

Originally Posted by shinew

My point is that to me at least, even when I try not to compare the Fire to my iPad2, my expectations in terms of the operating speed is conditioned for the iPad2 standard. It's like downgrading from using a high end computer to a lower end machine is more noticeable than upgrading to a faster one.

Would that be a high end MAC or a high end Windows PC? Both have the same hardware, it's just that one sells for about twice the price. I have worked on both and cannot really figure out why this is the case. Is it OS stability? Sure OS X is stable, but so is Windows XP and up. I still run Vista on my PC and to this day have not had a single freeze or crash.


The iPad2 and Kindle Fire both have essentially the same hardware: 1 GHZ dual core processor and 512 MB of RAM. It's like putting two cars side by side with the same engine but one has a higher octane fuel. Apple has had time to fine tune their OS. The Fire is using an older version of Android, but is capable of supporting newer versions which will help improve its speed in the future. I think the KF runs pretty smooth now even with the older OS.


Both tablets have their merits and issues. The iPad2 is thinner for sure. The KF is more portable.


I see you didn't mention the notorious iPad2 camera. I guess for $500 a camera that shoots still photos at less than 1 megapixel is something you can ignore, right? This is inexcusable and frankly quite surprising from a company that has built their reputation on quality. My $100 Pocket Edge Android Tablet / Reader has a 3 megapixel camera with video capability.


http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/...ipad-2-camera/



Apple is starting to feel the threat of Android and suing at every turn to maintain their supremacy. I actually considered an iPad2 until I heard and read about the atrocity of a company hell bent on stifling competition through frivolous litigation. This is like Ford suing Chrysler for building a car. You would think that a multi-billion dollar company could afford a better sketch artist.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/a...75?tag=nl.e550

[DreamWriter]

Originally Posted by Blossom

My battery on my Fire is excellent! 3 days is more then I could ask for. At 68% right now.

That's amazing, Blossom!

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by DreamWriter

That's amazing, Blossom!

I have to play games to get it farther down this morning before I charged it. Games will drain it faster as will video. Audio not so much.

So if you use the Fire for readings, surfing, listening to music and some light gaming like Angry Birds. You can easily go 3 days without charging if you leave WiFi off and no apps running when its in Sleep mode.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by carld

I thought the default setting on the Fire was awfully bright. The first thing I did was turn the brightness all the way down, and I've left it there. Maybe I'm just sensitive to it.

Same here! I also use Screen Filter at all times to make it even more easy on the eyes. The only time I turn it off is when watching a movie.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by Jessica Lares

murraypaul, I wouldn't say it if it weren't true.

If there is one thing I hate about OS X and Apple in general is that when a new version of their software comes out, a lot of applications get left behind. Stuff that could have been easily used in OS X Lion but gets broken in Leopard because of ONE simple API change. The same thing happens in iOS. A lot of the first applications that came out when the App Store debuted haven't worked since iOS 3.

That is different from:

whereas iOS always breaks everything every update.

You said it, and it isn't true.

Other than Stanza, I can't think of an app I use that broke with the iOS4 or 5 upgrades.

[shinew]

Originally Posted by obsessed2

Would that be a high end MAC or a high end Windows PC? Both have the same hardware, it's just that one sells for about twice the price. I have worked on both and cannot really figure out why this is the case. Is it OS stability? Sure OS X is stable, but so is Windows XP and up. I still run Vista on my PC and to this day have not had a single freeze or crash.

It doesn't matter, my experience toward downgrading is irrelevant to OS. and let's leave MAC vs PC out of this discussion.

The iPad2 and Kindle Fire both have essentially the same hardware: 1 GHZ dual core processor and 512 MB of RAM.

No just because both have a 1Ghz dual-core processor, it doesn't mean they perform the same. It's a common false assumption that most consumers share, people tend to think a 1.5Ghz processor must be faster than a 1Ghz machine in real use and completely ignore the processor's architecture design as a whole. Kindle Fire uses TI OMAP 4430 processor and iPad 2 uses Apple's new A5 processor.

For a rough comparison for the TI OMAP 4430 vs Apple's A5, check out this Tom's hardware's article
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ew,3076-9.html

Both tablets have their merits and issues. The iPad2 is thinner for sure. The KF is more portable.

I see you didn't mention the notorious iPad2 camera....

I do not intend to do a thorough comparison between the 2 because they're focused on completely different market and use.

[shinew]

Originally Posted by Andy_T

I'm happy with the fire so far for reading, and I am used to the iPad (1). Have also used the iPad 2 a bit and did not see great differences between 1 and 2.

I'm not surprised by your experience. Kindle Fire has a similar performance(slightly faster actually) processor as the 1st gen A4 used in the iPad1(see article I've linked from previous post).

It also depends on the apps you've been using. In newer and more processor/graphic intensive apps, you'll see a big performance jump.

[greencat]

I think most of his points are valid. It mostly boils down to it being not quite as polished as it could (or should) be. Unfortunately, I find what he says to be true of most Android devices. Interface design choices are often quirky and unexpected. Amazon have bought their own peculiar take to the party too. For example, the placement and size of the settings icon. OK I never miss it when I tap but why is it there and not on the app screen? And...erm.. the carousel sitting in a bookcase? What's wrong with this metaphor? If I had a choice I'd dump the whole home screen and just have what you see on the others. Book cases which you can switch between. Personally, I was a bit disappointed that it didn't feel more Amazon-like.

Not to mention there are some real cranky hardware design choices. Stereo speakers on the narrow end? Who can tell if they even are stereo. No physical home button - boy I really miss that. Power button which is right next to the headphone socket and almost the same size.

It's not a bad version 1.0 though - certainly not as ugly or bizarre as the Kindle v1. I think it'll polish up much quicker too, providing updates are forthcoming. I like the ruggedness and cheap price of it. I feel quite happy chucking this in my coat pocket - my iPad wouldn't fit and is too heavy.

The size (and screen in general) is a pleasant surprise. It's a whole different feel to my iPad's larger screen and my Android phone's smaller one - and very nice quality. The responsiveness and accuracy is somewhere between the two. Like the fact I can hold it in one hand or peck out a message pretty accurately with my thumbs.

In short, Amazon haven't done a bad job and the price/quality trade off is very acceptable. And for a company that doesn't have a long track record of specialising in integrated software/hardware - it's very good indeed. There are plenty of tablets and other devices out there which are much worse.