Is the reading experience MUCH nicer on these Fire devices ?

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by new

No it isn't audibles it is reading a book and turning on the text to speech, the computer voice. I tested on both purchased Kindle books and my converted mobi book, also tried smallest print size.

Oh hmm... I still report it. I don't remember the K3 acting like that.

[new]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Oh hmm... I still report it. I don't remember the K3 acting like that.

I figured it out. The controls boxes on the top and on the bottom never go away and block the lines. I finally "touched" the right side margin and it continues reading and the control boxes disappear. I didn't know that. I am soooo new to the KFHD.

Thanks for letting me talk and troubleshoot it and figure it out.

I love the text-to-speech voice it is really natural sounding. An improvement over the past voices. I am hooked now!

But now I want the bigger version of this KFHD.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by new

I figured it out. The controls boxes on the top and on the bottom never go away and block the lines. I finally "touched" the right side margin and it continues reading and the control boxes disappear. I didn't know that. I am soooo new to the KFHD.

Thanks for letting me talk and troubleshoot it and figure it out.

I love the text-to-speech voice it is really natural sounding. An improvement over the past voices. I am hooked now!

But now I want the bigger version of this KFHD.

That is a design flaw. You need to report it as bug to Kindle support. A firmware update can fix it.

[alansplace]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Oh hmm... I still report it. I don't remember the K3 acting like that.

Just turned it on for a moment on my Kindle Keyboard (with 3.4 installed) and it did not do that, the page still displayed the same. Just tried the same with my Fire 2nd Gen, but the text to speech never started, just said it was 'on'! But also it did nothing to the screen.

[new]

Originally Posted by Blossom

That is a design flaw. You need to report it as bug to Kindle support. A firmware update can fix it.

I was editing my comment as you commented. I did figure it out.

You have to touch the right side to removed the top and bottom controls that block the text.

But I have noticed last night when I played the "text-to-speech" it sometimes (every 3-5 pages) it would be out of out with what was playing and text being shown.

I really want to get the bigger size of this tablet since I can see this text. I really didn't think I would be able to, but with the app screen dim I can!

[jsh1120]

Just a heads up about the Marware case for the KFHD (Axis model). I have a Marware case for the first gen KF and like it very much. Unfortunately, can't say the same for the KFHD cases.

The single most significant problem is that the orientation of the device in the plastic inner shell is "upside down." This means that the power and hdmi ports are placed on the "spine side" of the device and the cover must be open to charge the KFHD.

Marware maintains this is an intentional design feature to protect the ports from "dust and dirt" but I have to say that I think that's a rationalization. I returned the Marware case and purchased the Amazon case largely because I didn't want to have to charge the KFHD with the screen exposed.

[Doc109]

I did a side-by-side for reading to compare my 1st gen KF and the Fire HD (at Best Buy). Observations:
1. The glare really was quite reduced on the Fire HD compared to the 1st gen Fire. This was most notable when comparing black text on white background between devices. If there is a bright light directly above the screen, the glare is still terrible. But there was much less glare from other sources (indirect lighting for example). In fact, with the brightness set at about 50-60%, I did not notice any glare at all on the Fire HD, while it was quite apparent on the 1st gen Fire.

On the carousel, there was very little difference in terms of glare. With a white background (in a book or webpage), there was a much more pronounced difference between 1st gen and HD.

2. The black text on white background provides a lot of contrast on the 1st Gen Fire. Background is very white, text is very black. On the Fire HD, the background was a little more greyish and the text seemed a little less pronounced in terms of black level - but that was a good thing in my eyes. Outside of the glare, I really enjoy reading on the 1st gen Fire. But I thought the greyish background on the HD looked better. I did not really compare the sepia or black settings between devices. As a general rule, I like to get out of Best Buy quickly.

3. Fonts are different. The fonts on the HD are nicer, in my opinion. The fonts look crisper on the HD screen. Different choices of fonts compare to the original Fire and they seem implemented successfully. Granted, this is based on a very brief overview.

4. One handed reading. The dimensions on the original Fire allow me to read one-handed, which I like quite a bit. I have to switch hands once in a while (hey, it's not the lightest thing to hold) but my long fingers allow one-handed use. On the HD, you'll only be using it one-handed if you have seriously elongated fingers. I don't like the larger dimensions for this very reason. Oh well. Can't win 'em all.

5. Not related to reading - but the lagginess was no better on the demo HD compared to the original Fire. I personally don't think the lagginess is a big issue; I can wait a second or two for an app to launch. But it's apparently still there if my demo unit experience is representative, so impatient people may be bothered.

So I think the reading experience may indeed be a little better in terms of more visually pleasing implementation of black text on white background, crisper and nicer fonts, and less glare under indirect lighting. But the lack of one-handed use is a bummer for me.

I wonder if others have had similar experiences when comparing the reading experience on the two devices. Particularly if you've tried comparing them for more than five minutes or so. Anyway, hope this was useful for at least one person considering an upgrade.

[Andy_T]

I was prepared to put my (non-hd) Kindle Fire on ebay as soon as the paperwhite arrived, as this would be for both nighttime and daytime reading.

However, the screen on both my Kindle Keyboard and my Kindle Fire were visibly sharper ( less washed out) than the Paperwhite, so that was the one that went back.

Interesting was that the Paperwhite was much darker than the Fire, the lowest setting on the Fire is similar to a medium setting on the PW, I found the lowest setting on the PW much too dark to read at nighttime.

Regards,
Andy

[new]

Originally Posted by Andy_T

I was prepared to put my (non-hd) Kindle Fire on ebay as soon as the paperwhite arrived, as this would be for both nighttime and daytime reading.

However, the screen on both my Kindle Keyboard and my Kindle Fire were visibly sharper ( less washed out) than the Paperwhite, so that was the one that went back.

Interesting was that the Paperwhite was much darker than the Fire, the lowest setting on the Fire is similar to a medium setting on the PW, I found the lowest setting on the PW much too dark to read at nighttime.

Regards,
Andy

So are you saying the PW is too bright then?

Are you using Screen Dim on the Fire? I am surprised I am able to read on the Fire. If I did not use Screen Dim it would be too bright for me to read in the dark.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by new

So are you saying the PW is too bright then?

Are you using Screen Dim on the Fire? I am surprised I am able to read on the Fire. If I did not use Screen Dim it would be too bright for me to read in the dark.

So true I find 0.8% works well for me on the KFv1 in the dark.

[rgeorg]

I am debating between the Nexus 7 and the KFHD. I am mostly in Europe so the Prime advantage wouldn't really help me. I was wondering if anyone has experience comparing the Nexus (16GB) and the KFHD in reading a book (any format). I have two kindles, which I love and would continue to use in good light situations, although I might use the tablet in low-light situations. Also, does the anti-glare/resolution really make a difference in viewing movies? I think the Silk feature of creating a text-page would be very useful when browsing - but that's about all I've come up with for advantages.

One big concern is whether the Nexus screen will have too much glare to read comfortably in med-low light. I assume that any differences in movie dpi wouldn't be too noticeable on a 7" screen.

Has anyone been able to compare the two devices for reading?
Many thanks!

[new]

Originally Posted by rgeorg

I am debating between the Nexus 7 and the KFHD. I am mostly in Europe so the Prime advantage wouldn't really help me. I was wondering if anyone has experience comparing the Nexus (16GB) and the KFHD in reading a book (any format). I have two kindles, which I love and would continue to use in good light situations, although I might use the tablet in low-light situations. Also, does the anti-glare/resolution really make a difference in viewing movies? I think the Silk feature of creating a text-page would be very useful when browsing - but that's about all I've come up with for advantages.

One big concern is whether the Nexus screen will have too much glare to read comfortably in med-low light. I assume that any differences in movie dpi wouldn't be too noticeable on a 7" screen.

Has anyone been able to compare the two devices for reading?
Many thanks!

I have not noticed any glare on the KFHD, but I use it mostly in dark rooms, sometimes in daylight.

[new]

Originally Posted by Blossom

So true I find 0.8% works well for me on the KFv1 in the dark.

Blossom do you put the contrast down low too?

I do wish the type size could go a bit larger, but I read in the landscape mode, so it is good. I do love the TSS (even though the voice reads underlines on the title page LOL).

[rgeorg]

I am concerned about glare using the Nexus7, as the KFHD is advertised with an anti-glare screen. Does it generally make a difference or just in high-light environment (if at all)?

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by new

Blossom do you put the contrast down low too?

I do wish the type size could go a bit larger, but I read in the landscape mode, so it is good. I do love the TSS (even though the voice reads underlines on the title page LOL).

No just the brightness. I read using size 4.