What can I do with an HDX?

[Barty]

Yep I already upgraded to 4.4.2.

I'm liking it more with more time on it. My impression of the apps still stands. I tried out several well rated and recommended apps in some categories that I care about -- rss reader, crossword puzzles, photo editors -- and they generally are not on par with the best ones on iOS. But android apps excel where apple does not allow devs to go. I got swiftkey and it is awesome. It's so good I get annoyed when it fails to correct the gibberish I type. Ivona TTS is currently free beta and it's as good as any I've heard. Best of all, any app that uses the system's TTS can use it. Apple does not allow apps to plug into the OS that way so an app that wants to use tts has to license it itself. I haven't tried but I imagine Dropbox and such service are easier for devs to implement and work more seamlessly for end users.

Some of this is available on iOS via the jailbreak community. But jailbreak apps are made by a tiny, geeky group and target a less tiny but still small, geeky user base, so the situation is reversed as far as app range, quality, and polish go.

Well, I have additional questions but I'll take them over to the android group. Thank you all

[Carmelreader]

A few quick comments about the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 that just arrived a couple of hours ago. Wow! That is some screen. Amazing clarity and great color. The text for reading is also wonderful. No blue fringe, shadows or anything distracting. Whether I will like reading on a bigger tablet is still a question. It is very light though. The speakers are very good. Won't have to use earphones or buds for audiobooks. But it is the video that really is incredible. Quite pleased so far.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Carmelreader

A few quick comments about the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 that just arrived a couple of hours ago. Wow! That is some screen. Amazing clarity and great color. The text for reading is also wonderful. No blue fringe, shadows or anything distracting. Whether I will like reading on a bigger tablet is still a question. It is very light though. The speakers are very good. Won't have to use earphones or buds for audiobooks. But it is the video that really is incredible. Quite pleased so far.

That is why I didn't get one 8.9 is great for watching things but I can't see reading on something that big. It's great you finally got a Kindle Fire without blue haze.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by Carmelreader

A few quick comments about the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 that just arrived a couple of hours ago. Wow! That is some screen. Amazing clarity and great color. The text for reading is also wonderful. No blue fringe, shadows or anything distracting. Whether I will like reading on a bigger tablet is still a question. It is very light though. The speakers are very good. Won't have to use earphones or buds for audiobooks. But it is the video that really is incredible. Quite pleased so far.

I've discovered I don't care for reading books on my Nexus 7, and I'd be surprised if the same didn't hold true for the HDX 8.9.

That's exactly as I assumed it would be: E-ink e-readers for epub and like formats, tablets for magazines and pdfs. (That was meant to express my preference and not to impose a rule.)

I'd been expecting the HDX 8.9's screen and speakers to be superior to those of any other mainstream tablet; glad you found them to be that way. I hope I'll find out firsthand at some point next year, when the newest iteration brings the 8.9 closer to my acceptable budget for Kindle tablets.

[polbit]

I just got the HDX 8.9 as well, and I'm quite impressed. Coming from a Nook HD+ (running full Android via CM), I wasn't expecting the HDX to feel this light and the screen to be this good. I like reading in landscape with two-page view, and this is absolutely perfect for it.

Now I need to find a case that is as minimalistic, light and thin as possible. The origami case just doesn't make any sense to me - it is heavy, thick and way too gimmicky. I might just end up using a sleeve, as the experience of holding HDX by itself is great!

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by polbit

I just got the HDX 8.9 as well, and I'm quite impressed. Coming from a Nook HD+ (running full Android via CM), I wasn't expecting the HDX to feel this light and the screen to be this good. I like reading in landscape with two-page view, and this is absolutely perfect for it.

Now I need to find a case that is as minimalistic, light and thin as possible. The origami case just doesn't make any sense to me - it is heavy, thick and way too gimmicky. I might just end up using a sleeve, as the experience of holding HDX by itself is great!

I recommend the Poetic Slimline Case. I use it on both my tablets. It's super light and wonderful to hold.

[iPatty]

Blossom,
What is it about the Nexus 7 that you especially enjoy. (I'm sort of annoyed that I didn't get one when I replaced my KF1. I had it in my hand and was so torn.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by iPatty

Blossom,
What is it about the Nexus 7 that you especially enjoy. (I'm sort of annoyed that I didn't get one when I replaced my KF1. I had it in my hand and was so torn.

It's a solid tablet. It has Google Play which means access to all apps and it has the best text rendering I've seen on a tablet which makes it the best for reading. It's slim and thin and like the original fire it has gorilla glass. It just feels solid without being heavy. You get the latest android so no outdated features even last year's model is getting the newest updates so unlike our old Fire it won't become obsolete in a year.

It has all things like GPS, camera so it runs those types of apps. The movies look wonderful but I really love Chrome! It can handle pretty much any desktop site I've thrown at it and Iove how easy it is to zoom in and navigate. I had like 20 tabs open the other night and it didn't slow it down. It makes surfer the web a pleasure.

I'm typing this post on it. The Nexus 7 is a real tablet not the a media consumption device but you have access to everything Amazon via their apps except their videos and any game that says Kindle Fire Edition.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by urantia2012

one mobile market is the answer. stay with kindle. it has mayday feature to assist wirh any problem. you can always side load from pc. pc downloads google play apps and you transfer to kindle. file expert app from google play is a must for file access and transfers. kindle is one of the best ebook readers available and now with the best processor for any tablet, it can handle most games available

That's not true if an app has DRM you can't sideload it. You have to use Amazon's version if it exists.

There are much better eReader apps out there than Kindle apps or Kindle Fire. Mantano or Moon+ used with Calibre Companion can't be beat. I use them on my Kindle Fire HD 2 and Nexus 7.

ES File Explorer is a much better app than File Expert. It has sooo many features like Access to cloud, LAN, Device to Device transfer and App Manger that backup your apps and it's pretty user friendly. I do like File Experts tab ability though. ES File Explorer Device to Device is pretty awesome no more having to use Dropbox as a go between.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by urantia2012

you can now download video in lieu of just streaming them. this tab is awsome and will stay up to date for at least 3 to 4 yrs.

That's not true by next year a new model will be out and the old one will be forgotten probably wont received any more firmware updates. Just look at the KFv1 and KFv2 or KFHD1. Amazon is notorious for abandoning their devices.

[booklover6]

Hey the posts I was replying to disappeared? WTH? So maybe my reply is irrelevant. I suppose I will leave it, as a comparison in case anyone is interested....



We're happy that you like your Fire HDX.

I still have a Fire HD 2012 running stock. I gave it to my son, because I myself can't stand the locked down store front. I have a Fire HD 2012 running n2aOS, so it's not a Fire any more. (The first Kindle Fire was better in many ways. More customizable).

I won't be buying another Fire, unless I intend to replace the OS. They are great for beginner users! But I am not a beginner, and have no need for such a locked down tablet. No need for Mayday. No need to download Amazon video.

Even the Nook HD is more customizable than the Fire. And way cheaper than the HDX. I have 3 of them in my house, and a Nook HD+.

So, enjoy your Amazon store front with Black Hole wall paper, we are happy for you! It's a great device for what it does, no doubt about it. But it doesn't do enough, for me.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Blossom

That's not true by next year a new model will be out and the old one will be forgotten probably wont received any more firmware updates. Just look at the KFv1 and KFv2 or KFHD1. Amazon is notorious for abandoning their devices.

Is a device that works perfectly fine abandoned just because it doesn't get all the new bells and whistles which may or may not all run properly on it? They still offer support on the old devices so I don't think they can be called abandoned. I mean we'd all like the latest and greatest on all of our old tech, but is it realistic and for how long are they to be expected to spend development time on old devices that work fine as is?

[mcrow]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Is a device that works perfectly fine abandoned just because it doesn't get all the new bells and whistles which may or may not all run properly on it? They still offer support on the old devices so I don't think they can be called abandoned. I mean we'd all like the latest and greatest on all of our old tech, but is it realistic and for how long are they to be expected to spend development time on old devices that work fine as is?

People fail to understand that updating an OS isn't always the best thing for a device. Some devices would run slower or have issues with an updated OS, partially due to hardware, like a processor not designed to run with a given OS.

Eventually the HD's processor will be under powered to run a new version of the OS. It happens to every device at some point, so I can see why updates are not always made availible to sone devices. This is one reason why smartphones practically need to be repurchased every 2 years or soif you want to be able to run the newest apps. New OS and apps tend to take up more memory and use more of the processor's power.

It's called tech/faeature creep. Sure, maybe a some early updates would help (and they often do provide those) but after year or two there is little to be gained.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Is a device that works perfectly fine abandoned just because it doesn't get all the new bells and whistles which may or may not all run properly on it? They still offer support on the old devices so I don't think they can be called abandoned. I mean we'd all like the latest and greatest on all of our old tech, but is it realistic and for how long are they to be expected to spend development time on old devices that work fine as is?

I would think more than one year would be acceptable don't you? Why can't the 2012 KFHD have some of the new features of the newer tablets? It has nothing to do with hardware. It has to do with marketing. And when they abandon the previous devices that means bugs will never be fixed for that device. The KFv1 still have the missing covers bug that was never fixed. It was broke in the last two firmware updates that stopped in 2011.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by mcrow

People fail to understand that updating an OS isn't always the best thing for a device. Some devices would run slower or have issues with an updated OS, partially due to hardware, like a processor not designed to run with a given OS.

Eventually the HD's processor will be under powered to run a new version of the OS. It happens to every device at some point, so I can see why updates are not always made availible to sone devices. This is one reason why smartphones practically need to be repurchased every 2 years or soif you want to be able to run the newest apps. New OS and apps tend to take up more memory and use more of the processor's power.

It's called tech/faeature creep. Sure, maybe a some early updates would help (and they often do provide those) but after year or two there is little to be gained.

I think two years is a good limit on support for a device updates. Now Amazon did update the Kindle Touch when the PW1 came out which was great. The K4 has been forgotten even though they still sell it.