I would have never considered buying any tablet because I believe they are all overpriced, gimmicky, unwieldy, and quite useless. There was a single way of making me want to purchase a tablet and that was by calling it a Kindle. And this is exactly what Amazon did.
These cruel, cruel folks at Amazon just released a temptation that it might not be within my powers to resist. This thing of beauty is called Kindle Fire. People who have been reading this blog for a while know that my attachment to my Kindle is very powerful. The amount of joy I have derived from my Kindle in the three and a half years of using it has been immense.
As you can see, Kindle Fire is smaller and lighter than the iPad. It is also a lot cheaper than even the lowest priced Apple tablet.Kindle Fire costs $199. That’s cheaper than even the cheapest iPod touch.
Unlike an iPad, it doesn’t have a camera or a microphone. I don’t really know what use the iPad’s camera is, though. I once saw a student try to take a picture with this unwieldy, bulky device, and it didn’t look like fun. The number of apps you will have access to on Amazon’s tablet is 250,000, as opposed to 425,000+ iPad apps.
Kindle Fire will be available on November 15 but it can be pre-ordered now.
I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist it, people.
Clarissa's Blog 
My wife and I both looked at iPads when they first came out and decided that they weren’t for us. They are too big for me, I would rather have a Palm Pilot and a desktop. They were too small for her. She augmented her Palm Pilot with a netbook and left her laptop at home on her last trip back to the States. But this appears to be something more than a Palm Pilot, at a reasonable price, and small enough to put in a coat pocket. I am very tempted!
LikeLike
Thanks for the support! I tried using iPad this summer but I can’t hold it in one hand without destroying my wrist. I have to prop it against something to read. And I don’t have a handbag big enough to fit it.
Kindle Fire, though. . . Oh, Kindle Fire.
Amazon should really give free KFs to early adopters of the Kindle who have been passionately promoting it for years out of love for the product. (Namely, ME). 🙂
LikeLike
The Kindle Fire sounded promising in some respects, but alas is too small. I’m not that into tablets anyway, but if they release a 10-inch version I might consider it.
LikeLike
Here, have some more pictures ! http://www.bgr.com/2011/09/28/amazon-kindle-fire-hands-on/
As far as I know, it also has an Android OS instead of iOS. That means you can work on it and tinker with it without voiding the warranty. If you are lucky, you can even copy files from your computer on it by just plugging it into your computer!
LikeLike
Thank you, Tim! The temptation is getting greater with every passing moment. 🙂
LikeLike
As a side note, Kindle’s customer support seems to be exceptionally good. I had hinted that I would like one and my wife gave me one for my birthday in June. I loved it. Then, last week it died and could not be resurrected. I called Kindle support and they sent me, via UPS two day service, a new one at no charge along with a prepaid UPS mailer to return the defective one. I haven’t had much contact with other customer service groups, but none have been as prompt and obliging as my contact with Kindle.
LikeLike
I do not have a Kindle, nor a complicated phone or iPod. But It streikes me that the Kindle Fire has a big problem: Its battery life is too short. Does not the Kindle have a battery life of a fortnight or more? Maybe even two months? Having to recharge every day or so seems like a real headache. This is also why I never take a laptop on trips. If I could take a ten day trip with a laptop and leave my charger at home, it would be tempting.
LikeLike