Doubts about kindle and kindle fire.

[Fabio0052]

well i've made the decision of buying an e-reader and i have a couple of simple doubts that i wanted to clear before purchasing.

So, the two choices are either a Kindle Fire or a Regular Kindle. being 200$ the most expensive one, i dont take price as a matter to consider; not meaning that i wouldnt be glad to save some money if i get what i need on a cheaper model.

basically i want to know these two things

1. About Regular Kindle Models: are regular model able to open any PDF or DOC(X) files? this question is obviously oriented to my concern of the possibility of downloading any book from the web and reading it on the Kindle whitout issues. As much as i'd like to pay for them, I live in a country where im allowed to spend only the miserable amount of 400$ ANUALLY, that if the bank agrees to give you a credit card, otherwise you have the money but you cant even spend it fckin "socialism"

Plus, there is also the leanguage problem. Book will be in English when I highly prefer Spanish.

2. About Kindle Fire: I am an Andorid user so i know what i would be dealing with if i ever got an Android Tablet, but i do not know what will i be dealing with if i got the kindle fire! is it like a regular andorid device? or the android software has been built in a differente way? i mean, will i get most of the perks of having a regular android tablet in the K-Fire? will i be able to do the same i asked about the Regular Model?

That narrows down my thoughts.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can advise me.

i apologize for any misspelling,
Greetings from Venezuela.

[tovare]

Originally Posted by Fabio0052

...
1. About Regular Kindle Models: are regular model able to open any PDF or DOC(X) files? this question is obviously oriented to my concern of the possibility of downloading any book from the web and reading it on the Kindle whitout issues. As much as i'd like to pay for them, I live in a country where im allowed to spend only the miserable amount of 400$ ANUALLY ...

Don't worry about lacking content.

1. For reading doc/docx you get a special kindle e-mail which converts files and sends it to your kindle via email.

2. Get calibre and it will convert epub's for you and retrieve blogs for your kindle (Blogs are not available from amazon for international users). There are also thousands of free books, and I have also used a service which converts fan-fiction into epub.

3. There's a neat Chrome extension which sends web pages to the kindle.

4. The kindle keyboard or kindle non-touch doesn't cost that much, so you might have som money left to buy a few books.

[Fabio0052]

Ok, but regarding my 2nd question, is the kindle fire fully functional as an adnroid tablet? i mean, can i install any app or does the software restrict you in some way to install only some allowed apps? i dont know maybe i'm just saying something completely stupid.

if it works as a normal tablet but has the perks of a kindle then i think it's a better choice.

[carld]

You can install most Apps. Google Apps are a big exception, so no Google market. I'm not having any problem finding all the apps I want at Amazon and other sites, but some people might find it a real limitation.

[tovare]

Originally Posted by Fabio0052

Ok, but regarding my 2nd question, is the kindle fire fully functional as an adnroid tablet? i mean, can i install any app or does the software restrict you in some way to install only some allowed apps? i dont know maybe i'm just saying something completely stupid.

if it works as a normal tablet but has the perks of a kindle then i think it's a better choice.

Someone else can probably answer that question better, but keep in mind that the technical attributes (e-ink/battery/weight) which makes everyone like their kindle is not present in the Fire, but it has other features which might be desirable for you.

Kindle Fire:
- Movies, apps, games, reading and more
- Vibrant color touchscreen
- Web browsing and email
- Available in the U.S. Only.

Kindle e-Ink reader:
- No glare, read in bright sunlight
- Reads like real paper - no eye strain
- Up to 1 month battery life

[Fabio0052]

so the fire is more of a multimedia gadget but the best choice for reading would be a regular Kindle. I'll have to give it a good thought cause if there is one thing i really hate about reading on the PC or in my phone is the eye strain. i get really sleepy.

thank you very much

[enrigonz]

If you do a lot of reading then don't get the Fire, just buy a Kindle Touch or even the regular Kindle for $79.

If you want to stream movies , videos, music and any other multimedia stuff then just go with a color tablet such as the Fire.

Personally I like the Fire because of it's form factor and I like what Amazon has to offer (except magazines) in their market place.

[Kai Winters]

The KFire is well described as a multimedia gadget. It is a very good reader...if you enjoy the lcd screen...some don't preferring the eink reader instead.
I have the KFire and Samsung Galaxy5 and find the KFire handles Android based apps just fine. It does not have the market place access as a true Android device but all the apps I have on my galaxy I have or an equivalent on the Fire.

After using eink type readers for the past couple of years I find I very much prefer the lcd screen more. I use the "night mode" day or night. I find it quite nice. I'm using Mantano (sideloaded) on the Fire in addition to its' own reader and on the Galaxy I'm using Mantano, Aldiko and Moon+Reader...I've not picked a favorite though the Moon does not read the few drm'd books I have while Mantano and Aldiko does...I tried Cool Reader today and while I liked the "paper", old velum?, background it also would not open my drm'd epub file though it opened all the other books without a problem...yes I have my Adobe Digital account all nice and registered.

I do find the Fire to be quite a bit heavier than the eink readers and for me I find it a bit uncomfortable. I decided I preferred a device I could hold in one hand but still wanted the lcd screen and wifi features so I bought the Galaxy 5 a week ago. I love it.
If a light weight reader is preferable an eink type reader would suit you more but you should handle them for yourself to decide.

Good luck and keep us informed.

[Fabio0052]

It's really a hard choice as i'm not able to actually hold in my hands any of the devices. I'm not sure about a regular kindle because i may find myself missing all the nice features of the kFire, BUT i'm not sure about getting a kFire because i'm afraid of not liking it's LCD for reading. they make it really hard for you hahaha

i'll try to borrow a normal tablet from a friend to have an idea of the reading experience.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by Fabio0052

are regular model able to open any PDF . . . .

Yes, but that doesn't mean the PDF can be easily read.

If the PDF is simply an almost totally unformatted text document, there is little problem, as it can be easily converted using one of several tools. Even the Save as Text option built into the free Adobe Reader may be good enough. I hardly ever see such simple PDF's, but you may.

If the PDF has tables and charts, this won't work well. And if the PDF consists merely of graphic files, it won't work at all.

Sometimes you will find a PDF which has little complexity except for there being multiple columns on the page. There are conversion tools for these, but use may not be simple.

For complex PDF's, the Fire would be better but maybe still too small.

A Kindle Keyboard 3G purchased and registered in the US can currently get unlimited free cell-phone-based internet service in built-up areas of your country. This also is only good for content with simple formatting, although there are tools for simplifying web pages that can help, like readingthenet.com. But once Amazon realizes where you really live, such as if you use a bit of your $400 a year to purchase their content, they might throttle back the cell-based-internet to Wikipedia only.

Since it may be hard for you to get warranty service, frequency of repair becomes an issue. As far as I know, the Kindle is flying under the radar of the consumer magazines, in the US and Europe, that track such objectively. However, if you look at the satisfaction ratios for various Kindle models, the Kindle Keyboard may stand out for not having a lot of reported problems. And reading this board a lot, I get the impression that a lot of original Kindle 2nd Generation owners have never had a problem. The 2nd generation screen contrast isn't as good as with later eInk models, but after a day or two I don't think it would bother me. If you have a friend in the US that could order one in like-new condition from the Amazon marketplace, and get it to you without legal risk, I would consider it.

A quick web check fails to determine whether rolling electrical blackouts are a real problem in your country, or rare. If common, or at risk of becoming common, this would argue against the Fire, which needs daily recharging.

[robertc88]

In the US, it is very easy to try what interests someone and return it if disliked. I'm not sure if it as easy for you but if so, that is my recommendation. Is amazon your resource?

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by Fabio0052

It's really a hard choice as i'm not able to actually hold in my hands any of the devices. I'm not sure about a regular kindle because i may find myself missing all the nice features of the kFire, BUT i'm not sure about getting a kFire because i'm afraid of not liking it's LCD for reading. they make it really hard for you hahaha

i'll try to borrow a normal tablet from a friend to have an idea of the reading experience.

I have both. For me, it's really simple. I READ on the regular Kindle. (K3G, in my case.) Nothing beats it for that. And I do OTHER STUFF on my Fire. Including Magazines, which are hopeless on the regular Kindle, but do quite well on the Fire. Yes, I do sometimes read on the Fire. But rarely.

[Fabio0052]

@SteveEisenberg: Thanks for the explanation about PDF's.

Blackouts and poor electric service have become a real problem in the coutry due to government irresponsability in maintenance of the hydroelectric plants, wich produce 70% of total consume. We even went thruogh a rationing period, and we now get a penalty of 100% of the bill if you increase by 10% your monthly consume 200% in 20% increase ande 300% on 30% increase. You can imagine what this is doing to industries. Anyway the constant frustration i live in isn't the matter of discussion.

I was forced to buy an UPS to protect my equipment from blackouts, so, this poses no danger anymore.

I know i can forget about warranty, and sadly i dont have acquaintances in the USA.

@PhillipA82: Thank you


I do most of my reading at home, at night after work.

this would be quite easier if could just buy a regular kindle and a high end tablet to enjoy the best of both worlds. It's hard living in the third world.

I'd appreciate anyone else telling about his experience with the kindle fire as Kai Winters did.

@robertc88: yes amazon is one of the few e-shops that accept Venezuela's credit cards.

[susan_cassidy]

A Kindle Fire will be almost useless outside of the US, since Amazon will not let you buy apps from their Appstore, and you can't buy movies, etc. from Amazon, either.