Kindle Fire 7" Tablet Now Shipping $199 - New Kindles From $79 - Reviews are out

[quote name='razrvamp']I don't know how much weight this holds but yahoo had a story that the fire will be part of Amazons BF deals for 99 bucks. I just thought I would let everyone know[/QUOTE]

It's possible, but if so it'll probably be an impossible to get lightning deal that'll crash their servers. I don't see it happening though. I'd be surprised if Amazon can even fulfill all the orders they have now in time for Christmas.
 
[quote name='razrvamp']I don't know how much weight this holds but yahoo had a story that the fire will be part of Amazons BF deals for 99 bucks. I just thought I would let everyone know[/QUOTE]

As a guy that has one pre-ordered I hope not. I could totally see it happening next year when the Fire 2 is announced/out.
 
[quote name='razrvamp']I don't know how much weight this holds but yahoo had a story that the fire will be part of Amazons BF deals for 99 bucks. I just thought I would let everyone know[/QUOTE]

that makes no sense to me unless its in very limited quantity. ill buy one if it hits that price.
 
guys, the yahoo article was just a predictions page, they really have no sources whatsoever that the Kindle will be $99 on BF. I can pretty much guarantee it won't be.
 
[quote name='ssjmichael']guys, the yahoo article was just a predictions page, they really have no sources whatsoever that the Kindle will be $99 on BF. I can pretty much guarantee it won't be.[/QUOTE]
link?
 
[quote name='iNCREDiPiNOY']link?[/QUOTE]

It's not going to happen. Yahoo likes to make shit up just for page views. Can you imagine the blacklash if amazon does pull it off a price drop even just for a few hours? It will be like a "mini-netflix" for them.
 
If it does or does not it dosent matter too much to me, but since I'll be on Amazon all BF trying to catch deals anyway it will be a nice added bonus if it comes true
 
[quote name='ssjmichael']guys, the yahoo article was just a predictions page, they really have no sources whatsoever that the Kindle will be $99 on BF. I can pretty much guarantee it won't be.[/QUOTE]

The only 2 things anyone can guarantee is death and taxes, so I still hope it comes true
 
If the Fire were to go on sale, they would've released it at least 30 days in advance of Black Friday. Otherwise, people would just be returning and rebuying to get the discount.
 
[quote name='mac101010']If the Fire were to go on sale, they would've released it at least 30 days in advance of Black Friday. Otherwise, people would just be returning and rebuying to get the discount.[/QUOTE]
Probably like 1M units in Like New condition from warehouse deal. :lol:
 
[quote name='mac101010']If the Fire were to go on sale, they would've released it at least 30 days in advance of Black Friday. Otherwise, people would just be returning and rebuying to get the discount.[/QUOTE]

Okay I know you people know how Amazon black Friday works. They put something up normally in a lightning deal with a very small limited quantity. Then it's first come first served. So your theory does not work. With that said, I just wanted everyone to know there's a chance of it happening. Like said in a earlier post yahoo might have just been guessing, but it's worth a shot if your on Amazon on black Friday anyway
 
So, the impression I'm getting from the reviews is that it's basically a downgraded version of the Blackberry Playbook on the hardware side and a reskinned Android 2.3 on the software side, with iffy support for non-Amazon apps and content. Not many seem to mention anything about it's game performance, but the fact that it crashes (in fact, hard locks) when trying to run a simple 3D benchmark isn't exactly reassuring.

Even for a tablet, this seems to offer fairly limited functionality, but I guess for the price that's expected (although $200 still seems like a bit much for something like this to me).
 
After reading the reviews, I tried to cancel my order but it's too late. I will probably play with it for a couple days and send it back. I bought a HTC flyer a few days ago and even though it's $300, you get a ton more features such as dual cameras, 16gb memory, 1gb ram, full android market, micro sd slot, bluetooth, and handwriting support. I knew the fire didn't have bluetooth but was surprised when I learned today that it didn't have a light sensor or a microphone.
 
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2396234,00.asp#fbid=SJaIU0f8Mnq

Excellent review. 4 out of 5 stars and Editors choice.


Amazom.com is the #1 online retailer and they are releasing an amazing tablet this week. Not perfect and missing features, but in my opinion it's a great start. If just for nothing I want something for when IM laying in bed and want to surf the web.


I have a laptop, but I don't feel like always moving around a $1000+ dollar machine.

$200 for what you are getting is well worth it, and future versions will only get better.
 
Wow, I was feeling a pang of regret over cancelling and had decided to just hit Best Buy tomorrow to buy one, but damn, after reading the reviews, it seems cancelling was the best decision. No home or volume buttons is a head scratcher, and lag while turning pages? Come on Amazon, what the hell are the dual cores for? I do find it odd, that no one noticed the lack of buttons before now. :lol:

I look forward to seeing the Nook Tablet reviews.
 
[quote name='Corvin']Wow, I was feeling a pang of regret over cancelling and had decided to just hit Best Buy tomorrow to buy one, but damn, after reading the reviews, it seems cancelling was the best decision. No home or volume buttons is a head scratcher, and lag while turning pages? Come on Amazon, what the hell are the dual cores for? I do find it odd, that no one noticed the lack of buttons before now. :lol:

I look forward to seeing the Nook Tablet reviews.[/QUOTE]

The lack of volume keys Stil has me scratching my head. I understand that they omitted certain features to cut down on costs but at the same time, it's a inconvenience to the user. I wonder how much it would have cost them to add volume keys.
 
[quote name='iNCREDiPiNOY']link?[/QUOTE]

This is the Yahoo article, if you can even call it that. It was written before any BF ad leaked apparently but that's hardly any excuse for how terrible a piece it is.

http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/729/10-black-friday-deal-predictions/

1. Amazon's Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire is already competitively priced at $199, but the device could go even lower. The newest tablet may pop up as a coveted "Gold Box" deal on Amazon and could be priced as low as $100, Vincent predicts. But Gold Box deals aren't easy to come by, and only a lucky few will probably be able to snag the device at this ultra-low price.
Click to expand...
 
[quote name='Corvin']Wow, I was feeling a pang of regret over cancelling and had decided to just hit Best Buy tomorrow to buy one, but damn, after reading the reviews, it seems cancelling was the best decision. No home or volume buttons is a head scratcher, and lag while turning pages? Come on Amazon, what the hell are the dual cores for? I do find it odd, that no one noticed the lack of buttons before now. :lol:

I look forward to seeing the Nook Tablet reviews.[/QUOTE]

Oh I certainly noticed, and was mostly ignored and/or panned here for my opinions. This was written when the Fire was just announced in late Sept.

[quote name='ssjmichael']I feel like a lot of people might be disappointed by the limitations of the Fire out the box. While this tablet is running on Android, I don't consider it an Android tablet. I think a lot of people are however, and many are saying the Fire will take over the Android tablet market within the year.. I don't agree with that, even if it outsells every other device running Android (which it will)

I consider the Fire to be a jailed in Android device out the box. You are provided everything that Amazon wants you to use, that is to say, their own services. They created their own app store outside of the marketplace so that they'd have control over what apps you get to put on your tablet (and other supported devices). While Amazon's app store is certainly going to grow, it is still not comparable to the general Google Marketplace and thus is handicapped compared to most other Android tablets that can access the market.

There's obviously still a lot we don't know about the device so I shouldn't make too many early judgements but if it truly doesn't have access to the standard OS, and marketplace than I'd have to consider it a limited device.. That's not to say it'll be a bad device, it'll just be good at mostly Amazon related things such as their Kindle store, Amazon MP3, Amazon VOD, and whatever apps Amazon has in their store (they do have a lot of quality ones there).

Keep in mind I said out the box. Once the people at slatedroid get their hands on it, it'll be rooted in short order, and users can access the main OS and do whatever they want.

Some other things I'm not fond of:

- No sort of expansion (they couldn't even add a microSDHC slot?)
- The lack of any dedicated volume buttons
- No Bluetooth
- No 3G option (I wouldn't care but some here do)
- No physical home button (I could be wrong about that, but I don't see one)
- No HDMI out (this would have been great to use the device as an Amazon VOD receiver for your TV...imagine a dock where you could just drop it in, it would be awesome)

These are all subjective stuff obviously, but for a tablet to come out this day in age lacking so much stuff would be laughed at if not for the fact that this is Amazon's debut tablet, and the fact that it's $199. I don't think it would cost them much to add some of the things mentioned but some will no doubt defend them for doing so. And just to be fair, I do think having a jailed in device could be what the mainstream wants. This has been Apple's bread and butter with their "i" devices. They have all of their services on there, and ensure that the apps available works on the devices. If the Fire had direct access to the Android OS and Marketplace then it would appear less streamlined and a looser ecosytem if you understand what I mean.[/QUOTE]


I pretty much touched on a lot of the gripes that the reviews did without even having the device :D
 
Wasn't thrilled with those reviews. Honestly since I already have an 8 GB iPad 2, it seemed like a reach to justify this anyway. Those just helped seal the deal. I've requested cancellation. Since it's three days until release and I pay $90/yr for 2-day Prime shipping, I'll raise hell if they don't let me cancel the order three days before release.
 
My interpretation of the reviews: there's a lot to like from a content/software perspective, and some gripes on the hardware side. All in all, a solid device that will be a lot better on the next revision. That's where I'll be getting in.

In the meantime, I'm going to sell the ones I purchased to some eager folks on eBay. Hell, I'd be stupid not to if I can find some more ppl I'm the UK willing to pay $350 + shipping to get one.
 
My sister really wants this so I have been asked by her husband to get one for him. They are both not really tech savvy and she wants it mostly for the web browsing and the kindle. She may be just as happy will a regular kindle but at $199 the color touch screen seems worth it. The reviews seem decent enough for someone who just wants the basics. The lending library is something she really liked. I would hate to get it for her and have it end up sitting around.
 
[quote name='Nucking Futs!']This isn't a 7" vs 10" screen war, just my 2 cents...

I had a Nook Color & rooted it to use CM7 earlier this year. It ran pretty smooth even when it was overclocked to 1.1ghz (from the stock 800mhz). I loved lots of things about it (being able to view sites w/Adobe Flash, battery life, more portable than a laptop, Android market apps). Keep in mind I'd use it mainly to browse the net, email, YouTube & NetFlix. While I loved almost everything about it (besides the very rare freezes), I just couldn't get past the 7" screen because it was just too small for my liking. That was 95% why I ended up selling it about a month or so after buying.

I purchased my fiancee an iPad 2 so I've used it extensively. Despite the fact it didn't support Adobe Flash (yes, I know they just announced they're no longer supporting mobile Flash), I loved the 9.7" screen size much better than the 7" of the Nook Color. To me, it was a huge difference when browsing the net & watching video clips. The only aspect of the bigger screen that didn't really have an affect on me was checking & typing emails since I still would've typed in portrait mode (on the iPad 2) just like on the Nook Color anyway.

In the end, I bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1-4G since I prefer the Honeycomb OS vs iOS (including v5.0) but that topic's for another day. So yeah, for you potential buyers of both the Kindle Fire & Nook Tablet, consider the screen size & not just the price. I see it as this...Regardless of what you're paying for a 7" screen tablet pc, if it's still too small for you then are you really going to be happy to the point you think you're getting your moneys worth? I'm not saying a 10" screen is better for everyone, it was just better for me. Food for thought...

BTW, if you guys wanna know how the Kindle Fire feels like in your hands go checkout a Blackberry Playbook since it's the same design casing minus some buttons (volume up/down from what I remember reading).[/QUOTE]

The reviews are helpful, but what this member wrote about the size really helped me...thanks
Going out to check the Galaxy today.
 
[quote name='dragonjud']Cancellation was immediately denied via email.
Hmm, refuse delivery or just use it as a browsing/reading device?[/QUOTE]

I'm fairly certain Kindles have a 30-day no questions asked return policy. You could use for a bit and return it if you don't like it.
 
[quote name='dragonjud']Cancellation was immediately denied via email.
Hmm, refuse delivery or just use it as a browsing/reading device?[/QUOTE]

Strange, mine was approved almost immediately via email..



[quote name='Ardrid']
In the meantime, I'm going to sell the ones I purchased to some eager folks on eBay. Hell, I'd be stupid not to if I can find some more ppl I'm the UK willing to pay $350 + shipping to get one.[/QUOTE]

I thought about this, but from what I read, it seems it comes pre-loaded with your account and access to the Amazon content you already own. Not something I'd want to give to someone else in a brand-new tablet. I'm sure you can wipe the memory, but you'd have to change description to "Like New" condition.
 
[quote name='Decker']

I thought about this, but from what I read, it seems it comes pre-loaded with your account and access to the Amazon content you already own..[/QUOTE]

You sure about that? That couldn't really make sense to do since they could be bought as gifts for others and such
 
So pretty much the Nook is dead and the Fire is the new top dog?
Nice job Amazon, nice job

The only thing left for them is to make something to kill the iPad and that'll about seal their domination
 
[quote name='ssjmichael']You sure about that? That couldn't really make sense to do since they could be bought as gifts for others and such[/QUOTE]

Some reviewers have mentioned this, though you need to confirm your account first but it does come ready to attach itself to you, so to speak

:D
 
[quote name='ssjmichael']You sure about that? That couldn't really make sense to do since they could be bought as gifts for others and such[/QUOTE]

Now I'm not sure, but I'm fairly certain it said that either on the pre-order page or on the video tour. Can't see it now though. In either case, it never made sense since it's super-easy to log onto your Amazon account after you turn the device on anyway.
 
After reading reviews, Im still not 100% yet. Going to wait and see if maybe the ipad 2 gets a price drop to 299 or something ridiculous like that
 
Damn. I read the reviews this morning, and I have to say that it sounds like they didn't even optimize it for reading. That was the entire point for me, as I am only interested in the capability to read in color (for magazines and such) and not any of the other tablet crap. Unfortunately I was denied my cancellation within two minutes of pressing the button. I guess they will be getting a return shipment from me instead.

WTF. On their product page they just announced they were shipping one day early less than two hours ago. This is unfortunate.
 
[quote name='could have won']Damn. I read the reviews this morning, and I have to say that it sounds like they didn't even optimize it for reading. That was the entire point for me, as I am only interested in the capability to read in color (for magazines and such) and not any of the other tablet crap. Unfortunately I was denied my cancellation within two minutes of pressing the button. I guess they will be getting a return shipment from me instead.

WTF. On their product page they just announced they were shipping one day early less than two hours ago. This is unfortunate.[/QUOTE]

Yeah after reading reviews I wasn't 100% anymore either. Thought about cancelling this morning and it has already shipped. Maybe I'll try it out and see how I feel. Can always return it.
 
[quote name='Jaysonguy']So pretty much the Nook is dead and the Fire is the new top dog?
Nice job Amazon, nice job

The only thing left for them is to make something to kill the iPad and that'll about seal their domination[/QUOTE]

After reading the various reviews (leaning towards the engadget specifically; gizmodo is fairly biased) I would say amazon dropped the ball on the fire and the nook color/ tablet are both the clear winners.
 
Not sure why everyone is so negative on the Fire. The reviews I read only confirmed what should have been expected all along. It's a budget tablet at a budget price. It's almost as if people thought the Fire would blow away all Android tablet competition and still somehow only be $199. For that price, seems like a capable device for casual users.
 
[quote name='admrlballs']not sure why everyone is so negative on the fire. The reviews i read only confirmed what should have been expected all along. It's a budget tablet at a budget price. It's almost as if people thought the fire would blow away all android tablet competition and still somehow only be $199. For that price, seems like a capable device for casual users.[/quote]

this.
 
[quote name='AdmrlBalls']Not sure why everyone is so negative on the Fire. The reviews I read only confirmed what should have been expected all along. It's a budget tablet at a budget price. It's almost as if people thought the Fire would blow away all Android tablet competition and still somehow only be $199. For that price, seems like a capable device for casual users.[/QUOTE]

My main concern now is how this stacks up against my touchpad and the nook tablet. The nooktablet is only $50 more, so if It's a lot better then I rather would have just gotten the nook.

The touchpad works fine for me, but it obviously lacks in apps which has been a day one issue. Then again it was only $100.
 
For those worried about reselling/gifting

Did you buy Kindle Fire as a gift?

Your Kindle Fire was automatically registered to the same Amazon.com account you used to make your purchase. If you bought Kindle Fire as a gift, you can deregister it from your account. Your gift recipient can then register it to their own Amazon.com account right from Kindle Fire to purchase content. Deregister Kindle
 
Those considering the Nook, after reading the reviews, go try it out. My wife loves her color Nook, but I don't like it.

It's the older color model, and simple navigation seems like a chore. The B&N web store is anything but well made for browsing and even purchasing.
Things like simply deleting an app/book is another issue. There's no direct delete option. Instead, you have to go online and look at your items purchased, and choose to 'archive' certain items. Those items will then be removed after you reboot...hardly intuitive.
 
[quote name='jacknicklson']For those worried about reselling/gifting

Did you buy Kindle Fire as a gift?

Your Kindle Fire was automatically registered to the same Amazon.com account you used to make your purchase. If you bought Kindle Fire as a gift, you can deregister it from your account. Your gift recipient can then register it to their own Amazon.com account right from Kindle Fire to purchase content. Deregister Kindle[/QUOTE]

Cheapy should consider posting this in the OP. I'm sure many people are going to forget that.
 
[quote name='dragonjud']Those considering the Nook, after reading the reviews, go try it out. My wife loves her color Nook, but I don't like it.

It's the older color model, and simple navigation seems like a chore. The B&N web store is anything but well made for browsing and even purchasing.
Things like simply deleting an app/book is another issue. There's no direct delete option. Instead, you have to go online and look at your items purchased, and choose to 'archive' certain items. Those items will then be removed after you reboot...hardly intuitive.[/QUOTE]

You're referring to the Nook Color and not the newly announced Nook Tablet correct?

Also you do realize the whole deleting books thing works exactly the same on the Kindle right? You can archive books, meaning you can remove them from the device. You do NOT have to go online to archive books, you can do it straight from the NC. But if you want to delete from your library you have to go into your account and do that. It works pretty much the same with both.
 
[quote name='ssjmichael']You're referring to the Nook Color and now the newly announced Nook Tablet correct?[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I haven't tried the newer version, but my wife owns the older model. After spending time with it, I was disappointed. I also noticed the lack of any sales on their software offerings. So, you may want to consider that as well.

I'm not thrilled about the reviews on the Fire, but may try it for a couple of weeks, if it does indeed come with the option to return it.
 
I'd say if you want a full blown Android tablet, get the Nook tablet, because that will be rooted and should be able to run ICS hopefully when source drops. If you just want a tablet, then get the Fire. Hopefully the Fire will get rooted as well, but the Nook tablet is more powerful.
 
I guess I'm just disappointed that Amazon decided to get rid of too many features at the sake of keeping the price down. I understand that they would omit the cameras to keep the cost down but they aren't even giving us a mic? What about the volume controls? I'm sure there is someone that will say that you can just go through the menu to adjust the volume but I feel that this is unacceptable considering this is pretty much the same design as the blackberry playbook that it is based on. What about the not giving us a light sensor? One of the cool things about grabbing any tablet in the middle of the night is the assurance that you will not be blinded when you turn it on. They should have advertised this as a e-reader and not as a tablet/multimedia device. I would not be surprised if they remove the screen from the Kindle Fire 2 in order to take $100 off the price.
 
[quote name='AdmrlBalls']Not sure why everyone is so negative on the Fire. The reviews I read only confirmed what should have been expected all along. It's a budget tablet at a budget price. It's almost as if people thought the Fire would blow away all Android tablet competition and still somehow only be $199. For that price, seems like a capable device for casual users.[/QUOTE]

No kidding. It sounds like it does what it was intended to.

There were some high expectations out there for some reason. I don't understand the fuss about no auto brightness/light sensor for one. My ipod Touch has it, and I've turned it off since day one. It doesn't have a physical volume button either (gen 1) and I haven't been devastated by the lack of one.

I'll enjoy the Kindle Fire just fine with no brainer access to Amazon media content and web browsing. It's like a portable roku type device with a built in vid screen.
 
I don't get why people use the $199 as justification for an inferior device. If this wasn't released by Amazon, would people really be so apologetic towards it? This is a good device, but it has serious flaws from the looks of it. The $199 price is not groundbreaking. Hell, more than a year ago B&N released a quality tablet for $249. A year later, along with some cheaper prices in components and we have the Fire for $50 less than that. Think about that for a moment and you'll realize the price isn't that earth-shattering. Many companies are releasing comparable tablets for around this price, and plenty more are along the way. The bottom line: don't get it just because it's cheap, and don't make that an excuse for why this is inferior in many ways to a real Android tablet.
 
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