HD Should I upgrade?

[robertc88]

The clerk I dealt with initially was beyond clueless when I was trying out the demo unit.

After he kept insisting there was no charger and another came over to set him straight, he just walked away.

Don't forget, there is a return policy. No reason not to try it out if interested.

[jswinden]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Cool screens are easier for me to read with. My Fire first fire was Warm. My second fire is cool. I might go this weekend. I wont be taking my Fire with me but I'll know from memory the differences.

Please check to see if they added two-page view in Landscape mode. Thx!

[jsh1120]

Received a Kindle Fire HD (16g) and a Kindle PaperWhite as gifts. Purchased the Amazon cases for each. Tried a Marware Axis case for the Kindle Fire HD. Posted reviews of each on the Amazon product review pages so I won't repeat the reviews here. If anyone is interested I use the same handle there.

Would I have purchased the KFHD had I not received it as a gift? Possibly not from the specs alone. I've had a very good experience with the first generation KF and honestly didn't feel the need to upgrade.

On the other hand, after using the KFHD for nearly a month, I rarely touch my first generation KF. The KFHD is simply that much better in so many ways from the display to the sound, from the smoothness of the screens to the performance of the apps. It is a much, much better device for reading, viewing, listening...well, just about everything.

Are the differences worth laying out another $200? Obviously, that's a subjective judgment. If you're someone who has suffered through the infamous "loose microUSB port" I'd suggest chucking the original generation device and purchasing the KFHD. On the other hand, if you're perfectly satisfied with the first gen device, you may be better off not knowing what you're missing.

[robertc88]

Heck, if I like the 8.9 when I try it then I'll trade in the 7" KFHD!

[zebradude]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Those of you who own(ed) a Kindle Fire v1 and now a Kindle Fire HD, Was the upgrade really worth it for more than space and a different Android version? Has the reading experience changed for the better?

How is holding them different? Is it nicer to hold a KFHD? What do you miss from the original KF? For someone who uses it mainly for reading it is worth it to upgrade?

I had plan on getting a PW but now I am leaning towards a new Fire but I can't decide if to get the new KFv2 or the KFHD. Space is not an issue for me to upgrade.

Thanks for any and all info.

Blossom,

I am very happy with my Kindle Fire HD7. I was unhappy that my KindleFire v1 was never given the "deluxe" features (TTS...) and like you I find LCD's better at night (I use screendim as well)

I guess I find it to be complete, finally!

[sirmaru]

I expect my Kindle Fire HD 7" 32 Gb on Oct 25. Hopefully, it will be good enough to keep rather than return.

[rgeorg]

Originally Posted by Blossom

I only use it for reading and occasionally Netflix so it's plenty of space. I am getting a Samsung Galaxy Player for music and audiobooks.

I realize this was posted awhile ago, but I am trying to decide what combo to purchase:
1) Kindle Fire HD 7" or perhaps 9"
2) Paperwhite reader + Samsung Galaxy (for audio/camera) 4" or 5"

Blossom, I was reading your post and was wondering why to spend the $ for both the KF and the SG, because the also KFHD supports audiobooks and music apps.

The Samsung Galaxy would have access to the Google android app market wouldn't it? That would be useful. Also, the rear camera is useful, and the 32GB extra memory card slot. It also has other bells and whistles. The screen quality/speakers would be less that the KF - but I basically read at home where I have my kindles, and would get the PW for night-time no ext. light reading.

Your posts are helpful and well-thought-out, so I am hoping that you can shed some light on my dilemma!

Hope this isn't too off-topic for this thread.
Thank you

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by rgeorg

I realize this was posted awhile ago, but I am trying to decide what combo to purchase:
1) Kindle Fire HD 7" or perhaps 9"
2) Paperwhite reader + Samsung Galaxy (for audio/camera) 4" or 5"

Blossom, I was reading your post and was wondering why to spend the $ for both the KF and the SG, because the also KFHD supports audiobooks and music apps.

The Samsung Galaxy would have access to the Google android app market wouldn't it? That would be useful. Also, the rear camera is useful, and the 32GB extra memory card slot. It also has other bells and whistles. The screen quality/speakers would be less that the KF - but I basically read at home where I have my kindles, and would get the PW for night-time no ext. light reading.

Your posts are helpful and well-thought-out, so I am hoping that you can shed some light on my dilemma!

Hope this isn't too off-topic for this thread.
Thank you

I only use the KF for reading so that is only real benefit for me. I can't carry it around like a cell phone. I want the SG for that reason portability to listen to music on Amazon and Audible and many other things I now do with my phone. The sound of my phone is very tinny so I need something of better quality and battery life.

[rgeorg]

Thank you for the input!
I'll probably just get the 7" fireHD as I just can't bring myself to buy yet another ereader (not that I need another device at all!).

[Doc109]

I have a Galaxy Player 4.2 and a 1st gen Fire. Ok, and a kindle keyboard too, but that has mostly been passed on to my spouse.

Having access to Google Play via the GP is a nice feature and has allowed me to sideload a few good apps on the Fire. The GP makes an awesome PDA and is okay for reading in a pinch. Gmail works great and with the SD slot, I can easily carry my music collection around. So I use it most for PDA functions, very light web browsing, podcasts, and music. The GPS functionality is pretty good for a device lacking 3g. Night reading sucks on the GP because of the lighted Back and Menu keys. They cannot be dimmed and are bright and jarring in the dark. I prefer email on the GP over the Fire because I can use Swiftkey whereas you're locked into the mediocre Kindle soft keyboard. The portability is incredible. Makes the Fire seem huge in comparison.

GP camera is not good. Would not advise buying it based on the camera.

The Fire works well for reading, pdf annotation, web browsing, and occasional gaming. Evernote is a godsend for organization and task management on both devices. The ultraportable PDA features and the SD card are the biggest benefits of the GP. Google Play access is nice but not a huge thing for me.

[dixiegirl]

Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan

I bought a KF v1 on day 1 (of v1 availability), used it extensively and then traded it in for a KFHD on day 2 (of HD availability).

Although the KFv1 had a "boring" design, I actually liked it. It just felt like a solid, high quality tablet. The HD is even nicer. Amazon's "smartcase" is a very, very nice (but expensive) accessory. This combo (HD+case) is comfortable to hold for reading as well as for media playback.

I thought that the screen on the v1 was terrific. The HD is better. The sound on the v1 wasn't bad. The HD is amazing. The 8GB of the v1 was a bit cramped. The 16GB of the HD is quite acceptable.

After a while, I rooted the v1 and flashed an ICS-themed CM7 ROM. But with the HD, simply having ADW Launcher EX as an option allows the best of both worlds. Although I can root it there is currently no way (short of deregistering) to prevent a firmware upgrade from wiping out the root. But even if there was, I think that I'll keep it in the dual mode for the duration.

The downside is for those of us who use OSX and sideload media. Not being able to sync the HD directly is a real downer. The Android File Transfer tool works adequately enough for hardwired-file transfer. I will probably install the WiFi File Transfer tool that I use for my GTab 2 7.0 (same syncing issue) for wireless transfers.

Hope this helps.

Hello, can you tell me how you upgraded to Kindle HD ? From what I am reading on your thread, you didn't buy the new Kindle Fire....you simply did an upgrade. I know I am not even close to being as computer literate as yourself, so any info you can give me on how to do this would really be appreciated !!

[WillysJeepMan]

Originally Posted by dixiegirl

Hello, can you tell me how you upgraded to Kindle HD ? From what I am reading on your thread, you didn't buy the new Kindle Fire....you simply did an upgrade. I know I am not even close to being as computer literate as yourself, so any info you can give me on how to do this would really be appreciated !!

The key phrase in my post was, "traded it in"....

When I, and others, talk about "upgrading to the Kindle Fire HD", we're talking about taking our existing Kindle Fire (version 1) and trading it in at Best Buy and taking the trade-in allowance for the KF and applying it to the purchase of a Kindle Fire HD. It is not possible to modify the hardware of an original Kindle Fire to make it the hardware equivalent of the HD.

Sorry for the confusion.

[robertc88]

Originally Posted by dixiegirl

Hello, can you tell me how you upgraded to Kindle HD ? From what I am reading on your thread, you didn't buy the new Kindle Fire....you simply did an upgrade. I know I am not even close to being as computer literate as yourself, so any info you can give me on how to do this would really be appreciated !!

Curious as to why you want to upgrade. Have you sideloaded apps available from other resources other than Amazon? Do you have an alternate launcher which gives a more android phone look mostly eliminating the carousel?

There's more obviously without rooting the device but maybe those "UPGRADES" would be enough.

For me it was definitely the screen and audio. Coupled with the fact of the trade in to BB which is within walking distance and their liberal return policy if one cares not to keep what they purchase, it truly was a no brainer!

It took all of a few days for developers to hack the KFHD by the way and I found I didn't need to "root" and still be happy with what I learned that could be done besides. And many still are quite happy with the original Fire.