Kindle Fire for document creation and editing?

carld · 09-29-2011, 01:42 PM

Does anyone have any idea, perhaps based on using the similar sized nook, what the Kindle Fire (are well calling it the KF yet?) might be like for document editing?

I'm really leaning toward the possible 10" Kindle or *shudder* an iPad 2/3 just because the larger size should make document editing much easier. But, now that I think about it, if the KF is useable for light editing, then it could fulfill roles as an ebook reader, game system, and tablet for me.

Also, has anyone seen anything about how well TTS and audiobooks sound on the Fire?

stonetools · 09-29-2011, 02:18 PM

I think the best you can hope for with the KF is a Notes app. Who knows, though, there may be a Documents to Go Android Version.

hgwlackey · 09-29-2011, 02:18 PM

I do a lot of editing, and I tried to do it on the iPad, but without a mouse it was too much hassle trying select phrases or blocks of text, or to put your cursor in the middle of a word to change a letter. Some of that was solved by using a bluetooth keyboard (to give me access to arrow keys), but it was still slower and more painful going than just sitting at my desktop.

The best tablet solution I found for editing was the Toshiba Thrive*, which has a USB port. I'd connect my bluetooth keyboard, plug in my USB mouse, and away I went.

(But then I was frustrated with not being able to use the same software on the tablet that I use on my desktop--or at least sync my documents easily between the two different programs--so I replaced the Thrive with a MacBook Air, and gave up on tablet editing till the tablet OSes and desktop OSes finally merge into each other.)

(This was the 10" Thrive. I see they announced a 7" model today. I don't know if the 7" model is going to have the same full-size USB input as the 10".)

jswinden · 09-29-2011, 02:39 PM

I agree with @hgwlackey that doing a lot of editing via a tablet is a hassle. I tried it on my iPad and on a rooted NookColor, but it is a painfully slow process without a physical keyboard and mouse.

susan_cassidy · 09-29-2011, 02:43 PM

I don't think there is text-to-speech on the Fire. The Android app doesn't have it, and it isn't mentioned on the product page. Audible probably has an app for the Fire, since Amazon owns it.

carld · 09-29-2011, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonetools

I think the best you can hope for with the KF is a Notes app. Who knows, though, there may be a Documents to Go Android Version.

Yes, there is a docs to go app for Android. I've used it on my phone. It's okay, but I was hoping for something more like Pages for the iPad or even Word for Windows Mobile, which really wasn't bad at all.

carld · 09-29-2011, 05:37 PM

I thought QuickOffice PRO HD would be good enough, but it needs Honeycomb.

Edit: It looks like the regular Quickoffice Pro would work well on the Kindle Fire.

basschick · 10-04-2011, 09:08 AM

i use a small usb keyboard to do editing on my kyros. they're both small enough that it's no hassle to carry them around.

HarryT · 10-04-2011, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basschick

i use a small usb keyboard to do editing on my kyros. they're both small enough that it's no hassle to carry them around.

You won't be able to do that on the Fire though - it has no USB host capability. I don't think it even has Bluetooth, so you can't use a BT keyboard, either.

carld · 10-04-2011, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

I don't think there is text-to-speech on the Fire. The Android app doesn't have it, and it isn't mentioned on the product page. Audible probably has an app for the Fire, since Amazon owns it.

I didn't even realize that my Android phone apparently can't do TTS. I sort of just assumed it was built into the Kindle App.

Also, I guess my main editing scenario would be that I know I'm going to be away from home for a few hours, so I DL whatever I'm working from Dropbox to the KF, do some reviewing and editing while I'm away, and UL it to Dropbox when I get back home. I'd only be working in plain text files with little to no formatting, graphics or layout needed.

Blog Kindle · 10-04-2011, 10:53 PM

Tablets are not meant for content creation - they are meant to consume content.

I had trouble with such a simple task as creating a blog post even with iPad paired with a keyboard dock.

The only tablet I was able to use to effective create content is Samsung Windows 8 prototype which is essentially a Windows desktop in tablet form factor, albeit with 3 hour battery life...

But Android or iOS tablets aren't good for anything more than slapping a few sentences together in a note.

...Just my opinion.

tomsem · 10-04-2011, 11:38 PM

Unfortunately Fire has no expansion capability so you can't use a Bluetooth keyboard, and there's no microphone either (unless the audio jack supports audio in). So all the input has to go through a virtual keyboard. That's not going to make for a very pleasant content creation experience.

Some folks have been told Fire will have TTS but I'm skeptical. I hope at least they'll make Kindle 4 Android (I assume Fire reader is based on the same code base) TTS aware, and at least let you purchase and install a TTS engine on Fire if you want one (Amazon App Store sells SVOX, which is pretty good and only $4 per voice).

09-29-2011, 01:42 PM	#1
carld Wizard Posts: 2,698 Karma: 4748723 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Kindle Fire for document creation and editing? Does anyone have any idea, perhaps based on using the similar sized nook, what the Kindle Fire (are well calling it the KF yet?) might be like for document editing? I'm really leaning toward the possible 10" Kindle or shudder an iPad 2/3 just because the larger size should make document editing much easier. But, now that I think about it, if the KF is useable for light editing, then it could fulfill roles as an ebook reader, game system, and tablet for me. Also, has anyone seen anything about how well TTS and audiobooks sound on the Fire?

09-29-2011, 05:37 PM	#7
carld Wizard Posts: 2,698 Karma: 4748723 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	I thought QuickOffice PRO HD would be good enough, but it needs Honeycomb. Edit: It looks like the regular Quickoffice Pro would work well on the Kindle Fire. Last edited by carld; 09-29-2011 at 06:33 PM.

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09-29-2011, 02:18 PM	#2
stonetools Wizard Posts: 2,016 Karma: 2838487 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Washington, DC Device: Ipad, IPhone	I think the best you can hope for with the KF is a Notes app. Who knows, though, there may be a Documents to Go Android Version.

09-29-2011, 02:18 PM	#3
hgwlackey Zealot Posts: 123 Karma: 9550 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Tennessee, USA Device: Kindle Touch, HTC Thunderbolt	I do a lot of editing, and I tried to do it on the iPad, but without a mouse it was too much hassle trying select phrases or blocks of text, or to put your cursor in the middle of a word to change a letter. Some of that was solved by using a bluetooth keyboard (to give me access to arrow keys), but it was still slower and more painful going than just sitting at my desktop. The best tablet solution I found for editing was the Toshiba Thrive*, which has a USB port. I'd connect my bluetooth keyboard, plug in my USB mouse, and away I went. (But then I was frustrated with not being able to use the same software on the tablet that I use on my desktop--or at least sync my documents easily between the two different programs--so I replaced the Thrive with a MacBook Air, and gave up on tablet editing till the tablet OSes and desktop OSes finally merge into each other.) (This was the 10" Thrive. I see they announced a 7" model today. I don't know if the 7" model is going to have the same full-size USB input as the 10".)

09-29-2011, 02:39 PM	#4
jswinden Nameless Being	I agree with @hgwlackey that doing a lot of editing via a tablet is a hassle. I tried it on my iPad and on a rooted NookColor, but it is a painfully slow process without a physical keyboard and mouse.

09-29-2011, 02:43 PM	#5
susan_cassidy Wizard Posts: 2,251 Karma: 3720310 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Device: Kindle, iPad (not used much for reading)	I don't think there is text-to-speech on the Fire. The Android app doesn't have it, and it isn't mentioned on the product page. Audible probably has an app for the Fire, since Amazon owns it.

10-04-2011, 09:08 AM	#8
basschick Wizard Posts: 1,096 Karma: 4695691 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite	i use a small usb keyboard to do editing on my kyros. they're both small enough that it's no hassle to carry them around.

10-04-2011, 10:53 PM	#11
Blog Kindle Addict Posts: 224 Karma: 25122 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 1/2/3/4/Touch/DX/Fire\|PRS-600/350\|Nook(color)\|iPad\|iPad2\|EVO 4G	Tablets are not meant for content creation - they are meant to consume content. I had trouble with such a simple task as creating a blog post even with iPad paired with a keyboard dock. The only tablet I was able to use to effective create content is Samsung Windows 8 prototype which is essentially a Windows desktop in tablet form factor, albeit with 3 hour battery life... But Android or iOS tablets aren't good for anything more than slapping a few sentences together in a note. ...Just my opinion.

10-04-2011, 11:38 PM	#12
tomsem Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,478 Karma: 26425959 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Device: iPhone 15PM, Kindle Scribe, iPad mini 6, PocketBook InkPad Color 3	Unfortunately Fire has no expansion capability so you can't use a Bluetooth keyboard, and there's no microphone either (unless the audio jack supports audio in). So all the input has to go through a virtual keyboard. That's not going to make for a very pleasant content creation experience. Some folks have been told Fire will have TTS but I'm skeptical. I hope at least they'll make Kindle 4 Android (I assume Fire reader is based on the same code base) TTS aware, and at least let you purchase and install a TTS engine on Fire if you want one (Amazon App Store sells SVOX, which is pretty good and only $4 per voice).

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