Database Users

Second thoughts?

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum to post this under, seeing as I'm new to the XDA Developers community, but here goes nothing:
Has anyone else that has purchased an Kindle Fire been having second thoughts?
I think the main reason that I'm feeling this way is the whole thing feels sluggish, and the entire experience is frustrating. I did not buy the KF for a media consumption device; I bought it with the intention of rooting it, and having a $200 full-featured Android tablet, and having done so, something still feels off. It's extremely frustrating that I spent hours trying to get a custom wallpaper, and while I understand that it's a known-issue (So many threads made everyday...)
I played with my friends G2 today, which by no means is a new phone, and it (felt like), it kicked the KF's ass in speed. I just don't understand this at all. This (afaik) is a single core 800MHz device that feels more fluid than a 1GHz Dual Core. Is there something I'm missing?
Now, I'm new to Android, so I have absolutely no idea if this is a software issue that will get resolved (Honeycomb / Ice Cream Sandwich?), how long a wait that will be. (I understand that no one knows the answer to that.) Or... Is this just the hardware that $200 will buy you? I understand they're selling each KF at a loss, maybe I had higher expectations than I should have.
I noticed in a local Best Buy Black Friday ad, that the Acer Iconia 7" tablet will go on sale for $190, which has spurred thoughts of returning my KF, and purchasing the Iconia. Can anyone think of a good reason not to?
Please excuse my ignorance, I really am trying to learn something here. Will these issues improve with time, once custom ROMs start getting developed for the KF?
Thanks for reading. I appreciate any input, even if it's pointing out something I've missed. (Especially so.)

First off, welcome to the forums! and yeah, general is a pretty decent place for this sort of thing imo.
I think, if you're looking for a full featured android tablet for under $200, and are willing to brave the black friday madness to get it, then by all means, return your kindle and go for the Iconia. It's got better specs, cameras, honeycomb, etc - and lets face it, amazon designed the kindle to be just that, a kindle. Whatever android functionality we get past that should be looked at as a bonus to what was already there imo.
I've owned an asus transformer as my primary android tablet for close to 6months now, and got the kindle intending it to be mostly a device for media, so I was pleasantly surprised how well it did as an android tablet as well. I actually ended up falling in love with the size and ease of one-handed use of the 7" tablet, and am debating ditching the transformer and either going with just the kindle, or picking up a more powerful 7" tablet myself.
Don't get me wrong, I love the kindle and will definitely be hanging onto it - but one of the more main reasons I got it was it's integration to all of amazons media services.
I think you'll notice a considerable increase in speed and smoothness with the tegra 2 and more notably the 1gb of memory, especially if you root the iconia and install a more cut down rom.
The only thing I will say here is having used both the kindle and a 10" honeycomb tablet now... I'm not entirely sure how i'd like the honeycomb interface on a 7" tablet... it might almost feel too cluttered - but thats an ocd person with a very minimalist taste speaking.
Just my 2 cents, hope it helps.

I've seen quite a few complains about sluggish performance but I honestly haven't seen any of that after rooting and switching to go launcher. There was some noticible slow downs changing orientation of the device or just simply scrolling throught the carousel when I was using the stock launcher but that seems to be all gone now. Ive been playing Pandora while surfing on opera with several tabs open haven't seen any lag at all. Maybe im not stressing my tablet enought? Idk what other ppl do on it but coming from an ipad 1 im very satisified with my purchase . ICS is suppose to have similar ram usage to GB so I think the 512 ram should be suffice atleast for my usage.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

Really appreciate the thought out reply.
I love the 7" form-factor myself; the only doubt that I'm having right now is battery life. It seems to be 5 hours of casual WiFi browsing, which is ridiculously low compared to the KF. The other features totally make it worth it. Mini-HDMI and Micro-SD would definitely be nice to have, as well as GPS? Jeez.
Edit: If I do return it, should I unroot it, is there a process to return it to factory settings?

Yeah, 5 hours battery life is a bit rough - although again to reference my experiences with the transformer, at least, a cut down Rom will likely help that a decent bit.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

If you return any tablet you've rooted by all mean unroot it. It not only helps if you get a clerk who knows what to look for (and refuses your return justifiably as rooting voids warranty) but also it's good form. It avoids "surprises" for whomever gets your tab afterwards.
Having owned the Iconia A100 for about 2 weeks before returning it (battery life, viewing angles, Acer possibly leaving tabs and lack of dev support) I must say it's a fine little tab. Only 8G internal but uSD offsets, 1GB RAM, quality build and reported ICS in January are real pluses. Price ($330) is steep but if you can get it on BF then do so.
Now that root has been achieved on the NT, it's blows the doors off the KF (specs, battery life, etc). Seriously look into it as a replacement for the KF.
BTW I would not count on HC or ICS for the KF. No reason for Amazon to do that as it doesn't add revenue to buying anything from Amazon. B&N only upped the NC to 2.2 Froyo after almost a year on 2.1 then stopped.

skeeterpro said:
Now that root has been achieved on the NT, it's blows the doors off the KF (specs, battery life, etc). Seriously look into it as a replacement for the KF.
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Do you have a link for NT root? I can't find it and I am holding off on buying one until I see what's possible on it.

I already own the HTC flyer referenced in my .sig and I don't think anything comes close to it speedwise since it has a 1.5 GHz single core processor. And I've played with the Dell streak 7 which is dual core 1 GHz. Since app so few apps can actually use the second core it feels slower by comparison. It has 512 memory like the KF and I think that's much of the reason it seems so much slower. I used the V6 whatever script by Zepp-somebody (as you can see I'm just horrible with names) from here on XDA and it made a big difference. So I'd guess the Fire would also benefit from tweaked minfrees and OOM settings also. Considering some of that 512 is given to video I think almost all lag is actually the Android OS moving things out of memory and killing apps to make room for the new app or the app you're returning to.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using Tapatalk

I have to add that I tried quite a few devices before settling on my 7". I brought home a couple, the Iconia screen was just unacceptable period, the angle you will want to view it the most is the worst, every Iconia I've seen has this problem on both sides of the border. Not to mention not so great battery life although I did find it better than the reviews, and random FCs. I eventually settled on a Flyer and it's miles ahead of the Iconia, what a polished device, it just works, so smooth, has a really nice screen, and is solid built.
I'm here cause I'm looking at the KF myself for my kids, but it sounds like it will be more trouble than it's worth to get them working north of the border. I tried a Vox for a couple of days and it was just so buggy, slow and locked down.

bsoplinger said:
I already own the HTC flyer referenced in my .sig and I don't think anything comes close to it speedwise since it has a 1.5 GHz single core processor. And I've played with the Dell streak 7 which is dual core 1 GHz. Since app so few apps can actually use the second core it feels slower by comparison. It has 512 memory like the KF and I think that's much of the reason it seems so much slower. I used the V6 whatever script by Zepp-somebody (as you can see I'm just horrible with names) from here on XDA and it made a big difference. So I'd guess the Fire would also benefit from tweaked minfrees and OOM settings also. Considering some of that 512 is given to video I think almost all lag is actually the Android OS moving things out of memory and killing apps to make room for the new app or the app you're returning to.
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also considered the Flyer when I bought the A100. The digitizer for note taking attracted me but not paying upwards to $70-80 for the pen. No HC was a turn-off with little hope of upgrade. That plus a couple articles spectulating HTC getting out of the tab business broke the deal for me. But I have read that the Flyer is a serviceable device indeed!
---------- Post added at 09:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:36 AM ----------
sgood1971 said:
Do you have a link for NT root? I can't find it and I am holding off on buying one until I see what's possible on it.
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Sure. You'll need to be familiar with ADB (but then we all should).
Keep in mind the Search function is your friend!

To be completely honest, most of the things that I've noticed have performance issues are the Amazon-specific things -- the bottom buttons, the stock launcher, etc. In fact, everything else, now that I've rooted it, runs just fine even when I limit the processor to 600MHz per core.
I really am pretty sure the biggest performance thing is Amazon's modifications to the Android stuff. So, that *may* be fixed in upcoming updates. Or, heck, we'll just get a good custom rom sometime!

I've noticed intermittant sluggish performance only on Silk Browser. Using Opera Browser instead solves this and is much faster browsing experience.

skeeterpro said:
Sure. You'll need to be familiar with ADB (but then we all should).
Keep in mind the Search function is your friend!
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Click to collapse
Thank you for the link. I did indeed use the search, I always do. Unfortunately my search-foo must have been weak indeed today.
Thanks again.

mewshi said:
Or, heck, we'll just get a good custom rom sometime!
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This. I'm thinking it won't be too long before they start the ROM game...or hoping. I wouldn't keep the fire with its stock interface; I also bought it as a tablet. That said, the thing has been out a WEEK and they've already made leaps and bounds. The thing was rooted in like 12 hours, they've got CWM on it (just can't navigate easily) and I think they'll work out the kinks and start romming. My hope is for CM9, myself.

matt314159 said:
This. I'm thinking it won't be too long before they start the ROM game...or hoping. I wouldn't keep the fire with its stock interface; I also bought it as a tablet. That said, the thing has been out a WEEK and they've already made leaps and bounds. The thing was rooted in like 12 hours, they've got CWM on it (just can't navigate easily) and I think they'll work out the kinks and start romming. My hope is for CM9, myself.
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Click to collapse
True enough but regardless keep your hopes and expectations realistic. Remember that this device was not designed to be an open android tablet. The overlay and mods from Amazon might be tough to completely delete or bypass. Could be wrong but even so it's a $200 device. It will only ever be that. Which is fine but it is what it is.

I own a flyer also and it is a great tablet. I also bought the Fire for what is was advertised for, media content from Amazon. I don't intend on rooting because I think it performs just fine as it is. For your kids, watching movies, games and reading, I think they would enjoy this 7 inch device.
Sent from my GT-P7310 using xda premium

After going to Best Buy, and playing with the Iconia, it's re-affirmed my purchase in the KF. The display on the Iconia certainly leaves something to be desired.
I think I basically want a Galaxy Tab 7.0 at a $200 price point - not gonna happen, heh.

xodlike said:
After going to Best Buy, and playing with the Iconia, it's re-affirmed my purchase in the KF. The display on the Iconia certainly leaves something to be desired.
I think I basically want a Galaxy Tab 7.0 at a $200 price point - not gonna happen, heh.
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Good to know.. display on that was one thing i never really thought about. heh.

At this point, I have to say the Fire is a keeper for me. What put it over the edge was that I was able to sideload the ereader.com app and read my books in full screen (I have been using this site for ebooks for more than a decade and probably have 200+ books in that library). The ereader app won't let me unlock my books on my Archos Honeycomb tablet and my HTC Flyer on Gingerbread will unlock the books, but the app is the screen size of a phone and I can't figure out how to make it bigger.
The Fire is the only device I can stream Amazon Instant Video without stuttering and allows me to use Netflix and Hulu too.
I've managed to sideload my manga reader apps and some other apps I love.
I can't plug a hard drive in, but I can stream with my Go Flex satellite.
Surfing isn't any better than any other device I own (maybe a little bit slower), but I can live with it for the other benefits.
Still not giving up my other tablets though

Expecting a "full featured" tablet from a $200 tablet is silly. The Kindle wasn't built to be a rooted device, it wasn't built to do all the things that Android tablets can do (GPS, bluetooth, video/voice calling, etc), it was built to be a media consumption device and a reader. It does both of those things well, and anything else it can do is just extra goodness. If you need more storage, GPS, bluetooth, or any of those other features... I'd recommend going with another tablet. You'll be spending more, but you get what you pay for.

Should I buy a Kindle Fire?

Hey guys, I am considering whether or not buying a KF. Honestly, it will not be used as a reader or used with any of Amazon's services. Rather I am buying it to have a solid piece of hardware that runs the Android operating system and hoping to see Kindle specific roms in the future (CM7 gives me hope). This will be a toy to use for media and occasionally on the go. Is it worth buying in hopes of future developing and tinkering?

Anyone have any input?

Just got mine yesterday and I would say yes it is worth the price tag for what you want to do. I rooted mine and put cm7 on it within minutes of opening it and haven't looked back.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

What is the status of CM7 at this point? Is it fully functional?
I'd want to install CM7 and use SetCPU (if anyone has overclocked this thing yet).

I think the Kindle Fire is a great device for the cheap price.
I have my Kindle Fire for about 2 Weeks. At first i rooted the device and used Go Launcher Ex for a while, but I didn't like it. Then i decided to use CM7. It is very usable I think. There some problems with the MAC address and some forced closes sometimes.
Today i flashed the early Version of ICS from JackpotClavin. It is very smooth and with ICS the Kindle Fire feels like a Tablet. With CM7 the Kindle Fire feels like a big smartphone for me. ICS isn't finished yet and there are some problems with sdcard and forced closes.
If you can wait until the Custom Roms are more perfect I think the Kindle Fire is a good decision to buy.

I bought mine to use solely as a tablet. I installed cm7 as soon as it was avaliable and haven't looked back. i bought it without any intention if using any of amazon's services. it's a great tablet plus it fits in a pocket. dual core, so it can run 720p h264 very well. plus with the overclock it'll be even better. the only complaint i have is it doesn't have an sd card slot, so you only have like 8-10 gigs of space to put stuff on, but it's not a big problem for me. cm7 is very stable. I have no fc's that i can remember, video works, sound works, plus there's a cifs module compiled so you can even mount samba shares. definately worth it in my opinion.

Matt V said:
Hey guys, I am considering whether or not buying a KF. Honestly, it will not be used as a reader or used with any of Amazon's services. Rather I am buying it to have a solid piece of hardware that runs the Android operating system and hoping to see Kindle specific roms in the future (CM7 gives me hope). This will be a toy to use for media and occasionally on the go. Is it worth buying in hopes of future developing and tinkering?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have put four of these on my network at home everyone always waiting for workstation time. Now more than enough browsers for everyone. They have been rock solid so far. Running CM7 rom on all of them.

Yes, it's the best tablet you can buy for 200 dollars. An iPad is not 2.5 times better than it. I honestly think if you know your way around adb it is a magical device, with endless possibilities. Buy one, you won't regret it.

Using splashtop and orb to stream, I haven't put the thing down. I never need to leave the couch. Best thing I ever bought for light browsing, massive media, and email. I'm always around wifi so the 5.5 gig memory constraint is not a problem. ymmv with what you intend to do with it.
Edit: Orb has a beta apk on their website if you don't want to buy. It works great on the fire, worth the money if you decide to buy since no memory card.
Sent from my Epic (sleeper rom) using XDA App.

Buy it!
It's great value for money. I've put CM7 on mine and now it's a pretty nifty tablet. In any case, I couldn't use any of Amazon's services (apart from buying books) being outside the US.
I own a few other tablets and the only features I miss on the Fire are the lack of hardware volume controls and mic. Otherwise, the performance of the tab (with CM7) is great and the size is pretty convenient too. It definitely doesn't feel like a cheap tablet.

Thanks for the replies guys, I decided to pull the trigger on one and it will be here Friday.
CM7 appears to not have functioning sound so I'm just gonna root it for now and wait until a fully functional ROM is released, shouldn't be long. ICS looks promising as well.

Read the "Standing on the shoulders of giants" CM7 thread. Sound and hardware acceleration are working just fine.
Sent from my Gingervolt-ed VS910 4G using xda premium

Oh, I guess I watched an older video then that said it didn't work.

Love mine! Just got it for christmas. get it!
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

Should I buy?

Simply, should I buy this Tablet? I was going to get a Nook Color. But after having a Duel Core Device, running ICS. Can't go back to single core. The Nook Color Tablet can't be hacked as of now. But this device is 200 USD. Has MIUI, CM7, ICS. Even if some are beta. Its better than most. Id only use it for Netflix, N64oid, Gmail, Youtube, etc.
So should I make it my Tablet?
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk

All I can tell you is I like it. Runs great with CM7.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

You should probably consider there are some other devices coming out soon-ish (End of Q1, beginning of Q2) you might want to wait for such as the Asus MeMo 370t. Competition's about to get real heated in the 7-inch market segment.
That said, I've spent a good month or so with my Kindle Fire and it's worked wonders so far. CM7 is smooth as hell and pretty much fully functional, and while CM9 is on the works and has some kinks to work out, it's also a pretty solid start as it is now. Rooting is pretty much effortless and fool-proof, and I don't regret getting it for a second; it's a brilliant media-oriented tablet and it's handled every game I've thrown at it without a single second of lag as well.

Fireblend said:
You should probably consider there are some other devices coming out soon-ish (End of Q1, beginning of Q2) you might want to wait for such as the Asus MeMo 370t. Competition's about to get real heated in the 7-inch market segment.
That said, I've spent a good month or so with my Kindle Fire and it's worked wonders so far. CM7 is smooth as hell and pretty much fully functional, and while CM9 is on the works and has some kinks to work out, it's also a pretty solid start as it is now. Rooting is pretty much effortless and fool-proof, and I don't regret getting it for a second; it's a brilliant media-oriented tablet and it's handled every game I've thrown at it without a single second of lag as well.
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Click to collapse
You bring up a good point, I'm wanting a 7" Tablet. There's so many coming out. But I want something with a strong Dev team. I've made the Mistake of thinking all fourms where like the HD2, G2, and G1.
Is there any news about an Offical CM9 Rom?
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk

AgentCherryColla said:
You bring up a good point, I'm wanting a 7" Tablet. There's so many coming out. But I want something with a strong Dev team. I've made the Mistake of thinking all fourms where like the HD2, G2, and G1.
Is there any news about an Offical CM9 Rom?
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there aren't any official CM9 Rom
but I beleve it just a matter of time
here is the link of the progress
(http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1411895)

Love my kindle don't get me wrong. But just so you know the Nook is hackable it just takes some work.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

The current ICS rom in development is good enough to be a daily driver. I've been using it without any problems. It's been very stable for me.
Kindle Fire has a strong dev community and is very popular. Amazon sold many, many units. That being said, The ASUS tablet seems like a dream machine.. but it's not coming out for a while.

This device is just perfect for me!
If you like 7" (fits in my inner pocket), no sound buttons and if you can stand an alpha version of ICS, then it's perfect for you aswell!
The screen is very touch responsive, good light levels, high dpi (good for reading pdf) and the device feels sturdy in your hand. I get well over the specified 7-8 hours of usage, especially when I lower the light level to a minimum (still sufficient).
I recommend the Kindle Fire Lightweight MicroShell Folio Cover by Marware, Graphite which makes the device lean and has a nice feel over it.

My Aunt is buying one, so Ill get a 1st hand look at it. But I think my minds made up. Kindle Fire Hopefully they get the Bluetooth radio up and running
Sent from my HTC myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk

I dig it, wish it had cameras, but I like it. Like it more after rooting and installing the Google apps and sync working with contacts and calendar.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium

I really like the Kindle Fire. Like others have said, it would be nice if it didn't skimp on hardware devices like cameras, etc. but then it wouldn't be $199.
They do need to make the UI a little better. Native Swype keyboard support would go a long way.

I tend not to look towards upcoming products when it comes to electronics because while on page they may appear attractive, one cannot forsee their performance/relability.
I buy something that is fairly current and put it through its paces during the alloted return period. Something can obviously happen afterwards with it but I'm comfortable knowing I had the opportunity to try it and I like it without wondering what other forthcoming product works or when it truly will become available for that matter.

robertc88 said:
I tend not to look towards upcoming products when it comes to electronics because while on page they may appear attractive, one cannot forsee their performance/relability.
I buy something that is fairly current and put it through its paces during the alloted return period. Something can obviously happen afterwards with it but I'm comfortable knowing I had the opportunity to try it and I like it without wondering what other forthcoming product works or when it truly will become available for that matter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A strong dev community is always positive! That way, even if the manufacturer screws up, you'll still have support.

Kindle Fire ICS VS Eee Pad Transformer ICS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4zm2NVGFaU
video link

You should give us a written review. Even just some main points. Your video looks very detailed. I'm in a place where I can't listen to audio right now
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2

What's the point in comparing hardware when the key problem with the Kindle fire is the **** content selection and locked in ecosystem.. Frankly only an idiot would buy one.
Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2

Yikes, a lil hostile eh?
Sent from my ikream bolt

CrazyPeter said:
What's the point in comparing hardware when the key problem with the Kindle fire is the **** content selection and locked in ecosystem.. Frankly only an idiot would buy one.
Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
Lol.. You just branded a few mil folks

Doesn't rooting solve the problem? Not sure, I don't have one, but I want to know for future reference..

asdfuogh said:
Doesn't rooting solve the problem? Not sure, I don't have one, but I want to know for future reference..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're correct that rooting it will get you a more or less ”generic” Android experience. But you'll still be left with a device that was designed with the closed Amazon ecosystem in mind, limited RAM, only 1 button (power), no expansion (microSD or SDHC), etc. Not a horrible choice if you're looking for Android cheap but there are a number of $250 ”real” Android devices available with GPS, vibration, full sensor array, some flavor of Android from the start instead of the Amazon overlay etc.
Sent from my PG41200 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk 2

CrazyPeter said:
What's the point in comparing hardware when the key problem with the Kindle fire is the **** content selection and locked in ecosystem.. Frankly only an idiot would buy one.
Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ur see in the video kindle holds up with the ee pad with ics

fldude99 said:
Lol.. You just branded a few mil folks
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Click to collapse
Yep, too many people only buy what they know.. Kindle owners are, really no better than ipad owners in this respect.
What idiot would buy a new car that you could only gas up at a specific filling station? That no different to the ipad and kindle.
Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2

goodfellajay said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4zm2NVGFaU
video link
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Click to collapse
Sorry to say but this is pointless and strange. The Transformer is a real tablet and if you want that, there's no comparison. On the other hand if you want to read ebooks only and byuing from Amazon only, then you go the Kindle way.

I think some of you are missing the point of the video.
On both devices ICS was installed and the performance was compared doing the same tasks.
In most cases the kindle held up with the transformer and in some it was even faster! Not bad for a device half the price.

This video on the TF forum, what did you expect people to say? It would be a totally different story if posted on kindle fire forum. Pointless topic in my mind, just saying.

My eee pad was 250 at best buy on black Friday 2011. Who would ever buy a kindle lmao?!
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA

hardy81 said:
Sorry to say but this is pointless and strange. The Transformer is a real tablet and if you want that, there's no comparison. On the other hand if you want to read ebooks only and byuing from Amazon only, then you go the Kindle way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, there are a whole load of BETTER e-readers than the Kindle.
Just because that's the only brand you know, doesn't mean it's the best..
Sony do very nice e-readers, the Kobo are the same price as the kindles, and both support the superior EPUB format.

New Transformer user here. I had a Kindle Fire until recently (sold it on eBay) and tried a few ICS builds after rooting the tablet. Sure, ICS worked on it, but the video in the OP definitely doesn't tell the whole story. Stability certainly was a problem: I experienced many FCs and a lot of tablet-specific apps just wouldn't run properly on it.
Devs (as usual) are (still) doing great work to make the KF a nice entry-level tablet, and for the price, you won't find a better deal (especially if you are willing to buy a used or refurb model). The KF community at XDA is VERY responsive, which is a definite plus. However, I just didn't find it as fast as when I was using the stock ROM or alternate GB-based ROMs available for the KF (Hellfire's builds were really good). Without the availability of a 3.x kernel offering full HWA (I know devs are working on this), performance wasn't that great, especially after I loaded up the tablet with 60-70 apps I typically use on my phone.
I parted with the KF mainly because I found its screen size too small (I've developed a taste for reading magazines and the like). At the end of the day, I was willing to sacrifice portability for more screen estate, as well as better storage options and support for future Android updates. Time will tell if I made the right choice.
---------- Post added at 09:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:51 PM ----------
CrazyPeter said:
Sony do very nice e-readers, the Kobo are the same price as the kindles, and both support the superior EPUB format.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used all three, and frankly, the best e-reader I owned was (by far) the Kindle 3 keyboard. If you know what you are doing, you can convert books in the proper format (using something like Calibre) or use a third-party ROM to read .epub files on it natively, so file format wasn't an issue for me. Amazon's online selection is top notch, way better than anyone else out there including Barnes and Noble, Chapters, etc.
The Kobo Touch was a close second, but had a lot of firmware issues: the last version I used before giving mine away seemed to fix most of them (especially the highly annoying page turning bug that crept up at some point). The hardware is nice though, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend one.
The Sony e-reader was just garbage, I had to return it twice after both units died on me. I will never buy any other e-reader from the company.

it holds up well

hardy81 said:
Sorry to say but this is pointless and strange. The Transformer is a real tablet and if you want that, there's no comparison. On the other hand if you want to read ebooks only and byuing from Amazon only, then you go the Kindle way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To call it "pointless and strange" comes off pretty harsh, but I sort of agree a little. It is a bit of an apple to oranges comparison, I think, mainly because the screen resolutions aren't the same. The ASUS has to produce 1280x800 (1,024,000 square pixels) output all the time while the Kindle produces 1024x600 (614,400 square pixels). In their respective web browsers, for example, more of the page has to be rendered on the ASUS display than on the Kindle's. Yet, the pinch zoom is a bit stuttery on the Kindle, as the video mentioned. I wonder if it's because something on the Kindle's ICS is not optimized for the device.
For the best e-readers, I think they have to be the ones with the e-Ink displays. It's both because of the display and because of their extremely light weight. They are lacking multi-functionally, but they do their one thing (e-reading) extremely well.

My mom has a Kindle, I have a TF101 w/ dock. The differences between the two are almost night and day in some aspects.
I can do anything I want with my TF101. The dock helps with battery and some other things such as office suite on the go and gaming. Streaming movies through Netflix and watching Youtube. Hooking the tab to a TV with the HDMI support. It is the optimum tablet style for any uber geek and Android fan. There are still kernel issues due to being an outdated kernel without fixes from ASUS or a real update that helps to correct any of the core problems and even created more under 4.0.3. AOKP, CM9 and Megatron are sorting them out as well as Guevor and Testymeh kernels in development. Others are working as well, but not as quickly as the current scne is developing for the TF101. Great things are still to come.
The Kindle ICS is missing some driver support due to an outdated kernel and no ICS source available from Amazon. Hash and other developers are all working on getting HWA to work, which does cause quite a few issues all around in ICS since it uses a different process to manipulate hardware and software. They are modifying source from similar devices with matching hardware and going from there. The Kindle is just as well to play games or download movies and books. Now that HWA is getting out, Netflix and other things, even the web browser, should start working as intended. You're also running hardware with limited memory than to how it was designed. I think they had to engineer a driver that would allow hardware to run at it's full potential with smaller ram and swapability due to Kindle limitations. (I spend a lot of time with my mom's Kindle to make sure it runs at least similar to how I would run it.
Either offering is good depending on the person's wants and needs. I do admit, after seeing a Kindle in action, I am glad I have a much higher expectation of my electronics. No respect lost, but I'm not on the same spectrum.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium

goodfellajay said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4zm2NVGFaU
video link
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on this link i show my wifes fire is not too bad with ics

Who got theirs?

Mine came in this morning. Been playing with it for a couple of hours now. The screen is OK, but not as good as my New iPad, but that is to be expected. I did have it crash on me after installing Netflix and signing into it. I do like the fact that it is already registered to your Amazon account out of the box. I only had to connect to WiFi. Turning off adds is done on amazon.com under manage Kindle, which I did. the interface is VERY sparse. I was able to grab cisco Anyconnect VPN, but haven't tested it yet with my MiFi (I'm already at work). The initial setup and download really drags the tablet almost to a halt. But after that it's back to normal speeds. All in all, I still want a custom ROM of JB on here. I have Skype installed but haven't call anyone yet. Also, the speakers ARE AWESOME. I work in IT and all the guys loved the sound coming from this puppy! Streamed Downton Abbey without hiccups or buffering. Quite nice. No buyers remorse yet.

Cool! Can you side load app and install a different launcher like you could with the last fire?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Jut got mine too.
Love it so far
JaxDomino said:
Mine came in this morning. Been playing with it for a couple of hours now. The screen is OK, but not as good as my New iPad, but that is to be expected. I did have it crash on me after installing Netflix and signing into it. I do like the fact that it is already registered to your Amazon account out of the box. I only had to connect to WiFi. Turning off adds is done on amazon.com under manage Kindle, which I did. the interface is VERY sparse. I was able to grab cisco Anyconnect VPN, but haven't tested it yet with my MiFi (I'm already at work). The initial setup and download really drags the tablet almost to a halt. But after that it's back to normal speeds. All in all, I still want a custom ROM of JB on here. I have Skype installed but haven't call anyone yet. Also, the speakers ARE AWESOME. I work in IT and all the guys loved the sound coming from this puppy! Streamed Downton Abbey without hiccups or buffering. Quite nice. No buyers remorse yet.
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I just got mine on my way home from Best Buy. So far from what I can tell it's a bit to locked down for my taste
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

So, I'm an owner of an original fire, got it as a Christmas present from my wife last year. I sold it a few weeks ago planning on getting the N7, but waited for the amazon presser about the new line.
After watching the live blog and all that, figured I'd give the KF another shot, and if I didn't like it, I'd return it and get the N7. After playing with this new KF for the past few hours, it's awesome, so much better than the original, for what I use it for. I like the new email client, the screen is fantastic, it's snappy and feels very cohesive and not so much an interface stuck on top of an andriod OS, even though it is.
So far, I'm impressed.

Yeah I just got mine as well and played around with it for about 10 minutes. So far the screen is gorgeous and the software isn't as laggy as the preview models that were shown in the videos. And the default web browser search engine for me was already set to Google. I'll post up more impressions in a bit.

Don't forget to update to 7.1.5. The sound on this device is freaking awesome...

Got mine today too...initial experiences:
- Side-loaded OnLive 1.2 and it works flawlessly
- Side-loaded Zinio reader from the Zinio.com site, but it FC several times...not usable. Emailed Zinio support
- Really want Rdio somehow, but haven't found the APK. Amazon Store says its not compatible.
- Fully MP3 library totally accessible and interface nice
- Amazon Prime Video works wonderfully but the series interface isn't so great...would like an easier way to tell were I left off on my Sons of Anarchy catch-up.
- Hulu Plus works but playback is janky--just isn't smooth or integrated
- I personally find the overall interface skinned nicely, but clumsy to navigate....coming from Gingerbread, Jelly Bean and iOS.
Looking forward to lots of crazy hacks to really push the hardware on this puppy!

scottpletcher said:
Looking forward to lots of crazy hacks to really push the hardware on this puppy!
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My question is if you're going to hack, why not hack a better hardware tablet like the nexus 7?

Better hardware?
shook187 said:
My question is if you're going to hack, why not hack a better hardware tablet like the nexus 7?
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The OMAP 4460 in the 7" hd has a stronger gpu (clocked higher) than the tegra 3 as well as hdmi out and dual band wi-fi. What are you referring to when you mention that the nexus 7 is a stronger hardware platform?

pandapoo said:
The OMAP 4460 in the 7" hd has a stronger gpu (clocked higher) than the tegra 3 as well as hdmi out and dual band wi-fi. What are you referring to when you mention that the nexus 7 is a stronger hardware platform?
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I was the for to my weak ass Quadrant score
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

pandapoo said:
The OMAP 4460 in the 7" hd has a stronger gpu (clocked higher) than the tegra 3 as well as hdmi out and dual band wi-fi. What are you referring to when you mention that the nexus 7 is a stronger hardware platform?
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Interesting quote from a reviewer
This is a Wi-Fi-only device that Amazon has packed with dual antennas, support for MIMO and reception in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands in an attempt to speed up the connection. Despite that, I found Web browsing to be noticeably slower than on the Nexus 7 -- so in my experience, at least, that hardware addition is for naught.
The device is missing some prominent hardware features that its competitors have, such as GPS. The Kindle Fire HD's processor is far from leading-edge: a 1.2Ghz dual-core OMAP 4460 Texas Instruments processor, compared to the more powerful quad-core Tegra 3 processor that powers the Nexus 7. After several hours of use, I found the tablet seemed to suffer occasional lags when opening apps and on occasion when using apps. Restarting the device solved the problem, but then the lags eventually reappeared.
The middling-level hardware isn't as surprising as you might expect, because the Kindle Fire HD hasn't really been designed to be an all-purpose tablet -- despite Amazon's claims to the contrary. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos summed up the purpose of the Kindle Fire HD succinctly during the product announcement when he said, "The Kindle Fire is a service."
http://m.computerworld.com/s/articl...&hl=en&gl=us&tab=wn&q=kindle%20fire%20hd&sa=N
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium

shook187 said:
My question is if you're going to hack, why not hack a better hardware tablet like the nexus 7?
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Hehe, I may do that too. That's why somehow I have a Motorola Xoom, iPad 2, iPad 3, Kindle Original, Nook Touch, Galaxy Note, Motorola Razr Maxx, and Galaxy Nexus.
The Fire HD appealed to be because I wanted more or less a dedicated reading device that also does other stuff. The antiglare screen looks pretty good so far and that was a plus for me. Now, if I can only get it to run Zinio stable, then I'll have pretty much achieved my goal.
I can deal with the text layout of Business Week from Amazon on the Fire, but for my other two magazines--Outside and National Geographic--I really want the full color magazine experience since its so much about the photography. Zinio's resolution is just so much higher than the same magazine pages via the Amazon Kindle app. I think Zinio uses vector for the layout where it appears Amazon is rasterized.

shook187 said:
My question is if you're going to hack, why not hack a better hardware tablet like the nexus 7?
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16gb vs 8gb for $199, much better sound, apparently better screen, hdmi, possibly better build quality. and maybe a better camera.
versus gps and Tegra 3.(not sure if Tegra 3 is usefully better other than Tegra-only games).
I like them both but I really want the better sound and hdmi, and hacking would eliminate one of the main advantages of the Nexus 7 which is the larger app selection.

I got mine today. Too locked down for my tastes but a root in the near future will take care of that. I like that I can "borrow" books from Amazon and watch whatever prime videos that are in Amazon's catalog. Micro hdmi works great, screen looks fantastic, the speakers sound pretty good and I can fit the 7" in a cargo pocket. Overall, I think it's a good buy for $199.