Can Amazon stand above the fray and make sense of the Android / tablet mess? (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

What was the conclusion on whispersync of Audible and maybe getting Kindle version with Audible purchase? I'm an Audible subscriber, so might be f benefit to me.

 

[Sam Posten]

No clue Dave.
Verge looks at the strategy here:
http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/7/3298382/amazon-kindle-fire-hd-apple-ipad-tablet-strategy

 

[Sam Posten]

Cool AND creepy!
http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/07/amazons-silk-browser-now-tracking-user-behavior-for-new-trending-now-section-wait-what/

 

[DaveF]

I think some under-estimate the appeal of that data plan. I pay AT&T $15/mo for 200MB on my iPhone. Amazon is offering $4/mo for 250 MB!?!? That's about 500% cheaper! The mind reels. It makes me wonder if and why I'm being ripped off on iPhone and iPad data.

 

[Hanson]

You already answered that. It's AT&T.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

/t/311127/can-amazon-stand-above-the-fray-and-make-sense-of-the-android-tablet-mess/390#post_3971810
I think some under-estimate the appeal of that data plan. I pay AT&T $15/mo for 200MB on my iPhone. Amazon is offering $4/mo for 250 MB!?!? That's about 500% cheaper! The mind reels. It makes me wonder if and why I'm being ripped off on iPhone and iPad data.

I'm wondering something about smartphone data plans. Do they charge the usual, high tax+fees on the data plan cost for smartphones like they do for voice+text? I have no clue since my BB is completely handled by the company -- I don't see any bills for it. I'm asking this because I've been happy to see that they don't do that for the iPad's data plan (at least w/ Verizon anyway). Just wondering if that needs to be factored in as well for that sort of comparison.

Anyway, like I said above, I get 1GB/month for $20/month w/ Verizon -- and 1GB seems plenty for my/our uses since I/we rarely stream anything at all.

_Man_

 

[Sam Posten]

Yep, you missed the intro of the cheap data plan. It's real and has been there close or over a year.

 

[Sam Posten]

Flip floppin on ads:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/09/amazon-backtracks-will-remove-ads-from-kindle-fire-for-15-fee/

 

[Sam Posten]

Review are in. This is NOT good.

However, after testing the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD, I can’t agree with the sweeping claim that it is “the best tablet at any price.”
The Fire HD isn’t as polished, fluid or versatile as the iPad. It offers only a fraction of the third-party apps available on either the iPad or the Nexus 7 (and other standard Android tablets). I found that after prolonged use, the Fire HD showed signs of latency—apps and content displayed delays in launching. This latency disappeared after a reboot.
The Fire HD also assaults users with ads occupying the entire screen every time they start or resume using it. You have to pay Amazon another $15, using an obscure setting on a Web page, to escape these ads. And there are pitches to buy more content on many other screens, even those displaying your already-purchased content.

Remember that the original was janky for the first day of release too and a patch on day two fixed a lot. That isn't going to fix the shitty ad situation tho.
http://allthingsd.com/20120911/kindle-fire-hd-is-better-but-it-isnt-the-best-color-tablet/

There are two devices in this review. The first is something like an appliance — a window through which you casually view content, a way to listen to music, an e-reader for the train ride home. On that device, things like a big app selection or elaborate user experience take a back seat to content selection, price point, and simplicity. On that device, it's not about going toe-to-toe with the competition in every way (as Amazon seems to want to do), it's about offering a lot of fun stuff to consumers, and getting them to consume more. As that device, the Fire HD is a complete success. A marvel of bottom-line engineering and incredibly clever subsidies. It's a really, really good tablet for doing some very specific things.
But there's a second tablet in the review as well. One that gets compared to the iPad and Nexus 7. One that I expect to do more than just show me movies or help me shop. One that should be a companion for all kinds of things I want to do, that doesn't feel limited, that doesn't respond to my touches slowly, that doesn't make me wait.
As that device, the Fire HD still has a long way to go. I think it can get there, but it isn't there yet.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/11/3317586/kindle-fire-hd-review-7-inch

 

[Hanson]

It really looked like the same old shit when Dean Pelton annouced it. And where Google trimmed the side bezels in portrait mode to give it a sleeker shape, Amazon when for huge, symmetrical bezels, making it almost .75" wider. Between the fat bezel and overly simplified launcher, the Fire reminds me more of a Leapster Pad than an iPad.

 

[Hanson]

I already posted this in the Apple forum, but it seemed to be more at home here:



The Fire series performs a subset of what an iPad can do. With the Amazon Streaming app available on iOS, there's really nothing a Fire does that an iPad can't do but a shit ton the iPad does that the Fire is ill suited for. If/when the Amazon Streaming app comes to Android, there will be zero reason to buy the Fire over any other brand name Android tablet as well.



Zero.



Too many people were burned by the Fire last time. Unless the reviews are airtight and awesome, it's not going to replicate any of the success the original one had, which sold on goodwill as much as price.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Barnes and Noble just introduced the Nook HD and Nook HD+...
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nook/379003208

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

So the plot thickens just that extra bit. I wonder how it compares in actual practice/performance -- of course, lots of folks will be more interested in trying to root it and install some other custom ROMs instead.

_Man_

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I Picked up a Fire HD and Like it alot , it's perfect for compiling all the Amazon Ecosystem, and it does what no other tablet I've owned ever did, provides a great experience overall watching videos, with excellent Video, and fantastic Audio that is unmatched by any tablet I've owned.

 

[Sam Posten]

I like my Fire HD but if you put it and the original fire next to each other I'd have a hard time figuring out which one to grab from just the front display and in actual use I'd have to really put it through its paces to do so. This is a compliment to just what the original fire was able to accomplish at $199 a year ago more than a ding against this year's rev. Either way my nephew got my old one and I get the new one so everyone wins.
On the other hand I've been using my paperwhite for 2 ays now and it AWESOME. It is soooooo much faster and more responsive than the old kindle touch it is not even worth comparison.
The screen whiteness is awesome in use, even during day time.
The ONLY downside is that the backlighting is VERY uneven on mine. Bet they nail that next rev.

 

[DaveF]

Want the paper white!

 

[DaveF]

Got the paper white for Christmas and its been great. The touchscreen is a huge upgrade from the keyboard kindle. The backlight is a game changer for reading in bed. I love this device.

 

[Sam Posten]

Rumored specs sound like winners to me if they are indeed true:
http://bgr.com/2013/07/30/amazon-kindle-fire-hd-2-specs-exclusive/

Kindle Fire has really grown on me, simple access to android apps makes this a perfect in-bed content chewing device for me, I use it a lot more than my Nexus device which fills a similar role in not leaving the house with me. My full size iPad remains my device of choice of course, but the 7" factor has grown on me (so long as I'm not actually trying to DO anything with it more than fire off angry birds) and the price is right.

Dave, I love my Paperwhite as well. It's the best book-reading kindle they have ever made. I am super impressed with it.

 

[DaveF]

For the avid reader, i dont think you can beat the paperwhite. but for me, I'm starting to wonder if a Retina iPad mini could replace both kindle and iPad.

 

[Sam Posten]

Interesting, I would have thought they would have tried an MVNO but this might make more sense:
http://gigaom.com/2013/08/23/amazons-wireless-network-trials-are-no-mystery-its-testing-licensed-wi-fi/