I ordered it from Amazon, it came a few days later via USPS. The packaging was a breeze to open. No clam shell to combat. How wonderful!?! I had it out of the box and connected to our wifi in 30 seconds flat.
I don't think it could get any easier. Truly. I initially wanted an ereader, but then thought how convenient it would be to no longer travel with the laptop. I researched my options since Christmas, ultimately, choosing the Fire because I didn't want to spend a lot of coin and I really only wanted an ereader with the ability to browse the web. Frank will pick up a tablet later with all the bells and whistles. He's waiting to see what Google comes out with before pulling the trigger. Meanwhile, we have this awesome new toy that is capable of doing more than I imagined.
I have a handful of sites I check daily and they all load great... various message boards, google reader, pinterest, yelp and of course, Facebook. Frank was thrilled that his fantasy football site loaded without issue. I downloaded free books the first day. And quickly found the collection of movies and tv available to Amazon Prime Members. I watched Vegas Vacation the first night. The picture was crystal clear and it streamed beautifully. You get a free month a prime with your Kindle Fire purchase. A small detail I didn't know. This allows you to get a book a month from the lending library, my pick was The Hunger Games . I'm nearly half-way thru it. I adjusted the background color from white because the contrast was too much for me. With the sepia like tone, I've found no problem. I can read in the dark without a light, it's quite nice.
After a few days I knew a case was a must. I knew it was an accessory I would buy, but I waited until I got a feel for what would suit my needs best. I chose a $44 case on Amazon, it's a bit more than I intended to spend, but it acts as a stand, it has a thick elastic band to make it easy to handle in the hand and it has a thin elastic band closure. It's not bulky and it offers a fair amount of protection. I'm happy with it. My hands are too arthritic to hold the Fire for long so the built in stand is very nice. Even the elastic band keeps my hand from cramping if I do choose to hold it in my hand.
I have uploaded a good collection of music. Files were transferred easily via usb. although, I do wish it was capable of connecting wirelessly to our networked external hard drive. The hardest part to get accustomed to is the touch screen. It's my first touch device. I love my qwerty keyboard on my Blackberry, I've been reluctant to make the switch. I'm still not sold on touch screens, but I'm getting better with it the more I use it. The keyboard is fine for short emails or posts, but anything lengthy you'll find me reaching for the laptop or PC. That is really my only complaint. And really, it's more of a preference than anything.
I cannot wait to travel with the Fire. It will take it's first trip this weekend to San Diego.
3 comments:
Thank you for the review. It helps me to make a decision.
What are you going to get?
The Kindle traveled well. It was fantastic until we checked into the W since they charge $14.95 for internet. It took me a while to find an open wifi connection, but I did eventually do so. No fault of the Kindle Fire. I just forget not all hotels offer free internet. Would've had the same problem had we brought the laptop.
I plan on buying one, but I'm going to hold out until March...I keep hearing rumors of a Kindle Fire 2 with a larger display...so I'm going to do my best to remain patient...if I haven't heard anything by March, I'm going to buy Kindle Fire 1. :o)
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