Kindle HD6 and other pads/ tablets, opinions?

[uppityperson]

I hope this fits under Current Events as they are due out next month. I looked for a different forum but couldn't find the perfect one, so since I frequent GD and it is about a current event, am trying here.

Amazon is selling their newest tablet, Kindle HD6 and 7 in another week or so. I have been looking at the $99 6 inch one, but wondering if other DUers have opinions on them. It seems like an ok deal, has android, camera, etc and is inexpensive enough to try.

I've been using my first gen kindle touch for a few yrs and like it, but am lomited to reading. I use a stupid phone, no desire to go smart phone right now, so thinking the hd6 might be a good addition for when I am not at my regular computer vs my old ipad that is getting older every day with a non updateable OS making programs obselete.


Any reviews, thoughts, opinions on the HD6/7s? I would link amazon's kndle page, but it is easy enough to find on main amazon page, and pretty much every page there.

Thanks and if this is the wrong place to get opinions on such, please le me know.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

1. I have the first edition of Kindle Fire. I absolutely love it. However, I have never owned a

regular tablet, like an iPad or Galaxy. So, as far as Kindle goes, I can assure you it's going to be a good product based on my experience with my Kindle Fire.

[uppityperson]

2. Thank you. Supposedly these are sturdier than the whatever mini prior but

I have never had trouble with the kindle. I have not been able to play with a fire yet. Do you have a smart phone, or miss the ability to use the pad as a phone?

I have come to the realization that smart phones are simply tablets/pads/mini comluters you can call on.

The price is appealing, as is no monthly charge, but stuck with wifi.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

7. Yes, I have a smart phone and the relationship is strained. Indeed, my relationship with my smart

phone is completely dysfunctional. I can't stand the thing, never know where I am on the thing or how to get to where I need to be. And by Fire doesn't require me to talk to anyone, either vocally or by text message, when I don't want to. In other words, it never rings and barely bothers me with email notices.

Putting aside any possible advantages that comes with owning a regular tablet which, as I've said, I am unfamiliar with, Kindle products have been very satisfying for me. Indeed, my original Fire (going on three years old) has been so useful and easy that I haven't even upgraded to newer version of it.

[SheilaT]

26. Oh, dear.

You and the phone need to seek counseling. It's possible a divorce is in your future.

[Lex]

3. I like my Kindle Fire a lot. I also have an iPad.

I don't think the iPad is all that much better than the Kindle Fire considering the HUGE difference in price. My nephew has a regular android tablet an it seems basically just the same as the Fire.

The Fire is a good solid tablet. My only advice is to get the largest size screen as you can afford. That makes it more enjoyable to use/see/interact on.

[uppityperson]

4. Thank you, that was what I was wondering about.

I like the size of the ipad for using regularly, but appreciate the size of my kindle touch, about same as the new hd ones, for traveling or even to workto read/play on breaks. Thank you for the comparisons, appreciate your taking time for me.

[packman]

5. We have gotten 3 Kindles- and love them

I have the HD7 and it meets all my tech needs as a second addition. As a reading, entertainment unit when laying in bed, it excels. Have Netflex on it and with a few apps , it more than fits a nice niche space between the hard-core computer in the back room as a secondary device. A bit of a learning curve, but worth every penny.

Recommend you get the quick-charge wall plug, the original charging plug had some bugs in it-but may be fixed by now. Also, can't beat Amazon/Kindle customer service.

[uppityperson]

6. Thanks, I appreciate the review. Is the extra inch worth it, cost/niceness?

6 is $100, 7is $140 I think.

[dembotoz]

8. how old are your eyes i think a 70 inch screem would be good for me

[packman]

9. The older I get, the more I'll spend for that little "Extra"

Think about it, you'll have it for years - spend the extra $40, it makes everything that much nicer and you won't be kicking yourself saying, "damn it, should have spent the extra few bucks." and my cat loves it when he's pawing at some of the apps I got for him.

[Lizzie Poppet]

15. I find it to be.

I have an HD7, and I'm delighted with it. The image quality is outstanding (although I use mine more for reading than for video (and almost never for web browsing). I like the larger screen, and the overall size of the device is still not obtrusive.

[Initech]

10. If you want full Android, Newegg has EVGA's Tegra Note for $145 after rebate.

Anything is better than Fire OS which is loaded with tracking malware and advertisements for more Amazon crap. This would be better:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834099001&cm_re=Evga_Tegra_Note-_-34-099-001-_-Product

[Egnever]

11. Want to agree with this

If you are going android get as pure android as you can.

I find amazon devices insufferable. Nexus devices on the other hand are very nice machines.

[uppityperson]

13. thank you, I willlook later on my computer. thanks.

[MattBaggins]

18. I stay away from Kindles as well

they limit your choices and steer you toward their expensive crap. You have to pay for jut about every app you want.

I would look at some of the other manufacturers

[Initech]

19. Yeah exactly, there's tons of other inexpensive tablets out there that run full Android.

Fire OS is to Android what Windows RT is to Windows 8 - it's a giant, frustrating piece of crap that's poorly marketed, is full of ads and has horrible app support (despite decently functioning hardware), and doesn't even run on regular Android apps without rooting. There's far better tablets out there that run full Android like the LG GPad, the Asus Memo Pad, the Tegra Note, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, I could go on and on.

[Lex]

22. I haven't had any of that trouble with my Fire.

Do you have a Fire?

[Initech]

24. No but I've used the OS enough to know all the features.

[Lex]

25. Well I have had a Fire for a few years

and not all of those troubles you seem to think it has. In fact, I don't see anyone who actually has a Fire on this thread whining about them like the people who do not have one.

[distantearlywarning]

32. I've also had a Fire for years

Never had any issues with it except for one day when I dropped it on a tile floor and broke the screen. Amazon replaced it for free, no questions asked. Other than that, it's been absolutely great. No complaints here!

[Lex]

39. Nice.

[MattBaggins]

42. Excuse me the OS is the OS

I have a kindle.... For my kids

[Lex]

43. sure you do

totally believable

[yortsed snacilbuper]

30. "the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4"

I have kindles, nexuses and the galaxy note 10" (gt-n5110) and probably use it 95% of the time, I've seen the 6" tablet for $99.00 but wouldn't recommend it, I Wouldn't go less than 7"!

[Egnever]

12. I would take a hard look at the Nexus and Memo lines of tablets before buying a kindle

Kindles are nice but lock you into amazons ecosystem. The Nexus devices are clean android machines and you can still do all the amazon stuff without the amazon lock in. The memo are a little lower cost than the nexus lines but still nice little units.

Pretty much all of the mainstream android tablets these days though are outstanding you cant really go wrong. I wouldn't go lower than 7 inch though that seems to be the sweet spot.

[uppityperson]

14. Thank you, those are both by Asus? I will research them also.

[Egnever]

21. yes

The nexus 7 is made to google specs by Asus and the memo is Asus own rendition. They are very similar.
The nexus line is always pure android and always guaranteed to get the newest android upgrades as they are released.

The memo will have some of Asus own "improvements" to android and is not guaranteed the newest upgrades as they come out but still it is a great tablet.

Really though there are a ton of really great tablets out there now the Samsung tab line is also quite good.

I personally always prefer nexus devices as they are designed in cooperation with google who makes android and are guaranteed the newest android goodness when it is released. They are also always clean with no bloatware installed that you cant remove. From there you can add anything you want but if you ever have any issues you can always return right back to stock clean android.

I am sure whatever you choose you will enjoy it the tablets out these days as long as you stay with the larger vendors are all solid machines that should provide years of use.

[uppityperson]

46. Woot has some, do you have opinions? Thanks

http://sellout.woot.com/offers/google-nexus-7-32gb-tablet-gen-1?ref=cnt_wp_7_10

[Egnever]

49. That is a first gen nexus 7

A good device to be sure and you cant really argue the price.

Here is a decent little review on the differences.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/new-nexus-7-2-vs-nexus-7

At $129 though the first gen with 32gb is a steal. The next gen would set you back almost $100 more but I dont think for what you are going to be using it for you would see much of a difference. Text might be a little crisper but I doubt enough so to justify the extra $100.
If you have the cash to spend the second gen is definitely a nicer machine but if all you will be doing is reading emails and books and browsing the web I think you will be quite happy with the first gen.

[tabbycat31]

16. I have a Kindle Fire HD (2012 model)

And I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It does what I need it to do (primarily reading, email, a few games, and Netflix/Prime video as I don't have TV anymore) and the price is right.

One suggestion I have (for whatever tablet you get) is that if you plan on watching TV/video on it, get a case that has a stand.

It has a camera (front-facing) but I've only used it for a Skype interview. (I'm not one to take selfies anyways).

No issue with the operating system at all. I never had to update it like you would on an Apple product.

[SomethingFishy]

28. +1... Enjoy the Kindle, and the price :)

I have one complaint, the power plug breaks easily. Not the cable but the slot where you plug it in. That said Amazon replaced the broken Kindle for free. They overnighted a new one and sent us a pre paid UPS label to ship the old one back.

[tabbycat31]

33. Haven't had a problem with that yet

Knock on wood of course.

What I do like about the Kindle charger is that it takes the same one as my phone does and I don't have to worry about keeping track of charging cords, etc.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

17. Wait till black friday,

for a sale!

[alarimer]

20. The advantage of a true Android tablet is that you are not locked into Amazon.

You can use the Kindle app on it, but also Google Play for books, or Nook even.

Apple and Amazon tend to lock you into their ecosystem to a much greater extent.

I had a Nook (actually I had two, the original and the Nook tablet) but I found that after a while, what I really wanted was a tablet that did a lot of other things beside serve as an e-reader. So I bought a Samsung Galaxy, which has been fine. It's a 10-inch tablet, which makes it a little big for a reader, but it is great for watching movies on it.

I'm kind of over the single-use device now. Which I know the Kindle Fire is not really, but still you are kind of tied into Amazon a whole lot more than I would be comfortable with.

[Lex]

23. you can use the Google Play apps on the Kindle Fire nt

[Lithos]

27. You have two decisions

The first and most obvious is the hardware. But the second and least obvious is the ecosystem you are subscribing into. You mention Kindle, so thinking are you are more "book" based than not.

Kindle is tied very much into the Amazon Eco-system. While the hardware is very good, there are advantages and disadvantages to the Amazon eco-system. The good pieces are that they have a very rich choice, but in the negative, they are very much dictatorial and closed meaning they own it and you just rent it. They prevent you from moving it from device to device (meaning you have to pay for it again should you leave). And in a few cases they have arbitrarily removed content you have purchased.

Apple has excellent hardware and can live in many eco-systems. The downside is that they are very expensive. Android also supports many ecosystems and has a lot of choices, but the hardware and android versions are extremely vendor specific meaning you have to watch the specific reviews.

The notes about eco-systems is to find those which are not closed. Amazon, Apple and Google have closed eco-systems for the most part. However, Android systems are a bit more open w/r to Apps.

L-

[bhikkhu]

34. I don't think its true about having to buy things again, or not sharing to devices

Maybe they've changed things to be more open to that recently, but any music I've bought and stored in the Amazon Cloud server, I can listen to on any device that allows an Amazon login - which is pretty much anything. I can also download from the cloud into any device - I can put it on my home computer hard-drive, for instance, and then do anything with it. Same with books - once they're purchased, they can be stored in the cloud, stored on a device, shuffled around to different hard-drives, no problems there that I've found.

The one thing I haven't tried is moving apps from device to device, but I haven't really tried that. I just have a Kindle, and Amazon Prime video and music on my TV and two computers at home.

[Lithos]

35. You are staying in the Amazon Eco-system

Which is my point. The music allows for mp3 downloads, but the books and movies are locked heavily in DRM.

L-

[bhikkhu]

36. Does generic android bypass DRM on downloaded books?

I have to say I haven't tried moving books around, but I imagine it would be the same on any platform for those, unless pirated. I used to pirate books and movies years ago (sorry to admit), but its been really nice having Netflix and Amazon, and pirating no more.

[Lithos]

37. That's the crux of my original post

Neither Google, B&N, Apple or Amazon allow free movement of books outside of their eco-system. And you are beholden to them for your rights to read books you have purchased. You also can not easily (or by their eyes, legally) move books outside of their eco ysstem.

Amazon famously revoked 1984 once upon a time and have other titles as well. B&N just disabled what they termed "side-loading", etc.

Calibre works, but it also alters the formatting requiring some manual work.

Personally I avoid DRM for books I purchase (either buy them non-DRM on sites such as O'Reilly, Manning, Tor, etc.) or I buy them in hard-copy. Also Project Gutenberg is very handy.

L-

[herding cats]

48. I don't suppose you have a blog somewhere?

You explained all this extremely well in the thread. I'd be interested in reading your tech thoughts if you publish anyplace.

[JI7]

29. i'm looking to get an ereader for the first time and now they have come out with Kindle Voyage

it's kind of expensive at 200 starting cost . but they have offered some installment plan where you pay about 20 percent in first month and the rest you pay in the next 4 months. no interest . they just charge you automatically each of those months.

so i'm thinking of getting that. but i will probably just go with the regular paperwhite.

i think you can use the installment deal for the kindle tablets also although i think you can just use it once .

[distantearlywarning]

31. I have a Kindle Fire HD with 4G

Before that, I had a Kindle Fire 1st gen with wireless.

I LOVE my Kindle Fire. I use it multiple hours daily, and I have no idea how I got along without it. I don't have a smartphone - I just have an old-fashioned flip phone for phone calls and minimal texting (which gets me funny looks sometimes), and my Kindle Fire for everything else. I pay about $30 a month for all the 4G I can handle.

[uppityperson]

38. Does the 4g thing mean you pay through a cell phone provder, monthly charge?

how does that work? I could do that on my ipad but just use wifi, don't know about 3g4g stuff. Thanks.

[distantearlywarning]

40. Yeah, I pay through ATT.

It just comes out of my bank account automatically. I used to have WiFI on my previous Kindle Fire, and that was great at home where I could use my home wireless connection, but I would have to search for public WiFi when I went out. With 4G, I have a connection basically everywhere. I didn't think I would use it as much as I have. It's definitely worth the $30 a month (cheaper than most smartphones). When I am at home, I still use my WiFi to save my 4G time. The Kindle can tell automatically if I am near a usable WiFI and will default to that when it is able, so I don't have to think about switching over.

[herding cats]

47. On buying a tablet with wifi vs. cellular

If you currently have a smartphone which works as wifi hotspot (tethering) check and see if it would be more affordable to add more to your phone or add a separate tablet account to your plan. It was cheaper for me to add a few more gig and just tether my tablet to my phone, but your mileage may vary. If you choose this option just remember to turn off the wifi hotspot when you have regular wifi to use for your tablet.

[WinkyDink]

41. I love my Kindle Fire HDX 8.9. Photos are outstanding. In fact, I'm thinking of getting the newest

KFHDX 8.9.

Do the other tablets people are mentioning have any camera, let alone a great one?

[HuckleB]

44. I'd recommend looking into Kobo.

You have much more flexibility, and you aren't stuck with Amazon's business tactics.

[yortsed snacilbuper]

45. Make sure the speakers are loud,

in case you want to listen to it without head phones!