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It’s not only about watching Netflix. Some of us have bought extensive video libraries from iTunes and that content can only be viewed on another apple device. Also there is the convenience of how everything syncs seamlessly between apple devices.

...which is not a slight on the Fire or other devices but a sip from the big jug of ‘kool-aid’... ;)
 
I have multiple iOS, Android, and Windows devices so I buy all my media content - ebooks, music, and video - such that they are ecosystem agnostic and can used on any of the devices. I don't own any iTunes media content.
Yep.

I don't buy DRM-protected media from iTunes but I've got plenty of iTunes media from Blu-ray Digital HD code redemptions particularly now that a lot of my UltraViolet movies have been added to the MoviesAnywhere service.
 
...which is not a slight on the Fire or other devices but a sip from the big jug of ‘kool-aid’... ;)
Since making that post I purchased one of the kindle fire kids tablets for my 2 year old son. The quality isn’t there for me. I get that they are £50 but the build quality is poor.
 
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Since making that post I purchased one of the kindle fire kids tablets for my 2 year old son. The quality isn’t there for me. I get that they are £50 but the build quality is poor.

Yep, I get it.
I’m thinking of buying one for my child. I understand ‘the quality isn’t there’ but I also understand my child won’t care about that so long as the favourite apps and tv are there...they also do the ‘break it get a new one, no questions asked’ for two years.

I can see why people go for that deal all things considered, despite the drawbacks in quality.
 
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Yep, I get it.
I’m thinking of buying one for my child. I understand ‘the quality isn’t there’ but I also understand my child won’t care about that so long as the favourite apps and tv are there...they also do the ‘break it get a new one, no questions asked’ for two years.

I can see why people go for that deal all things considered, despite the drawbacks in quality.
Well that’s pretty much why I bought it. It’s ok for my 2 years old but I wouldn’t boy one for myself.
 
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I know I’m quoting a post from Dec 2017, but can anyone tell me if the kindle works better in direct or indirect outside sunlight when it comes to reading and especially videos? If the kindle actually works better (visibility) under sunlight as seen in the video below, that’ll be one area where it would trump the ipad. That’s one point on the quality scale in favor of the kindle.

Edit: I know there’s a difference between the paperwhite and fire, but just wanted to know if the fire is as good as the paper under sunlight.


You’ll hate it. I bought a kindle fire for my daughter and they’re so cheap I can’t say anything good about them. The software is unintuitive, the screen is poor, battery life is short and it’s slow. It’s been used for about a month and in a drawer since as she just uses my iPad.

They may be cheaper than an iPad, but they’re miles below the minimum cost needed for a reasonable tablet.
 
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I know I’m quoting a post from Dec 2017, but can anyone tell me if the kindle works better in direct or indirect outside sunlight when it comes to reading and especially videos? If the kindle actually works better (visibility) under sunlight as seen in the video below, that’ll be one area where it would trump the ipad. That’s one point on the quality scale in favor of the kindle.

Edit: I know there’s a difference between the paperwhite and fire, but just wanted to know if the fire is as good as the paper under sunlight.
Kindle Fire and iPad both use LCD while the Kindle Paperwhite uses e-ink. For direct sunlight, e-ink > LCD. Fire and iPad would be around the same. Higher end iPads with fully laminated displays and AR coating should do better than the Fire in direct sunlight albeit they still don't hold a candle to the Paperwhite (which looks almost like matte paper).
 
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Kindle Fire and iPad both use LCD while the Kindle Paperwhite uses e-ink. For direct sunlight, e-ink > LCD. Fire and iPad would be around the same. Higher end iPads with fully laminated displays and AR coating should do better than the Fire in direct sunlight albeit they still don't hold a candle to the Paperwhite (which looks almost like matte paper).

The Oasis looks freakin AMAZING outside!
When I saw it, I was sooooo tempted, but most of my eBooks are from another vendor.

If amazon ever did a deal where I could swap my eBooks for Kindle books... SOLD!
 
The Oasis looks freakin AMAZING outside!
When I saw it, I was sooooo tempted, but most of my eBooks are from another vendor.

If amazon ever did a deal where I could swap my eBooks for Kindle books... SOLD!
Given a lot of my reading comprises of ongoing fanfics (so I often use tablets for expediency), I simply don't use e-ink based readers often enough to justify the cost of the Oasis. Plus, I read in bed and constantly shift positions so the lack of customization for rotation is a downside. I do own a couple of Paperwhites, though. One for books purchased on Amazon and another jailbroken used only for sideloaded fanfics. :p

When I have a migraine, I can't stand LCDs at all but paper and e-ink (even front-lit) are tolerable. Frequent migraines is the reason I started using the Kindle again (even got a refurb $90 PW3 32GB Manga from Woot).
 
We have Amazon Fire Tablets all over the house... keeps the old people (I'm in my 50's but we have the In-laws living with us) Busy. and when the Grand kids come... Sorry... but they are rough on things so an iPad is out of the Question for them to ruin. My iPad Pro is MINE. I will allow my wife to use it anytime she wants... but for everyone else it's off limits.

Again... The coolness of Alexa Still beats Siri out at the house here as well. The Things the Apple Home Pod was supposed to do didn't happen with the release... until it does all the things It was *supposed to*... I'll stick with Alexa.

I really do think dollar for dollar... you can't beat the Amazon Fire tablets... Theres just no comparison to pretty nearly anything for the money. It wins Hands down in Value.

It doesn't feel expensive, but I wouldn't say it's poorly built. It's just not an All aluminum Chassis or Stainless steel or anything... The plastic back and stuff are just par for the course In everything but the expensive tablets. Asus had some really nice stuff back when the iPad 3/4 came out, but the price was pretty nearly equal to the iPad too... Samsungs... we have 'em at work and they feel as cheap as the fire Tablets to me... have to be put in a protective cover to keep from killing them daily... I would be alright with the Fire Tablet without the covers...
 
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The screen feels like plastic and you have to press really hard on it to register a touch.
That's odd. It must be a personal perception thing. The Fire HD's screen is Gorilla Glass. If you have to "press really hard" to register a touch then perhaps the unit you tried was faulty. The thing is virtually indestructible.
Here's a video (jump to the 3:34 mark) showing an example of that:

direct link:
https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff7BnMmAaII&t=3m34s
 
Yeah... I have had the great experience with the Fire Tablets as well... they are excellent and at a fraction of the cost... (A VERY Small Fraction)
 
Yeah... I have had the great experience with the Fire Tablets as well... they are excellent and at a fraction of the cost... (A VERY Small Fraction)
Me too as well, picked up a HD 10, and side loaded google apps. Also iTunes for android can be side loaded as well, actually it is faster than my ipad mini 3, which doe not like ios 11. Again, its price point for a media consumption device, if I breaks your not out of a lot of cash. I use mine with a pair of Sony Bluetooth head phones. Alexa is cool on it. Also any books you buy on amazon with the fire can also be read by Alexa. I used to fly a lot, so it worked perfect on flights.
 
That's odd. It must be a personal perception thing. The Fire HD's screen is Gorilla Glass. If you have to "press really hard" to register a touch then perhaps the unit you tried was faulty. The thing is virtually indestructible.
Here's a video (jump to the 3:34 mark) showing an example of that:

direct link:
https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff7BnMmAaII&t=3m34s
I suspect the fire HD might be using higher specs than the smaller 7 inch tablets.
 
I suspect the fire HD might be using higher specs than the smaller 7 inch tablets.

This is Absolutely true. However they look and feel a lot alike, the 7 inch tablets (of which I have 3) aren't as responsive as the 10" HD model (Latest version). All of mine were purchased around Christmas last year. The smaller ones are the sacrificial ones for the Grand Kids. They were always coming to the house without their Tablets and wanted to get on my wife's Fire HD10 and load more garbage games and crap on it... so I bought something for them to destroy mostly... We See them at least 2 -4 times a month. due to Child custody BS between the Step son and his Baby Mommas... and his legal status (Always in trouble with the law one way or another... soon to go to jail for a very long time I think, so we welcome the Gran Kids always, and him as required).

Anyway... try the HD 10 and compare... it's not bad at all. Until you have 30 or 40 open apps and windows and don't know it... it takes some getting used to for sure. Especially keeping the apps and windows shut down when not in use... and TURN OFF ALL THE ADVERTISING (this is something you can pay Amazon an extra 15 but to turn of ads - extortion monies) to keep your sanity as well...
 
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I suspect the fire HD might be using higher specs than the smaller 7 inch tablets.
You said that the build quality is poor. It might be a matter of semantics or, based on what you said regarding the responsiveness of the screen, it sounds more like you had a defective unit. In either case, I don't think that your experiences are reflective of what the majority of owners experience. But I am in no way refuting what you experienced. It IS your experience.

I owned a Fire 7 before getting the HD 10. The build quality was fine. My definition of good build quality: The glass was well fit to the body with no gaps. It was very rigid with no flexing. The touch screen was responsive. The screen was bright and evenly lit. There are some who "defend" the iPad against the Fire by claiming that the reason the quality is so high on those inexpensive tablets is because Amazon loses money on the tablet sales but makes it up on the services they charge for. I haven't seen any evidence to back up that claim, but even they acknowledge the Fire's good build quality.

The Fire HD is often viewed as nothing more than a consumption device to consume Amazon services. That is indeed Amazon's intent. But the reason I posted that photo of my HD 10 is because the HD 10 has the potential to be used beyond that. Bluetooth keyboard, Mouse, SD card support, and comprehensive support for USB peripherals (it handled everything that I attached to it) I found that pretty surprising for a device targeted and marketed as a consumption-only device.
 
You said that the build quality is poor. It might be a matter of semantics or, based on what you said regarding the responsiveness of the screen, it sounds more like you had a defective unit. In either case, I don't think that your experiences are reflective of what the majority of owners experience. But I am in no way refuting what you experienced. It IS your experience.

I owned a Fire 7 before getting the HD 10. The build quality was fine. My definition of good build quality: The glass was well fit to the body with no gaps. It was very rigid with no flexing. The touch screen was responsive. The screen was bright and evenly lit. There are some who "defend" the iPad against the Fire by claiming that the reason the quality is so high on those inexpensive tablets is because Amazon loses money on the tablet sales but makes it up on the services they charge for. I haven't seen any evidence to back up that claim, but even they acknowledge the Fire's good build quality.

The Fire HD is often viewed as nothing more than a consumption device to consume Amazon services. That is indeed Amazon's intent. But the reason I posted that photo of my HD 10 is because the HD 10 has the potential to be used beyond that. Bluetooth keyboard, Mouse, SD card support, and comprehensive support for USB peripherals (it handled everything that I attached to it) I found that pretty surprising for a device targeted and marketed as a consumption-only device.
It may well be faulty but it works and for now my 2 year old doesn’t seem to mind. I don’t think it’s only my perception about the screen because my dad used it a few weeks ago and made the same observations. I also find the screen to be quite dull and the resolution is sub 720p, however for £80 I don’t think you can expect much more. I would rather buy an £80 fire tablet than an £80 android tablet as the support from amazon will be a lot better and last for longer.
 
I had a Fire HDX at one time when they made iPad competitors, and it was wonderful hardware-wise. Until the iPad Pro the speakers on that thing were the best I'd ever heard on a mobile device. The FireOS or whatever was annoying though, and it was a pain to sideload Google Play + gapps because they would break all the time.

But looking at the recent cheaper Kindles, I think for just browsing the web and music it would be perfectly fine, and really anything else as phones/tablets are pretty overpowered for what most people need. Will it be iPad nice? No. Will it do everything? Yup
 
The Paperwhite and other e-ink readers are also backlit so I think they are the best for reading from darkness to bright sunlight.

E-ink readers are NOT backlit. They are front lit, with the light shining DOWN onto the screen (like a lamp, only right on top of the screen). Backlit means that the lighting is shining from underneath the screen up at your eyes.

With that said, e-ink readers, especially the ones with internal lighting, are best for just plain reading in all lighting conditions. The non-lit ones need an external light source for reading in dark or low light.
 
E-ink readers are NOT backlit. They are front lit, with the light shining DOWN onto the screen (like a lamp, only right on top of the screen). Backlit means that the lighting is shining from underneath the screen up at your eyes.

With that said, e-ink readers, especially the ones with internal lighting, are best for just plain reading in all lighting conditions. The non-lit ones need an external light source for reading in dark or low light.
Yep, this. Of course, it all depends on what you're reading. Comics and magazines, for example, are nicer on LCD.

The 6-8" e-ink readers are great for fiction. The bigger ones are good for manga, too. I actually do read manga on a 6" Paperwhite 3 (300ppi) but I know a number of folks who find it too small for that. I've also tried reading manga on an older Paperwhite 2 (212ppi) but there were a lot of stuff that's illegible due to the low pixel density.
 
E-ink readers are NOT backlit. They are front lit, with the light shining DOWN onto the screen (like a lamp, only right on top of the screen). Backlit means that the lighting is shining from underneath the screen up at your eyes.

With that said, e-ink readers, especially the ones with internal lighting, are best for just plain reading in all lighting conditions. The non-lit ones need an external light source for reading in dark or low light.

Apologies. You are correct :).
 
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