[Merged] Amazon Kindle Fire Launch US$199.99

[derjam87]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20112714-94/amazons-kindle-fire-tablet-to-sell-for-$199-report-says/

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Color-Multi-touch-Display-Wi-Fi/dp/B0051VVOB2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317222136&sr=8-1

Reports have said earlier that it is Android HoneyComb based.

Amazing deal

[willpoon]

That's regular price.

Cold.

[pauldryan]

That's regular price.

Cold.

:?: :?: This is the new tablet; how is this cold?

[derjam87]

Hotter than any android based non-knockoff tablet....

Nvdia Tegra 2 processor, Android based OS, but 200$ less than any competitor.

[kool1]

Why buy this when you can get a Playbook for $50-100 more.

Fire has a slow processor, no cameras, no mic and no flash.

$199 is the U.S. price - it will be more here I would also point out.

[derjam87]

Why buy this when you can get a Playbook for $50-100 more.

Fire has a slow processor, no cameras, no mic and no flash.

$199 is the U.S. price - it will be more here I would also point out.

I would never buy the playbook, RIM is going out of business and they will stop supporting it.

[Bskll]

http://edge-cache.gizmodo.com/gizmodo/amazonfire/amazonfire185.jpg

Specs:

7-inch IPS display
Dual-core processor
14.6 oz
Access to amazon instant streaming, books, magazine,and cloud storage
compatible with whispersync
Gorilla glass screen

priced: $199


Kindle Touch 3g:

$149
Touch-Screen
Access to amazon cloud, whisper sync
Books, Public domain and new books.

Kindle Touch:

$99, no 3g, same as 3g version for everything else.

Kindle (3rd Generation):

no keyboard, $79


comparison chart:
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2011/09/screen_shot_2011-09-28_at_11.19.44_am.png

[djemzine]

I would never buy the playbook, RIM is going out of business and they will stop supporting it.

+1 and I'd rather support Amazon which is an amazing company as opposed to RIM. At least Amazon has a better or decent app store compared to The App World that of RIM, and its Android Apps. I can get eBooks, buy merchandise and buy apps. I think I'd invest in this tablet once it hits Canada.

[7-Endless]

I heard that the Fire will only have access to the Amazon AppStore and no Android Market - anyone know if this has been confirmed yet?
Also, like the Playbook - it looks like there is no integrated mail client although there will be one that can be downloaded through their Appstore.

[shawn99]

blackberry playbook has a cheap TFT screen

while Kindle Fire much cheaper price, awesome IPS display, Fruit Ninja, FASTER cloud accelerated web browsing. Apple and Rim has some real competition

[DJ Dennis]

They said it has access to the Android app store.

I hope someone can hack the Kindle 3G to act as a wireless hotspot.

[ashgotti]

Why buy this when you can get a Playbook for $50-100 more.

Fire has a slow processor, no cameras, no mic and no flash.

$199 is the U.S. price - it will be more here I would also point out.

Because it has the backing of Amazon and their media library. It is the first real competitor for the iPad, although the iPad is can be used more for media creation and an everything device, but the Kindle Fire is media consumption.

[N8Magic]

blackberry playbook has a cheap TFT screen

while Kindle Fire much cheaper price, awesome IPS display, Fruit Ninja, FASTER cloud accelerated web browsing. Apple and Rim has some real competition

IPS panels are still TFT displays. ;)

And why slam the Playbook on their panel choice when pretty much every reviewer out there seems to think it looks fantastic? Have you even seen this Kindle tablet? It could look like shiat for all you know.

[anon_s]

For those with Amerifriends;

Kindle FIRE

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Color-Multi-touch-Display-Wi-Fi/dp/B0051VVOB2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317222136&sr=8-1

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/otter/dp/KO-slate-main-lg._V166806822_.jpg




Kindle TOUCH

3G: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Touch-Free-Wi-Fi-Display/dp/B005890G8O/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1317222174&sr=1-3
WiFi: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Touch-Wi-Fi-Ink-Display/dp/B005890G8Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1317222174&sr=1-2

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/whitney/dp/KW-slate-main-lg._V166806963_.jpg

[DJ Dennis]

blackberry playbook has a cheap TFT screen

while Kindle Fire much cheaper price, awesome IPS display, Fruit Ninja, FASTER cloud accelerated web browsing. Apple and Rim has some real competition

DAYYYYYYUMMMMMM, Amazon marketing worked you good

Seriously though, this is not a deal.... it's regular price.

[jessicacha]

so is kindle fire lcd screen not i-ink?

[wlee]

The War Begins ;)

If US version used in Canada, any function will be crippled?

[shawn99]

r u kidding? have u compared IPS screen vs TFT , big difference especially for reading long periods without eye strain

[lQUOTE=N8Magic;13536568]IPS panels are still TFT displays. ;)

And why slam the Playbook on their panel choice when pretty much every reviewer out there seems to think it looks fantastic? Have you even seen this Kindle tablet? It could look like shiat for all you know.[/QUOTE]

[hammy]

Amazing deal

Doesn't a "deal" need to be something that is actually available for sale?

You can't buy one, in Canada or anywhere, therefore this is not a deal.

[DaWinman]

I would never buy the playbook, RIM is going out of business and they will stop supporting it.

True, but I'd still buy one for $149 - $299 is just stupid for an soon-to-be-orphaned tablet running a proprietary OS.

[Bskll]

so is kindle fire lcd screen not i-ink?

its IPS, not e-ink

[82]

I thought Amazon says (today) that it has dual core, that probably the OMAP 4 1.5Ghz. Is that a slow processor?


Why buy this when you can get a Playbook for $50-100 more.

Fire has a slow processor, no cameras, no mic and no flash.

$199 is the U.S. price - it will be more here I would also point out.

[N8Magic]

r u kidding? have u compared IPS screen vs TFT , big difference especially for reading long periods without eye strain

I'm not kidding, because the Playbook screen looks amazing regardless of the panel used.

In general, IPS panels (also TFT displays by the way) look quite good so long as there are decent electronics driving it. And there is no difference between the panel used in the Playbook and an IPS panel in regards to eye strain. If you want something to read a book on for extended periods, you should really be looking at an e-Ink device and not a colour tablet.

[claudiu_corbea]

There is no SD slot for the Amazon Fire. This is a deal breaker...

[Real_Deal]

I would never buy the playbook, RIM is going out of business and they will stop supporting it.

RIM isn't going out of business. They are still making $100s Millions a year, have billions of cash on hand, no debt, a treasure chest of patents. Don't beleive everything the fanboys say on the tech blogs.

[jiffylube1024]

r u kidding? have u compared IPS screen vs TFT , big difference especially for reading long periods without eye strain


IPS panels are still TFT displays. ;)

And why slam the Playbook on their panel choice when pretty much every reviewer out there seems to think it looks fantastic? Have you even seen this Kindle tablet? It could look like shiat for all you know.

He's getting you on semantics. All LCD technologies are TFT (thin film transistor).

You mean to compare IPS to TN / "TN Film"/TN+ Film

[Super strokey]

fire seems pretty damn impressive for 199.

How much on board storage does it have? Access to netflix?

[samm]

Nov 15 release date? meh. Will Tegra 3 be out already?

[jiffylube1024]

The big question about the Kindle Fire -- is it going to be available in/for Canada?

Having an Amerifriend to be able to buy it is only one part of the equation. Right now the only way to get the Amazon App store to work in Canada is with a US address and a US credit card. Is Amazon going to finally open up the App store to foreign paying customers, or continue to shoot themselves in the foot and be US-only?


It really pisses me off because some developers, ie. PopCap Games (makers of Peggle and Plants vs. Zombies) have exclusivity deals with Amazon so their apps are on the Amazon App store but not the Android store.

[JamesA1]

Looks pretty much as expected for both the 7" colour LCD Android tablet and the new touch-screen eInk models, but the prices are a little cheaper than expected.

The Fire is just a 7" colour LCD tablet running a heavily-customized version of Android 2, but early demos show that it's fast and has a nice UI. The real test will be how well the firmware works for the things that people really want to do with it. The $200 price undercuts the main competitors (like the Nook Color), but of course there are plenty of cheapo 7" Android tablets around for as little as $100, so I doubt Amazon is losing any money on it. There's only 8 Gbytes of on-board memory, as Amazon intends it to use their cloud services. There's no way it will ever support things like Netflix. Amazon intends this device to sell their own content, including their own streaming video.

The eInk models are physically pretty much a clone of the Kobo Touch and Nook Touch, but priced even cheaper, and I'm sure Amazon will have some pretty smooth firmware. There's even an $80 model without the touch screen. Still not open of course - part of the closed Amazon content-marketing ecosystem.

[Real_Deal]

I thought Amazon says (today) that it has dual core, that probably the OMAP 4 1.5Ghz. Is that a slow processor?

I highly doubt it is running at 1.5ghz, it makes no sense. In a 7" tablet a dual core 1.5Ghz processor would leave you with what 4 hours of battery. Doesn't make sense on something being sold primarily as an ereader

[wlee]

The big question about the Kindle Fire -- is it going to be available in/for Canada?

Having an Amerifriend to be able to buy it is only one part of the equation. Right now the only way to get the Amazon App store to work in Canada is with a US address and a US credit card. Is Amazon going to finally open up the App store to foreign paying customers, or continue to shoot themselves in the foot and be US-only?


It really pisses me off because some developers, ie. PopCap Games (makers of Peggle and Plants vs. Zombies) have exclusivity deals with Amazon so their apps are on the Amazon App store but not the Android store.

Can gift card be used instead of credit card?

[time space]

7" screen = no sale.

[DaWinman]

RIM isn't going out of business. They are still making $100s Millions a year, have billions of cash on hand, no debt, a treasure chest of patents.

What most tech blogs are saying is that RIM will be purchased by a larger entity, but *only* for the cash and patents, then summarily amalgamated into the parent and shut down. In very short order, RIM may cease to exist.

[Super strokey]

Looks pretty much as expected for both the 7" colour LCD Android tablet and the new touch-screen eInk models, but the prices are a little cheaper than expected.

The Fire is just a 7" colour LCD tablet running a heavily-customized version of Android 2, but early demos show that it's fast and has a nice UI. The real test will be how well the firmware works for the things that people really want to do with it. The $200 price undercuts the main competitors (like the Nook Color), but of course there are plenty of cheapo 7" Android tablets around for as little as $100, so I doubt Amazon is losing any money on it. There's only 8 Gbytes of on-board memory, as Amazon intends it to use their cloud services. There's no way it will ever support things like Netflix. Amazon intends this device to sell their own content, including their own streaming video.

The eInk models are physically pretty much a clone of the Kobo Touch and Nook Touch, but priced even cheaper, and I'm sure Amazon will have some pretty smooth firmware. There's even an $80 model without the touch screen. Still not open of course - part of the closed Amazon content-marketing ecosystem.

The cloud service really intrigues me. Could some one detail it a bit more. Iknow literally nothing about it.

Also do the books that amazon sells for things like this include children's ebooks where there is interactivity and what not? Thats an absolute must for any tablet in my house, the kids love the "Monster at the end of this Book".

[Super strokey]

7" screen = no sale.

Too small or too big?

[samm]

7" screen = no sale.

The old Kindle 3 was e-ink, had a smaller screen and cost $189. You're talking about an Android based eReader here along with all the Amazon services.

[totheh8ters]

What most tech blogs are saying is that RIM will be purchased by a larger entity, but *only* for the cash and patents, then summarily amalgamated into the parent and shut down. In very short order, RIM may cease to exist.


which ones said that someone would pay money to buy RIM's cash? that really is asinine.

[Sunshine Boy]

The Amazon is accepting the pre-order of Kindle Fire which will release in mid November.

-7" IPS panel
-Gorilla Glass coating
-dual-core CPU
-weighs 14.6oz

very tempting for around USD$200!

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Color-Multi-touch-Display-Wi-Fi/dp/B0051VVOB2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1317222659&sr=1-1

or search B0051VVOB2 in the search box.

[time space]

Too small or too big?

Too small.

A 10.1" screen is adequate, but I'd prefer a 12" screen on my tablet.

[crimsona]

More importantly, Amazon's Android market doesn't work in Canada without a US CC, US billing address and/or a US IP address. And this is on a stock Gingerbread install. Without knowing what Amazon's done to the OS/bootloaders and such, it's unlikely it'll be as mod-friendly as the nook Color with its microSD slot

[JamesA1]

The cloud service really intrigues me. Could some one detail it a bit more. Iknow literally nothing about it.

What this typically means is that you store content on the cloud servers instead of on the local device, so it doesn't need as much local memory as long as it has a fast internet connection. Also the cloud servers can offload compute-intensive tasks so that they aren't a burden on the portable device processor. They have already mentioned that the Fire loads web pages via Amazon's cloud servers, which pre-process the content to load faster on the Fire. The model here is that your Amazon account with all your purchased content will reside in the Amazon cloud, and the Fire will just be one portal to access it.

[smartie]

Do we have to drive to US to buy one or it is time to stack Staple coupon? lol

[JamesA1]

Too small.

A 10.1" screen is adequate, but I'd prefer a 12" screen on my tablet.

+1

7" works fine for an e-reader, and it's nice to have a colour screen as long as it's easy enough on the eyes for reading (TBD). But for web browsing, reading pdf magazines etc., 10" is barely adequate.

[Super strokey]

What this typically means is that you store content on the cloud servers instead of on the local device, so it doesn't need as much local memory as long as it has a fast internet connection. Also the cloud servers can offload compute-intensive tasks so that they aren't a burden on the portable device processor. They have already mentioned that the Fire loads web pages via Amazon's cloud servers, which pre-process the content to load faster on the Fire. The model here is that your Amazon account with all your purchased content will reside in the Amazon cloud, and the Fire will just be one portal to access it.

Sounds awesome.

I wonder what battery life will be like on it?

[Super strokey]

+1

7" works fine for an e-reader, and it's nice to have a colour screen as long as it's easy enough on the eyes for reading (TBD). But for web browsing, reading pdf magazines etc., 10" is barely adequate.

I like that its a good size for sitting in bed and reading and maybe watching some movies on it depending on how it works out with that. I hope there is a streaming application and a netflix application as well.

[mbg]

The tablet sounds nice, but I am too interested in E-Ink to go for one. It's just way easier on the eyes.

Touch is a nice addition.

Unfortunately, it looks like they won't ship Touch or Fire to Canada, just the basic Kindle. And they are not shipping until mid-late November, so chances of getting one of these by Christmas here is slim, IMO.

Unless somewhere like ShopEReaders.com picks them up and starts shipping them here... but based on my experience with them last time, I would not risk it again.

[derslade]

Thanks.

Hot for me.

Ordered.




For those with Amerifriends;

Kindle FIRE

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Color-Multi-touch-Display-Wi-Fi/dp/B0051VVOB2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317222136&sr=8-1

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/otter/dp/KO-slate-main-lg._V166806822_.jpg




Kindle TOUCH

3G: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Touch-Free-Wi-Fi-Display/dp/B005890G8O/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1317222174&sr=1-3
WiFi: http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Touch-Wi-Fi-Ink-Display/dp/B005890G8Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1317222174&sr=1-2

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/whitney/dp/KW-slate-main-lg._V166806963_.jpg

[JamesA1]

Whoa! Looks like the announced prices on the eInk models are for ad-supported versions. Add $40 for the versions without advertising on your home screen. Ad-supported versions are not available in Canada because Amazon doesn't have an advertising service for our market.

[mbg]

Whoa! Looks like the announced prices on the eInk models are for ad-supported versions. Add $40 for the versions without advertising on your home screen. Ad-supported versions are not available in Canada because Amazon doesn't have an advertising service for our market.

But even the non-ad supported ones don't appear to be shippable to Canada.

[bandersnatch]

More importantly, Amazon's Android market doesn't work in Canada without a US CC, US billing address and/or a US IP address.

This is what kills it for me. I have a Kindle right now. I'd love to use a Kindle Fire but until Amazon can straighten out the licensing in Canada, its a no go.

[supergenius]

Thanks.

Hot for me.

Ordered.

Me too. Ordered. Still have time to cancel pending hands-on reviews. For me it makes sense since I already subscribe to Amazon Prime......

Btw, Amazon video works in conjunction with unblockus....

[desidealer49]

7 inch IPS, dual core and android market. So tempting!!

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/28/amazon-fire-tablet-unveiled-7-inch-display-199-price-tag/

[jessicacha]

apparently you gotta tack on extra $40 if your don't want any advertising on your kindle..
was considering kindle touch for 99.99 until i found out it's gonna be 139.99 without ads.. ugh..

[mbg]

Article on US-only availability:
http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-amazon-continues-its-u.s.-first-policy-no-international-plans-for-fire/

...but you can get the new basic Kindle in Canada (the one with no keyboard)... just not the Touch or Fire, whether ad supported or not.

[Brettimus]

GREAT! this is just the competition we needed to push apple to release the Ipad3

[pr0cs]

The War Begins ;)

If US version used in Canada, any function will be crippled?

very likely, though there are probably ways around this with a US proxy or vpn or similar to mask your IP.
A Canadian user will probably have to jump through a variety of hoops to get even close to the same experience as a US user.

I like Amazon getting into the tablet market (prices of other tablets will drop with this announcement) but this tablet to me has limited value in Canada.

[torpc]

Pre-order on Amazon US site, US$199, release date: November 15, 2011

7" display, Android based, cool feature of "Amazon Whispersync"

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Color-Multi-touch-Display-Wi-Fi/dp/B0051VVOB2/ref=amb_link_357575542_7?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=1R98Z6M6AVTGJX4B16QS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1321408942&pf_rd_i=507846

[elty]

The Kindle Fire is a crazy good deal. Cheap and crappy no name Android tablet based on Cortex A8 cost around that much. Plus Amazon is throwing their entire cloud computing infrastructure to back this up. How the other non Apple tablets can compete with this?

[gill2k]

Preordered the Fire as soon as it was up. I'd always wanted a tablet and an e-reader. 8 GB memory is good enough. I'll mostly be using it for browsing and reading books anyway.

Having it shipped to my US address close to the border. Picking it up on Black Friday. :)

[jessicacha]

Preordered the Fire as soon as it was up. I'd always wanted a tablet and an e-reader. 8 GB memory is good enough. I'll mostly be using it for browsing and reading books anyway.

Having it shipped to my US address close to the border. Picking it up on Black Friday. :)

Do you also have a home in US? or is there like a postbox you can rent in US?

[krarvind]

why not thrown in a cam/mic with this? then we have a real competition.

[Aspyred]

Me too. Ordered. Still have time to cancel pending hands-on reviews. For me it makes sense since I already subscribe to Amazon Prime......

Btw, Amazon video works in conjunction with unblockus....

The site says "Ships from and sold by Amazon Digital Services. U.S. only." Can we not get this shipped to Canada or what's the deal here? Anyone know?

[gill2k]

Do you also have a home in US? or is there like a postbox you can rent in US?

It's a parcel service just past the US border in North Dakota. Canadian shoppers here in Winnipeg who can't get stuff from the US because sellers don't ship the product up here (and shipping within the states is A LOT cheaper) get packages sent there. I pay $5 per parcel.

[smartie]

so this one or Lenovo A1? both of them are 199

[pauldryan]

C'mon ......... no 3G access? What's the point in having a portable 7" tablet with strictly wifi access?

Rim's Playbook will link with the Blackberry cellphone to provide on-the-go internet access. The whole advantage to the smaller form versus the 10" heavyweight is mobility. This won't hurt IPad sales much.

Amazon's new eink Touch 3G is more attractive but it's still larger and heavier than the Kobo Touch.

Maybe this Kindle Fire will get "hotter" once its been rooted. I don't see any real advantage of being an early adapter.

Reading is still better on eink devices.

[alkapone]

More from Globe and Mail...Biz

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/tech-news/amazon-kindle-fire-tablet-to-sell-for-199/article2183181/

Prices are bound to go down in the Tablet space with Kindle Fire....bring it on.:cheesygri

[killbillvol1]

Love it. Not sure if it'll replace my Kindle 3G as an ebook reader (don't think its as easy on the eyes), but fantastic as a tablet.

Hmmm, now to get the approval from the boss for plonking $200 on a gadget :cry:

[gill2k]

I also preordered one. I'm having it sent to a US address and will be picking it up on Black Friday if the reviews are good. $199 for a tablet is a good price. I'd been looking for one as well as an e-reader. Long as I get books and browse when I bring it up here, I'd be good with it.

[Super strokey]

Wait, so the fire wont even be in Canada? Lame!

[DarthV]

Will this have access to the official Android Market? If not, I couldn't imagine someone that already owns android devices wanting to buy apps a 2nd time through a 3rd party app store! Not to mention jumping through hoops to get to the Amazon market.

[mbg]

Wait, so the fire wont even be in Canada? Lame!

No, you'll have to find a way of getting it from the US.

There are some stores in Canada that bring Kindles across the border and ship them domestically (i.e. shopereaders.com) but the last time I used that place they charged me right away, took weeks to ship, didn't reply to my e-mails (until I threatened to reverse the charge), and then when it arrived it was a bare Kindle box with a handwritten Post-It note as a shipping label (I am not joking).

[McDealer]

Thanks for the FULL PRICE PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT.

I really enjoy reading MARKETING MESSAGES.

For a minute I thought I had clicked on HOT DEALS. Silly me, this is the forum where IDIOTS POST WHATEVER THE F*%& THEY WANT.

Threads started so far today:

Three Rogers LTE marketing announcements. Full price phones and expensive data plans. Cold.
Multiple Canadian Tire flyer posts. Wake me up if there's a deal in there somewhere.
SIX SEPARATE KINDLE FIRE ANNOUCEMENT POSTS.
Overpriced RAM with MIR NON-DEAL
Overpriced PSU with MIR NON-DEAL
Various stuff that's OOS at Staples
Assorted SPAM

and maybe buried in there somewhere is an actual deal.

Why do I even visit this site any more? It just makes me angry.

[Super strokey]

No, you'll have to find a way of getting it from the US.

There are some stores in Canada that bring Kindles across the border and ship them domestically (i.e. shopereaders.com) but the last time I used that place they charged me right away, took weeks to ship, didn't reply to my e-mails (until I threatened to reverse the charge), and then when it arrived it was a bare Kindle box with a handwritten Post-It note as a shipping label (I am not joking).

not exactly confidence inspiring... would the cloud service work here too?

[mbg]

not exactly confidence inspiring... would the cloud service work here too?

Yeah, that's a good question. I guess it depends how they determine your location. Since it's WiFi, you might be just able to tell it you live in the US and that's all... if they do it by IP address, maybe not.

[Mordraken]

I just have to reply to this one...

First, regular published price is not a "Deal" - agree with a number of other posters above.

Second - specs from This engadget preview (http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/28/amazon-fire-tablet-unveiled-7-inch-display-199-price-tag/)

1 GHz Dual Core processor
512 MB RAM.
8 GB onboard capacity
No access to Android Market (only to Andriod App Store, not sure the difference)
Additional memory capacity available through their cloud service for a reasonable $79 PER YEAR (ahem.... sarcasm).
Not running Andriod 3 (Honeycomb) - it's running the smartphone version (2. something I assume), with it's associated shortcomings.

IMO those are pretty slim specs... The price is good, but I see this as more of a competitor to the smaller Touch rather than the IPad.

Now, statements which aren't backed up in the article:
- No flash support (I don't know if Android 2 supports flash?)
- No external memory (flash card reader or USB). I don't see anything backing that up either way (in or out) but if they did have that, you'd think it would be mentioned.

IMO bottom line - it's a nice color e-reader and perhaps movie/music player but will likely come well short if you want to use it as a fully functioning tablet.

Plus, it's not on sale, and not available in Canada, so not a deal. Or did I say that already?

Edit - for comparison, the ASUS Transformer has 1 GB of Ram, same clock speed (1 GHz), 2X the memory, larger screen, ~double the price, runs Honeycomb, expandable memory.

[derjam87]

There will always be haters.

[alander]

For those still on the edge (because of the Amazon store not working in Canada), please see the link below:
http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/09/19/amazon.appstore.goes.worldwide/

[djemzine]

7 inch IPS, dual core and android market. So tempting!!

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/28/amazon-fire-tablet-unveiled-7-inch-display-199-price-tag/

Sure is, sadly not available for Canadians as of yet. I am going to see if I can get one pre ordered and sent to my cousin in Milwaukee and then have it picked up when I visit him or when he comes here for vacation.

[pauldryan]

Wow >:(

Does this mean all I have to do is post a similar complaint in the US car deals thread and it gets taken down from the Hot Deals Forum too? Just because a couple of miserable malcontents who apparently won't be happy until they remodel this website into their own image have decided that Amazon's new tablet costing at least $50 bucks (20%) less than its nearest competitors, the Blackberry Playbook and Barnes & Noble's Nook Color doesn't interest them ..... the thread gets moved? WTF?>:(

Is this a new "rule" at RFD that new product offerings that substantially reduce their price versus other similar products in the same category no longer qualify as hot deals? Who made that rule .... and why?

The moderators better get together and discuss the implications of this interpretation because it essentially means blacklisting product launches of any sort.

Does anyone really want me to go through all the open threads in Hot Deals and question why they still exist based upon this interpretation?

I mean, all I have to do now is introduce a new thread advising that anyone who acts now until October 1 and joins Barnes & Nobles bookclub can save $25 off their Nook Color purchase and ask for comparisons against Amazon's Fire deal. :cry:

[crimsona]

For those still on the edge (because of the Amazon store not working in Canada), please see the link below:
http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/09/19/amazon.appstore.goes.worldwide/

I read this post, went to Amazon to install the app store APK file, tried to download the free app of the day, and get the following error message:

"The Amazon Appstore for Android is not yet available in your region"

[Saadsack]

For all the RIM haters, heres their latest financials:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/news-sources/?date=20110915&archive=ccnm&slug=201109150728468001

-Revenue in the second quarter was $4.2 billion and service revenue surpassed $1 billion for the first time
-GAAP net income of $329 million or $0.63 per fully diluted share; adjusted net income of $419 million or $0.80 per fully diluted share
-The BlackBerry subscriber base grew 40% year over year to surpass 70 million

Sure looks like they are going out of business, doesn't it? RIM is Canada's largest and most successful Tech company, why all the hate? Apple is kicking everyone's butt right now with the Ipad including HP and every other tablet maker out there, so RIM is not the only one struggling in this market. But to say they are going out of business is absurd!

The bloggers out there are selling fear "RIM is going out of business!" while they are shorting (selling) RIM's stock and buying it back lower, making money off people who believe them... It's the reverse of "Broiler Room" scheme where they pump up the stock while dumping it on the other end.

[RedFlagRobot]

Thanks for the FULL PRICE PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT.
For a minute I thought I had clicked on HOT DEALS. Silly me, this is the forum where IDIOTS POST WHATEVER THE F*%& THEY WANT.



I just have to reply to this one...

First, regular published price is not a "Deal" - agree with a number of other posters above.

Sigh, it's been said before, and I'll say it again. This is not RedFlagSales. Of course regularly published prices can be 'deals.' Look at Monoprice. Their regular prices are fantastic and therefore they are deals. If you only care about discounts on regular prices, go clip coupons out of the sunday paper. This is a deal website and a deal should be defined as an excellent product or service at a low price.

[derjam87]

Sounds awesome.

I wonder what battery life will be like on it?

7-8 hours

[rdx]

so this one or Lenovo A1? both of them are 199

Yes, want to know too. How does it compare to the Lenovo's one?

[Super strokey]

7-8 hours

Is that reading books or is that doing something like gaming or playing a movie?

ANyone heard about netflix yet?

I hope a media streamer is released for it.

[JamesA1]

Amazon does track your location by IP address. Most of their content is country specific, and a lot is U.S.-only in books, music and video. Since the Fire and the services for it are U.S. only, you will need a high-speed U.S. VPN/proxy to use it, as well as a U.S. mailing address to receive it. Therefore it is not currently of much use to most Canadians.

[mbg]

Is that reading books or is that doing something like gaming or playing a movie?

ANyone heard about netflix yet?

I hope a media streamer is released for it.

I think their specs said 8 hours of reading or 7.5 hours of watching movies.

[mbg]

Amazon does track your location by IP address. Most of their content is country specific, and a lot is U.S.-only in books, music and video. Since the Fire and the services for it are U.S. only, you will need a high-speed U.S. VPN/proxy to use it, as well as a U.S. mailing address to receive it. Therefore it is not currently of much use to most Canadians.

Yeah, Canada has a lot of content complications. Microsoft's stuff often doesn't work fully here, either... and we know Netflix is relatively incomplete compared to the US.

[gregog]

Amazon does track your location by IP address. Most of their content is country specific, and a lot is U.S.-only in books, music and video. Since the Fire and the services for it are U.S. only, you will need a high-speed U.S. VPN/proxy to use it, as well as a U.S. mailing address to receive it. Therefore it is not currently of much use to most Canadians.

So if an American is traveling to Canada his Kindle Fire will stop working? Fascinating.

[Super strokey]

Amazon does track your location by IP address. Most of their content is country specific, and a lot is U.S.-only in books, music and video. Since the Fire and the services for it are U.S. only, you will need a high-speed U.S. VPN/proxy to use it, as well as a U.S. mailing address to receive it. Therefore it is not currently of much use to most Canadians.

Thats brutal, definately a nonbuy for me then. I dont see the point if i cant get access to the stuff i want to buy. Seems odd they would deny us the option to give them more money...


I think their specs said 8 hours of reading or 7.5 hours of watching movies.

Thats not too bad considering the weight.

[Super strokey]

Just read on Engadget that a 10 inch kindle fire might be in the works. Hope so.

[iHateShaw]

I just have to reply to this one...

First, regular published price is not a "Deal" - agree with a number of other posters above.

Second - specs from This engadget preview (http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/28/amazon-fire-tablet-unveiled-7-inch-display-199-price-tag/)

1 GHz Dual Core processor
512 MB RAM.
8 GB onboard capacity
No access to Android Market (only to Andriod App Store, not sure the difference)
Additional memory capacity available through their cloud service for a reasonable $79 PER YEAR (ahem.... sarcasm).
Not running Andriod 3 (Honeycomb) - it's running the smartphone version (2. something I assume), with it's associated shortcomings.

IMO those are pretty slim specs... The price is good, but I see this as more of a competitor to the smaller Touch rather than the IPad.

Now, statements which aren't backed up in the article:
- No flash support (I don't know if Android 2 supports flash?)
- No external memory (flash card reader or USB). I don't see anything backing that up either way (in or out) but if they did have that, you'd think it would be mentioned.

IMO bottom line - it's a nice color e-reader and perhaps movie/music player but will likely come well short if you want to use it as a fully functioning tablet.

Plus, it's not on sale, and not available in Canada, so not a deal. Or did I say that already?

Edit - for comparison, the ASUS Transformer has 1 GB of Ram, same clock speed (1 GHz), 2X the memory, larger screen, ~double the price, runs Honeycomb, expandable memory.

WOW, where to start. Haters will be haters.
The Fire comes with unlimited cloud storage - FOR FREE! You don't pay for it!
It does have a USB port!
It does have Flash!
It has a Gorilla glass IPS screen.
It has a HIGHLY customized version of Android 2.3, which, according to some early reviews looks and feels better than 3.1.
It costs freaking $200! Look at the things you're getting for $200! Most people use tablets for browsing, music, videos, and games/apps/email, which this tablet can do perfectly fine. Why spend an extra $300 on an iPad now? Sure it doesn't have 3G or a camera, but for casual use at home/school it's great!

[DJ Dennis]

Wow >:(

Does this mean all I have to do is post a similar complaint in the US car deals thread and it gets taken down from the Hot Deals Forum too? Just because a couple of miserable malcontents who apparently won't be happy until they remodel this website into their own image have decided that Amazon's new tablet costing at least $50 bucks (20%) less than its nearest competitors, the Blackberry Playbook and Barnes & Noble's Nook Color doesn't interest them ..... the thread gets moved? WTF?>:(

Is this a new "rule" at RFD that new product offerings that substantially reduce their price versus other similar products in the same category no longer qualify as hot deals? Who made that rule .... and why?

The moderators better get together and discuss the implications of this interpretation because it essentially means blacklisting product launches of any sort.

Does anyone really want me to go through all the open threads in Hot Deals and question why they still exist based upon this interpretation?

I mean, all I have to do now is introduce a new thread advising that anyone who acts now until October 1 and joins Barnes & Nobles bookclub can save $25 off their Nook Color purchase and ask for comparisons against Amazon's Fire deal. :cry:

Product launches are not hot deals.. Neither is spending $200 on an Android 2.x based tablet with no camera.

EDIT: Forgot the mention this device isn't even available in Canada and includes services which probably won't work in Canada even if you were able to bring one back.

[ClubberLang]

I've always felt that there was no justification for a tablet to cost >$299. I look forward to more options at this price point.

Let's be real. To those swearing that this isn't a "fully functional" tablet please let me know what "Full Functions" are missing.

[pauldryan]

Product launches are not hot deals.. Neither is spending $200 on an Android 2.x based tablet with no camera.

EDIT: Forgot the mention this device isn't even available in Canada and includes services which probably won't work in Canada even if you were able to bring one back.

This would be based upon your definition of what constitutes a "hot deal"; certainly not that many RFD'rs would agree with you based upon the success of RFD as presently constituted .... except for a couple of anally retentive types who were responsible for having this thread moved out of "hot deals" even though the the low cost introduction by Amazon introduced a new floor for mainstream tablets.

It seems that it is "hot" enough of a deal that Google reports 3,416 news articles on the same subject as at 4:15 PM today:

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad90/pauldryan/Redflagdeals/kindleinnews.jpg

I guess RFD should stick with posting deals about saving a buck off a sub sandwich "today only". It's already been said (see immediately above) by others that considering the features and cost compared against the alternatives this is a "hot deal" and if you can't figure out how to make cross border shopping work for you, you may be in the minority.

For the record, included in this post were references to the other eink kindles introduced by Amazon at prices and performance much superior to the existing offerings from Kobo or Sony. I guess they aren't "hot deals" either though by your unstated definition.

ps: Today, Amazon opened its app store to Canadians so there will be no impact from using a US registered Kindle in Canada just like there is no impact with my US purchased and registered K3 today.

[komal]

Wow >:(

Does this mean all I have to do is post a similar complaint in the US car deals thread and it gets taken down from the Hot Deals Forum too? Just because a couple of miserable malcontents who apparently won't be happy until they remodel this website into their own image have decided that Amazon's new tablet costing at least $50 bucks (20%) less than its nearest competitors, the Blackberry Playbook and Barnes & Noble's Nook Color doesn't interest them ..... the thread gets moved? WTF?>:(

Is this a new "rule" at RFD that new product offerings that substantially reduce their price versus other similar products in the same category no longer qualify as hot deals? Who made that rule .... and why?

The moderators better get together and discuss the implications of this interpretation because it essentially means blacklisting product launches of any sort.

Does anyone really want me to go through all the open threads in Hot Deals and question why they still exist based upon this interpretation?

I mean, all I have to do now is introduce a new thread advising that anyone who acts now until October 1 and joins Barnes & Nobles bookclub can save $25 off their Nook Color purchase and ask for comparisons against Amazon's Fire deal. :cry:
Honestly, what a dumb thing to complain about.

How is this a hot deal?

The Kindle Fire is being sold at regular price from Amazon.com


ALL product launches should be removed from the Hot Deals forum, the moderators have been lazy up to this point.

We're going to have new threads popping up for the iPhone 5 and the new iPad when it comes out.
Will they be hot deals? NO
They will be sold at regular price and people posting in those threads wont' be discussing deals or prices, only the products themselves.

Keep the garbage out of hot deals.

Can't stand people who post so much cr@p there.

[mbg]

Thats brutal, definately a nonbuy for me then. I dont see the point if i cant get access to the stuff i want to buy. Seems odd they would deny us the option to give them more money...

It's all to do with licensing. Content is normally only licensed for a particular country, so it'd be illegal to sell the US content to Canadians when some other company or division had the rights to sell it here.

In places like Canada it's often licensed separately for broadcast and online :)

It's a problem to some extent everywhere. Like some BBC content is licensed for broadcast, some for broadcast and online, and some for broadcast and online but not licensed to be shown online to people who don't live in the UK :)

[mbg]

Honestly, what a dumb thing to complain about.

How is this a hot deal?

The Kindle Fire is being sold at regular price from Amazon.com

what the hell? It's called the Kindle FIRE. How can it not be a hot deal?

[Super strokey]

It's all to do with licensing. Content is normally only licensed for a particular country, so it'd be illegal to sell the US content to Canadians when some other company or division had the rights to sell it here.

In places like Canada it's often licensed separately for broadcast and online :)

It's a problem to some extent everywhere. Like some BBC content is licensed for broadcast, some for broadcast and online, and some for broadcast and online but not licensed to be shown online to people who don't live in the UK :)

I guess, still sucks lol. I hope that it gets sorted and we get access to it. Sick and tired of being treated like a 3rd world country lol.

[komal]

what the hell? It's called the Kindle FIRE. How can it not be a hot deal?

:lol:

But really, why do people feel entitled to post non-hot deals in the hot deals forum, just because they are too lazy to check any of the other boards on this forum? What a silly attitude.

May as well post any off-topic post in the hot deals forum then.

[iHateShaw]

:lol:

But really, why do people feel entitled to post non-hot deals in the hot deals forum, just because they are too lazy to check any of the other boards on this forum? What a silly attitude.

May as well post any off-topic post in the hot deals forum then.

It's a hot deal in the sense that you're getting a great tablet which is competitive than the $300 more expensive iPad. A Dual Core tablet with Android, Email, Flash, Multi touch screen IPS screen, Whispersync, Amazon Silk, Free cloud storage AND backed by a giant like Amazon and not some crappy Chinese ripoffs for $200 IS a hot deal.

[time space]

Why is Amazon selling their Fire tablet for only $199?


they have a captive market for their content sales
the data aggregation on users' behaviour (http://cdespinosa.posterous.com/fire) is worth big bucks


I wouldn't be surprised to hear they're selling the hardware at a loss.

[Supercooled]

Why is Amazon selling their Fire tablet for only $199?


they have a captive market for their content sales
the data aggregation on users' behaviour (http://cdespinosa.posterous.com/fire) is worth big bucks


I wouldn't be surprised to hear they're selling the hardware at a loss.

Many industry speculators said as much when HP started to liquidate their stock.

'data aggregation' seems to be what all companies do anyway. Google/Microsoft, et al so why not get something in return?

[wm009]

I tried to buy their new small e-reader ($79 one) and it said it wasn't available for shipping outside the US either with Ads or the more expensive one without Ads. :(

[luckydog2006]

Ok guys, the idea of a Cloud as in Amazon's new Kindle Fire device, is that it can be used anywhere, and in any country to access via WiFi your Amazon content (e.g. movies, music, ebooks) that is stored on Amazon's EC2 servers, unless you have it saved locally on the device's 8G flash. It does not make sense to call it a Cloud service when it only works in a specific country only. If this only works in the US and not in Canada or anywhere else, then the device is totally stupid. No one in Amazon can be that stupid. Truly.

There are many applications using the Cloud computing architecture i.e. gaming, SAN enterprise for hospitals etc.

What I really like about this is the introduction of the Amazon Silk Browser which uses the above technology. I think this device is pretty hot due to its hardware design, introduction of Cloud services for movies, music, ebook media, the free Cloud storage for Amazon content. Should compete against Apple who is also coming out with the same thing. But Amazon is first in this regard and beat Apple to the punch in delivering such a device at a great price point.

Kudos to Amazon!

[Longobongo]

the fire looks really good, too bad most of the services probably won't work here

for $199 the price is ridiculously low for what you get (seeing from the demos so far), I'm thinking the competition is not very pleased, HP should have priced the the touchpad lower and RIM should start slashing prices asap

[Longobongo]

can your touchpad, ipad, xoom, thrive, etc do this???

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/tequila/dp/KT-slate-04-lg._V166940139_.jpg

[time space]

can your touchpad, ipad, xoom, thrive, etc do this???

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/tequila/dp/KT-slate-04-lg._V166940139_.jpg

The Amazon tablet can't do that either - the picture you posted is a Kindle e-reader (http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/28/amazon-reveals-79-kindle/).

[junot111]

I don't understand why Android 2.3 as opposed to 3.0 that's made for tablets?

[time space]

I don't understand why Android 2.3 as opposed to 3.0 that's made for tablets?

Amazon applefied Android.


Amazon Holds Your Hand (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393754,00.asp#fbid=xOPHpY_Ptec)

Amazon made a big deal about the Kindle Fire being an end-to-end experience. Yes, you can sideload Android apps using a USB cable and mass storage, but this is a Kindle first and foremost. The color screen is for showing off magazines beautifully, displaying color children's books, watching TV shows, browsing the Web and playing casual games. This isn't a business tablet or (especially since it's Wi-Fi only) a smartphone replacement.

Amazon's heavily hacked Android 2.3 UI gets many things right, though. It's immediately clear what this tablet is for. It's immediately clear how to do those things. Those two aspects aren't at all clear with most Android tablets, which step up shouting "we do everything!" but help the user with nothing.

[junot111]

:lol:

But really, why do people feel entitled to post non-hot deals in the hot deals forum, just because they are too lazy to check any of the other boards on this forum? What a silly attitude.

May as well post any off-topic post in the hot deals forum then.

Are you serious? Talk about irony... why do you feel entitled to a hot deals forum that is perfectly suited to your needs? It's understandable that not everybody may be interested in this tablet, but for $200, a "brand name" tablet with good specs is a good deal... regardless if that's the retail price. Hot deals forum is for people to find out about low prices that they didn't know before. I'm sure many people, like myself, didn't know about this pricing before this thread.

If you feel this thread is not in the appropriate section all you had to do was report it - no need to crap the thread with your complaints. All the OP wanted to do was help people out, which you're not doing any.

[komal]

It's a hot deal in the sense that you're getting a great tablet which is competitive than the $300 more expensive iPad. A Dual Core tablet with Android, Email, Flash, Multi touch screen IPS screen, Whispersync, Amazon Silk, Free cloud storage AND backed by a giant like Amazon and not some crappy Chinese ripoffs for $200 IS a hot deal.
Fair points.

But it is also brand new, untested and does not currently ship to Canada.

At this point this thread is ONLY for discussion as nobody here is buying it.

So it belongs in one of the discussion forums.



Are you serious? Talk about irony... why do you feel entitled to a hot deals forum that is perfectly suited to your needs? It's understandable that not everybody may be interested in this tablet, but for $200, a "brand name" tablet with good specs is a good deal... regardless if that's the retail price. Hot deals forum is for people to find out about low prices that they didn't know before. I'm sure many people, like myself, didn't know about this pricing before this thread.

If you feel this thread is not in the appropriate section all you had to do was report it - no need to crap the thread with your complaints. All the OP wanted to do was help people out, which you're not doing any.

Indeed there is irony, in you telling me I'm threadcrapping whilst doing the exact same thing, making a completely useless post just to whine.

If you don't know what the hot deals forum is for, maybe it is because you've been here since 2008 but haven't contributed a thing here in all that time, 3+ years.

It seems you have reading comprehension problems. Perhaps if you had read the THREAD instead reading ONE POST, you'd know I was replying to somebody who was complaining about this thread being moved. You should go back to grade school to improve your reading skills to avoid looking foolish. So in the future, direct your to that person, because I don't really care about the opinion of somebody who's never contributed anything here and tells others how unhelpful they are.

[sz1999]

with amazon's release, my sympathy to RIM, playbook absolutely has no future, it is going to HP touchpad route.

[sz1999]

For all the RIM haters, heres their latest financials:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/news-sources/?date=20110915&archive=ccnm&slug=201109150728468001

-Revenue in the second quarter was $4.2 billion and service revenue surpassed $1 billion for the first time
-GAAP net income of $329 million or $0.63 per fully diluted share; adjusted net income of $419 million or $0.80 per fully diluted share
-The BlackBerry subscriber base grew 40% year over year to surpass 70 million

Sure looks like they are going out of business, doesn't it? RIM is Canada's largest and most successful Tech company, why all the hate? Apple is kicking everyone's butt right now with the Ipad including HP and every other tablet maker out there, so RIM is not the only one struggling in this market. But to say they are going out of business is absurd!

The bloggers out there are selling fear "RIM is going out of business!" while they are shorting (selling) RIM's stock and buying it back lower, making money off people who believe them... It's the reverse of "Broiler Room" scheme where they pump up the stock while dumping it on the other end.

no hate, just it has no much future (growth).

[DougO]

Seems to compete more with the Nook Color than with the Ipad or other Android tablets. Well, we'll have to wait and see if it's hackable, yes? :lol:

[Roll]

Hitler hears about the Kindle Fire


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8bfw-fttnU

some humour

[DougO]

can your touchpad, ipad, xoom, thrive, etc do this???

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/kindle/tequila/dp/KT-slate-04-lg._V166940139_.jpg

Hmmm...since they are showing the Kindle eReader, my Kobo Touch can...

I put it inside my jacket pocket though. Much less chance of sitting on it there...:lol:

[iHateShaw]

For all the RIM haters, heres their latest financials:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/news-sources/?date=20110915&archive=ccnm&slug=201109150728468001

-Revenue in the second quarter was $4.2 billion and service revenue surpassed $1 billion for the first time
-GAAP net income of $329 million or $0.63 per fully diluted share; adjusted net income of $419 million or $0.80 per fully diluted share
-The BlackBerry subscriber base grew 40% year over year to surpass 70 million

Sure looks like they are going out of business, doesn't it? RIM is Canada's largest and most successful Tech company, why all the hate? Apple is kicking everyone's butt right now with the Ipad including HP and every other tablet maker out there, so RIM is not the only one struggling in this market. But to say they are going out of business is absurd!

The bloggers out there are selling fear "RIM is going out of business!" while they are shorting (selling) RIM's stock and buying it back lower, making money off people who believe them... It's the reverse of "Broiler Room" scheme where they pump up the stock while dumping it on the other end.

But they are losing market share. Which means, others are growing at a much faster pace than RIM. Plus RIM's devices aren't helping them.

[mbg]

I wonder if you can get a lower price on the Kindle by sending them a picture of your backside... that way, if they know people will likely look at your backside and you agree to put the Kindle in your back pocket with ads showing, maybe you can get a cheaper price...but you would have to verify that it's look-worthy... so maybe different grades according to how likely.

[hobbystuff]

This is on the Amazon website (http://tinyurl.com/6xg3ddk):
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 – a beautiful full color Kindle for movies, TV shows, music, books, magazines, apps, games, web browsing and more, for only $199.



Haven't seen anyone post yet.
If build quality the same- this is GREAT price. My Kobo doesn't even come close to my Kindle...
Lee

[kreven]

The $79 model isn't available for Canada since it's the ad supported version. The non-ad version is $109 and is the only one available for Canada. The Kindle Touch, Kindle Touch 3G, and Kindle Fire are not available for Canada at this moment.

[belowzeros]

Why is Amazon selling their Fire tablet for only $199?


they have a captive market for their content sales
the data aggregation on users' behaviour (http://cdespinosa.posterous.com/fire) is worth big bucks


I wouldn't be surprised to hear they're selling the hardware at a loss.


Apple makes a silly gross margin on their units, for example look at the ridiculous cash reserves they built up. Amazons product I'm sure is below cost for the moment but likely close to projections to turn a profit after rampup and rmd are paid.

[kazryv]

I think it looks prety damn nice, but I just got a touchpad... if this had 3g I would buy one in a heartbeat.

[hugh_da_man]

I think it looks prety damn nice, but I just got a touchpad... if this had 3g I would buy one in a heartbeat.

When you say "if this had 3g" do you mean free 3g like the rest of the kindles or do you mean being able to set it up on a plan like an ipad 3g?

[kazryv]

When you say "if this had 3g" do you mean free 3g like the rest of the kindles or do you mean being able to set it up on a plan like an ipad 3g?

I mean I want to put a sim card in it and use it wirelessy anywhere I want to. Kind of like the ipad, I would imagine this will come on version 2 of the device.

[hugh_da_man]

I mean I want to put a sim card in it and use it wirelessy anywhere I want to. Kind of like the ipad, I would imagine this will come on version 2 of the device.

yeah I bet it'll be until at least next year or when they release the 10 inch version.

[scoobydoo]

Kindle Fire is going to be interesting since they are using a mainframe computer based on the internet to make sure your Kindle works faster than your home regular tablet would, at least that's what it sounds like. So they can also watch and see what you do in real time since it's on their servers, and not on your home internet.

[heyjoe]

the keyboard's gone on regular kindles? are they stupid?

[mbg]

the keyboard's gone on regular kindles? are they stupid?

You can still buy a Kindle with a keyboard. It's the Kindle 3 renamed to "Kindle with Keyboard" or something like that.

Personally, I was waiting for these next gen ones to see what was coming and bought one of the new keyboard-less ones. I want to use it for reading books that I don't want to have occupying shelf space after I've read it, which will usually be fiction. I don't need to take notes on fiction. The web browser is kinda useless anyway, and the other lost features (less battery life, no audio support) aren't important to me because I have an MP3 player and 1 month is still plenty of battery time considering how frequently I have to charge everything else.

Plus it's cheaper, lighter, and smaller. If you really need to use the keyboard, you can use the on-screen one with the d-pad... very tedious, no doubt, but it's there for emergencies.

Also, the newer one apparently has faster page turns...though the old one wasn't exactly slow or in any way a problem.

I don't own a keyboard Kindle, but I have used them.

[mbg]

Kindle Fire is going to be interesting since they are using a mainframe computer based on the internet to make sure your Kindle works faster than your home regular tablet would, at least that's what it sounds like. So they can also watch and see what you do in real time since it's on their servers, and not on your home internet.

that's pretty cool... it means they can run it from outer space if they want to, and potentially interface with alien life without you knowing it.

[tep]

the keyboard's gone on regular kindles? are they stupid?

Yeah, how am I supposed to write a novel on this thing without a keyboard?! :(

[junot111]

Indeed there is irony, in you telling me I'm threadcrapping whilst doing the exact same thing, making a completely useless post just to whine.

If you don't know what the hot deals forum is for, maybe it is because you've been here since 2008 but haven't contributed a thing here in all that time, 3+ years.

It seems you have reading comprehension problems. Perhaps if you had read the THREAD instead reading ONE POST, you'd know I was replying to somebody who was complaining about this thread being moved. You should go back to grade school to improve your reading skills to avoid looking foolish. So in the future, direct your to that person, because I don't really care about the opinion of somebody who's never contributed anything here and tells others how unhelpful they are.

How can it be reading comprehension problems if I didn't even read it?

The purpose of my post was to defer you from continuing to criticize the OP for what, in my eyes, was just an attempt to help people out. But how stupid that was... to doubt anything you'd have to say when my post count is still below 1000 after 3 years... while you've been a veteran of this forum obeying and enforcing the rules through vigilante means since 2004. My apologies

ANYWAYS. I'm still excited about this launch and I eagerly await its release in Canada... was considering the HP Touchpad after someone in the students forum recommended the use of tablets in school... but since we don't know if there's ever going to be anymore stock in Canada this seems like a good option, if IT ever comes to Canada. I'm assuming it's going to have the best Kindle support for a tablet. My main reason for wanting a tablet is to be able to read ebooks comfortably

[AstonM]

Is there really going to be demand for the kindle fire in Canada? I have one preordered but am not sure if I really want it as I won't have a US ip after i graduate...

[time space]

Engadget has posted their Kindle Fire review (http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/14/amazon-kindle-fire-review/).


The Fire gets by with the same silicon that powered the PlayBook: a dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP chip, but here paired with only 512MB of RAM. Perhaps it's the step down from the standard 1GB, or perhaps it's the heavy-handed software overlay running atop Android, but the Fire never delivers smooth, seamless performance....

Audio quality through the integrated speakers is far from inspiring. Again, they're both placed on one side, so the resulting output is decidedly monotastic. Even at max volume the amplitude here is underwhelming. Sound quality is decent, but a bit hollow, as one might expect. Swapping over to your own 'buds or headset obviously helps, but we still weren't impressed by the audio fidelity. There's a very, very subtle pop when playback starts and something of a constant hiss in the background during playback, even when the music is paused. Audiophile quality this isn't....

When stacked up against other popular tablets, the Fire can't compete. Its performance is a occasionally sluggish, its interface often clunky, its storage too slight, its functionality a bit restricted and its 7-inch screen too limiting if you were hoping to convert all your paper magazine subscriptions into the digital ones.

[time space]

The NYTimes has posted their Kindle Fire review (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/technology/personaltech/the-fire-aside-amazons-lower-priced-kindles-also-shine.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all).


Your heart leaps. “This is incredible!” you say, contemplating the prospects. “It’s like an iPad — for $200!”

But that’s a dangerous comparison.

For one thing, the Fire is not nearly as versatile as a real tablet. It is designed almost exclusively for consuming stuff, particularly material you buy from Amazon, like books, newspapers and video. It has no camera, microphone, GPS function, Bluetooth or memory-card slot. There is a serviceable e-mail program, but no built-in calendar or note pad.

Most problematic, though, the Fire does not have anything like the polish or speed of an iPad. You feel that $200 price tag with every swipe of your finger. Animations are sluggish and jerky — even the page turns that you’d think would be the pride of the Kindle team. Taps sometimes don’t register. There are no progress or “wait” indicators, so you frequently don’t know if the machine has even registered your touch commands. The momentum of the animations hasn’t been calculated right, so the whole thing feels ornery.

[supergenius]

Got my Kindle Fire yesterday....haven't had a lot of time to play with it. Overall, for me, much better than the playbook, although very similar hardware and feel. Native support of the Amazon video store, books, music, and apps is great. Netflix and hulu+ are really good. App selection is great....but a little complicated to get to work in Canada (basically, you must have a US credit card assigned as the primary card on your account). Questions?

[jonathanq]

Got my Kindle Fire yesterday....haven't had a lot of time to play with it. Overall, for me, much better than the playbook, although very similar hardware and feel. Native support of the Amazon video store, books, music, and apps is great. Netflix and hulu+ are really good. App selection is great....but a little complicated to get to work in Canada (basically, you must have a US credit card assigned as the primary card on your account). Questions?

Do all of the other services work based on having the US Credit Card on the account? I guess I am just wondering exactly what is "limited" in Canada to a point where it can be worked-around or perhaps not at all.

Does the Netflix App work in Canada against Canadian content? Or do you need to configure a VPN/DNS service to use it and you see the US content?
Does the Amazon Video streaming/music streaming work at all in Canada by IP or just tied to the fact you have a US CC?

I'd be interested in a Kindle Fire if enough of the features worked without jumping through hoops.

If I couldn't stream video or music in Canada but could still browse the web + listen to my own music + download/use/purchase Apps + use the bookstore/magazine store I'd be happy. But if I have to jump through hoops just to use their App Store or read my Kindle books/magazines that's a drag.

I'd also be interested in knowing you can use it to connect to a WiFi personal hotspot from an iPhone 4/4S.

[supergenius]

I sub to unblockus dns service, so I'm not sure what service would or wouldn't work without some sort of vpn/dns service. My guess is the books would work, but not much else.

As far as I can tell, Amazon VOD and music works without a US credit card. When I first booted it up and tried these features, I hadn't yet switched my US card to primary on my account. I was still setup with my Canadian card. Both services worked fine.

[time space]

The Wall Street Journal has posted their Kindle Fire review (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204190504577040110511886588.html).


The Kindle Fire is much less capable and versatile than the entry-level $499 iPad 2. It has a fraction of the apps, a smaller screen, much weaker battery life, a slower Web browser, half the internal storage and no cameras or microphone. It also has a rigid and somewhat frustrating user interface far less fluid than Apple's....

The Fire's hardware is plain and clunky. It's a thick black box with zero style. There isn't even a volume control or a physical home button, and the on/off button is a small thing hidden inconveniently on the bottom edge.

In the quest to meet the $199 price point, Amazon omitted many features common on other tablets. There are no cameras or microphone, no GPS for determining your location, no Bluetooth for headsets or wireless speakers and no included earbuds. The Fire is Wi-Fi only—it has no built-in cellular connectivity.There isn't even an included cable for connecting to a computer, something you may want to do to get photos into the Fire, since Amazon lacks an online photo service.

There is just 8 gigabytes of memory, half the total of the base iPad or the Nook Tablet, and only about 6 gigabytes of that is available to store content....

I became frustrated with the interface. There's something off with the touch calibration on the top shelf, or Carousel, which scrolls through a seemingly endless stream of items. It can be difficult to get it to stop on the item you want and it takes more pressure than it should to open the selection....

After years of suggesting the gray-scale, E-Ink screen on the Kindle was better for reading than a color LCD screen, Amazon now has a Kindle with the latter display. If anything, it struck me as glossier than the iPad screen. It's vivid and sharp, but not high definition. When I asked an Amazon executive about the reading issue and the company's past position, he suggested people who prefer E-Ink buy one of each Kindle and use the older style for reading.

[Sgt_Strider]

I sub to unblockus dns service, so I'm not sure what service would or wouldn't work without some sort of vpn/dns service. My guess is the books would work, but not much else.

As far as I can tell, Amazon VOD and music works without a US credit card. When I first booted it up and tried these features, I hadn't yet switched my US card to primary on my account. I was still setup with my Canadian card. Both services worked fine.

Do you have any comments on the performance of the tablet? Reviews are a bit of a mix bag. I'm thinking of buying the Kindle Fire myself. I think Amazon VOD and music is free because of their promotion where all owners get 1 free month of Amazon Prime. I think at some point you will need to enter you US credit card. Fortunately for me, I do have a US credit card, address, and whatever information I'll need to maximize the use of this device even in Canada or anywhere in the world for that matter.

[supergenius]

Performance wise I think the Fire is pretty snappy and for me is a perfect media consumption device. All the important stuff is there: VOD with tons of free content for prime members (which I am), cloud music, kindle ebooks, netflix, and hulu+. Although I find my ipad a little more polished and responsive to touch, the integration with Amazon services is excellent. Movies and music streamed from the cloud started up quickly and did not lag. The form factor is exactly the same as a playbook essentially, which is a plus or minus depending on what you want. Would I want to do any hardcore work on this, no, but for consuming media its perfect.

[supergenius]

Also able to confirm that the kindle can use iPhone 4 hotspot using Bell 3G.

[Stinky]

Supergenius, would you be able to walk through how you configured your Kindle Fire to go through unblockus?

I tried the instructions on the onblockus website but had no luck. :(

Many thanks!

[supergenius]

I just have the DNS entries setup directly in my router. I have alot of a/v and PC equipment so its easier to do it all at once.

[time space]

Taking Screenshots with Kindle Fire (http://www.pigsgourdsandwikis.com/2011/11/taking-screenshots-with-kindle-fire.html) ...in 22 easy steps.

[time space]

A Human Review of the Kindle Fire (http://www.marco.org/2011/11/17/kindle-fire-review)


I expected the Kindle Fire to be good for books, great for magazines and newspapers, great for video, and good for apps and games.

In practice, it’s none of these....

I expected the Kindle Fire to be a compelling iPad alternative, but I can’t call it delightful, fun, or pleasant to use. Quite the opposite, actually: using the Fire is frustrating and unpleasant, and it feels like work....

The Fire is an Android version, sort of, of the iPod Touch. It’s the first device available that’s inexpensive and offers Android in a somewhat reasonable package without a cellular contract.

But that’s just about all I can say for it. It’s a bad game player, a bad app platform, a bad web browser, a bad video player, and, most disappointingly, a bad Kindle.

[amuseddaysleeper]

What if I add a US credit card, but no VPN from the states.

Do I get access to any streaming content if I'm not a prime member?

Thanks

[time space]

Concerns are being raised over the Kindle Fire's inability to switch off "1-click" ordering:

Amazon's Kindle Fire lets kids charge up a storm (http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/Amazon-Kindle-Fire-lets-kids-rsg-3752604696.html)



Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet, one of the hottest gadgets this holiday season because of its low price, has some parents bristling over the simplicity at which children can order from the retail giant and the inability to stop them without crippling the device.

Another concern is over theft or losing the device, which can be then easily be accessed for purchases unless a user sets a password to lock the screen when it's not in use.

What happens is that when you order a Kindle Fire - which differs from the Kindle reader by allowing users to browse the web, play games, video and music - it comes with your Amazon account information preloaded, along with "1-Click" ordering. That means anyone who is holding that device can place an order, whether it's their account or not. No prompts come up to confirm the purchase or ask for a password.

So that means that the itchy fingers of toddlers can click way, including the 3-year-old daughter of Scenic Labs founder Jason Rosenfeld. He says his daughter was using the device and clicked on an image of a children's product that appeared on the screen because it was in his shopping history -- he had browsed the item while holiday shopping on his PC....

St. Louis area software engineer Lance Durham says he decided to get a couple of Kindle Fires to give as presents to his children. He was loading some games before wrapping them and realized he couldn't turn off the single-click ordering, which charges his credit card.

"There was no password or pin, nor any kind of confirmation - the purchase immediately went through," he says.

So Durham called Amazon and says he was told the ordering from Amazon could not be disabled, and the company suggested he "deregister" the device after every purchase. That, he says, caused the downloaded apps to stop working.

He returned the tablets.

[seiferseph]

I got one of these and love it! It isn't comparable to an iPad, but it does what i need -- books, movies, internet, games, apps, etc. I have a US credit card so was able to input that, and side loaded all other apps I wanted. No complaints here!

[Nexxion]

So... anyone root yours yet? Is it worth it for running android?

[time space]

The definitive Kindle Fire vs. iPad comparison chart (http://www.marco.org/2011/12/19/amazon-kindle-vs-ipad)!