Nook Tablet or Kindle Fire

[Dave Lehnert]

So what tablet are you most impressed with? I like the Nook Tablet but kinda concerned the Amazon Fire will have more available.

I know it has a cloud but can you side load from the Kindle fire?

[Sean Troy]

I played with both and the Nook was slower than the fire and had problems loading some things. I bought the Fire for my wife after hands on with both.

[Bruce Page]

Amazon is reported to be developing a larger display size, (8.9 to 10.1) Kindle Fire to be released in the 2nd quarter of next year, the current Fire’s display is 7”.
LOML has a Kindle Keyboard 3G with a 6” display and has decided that she wants the 2nd gen Fire when it comes out. I like the larger 9.7 display on my iPad much better than her Kindle.

[Dave Lehnert]

Amazon is reported to be developing a larger display size, (8.9 to 10.1) Kindle Fire to be released in the 2nd quarter of next year, the current Fire’s display is 7”.
LOML has a Kindle Keyboard 3G with a 6” display and has decided that she wants the 2nd gen Fire when it comes out. I like the larger 9.7 display on my iPad much better than her Kindle.

Bigger is better but how much will it cost? I think the biggest interest in the Fire is the $199 price point.

[Bruce Page]

I’m sure the larger Kindle will cost more but it will still be significantly cheaper than an iPad, or so I have read. At $202, the current Kindle Fire costs more to produce than what Amazon sells it for. I would look for Amazon to keep that strategy with the 2nd gen Fire. They make their money in Amazon’s music, video, and ebook stores.

[Sean Troy]

Bigger is better but how much will it cost? I think the biggest interest in the Fire is the $199 price point.
Bigger is not always better. My wife was going to get an Ipad but decided if it wouldn't fit in her purse, she would rather not have it. She can put the Fire in her purse and have it anywhere she goes. I can't believe I almost bought a mac product;)

[Stew Hagerty]

I already have a "NOOKcolor" and as far as I can tell the Nook Tablet is the same thing with more RAM and a faster processor so that you can watch movies. For how I use it, I'm very happy. I read, browse the internet and my e-mail, as well as download and edit MS Office Docs. In fact, I would highly recommend one.

[Greg Portland]

So what tablet are you most impressed with? I like the Nook Tablet but kinda concerned the Amazon Fire will have more available.

I know it has a cloud but can you side load from the Kindle fire?Hacked Nook, it will do everything the Fire can and more. Amazon has a "Kindle on Android" app so you can have full access to Amazon's books & streaming content. However, you'll also have the benefit of accessing -other- content as well! The Kindles are Amazon-only (i.e. no downloading PDFs, viewing books from other retailers, etc.).

[Greg Portland]

By the way, Amazon is fine with this... they are interested in selling the e-books and don't care what hardware you use (i.e. more of a video game pricing model).

[Chris Kennedy]

Hacked Nook, it will do everything the Fire can and more. Amazon has a "Kindle on Android" app so you can have full access to Amazon's books & streaming content. However, you'll also have the benefit of accessing -other- content as well! The Kindles are Amazon-only (i.e. no downloading PDFs, viewing books from other retailers, etc.).

Are you certain about PDF's? I have the Kindle DX (top of the line reader in the old line) and it has native PDF support. I know the lower line models didn't (there was some sort of conversion utility you could use, but you had to pay for it).

Cheers,

Chris

[Greg Portland]

Are you certain about PDF's? I have the Kindle DX (top of the line reader in the old line) and it has native PDF support. I know the lower line models didn't (there was some sort of conversion utility you could use, but you had to pay for it).

Cheers,

ChrisFire and DX have native PDF support, the others do not (but there are ways to convert your files). When I said "downloading" I meant directly through the device (versus PC->USB->Kindle)... maybe they've added that feature? My point was that a rooted Nook offers near-tablet functionality while the Fire is more tightly coupled with the Amazon ecosystem.

[Eric Franklin]

The Kindle Fire & Nook Tablet are in a different market than the iPad and are hard to compare. I think Andy Ihnatko's review of the Kindle Fire in the Sun Times (http://www.suntimes.com/technology/ihnatko/8816567-452/review-kindle-fire-is-no-ipad-killer-but-it-is-a-killer-device.html) sums up the difference really well. The first 2 paragraphs of his review sum up the difference really well. To be fair, Andy is a big Apple fan but I don't think the review shows that bias.


Take an iPad, solve its two biggest problems, and you’d hope to wind up with something exactly like Amazon’s Kindle Fire. The iPad has a 10-inch screen and costs a minimum of $499. The Fire slips into many pockets and purses and will set you back just $199. Its designers started off with a fundamentally good idea, executed that idea extremely well (despite a few 1.0 hiccups), and wound up with a product that fills a sorely-felt gap in the marketplace.
The iPad and the Fire are by no means the same kind of device. But that’s part of the Rightness of what Amazon has built. The iPad is an immaculately flexible computer that can handle just about any task that you’d normally throw at a notebook. In contrast, Kindle Fire is explicitly a device for enjoying books, periodicals, music, video, and games. But it can also handle the sort of computer-ish tasks that are often necessary distractions when you spend an hour or two in a coffeeshop reading a book. Things like checking email, looking something up on the Web, or telling your Twitter and Facebook friends that this dude who just walked into the coffeeshop has the most awesome mane of heavy metal hair spotted in the wild since Poison concluded their ’86-’87 “Look What The Cat Dragged In” tour.

[Chris Kennedy]

Fire and DX have native PDF support, the others do not (but there are ways to convert your files). When I said "downloading" I meant directly through the device (versus PC->USB->Kindle)... maybe they've added that feature? My point was that a rooted Nook offers near-tablet functionality while the Fire is more tightly coupled with the Amazon ecosystem.

Ahh -- I wasn't thinking about it from the downloading standpoint (since I don't download from the web with my DX).

Cheers,

Chris

[Rick Gibson]

I voted other. I probably won't get either I prefer actual books for a couple reasons. 1. Looking around they are often cheaper than the electronic version and 2. After I finish it I can pass it on to someone else who would like it.

[Rod Sheridan]

I voted other. I probably won't get either I prefer actual books for a couple reasons. 1. Looking around they are often cheaper than the electronic version and 2. After I finish it I can pass it on to someone else who would like it.

+1..................Rod.

[Belinda Barfield]

+2 on other. Love the iPad2, it comes in really handy. Even made a lovely wood case for it. At the end of the day when I want to read I just like the feel of a book in my hands.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

I vote for iPad. I do have all of them, or did have at time. I am using iPad more then any other devices. Let see:
- reading - I can read any format on Ipad. I can read in the dark ( when my wife sleep and I don't want to turn lights on).
- browsing Internet - no restriction on iPad, much faster, native site view.
- music - can play, download, stream, access my NAS from any part of the world
- video - see above with music
- picture - see above plus can shoot reasonable quality picture and good quality video.
- battery live - obviously shorter then Kindle touch but much longer then any color e-reader from Amazon or Nook.
With all my activity I am charging my iPad once per 2-3 days.
Weight - I am strong:), I can do hold iPad:o for some time.
But any decision coming to -PERSONAL PREFERENCES.
Ed.

[Bryan Slimp]

I enjoy using the Nook Color. The iPad is a different animal. It's really a tablet PC. Like the PCs that were tablets 5 years ago, but weren't cool because they didn't have the "i" in front of their name.

If you want a nearly fully functional laptop go with the iPad. If you want to read, check baseball scores, watch videos, listen to music, sideload content, or hack the thing and have a untethered Android Tablet go with the Nook. I'd be surprised if they don't eventually open up each marketplace (Barnes and Noble and Amazon) to the other product anyway.

[Anthony Scira]

Bought 2 Kindle Fires. Love everything Amazon. The price was right and it is something I can let the kids play with.

That being said it is kind of limiting and prefer the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 but again I do not want my 3 and 6 year old sitting on the couch with a 600 dollar tablet.

[Matt Kestenbaum]

LOVE my iPad!

[Dave Lehnert]

That being said it is kind of limiting

Could you say in what way?

I guess i should have not added the I-pad to the poll. It is a totally different device. If i was looking for a replacement lap top then the I-pad would win. Just looking for something exactly what the Nook or fire does.

[Art Mulder]

Already bought a RIM playbook. Small, works quite well. Severely lacking in apps, but I'm hoping that will change now that the price is more realistic.
I can read Gmail, Facebook, Web pages, solid WiFi, play a few games, and read e-books.

What I can't do is play Angry Birds... :rolleyes:

Colleague bought the nook, but all I know is he could NOT get it to connect to the corporate secure wifi...

[Steven Hsieh]

First question is

What are you going to use it for?


You are comparing apples and oranges

[Doug Morgan]

I have a problem with all of Apple products. On the iPhone they will not allow you to download programs that would run on it but they block. Its the same with the iPad. They feel there is a issue with "security" on their web page. I don't believe it for a minute. The programs that I want to use on the iPhone are the same ones I use on my home computer. I have no security problems. I run scans on my computer daily and test the security of my network each week. I just want to have the flexibility to use the programs I deem fit for my system and not have someone else make that decision for me.

[John T Barker]

My wife works for Barnes & Noble so I would appreciate any votes and purchases of the Nook. What I hear from people I trust is that the Nook is better.

That being said I would never trade a book for some digital reading thing. I have about a dozen or more books I really want/need to read and I plan to print them and learn to bind books so I can read them as they should be read. Weird, I know.

John

[Dave Lehnert]

Thought I would update this post with my thoughts.

I have been reading everything about Nook vs Fire I can. Magazine reviews, customer reviews etc....Hours of reading. what I have concluded is you can't go wrong with any of the two. That being said it looks like the Nook is the better as far as the Tablet goes. But the Fire gets the best overall if you want the ease of down loading videos or music direct to the Fire. Nook does not have an on-line music-video store (yet) But if you are ok with downloading videos and music from your computer then loading onto your Nook . The Nook is the way to go. If you already a member of Amazon Prime, The fire will get you some free videos for no extra money. That would be the way to go for Prime Members.

I myself am going to hold off till about spring for all the bugs to shake out and see if one or the other clearly takes the lead. But by spring there will be new models and i will be back to square one.
For me it's a "Want" item and not a need.

[Dave Yanke]

Keep in mind with the Nook and a simple patch, 15 minutes out of the box you can not only access everything on the Android Marketplace, but everything on Amazon App Store and the Amazon books. AFAIK, the reverse is not true. I have the Nook Color which I rooted to do this as well so for me the only difference would be speed.

[Dave Lehnert]

Keep in mind with the Nook and a simple patch, 15 minutes out of the box you can not only access everything on the Android Marketplace, but everything on Amazon App Store and the Amazon books. AFAIK, the reverse is not true. I have the Nook Color which I rooted to do this as well so for me the only difference would be speed.

I read a lot about "rooting" but don't understand what that is. Have a link for some research?

[Dave Lehnert]

I voted other. I probably won't get either I prefer actual books for a couple reasons. 1. Looking around they are often cheaper than the electronic version and 2. After I finish it I can pass it on to someone else who would like it.

I think I have to agree with you to a point. I am looking at one because my local library lends out E-books On-line for free. What got me interested, I was looking at buying a book ($20) That I was somewhat interested in that my library offers as an e-book for free. But not as a hard copy.

[Kevin W Johnson]

I have a problem with all of Apple products. On the iPhone they will not allow you to download programs that would run on it but they block. Its the same with the iPad. They feel there is a issue with "security" on their web page. I don't believe it for a minute. The programs that I want to use on the iPhone are the same ones I use on my home computer. I have no security problems. I run scans on my computer daily and test the security of my network each week. I just want to have the flexibility to use the programs I deem fit for my system and not have someone else make that decision for me.

Apple is a control freak company. I refuse to buy their buggy, 3/4 baked products that the fan boys defend, after those same people have taken a jab at Microsoft about something.

[Kevin W Johnson]

I voted other. I probably won't get either I prefer actual books for a couple reasons. 1. Looking around they are often cheaper than the electronic version and 2. After I finish it I can pass it on to someone else who would like it.

Have to disagree on that to a point..... My wife has gotten so many free books (hundreds) on Amazon, its more that paid for the price i paid for her Kindle.

[Dave Lehnert]

Have to disagree on that to a point..... My wife has gotten so many free books (hundreds) on Amazon, its more that paid for the price i paid for her Kindle.

I was looking today for some books on American History. I noticed a bunch FREE on Kindle but $10-$12 for a paperback.

[Kevin W Johnson]

I was looking today for some books on American History. I noticed a bunch FREE on Kindle but $10-$12 for a paperback.

That list changes too. Whats free today, might not be tomorrow. Likewise, what costs today might be free tomorrow. You can also share books to other Kindle users if it's allowed for that title.

[Dave Lehnert]

Bump back to top.

Anyone get a Fire or Nook for Christmas and care to give an opinion.

[Belinda Barfield]

Bump back to top.

Anyone get a Fire or Nook for Christmas and care to give an opinion.

I received a Fire for Christmas. We also have an iPad 2. I MUCH prefer the iPad. I did a little web surfing on the Fire Christmas day but haven't picked it up other than that so I really don't know yet about books. I'm an avid reader so I'll end up at some point getting some. If it is just for reading, the Fire is fine. Basically I find it to be worthless for much of anything else.

[Leo Voisine]

I got the Fire for Christmas.

In my past not so good experiences with 2 Ipods - I have decided that I don't like apple products.

I have no past experience with any portable things of this sort, but I did get a kindle reader for my wife last year.

In my opinion, the Fire is GREAT - I love it.

It has 5 gig memory, and 5 gig cloud. Drawback to cloud - you need to have internet access.

I think a HUGE plus for the Fire would be the ability to use some sort of additional memory card.
I would LOVE to be able to use a 8 gig SD card, like in my camera.

[Van Huskey]

I got a Fire, it is back in the mail to Amazon. My wife has an iPad and LOVES it, rarely touches her laptop now. For $200 I figured I might use the Fire for some casual browsing and to read books, a TON of older books are free and I read a lot of older philosophy. I played with it for 3 days and realized it was not for me. Too small and set up like too much of a gateway to buy Amazon products. I sent it back. If I decide to get a pad of any sort I will get an iPad, I use my wife's on occasion and it seems like a better solution for me. If I only wanted to read books on it it would be fine but the size killed it for me for anything else. I am not an Apple lover, far from it but the iPhone and iPad are incredible products and though not perfect they are better than the alternatives even at a higher price point.

[James Carmichael]

Not will buy, bought two for Christmas for LOML and son. I couldn't see spending 150% more on the entry-level ipad when the fire does everything they want.

If I decide to go with a full-blown tablet PC, it'll be an Android, the apps are free.

[John Shuk]

I'd be more inclined to get the Kindle Fire. Amazon has a whole lot of products and services that dovetail nicely with tablets. Barnes and Noble is a lot more narrowly focused in my opinion.

[Jim Becker]

I have an iPad and it's perfect for my tablet needs. I also own a "regular" Kindle and it's perfect for what I bought it for. Neither device is an ideal replacement for the other. That said, if I were buying either the Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet, I'd opt for the Kindle. I feel more comfortable with Amazon for a long term relationship. But I'm not enamored with the Android OS. yes, it has tremendous potential, but the Android "ecosystem" is so fragmented because of hardware incompatibilities, too many manufacturers customizations and lack of "upgrade roadmap" for most devices, that it feels too risky for me. That hasn't been the case with iOS and remains a major plus for Apple, whether you "like" them or not.

[paul cottingham]

For a reader, I really love the kobo. Reasonably priced, and no DRM.

[Phil Thien]

I like them all. My wife prefers the Kindle Fire. It fits easily in her purse, she says it is just the right size for her.

My 16 YO daughter prefers the iPad. She prefers the apps on the iPad.

I prefer a notebook. I can't stand fingerprints on my screen.

[Alan Trout]

My wonderful mother bought my brother and myself Fire's for Christmas. For my brothers birthday last year his family bought him a I pad. Having used his I pad about as much as my fire for the money the fire is a heck of a bargain. I talked to my brother on the phone the other day and he say he prefers his Fire over his I pad because of the size and he likes the the content that Amazon offers for the fire.

I like the Fire's silk browser. It is as fast as the browser on my laptop and renders websites very well. It streams video effortlessly and the screen quality is quite good. The touch sceen sensitivity is as good as my brothers I pad. The wifi works very well and I have not had a problem connecting to any wifi I have tried yet. I do not want a 3G device as I do not need any more bills. For me the cost of ownership is quit a bit less on the Fire vs a 3G I Pad. You can use other content and aps from other providers other than Amazon you just have to go to the device settings and allow this to occur. If I did not need any specialty business applications on a vacation I could take the fire and keep up with my basic business and personal needs that I currently use my laptop for.

I am sure that the I pad is a better unit overall but it is also 2+ times the price.

Alan

[Craig Matheny]

I feel there are two issues here that need to be looked at...

First the E-Readers.... Nook / Kindle.....
The basic e-reader is the first part it is made for reading The nook has the Kindle hands down the both have their proprietary files but they both handle PDFs so most books can be gotten in the library for free or other site in the format you need. Secondly the nook with only Wifi will take a charge and last 30 + days no other reader comes close so that made the decision on the reader for us nook hands down.

Second the Tablets Nook Color / Kindle Color and all other tablets....
Nook and Kindle and pretty much all other tablets are out of the game still apple has it hands down currently and the Nook or the Kindle are E-Readers with up grades not even close. There are some new tablets no Apple that are suppose to be fantastic coming out or just released....

So decide what yo want and then buy it but know the limitaions and what you expect out of the item you buy.

just my .02

[Michael Arruda]

Voted none of the above. Just bought a Viewsonic GTablet used on ebay for $200, rooted it and loaded a Honeycomb ROM. great 10" tablet for the $$. The best part is that it has USB host capability, which means you can attach other devices to the tablet- I bought a cheap wireless keyboard and mouse for $10, plugged in the mini USB receiver, propped the tablet up and have a fully functional mini notebook with full size keyboard and mouse for browsing and content creation. It also has a faster dual core processor than a Ipad and more ram. More onboard memory than a basic ipad, with a microSD card slot. Only down side is the screen doesn't have as good viewing angle as the ipad.

As far as e-readers go, I think the best option right now is a refurbished Nook Color from B&N for $150. slower than a Nook Tablet for Kindle Fire, but if you are buying a tablet in this size range, your primary usage would be reading and some web surfing, which it is more than capable of. If you want speed, you can root it with a ROM to reliably overclock the 800Mhz CPU to 1.1Ghz. The OS is streamlined enough that even at 800Mhz, video works fine on it, though.

The only other thing to consider is if you want an eInk screen. This would be b&w, so only good for reading, but from what I understand it's far crisper, easier to read and better for your eyes on long reading sessions.

-Michael

[Larry Frank]

Two people in my family got the Kindle Fire for Christmas. I was very surprised at how well it works. Yes, it is not an ipad but it is $300 less.

Yes, it connects you to Amazon but that it the place for about the best prices on books and such. You can also connect to other sites to buy stuff.

I have used both the ipad and the kindle fire and recognize that the ipad is a more powerful tablet but the price is more than twice as much. It is great that there is so much competition which keeps the price down and offers everyone a choice.

[Bob Rufener]

Our kids bought me a Nook Tablet. I have been playing around with and am impressed with it. The one thing that made a bit of difference is that a user can insert a Mini SD card for additional storage space which feature, I don't believe, the Kindle has. I am a bit disappointed in that I was told I could download books through the public library but it appears that the list of available books is limited and there is a waiting list to download the books. Not sure if Kindle offers this feature or not. I think that both of these units will serve you well and I am sure they will improve over the years to provide heretofore unknown features.

[David Cramer]

Ipad 2. We got one for $381.73 plus tax ($404.63). Meijer's 15% off and then 10% off of that to open up a new credit card on the spot. When they have their 15% off sale, it "does apply to Apple products" as well as groceries. Not saying it's a great deal or not, but factually speaking, that's what we paid.

David

[Paul Gallian]

iPad 2------ redo the price comparison for those that are apple haters. Yes the ipad is more expensive but not out of line.. There is a fun commercial on TV that shows a couple with a new car and then the car that they really want drives by.... iPad 2 or wait for the soon to be iPad 3

[Dave Lehnert]

Our kids bought me a Nook Tablet. I have been playing around with and am impressed with it. The one thing that made a bit of difference is that a user can insert a Mini SD card for additional storage space which feature, I don't believe, the Kindle has. I am a bit disappointed in that I was told I could download books through the public library but it appears that the list of available books is limited and there is a waiting list to download the books. Not sure if Kindle offers this feature or not. I think that both of these units will serve you well and I am sure they will improve over the years to provide heretofore unknown features.

You can use most popular e-readers to download Library books. Just like a hard copy of the book at the Library an e-book can only be checked out one at a time.

[Jim Becker]

Secondly the nook with only Wifi will take a charge and last 30 + days no other reader comes close so that made the decision on the reader for us nook hands down.

I typically get that with my Kindle...Wifi only Kindle...and could likely exceed that if I turned off the WiFi to conserve power. (But I don't do that because I read through and buy more books too frequently...LOL)

[Brent Dorner]

Have the Kindle Fire... love it. Think it is about perfect size for web browsing, especially when you reclining or laying flat... at that point the 10 inch device is a bit large/bulky. Think it has a very nice display and was amazed how fast it loads movies from youtube and netflix... it is way faster than my Netflix on my tv and better quality picture. I think it has a very decent speed on the web. I guess I can't justify $500 for a basic Ipad, I would rather get a new Toshiba laptop (full on computer) and Fire and only spend about $525 for both and have the best of both worlds. I can sideload Android apps from my phone to my Fire as well so not having the entire Google apps store in the Amazon device is really no big deal. I think the 7 inch device is great for travel as well, my wife can stick it in her purse, toss it in an overnight bag or whatever. I like the cloud drive, free app a day, huge library of books, music and movies that Amazon provides. Is it the best device ever? No, but for $199 nothing else beats it in my book and spending an extra $300 for the ipad just doesn't make sense to me.

[David Cramer]

Not splitting hairs or claiming that one is better than the other, but it's only a $192 difference when tax is included on both items, not $300.

At least where I live it is, when comparing the Kindle Fire versus the Ipad2 anyways.

25% off from Meijers:) in Michigan or anywhere that there is a Meijer Store. I realize that everyone doesn't have a Meijer Store by them, but they may deliver?

David

[Brent Dorner]

Not splitting hairs or claiming that one is better than the other, but it's only a $192 difference when tax is included on both items, not $300.

At least where I live it is, when comparing the Kindle Fire versus the Ipad2 anyways.

25% off from Meijers:) in Michigan or anywhere that there is a Meijer Store. I realize that everyone doesn't have a Meijer Store by them, but they may deliver?

David

On their site it is $499 and they don't have one in my state.

[David Cramer]

On their site it is $499 and they don't have one in my state.

Yes their site says $499 Brent, but as I said, it's a sale, not their regular price (hence the percentage off) and that they are not in all states. :)Everything:) in the store is 15% off when they have a "15% off everything sale", not specifically just Ipod2's so they don't list them separately.

In addition, there is 10% more for opening a credit card on the spot. From my knowledge, the Apple Store doesn't sell them that low and never has.

My post was intended for anyone who has a Meijer's in their state Brent, not for those who don't as it will do them no good (unless they know someone who can mail it as they would still be well ahead of the game financially with the savings).

I was simply "trying" to share some good news with my fellow creekers who "have" a Meijer Store nearby but had no knowledge that they could save so much, even on Apple products. Our child, her friends, and their parents live here and they had no clue that Apple products were also included with the Meijer occasional 15% off sale....until we told them:).

David

[Jim Becker]

B&H Photo also sells Apple products at "very attractive" prices...sometimes less than corporate and educational discounts from Apple.

[Jim N Burke]

My wife has a nook color and loves it for reading. She used it occasionally for browsing and email but it is not very good at that. The Tablet has a better ability to do more web related things but it is still only a 7" screen (as is the Fire). She also has am ASUS Transformer with the keyboard dock. This is a nice combination because you get a 10" tablet plus a keyboard with touchpad AND extra battery. I have three of these at work that our member relations people take instead of laptops for working with our members. Combined with Dropbox they can carry their presentations and have an instant-on system.

I have a Motorola Xoom (10") that I use for general internet use (mail/browsing). I use the Nook app for ebooks and probably do about 1/2 of my reading on it. The Xoom is not the best for this because it is fairly heavy. The Transformer is better but still heavier (as is the iPad) than any of Kindles or Nooks. If you want mainly reading, with some internet use, go with either of them.

The keyboard dock gives you a hybrid that works like a netbook. If you want to do any kind of writing on it, this is a big plus. I have a bluetooth keyboard for my Xoom but it is not a slick as the ASUS system.

Neither the Kindle Fire nor the Nook Color is going to give the real estate on the screen that a 10" Android or an iPad will have. Although both talk about watching movies on, I'm not certain that anyone will do this after the initial novelty of it wears off - but that may just be my 56 year old eyes speaking.

My ambivalence about both the Kindle and iPad is that, while the hardware and interface is good (or superior for Apple) you are locked into their "walled gardens" for all apps and media.

On my Xoom I have both the Kindle app and the Nook app. I buy MP3s from both Amazon and Google. I can buy DRM-Free (no copy-protection) epub format ebooks from O'Reilly (computer related) or Baen (science fiction) and read them with the Nook app. I buy MP3s from Amazon and Google and have ripped my vinyl and CDs and play them on it. This will hold for most Android devices.

Just my couple of pennies.

Jim

[Scott Gibbons]

I have the Samsung Tab 10.1 and love it.

[Chuck Stewart]

Movies streamed from Amazon look great on the Fire but I have to say I was not thinking when I bought into the $70 Amazon Prime membership since it only has Wifi. If I'm at home on my broadband connection why would I watch a movie on the Fire when I've got the bigger PC screen. When i'm on the road I doubt I'll stop at a McDonalds or other Wifi hotspot to watch a movie. Sure wish Amazon would let you stream at least one movie to the unit and store for later viewing. Sprint wants $30 to use my phone as a hotspot but I'm only getting 3G in my area so that's not gonna work. So I just ordered a Roku player for $99 from amazon that will stream Amazon movies and Netflix to my TV. Guess they got me good but hey, I like that 2 day shipping from amazon and the Fire is awsome for reading books, I like the fact you can see the print now in total darkness without having to have a backlight like the older models. and Calibre (free) let me load Readers Digest, Field and Stream, and Sports Illustrated on the Fire for free though I have to re-dock to the PC to update them. Also amazon had USA Today for free 9top stories) but I keep forgetting to update before I leave the house and loose my broadband connection

[Bonnie Campbell]

I have a Kindle already, but had thought about purchasing the Fire. That is until I noticed it's Wi-Fi only. The cost might be cheap, but I want other connecting options for something bragged about for being superior. +1 on the Roku for home usage. I bought one and have more or less enjoyed it.

[Mike Null]

My wife has been using a Kindle for nearly two years and loves it but I bought her an iPad for Christmas. In theory it's an ideal device for her replacing both the Kindle and her laptop. But in reality the iPad2 has some glitches that are a nuisance so she took it back and will wait for the iPad 3. The price is terrible and if it were for me I'd go with the Fire or and Android tablet.

[Mike Null]

Just noticed in the morning paper that magicJack has a free app for the iPad which permits free calling (voip) to US and Canada.

[Mark Conde]

Since my whole family is already entrenched with Apple Apps for our Iphones and IPods--- I will buying a IPadIII this spring. It really did not take much thought.