I just got home and I don’t have time to blog, I need to read. And play.
I can already tell you that I’m pissed that my huge library of .prc and .mobi files, while visible, end up in the “Docs” category instead of the “Books” category. I don’t know if I rename the .mobi’s to .azw if that will change or not. (It doesn’t)
The graphics, though, are fucking stunning. One thing that pissed me off about the 2gen Kindle was its awful graphics rendering. If a book had a map, you couldn’t read it. Not a problem with the Fire…
[Thursday 11/17] The hard case by Marware is very nice. But it is going to be the same story with this case as with the case for the other Kindle: Only used when I travel with the thing. It makes the Fire too clumsy to hold when reading. Since the Fire has a rubbery back instead of the metal back that the other Kindle has, it doesn’t tend to slip and the case doesn’t add any needed friction to help you hold on. Plus it adds a significant if small amount of weight, and you can tell the difference. Finally, the Fire actually fits in my hand very well without the case, and with the case, well, even with the cover folded back it is very nearly a two-handed proposition. Even if you tie the cover back with the handy elastic band provided, the case still doubles the thickness of the unit.
Apps from the Amazon App Store work pretty well. I was able to redownload some of the apps I’d purchased for my phone without having to pay for them again…that was a bonus. There is a free Netflix app, which may be the best new feature Kindle-wise — while traveling I can watch a movie without having to haul out the laptop.
There is no GMail app, as has already been noted in places like Instapundit…what a shock. There is a regular email app but it would be nice to see a native GMail app. I wouldn’t take bets on whether that will happen or not, though.
I would have liked to have seen an external volume control and an SD card slot. But that would have just made it more expensive.
I was re-reading Vorpal Blade by John Ringo and opened the book a little while ago to note that, somehow and inexplicably, it had lost my place and thrown me back to chapter 1. Since I had just started Chapter 24 that was kind of a pisser. Hopefully I did something stupid and it wasn’t a glitch in the reader.
The type is clear as long as you don’t tilt the reader a little too far away from perpendicular, and even then it’s not too bad. It’s clearly a problem with refraction through the screen, and of coure that was not a problem with e-Ink. But I can live with it. The backlight doesn’t bother me, but I always read with a light on anyway — I can’t stare at a bright screen without any ambient light for long or I end up with a migraine.
I haven’t tried it outdoors but I am not an outdoors person to start with, and I would be more likely to carry my old Kindle outdoors if I were going to read anyway. I don’t intend to get rid of the old one — for one thing, it’s got the 3G wireless as opposed to Wi-Fi only on the Fire.
I’ll post more later as I spend more time with the unit, but it seems to be a very nice reader with some tablet functionality. As Glenn Reynolds mentioned, it is not a tablet you’d want to blog from.
And whoever decided that when you are at a forms screen (like a userid/password login) that the tab button should be directly to the right of the space bar needs to be shot.
3 Replies to “Fire is here”
Comments are closed.
Mine arrived yesterday. My biggest complaint is the lack of an external volume control. It does exactly what I want it for — to surf the web, check email, play a few games etc. It is a great alternative to the wife’s iPad. I watched some streaming video and the picture was fantastic.
I think I will still use my old keyboard Kindle for extended reading sessions, the backlight makes it tough for me to read for long periods on the Fire.
In all, I love the device so far. It lacks some of the functionality of the iPad, but it more than compensates when you consider the price.
Yes, the missing external volume control and no SD card slot are kind of annoying, but I get why they aren’t there — cost savings. Even if the cost saving was minimal.
I read a lot in bed. I used it last night for a couple of hours and the weight difference is noticeable. It’s not as easy to hold as the old Kindle because of the touch screen, and with carpal tunnel my wrists get tired pretty quickly.
So the old Kindle may continue to be my bedside reader while the Fire may end up being my daily workhorse. The fact that the Fire is smaller means I will probably carry it more places where I wouldn’t have wanted to bother with the older model.
I spent considerable time reading with the Fire last night (3 hours plus). The biggest issue was the weight. My old Kindle is so easy to handle. This one I cannot deciide to hold in the vertical or horizontal postion. The backlight did not bother as much as extended iPad reading, though.
In all I think I made a great purchase.
I am with you on the case. I do not have one, and I think you are right — the extra girth will be too much. I may just look for a padded sleeve to use when I travel.