Yeah, that's nothing to really brag over. Library has them beat outside of the digital thing. Which they're making you pay for basically. But it's nice of them to do anything at all, I guess.
My library offers digital content that I can read on my Nook...
Yeah, that's nothing to really brag over. Library has them beat outside of the digital thing. Which they're making you pay for basically. But it's nice of them to do anything at all, I guess.
My library offers digital content that I can read on my Nook...
I've heard of such things, but since my library system does not have it it's existence is meaningless still. :P
And now someone needs to compare the Nook Color and the Fire.
Yeah, those are all spec comparisons, not actual use impressions. I'm actually surprised Amazon hasn't let tech sites review the product yet, considering the launch is less than two weeks away.
And some of those specs are still "unknown", even. Silly Amazon. Release info! Hell, I want confirmation you can load your own books (or anything else) onto the Fire from your PC, even...you must be able to, but I can't find anything that says it right out.
Yeah, you can. And they don't. But they support "Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion." that you can load through USB.
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dresdenphileWatch out for snakes!Registered Userregular
Based on the leaked information, I'm not sure if the Nook Tablet is worth $50 more than a Nook Color, especially since the leaked marketing slide has a bulletpoint of "like a Nook Color...but marginally different! $50 different! Totally worth it!"
Weeell, the Tablet has a dual-core 1.2GHz processor over a single-core 800MHz, 16GB built-in storage over 8GB, double the RAM, plus it's ever so slightly slimmer and is even a little lighter. I'd definitely drop the extra $50 for the Tablet.
So I'm thinking of getting an e-reader. I kind of like the text-to-speech feature but I dunno if it listening to a computer generated voice will get annoying after a while. Do the new Kindles have no speaker or just no text-to-speech?
And how is everyone's experience with the Kindle Keyboard.
It depends on the version of the Kindle. Some don't have speakers (basic $79 model), some do (Touch version), some have speakers but no Text-to-Speech (Fire).
The publishers really frowned upon Text to Speech as it cut into their audio book revenue. The kindles with speakers will support Audible books natively.
I can see how the publishers, in theory, should be worried about it. In practice, though, I can't imagine it cost them anything significant in sales. There is absolutely zero comparison between robot voice auto-reading a book and a real audiobook. Anyone who's going to be listening to books on a regular basis is unlikely to be choosing the text-to-speech option, even given audiobook prices.
Looking into rooting a Nook Color with 1.3 was a pain in the ass, I'm scared to see what happens with the Fire. Hard to pick between them, hopefully when the Fire is actually out things become easier. At the moment I'm kind of leaning towards a Nook Color since rooting is established already, but...
Best Buy has confirmed that I will be getting my Fire on the 15th! I'm so excited. I'm not sure how often/if I'll read on it since I still have a love affair with eInk screens, but I'm thinking of getting a few magazine subs on the Fire, such as National Geographic and Smithsonian. I'm assuming they'll be full color on the Fire and look amazing.
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Guyse, My wife is gonna gift me a kindle. What model has the best battery life? I'm considering the wi-fi 5-way button one, for the smallest possible size (I don't plan on typing things on it), but if the battery is shorter, then no deal.
For pure battery life you want the Touch or Keyboard. But really, unless you're commonly out of options to charge it for days at a time the battery life is fine in any of them (except the Fire kinda, but that's not an E-reader really).
Even with less battery life than my Kindle Keyboard, I'd be damn surprised if you ever managed to kill the battery in less than a couple days without using the case light. Battery life is really something that I don't think you have to worry about.
I feel like when I get busier and go a while without reading, the excellent battery life will work against me, because I won't think to ever charge it until I pick it up to read.
Read more about the Fire today after suggesting it to my mom. Now I want one! Holy ka-pow, I'm so excited.
I read about the Kindle Fire Newsstand today. Pretty excited, and that 3 month trial of the Conde Nast magazines will be pretty nifty to showcase magazine reading on the Fire
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So I have been browsing the reviews of the Kindle Fire today and I can't wait for mine to arrive. Even after reading the very negative reviews, like Wired, I am becoming happier with my choice. I still haven't layed my hands on it yet but if this device is scaring the media this bad I can't wait.
There are several points that the negative and positive reviews bring up that we as consumers knew about since the initial announcement yet they still surface. Things like hard keys, camera, storage space, 3G... We know it doesn't have these items so instead of focusing on these points that are obviously a part of the price point I want to hear about how well the device streams? How fast is the content storing to offline? How does the magazine content look? Etc. I am getting tired of this nit picking what it can't do and more interested what it can do.
One thing that I think the Fire is about is that it may only have limited storage space but honestly how long during the day are you really without wifi? Loading items to offline between wifi hops seems natural to me and an intended use. I will know more when I get mine later this week an will post my thoughts to anyone interested.
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syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
Most nitpicks of the fire seem to be people who don't get what the device is supposed to be, or are aiming at the 2.5x more expensive options and wishing it was more like them. Both are stupid things to be upset about.
The real complaints seem to be leveed at the fact that a 7" screen is really freaking poor at giving you a full page of a magazine to read, and unless the publications start formatting for the fire specifically, you will find yourself zooming and panning around the page to read everything.
But for movies, books that don't have spread-specific formatting, and all the other amazon content, this is the best tablet in its price range without any doubt, and will probably be the first truly successful android tablet.
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Yeah the issue with screen size is also one of those I already knew about prior to buying items as well. I have friends that have iPads and I see them using pinch to zoom on web pages plenty so, to me, that is not a big deal. I also have to pinch to zoom when playing around on their iPads as well. One thing I haven't heard about is whether you can go landscape on magazines or not?
Most nitpicks of the fire seem to be people who don't get what the device is supposed to be, or are aiming at the 2.5x more expensive options and wishing it was more like them. Both are stupid things to be upset about.
This seems somewhat understandable, in that it is still a tablet and so is going to be compared to the things that other tablets do. It does seem like it consumes Amazon content quite well, but less so on the mobile computing front. Like, poorer access or use of Android apps, poor typing for web browsing or email etc.
Some website said it was clearly a video-centric device, which kind of seems right, except I still don't understand why there is so much consumer demand for that.
It is a choice I guess. I find the App store baseless as I use the Amazon AppStore on my Android phone. Quality of Apps is important to me not just pure numbers. I also know that typing in any tablet is a chore so that was to be expected.
On the web browsing front I have seen differing results so I will know better tonight. The Engadget video is a no go for me as an accurate test as you can clearly see flash object loading on the kindle but we all know the iPad doesn't handle those.
In the end I intend to use it for App use, music, movies, magazines, and web browsing. Which is what 90+% of all tablet use is.
I'm digging my Fire. A tad heavy, but much easier to wield with a single hand.
When I first got it, I ignored the "UPDATE THE FIRMWARE DAMNIT" notice to play around with it. Bad idea. Wifi was spotty as hell and dropped in and out. Post-update? Smooth sailing.
Any books, videos, apps or music you've purchased (This means purchased, samples you were reading on other Kindle apps don't transfer over) pop up in their specific section on the Fire. This also means that all of your archived books are in the Books section on the "Cloud" tab. Same with non-downloaded apps.
I loaded up Comixology and the Fire is just at the cusp of readability. A little smaller and the test would be unreadable. Guided mode is fine, of course.
Reviews have mentioned Netflix, but I couldn't find it. Hulu Plus is there. Twitter is missing. IMDB, Audible, and Facebook will appear in your dock once you do the firmware update. Pulse and Amazon apps are there pre-firmware update.
I'm also getting mine tomorrow! I can't wait to dump all of my academic PDF's on it next semester, going to be SO MUCH EASIER.
I figured I could dump my PDF onto the Amazon Cloud Drive and it would sync over to the Fire, but this is not the case. Only Amazon content and MP3s uploaded to the Cloud Drive sync over.
The only options are to email the documents to your Kindle's special email address, or hook it up to a computer and manually transfer them over. And it the Fire only comes with a microUSB AC adapter, not the hybrid one with the old Kindles. So if you have an old Kindle, grab the cable because you'll need it.
It's a great PDF reader once you've moved everything over though.
So I have a question for you auto. Can you read magazines in landscape? Does it make the text easier to read?
Sorry. Took me awhile to download the Wired app, register my sub and download the latest issue.
The magazines are stuck in portrait mode as far as I can tell.
But here's the thing. Wired at least has formatted the magazine to the Kindle Fire's screen. It looks like an magazine, but tapping on a story in the Table of Contents jumps to that story. Swiping left or right moves to the next article, whereas to read an article you swipe vertically. Each page is a total article. Like it's a single long document or webpage. It works great. It's actually kind of elegant and I hope other companies are doing the same. Interactive elements like sound and video pop up occasionally as well (only activating when you click on them)
The only thing you might not be able to read is some of the text on ads, because unlike the rest of the magazine, the Wired staff didn't resize or change them. They just autoscale to the screen.
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also they're dropping the Simple Touch nook to $99
also also they're going to launch a new nook tablet with Netflix support and stuff
I've heard of such things, but since my library system does not have it it's existence is meaningless still. :P
And now someone needs to compare the Nook Color and the Fire.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20112772-251/kindle-fire-vs-nook-color-spec-breakdown/
http://www.gottabemobile.com/2011/09/29/kindle-fire-vs-nook-color/
http://readervsreader.com/
And how is everyone's experience with the Kindle Keyboard.
Steam: CavilatRest
And nonexistent here, so passing the buck.
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I read about the Kindle Fire Newsstand today. Pretty excited, and that 3 month trial of the Conde Nast magazines will be pretty nifty to showcase magazine reading on the Fire
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Xbox HypaciaMinnow
Discord Hypacia#0391
There are several points that the negative and positive reviews bring up that we as consumers knew about since the initial announcement yet they still surface. Things like hard keys, camera, storage space, 3G... We know it doesn't have these items so instead of focusing on these points that are obviously a part of the price point I want to hear about how well the device streams? How fast is the content storing to offline? How does the magazine content look? Etc. I am getting tired of this nit picking what it can't do and more interested what it can do.
One thing that I think the Fire is about is that it may only have limited storage space but honestly how long during the day are you really without wifi? Loading items to offline between wifi hops seems natural to me and an intended use. I will know more when I get mine later this week an will post my thoughts to anyone interested.
The real complaints seem to be leveed at the fact that a 7" screen is really freaking poor at giving you a full page of a magazine to read, and unless the publications start formatting for the fire specifically, you will find yourself zooming and panning around the page to read everything.
But for movies, books that don't have spread-specific formatting, and all the other amazon content, this is the best tablet in its price range without any doubt, and will probably be the first truly successful android tablet.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
PSN Hypacia
Xbox HypaciaMinnow
Discord Hypacia#0391
This seems somewhat understandable, in that it is still a tablet and so is going to be compared to the things that other tablets do. It does seem like it consumes Amazon content quite well, but less so on the mobile computing front. Like, poorer access or use of Android apps, poor typing for web browsing or email etc.
Some website said it was clearly a video-centric device, which kind of seems right, except I still don't understand why there is so much consumer demand for that.
On the web browsing front I have seen differing results so I will know better tonight. The Engadget video is a no go for me as an accurate test as you can clearly see flash object loading on the kindle but we all know the iPad doesn't handle those.
In the end I intend to use it for App use, music, movies, magazines, and web browsing. Which is what 90+% of all tablet use is.
When I first got it, I ignored the "UPDATE THE FIRMWARE DAMNIT" notice to play around with it. Bad idea. Wifi was spotty as hell and dropped in and out. Post-update? Smooth sailing.
Any books, videos, apps or music you've purchased (This means purchased, samples you were reading on other Kindle apps don't transfer over) pop up in their specific section on the Fire. This also means that all of your archived books are in the Books section on the "Cloud" tab. Same with non-downloaded apps.
I loaded up Comixology and the Fire is just at the cusp of readability. A little smaller and the test would be unreadable. Guided mode is fine, of course.
Reviews have mentioned Netflix, but I couldn't find it. Hulu Plus is there. Twitter is missing. IMDB, Audible, and Facebook will appear in your dock once you do the firmware update. Pulse and Amazon apps are there pre-firmware update.
I figured I could dump my PDF onto the Amazon Cloud Drive and it would sync over to the Fire, but this is not the case. Only Amazon content and MP3s uploaded to the Cloud Drive sync over.
The only options are to email the documents to your Kindle's special email address, or hook it up to a computer and manually transfer them over. And it the Fire only comes with a microUSB AC adapter, not the hybrid one with the old Kindles. So if you have an old Kindle, grab the cable because you'll need it.
It's a great PDF reader once you've moved everything over though.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
Sorry. Took me awhile to download the Wired app, register my sub and download the latest issue.
The magazines are stuck in portrait mode as far as I can tell.
But here's the thing. Wired at least has formatted the magazine to the Kindle Fire's screen. It looks like an magazine, but tapping on a story in the Table of Contents jumps to that story. Swiping left or right moves to the next article, whereas to read an article you swipe vertically. Each page is a total article. Like it's a single long document or webpage. It works great. It's actually kind of elegant and I hope other companies are doing the same. Interactive elements like sound and video pop up occasionally as well (only activating when you click on them)
The only thing you might not be able to read is some of the text on ads, because unlike the rest of the magazine, the Wired staff didn't resize or change them. They just autoscale to the screen.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/
I write about video games and stuff. It is fun. Sometimes.
Oh my god so excited