When I heard the announcement I thought why did I buy an ipad ten days ago. But I then heard we would not be getting the Fire until the Spring and I need a tablet or laptop now. @amclark - my wife has an iphone and for me the main difference is size of screen. There are a few things you can do on the ipad but not iphone but it is the display that is key for me. I can use the ipad, eg, in meetings to enable me not to print out documents. Books are easier to read, photos easier too, and I have an app with some simple photo editing. But in general there is not a great deal of difference if you are OK with the screen size
Interesting though that the discussion about the Fire on Breakfast TV over here suggested that the only way Amazon can sell the Fire so cheap is that it is a loss leader to get people into the Amazon marketplace in a way that other Androids can't. The suggestion was that the tablet market could eventually be a duopoly between Apple and Amazon based around their ability to link their machines to their retailing sites.
Prices keep dropping. From Amazon's home page: "We are excited to announce four new products: the all-new Kindle for only $79, two new touch Kindles Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G for $99 and $149, and a new class of Kindle Kindle Fire... for only $199." Those prices are for the versions with "Special Offers," their Orwellian word for ads, but without the ads the Kindle is still only $109. Being pretty used to turning pages and to seeing my library on shelves, I've been wavering for a while, but I think this is going do it for me. I'm thinking of the Fire for my daughter for Christmas, too. I checked BN and they haven't yet reciprocated with new pricing for the Nook. I they decide not to or can't Amazon will pretty much have won that war.
Allegedly, a new Nook Color is coming out before the end of the year. I have read several posts on the Nook Discussion Forum that the current Nook Color can be found for $149.00, and some have said they are refurbs, but carry the same warranty as the new ones.
The main thing I have read about Amazon is the being locked into the Amazon site, much like Apple locks you into their sites/cloud, etc. Some have also complained about everything, even surfing going through Amazon servers. You might want to do a lot of reading about the pros and cons before you make your decision about the Fire.
I love my Nook Color and am glad I bought it. I actually prefer using it over the Kindle.
I did get a Kindle later on -- with special offers because it was cheaper. Spouse was having trouble using his (he is NOT tech savvy at all), and I wanted to buy his books. I was afraid that his difficulties would lead to him purchasing a bunch of books neither of us wanted. The special offers have been good -- selection of mystery books, one for $1.00, same for business books, humor books, etc. I have also gotten $5 off on MP3 download, as well as other offers. You see the offers only when you turn the Kindle off to sleep mode. If one interests you, you can select it, and a link gets sent to your email address with instructions on how to redeem the offer. In no way does the special offer interfere with reading. You never see them when you are reading, only as the "screensaver" when you go into sleep mode.
Almost every book on my Kindle has been from their free selections. Some have been good, some not so, but you don't have to continue reading something you don't like, and you can delete it from your library on Amazon if it is something you really don't want in your account. Don't know how old your daughter is, but some of the free books are quite graphic. You might want to monitor if she is young.
Afterthought: Here is where to find free books as they get added to the Kindle: Free Books for Your Kindle. Many are free for only a few days, so if you see something you want, don't delay. Also remember to select your region at the upper right before browsing.
I read an interesting article yesterday comparing the Kindle Fire with Apple ipad in terms of business models. Amazon sell the Kindle as virtually a loss leader and make their profit on the retail side, and are planning the Fire with the same approach. Apple meanwhile have mark ups of 40% plus profits on the ipad, touch, ipod etc, but sell media with very little profit, relying on lots of sales. I've noticed in the UK, at least, that books are cheaper from Apple than from Amazon for the Kindle, but I am not sure that applies totally to music. Amazon have decent deals on a range of chart music, but thinking about it, non chart music on Apple is often 50p cheaper than Amazon.
Meanwhile back to the article. It suggested that the tablet market will eventually become a duopoly, as no other maker has a retail arm. Who eventually comes out on top will depend on how good the Fire is, as it suggested that people will generally go for the cheaper option, unless the kudos of an Apple keeps their sales up. I will add however that Amazon do charge us nore than the US market for the KIndle - generally prices are the same in dollars and pounds (ie $99 and £99), whereas Apple do convert prices to a similar level, once taxes are taken into account. But we're not getting the KIndle Fire until next March - we still don't have the Nook!
Anyone out there go off the beaten path and pick up an HP Touchpad when HP decided to get out of that line of hardware (some 45 days after their debut in that area) and correspondingly instituted clearance-level prices for their two models ( $99 (16GB) and $149 (32GB))? From what I can tell there aren't a whole lot of apps out there for the Touchpad and wonder just how that will end up translating into making that particular tablet useful/non-useful. I mean, I would imagine that it should/would support basic internet connectivity and run of the mill stuff but probably not a lot of specialized stuff (case in point: no Netflix app*).
What kinds of activities do you all generally do with your tablets or what apps do you find to be the most endearing to enhancing your tablet experience?
* If the Touchpad did have a Netflix app or would otherwise be able to support streaming from Netflix I would've been all over it at those clearance prices.
I've only had my ipad for two weeks. If I could have got hold of the HP Touchpad I might have bought one - they were going for the same number of pounds as dollars - interesting how many manufacturers do that to increase their profit (or this case lessen their losses) I only wanted a tablet to take to meetings to display documents, receive email and surf - which is about 85% of what I have done so far with the ipad, but I can now see that the apps make surfing easier - for example yesterday I was watching a soccer game live via an app, set up my PVR remotely again using an app, and put some photos and music on it. I've also downloaded some books on to it - it'll be interesting to compare the reading experience with the Kindle my wife has. So overall I paid a lot more for my ipad - although it has 3G I've only used it wirelessly so far - but I think it was worth the extra to keep it going longer with Apple's apps etc.
Edit - and it is easier making typing errors when you use an ipad to access emusers! (Now corrected using a computer and keyboard!
What kinds of activities do you all generally do with your tablets or what apps do you find to be the most endearing to enhancing your tablet experience?
I've been using my iPad (hand me down from the wife) since February. Mostly I am using to to read feeds, listen to music, play games, and watch movies...
Alien Blue (Reddit app)
Reeder (Google Reader app)
Instapaper (a reading app for long format articles)
Twitter
Netflix
Rdio
Pandora
Goodreads (Social reading app for bookworms)
Things (Staying organized with to-dos)
Evernote (keeping my notes and thoughts organized)
Wikipanion (Wikipedia app)
Nytimes (NY Times app)
Yoga (yoga app, you don't think this body just happened do you?!)
Games I'm playing:
Snood
Zookeeper
SimCity
Little Things
Sworcery
Puzzle Agent
On the free books tip, Univ of Chicago Press offers a free monthly book DL. Mostly scholarly/academic books, obviously, with the occasional mystery. This month's link. Looks like you get the monthly notice once you DL one of these.
Thanks, mommio. My daughter's almost 16, and according to her she knows far more than I do about everything, so any idea on my part that she might be susceptible to monitoring would be wishful thinking.
Not a lot of those free books interest me. Some of the classics, I suppose. And certainly "Beer Is Proof God Loves Us: Reaching for the Soul of Beer and Brewing" is right up my alley.
A query someone might be able to help me with. Earlier today I was in what is probably the UK's largest CD store (for those who know London, HMV on Oxford Street). It has a massive jazz section. I was totally bewildered by choice. Next time I need to take a shopping list with me! But one thought went through my mind when I was looking at CDs by artists like Miles Davis and John Coltrane. In some cases I could not remember whether I have the album or not. Is there any way that I can easily get a list of artists and albums from itunes to put into Notes or Pages on my ipad? My ipod only holds about 20% of my itunes so that is no help. I will make a list of those two artists, but I just wondered if there is something that will generate a complete list, as that could be quite useful
Thanks GP - I hadn't realised such a function existied. I started to print out until I realised there are 64 pages! But now I have something I can work on electronically
Hmm, it seems my ipod touch, 3rd generation, might finally be beginning to comply with my hopes for its demise so that I can justify a new one. Carrying it around without a case, dropping it multiple times, etc, made no impression, but I am noticing a sudden acceleration in the demise of the battery life. Listened to music on earbuds for three hours today and it took it from full charge to 20%.
Problem now is, on a quick trawl of the web, some folk think an ipod Touch 6th generation might appear this spring, some think Fall, and some think never since all ipods are now 2% of Apple's sales. So do I get a 5th gen soon or hold out for a 6th that may or may not come some time (and about which Apple will, as is their custom, release no info until it happens)?
Does anyone follow that stuff in detail? My sense (again from a quick trawl) is that any improvements in a 6th gen model are likely to be incremental rather than radical - a bit more speed and camera resolution, say, rather than major new features.
I assume you saw this guide on MacRumors. My wife and I just recently gave up iPod touches for iPhones. I had a dumb phone and was often carrying both around. My wife was one of the last 4 Blackberry users and her phone was nearly a paperweight. Anyway, I doubt they will change iPod Touches much. It seems like iPhones and iPads are the main focus.
I recently bought a refurbished 5th generation, and I can say it is quite a polished product. The touch control seems more refined than my Android devices. I say get a fresh one now, and have a look at the refurbished models, it saves $40 to $100 and I don't see any difference from new. As a bonus, you can plug the newer connector in either way when charging.
Yes, I could get a bit more juice by turning off wifi - it's the comparative decline that I am noticing. I don't really use a cell phone - just have a prepaid for emergencies - so moving up to iPhone is not a very economical option. I am leaning to getting a 5th gen...I'll look at the refurbs. Thanks for the link, cw00.
Comments
Interesting though that the discussion about the Fire on Breakfast TV over here suggested that the only way Amazon can sell the Fire so cheap is that it is a loss leader to get people into the Amazon marketplace in a way that other Androids can't. The suggestion was that the tablet market could eventually be a duopoly between Apple and Amazon based around their ability to link their machines to their retailing sites.
The main thing I have read about Amazon is the being locked into the Amazon site, much like Apple locks you into their sites/cloud, etc. Some have also complained about everything, even surfing going through Amazon servers. You might want to do a lot of reading about the pros and cons before you make your decision about the Fire.
I love my Nook Color and am glad I bought it. I actually prefer using it over the Kindle.
I did get a Kindle later on -- with special offers because it was cheaper. Spouse was having trouble using his (he is NOT tech savvy at all), and I wanted to buy his books. I was afraid that his difficulties would lead to him purchasing a bunch of books neither of us wanted. The special offers have been good -- selection of mystery books, one for $1.00, same for business books, humor books, etc. I have also gotten $5 off on MP3 download, as well as other offers. You see the offers only when you turn the Kindle off to sleep mode. If one interests you, you can select it, and a link gets sent to your email address with instructions on how to redeem the offer. In no way does the special offer interfere with reading. You never see them when you are reading, only as the "screensaver" when you go into sleep mode.
Almost every book on my Kindle has been from their free selections. Some have been good, some not so, but you don't have to continue reading something you don't like, and you can delete it from your library on Amazon if it is something you really don't want in your account. Don't know how old your daughter is, but some of the free books are quite graphic. You might want to monitor if she is young.
Afterthought: Here is where to find free books as they get added to the Kindle: Free Books for Your Kindle. Many are free for only a few days, so if you see something you want, don't delay. Also remember to select your region at the upper right before browsing.
Meanwhile back to the article. It suggested that the tablet market will eventually become a duopoly, as no other maker has a retail arm. Who eventually comes out on top will depend on how good the Fire is, as it suggested that people will generally go for the cheaper option, unless the kudos of an Apple keeps their sales up. I will add however that Amazon do charge us nore than the US market for the KIndle - generally prices are the same in dollars and pounds (ie $99 and £99), whereas Apple do convert prices to a similar level, once taxes are taken into account. But we're not getting the KIndle Fire until next March - we still don't have the Nook!
What kinds of activities do you all generally do with your tablets or what apps do you find to be the most endearing to enhancing your tablet experience?
* If the Touchpad did have a Netflix app or would otherwise be able to support streaming from Netflix I would've been all over it at those clearance prices.
Edit - and it is easier making typing errors when you use an ipad to access emusers! (Now corrected using a computer and keyboard!
I've been using my iPad (hand me down from the wife) since February. Mostly I am using to to read feeds, listen to music, play games, and watch movies...
Alien Blue (Reddit app)
Reeder (Google Reader app)
Instapaper (a reading app for long format articles)
Twitter
Netflix
Rdio
Pandora
Goodreads (Social reading app for bookworms)
Things (Staying organized with to-dos)
Evernote (keeping my notes and thoughts organized)
Wikipanion (Wikipedia app)
Nytimes (NY Times app)
Yoga (yoga app, you don't think this body just happened do you?!)
Games I'm playing:
Snood
Zookeeper
SimCity
Little Things
Sworcery
Puzzle Agent
Not a lot of those free books interest me. Some of the classics, I suppose. And certainly "Beer Is Proof God Loves Us: Reaching for the Soul of Beer and Brewing" is right up my alley.
"Bonjour Kindle! The Kindle store is now open on Amazon.fr over 35,000 French-language ebooks available. Visit now: http://amzn.to/r5lYwQ"
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=272194
Problem now is, on a quick trawl of the web, some folk think an ipod Touch 6th generation might appear this spring, some think Fall, and some think never since all ipods are now 2% of Apple's sales. So do I get a 5th gen soon or hold out for a 6th that may or may not come some time (and about which Apple will, as is their custom, release no info until it happens)?
Does anyone follow that stuff in detail? My sense (again from a quick trawl) is that any improvements in a 6th gen model are likely to be incremental rather than radical - a bit more speed and camera resolution, say, rather than major new features.