# What's Your Favorite Feature?



## kadac00 (Jan 30, 2010)

So what hidden gem or unexpected feature have you found that pleasantly surprised you?

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I can't say it's a hidden gem, but tv shows stream so much better on my Fire than on my Roku or iPad. We have watched 5 episodes without a single pause or stutter. With my crappy Internet, I didn't expect such great results.


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## teralpar (May 18, 2010)

Luvmy4brats said:


> I can't say it's a hidden gem, but tv shows stream so much better on my Fire than on my Roku or iPad. We have watched 5 episodes without a single pause or stutter. With my crappy Internet, I didn't expect such great results.


I agree. Video streaming is great! Doesn't buffer like my Roku and Android phone. Pandora plays well also. When I listen to Pandora on my iPhone, after about an hour it just disconnects for no reason. On my Android phone, it buffers for about 1-2 minutes after playing a couple of songs.


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## kadac00 (Jan 30, 2010)

That is what Andra and I noticed as well. My phone and other tablet have more powerful processors but have all kinds of background processes running.  The fire streams better than either of them.

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## Shadin (Dec 29, 2009)

Streaming movies and shows.  Though game playing is a close second.

Sent from my Kindle Fire


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

I'm on my 4th or 5th episode of STS9 tonight. I can watch on the Fire while I play on the iPad


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## jd78 (Dec 8, 2009)

How about the complete package? Seriously... Price and Size! I have owned an iPad 1&2 and just found myself not using it enough to justify $600 device. The Fire has exceeded my expectations. Even some of the features I did not expect to even use (Magazines), I found myself really enjoying.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

jd78 said:


> How about the complete package? Seriously... Price and Size! I have owned an iPad 1&2 and just found myself not using it enough to justify $600 device. The Fire has exceeded my expectations. Even some of the features I did not expect to even use (Magazines), I found myself really enjoying.


Same here. I have an iPad 1. Use it very little. Has not been worth the $$($?) for me. I do like my Fire. Think I will more and more. Size and weight compared to iPad are definite pluses for me.


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## kadac00 (Jan 30, 2010)

That's funny! I was scrolling thru looking for something to test stream and STS9 was the first thing I picked. Resistance is futile!

I had tried zinio for magazines on Andra's xoom but didn't find any I wanted. Was looking on the fire and found one of my favorites that I had let the subscription lapse on.

The price/package is compelling enough it might be my Christmas present to my mom this year.


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## averyjune (Mar 8, 2011)

Hadn't even thought about magazines. So happy to hear that the streaming is good!

So excited!


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## trastan (Nov 14, 2011)

Definitely the Amazon video store. The SD versions of shows are priced pretty nicely, and look fantastic on the Fire. I'd not used the service before, and had accumulated about $25 in video credit, which I'm putting toward the new Thundercats season pass (because I like awesome things). The service fills a void: Blu-Ray for movies, Netflix streaming for videos I want to see, but don't care to own, and, now, the Amazon video store for those TV shows that I want permanently in my collection. I think I'm going to enjoy this system.


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## ~joanna~ (Feb 1, 2009)

I really like the magazine apps.  I have really enjoyed the advanced features in the magazines.  I have just tried Better homes and gardens and Parents but they have been extensive and beautifully formatted


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I love the streaming.  I don't see it replacing my iPad 1, which I just about live on.  The Fire is too small for me for many of the things I do and I use the iPad with a bluetooth keyboard with the iPad for about 80 per cent of my Internet posts.  Can't do that with the Fire.  But I got it as a supplement, for media consumption mostly, and it does that very well indeed!  Also like games1

Betsy


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## racheldeet (Jan 21, 2010)

jd78 said:


> How about the complete package? Seriously... Price and Size! I have owned an iPad 1&2 and just found myself not using it enough to justify $600 device. The Fire has exceeded my expectations. Even some of the features I did not expect to even use (Magazines), I found myself really enjoying.


This this this. I don't need a $600 device to watch Netflix and read books, for goodness' sake.


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## jeremy81 (Feb 27, 2009)

Probably Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube video streaming. Since widescreen video is displayed full screen vs. with black bars on the iPad the video isn't actually much smaller on the Fire.


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## trastan (Nov 14, 2011)

jeremy81 said:


> Probably Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube video streaming. Since widescreen video is displayed full screen vs. with black bars on the iPad the video isn't actually much smaller on the Fire.


It seems like a minor point, but that was always in the back of my mind when watching videos on my iPad. Seeing those blank black bars made me feel like I was using the device for something other than its intended purpose, and helped reinforce the realization that it was just more machine than my tablet uses required. I said it in another thread, but I have gladly switched from the iPad to the Fire, and I've actually found MORE uses for the latter than I could with the former. jd78 had it right - it's the package that makes the Fire something special. The size is *exactly* what I want from a tablet, including the aspect ratio, and I still have difficulty believing that it only cost me $199.

Don't get me wrong - the iPad is obviously a more powerful and capable machine in general. But the combination of tight integration with Amazon's digital services, Flash-capable browser (I've found that this means more to me than what I believed during my iPad days), small size, and low cost actually make this device more useful to me, and more likely for me to be carrying it around.


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