# Kindle 8.9 for Christmas!



## balconyrat (Dec 26, 2012)

I have followed this forum for several weeks hoping I might receive a Fire HD 8.9 from Santa. Well, I did! It is everything I had thought and hoped it to be. I am interested in content and was not looking to make my Fire a laptop replacement. I can hardly wait for summer so I can get out on my balcony with this thing. In the meantime, as it snows, I will be playing with this tablet and customizing it to my needs. Keep up the great work with this forum as I'm sure I'll have questions in the future.


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## SheilaJ (Apr 10, 2011)

Congratulations balconyrat.  You must have been really good this year for Santa to bring you a kindle.  Be sure and go to the app store today on your fire and get all the great free apps under the banner free apps greatest hits.


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## ireadbooks (Jan 11, 2011)

Welcome, Balconyrat. Sounds like Santa checked out your Web history hehe

I received my 7 inch a few weeks ago and am still enamored. Is this your first tablet?

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk 2


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## balconyrat (Dec 26, 2012)

Yep. First tablet. Been a desktop, laptop fella for a long time. Now that I'm retired, I been using my Kindle reader for a couple of years and was wanting to try the Fire HD. Low and behold Santa come through. Ho Ho Ho!


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## KTaylor-Green (Aug 24, 2011)

I have had my HD 7 since Oct and I LOVE it. My first tablet as well.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Woohoo, Balconyrat!  Congrats!

Welcome to KindleBoards!

Betsy


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## Michael Cavacini (Aug 2, 2010)

Congrats! I use my 7 inch Kindle Fire HD every day; it's great. Enjoy!


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## EbookLovers (Dec 31, 2012)

I have the 8.9 and it is really beautiful, better than the Ipad 2


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## IloveKindleAV (Nov 1, 2012)

Everyone,

Hello All!!! Guess what?! I bought new Kindle Fire HD 8.9 last Saturday for my late Christmas!!! Whoo woo!!! I haven't open it yet. I will open it later today and will learn and play around with my new toy.  

Have a great day you'all!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Congrats on the new toy!!!

Let us know how much fun you're having!

Betsy


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Congrates & enjoy your new Fires. I have the original & the 7" Fire HD. Love them. EbookLovers, why do you love your Fire more than your iPad 2?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't remember the specs, but I think the screen on the Fire HD is better than that of the iPad 2.

Betsy


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## IloveKindleAV (Nov 1, 2012)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Congrats on the new toy!!!
> 
> Let us know how much fun you're having!
> 
> Betsy


Betsy,

Thanks! I will let you know.


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## IloveKindleAV (Nov 1, 2012)

Toby said:


> Congrates & enjoy your new Fires. I have the original & the 7" Fire HD. Love them. EbookLovers, why do you love your Fire more than your iPad 2?


Toby,

Thank you!


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

Thanks Betsy for the feedback! Yes, the screen is wonderful on the Fire. I can just imagine that the 8.9 size is even better. 
For the new, happy owners, there are lots of free apps. I also get a kick out of immersion reading - buy audiobook & ebook. Open up the book, press the arrow, & watch the words highlighted while the narrator reads. You have to have the black lettering on the white background to see it. Music sounds wonderful as well.


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## SteveGrant (Jan 2, 2013)

What a great gift! My kids are jealous already.


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## rashad.freeman001 (Feb 23, 2012)

That thing is the size of a freaking iPad.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

rashad.freeman001 said:


> That thing is the size of a freaking iPad.


I'm not sure what your point is?


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

rashad.freeman001 said:


> That thing is the size of a freaking iPad.


Which is what interested me; I'm looking for a viable alternative to my iPad.

Sent from Killashandra, 
my Kindle Fire 4G


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Well its a bit smaller than the ipad, and lighter.  . The width is smaller that is. Hubby likes the size of my fire better than his ipad 4 or whatever the number is now. 
And for me, I am now having a ball playing all the fun games that were just a bit frustrating for me on the original 7 inch fire.
I am amazed at all the things I can see now in the hidden object games. Even games I already played. Oh look, there is a cat, I never saw that one before.  

I am baffled how people can play these on a phone.  

Now if someone could just invent a battery that charges itself, like whenever.  

I keep having the plug it in all all the time because I use it so much.


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## maryjf45 (Apr 24, 2011)

I like the bigger screen for games too, though I'm not much of a gamer. I've tried connecting it to the tv, and it would be good for the gameshow-type games and games where other people could offer input, even if it was single player.  Netflix wasn't great because the streaming wasn't high quality. Downloaded movies would probably do better. I haven't messed with the camera yet, tho I downloaded some free camera apps.  
As for why I like it better than Ipad (my husband has one), I actually like the carousel, and I didn't want or need a laptop replacement. And I like this size.
Some things I'm not enamoured of so far: believe it or not, mine has a bit of a lag on the touchscreen compared to my old Fire, which shouldn't be. When rotating its orientation, it's slower too, which is weird. Especially on the opening screen, I'll rotate it and it will take a good second or two for it to switch, which becomes almost comical if I rotate it back because I'm tired of waiting. Comical because I think,"How impatient I am not to want to wait a literal second?" and also because I usually rotate it back again and end up waiting 3 seconds.  I'm getting the hang of this waiting thing, however.  Also, on some applications (notably the email program which is no longer working for me) I haven't figured how to make the onscreen keyboard go away yet, when I want to view the screen behind it. I also am not crazy about the change to the settings bar. I like the tapping anywhere on the screen to get the home icons and such, but I don't like the sliding from the top to access settings. But every time one gets a new laptop or device, it takes time to adjust to changes, for some of us more than others.


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## maries (Dec 29, 2010)

I had the original Fire and got the 7" HD.  Then I saw the 8.9" and went back and forth on whether to upgrade to this and return the 7".    I did and now that I have used it awhile, I am happy with the decision.  It isn't as big as an original iPad but much better for what I do over the 7".    I just bought DH a mini-iPad and like the size of that too.  I'm thinking of getting one too!  IMO, 8-9" seems to be the best size for me rather than a 7" or a 10".    I still have my old 7" but never reach for it so need to figure out what to do with it.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I took the plunge. After being a Kindle 1 Pioneer (December 2007) and ther same for the DX (in 2009 - I still love that one) - I decided to treat myself to the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 4G for Christmas and I'm blown away. I own over 1,500 eBooks - so that was motivation, but I am also an Amazon Cloud user with over 400 Chassical Albums in the Cloudosphere, now instantly playbale on my Kindle Fire. But I love the video streaming and now can catch up on 4 or 5 years of TV programs (I rarely imbibe, but now I'm enthralled). Performace is great (I had to install wifi in my apartment - h the cost of it - $25  ) and took a 3GB 4G month-to-month plan with the devil (AT&T). But I'm glad I waited for the latest and the greatest. My poor DX is jealous, but I have eBooks on there that predate Kindle books, so the DX will have use. Plus there's a difference between 11 hour battery life and 2 weeks. 

Edward C. Patterson


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## Toby (Nov 25, 2008)

That reminds me. I have to go get my KDX to plug in. I now have to charge it every other day. I use the TTS on it & it does wear the battery down, but using it for over 2 1/2 years, it's been used almost everyday. 
Congrates on your new Kindle Fire! Enjoy it.


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## Penny Cooper (Dec 31, 2012)

I heard that one of my friend received HD 8.9 Santa and she is very happy  Thank you.


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## IloveKindleAV (Nov 1, 2012)

Hey Betsy,

Guess what?!!! My new Kindle HD finally worked! I figured it out about a hour!!! YAY!!! I am enjoying my new toy. Hehe!!!


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## maries (Dec 29, 2010)

I forgot to charge my 8.9 fire and had to use my 7" one last night . I wasn't sure I made the right decision going with the bigger one at first but going back to the 7" confirmed that the bigger one was the right decision for me .  I loved my 7" original but now 7" seems too small  and the 7.9 iPad mini and the 8.9 fire are perfect sizes IMO.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

maries said:


> I forgot to charge my 8.9 fire and had to use my 7" one last night . I wasn't sure I made the right decision going with the bigger one at first but going back to the 7" confirmed that the bigger one was the right decision for me . I loved my 7" original but now 7" seems too small and the 7.9 iPad mini and the 8.9 fire are perfect sizes IMO.


It is the perfect size, isn't it. I did ok with my original 7, but some stuff was just too small. And the ipad is just a big too big and heavy. 8.9 seems just about right to do everything comfortable, while still nicely portable. 
My poor OFire is feeling neglected. Hubby has voiced interest in it for reading. His ipad is to heavy for that.


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