I think the iPad mini is partially getting shot down more than the new iPhone because it's a new device.  Like a lot of Apple products, the general populous will buy them regardless of design and function.  Take the 4s, essentially the same exact device as the 4, save for one widget named siri.  The iPad is basically the same thing, new device label, same guts.  Now look at the mini.  Apple is trying to push its way into an already well established market, with quality competition, and devices people can base opinion on.  They also are banking on their customers Ade foolish enough to buy without question as to quality or function, just because it has worked in the past.  Personally, I think the company is beginning to make a large mistake in assuming people will buy blindly.  I'm glad to see that it appears to be false.

Hate to say that you're incorrect in certain respects. There is a big difference between the iPhone 4 and the 4S, and I should know, I only have the 4. The processor in the 4S (A5) is way better than in the 4 (A4), so much so, that you can't run certain apps as well on the 4 as you can on the 4S. Siri is not the only difference. Also, while the updates in ios 6 have a boatload of improvements for the 4S, only a few of them run on the 4. Single core (iPhone 4) vs Dual Core (iPhone 4S), 5MP camera (4) vs 8MP camera (4S). Lots of differences between the phones.

The differences in iPad versions is just as big, EXCEPT the underwhelming iPad mini, which is basically an iPad 2, shrunken.

I think you meant 'resent'.

The "I resemble that remark" is a very OLD joke, probably too Old for this crowd. Having just turned 50,  I shouldn't have used the joke. I believe it was created by the 3 Stooges.

Quote from: Scott99 on October 16, 2012, 09:47:21 AM

Is there an iPhone app ? Can't seem to find it.

I think you'll have much better luck finding the answer to this question on a Apple forum.  Try searching on iTunes.

I was hoping someone might have known, or had the link, searching in iTunes is a horrendous experience.

I took my N7 to a kiosk at the local mall and had a Ghost Armor screen protector installed.  It cost me $30 but I consider it money well spent.  They are "experts" at installing screen protectors, clean the screen well, install it without bubbles, position it correctly, etc...  If I ever have an issue with the screen protector I just go back there and pay $5 for them to install a new one.  I've done this with all my phones and tablets and have been very happy.  I tried putting screen protectors on in the past and always had trouble with getting them positioned, getting the air bubbles out or getting some dust particle or whatever trapped underneath.

Did the same thing, and I've found Ghost Armor to be the best option I've found yet, people can't tell I have a screen protector on, amazing product, and I've had the other high end screen protectors.

My phone serves two purposes now. Calls and tether. I use my Nex7 for everything else!

I can't narrow it down to ONE thing. I use it for so many things. Love reading my books on it, watching movies, playing games (some GREAT games), surfing the web, just about everything. My laptop is getting dusty.

While I do think they have some nice specs like the HDMI out and are a good fit for a big Amazon customer I also see some disadvantages that make me still prefer the Nexus 7.   First off both Kindle Fire HDs lack GPS, gyroscope, NFC and I believe a few other sensors such as a magnetometer all of which the Nexus 7 has.  That means no location based apps or map services will work accurately with them and if you try and run apps that require these they simply won't run on the Kindle Fires.   

Another thing I don't like is that this isn't really a 'tablet' experience.  The Jelly Bean Android OS let's you customize your Nexus 7 any way you like it with wallpapers, screensavers, widgets and any additional special features you want to add.   As a 'Google Nexus' device you're also going to always have the latest and greatest tablet OS on your tablet.  Also you can use all the great google services such as gmail, google calendar, Google Voice Search, Google Now etc on the Nexus 7.    NONE of that is available on the Kindle Fire's.   

You are LOCKED into Amazon's ecosystem and have to use that crappy carousel that you can't change as the OS (it's built on top of Android 4.0...already a generation behind our Jelly Bean Nexus 7s).   You're tied to Amazon's email client and their book and movie stores.  No Google Play or outside apps or content.  The Amazon ecosystem has 50,000 apps vs. the Google Play Store's 600,000+.  And while Amazon has a ginormous book store to choose from...we have access to that too via the Kindle App.  Therefore much of the advantage of the ecosystem is basically negated.   The only real thing that Amazon offers that they don't make available to the Nexus 7 and other android tablets is their Amazon Prime video service.   But with Netflix and/or Hulu and all the other great video sites out there for the Nexus 7...who cares?  We get everything they have and more...and often without the $79 fee/year that they charge   

The one thing I'll cede to the Kindle Fire HD is that you are getting 16GB for the price of 8GB.   But you're also getting a quad core Tegra 3 processor in the Nexus 7 vs. a dual core in the Kindle Fire HD.   Screen resolution of the 7 inch is the same in both, 1280 x 800.  Now the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 does have a nice high resolution screen...it's really just about the size of an iPad...much bigger and not as portable as the Nexus 7...plus it's $299.    The bezel on these Kindle Fire HDs are huge.   The Nexus 7 is lighter and has a much smaller bezel making it more portable than the 7 inch KFHD as well.   

Finally, while the LTE option is nice...you're not getting a whole lot of data for $49.99 a year.  250MB?   I'd blow through that in a weekend.  Much rather tether my Nexus 7 to my 'all you can eat' plan on my phone.  Of course there is a rumor that Google is coming out with a cellular version of the Nexus 7 in a few weeks so we'll have to wait and see what they offer.   Personally, I don't want another expense/contract.  Wi-Fi + tethering when I need it is fine with me for my Nexus 7.

Finally, both these Kindle Fire HDs have ads forced on the user!   You can't opt out...so every time you turn the tablet on you see these ads on the front page.   No thanks!   So in a nutshell I'd still pick the Nexus 7 over these.

You bring up some excellent points, and I agree 100% with you. I am coming from the Kindle Fire world, and though I truly loved my Kindle Fire, the Nexus 7 is such an incredible tablet, I can do so much more with it, and I LOVE the freedom of a Google world vs an Amazon world. The Amazon App store really leaves a lot to be desired, compared to Google's App store. Gaming especially, I had to go outside the Amazon world just to get some good games, whereas incredible games like Dead Trigger (Tegra 3, wow !!)were available to me from the minute I turned on my Nexus 7 (July 14th). I have the Kindle App for my books, I have a monthly subscription to Netflix, and I have a feeling there will be an Amazon Instant Video App to allow us Prime members to get some of that prime goodness (they released it for the iPad right ?).

I wasn't really blown away by anything during yesterday's announcement except for: Dolby Digital w/2 speakers, HDMI, and Whispersync for almost everything seems cool.) Nothing announced yesterday has made me want to switch from the Nexus 7 to the Kindle Fire HD 7". Being that I love the 7" form factor, I don't think I'd like to upgrade to a larger form factor (8.9" or 10").

Bear with me and hear me out ladies and gents. I've been thinking about what I mean by the title of my thread, and I'll explain. back in the day, in the 1980's-early 2000's Apple made cool products, products only the rebellious kind of tech people would buy. The computers Apple made weren't the mainstream type of computers you saw in the PC world, they were different, not bogged down with Microsoft bloatwear, didn't look like everyone else's computer, and seemed revolutionary as opposed to the same old boring thing known as a PC. Everyone seemed to have a PC, like sheep, while the rebellious kind of tech geeeks, marched to a beat of a different drummer, furiously passionate about their Mac's. BUT, PCs outnumbered Macs 10-1. Apple's insignia could have easily been a Pirate's flag instead of an Apple, Apple was Captain Jack Sparrow to the PC's British Navy.

Flash forward to the present. Whenever people think of tablets, the iPad is the first tablet that comes to mind, everyone has one like sheep, though an amazing product, it's also bogged down by the overly harsh and unopened OS. Google comes out with the Android OS and several Android products (Phones & Tablets). The rebellious Tech Geeks seem to love the more open Android OS as opposed to the Apple iOS. The Nexus 7 comes out, a rebellious slap to Apple's face, this is truly what seems like an Apple product. Sleek, COOL, and outnumbered 10-1

See what I mean, Google seems like a cooler company technology wise and product wise, though the iPad seems like the simple product non rebellious Tech Geeks flock to. It seems like the old days of Macs vs PCs, with the Nexus 7 starring as the Mac and the iPad as the PC.