Replacement For Kindle Fire HD 8.9"

[Tryvek]

My wife's Kindle Fire HD 8.9" is starting to die. Battery needs recharge every 90 minutes.

I know NOTHING about Kindles or any other e Reader. I'm a 30 yr desk top PC user and too old (80) to really learn about Kindles.

I want to use an Amazon gift certificate to buy a replacement for that Kindle Fire HD 8.9".

I have three concerns.

1. It needs to be "compatible" with her Kindle Fire HD 8.9". In other words, she won't have to learn how to use it as it will function just like the Kindle Fire HD 8.9". In PC terms (to me) it should have the same Operating System or the same User Interface.

2. Will it give her access to all the books and games she has on her current Kindle? I think that is all she uses it for (reading books and playing games). I assume all that content isn't really stored on her current Kindle but is indexed to files in the Kindle "cloud"

3. Can she use the wall plug-in charger that she uses for the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" or do I need to buy a different one to be able to re-charge the new Kindle I get for her?

Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to buy her a Kindle that she can't use.

[Tarana]

A Kindle Fire 10.1 is the latest Fire and completely compatible with what she already has. Just a bit larger. You won't need a new wall plug-in charger, but you may find you need to use the new cord that comes with it (mark it with masking tape or something). It's not that it won't charge, but will charge slower.

[Tryvek]

Tarana - Thanks so much for your quick reply. I'll jump to Amazon first thing in the morning.

[Barbara1955]

I did the upgrade from Fire 2nd gen to the Current Fire 10" Yes Most of what I used on the Older device worked Except None of my Audubon Apps work.... So yes she can Lose Apps she got over the years.

[AnemicOak]

The 10 is a good recommendation, but do keep in mind that it won't have the same user interface exactly. The older Fire's (back when they still had the Kindle name especially) had the carousel which Amazon got rid of in the newer OS. Newer Fire OS is still Android based, but just like going from Windows XP to Windows 7 to Windows 10 there are some differences. That said it isn't that different, just have to get used to the carousel at the top of the screen being gone.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

The 10 is a good recommendation, but do keep in mind that it won't have the same user interface exactly. The older Fire's (back when they still had the Kindle name especially) had the carousel which Amazon got rid of in the newer OS. Newer Fire OS is still Android based, but just like going from Windows XP to Windows 7 to Windows 10 there are some differences. That said it isn't that different, just have to get used to the carousel at the top of the screen being gone.

i was just about to say that. I assume the OP has the 2012/2013 Kindle fire 8.9 so that battery is probably worn out and not really replacable.
To get something with the same carousel interface, look for a used 3rd gen Fire HDX 8.9.
|There are 2 versions of the 8.9 HDX - the older (3rd gen) has the carousel interface, the newer 4th gen has the more modern OS5. both are only available as used/refurbished. As a price guide- I bought one of the older ones for my grandson for £90 ( UK) on ebay and it is fine.
I actually bought that to replace what the OP has - the 8.9 Kindle fire HD. in our case, the KF battery was ok but the increasing number of apps that no longer work due to its ancient operating system as becoming an issue. When the BBC iplayer app became unavailable for that, that was the last straw.

choice depends on user requirements and price but note that the newer one can easily be equipped with google play store and google apps via a little sideloading. the older one cannot.

if the newer interface is OK, then the latest HD8 or HD 10 - in the next amazon sale - with a full warranty, is arguably the better buy. but you are having to go up an inch or down an inch, Amazon no longer make anything that is 8.9"
PS the 8.9" HDX will need a different case/cover - as the ports have been moved around, but covers for old tablets are very cheap. I paid about £3 ! [ an amazon cover for a current HD8/10 will set you back £20+ ]

[Barbara1955]

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...ry+in+fire+8.9

YES you CAN replace the Battery!

OR you can buy one of these: https://www.amazon.com/battery-DZT19...s=battery+bank

You Charge it then plug it into the Fire.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by Barbara1955

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...ry+in+fire+8.9

YES you CAN replace the Battery!

....

are you speaking from experience: have you ever done one. ??

not saying its impossible, just that it requires considerable technical skills and specialist tools. It's not designed to be a user-swappable part.
It's not something I would attempt. and it would be a poor investment in a 6 year old tablet whose OS will not now run lots of apps because they need android 4.1 or greater. Especially as you keep telling us that Fire devices are all POS anyway ?

Amazon are practically giving away new HD8 tablets - if you track their sales and deals of the day, you'd probably get one for less than you'd spend an a dodgy replacement hd8.9 battery

[Tryvek]

First, thanks to all for their comments.

Second, I should have known this wouldn't be as simple as going to Amazon and ordering the latest Amazon Fire.

Price wise, the HD8 seems very attractive but, (ah ...the big but) if I understand correctly this model has a smaller screen than my wife's current HD 8.9" If true, it makes no sense to me to make newer models "smaller".

Most of the offerings indicate something called "Alexa" My wife uses hr Kindle for books and games, nothing else and becomes annoyed when "other things" get in the way. She does not like to deal with extra "bells & whistles".

I'm coming to the conclusion that the best thing might be a refurbished HD 8.9". I've had good luck with refurbished PCs, cell phones, etc. Make sense?

[stumped]

the HD 8 is noticeably smaller ( and lighter) than the old 8.9. On the other hand the HD 10 is a bit bigger, yet slimmer. but that is probably less noticeable.

it is easy to disable ALEXA - in fact using any of the parental controls, such as password protection for purchases will auto-disable ALEXA.

i'd say , as someone with one of everything, that is is a finely balanced choice-
how important is a warranty? the one I bought from ebay was from argos outlet and has 12 months return to seller cover
how important is screen quality- the HDX have more pixels per inch than the one you are replacing an, and more than the current models, but is that an issue
ditto for audio - the HDX audio quality is better, but the HD audio is good enough for occasional streaming. if the main use is going to be streaming netflix, amazon video then get an HDX

old style carousel vs new style interface- not too hard to get used to. the likely biggest issue you'll notice is that there is no apparent way to remove clutter from home screen - with OS 5 you cannot hide the icons for apps you don't want to see, and there's a lot of them. But you can stuff them all into a home screen folder e.g. I have one called amazon stuff where I dump all their useless-to-me shortcuts..
I hated the old carousel but for a toddler, it's great.

games: the HDX have fast high quality CPU and GPU. the new HDs have "just" enough" power to do most things adequately with none to spare. so some games may seem more sluggish. HDX was built to be a market leader for quality - retina quality screen, dolby audio & it even had the live mayday interactive video support feature which is now turned off, sadly.
The HD range is built to a budget, Amazon have done everything they dare to lower the production cost, though to their credit they have managed to extend battery life. [ e.g. they removed some motion detect feature that only affects some games, and they removed some of the cast to big TV screen hardware support ] Each new release claims longer battery life then the previous one.
you should check the specs & reviews in case they have stripped out anything you'd miss!

last point is that they frequently take many £s off the new HD price in sales and deals so if you are not in a rush, start price tracking and explore ebay also.
I bought my HD10, which is not currently in use, last black friday at something ridiculous like 1/3 off the regular price. then I was peeved that the amazon case cost me 20% of the tablet price. Good quality 3rd party cases & covers for old models can be found very cheaply, once the tablet is no longer in production

[stumped]

ps : to put all the relative speeds in perspective.
the 2012/2013 Kindle Fire HD8.9 (which I have owned but sold) was slower than the current HD8/HD10. Apps were slower to load, and some popular ones just don't work on such an old model: BBC, Dropbox...
The HD8/HD10 are less powerful , on paper, than the discontinued HDX models. but if you've never had the pleasure of owning a HDX that may not bug you!
As there is no easy way to get side by side tests, read lots of reviews!

None of them charge particularly fast by modern standards. A pure android tablet with fast charge USB-C will charge much faster, but will cost a lot more. If overnight charging works for you, then any of the Fire models will be ok charge-wise. I have amazons own brand of ( allegedly) fast chargers - i rate them 10 out of 10 for marketing hype, 5 out of 10 for performance

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Tryvek

I'm coming to the conclusion that the best thing might be a refurbished HD 8.9". I've had good luck with refurbished PCs, cell phones, etc. Make sense?

Yep. I don't know exactly which model ("generation") you have but used and refurbished Kindle 8.9" tablets are fairly inexpensive. And battery replacement is also possible (as mentioned by another poster).

[stumped]

Beware getting another 2012 model. The issue of apps not working on Amazon's equivalent of android 4.0 will only get worse..and you cant trust Amazon to provide backward compatibility. E.g. They dropped support for eBay app on the Kindle fire HD a while ago. And BBC iPlayer stopped working this year, on that model. I don't think Amazon drive access ever worked.... And there is no Dropbox, no Google drive apps.
At some point it will become an issue for Amazon os4 devices but as at now I think they still run everything except for sideloaded Google services

[Barbara1955]

IF reading & Games are the Major things she does on the Fire then Go with the Fire 10" Even IF the Current game apps she has does not work there a Tons or Games that are Free she can get. 10" is a Bit Bigger than the one she has but only an 1+ inches. The current 7th gen is Light weight Add a Kids Case it helps to grip with for kids & adults with Arthritis. You can buy other cases/covers that fit it other than the one Amazon tries to sell when you buy.... The 10" has a 12 Month/1 Year warranty the other current fires only have 90 days.

[stumped]

I missed the arthritis bit.
Is there a kids case for the 10.? I know they do them for the 7 and 8 but. I have not seen a large one.
They push kids versions which are basically a tablet bundled with that silicon grip and a longer warranty that included accidental damage, and a 1 year kids unlimited subscription. The actual tablet bit is identical
I have seen 3re party versions of those kids case grip things also. Can't recall the make as I type but they cost half as much as the Amazon ones and some are nicer looking. have Some have a sort of handle thing at the top so a child can easily carry the tablet one handed
My issue with the kids case is that it is not really a case. It is a silicon edge protector. So good for grip, god for dropping it protection but no protection for the actual front screen.
I like a book style cover that actually covers the front