Author Topic: Amazon Kindle Fire HD Family (Read 4945 times)

S.Prime · « **on:** September 07, 2012, 08:33:01 AM »

Amazon announced the new Kindle Fire HD Family yesterday with some impressive specs, but would you be willing to give up your Google Play Store apps and have advertisement pushed to your lock screen? Certainly the original Kindle Fire had some impressive first year sales, but how will its new HD line fair with the competition from the Nexus 7? Also, is this the beginning of the tablet wars?

Kindle Fire HD Pricing:

Edit:
BTW, My choice remains the Nexus 7

S.Prime

Babyfacemagee · « **Reply #1 on:** September 07, 2012, 08:56:46 AM »

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.

frank · « **Reply #2 on:** September 07, 2012, 09:17:28 AM »

This is a pretty close fight and will definitely benefit consumers. Just some counter points...

The (free) map apps are lousy anyway. I've had GPS turned off on my N7 for the past month. Wifi based location will still work for things like weather.

I'm sure the new kindle will be rooted and have ROMs available as quickly as the old kindle and N7. Users will only be locked into the ecosystem if they choose to stay there. For those that aren't capable of figuring out root, a sandbox ecosystem is probably easier to handle anyway.

Jury's still out on which processor is better. They're likely very comparable. Dual core vs quad core doesn't necessarily mean its better. http://dottech.org/android/78943/nexus-7-vs-7-inch-kindle-fire-hd-which-is-the-better-7-inch-android-tablet/

That said, I'm still very happy with my N7. Jelly Bean has been pretty awesome so far.

Babyfacemagee · « **Reply #3 on:** September 07, 2012, 09:21:41 AM »

A counter to your counter

. With the Nexus7 you don't have to wait weeks for a custom ROM to get the latest version of Android and months for that matter to get a really stable version via CyanogenMod etc. With the Nexus 7 your tablet is always up to date from day one as soon as the latest version gets pushed to your tablet. No waiting or rooting needed for that full tablet experience. Also, personally, I find the 'carousel' of the Kindle Fires to be stifling. It's really just a catalog...it's not really a full blown OS. It' more like having a grown up ipod that plays videos and shows books in addition to music than it is a real tablet OS. There's no depth or flexibility to it. Can't even put a wallpaper on the thing.

Scott99 · « **Reply #4 on:** September 07, 2012, 09:41:32 AM »

Quote from: Babyfacemagee on September 07, 2012, 08:56:46 AM

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").

frank · « **Reply #5 on:** September 07, 2012, 10:19:15 AM »

Quote from: Babyfacemagee on September 07, 2012, 09:21:41 AM

A counter to your counter . With the Nexus7 you don't have to wait weeks for a custom ROM to get the latest version of Android and months for that matter to get a really stable version via CyanogenMod etc. With the Nexus 7 your tablet is always up to date from day one as soon as the latest version gets pushed to your tablet. No waiting or rooting needed for that full tablet experience. Also, personally, I find the 'carousel' of the Kindle Fires to be stifling. It's really just a catalog...it's not really a full blown OS. It' more like having a grown up ipod that plays videos and shows books in addition to music than it is a real tablet OS. There's no depth or flexibility to it. Can't even put a wallpaper on the thing.

Totally agree, out of the box I love the N7 feel. I think the kindle's ecosystem is more ios-like. So better suited for beginners or folks who dont like to tinker.

coolbreeze · « **Reply #6 on:** September 07, 2012, 10:35:14 AM »

The truth on which meets consumers needs best will be answered over the next weeks, months and year as we watch and compare where consumers are putting their money. We should have a post that tracks monthly comparative sales numbers created.

Babyfacemagee · « **Reply #7 on:** September 07, 2012, 10:51:18 AM »

Neither company would ever release monthly sales figures. Amazon hasn't ever broken down Kindle Fire sales by numbers and frankly I doubt we'll get those kinds of specifics from Google either. Frankly I'd rather keep this forum focused on the N7 anyway. Having one thread discussing the comparative positives and negatives of each is fine but I don't think having sub-forums for every competing tablet that comes down the pike is beneficial for the forum. The iPad Mini is rumored to be coming out next month as well so we'll have yet another competitor in the ~7 inch market...and then I'm sure there will be more and more. I think HTC is rumored to have a new one coming as well. Then next year a new Nexus 7 will probably be released with upgraded specs etc etc. It'll never end. Maybe I should create a sub-board at some point called 'The Competitors' or 'Competing Tablets' or something similar. For now just having it in 'The Lounge' is fine though.

chaikenj · « **Reply #8 on:** September 07, 2012, 11:25:14 AM »

The Kindle app for Android looks great on the N7, and you can buy any Amazon content you want for your N7. Plus, you have all the additional content on the N7 that you can't get on the Kindle Fire without rooting. So it would have to be something unrelated that attracts customers to the Kindle Fire.

I spend most of the year outside the US, so a big downside for me buying a Kindle Fire in the US is that you can't download most Amazon apps to the KF if your IP is outside the US.

Last I checked, you could not attach a keyboard or mouse to the KF micro-USB port, something I do quite often with my N7 using an OTG cable.

JayJ · « **Reply #9 on:** September 07, 2012, 12:52:52 PM »

Great read guys, some great points and relevant opinions.
Personally being in the UK I have no experience with the Kindle Fire, the Amazon App Store was only finally released here in the UK just a few days ago which makes me think we may just see this new generation of Kindle Fires reach UK shores.

Personally I'm not about to leave the Android experience for a closed system like the Kindle Fires use, that's one of the main reasons I hate A**le and it's iOS. I think I'm going to be an Androidian forever, unless something just as open and better comes along...

coolbreeze · « **Reply #10 on:** September 07, 2012, 03:33:58 PM »

Quote from: Babyfacemagee on September 07, 2012, 10:51:18 AM

Neither company would ever release monthly sales figures. Amazon hasn't ever broken down Kindle Fire sales by numbers and frankly I doubt we'll get those kinds of specifics from Google either. Frankly I'd rather keep this forum focused on the N7 anyway. Having one thread discussing the comparative positives and negatives of each is fine but I don't think having sub-forums for every competing tablet that comes down the pike is beneficial for the forum. The iPad Mini is rumored to be coming out next month as well so we'll have yet another competitor in the ~7 inch market...and then I'm sure there will be more and more. I think HTC is rumored to have a new one coming as well. Then next year a new Nexus 7 will probably be released with upgraded specs etc etc. It'll never end. Maybe I should create a sub-board at some point called 'The Competitors' or 'Competing Tablets' or something similar. For now just having it in 'The Lounge' is fine though.

Makes sense.

S.Prime · « **Reply #11 on:** September 07, 2012, 04:43:52 PM »

I think we can all agree that after looking at Amazon's new Kindle Fire HD Family, at this point we do not regret out Nexus 7 choice. Personally for me, it comes down to the business model surrounding the device. Apple has led the market with the iTunes Store and a high priced device, then Amazon introduced a new business model with restriction to the Amazon Store and a lower buy in point with the Kindle Fire, and Google maintained the low buy in point and capitalized on the larger Google Play Store, a more open OS and added hardware with the Nexus 7, now Amazon has countered, but lacks the open OS and the larger source of content. So, IMO, the business model surrounding the device will drive my choice and at this point the Nexus 7 has the lead.