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RHWright · 07-31-2013, 10:25 AM

I would like to get a tablet (finally) in the next ~6 months. I know there are rumors of the "next" Fire coming out this fall, which may change opinions. But, if I were to buy one today, which would you recommend and why?

My needs/parameters/requirements:

• I don't have a problem doing business with Amazon. So "Amazon is evil" type comments don't help me. Now, if you have specific customer service and support issues to report specific to the device in question, that is relevant.
• I'm pretty much an "out of the box" user. I don't mind working within standard set-up to configure the product the way I prefer, but I don't make a practice of taking it to the level of hacking/moding/rooting things. Still, I'm totally comfortable finding where all the settings are and getting them the way I like.
• This will be my first tablet and mostly a reading device. Of course, with the expanded capabilities for apps and videos, I'll be exploring those possibilities.
• Pretty much the only "must have" apps are: Kindle, NOOK, Comixology, Aldiko, and a good .pdf reader (preferably Adobe Reader). I know these all run in Android. For Fire, obviously the first is moot, but what about the others?
• I have an existing Android phone, so familiarity with that OS's quirks is not an issue. How does the Fire's OS and interface compare?
• Wi-Fi is fine. If I'm not near free, I pretty much always have my phone (which can be a hotspot) with me. Don't use it much because it eats data plan, but in a pinch it's fine.

Questions:
• Is 16GB vs. 32 GB a significant difference if I don't load 100s of apps or plan to carry around dozens of videos at a time? I lean towards more memory as a default, but in these cases is the extra $$ worth it?
• The screen on the Nexus is 1080p vs. 780p on the Fire HD. Is that significant factor at this screen size for video?
• For Fire: opinions on Special Offers. My initial reaction was "no way," but their explanation of it sounds like an intrusion I can live with.
• How well do these work with Wi-Fi off? Obviously, certain apps want to be online, but in general, how is the off-line experience?
• Does it play nice with Calibre? I have quite a few epubs to load.

That's all I can think of for now.

Opinions?

07-31-2013, 10:25 AM	#1
RHWright Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 2617122 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: North Carolina Device: NOOK ST, Nexus 7	Kindle Fire HD vs. Nexus 7 I would like to get a tablet (finally) in the next ~6 months. I know there are rumors of the "next" Fire coming out this fall, which may change opinions. But, if I were to buy one today, which would you recommend and why? My needs/parameters/requirements: • I don't have a problem doing business with Amazon. So "Amazon is evil" type comments don't help me. Now, if you have specific customer service and support issues to report specific to the device in question, that is relevant. • I'm pretty much an "out of the box" user. I don't mind working within standard set-up to configure the product the way I prefer, but I don't make a practice of taking it to the level of hacking/moding/rooting things. Still, I'm totally comfortable finding where all the settings are and getting them the way I like. • This will be my first tablet and mostly a reading device. Of course, with the expanded capabilities for apps and videos, I'll be exploring those possibilities. • Pretty much the only "must have" apps are: Kindle, NOOK, Comixology, Aldiko, and a good .pdf reader (preferably Adobe Reader). I know these all run in Android. For Fire, obviously the first is moot, but what about the others? • I have an existing Android phone, so familiarity with that OS's quirks is not an issue. How does the Fire's OS and interface compare? • Wi-Fi is fine. If I'm not near free, I pretty much always have my phone (which can be a hotspot) with me. Don't use it much because it eats data plan, but in a pinch it's fine. Questions: • Is 16GB vs. 32 GB a significant difference if I don't load 100s of apps or plan to carry around dozens of videos at a time? I lean towards more memory as a default, but in these cases is the extra $$ worth it? • The screen on the Nexus is 1080p vs. 780p on the Fire HD. Is that significant factor at this screen size for video? • For Fire: opinions on Special Offers. My initial reaction was "no way," but their explanation of it sounds like an intrusion I can live with. • How well do these work with Wi-Fi off? Obviously, certain apps want to be online, but in general, how is the off-line experience? • Does it play nice with Calibre? I have quite a few epubs to load. That's all I can think of for now. Opinions?