Tablet/Kindle Fire question (Latest: new iPad available March 16; post 32)

[Patrick425]

I'm looking to purchase a tablet or Kindle Fire or Nook. What exactly is the difference between the Kindle Fire and say the Samung Galaxy Tablet? Speed? Memory? Functionality? Other than price obviously.

[Patrick425]

Ok, now I realize that I can find out a lot of information comparing the two products by just typing in Kindle Fire vs. Samsung Tablet...so never mind explaining the differences between the two. I guess my question now to anyone who may have knowledge...is it wort the extra money to get a Samsung tablet over a Kindle? Is the internet access much more robust, faster on the Samsung?

[endaround]

Unless you really want one now I'd wait. The iPad 3 ill be coming shortly and the second version of the Fire will also show up. The tech is evolving so fast right now that if you can wait you are better off doing so, even if its to buy last year's model really cheap.

[1992casey]

As you probably found out, the Fire is a specialty device while the Samsung, iPad, etc. are fully equipped to do a lot of things. You've probably read about some of the Fire's issues, too, e.g. unresponsive touch screen, slowness, a wonky web browser, being easy to turn off accidentally, and lack of security. Some of those issues can probably addressed by software updates while others (like being too easy to turn on and off) would require hardware redesign.

 

Many reviewers prefer the original Kindle design over the Fire if the objective is to read ebooks. They also point out that magazines don't work out well on a seven inch screen.

 

If you want to play games, browse the web more than a little bit, and do a little bit of productive work, a full featured tablet like the iPad or Galaxy Tab would be a better fit. The iPad is the only product in this category that's been a successful seller. That doesn't mean that its competitors aren't good (although a lot of them are crap). However, it does mean that there's always a danger of products being discontinued.

[thebruce44]

Unless you really want one now I'd wait. The iPad 3 ill be coming shortly and the second version of the Fire will also show up. The tech is evolving so fast right now that if you can wait you are better off doing so, even if its to buy last year's model really cheap.

The problem with that line of thinking is that you can pretty much always say that. The tech is never going to stop evolving this fast, if anything its going to speed up.

Amazon is taking a loss right now on the Fire to get their foot in the door and sell movies/books through their closed system. Its a great time to purchase one, especially if you know how to root it and get the regular Android Market on it.

[logan82]

Many reviewers prefer the original Kindle design over the Fire if the objective is to read ebooks

 

That is because of the back-lit screen on the Fire. The E Ink display is much easier to read than a back-lit screen.

[thebruce44]

When they figure out color e-ink on phones and tablets its going to be so awesome.

[DHonks]

Last I'd heard, the Fire was the #1 most returned item this holiday season. Lots were disappointed by its limitations. I'm still an Ipad fan, although I don't like the edges on my Ipad 2. I wish they were more square

[1992casey]

Color e-ink would be cool. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Besides being easy to read, e-ink offers a major battery advantage.

 

DHonks, how do the iPad's edges affect you? Do they make it harder than necessary to hold?

 

I'm in about 80% agreement with thebruce44's statement: The problem with that line of thinking is that you can pretty much always say that. The tech is never going to stop evolving this fast, if anything its going to speed up. However, with the Fire, we have a first generation product with flaws that would hopefully stand a good chance of being corrected. In the case of the iPad 2, we're likely to see an upgraded model soon.

 

Having said that, if I decided that I needed a full-fledged tablet tomorrow, I'd go to apple.com and order an iPad 2. If I my need was no more than ebooks, I'd probably buy the ad-free version of the basic e-ink Kindle.

[DHonks]

1992casey, it's fine most times, but sometimes I'll be having it rest in my lap--or I'll be trying to hold it in one hand--and it will slide or just feel a bit awkward. It's not something that's a major worry...I definitely am happy with the ipad 2

[thebruce44]

I'm about to pull the trigger on the Galaxy Tab 10.1. My dad is going to be in the hospital for 2 months for a transplant so I want to get it all set up for movies, books, and news to keep him busy even though he is completely computer illiterate.

[TracyThom]

We bought our daughter a Kindle Fire for Christmas. Reading e-books is much easier on the eyes with the original Kindle when compared to the Fire. Also, the Fire's web browser is slow. Terribly slow. I have no problem with speed when I connect to our wireless network with my laptop or Ipod. It seems like the Fire's web browser takes about 5x as long to load.

[endaround]

Unless you really want one now I'd wait. The iPad 3 ill be coming shortly and the second version of the Fire will also show up. The tech is evolving so fast right now that if you can wait you are better off doing so, even if its to buy last year's model really cheap.

The problem with that line of thinking is that you can pretty much always say that. The tech is never going to stop evolving this fast, if anything its going to speed up.

Amazon is taking a loss right now on the Fire to get their foot in the door and sell movies/books through their closed system. Its a great time to purchase one, especially if you know how to root it and get the regular Android Market on it.

Not really. For example there is almost no change between the iPhone 4 and 4S that is worth upgrading for. Graphics cards are improving constantly but unless you are running DX11 stuff at the highest resolutions there is no real reason to constantly upgrade. The tablet market is different. Rumors of the iPad 3 getting a super HD display keep popping up (something that seems really stupid but we'll see) which could change the base resolution of all apps. There will be a second revision of the Fire which could fix its issues. And we know for certain that Windows 8 will be launching this fall with ARM support so low cost full fledged Windows tablets may be possible. The tablet market in 10 months will be completely different than it is today.

[thebruce44]

Unless you really want one now I'd wait. The iPad 3 ill be coming shortly and the second version of the Fire will also show up. The tech is evolving so fast right now that if you can wait you are better off doing so, even if its to buy last year's model really cheap.

The problem with that line of thinking is that you can pretty much always say that. The tech is never going to stop evolving this fast, if anything its going to speed up.

Amazon is taking a loss right now on the Fire to get their foot in the door and sell movies/books through their closed system. Its a great time to purchase one, especially if you know how to root it and get the regular Android Market on it.

Not really. For example there is almost no change between the iPhone 4 and 4S that is worth upgrading for. Graphics cards are improving constantly but unless you are running DX11 stuff at the highest resolutions there is no real reason to constantly upgrade. The tablet market is different. Rumors of the iPad 3 getting a super HD display keep popping up (something that seems really stupid but we'll see) which could change the base resolution of all apps. There will be a second revision of the Fire which could fix its issues. And we know for certain that Windows 8 will be launching this fall with ARM support so low cost full fledged Windows tablets may be possible. The tablet market in 10 months will be completely different than it is today.

Well, I agree about the iPhone 4s, but that has more to do with questions about Apple than having anything to do with Tablets or the general direction of the industry. Your post seems to be advice for someone like yourself who wants the latest tech, and not someone like the OP who is considering entry level tablets. Some people can't justify spending $500 - $700 on what people still consider a gadget. A $200 Kindle Fire seems like a great way step into this tech and see if on your next round you want to go with the cutting edge. As well, the Galaxy Tabs are great for tinkerers, as the dev community already has ICS running on it. They can be found for fairly cheap as well at this point. I do agree that it doesn't make sense to buy an iPad2 right now. I have no idea why they don't lower their prices when we all know the iPad 3 is right around the corner.

In terms of the second version of the Fire, yea, I'm sure its on the drawing board. With the hardware on the original Fire though, a software upgrade of the skin could just as easily fix its issues and not mean we all have to wait 10 months to make a purchase as you suggest. I have a hard time suggesting someone who is interested in a budget friendly entry level tablet wait for the Fire 2 at this point when the original just came out.

[bjkrautk]

I think it mainly depends on what you're looking for in a device. I own a laptop & an iPod touch already. I wanted something with a bigger screen than the ipod that I can carry around inside the house, and maybe read a book or two on.

 

Yes, the hardware isn't as fast as the iOS Safari browser, and people who prefer eInk for reading books will still prefer eInk over the Kindle Fire screen. (The power button complaint is one that I totally don't get -- my iPod has the same problem; if you touch the off button, the screen turns off.) I think the device will get better as Amazon continues to patch and improve the operating system.

 

 

Moreover, when the next lifechanging product comes from the summit upon Cupertino, you can buy it knowing that you're only replacing a $200 device rather than a $600-750 iPad. For someone on his 3rd iPod, the value in this line of thinking cannot be understated.

[1992casey]

Windows 8 will be launching this fall with ARM support so low cost full fledged Windows tablets may be possible.

 

ARM devices will only support the Metro interface, so while you'll have a degree of compatibility with your Windows 8 notebook or desktop, you won't be able to run your desktop apps. To run desktop apps, the tablet will need need an Intel-style processor, which is hotter, pricier, and uses more battery power.

 

It's kind of funny reading the blog comments in regard to Windows 8 tablets. People want a larger screen than the iPad, the ability to run Windows desktop apps, long battery life, and a cost under $500 — all in the same unit. That ain't happening. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

A $200 Kindle Fire seems like a great way step into this tech and see if on your next round you want to go with the cutting edge.

 

Yeah, I agree. People will get a taste of using a tablet and want to "graduate" into a more capable device.

[thebruce44]

Windows 8 will be launching this fall with ARM support so low cost full fledged Windows tablets may be possible.

 

ARM devices will only support the Metro interface, so while you'll have a degree of compatibility with your Windows 8 notebook or desktop, you won't be able to run your desktop apps. To run desktop apps, the tablet will need need an Intel-style processor, which is hotter, pricier, and uses more battery power.

 

It's kind of funny reading the blog comments in regard to Windows 8 tablets. People want a larger screen than the iPad, the ability to run Windows desktop apps, long battery life, and a cost under $500 — all in the same unit. That ain't happening. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

A $200 Kindle Fire seems like a great way step into this tech and see if on your next round you want to go with the cutting edge.

 

Yeah, I agree. People will get a taste of using a tablet and want to "graduate" into a more capable device.

It really seems like some consumers are missing the point of these entry level tablets. They want the UI experience and capabilities of a top of the line tablet, but want to pay 1/3 the price. It doesn't work like that. Thats why I think the Fire is perfect for what it is, but people need to understand what they are getting.

[1992casey]

It doesn't help that consumers have seen the fire sales by HP and RIM and think that $99-$199 is what one should expect to pay for a full-featured product. I think that this has hurt the Android tablet market even though neither of those products are Android. It seems that Apple has been immune to the effect of these sales.

 

Windows 8 has been the victim of quite a bit of poorly researched reporting. Metro on ARM will likely turn out to be a nice setup. That's going to be lost when people figure out that they can't run their desktop versions of Office on these devices.

[endaround]

Things like this is why this market is in such flux:

[thebruce44]

Things like this is why this market is in such flux:

And the Asus Transformer Prime is available for $400. It does everything I need and I like ICS (it will be updated soon).

Why would I wait for another OS when I could have a 10.1" quad core ICS tablet right now for that price?

[JoeHova]

Any word yet on the iPad 3? I want to get a tablet to watch games on (going with the broadband Extra Innings instead of the cable one this season) but I don't really know anything about them. I like the Macs I have but I also like my Android phone so I don't really know which direction to go. Any advice would be useful. I'm especially interested in which platform is more fully functional in terms of getting to that point for the least additional outlay of cash. I don't mind spending on hardware but I don't want to have to spend another few hundred bucks in software to make a tablet useful. Also, although I plan to use the tablet only around the house, would it be better to pay the extra for 3G or 4G capability just in case?

 

 

edit: additionally, if the iPad 3 is launching in 2 weeks, as I just saw was rumored, is there any possibility of actually getting one any time soon (say, before the MLB season starts) without having to sleep in line at an Apple store for a week?

[chadomac]

March 7 is the iPad 3 launch date. I think you will easily be able to get one within the first month if you look around a bit... it's just that Apple-freaks like to have it right away. If you can wait a week or two after launch I don't see it being that hard to find one.

 

I'm strongly considering getting it. Either that or a Samsung Galaxy if the price dips due to the iPad 3 release. My issue is... I seem to be one of the only people that would like a LARGER tablet. When I first pictured what I tablet looked like before seeing any of them, I always thought it was basically a laptop screen without the keyboard, etc. The biggest one made is 10 inches as far as I can tell. If I knew a decent bigger one was coming out, I'd probably wait for that... but I bet I end up just going with a 10 inch tablet.

[1992casey]

With the last two iPads, there's been a gap between the announcement date and the launch date. Either way, we'll see an iPad 3 soon, though. We'll know a lot more on Wednesday.

 

I'm not sure that any tablet requires a significant outlay beyond buying apps. You'll probably want some kind of case. You probably don't need a keyboard, but they're available if you want one. An iPad should work with any Bluetooth keyboard, but I'm sure that many fall in love with a particular "must have" model.

 

If you're already a Mac user, OS X Mountain Lion (due this summer) will offer a lot more iOS integration. That might be a selling point for an iPad.

 

As far as tablets with larger screens, I think that an iPad is as about as much as I'd want to hold in my hand. I bet chadomac has some specialized use in mind, though.

[thebruce44]

Any word yet on the iPad 3? I want to get a tablet to watch games on (going with the broadband Extra Innings instead of the cable one this season) but I don't really know anything about them. I like the Macs I have but I also like my Android phone so I don't really know which direction to go. Any advice would be useful. I'm especially interested in which platform is more fully functional in terms of getting to that point for the least additional outlay of cash. I don't mind spending on hardware but I don't want to have to spend another few hundred bucks in software to make a tablet useful. Also, although I plan to use the tablet only around the house, would it be better to pay the extra for 3G or 4G capability just in case?

 

 

edit: additionally, if the iPad 3 is launching in 2 weeks, as I just saw was rumored, is there any possibility of actually getting one any time soon (say, before the MLB season starts) without having to sleep in line at an Apple store for a week?

 

I have had the Asus Transformer Prime for about 3 weeks now and like it. I'm still in the camp that a tablet is a luxury toy, so if I had to chose between a tablet and an ultra book it wouldn't even be a choice for me. The nice thing about the Transformer Prime is that you can also get a keyboard dock that basically makes it into an ultra book.

 

I do have to say, the UI on the iPad is still better than Ice Creme Sandwich. But from my perspective, I have to have widgets. Its almost like thats what a tablet was made for. I fire it up and can have tons of updated info literally at my fingertips. Plus you customize it with various launchers to really get what you want. Without this going into yet another internet debate of Android vs. iOS, the advantages of Android really pushed me towards an ICS tablet over the iPad. It helps that with an Android phone, and hopefully the upcoming Google living room device later this year, I didn't want to go outside my ecosystem. Its also sweet that I can use the tablet as my phone when I've got it in my lap and my phone is on the coffee table in front of me (yea, I'm that lazy).

 

In terms of paying for lte/3g, thats a personal decision. I've got my Galaxy Nexus rooted, so with one click, it can become a wireless hotspot. That means if I am on the train, I can push one button on my phone, and its connection is then my tablet's connection. I wouldn't want to pay an additional 30 a month, especially for a 3g connection. If the iPad3 does end up having LTE, you may want to consider it though. Personally 3G is just annoying at this point and I don't see how anyone could lock themselves into a contract for it.

[JoeHova]

Some guy at the Apple store told me that contracts weren't necessary for the 3G thing, that you could just get it for a month if you were going on a road trip or whatever. What do you mean about widgets? The iPad doesn't have them?

 

And what is rooting? What you describe sounds very convenient. Is it difficult to do that?

 

And to casey- I was kind of more talking about the apps in terms of functionality. Is there a large difference in price/availibility in terms of getting the popular/useful ones on android vs. apple?

 

Sorry guys, I know these are basic questions, I just don't really know anything about tablets.