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When I first got my kindle fire, I was not all that impressed – really disappointed with the lack of google apps, lack of the Android Market, did not like the launcher, etc. I was ready to send it back until I discovered this (and other) forums / blogs. I was just amazed at how fast the shortcomings were being knock off one by one. I was a bit scared and had a few hiccups rooting a device for the first time, but in the end I've got a device the suites my needs nicely.
I'm not interested in purchasing Amazon media, but I do buy Kindle books and 95% of all our web purchase are made at Amazon – which is most of what we buy. Perhaps I'm not using using the device as intended, but we more than make up for any subsidy Amazon has provided.
I agree this forum is a "force multiplier" (as we military folks like to say) that makes the prospect of owning a Kindle Fire much more exciting. So I'll throw my weight behind the gratitude shown by the OP. Thanks to xda and all the people that are doing all the work!
//Tapatalk//
Same thoughts here. I have had a galaxy S for a year and enjoyed coming here and swapping roms constantly.
Wife bought me a kindle fire and I knew nothing about it, then saw it was droid. Ok, theres hope. She said I could open it tuesday, I said ehh, Ill wait.
I started reading up at work, started getting juiced and Thursday I opened it and had it rooted.
She already wrapped it by then
"You opened it?!"
"A little bit" as I held the Fire in my hand with a usb wire sticking out and command prompts on the pc.
My wife is lame, I put a ton of work on this device to make it a better device. All together she has spent about 30 minutes on it. Agreed with everybody else, without XDA love this device would be nothing.
Only reason I got this thing was so I could hack it.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
cheetablaze said:
My wife is lame, I put a ton of work on this device to make it a better device. All together she has spent about 30 minutes on it. Agreed with everybody else, without XDA love this device would be nothing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My wife was the one that wanted one, and since I didn't have any answer for what I wanted for xmas, she said she picked up one for me.
I think she's used it once or twice.
So my friend is willing to sell me a Kindle Fire for $60.
I'm heavily thinking about buying it, but I also want to save for a Galaxy tab.
Either, way I can get the Kindle Fire for the right price. But is it actually a decent tablet like device? Performance wise that is. Also, I kinda want one because I know some group of intelligent people are going to port a working Gingerbread or even Honeycomb ROM. Thus making it a full tablet.
tl;dr
Should I buy a Kindle Fire?
Is it good performance wise?
What do you want to do with it? I use it for web, forums, other basic Internet activities, and it works very well.
//Tapatalk.KindleFire//
60 bucks? What's your hold up? You can't go wrong at that price.
Boo
It depends on what you need it for. The KFire doesn't come with Bluetooth, GPS, 3G, camera, or a built in microphone. So if you really depend on those features then I would get the Galaxy Tab. The KFire is still a great device though. You can read books, watch movies from Amazon Prime, get apps from Android Market, and much more.
Performance-wise the KFire's processing speed is 1Ghz, the same as the GTab but the Kindle Fire has 512mb of RAM while the Galaxy Tab has 1GB. Don't worry about the performance of the Kindle Fire because 512mb of RAM is more than enough. Even the Galaxy Tab only makes 512mb of its RAM usable anyway. The overall performance of the Kindle Fire and the Galaxy Tab are the same though.
Hope this helps!
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
Thats good rate for stolen. Usually only get 50-25% off.
Thelgow said:
Thats good rate for stolen. Usually only get 50-25% off.
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Click to collapse
That's exactly what I was thinking lol. Who would sell you a Kindle Fire for $60?
Well if you don't buy it send your friend my way.
I'd even up it to $100
I love mine. Awesome machine for the money!
Galaxy Tab 7 Plus and KF performs the same? HHmmmm. Not in my experience. The GTab is an android tablet where the KF (and NT) are really e-readers running android. Not that that is a bad thing. With all new shiny things there's a bit of giddiness and excitement as it should be. The KF is, and IMO will continue to be a serviceable unit primarily for reading and content consumption via Amazon. With all the new tabs coming out Devs are going to be hard-pressed to choose which to dig into. Likely choosing the ones with the greater return on time expended. Remember. most Devs do this because it's fun on their free time. HC and ICS on the KF? I have strong doubts on official releases. Ports perhaps but upgrading the OS doesn't have a return on investment for Amazon. They're making a buck or so on the units. Their profit is via content. I see Amazon releasing official upgrades ONLY if OS-specific content that they can charge for (locked down from their site/store). Heck even BN only released 2.2 from 2.1 on the NC after a year and that was for flash support (for BN content).
Perhaps I'm being cynical. Or realistic. But points to think about.
What are you waiting for? I though $199 was a steal! especially since it has an external mic capability is a bonus!
Actually nook Tablet is better for a low end Tablet
Sent from my EVO4G using Tapatalk.
UnU$UAL ROC said:
What are you waiting for? I though $199 was a steal! especially since it has an external mic capability is a bonus!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And we are also working on enabling the on-board Bluetooth
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
Nice,
I would have definitely bought it as soon as I heard $60 come out of his mouth.
UnU$UAL ROC said:
What are you waiting for? I though $199 was a steal! especially since it has an external mic capability is a bonus!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Literally...a steal. Tell your friend he could get more than $60 for stolen KF's.
Ive had my Fire a few days now and have done a lot of modding. Ive rooted it, installed TWRP, then CM7. Then gapps, market, etc. Then I decided I wanted to go back to rooted stock so I installed the prerooted 6.2.1 along with go launcher ex to have both the Amazon launcher and a more standard android interface, and be able to switch between the two. And no matter what way I set it up there was always something that just didnt work the way I wanted.
The main issue I had was that almost all video had out of sync audio. Internet videos, netflix. And I tried several different wi-fi connections. One of which is a very solid 20 mb/s connection to my laptop. I took my mother in laws samsung galaxy 7.0, set up the exact same video using the same wi-fi just to see if it might be the connection, and the galaxy was perfect, and the Fire just enough out of sync to be irritating.
So I set up a return with Amazon, got it back to full stock, and boxed it up. But now Im having second thoughts. I know how popular it is, and it seems like it has a lot of great developers working hard on roms. So Im wondering if I should just keep it, and hope that someone makes a fully functioning ICS port that fixes all the issues that are keeping this from being my ideal android tablet. Or should I go ahead and return it and cough up another $200 and get the Samsung galaxy plus.
Anyway I figured you guys would be the best ones to ask for advice regarding this. Thanks in advance for your feedback.
If it doesnt work for you, well, it doesnt! Thats that... Get an iPad 2 (seriously). The Android tabs despite their hardware specs arent that great currently.
/not trying to start a flame war here, i own several tablets and for me the iPad works best... YMMV
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
I personally hate apple, plus I want a smaller tablet. I figure if im going to get a tablet that big I might as well just carry my laptop around.
Gam3r 4 Life said:
...I figure if im going to get a tablet that big I might as well just carry my laptop around.
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Click to collapse
I have to agree, and the 4:3 aspect ratio of the iPad is annoying.
I'm confident ICS is coming to the Fire, but if you have the money to upgrade to the Galaxy, I would probably do that. Can't really complain for $200 on the Kindle, though. Plus Samsung had played games with customers before with promising updates and not delivering. So maybe I wouldn't go with it. Moto's new 8" tablet is appealing except for the fact that its tied to Verizon.
Sent from my rough sketch of a Vibrant on a brick.
Well if your having second thoughts, take it back. With a somewhat big purchase like that, you'd want to be 100% sure you like it. If you really want a small tablet get a cheap Asus tablet, or a small laptop that has a touch screen.
u have issues.
get what works for u, don't convince yourself to keep something u don't want. I sold my tf101 transformer too big for my taste, I don't watch videos on a 7" tab. the fire is awesome for me
Sent from my HTC Glacier using xda premium
Well its gone. Boxed up and at the ups store.
Gam3r 4 Life I think I am right behind you.
I have used mine since Christmas day and although its a neat gadget its really neither a good reader nor a good tablet. It kinda lacks an identity. I emailed Amazon about their lack of TTS on the reader for this unit and their reply was pretty much "sorry.. you have 30 days to return it".
I guess for $200 I will just wait and see what comes down the road, and continue using my Samsnung Infuse for this kind of stuff. It has a 4" touch screen and I dont watch alot of videos anyway so it works ok for now.
Nice try Amazon, but I think you forced this thing to market without thinking it all the wary through. Maybe the next gen will be better. Well anyway I have another couple weeks to see if I can learn to like it. But at this point, I am thinking no.
I think the expectations might be too high. You're looking for the best of both worlds, and if you want media that you don't have to rip yourself, you're not going to get it on a rooted tablet, that's been made apparent by the MPAA. Netflix only runs on Silverlight or on platforms on which you don't have full access do the device where the studio's have guaranteed control of their media.
And given the limited RAM available on the Fire, it's not surprising that running a full sized ROM like CM7 could cause video issues when streaming. Probably not enough remaining RAM to buffer the video with CM7 running, that's my guess.
*IF* you want to get CM7 and then some other method of video streaming outside of Amazon, you'll need a more capable tablet like the Galaxy 7, Galaxy Plus, or the Flyer, and you'll need to pay a lot more for it up front to get the flexibility you want.
the 4:3 aspect ratio is the best feature of the ipad...
I hate how everything is 16:9 nowadays. it's terribly inefficient.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
I've always been curious about this.
My pro-Apple friends have argued the same thing, saying Apple has done tons of research and 4:3 is best for a tablet.
But 4:3 is one of the main reasons why I'd never buy an iPad. If entertainment media is one of the prime features of a tablet, why would I want a screen that has black bars on the top and bottom (effectively shrinking the screen size) whenever I'm watching hi-def widescreen video?
In general, android tablets compete on price. They are the Yugos of the tablet world compared to the Benz that Apple offers (at a Benz price, I might add)...and the fire does a heck of a job at $199. If it works for you at that price point, great...if not, well get an iPad.
I wouldn't recommend looking to replace the fire with another android tablet, however, because once rooted and sorted it really competes with the best of them.
Amacx86 said:
In general, android tablets compete on price. They are the Yugos of the tablet world compared to the Benz that Apple offers (at a Benz price, I might add)...and the fire does a heck of a job at $199. If it works for you at that price point, great...if not, well get an iPad.
I wouldn't recommend looking to replace the fire with another android tablet, however, because once rooted and sorted it really competes with the best of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, I had a Yugo!!! I bought it from a guy that needed to pay his rent for under $500. If I remember right his name was Billy Bob, or something like that (and the name fit). The only thing he requested to keep from the car was a shifter knob that looked exactly like a bathtub water knob. My mother and I drove it til the engine gave out at about 30,000 miles. Not bad for under $500.
Funny story, that thing was such a piece if junk that the shifter knob and handle use to pop off and you could see through to the ground through the floor. So my mother would call me and say it happened again. I would have to go rig it back on just so she could drive it again. My mom was such a good sport and never got mad about it, and laughed about it with me. (RIP).
You know the saying that your first idea/answer about something is usually the right one. Well that applies here. When I first decided to get a tablet I wanted the HTC EVO View. But I didnt want to have to add a data plan to my bill so I ended up with the Nook tablet. Then the nook color, then the vizio vtab, then the Coby kyros, then the Kindle fire. Well after all that Im back to the evo view and found it on amazon for under $300. And this is a wi-fi/ 4g version, but doesn't require a data plan. So on payday thats what Im going to get. I originally had the evo 4g as my cell, and now have the evo 3d and love it. So the Evo view is basically a larger version of my phone which is exactly what I want from a tablet.
chaose said:
the 4:3 aspect ratio is the best feature of the ipad...
Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, that's why I haven't wasted my money on one.
Damn you Swype!
I've got my KFire rooted running CM7 and haven't noticed any sync problems at all with netflix or youtube. I'm completely happy with it and all these devs are busting their butts to get some pretty sweet ROM's running on here. Hopefully MIUI will be one of them. ICS will work for now once they get the audio/video issues worked out.
Hey everybody here's the deal I got my acer now for about 1 week I like it very much but I am saddened in the lack of development and support for It.
Plus I am very unhappy with the screen viewing angles on it and I heard the kindle does not have these issues.
As for the gps I tried it a handful of times and it doesn't really ever work or find my location so that's not a big deal to me since I heard the kindle does not have gps.
Basically all I got this tablet for is internet surfing facebook the typical things.
This is my first time using honey calm and I like it but I see I could install any type of launcher on a rooted kindle and have the same thing.
So what is everyone opinion should I get rid of this for the kindle or should I keep it and say screw the kindle what do you think?
Sent from my A100 using Tapatalk
I don't have the A100 to compare it with my KF, development wise the Devs are putting in some time and ICS is improving by the week. I would suggest finding someone with KF running ICS or CM7 to compare, as for me am very happy with mine ( ICS).
I'm a huge Ics fan boy, using it on my Nexus S right now.
Ics 4.0.3
support is usually a big deal for me.
but as far as features go the acer seems to have the upper hand. with bluetooth (working with no prob) cam and micro hdmi.
price doesnt seem to be an issue since you already have the acer and its a little more.
if your not happy with the way the acer is and cant find a launcher you like, try the kindle. or see if you can find someone to trade with.
i sometimes wonder what it would be like if i got a cheap tab instead of my fire.
skaroger867 said:
support is usually a big deal for me.
but as far as features go the acer seems to have the upper hand. with bluetooth (working with no prob) cam and micro hdmi.
price doesnt seem to be an issue since you already have the acer and its a little more.
if your not happy with the way the acer is and cant find a launcher you like, try the kindle. or see if you can find someone to trade with.
i sometimes wonder what it would be like if i got a cheap tab instead of my fire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree about the acer being more "feature packed", but I don't think I'll really ever use any of those features, maybe some pictures with the cam but that's about it.
Good idea with the launcher. I'll check that out..
I just hate that the kindle fire at any store is stuck in demo mode so I can't really play around like I really want to
Ics 4.0.3
Love mine. I bought it solely as an internet appliance and rooted it and installed CM7 two days after I got it. I, too, saw no need for GPS/BT/camera on a tablet. I have a phone (DInc; upgrading shortly, probably GNex) for all of that.
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
intheb0x said:
I agree about the acer being more "feature packed", but I don't think I'll really ever use any of those features, maybe some pictures with the cam but that's about it.
Good idea with the launcher. I'll check that out..
I just hate that the kindle fire at any store is stuck in demo mode so I can't really play around like I really want to
Ics 4.0.3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear ya about the demo mode at the stores, what is that. You can play around with the nook but not the fire. Its just not fair. Lol.
The only thing i might use would be the Bluetooth, and that would be for gaming with controllers, via sixaxis or the wiimote.
Not to mention you could use the keyboard attachment.
Gotta weigh all sides first. Kindle is a very solid feeling device. With some good roms.
Man I love flashing, lol.
Sent from my Desire HD using xda premium
Walmart will soon be offering a $50 gift card with the purchase of the KF.
Forget trying it in the stores, buy it from there or Best Buy and and see how you feel about it.
I sent the A100 packing. I didn't like the screen resolution for one and also having to hold it at a "sweetspot" angle to get the best viewing experience. The KF's screen smokes the A100!
I didn't root it either. I just installed Go Launcher EX to get away from the stock carousel and also changed the theme to Classic For Go Launcher and also I have Dolphin Browser HD! Pretty neat for a newb to mess with and also there are plenty of alternate app stores to get APK files from to download to the KF!!
Well I got my mind made up and the tablet will be going back, along with that stupid mobile broadband card I got to get the hundred off lol.
I'll be waiting for the kfire to be sold at walmart with the 50 dollar gift card.
Ics 4.0.3
intheb0x said:
Well I got my mind made up and the tablet will be going back, along with that stupid mobile broadband card I got to get the hundred off lol.
I'll be waiting for the kfire to be sold at walmart with the 50 dollar gift card.
Ics 4.0.3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the sell is on now
sent from my rooted kindle fire
ebaysnyper said:
I think the sell is on now
sent from my rooted kindle fire
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will check it out, thanks
Ics 4.0.3
I bought my daughter the fire on Sunday st 12:05 am at Walmart, and am returning the coby I bought last week. Kindle fire is just so much more powerful although a little heavier than Coby, but worth it and with the extra $50
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Got a Fire today (and got the $50 gift card promo).
Not 100% sure if I'll keep it because I really wanted a 10" tab, but for the price I had to check this out. Looks like there is good dev happening here which is always good to see.
Silly question, I suppose, but why isn't the nook hd+ just wildly popular. it's such a cool tablet, and you can get them cheap on ebay... or from barnes & noble, for that matter, what with the recent sales at various stores.
EDIT: 3 weeks later and I'm liking my nook more and more. It's just a joy to hold. The perfect size for me. I hope all the predictions about its demise are wrong. I'd love to see it continue to develop, keeping the hardware up-to-date as time goes on.
As a tablet it is fine and dandy with all that it has going for it but I felt it was too big to carry around as a reader. Obviously many many others disagree since the iPad is popular as a reader as well as being used as a tablet though so I don't know
I'm mostly unplugged from mainstream media, but I don't think it got nearly the exposure of the Nexus and Kindle Fire products. It also has the B&N app store dragging it down, and the original software (which is what most people experienced in-store last year, and maybe still do) was a bit laggy. Developers and tech lovers flocked to the Nexus 7/10 and "For Dummies" types looking for a media device went to Amazon and Apple. The low end of the tablet market is a lot more crowded than it used to be.
We have to remember, the Nook is targeted as an eReader. To be frank, it actually is - nothing more. Only once rooted, or once CM10 is installed, is it's true full potential unleashed, as a competitor against the Nexus 7, iPad etc. Without the XDA community, and the developers here (sincerely thankful to those), without them, this tablet would be basic eReader.
You can imagine the amount of people who have a Nook HD/+ and have no idea how to root, or install CM10. Those who simply use it as an eReader; they're not going to consider it competing against the likes of a Nexus 7. Once the developer community steps in, that's when it's popularity is increased.
So, as a stock ROM is shipped by default, and not many people are aware of it's "full-potential", we can assume this is the reason for lack of sales.
Boy, ain't that the truth. I think B&N are doing a huge disservice to themselves and their customers by being so uncooperative with all the developers who're making their tablets into useful multipurpose devices.
HiddenG said:
We have to remember, the Nook is targeted as an eReader. To be frank, it actually is - nothing more. Only once rooted, or once CM10 is installed, is it's true full potential unleashed, as a competitor against the Nexus 7, iPad etc. Without the XDA community, and the developers here (sincerely thankful to those), without them, this tablet would be basic eReader.
You can imagine the amount of people who have a Nook HD/+ and have no idea how to root, or install CM10. Those who simply use it as an eReader; they're not going to consider it competing against the likes of a Nexus 7. Once the developer community steps in, that's when it's popularity is increased.
So, as a stock ROM is shipped by default, and not many people are aware of it's "full-potential", we can assume this is the reason for lack of sales.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Market
We tend to forget that B & N is in the book business not the hardware business. While I wish they would let this device be fully and easily converted to an Android tablet, why would they? I use the few hacks available and find it to be good as an Android Tablet and happy to have it.
dbrickg said:
Boy, ain't that the truth. I think B&N are doing a huge disservice to themselves and their customers by being so uncooperative with all the developers who're making their tablets into useful multipurpose devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, of course they're in the book business. But they do sell other stuff, nice coffee cups, for instance, with cute book-related quotes printed on the outside. And they don't lock the top, making them useless for coffee, on the grounds that they're a book business and don't want to allow their customers to actually use their mechandise for anything other than reading. Or, maybe if they were selling sports cars, they'd take the wheels off, insisting that people only use them to sit in the driver's seat and read books on the heads-up video display. In short, it seems to me that, more than being in the book business, they're in the business of selling stuff, and, no matter what that stuff, it seems silly to deliberately cripple it. It's as if they started censoring their books based on some arbitrary rule....
diajohn said:
We tend to forget that B & N is in the book business not the hardware business. While I wish they would let this device be fully and easily converted to an Android tablet, why would they? I use the few hacks available and find it to be good as an Android Tablet and happy to have it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
diajohn said:
We tend to forget that B & N is in the book business not the hardware business. While I wish they would let this device be fully and easily converted to an Android tablet, why would they?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They just took a big step in that direction: http://liliputing.com/2013/05/bn-adds-google-play-store-to-nook-hd-nook-hd.html
If they would just let other launchers override the native button/notification bar and recent apps, I wouldn't need CM10.
dbrickg said:
Yes, of course they're in the book business. But they do sell other stuff, nice coffee cups, for instance, with cute book-related quotes printed on the outside. And they don't lock the top, making them useless for coffee, on the grounds that they're a book business and don't want to allow their customers to actually use their mechandise for anything other than reading. Or, maybe if they were selling sports cars, they'd take the wheels off, insisting that people only use them to sit in the driver's seat and read books on the heads-up video display. In short, it seems to me that, more than being in the book business, they're in the business of selling stuff, and, no matter what that stuff, it seems silly to deliberately cripple it. It's as if they started censoring their books based on some arbitrary rule....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Comparing a tablet and a coffee mug is like me comparing a car and a tank.. Two COMPLETELY different things.. I'm pretty sure it probably cost B&N about 2 dollars to "make" that coffee mug and sell it at a 90% profit when they sell them.. Tablets are very content driven.. B&N probably isn't making any money on the Nook itself.. More off the content that people buy on it (Newspapers, books, magazine subscriptions, ect..)
Yes, of course you're right: they're very different things. Just like books and cups and nooks are all very different things. All I'm saying it *whatever* they sell, whatever *anybody* sells, they should probably sell the best stuff they can. I still buy ebooks from the B&N store, but I would never have bought a nook in the first place if it couldn't be uncrippled. As it is, I've bought 4 of them. But no thanks to B&N. A big thanks to xda developers.
bkosh84 said:
Comparing a tablet and a coffee mug is like me comparing a car and a tank.. Two COMPLETELY different things.. I'm pretty sure it probably cost B&N about 2 dollars to "make" that coffee mug and sell it at a 90% profit when they sell them.. Tablets are very content driven.. B&N probably isn't making any money on the Nook itself.. More off the content that people buy on it (Newspapers, books, magazine subscriptions, ect..)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is selling well, either. It has had several $50-off sales, and has been marked down to $269 (16GB) from $299. Likewise, from the latest IDC report, the whole KFHD line hasn't had the same success as the orig KF had. A reasonable conclusion can be drawn that, as tablet users become more savvy and demanding of their tablets, walled-garden-style tablets with limited ecosystem are losing out to more "open" tablets. Perhaps that's the same conclusion drawn by B&N in adopting Goog Play.
http://www.geekwire.com/2013/amazons-kindle-fire-dips-4-market-share/
It'll be interesting to see how Amazon adjusts to the slowdown in adoption rate. It can't rely on low pricing to push KFs any more, not with low-end tabs dropping down to $170 for 7" and $250 for 10". From the B&N CEO's allusions, we can surmise that B&N is ditching the hardware route and concentrating on packaging its core IPs for existing ecos. There's no good business reason for B&N to do its own hardware, now that the walled-eco strategy has failed.
I just got the Nook HD+ a couple of days ago, about a day before the new 2.1.0 update, so have had experience with both the old and new software. The improvement is night and day. I'm hoping that this will kickstart the Nook line and get more users into the Nook fold, if for nothing else than to get more bodies into these forums. The hardware is great, and now the (stock) software is good enough. But for the long term, I do expect the HD line to be the last of the Nooks.
Yahoo! Sounds like they're starting to get the message.
Taosaur said:
They just took a big step in that direction: http://liliputing.com/2013/05/bn-adds-google-play-store-to-nook-hd-nook-hd.html
If they would just let other launchers override the native button/notification bar and recent apps, I wouldn't need CM10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nicely said. Yes, yes, and yes. And I imagine you're right, too, about the HD being the end of the line for nooks. But I hope not. I really like my HD+ and would love to see them continue to upgrade it!
e.mote said:
I don't think the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is selling well, either. It has had several $50-off sales, and has been marked down to $269 (16GB) from $299. Likewise, from the latest IDC report, the whole KFHD line hasn't had the same success as the orig KF had. A reasonable conclusion can be drawn that, as tablet users become more savvy and demanding of their tablets, walled-garden-style tablets with limited ecosystem are losing out to more "open" tablets. Perhaps that's the same conclusion drawn by B&N in adopting Goog Play.
http://www.geekwire.com/2013/amazons-kindle-fire-dips-4-market-share/
It'll be interesting to see how Amazon adjusts to the slowdown in adoption rate. It can't rely on low pricing to push KFs any more, not with low-end tabs dropping down to $170 for 7" and $250 for 10". From the B&N CEO's allusions, we can surmise that B&N is ditching the hardware route and concentrating on packaging its core IPs for existing ecos. There's no good business reason for B&N to do its own hardware, now that the walled-eco strategy has failed.
I just got the Nook HD+ a couple of days ago, about a day before the new 2.1.0 update, so have had experience with both the old and new software. The improvement is night and day. I'm hoping that this will kickstart the Nook line and get more users into the Nook fold, if for nothing else than to get more bodies into these forums. The hardware is great, and now the (stock) software is good enough. But for the long term, I do expect the HD line to be the last of the Nooks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dbrickg said:
Nicely said. Yes, yes, and yes. And I imagine you're right, too, about the HD being the end of the line for nooks. But I hope not. I really like my HD+ and would love to see them continue to upgrade it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm doubtful whether there will even be another generation of eink Nooks, though I'd love to see a reader with the screen and lighting of the new Kobo Aura, but running Android.
Sent from my LT28at using xda premium
You just need a bigger carry bag
Seriously, though, one of the reasons I like the HD+ is that it fits in my small Eagle Creek side bag... just barely. Whereas all the 10" tablets are too big. And I love that it's big enough to display a usable full hacker's keyboard in portrait mode. On my 7" tablets, the keys are too small for my big fingers. The keyboard works well on the 7"s in reduced mode, but it's kind of nice to have working Ctrl and Tab keys accessible all the time.
koreanschoolkid said:
As a tablet it is fine and dandy with all that it has going for it but I felt it was too big to carry around as a reader. Obviously many many others disagree since the iPad is popular as a reader as well as being used as a tablet though so I don't know
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Had it released with Google Market, it would have been. That of course would defeat the business model purpose of the device in the first place.
rushless said:
Had it released with Google Market, it would have been. That of course would defeat the business model purpose of the device in the first place.
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You are absolutely right. I was in the market for a tablet in last November and checked out Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD 7, and Nook HD. I ruled out Nook quickly after checking what's available in the B&N App store. I have Amazon Prime but still refused to pay for a KFHD due to the locked environment. In the end, I bought Nexus 7 and later received KFHD as a free gift. Now I just bought a new Nook HD+ as I prefer a larger tablet for reading books and technical manuals. I would not have bought one if they didn't add Google Play support.
I was able to take advantage of the Mother's Day sale on barnes&noble.com, got me a Nook HD+ for $228 with taxes and shipping—still a great steal at that. I wish B&N would turn the walled ecosystem biz model on its head and compete head-on with the other tablet giants. Heck, ship them all rooted, and watch the buyers drop the Kindle and iPad mini lines en masse once they realize what Nook HD+ can do. (the hope of course being that B&N can sell more books despite having that open platform)
I do hope they don't discontinue the Nooks; with their specs, they can price it up to $300 and it'd still be an attractive alternative to the other better-marketed options from Samsung, Apple and Amazon.
Taosaur said:
They just took a big step in that direction: http://liliputing.com/2013/05/bn-adds-google-play-store-to-nook-hd-nook-hd.html
If they would just let other launchers override the native button/notification bar and recent apps, I wouldn't need CM10.
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? I installed apex launcher from Google Play and everything worked fine sorry for bumping an old post
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
CubeCloudOS said:
? I installed apex launcher from Google Play and everything worked fine sorry for bumping an old post
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
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Ya I ran go launcher HD pad version and it works fine on stock nook HD+
I am running cm 10.1 now rooted.
I would have been ok with running stock rom, but got too many "you can't do that" messages lol.
So I'm running CM 10.1 and love it. This is a fantastic tablet for the value. I got the HD+ 32gb for $ 179
then added a 64GB sandisk class 6 (one of the very few 64gb sdcards that actually works without problems on nook)
so I have a 96gb tablet that still cheaper than a Nexus or Asus.
Very happy with it and recommended to all my friends.
I think if more people were fully aware how awesome it was for the low cost, they would quickly be bought up!