Well the Nichols family has officially succumbed to the tablet virus. We didn’t go iPad … we’re generally Apple agnostic around here (no judgment – it’s a nerd thing) … but we’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of our Kindle Fire. I’ve said for a while that Amazon was pretty much the only force around that could seriously challenge Apple, especially on price point, selling it as a loss-leader for their Android App Store and streaming music and video. They went a couple better and added their free (with Prime) streaming video and lending library.
So it arrived on Wednesday and it’s an immediate hit with our family. The kids, quite accustomed to playing games on our phones are really digging on its big screen. I am loving the bigger screen and better speed for looking up recipes and web surfing around the house in the evening. It plays our Netflix streaming like a dream and reading books on it is so so much nicer than on my phone’s kindle. I was also excited to see a really good selection of magazines available, including my fave, Everyday Food. I think I can get the digital for free too since I’m a paid print subscriber … just haven’t figured it out yet.
Of course there are some shortcomings. I don’t care about a lack of a camera or bluetooth and I think the 8GB memory will do us for quite a while, but I am bummed that they chose not to include the SWYPE keyboard. I have it on my phone and it is a vast improvement over the hunt-and-peck touch keyboarding. I sincerely hope it’s included in a firmware update soon. There are also a few apps we have on our phones that either aren’t compatible with the fire or not available from Amazon’s app store (the only place you can buy apps from w/o jailbreaking the device) – Our Groceries is numero uno on that list. I also wish they’d allow you to download the free Prime movies for at least a little while since you don’t always have a wifi spot while traveling.
But overall, especially for $200, the thing is fan-freaking-tastic and we’re really enjoying it.
Oh very cool! I am glad that they’re shipping now so that I can read all of the reviews. I am going to have to google what a SWYPE keyboard is, though!
The SWYPE keyboard is a different type of touch screen keyboard … you can type letter by letter like a regular one or you can draw a path across the keyboard to type your word. It is great … I actually don’t mind typing a fairly long email using it!
Good price indeed!
I’m so glad to hear about this! I think we might be ready to join the tablet world… at some point. I am a HUGE Amazon fan and LOVE my kindle! I enjoy hearing about all the things you like about your new tablet!!