Kindle Fire in an iPad Household -- Some Thoughts

[Kaykaykay]

Thanks for the help kaykaykay. A netbook is just a small laptop and my wife is already using the laptop. I would like to get her an android tablet so we don't have to worry about the virus issues and she won't have compatibility issues. I guess I'll keep looking. Thanks for the advice.

Word was last year that Amazon would put out a bigger, better tablet this year, so maybe check or wait and see?

 

[twerppoet]

. . .But at least for this forum, a more relevant question is whether to purchase another iPad or opt for a KF. That's a silly question for single folks. Unless you're a gadget freak. . .

Thanks for the review, jsh.

I will continue to resist buying one (it's not always easy) and save my money for the next generation iPad.

Strangely I find it easier to resist buying one when I'm fiddling with it in the store than when I'm reading about it. I don't think Amazon has perfected their reality distortion field yet, it only works at extended ranges.

 

[Kaykaykay]

I will continue to resist buying one (it's not always easy) and save my money for the next generation iPad.

Strangely I find it easier to resist buying one when I'm fiddling with it in the store than when I'm reading about it. I don't think Amazon has perfected their reality distortion field yet, it only works at extended ranges.

Since you already have an iPad, you're not missing much unless you want a smaller, kludgier tablet with Android, unless you're the kind of user who would root the crap out of it and turn it into a phaser or something, lol.

 

[jsh1120]

Thanks for the review, jsh.

I will continue to resist buying one (it's not always easy) and save my money for the next generation iPad.

Strangely I find it easier to resist buying one when I'm fiddling with it in the store than when I'm reading about it. I don't think Amazon has perfected their reality distortion field yet, it only works at extended ranges.

Interesting you say that. I've had the opposite reaction. The KF's available in stores are crippled, unable to access the internet, etc. I was more impressed by one purchased by a friend and the latter impression has held with ours. I think the sample versions in the stores have a prototype version of the OS, not updated, and problematic at best. As noted, though, I can't really see why anyone would want both an iPad and a KF unless it's a case of multiple users in a household or the form factor of the iPad just doesn't work for you when you're on the go. The iPad is still the tablet that rules them all. But there's a very large niche for the KF.

It would help, of course, if the iPad were not such a PITA for multiple users to access. I've noted before that my biggest disappointment with the iPad was the lack of support for individual user accounts. The KF doesn't fully support that functionality but it comes much closer than the iPad (and that was a complete surprise to me.) Along that line, my wife noticed this evening that when she opened a book on her KF it informed her that the book was being read on her other Kindle. It then asked if she would like to change the page to the stopping point on the other Kindle or retain her place. Very slick if more than one person is using the same account with different devices to read the same book. Even slicker was the fact that since the Kindle cannot determine one's actual location, her KF provided information about the point where the other Kindle on her account had reached in Greenwich Mean Time.

 

[twerppoet]

I admit, if I got it, it would just be a toy. I've always had a weakness for gadgets. After the first week it would probably end up buried under a pile of books or other less identifiable debris.

 

[Kaykaykay]

I admit, if I got it, it would just be a toy. I've always had a weakness for gadgets. After the first week it would probably end up buried under a pile of books or other less identifiable debris.

Something to be said for toys!

I don't know whether you have Prime, but one thing I've been doing is loading up on freebies -- apps, music and borrowed books on KF. I also watch free Prime movies sometimes. So I get the smaller form factor for books, my husband gets to play Angry Birds on a size that he finds ideal, and we get freebies through Prime, which we already pay for. Yeah for play!

 

[leelai]

Wonderful Review Jsh1120,
Enjoy reading your posts, as always!

Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[jsh1120]

Thanks for the help kaykaykay. A netbook is just a small laptop and my wife is already using the laptop. I would like to get her an android tablet so we don't have to worry about the virus issues and she won't have compatibility issues. I guess I'll keep looking. Thanks for the advice.

drb,

I think your wife is an ideal candidate for a Samsung Galaxy 10.1, an ASUS Transformer or a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet. Take a look at the Lenovo models. Each supports USB storage. Not a big savings compared to an iPad but the Lenovo's bundled software and the availability of a great physical keyboard option (Lenovo makes the best keyboards in the industry) would seem to meet your requirements.

 

[Kaykaykay]

If budget extends to tablets pricier than the KF, it might be worth waiting. The annual Consumer Electronics Show is going on in Vegas this week, and that's where a lot of gadgets are unveiled.

This is one I'm interested in that is supposed to be shown at CES, but hasn't started selling in the U.S. yet:

Lenovo IdeaTab S2 10 Android 4.0 tablet revealed - SlashGear

Lenovo is supposed to be uniting its tablets under the IdeaPad label, and I'm keen to see what else is coming. I've had great experience with its ThinkPads and IdeaPads (netbooks) vs. other laptops I've owned over the years, and I highly recommend those. I recently replaced my laptop with another ThinkPad after returning a Mac Book Pro and a Samsung piece of crap. I find Lenovo products unsexy but very functional. I haven't used its tablets, though.

 

[jsh1120]

Good catch, Kay. I hadn't seen that report. If anyone stands a chance of carving out a "business productivity" niche in the tablet market, I think it's Lenovo. Their fan base is much smaller than Apple's but just as loyal. (And with good reason.) I hadn't heard that Lenovo was planning to unite their tablet offerings (currently split between the consumer IdeaPad professional ThinkPad lines) under a single product line but I'm not surprised. The distinctions between the first IdeaPad Tablet and ThinkPad Tablet were minor and frankly rather confusing. If I were looking for a tablet that met solely my own needs rather than those of multiple members of my family, Lenovo would be the first place I'd look.

 

[drb_52]

I intend to look at all of the options when the new tablets come out. I expect there will be some price reductions on the old models and will look at those too. The Lenova tablets do look to be a front runner, but I'll have to see what's available at the time.
Thanks again for all the advice.