HDX Kindle Fire HDX - First Impressions

[sirmaru]

Blossom,

You just missed the latest HDX upgrade TODAY. It fixes all known bugs reported prior to today. Plus, it has loads of new features like voice dictation for notes, Goodreads integration and Cloud Collections. Its almost like a new device altogether.

I'm bringing my HDX to a full charge to receive it and already downloaded the new upgrade. It was very large.

I suspect the prominent blue borders are now GONE forever. I won't know for sure until my HDX is fully charged and I install the upgrade. I read with white text on a black background so never saw the blue borders anyway. However, I'll check with black text on a white background.

Its supposed to have a brand new clock app. I hope it contains a sleep timer so I can go to sleep with my eBooks being read to me. I had called that request into the design team a month ago.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by sirmaru

Blossom,

You just missed the latest HDX upgrade TODAY. It fixes all known bugs reported prior to today. Plus, it has loads of new features like voice dictation for notes, Goodreads integration and Cloud Collections. Its almost like a new device altogether.

I'm bringing my HDX to a full charge to receive it and already downloaded the new upgrade. It was very large.

I suspect the prominent blue borders are now GONE forever. I won't know for sure until my HDX is fully charged and I install the upgrade. I read with white text on a black background so never saw the blue borders anyway. However, I'll check with black text on a white background.

Its supposed to have a brand new clock app. I hope it contains a sleep timer so I can go to sleep with my eBooks being read to me. I had called that request into the design team a month ago.

You can't fix the blue border. It's LED light bleed from the blue LEDS used no software update is going to fix that which is why I return it. That's great the new firmware is out. Enjoy your tablet!

Oh I should say all LCDs tablet have light bleed but depending on the design or colors used you would never know it. The first Kindle Fire has a small light bleed but it didn't impact the screen in any way.

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by Blossom

You can't fix the blue border. It's LED light bleed from the blue LEDS used no software update is going to fix that which is why I return it. That's great the new firmware is out. Enjoy your tablet!

Oh I should say all LCDs tablet have light bleed but depending on the design or colors used you would never know it. The first Kindle Fire has a small light bleed but it didn't impact the screen in any way.

You are correct. The blue border is still there if one uses black text on a white background. As before, a white text on a black background does not show it.

I noticed they added Goodreads which I almost never use and a clock which is not a sleep timer for spoken books. I haven't figured how to make notes by talking but I may use the Mayday tomorrow to find out.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by sirmaru

You are correct. The blue border is still there in one uses black text on a white background. As before, a white text on a black background does not show it.

I noticed they added Goodreads which I almost never use and a clock which is not a sleep timer for spoken books. I haven't figured how to make notes by talking but I may use the Mayday tomorrow to find out.

On the unit I just drop off the blue did show on the black with white text. Be happy you got one that is barely noticeable. My first HDX was like that too bad it failed.

I use Goodreads alot so I was waiting for that feature but I can use the Goodreads app so no real biggy.

[iPatty]

Well, darn it, I want all those features with the new upgrade. But I'll never talk my husband into a new KF. :-(

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by iPatty

Well, darn it, I want all those features with the new upgrade. But I'll never talk my husband into a new KF. :-(

I would wait till next year alot of problems need to be work out on them. I went through 3 of them before getting a Nexus 7. I will probably get the cheaper HD model sometime next year but the HDX 7 is ruined by that blue border.

Originally Posted by Blossom

I would wait till next year alot of problems need to be work out on them. I went through 3 of them before getting a Nexus 7. I will probably get the cheaper HD model sometime next year but the HDX 7 is ruined by that blue border.

Just FYI: The PW2 just got an update to FW 5.4.2, but Amazon shanked it. The Cloud Collections are forced onto your PW2 like it or not, and the cloud collections contain every collection you ever had on any Kindle. So it is a cluttered mess. I'm assuming the same is true for the HDX. Also every book ever assigned to those collections appears on the PW2. If the book is only in the cloud then it is greyed, but it still is displayed and causes clutter. There is no frigging way to turn off the display of Cloud books that are not on your PW2. Yuk. It took me a while to clean up 5.4.2's mess.

[sirmaru]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Just FYI: The PW2 just got an update to FW 5.4.2, but Amazon shanked it. The Cloud Collections are forced onto your PW2 like it or not, and the cloud collections contain every collection you ever had on any Kindle. So it is a cluttered mess. I'm assuming the same is true for the HDX. Also every book ever assigned to those collections appears on the PW2. If the book is only in the cloud then it is greyed, but it still is displayed and causes clutter. There is no frigging way to turn off the display of Cloud books that are not on your PW2. Yuk. It took me a while to clean up 5.4.2's mess.

You were complaining earlier that Amazon did not give you any mechanism to manage all your Cloud Collections.

The latest PW 2013 upgrade now gives you the ability to manage ALL your Cloud Collections by deleting and adding as you wish. However, they will only be applied to the PW 2013 and the HDX 2013. Its too bad it won't automatically upgrade all the other devices and apps. Maybe they will also get upgrades to fit the new pattern.

Originally Posted by sirmaru

You were complaining earlier that Amazon did not give you any mechanism to manage all your Cloud Collections.

The latest PW 2013 upgrade now gives you the ability to manage ALL your Cloud Collections by deleting and adding as you wish. However, they will only be applied to the PW 2013 and the HDX 2013. Its too bad it won't automatically upgrade all the other devices and apps. Maybe they will also get upgrades to fit the new pattern.

Actually I was complaining that there is no web page mechanism to manage my Cloud book/docs, and there still isn't. You can add, delete, rename, Cloud collections from your PW2 (and I assume a HDX), but that is slow and cumbersome. A web page would allow for quicker and easier managements.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by jswinden

Actually I was complaining that there is no web page mechanism to manage my Cloud book/docs, and there still isn't. You can add, delete, rename, Cloud collections from your PW2 (and I assume a HDX), but that is slow and cumbersome. A web page would allow for quicker and easier managements.

I am very happy with my Kindle for Android app and here's why.

• Line Spacing works! It does not work right on the HDX. Everything is spaced three times the normal at even the lowest setting. On the app it works like it should.
• Embedded fonts works and looks great
• No blue border!
• The font sizes seems better to me too. It's just could be the Nexus 7 but text rendering is sooo much better than the HDX 7! I can't believe how good my font looks on it.

The app is a tad slow but I have over 6000 books in the Cloud so that is probably why.

Originally Posted by Blossom

I am very happy with my Kindle for Android app and here's why.

• Line Spacing works! It does not work right on the HDX. Everything is spaced three times the normal at even the lowest setting. On the app it works like it should.
• Embedded fonts works and looks great
• No blue border!
• The font sizes seems better to me too. It's just could be the Nexus 7 but text rendering is sooo much better than the HDX 7! I can't believe how good my font looks on it.

The app is a tad slow but I have over 6000 books in the Cloud so that is probably why.

I know! I hardly ever use the PW2 any more. The embedded fonts look really nice on the Nexus 7.2.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I know! I hardly ever use the PW2 any more. The embedded fonts look really nice on the Nexus 7.2.

It seems Amazon skimp on text rending of the HDX now I have seen the Nexus 7. I think they were soo focus on making movies More than HD and games they forgot what a Kindle is all about. I mean the text is really better than most tablets but it doesn't come close to the Nexus 7. Maybe next's year will be better and no more blue.

[bookfanmd]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Its best to go for the $6.99 version anything else is just not worth it and they keep removing features from the others so you buy the Premium. So buy the Premium one. It is well worth it. Trust me on this. I love this app. It's the best one out on the market. You will love it. You don't need to embed fonts it lets you have as many custom fonts as you want. The only con is the custom font wont show italic or bold that will be displayed in Droid serif but that doesn't bother me but if it does you, you can embed the fonts instead.

The premium version has collections just like a Kindle but even better you can have sub collections! you can sort by author, title, series, tags and alot more on the Premium version. It has highlighting tools which I never use, dictionary and Wikipedia look up. It even handles epub and pdf library books.

It has two column landscape mode as well!

You would only need the cloud if you sync between devices which I do. You can have up to 4 devices for 10 a year for me this well worth it.

I can't get the Kindle app to work on my SGP5. I gave up on it. One day it stopped working all together. Too many books I think.

Blossom,

I went to Amazon and the Mantano app is showing not compatible with the Kindle Fire or Fire HDX. How did you get it?

Thanks,
Sheila

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by bookfanmd

Blossom,

I went to Amazon and the Mantano app is showing not compatible with the Kindle Fire or Fire HDX. How did you get it?

Thanks,
Sheila

Unfortunately it must be side loaded you will need a non Kindle Fire Android device that has the Amazon App Store installed and is log into the same account your Kindle Fire is registered too. Once you install Mantano on that device you use ES File Explorer's app Manager to back it up to a installable apk file. You then transfer the apk file to the HDX and it will install and work like any other app.

Keep in Mine the Amazon version of this app is always two to three versions behind. The newest version 2.4.6 finally added custom fonts italic and bold text!!! I am so happy now if only they added Time Left to Read like Moon+ Pro Reader app or Kindles has.

The Google Play version wont work on the Kindle Fire due to DRM.

[bookfanmd]

Thanks! I'll give it a try.