My Kindle Fire

Just what the world needs--another review of the Kindle Fire, right? I thought it did, so here's mine. On the very first day the Fire was announced, I ordered 2 of them. One for me, and one for my husband. I intended them to be Christmas presents, and I was worried if I didn't order that day, I might not get them in time for the holiday. No worries. They came a day earlier than expected, and in fact, a third Fire that I ordered just this past Sunday arrived just a day after my original order.

I've been asking myself why I need a Kindle Fire. I have a perfectly good Kindle 3 or as it's now called, Kindle Keyboard 3G. (KK) I have a beautiful laptop that is lightweight and easy to take out of the house and I have an android phone I use more to play Angry Birds than I do for calling people. (Sorry, Mom!).

I have no excuses other to say I just wanted one. It's a new toy!

After 3 days, I'm really, really loving it. I found some game apps I like, and yesterday, Amazon's free app was a Paint/Sketch type app that is seriously cool.

Things I like:

The screen with its bookshelf is gorgeous. It's easy to navigate, and so far, every app, webpage, music, book and streaming video has worked wonderfully. It does more than my phone in that regard and is more portable than my laptop. Netflix worked great. Youtube works better than it does on my laptop.

Durability. I didn't test this myself, but lucky for us, this guy bought an extra to test the toughness. See for yourself--but be warned! There is graphic Kindle Fire abuse in the video! It's not for the fainthearted. Blogkindle's Scatch and Drop Test Before seeing this, I was very worried about dropping the Fire. I don't have a cover yet, and my hands are just a little too small to hold it one-handed comfortably (I'm only 5' 2", so most people won't have this issue), but now I'm a bit more relaxed that if I drop it accidentally, it should survive with no problem. It was only the 6ft flat drop that broke the LED (not the glass though) and since I'd have to jump to get my arms close to that height, I have a feeling that won't be a problem. (Finally an advantage to being short!) I do keep it in a Borsa Bella Kindle bag inside my Borsa Bella Hobo bag to prevent scratches to the screen, but it appears I could get away with not using the bag, but it's so cute, and matches the Hobo Bag, so I'll keep using it. (Hehe, just a little plug for my favorite Kindle bag designer)

Price: It's only $199. In this economy, that's a bargain. An iPad and the variety of iPad clones, all cost in the same range as the iPad at about $450 and up. That is an expensive toy! Let's put it this way, I've bought three Kindle Fires for only a little more than one iPad.

WiFi: I have had no issues so far, but have read that it could be a problem. I'm tempted to have my dh open his early to see if his works as flawlessly as mine. I justified opening my Fire early because my birthday is next week, so instead of a Christmas present, it is now an early B-day gift. *beams* Too bad dh's bday was in September. bwhahaha!

Amazon: One of the best features is that my books and  music have been on Amazon for over a year. I've also been acquiring Amazon apps since June when I got my android phone. Many of them work for the Fire as well.

Dislikes: As I mentioned, my hands are small, so it's hard for me to hold. However, that is almost a plus because now I know for sure that an iPad or larger tablet, would be too big for me. I expect a cover will help because it will give me something to hang on to. I might have to wait for Christmas for a good cover, but I have my eye on the red RooCase Kindle Fire cover, just in case someone in my family is reading this. Remember, the red, not the pink. ;-)

The carousel: It's beautiful, but it shows every book you've ever downloaded. Yes, even those freebies that you wouldn't normally buy. Ahem. Amazon needs to fix this because it seems to be an issue with lots of users. It doesn't show just books, but also websites that you've visited.

Wifi only: For me, this isn't a problem. I knew when I bought it that it was wi-fi only. I have my e-ink Kindle if I need a book right *now* and most places I go where I would be using my Kindle Fire have wi-fi already. Home, work and even the gym--not that I've been there in awhile, but the mailer they sent me tells me it's a perk of being a member. Maybe I can use that as an incentive to get back into the habit of working out. Or not.

Overall, I have given this 4 out of 5 stars. There is room for improvement, but I found no major flaws.