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Im really in to moddibg and flashing roms onto my inspire 4G and am close to finally getting around to getting an Android tab. After reading countless reviews for $200 it seems the Kindle Fire is by far superior to other competitors around the $200 or less range. I have played with one several times and I'm just not too sure that I like how it moves around between the apps and books and things, I don't plan on reading very much, just an occasional java development book or two because I am just starting, but I prefer the hard copies. So, I like how tabs that aren't as good such as the coby kryos functions, more what I think to be "actual android" like you would find on a android phone or the all-mighty Samsung galaxy tab. I'm thinking about just getting the fire and flashing some custom roms, but are there and solid ones floating around on xda that offer more of an android experience with the fire? And is the fire even really the best choice for around $200? Please reply with your opinions!
Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G using XDA
If all you want is a better interface than what the stock experience offers and helps switch between apps, you could just install a different launcher and obtain the same results you would have with a custom ROM. However, if you want to have total control over the overall experience using the tablet, rooting and installing a custom ROM is the way to go.
I've had my Fire for about a month or so, I do like it but miss the screen estate found on larger tablets. I am trying to sell or trade mine in for something else and eventually buy an Asus Transformer or something comparable.
i've been looking at these low cost tablets.. they look pretty amazing for the price:
google ainovo and check them out (can't post links yet)
look in Dev section.
I think its great
--sent from my glacier.
Personally for a sub 200 (USD) tablet I think it's amazing. I was rather cautious buying mine because I had heard some harsh reviews and heard that Fire 2 was right around the corner. So I waited until someone I knew physically had one so I could "test drive" it so to speak. I was really amazed that a lot of the initial bad reviews were solved with the latest software updates. So I bit the bullet and went and got one of my own. Probably the best 200(USD) I have spent of 2012.
For me personally the Pros far outweigh the cons of the system.
Pros:
Lightweight, portable, elegant
Hundreds of hours of reading material
Tinkering gadget (Ability to run CM7 and CM9 for full blown tablet access)
Instant access to internet/news without the need to get out the laptop (2007 style desktop replacement can you say HEAVY)
Built in comic book reader with 1000's of free name brand comics (Ironman, Avengers, Marvel, Vampire Hunter D, Dr. Who)
All within a frame that is about as heavy (if not lighter actually) as a hardback novel.
Cons:
No bluetooth. (Personally I haven't used bluetooth since 2006'ish).
No "external" storage i.e. Sd card reader. (Again personally this is not a problem because between Dropbox, Skydrive, Amazon Cloud, and Google Music I have well over 50 gigs available "on demand" in the cloud. 5 gigs is more than enough for a plane, train, bus commute.)
7 inch screen. (Some people complain and say it's not big enough, but I find the iPad to be too unwieldy and cumbersome for what is basically a glorified e-reader.)
So there you go. Personally like I said I don't think you are going to get much better for under 200(USD). Dual Core, 512mb of ram, 5 gigs of internal storage, 3 gigs for OS and App installs.
Hope this helps
Just got kine this past weekend and put cm7 on it and have it set up to use for work while i am on the road by teathering it to my phone and i love ot it has good power for a cheap tabley and makes my life so much easier while on the road
Sent from my Kindle Fire using xda premium
aaa
The only thing is that the KF does not have an sdcard slot
Yeahh Buddy!! Kindle Fire all the way!!
powerpoint45 said:
The only thing is that the KF does not have an sdcard slot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully we will be able to use a USB flash drive soon...
Hmm I have definitely been tempted to get a kindle fire. What's the battery life like on CM9?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
brooksyx said:
Hmm I have definitely been tempted to get a kindle fire. What's the battery life like on CM9?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using cm7 for stability and battery life is pleasingly good. Blows my phone away by far.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium
For the price point, I don't know that you can really beat this tablet.
Bought mine because I wanted an E-reader for my graduate studies and have been itching to get my hands on an Android Tablet. Development is steady and there are certainly plenty of ROMs to choose from.
My only complaint, like others, is the lack of an SD Card slot. 8gb can go by very quickly but I'll make it work. I think the size is a personal preference. For my tastes, its perfect.
The price is why I bought it. Its awesome is why I keep it.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium
After I got my Fire, I actually gave my iPad my niece because I love the 7 inch size (it fits into my larger pockets even) and it is lighter which makes reading in bed easier (read: I've dropped my iPad on my face to often while dozing off).
The price was a big factor at the time, but now that I have it I think it is worth at least $100 more. Amazon has all the content (books, music and movies) of the Apple and Google markets and often will automatically drop prices to match those stores.
One of the biggest pluses is the fact that the dev subforum and this Fire forum in general is one of the most useful and kind in all of XDA (and that's becoming more rare these days). And because the Fire was such a great seller there a lot of active development and cool things to try out.
My only concern at this point is the rumors of a Fire 2 coming sooner than later (and the price should remain the same...if they raise out at all they would kill the success of this original Fire) and the possibility of a Nexus tablet from Google that would be priced similarly (if not cheaper...rumors put it at $150-250). If those rumors are true, it would likely have superior specs and ICS out of the gate. However, it's hard to tell if those rumors are accurate and what the time frame is.
All in all, I love my Fire and have bought two others as gifts and out has been my favorite tablet yet. You probably won't regret the purchase if you take the jump.
Please excuse typos as I'm typing this on my phone
Honestly can't go wrong for the price. If you live with not having the storage space and, can root and install a different rom. Great buy for $200. Craigslist have ones for cheaper.
amrn4s said:
Honestly can't go wrong for the price. If you live with not having the storage space and, can root and install a different rom. Great buy for $200. Craigslist have ones for cheaper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once haschode has HWA working properly in ICS for the KFs you definitely cannot beat them for the price.
It feels as zippy as the galaxy tabs I have played with. I am currently running AOKP and it is like a new tablet.
Like many others though the main downfall is the 8gb storage limit.
However, books do not take up that much room, I stream my music from Google Music, and I stream most video. I have watched a movie on there, but I knew I was gonna need one to watch for a couple of hours so I preloaded it and then deleted it after viewing so it was not a big deal.
its a great purchase especially with the wonderful community here.
Great tablet. no issue. with $199, all the short coming can be worked around and lived with it.
if you don't like the way it looks and wants to have total control, just flash it with custom rom and that works great. I have mine running with Energy's rom.
Battery life is great after the custom rom. 7" is great. I stored music on the cloud. For video, just download what is needed and delete afterward.
If anyone is so concerns on Fire2 coming out soon, just get an used one.
Can't beat the price. Hardware keeps up with more expensive tablets and you can accessorize .___. If that's your kind of thing.
I really like mine, and I was adamant about never having a tablet because of lack of a real function (my wife bought this one for me).
I don't mind the lack of space. I don't do movies ever and my music stays on my phone (which has a much nicer DAC).
Full disclosure here. I have had every version of the iPad to date and love version 3. BUT.. it is just a bit too big so I've been looking for something a bit smaller for quite a while. I've bought and sold a number of 7 or 8 inch tablets, Samsung, Pandigital, Ainol to name a few and ended up selling them on. The Pandigital was the most fun. I just hung on to the coat-tails of the smart boys who hacked the hell out of it and made it more than what it was. When the Nexus 7 was released it looked like I had a new best friend but there was nowhere to try the darn thing so I held off. When good old Jeff announced the Fire HD I was intrigued and when there was one on display at Best Buy I fondled it and bought one.
The one thing I really like about the iPad is the aspect ratio of 4:3. Everything has gone to 16:9 and I detest the bloody ratio. I purposely stayed away from them both at home and work and have Dell 16:10 ultrabrights and love them. I have gone from T-Mobile S2 to Note and refuse to look at the S3 or Note 2 because the screens have become longer and thinner. Don't even get me started on the iPhone 5 :silly: I seldom watch movies on a small screen or monitor and with the iPad it is apps like Zite or magazines or comics and it excels at that.
OK, now before you start saying that the screen on the Fire HD and Nexus 7 are the same.... yes I agree. Same aspect ratio but not quite same colour saturation etc, but where the Fire HD beats the Nexus 7 for me is that the Nexus 7 looks and feels far longer and thinner. In reality it is only a smidgen longer but the decrease of width makes it feel like a sausage. I don't have massive hands and to be honest I don't find there to be much difference holding either the Nexus 7 or the Fire HD.
Initially, the closed wall and adverts of the Fire HD were off-putting rather than annoying, but after rooting, which ultimately needed installing the SDK to get my computer to be able to ADB into it, and now there is a hack to remove adverts, the device has grown on me. I was able to install the Play Store and pull down apps like Bloomberg, Aldiko, Currents, MX Player and Skype. I couldn't get Zite but I pulled it from my phone and sideloaded it. I installed Gmail and set up my personal and office mails. The one thing I couldn't get to work was QQ Launcher. ADW launcher works but I find myself using it less and less as I just go to the Apps tab.
Now I can easily watch videos or read ePub files with no problem. I have pretty much most of the things I have on my iPad and I find the size and weight of the Fire HD to be very comfortable.
There was definitely an extra smoothness with the Nexus 7 but was it a "holy mackrel, that just blew my eyelids off".....? Nope. The Fire HD works and works fast enough. The only real slowness, if you could call it that, is a slight hesitancy in scrolling PDFs which have been zoomed. The screen is definitely better than the nexus 7, and if it was possible to get QQ Launcher to run then for me the darn thing would be perfect.
The Nexus 7 was a nice unit. Fast and hackable to the cows came home but the long and thin of it ultimately killed it for me. Also one thing I noticed was that with Zite for example, the Nexus 7 rendered it slightly different to the Fire HD. Text was smaller and not quite so clear. There was also something that may have been a bit dodgy about the Nexus 7 and it was very reluctant to switch on at times. I had to plug it into a power source and then it fired up. The battery was almost fully charged but sometimes it just refused to wake up.
So there you have it, one guys absolutely, purely subjective, non scientific rational as to why the Nexus 7 went back this morning and the Fire HD is still here. Your mileage may differ.
I have similar prefs. I like iPad's 4:3 AR, and prefer a reader for "print" media rather than videos. But I also want a larger size than 7" since legibility matters more than portability.
Presently, my eyes are set on the Nook HD+ for its 3:2 AR, not quite as good as 4:3, but better than the standard 16:10. Since I want it mostly for reading and web browsing (in portrait mode), I don't need cam/GPS/HDMI. But I don't want to be stuck in B&N eco, so am waiting to see if it can be unlocked, or at a minimum rooted.
I like the Nook HD+'s $269 price, which is about the same as the Nexus 7 16GB. The KFHD 9 is $309 w/ charger, and it has 16:10 AR and no SD expansion.
I have a Nexus 7 and picked up a Kindle Fire HD. I'm thinking about switching for other reasons. But I actually think the feel of the Nexus 7 is one thing in it's favor. Both tablets have the same 16:10 sized screen, it's only the bezel that is more narrow on the Nexus 7. And that narrow bezel makes it a lot easier to wrap my hand around the back on portrait mode. While the Kindle Fire is larger and heavier. I can wrap my hand around the Fire HD too, but it's not as comfortable to hold that way.
PS. Though one thing the Fire HD has in it's favor for people that like 4:3 ratios is it's on screen buttons and menu do a much better job of getting out of the way. So I have more screen spaces on the Fire HD than the Nexus 7.
I went the other way around. I started with the KFHD and about after a week, I picked up the N7 and unfortunately, the KFHD is going back to Amazon. I love the better colors, sound and more solid feel but at the end of the day, KFHD is a severely gimped version of android. Amazon left out enough code that this device will never fully function as a true android device without a custom ROM. Rooting helps but not enough. Different strokes for different folks, it just depends on what you want to use the device for. The Amazon entertainment ecosystem just isn't for me.
P.S. I have smaller hands but I prefer the thinness of the N7 over the KFHD. Its easier to hold with one hand, IMO.
I chose the Fire HD over the Nexus 7 also. Couldn't be happier.
Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2
It just depends your taste.
I'm thinking of getting a Kindle Fire HD for my dad. He's not that Android savvy, but appreciates a device he can put his music and videos on. And a simple UI. Is this a better device compared to the Nexus 7 for these purposes?
Also, I suppose I can root the device and increase the space allocated for personal content?
fuyoo said:
I'm thinking of getting a Kindle Fire HD for my dad. He's not that Android savvy, but appreciates a device he can put his music and videos on. And a simple UI. Is this a better device compared to the Nexus 7 for these purposes?
Also, I suppose I can root the device and increase the space allocated for personal content?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm... For me I'd think the primary reason to get a Kindle Fire HD is if you are an Amazon user. Because you give up quite a bit in the way of customizability and apps with the Kindle OS. However the UI is pretty simple and easy to use and if he's okay with the limited app selection and primarily wants it for music and videos. Then he'll really like the better looking screen and much better speakers.
The 16GB model comes with 12.63GB available to the user. So I don't think there is any need to reallocate space (it's no like the Nook Color).
fuyoo said:
I'm thinking of getting a Kindle Fire HD for my dad. He's not that Android savvy, but appreciates a device he can put his music and videos on. And a simple UI. Is this a better device compared to the Nexus 7 for these purposes?
Also, I suppose I can root the device and increase the space allocated for personal content?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If someone has never used or owned an android device, phone or tablet, then the Nexus 7 will have a learning curve. Not so much for the KFHD, Amazon keeps it pretty simple and easy to navigate. If I just wanted a pure entertainment device, then I would of stayed with the KFHD. Whispersync is great for readers, which you get with the KFHD, not to mention you can send documents and books to your kindle email and hosted by Amazon. The screen and speakers are fantastic. Amazon app store is limited compared to the google play store but there are ways around that.
The N7 is more of a general purpose device (handles video just fine, sound could be better but its fine with headphones) but the world is at your finger tips..
Well I'm not rooted on either and I still prefer using the KFHD to tell the truth. I just installed an alternate launcher on the kfhd so I'm happy to get away from the carousel.
The video quality? No way is the Nexus 7 equal to the KFHd, not to my eyes. As mentioned, the color on the kfhd blows away the Nexus 7 and color is part of the video quality equation as far as I'm concerned. And the audio quality on the KFHD blows the Nexus 7 as well. And is the ppi on the Nexus 7 even equal to the KFHD?
Read reviews. There are enough that mentioned the video quality isn't up to snuff on the Nexus 7.
And the build quality? Well I was fortunate to get a good Nexus 7 from Walmart but there is enough written from folks who have had issues.
Apps? Well I can sideload and I have more than enough to keep me happy with the kfhd. I equate it to channels on a TV. So what if someone has far more than another, as long as you have the ones you want to watch who cares!
If I decide to get the Nook Hd +, the Nexus 7 will be the one I trade in.
How does the operation of the device compare to the Nexus 7 after you have rooted it and changed the launcher?
Curious to those that have done.
I completely changed the look and feel of the Kindle Fire HD. It is a better looking and longer battery lasting tablet than the tablets being compared to it. The HD picture is vibrant and the colors are warm. With the new launcher, it feels like a bigger version of my Galaxy S III without the Phone and Messaging. I could NOT be happier that I grabbed this KFHD, rather than settling for the Nexus7.
caponea6 said:
I completely changed the look and feel of the Kindle Fire HD. It is a better looking and longer battery lasting tablet than the tablets being compared to it. The HD picture is vibrant and the colors are warm. With the new launcher, it feels like a bigger version of my Galaxy S III without the Phone and Messaging. I could NOT be happier that I grabbed this KFHD, rather than settling for the Nexus7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly the type of information I was looking for. Thank you! :good: :laugh: :highfive:
Rooted KFHD with alternative launcher is still nothing compared to a stock nexus 7, if you want fully functional google services. Amazon took out code that is in a full fledged android device. Such as if you side load google talk, you can't get video and voice. There is no voice search functions because Amazon took out components even though the possibility is there. Its a pain if you want another keyboard or even to customize your interface. Google play can be side loaded but not everything will recognize the KFHD.
It honestly depends on what you want. If you have Amazon prime and love entertainment, the KFHD is a great device. If you want an all rounded tablet, then you want the N7. In my honest opinion, I loved the KFHD hardware but the software killed the device for me. I wasn't going to wait and hope one day the bootloader will be cracked and custom roms made. I did not like the feeling of having a half gimped device.
I returned the KFHD and kept the N7.
alkemist80 said:
Rooted KFHD with alternative launcher is still nothing compared to a stock nexus 7, if you want fully functional google services. Amazon took out code that is in a full fledged android device. Such as if you side load google talk, you can't get video and voice. There is no voice search functions because Amazon took out components even though the possibility is there. Its a pain if you want another keyboard or even to customize your interface. Google play can be side loaded but not everything will recognize the KFHD.
It honestly depends on what you want. If you have Amazon prime and love entertainment, the KFHD is a great device. If you want an all rounded tablet, then you want the N7. In my honest opinion, I loved the KFHD hardware but the software killed the device for me. I wasn't going to wait and hope one day the bootloader will be cracked and custom roms made. I did not like the feeling of having a half gimped device.
I returned the KFHD and kept the N7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a very insightful response haha. Really. I figured as much but its cool to know that these things are true - instead of wondering what the hell is wrong with the apps. I will use my KFHD with what I've got for now and Ill just wait for that day that we can crack these bootloaders and get custom roms. Praise allaaaaahhhhhh.
caponea6 said:
I will use my KFHD with what I've got for now and Ill just wait for that day that we can crack these bootloaders and get custom roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll kick myself the day that happens but right now I'm happy with my decision.
On a side note for the OP, If anything, you can purchase both devices, play test and return what you don't want. I felt bad doing that but it's still hard to find the N7 let alone having it on display. I thought I would be happy with the KFHD when I pre-ordered and then after using it, I started to have more and more doubts after digging around and playing with it.
To all members involved in this thread:
Discussions on XDA are to take place in a respectful manner. I've been watching this thread all day today and what started as a misunderstanding, escalated into some bickering and then seemed to get resolved on its own, so I've left it alone.
Do not let the discussions take another wrong turn.
EDIT: Upon further reflection, I decided that this thread did need to be cleansed of all the rancor. I advise all parties to think about how such a small thing turned into this nonsense requiring moderator intervention. Let's all bring it back to the discussion at hand.
If anybody here has questions or concerns regarding the moderating decisions, send me a PM.
I spent about 2 weeks debating this same question. finally managed to get my hands on both devices and it really comes down to what you plan on using it for. For multimedia the KF HD was the clear winner for me and as thats what most my use is going to be. In terms of options the nexus 7 seems to have more currently.
What settled it for me was the screen was nicer, the sound was much better and overall the KFHD is able to meet my needs.
I forgot to mention that I found the KFHD battery to be very finicky. It didn't like to have the wifi location services on all the time. It drained my batter like no tomorrow. Also I had to be careful on what I installed. Even something as a pandora widget (that never has been used) will keep the device from deep sleep. I got power issues right off the bat.
Also if you use anything to alter the hidden battery settings, such as using spare parts to keep wifi on all the time (even though it should be unless you turn wifi off), there is no way to set it back to normal without a reset.
I had battery problems right away with the KFHD but I noticed that my N7 out of the box was doing pretty good. I really had to dig around and babysit everything but once I figured out my issues, battery life on standby was much better, but these are issues that we shouldn't have to worry about from the get go.
ADW and Go launcher did not seem to cause me any battery issues, so they should be safe to use.
I did not root, just sideloaded adw launcher ex to the kfhd.
Longer story shorter, I use the kfhd more than the Nexus 7 which I also own.
robertc88 said:
I did not root, just sideloaded adw launcher ex to the kfhd.
Longer story shorter, I use the kfhd more than the Nexus 7 which I also own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May try this as I'm not sure I want to fool with rooting the KFHD.
I can't decide which one I like better, I haven't been able to go hands on with the Fire HD yet though. I love my transformer Infinity, and I loved the TF101 I had before it, my friend has the nexus 7, and from what I've played with it I like it a lot. Asus is a great company and bar none has the best update record of any manufacturer. If you're interested in a futureproof google device, get the nexus, if you want a 7" iPad's usability and family features that the Fire HD offers, go that route.
alkemist80 said:
Rooted KFHD with alternative launcher is still nothing compared to a stock nexus 7, if you want fully functional google services. Amazon took out code that is in a full fledged android device. Such as if you side load google talk, you can't get video and voice. There is no voice search functions because Amazon took out components even though the possibility is there. Its a pain if you want another keyboard or even to customize your interface. Google play can be side loaded but not everything will recognize the KFHD.
It honestly depends on what you want. If you have Amazon prime and love entertainment, the KFHD is a great device. If you want an all rounded tablet, then you want the N7. In my honest opinion, I loved the KFHD hardware but the software killed the device for me. I wasn't going to wait and hope one day the bootloader will be cracked and custom roms made. I did not like the feeling of having a half gimped device.
I returned the KFHD and kept the N7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, I'm in love with my N7 now because of the Google Now integration and amazing voice command/search response among many other elements.
Also, the GPU in the N7 is really something special. Couple that with the Tegra 3 and it's a reassuring element of knowing it will be a very long time before this tablet is out of date. Feels good having something that will continue to be the cream of the crop (in the $200 price range) for a very very long time.
If your someone that likes the newest software, the nexus devices will see it first being pure google devices. Right now I'm enjoying my jelly bean and can't wait to see what 4.2 will hold, while Amazon will be.. Amazon.
I've not posted in this forum yet. I've used xda to root several android devices. I've owned or still have nooks, fire, Acer 500, Asus prime, and Asus infinity. I got the hd fully knowing what I was getting. I wanted a media tablet. I'm doing about 90% of my computer time on tablets and wanted to play media and compute at the same time.
Why the hd 8.9?
7 in tablets are good for a lot of things . They are easy to hold and typing is easier. They are easier to carry. However I'm in my sixties and my vision is not what it used to be. I like a bigger screen and wanted something that is easier to type on than 10in. Tablets. I also wanted something a little easier to carry. I wanted hd playback and really wanted something close to my infinity in screen quality. I didn't want to spend $500.I use Amazon prime. I am not an Apple fan. I heard a review about sound quality, that impressed me. With its price the hd was not a hard decision.
What I like.
I am not disappointed. The biggest wow is the sound. I use volume boost on my other tablets and the hd blows them out of the water. Both in volume and sound quality.
I played a hd video on YouTube, comparing hd with infinity. I believe both have 240 resolution. Video looked great on both tablets. Flesh tones looked better on hd. Again no disappointment.
Lots of selections in Amazon app store, and its not that hard to side load apps. I would guess 90% of programs I've downloaded work fine. I use dropbox to transfer programs. Amazon has box app, but I have had no problems with dropbox so that's what I use. Go to their site and download app using silk. Since I have access to Google play with other android tablets, I just upload and download through cloud storage. Use a friend's tablet to do what I'm doing.
I like the email app. Email and calender sync to gmail and its simple to use. Silk web browser works just fine. It's not the fanciest but works just fine. I've had lots more problems with other tablets web browsers. Predictive text is working pretty good on this thing.
WiFi is another reason I like hd, and I was pleasantly pleased when I realized it can operate on the 5000 band.
What I don't like
I'm not going into the Amazon skin issue because it is what it is, and it does a good job front ending Amazon. If you don't like it you can root it. Don't know if I will, but someday when I'm board I probably will.
I would like a hair more grip on the back. This is better than my other tablets but little more would be great.
Sometimes I'm getting poor or no key response. Probably will get fixed in upgrade.
My favorite keyboard sideloaded but the side menu didn't close and blocked part of the keyboard and I couldn't use to. I wish option bar collapsed or I could move it to the bottom having said that I like where the back key is. It's really handy where it's at both exposed hidden. Easy thumb operation.
I wish charging port and hdmi was on the side. Their in the way if you use some sort of bracket or want to rest bottom on something. Not all apps rotate all the way around.
Overall I'm very happy with kindle fire hd 8.9. In its simplest form it's easy to use. Most applications people will use are already here. Not having YouTube is a problem but YouTube downloader app in Amazon store will work. Elsewhere on hd threads there is a instructions to get YouTube without root that works.
What makes this tablet different than anything in its price range is the high performance features. I would have no problem getting this for my mom or recommend this to anyone that wants a tablet to just work. There is a kids mode that I don't need but have heard is very good as well.
No buyers regret here, even though I'm watching ces. Chuckle, always ces envy. I am very happy with my hd.
Woody
Sent from my KFJWI using Tapatalk 2
Review 8.9" Kindle Fire HD
woodsonmh,
Very nice review. Some of this review reflects my experience with the Kindle 7" HD. I completely agree with
your review regarding the sound. We own about 40 Tablets (company wide) and the Kindle is by far the best
sounding tablet out of the group when watching movies. I am sure this is in part due to Dolby running in the
background. I am also impressed with the coating over the glass. They have something embedded that
reduces glare to an absolute minimum. So when we use the Kindle outdoors, we are not overcome with sun
glare and reflection. Thank you again for the review and welcome to the Kindle General forum.
Gotta say the sound is awesome on the kindle 2nd gen (non hd)
Even without the dolby... i really think it's the speakers above the dolby since i compared the sound with the hd model and found very little difference in quality and volume.
Sent from my KFOT using Tapatalk 2
Kindle Fire 2
mindmajick said:
Gotta say the sound is awesome on the kindle 2nd gen (non hd)
Even without the dolby... i really think it's the speakers above the dolby since i compared the sound with the hd model and found very little difference in quality and volume.
Sent from my KFOT using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mindmajick,
Wow, even the Kindle Fire 2? When I really notice Dolby is when I use headphones. We just purchased a Nexus 10
and Note II when comparing a Movie against the Kindle 7" HD, the sound and clarity on the HD clearly surpasses
the Not II and the Nexus 10. There is absolutely no noise when cranked up, whereas the Nexus 10 has a hiss when
it is cranked up. This is great stuff mindmajick, good to know and pass onto our customers. I really love the XDA
Community.:good:
Yup. Even on the kindle 2
I was actually gonna buy a 7" nexus tab but when i went to the store there were 10 in stock. All returns for faulty hardware. I bought the kindle 2nd gen KNOWING it would be hackable and with solid hardware.
Cyanogenmod will come in time. My current phone is the skyrocket. Again i bought it for the hardware and not the stock os.
Sent from my KFOT using Tapatalk 2
dont' think i've ever had a device so locked down that wasn't a total dog with this little talk going on. Bravo amazon... you broke XDA
Someone had to say it
I keep telling myself not to regret this purchase yet....just wait a little longer, but the lack of talk going on in the HDX forum is quite depressing and far from reassuring
Am I the only one who likes the tablet as-is without any modifications? The app selection leaves a bit to be desired but all the major media apps are represented (Spotify, Rdio, Hulu, Netflix, etc...) and there are plenty of games available. The only thing that irks me is not being able to play content I already purchased on Google Play, but it's not enough to kill the device for me.
I used to feel myself regretful until I have discovered 1mobile market. Now, beside I cannot change wallpaper, I have decent launcher and a market that is comparable to the Google play. Ok root and custom rooms would be nice, also do I enjoy using HDX. Even, I could choice one more time, I would still (wait ) take HDX because it's specs and weight.
Before buying the HDX I've tried high end Asus and Samsung devices, which were really of poor quality and performance (user experience, not synthesized benchmarks).
I don't think this is over yet....
I do not think it's impossible to root Amazon Kindle HDX, as long as there is developers who keeps this project alive, there is still hope! Why is it so hard to root the last update! Wouldn't it be good to discuss this at a thread in the forum? How far have you come? Where in the process is it impossible to reach further? Then we could help each other! Will Amazon really emerge victorious out of this battle? I think not!
raptir said:
Am I the only one who likes the tablet as-is without any modifications? The app selection leaves a bit to be desired but all the major media apps are represented (Spotify, Rdio, Hulu, Netflix, etc...) and there are plenty of games available. The only thing that irks me is not being able to play content I already purchased on Google Play, but it's not enough to kill the device for me.
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Click to collapse
Had I done more proper research, I would have gone with the Nexus 7 to be honest. I'm not a fan of this device in it's default form. I know I made the mistake of jumping in based on specs and a sale that was going on at the time, but I wish it were more Android through and through. I'm not a fan of the Amazon Fire OS GUI, and not being able to get Gapps by default was a serious oversight on my part....that's my main regret. The device performs just fine and the specs don't disappoint. I simply should have done more research on the rooting and unlocking bootloader side
dimi5 said:
I used to feel myself regretful until I have discovered 1mobile market. Now, beside I cannot change wallpaper, I have decent launcher and a market that is comparable to the Google play. Ok root and custom rooms would be nice, also do I enjoy using HDX. Even, I could choice one more time, I would still (wait ) take HDX because it's specs and weight.
Before buying the HDX I've tried high end Asus and Samsung devices, which were really of poor quality and performance (user experience, not synthesized benchmarks).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Atise said:
I do not think it's impossible to root Amazon Kindle HDX, as long as there is developers who keeps this project alive, there is still hope! Why is it so hard to root the last update! Wouldn't it be good to discuss this at a thread in the forum? How far have you come? Where in the process is it impossible to reach further? Then we could help each other! Will Amazon really emerge victorious out of this battle? I think not!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I should add that I am still one of the lucky ones. I do have root still and as long as I keep playing it safe, I don't see me ever losing root. With that said, I guess my depressed and non-reassuring comment is a bit more selfish and on the getting an unlocked bootloader side of things. Of course, I definitely don't see that happening until a new root is found to get everyone back at the same place with root access.
icedtrip said:
Had I done more proper research, I would have gone with the Nexus 7 to be honest. I'm not a fan of this device in it's default form. I know I made the mistake of jumping in based on specs and a sale that was going on at the time, but I wish it were more Android through and through. I'm not a fan of the Amazon Fire OS GUI, and not being able to get Gapps by default was a serious oversight on my part....that's my main regret. The device performs just fine and the specs don't disappoint. I simply should have done more research on the rooting and unlocking bootloader side
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a first-gen Nexus 7 and was considering the 2013 model but decided on the Kindle Fire HDX even knowing that it couldn't be rooted. My usage of the Nexus 7 was mostly reading (through the Kindle app) and watching videos (Hulu, Netflix). I played a few games on it but I'm fine with Amazon's selection. I went with the Kindle HDX because I could get 64GB of storage for only slightly more than the 32GB Nexus 7 and also gain support for Prime Instant Video.
Edit: I will say, I like being able to tinker with my Nexus 5 but I feel that the enhancements that come with custom ROMs are more important to me on a phone rather than a tablet. With a tablet I typically open a single app and use that for a prolonged period of time so I don't see much of the interface.
Yep. I agree with raptir. It was fun while it lasted but I notice now, I don't even need custom ROM. As long as I have my prime and xbmc, life is good.
Sent from my LG-D800 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I am doing the exact same thing I did with my 16GB Nook Tablet noneHD version when I had it for 2 years. I upgraded to the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 for the larger screen and newer hardware for movie playback across the network via DLNA. I also use it for reading and have finished several books on it and the Nook alike. Nook was running CM 10 but I felt like I could have just kept the basic B&N OS around for what I did with it. I still feel the same way about the Kindle Fire HDX. Stock handles everything I throw at it and I can keep my apps updated thanks to 1mobile. Things like Skifta and MX player along with Cool Reader for epub and mobi formatted books that I have had forever and did not get through amazon. For me the kindle/nook are Media consumption devices and they fill that roll pretty nicely with stock. The kindle more so becuase of the updated OS and larger screen along with newer hardware that is capible of 1080p playback via network unlike the nook where it would struggle with 720p playback for me.
IMHO, it's a fine MEDIA device, but not so much a regular tablet.
kschang said:
IMHO, it's a fine MEDIA device, but not so much a regular tablet.
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Pay attention. The Tech Geeks have decreed that this tablet must die. It must fail simply because Amazon has decided to be douchy about it. It must no be rooted and it must not be recommend. Amazon worked very hard to get this. I for one am going to do all I can to give them what they want. Kindle needs to go the way of the Nook which actually was better than kindle but not as popular imho lol. Regardless, Death to the kindle line.
kschang said:
IMHO, it's a fine MEDIA device, but not so much a regular tablet.
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i agree... however if i didnt' have amazon instant i wouldnt' even like it for that. my feedly crashes constantly, and i get way too many random reboots on this thing.
HOWEVER its become my treadmill partner thanks to the ability to download amazon instant
Pay attention. This thing is hard to hack, therefore it must die.
Listen to yourself saying that, 100 times.
kschang said:
IMHO, it's a fine MEDIA device, but not so much a regular tablet.
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Click to collapse
I guess that's where my opinion may differ from others'. To me, a tablet is primarily a media device. Movies, TV shows, books, games, news, etc... which all work great on the Fire. Productivity is the one place that it really falls short, but even with my Nexus 7 I still prefer my laptop for productivity.
just keep it offline for the next few months...an exploit is going to be found and published, it's happened with the previous firmware versions...
raptir said:
I guess that's where my opinion may differ from others'. To me, a tablet is primarily a media device. Movies, TV shows, books, games, news, etc... which all work great on the Fire. Productivity is the one place that it really falls short, but even with my Nexus 7 I still prefer my laptop for productivity.
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Click to collapse
Depends on the media content. You can mostly work.around the YouTube issues with Google services, but that is a disadvantage other tablets don't have. I watch a lot of flash content on streaming movie sites and have found some ways to work around nuisances on most sites as well but without a good rooted pop-up blocker it is a disadvantage . It streams Amazon content fairly well but I learned how to do that long ago on a regular tablet. The screen is very nice and smooth though.
To the other guy. It isnt that the tablet must die because it's hard to hack. The tablet must die to teach corporations that they either give the public what they want or they lose. Simple pleasures I enjoy every day on normal tablets are either un attainable on the hdx or difficult at best, even if the build quality is excellent, and the hardware is outstanding Amazon needs an attitude adjustment.
FireOS is NOT Android. Never claimed to be. The current result is quite workable dual-use. I can use Unbeloved Host and/or AdAway and/or Chrome to block most ads. Amazon never designed an Android tablet. Amazon designed an AMAZON tablet (which happens to run an Android Fork).
Your "boycott" of Kindle HDX line is not going to have ANY effect on Amazon except deprive yourself, but then, you already own one. At best it's a mixed message. And you show a distinct lack of faith on ingenuity of the XDA Developer Community.
I have both Google Play services running fine along side Amazon services. I Chromecasted a bunch of cat videos to my TV today (there are two cats in the house). I download from both app stores, sometimes simultaneously. I am rooted and Xposed and Safestrapped and so on and so forth.
In other words, it's basically what you're willing to live with. Your have a different tolerance point than I do. The difference is you want Amazon to go against its nature and give you what you want, whereas I decided that the current HDX (well, technically last year's HDX) is quite usable as is with a few hacks.
Just because people aren't talking doesn't mean they aren't trying to work on it. Things come to those that are patient.
kschang said:
FireOS is NOT Android. Never claimed to be. The current result is quite workable dual-use. I can use Unbeloved Host and/or AdAway and/or Chrome to block most ads. Amazon never designed an Android tablet. Amazon designed an AMAZON tablet (which happens to run an Android Fork).
Your "boycott" of Kindle HDX line is not going to have ANY effect on Amazon except deprive yourself, but then, you already own one. At best it's a mixed message. And you show a distinct lack of faith on ingenuity of the XDA Developer Community.
I have both Google Play services running fine along side Amazon services. I Chromecasted a bunch of cat videos to my TV today (there are two cats in the house). I download from both app stores, sometimes simultaneously. I am rooted and Xposed and Safestrapped and so on and so forth.
In other words, it's basically what you're willing to live with. Your have a different tolerance point than I do. The difference is you want Amazon to go against its nature and give you what you want, whereas I decided that the current HDX (well, technically last year's HDX) is quite usable as is with a few hacks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not depriving myself in any way. I own literally dozens of tablets. I never claimed kindle as an android tablet. I claim it as an inferior product because it's OS holds it back since it is limited in many aspects that both Apple and Android have excelled in. Your argument is fragmented and invalid. You had to root in order to achieve your results. Asking for simple things such as a keyboard that half works or some control over turning off double space to period, simple things like widgets, well if that is against Amazon's nature then yes I am quite against Amazon tablets lol.